Looking for the most affordable place to retire? Who knew that Medellin, Colombia, would appear on the list, celebrating a new sushi place and getting ready for a huge music festival in town

 * ... RETIREMENT: Thinking about retirement and weary of high California taxes and housing costs? The AARP has a new list of the cheapest and best places to retire, and some of these may

surprise you. Austin, Tx., came in No. 1 but that's not surprise given that Texas is the top destination for folks leaving California. Then comes Tuscon, Az., followed by Medillin, Colombia, a locale best known as the hometown of the notorious (and thankfully dead) Pablo Escobar, formerly head of the Colombian drug cartel. Other cities listed included St. George, Utah, Savannah, Ga., St. Augustine, Fla., Bloomington, Ind., and Huntsville, Ala. (file photo of Medellin, Colombia)

* ... TRASH: This note from a man who recently moved back to Bakersfield pretty much speaks for me: "Bakersfield pride.... or perhaps a lack of it. This is what I see and think of as I drive down various streets, not only in Bakersfield but, in Kern County. I moved back recently after a 25 year absence and am appalled at the amount of litter lining our roads and highways. I can't remember EVER seeing a trashier town. What happened to Bakersfield pride? Did it go the way of the dinosaur? Does anyone still care?"

 * ... HART PARK: And there was no better example of this than at Hart Park after the Labor Day holiday. The park was strewn with trash from picnic revelers, begging the question: is it asking too much to bring a black trash bag and hauling home your garbage?

* ... FOODIE BEST BET: I finally got around to visiting Jin Sushi, the new eatery that opened a few weeks ago on 19th Street downtown. The interior is comfortable and the staff friendly, and the sushi could not have been fresher. The owners told me they are undergoing a "soft opening" while they train the staff and work out the kinks.

 * ....SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Jellyfish have survived here on earth for 650 million years without brains. Great news for stupid people."

 * ... MUSIC FEST: The 99 Music Fest, a celebration of Americana music that will showcase some nationally known acts on two stages, is just one month out and prices will soon be going up. Early-bird pricing (at $40 a ticket) ends next Monday when individual tickets jump to $45. The event is planned for noon to 6 p.m. at the CSUB amphi-theater. Among the acts include Sam Outlaw, whose band just performed on the CBS Saturday Morning show, Ray Wylie Hubbard, James McMurtry, Monty Byron, Truxton Mile, the Sheepdogs and others. Buy your tickets at www.99musicfest.com.

* ... KUDOS: Hats off to Ali Schroeter, a 2012 Bakersfield High graduate who is now a starting libero on the Rutgers University volleyball team. The Big Ten Conference recently recognized Schroeter not only for her skills on the court, but for her civic engagement off the court. She was cited for her work assisting the cleanup operations on Staten Island after Huricane Sandy. Schroeder is is fifth in the Big 10 Conference in digs and has a 3.9 grade point average going into her last semester in college.

Kurt Rivera appears to be out at KBAK TV and an 87-year-old man makes good on a 60-year-old debt to legendary lawyer Morris Chain

 * ... HONESTY: Here's a sweet story of honesty, forgiveness and faith that will send you into the weekend with a smile. Sixty years ago, when 87-year-old Kenneth Cannon of Wasco was in his

prime, he ended up in a fight that landed him in court facing a lawsuit. He hired the legendary Morris Chain to defend him, and Chain managed to get the fine reduced from $10,000 to $1,500, still a hefty fine back in those days. Morris' fee was $100, but Cannon was working in the potato fields and promised to pay Chain over time. Chain told him: "Once you get on your feet, you pay me." Jorge Barrientos, head of marketing for Chain Cohn Stiles, tells the rest of the story: "Fast forward 60 years, Kenneth noticed in the newspaper that our law firm moved offices (Chester and 18th), walked into our lobby Wednesday with a new $100 bill he took out from the bank stuffed inside of a small yellow envelope. He knows Morris died in the 1970s, but since we still have Chain’s name at our firm, he felt he should give the money to us." Cannon told Barrientos:  “It’s been on my mind this whole time. I had quite a guilty conscience about it all. I was obligated to pay back my debt.” Barrientos declined to take the money. "He is a sweet older fellow," Barrientos said. "And it is such a remarkable story." (file photo of Morris Chain)

 * ... RIVERA: Now that KBAK TV and longtime anchor Kurt Rivera have parted ways, speculation is turning to who will move into his chair as nightly anchor of Eyewitness News. One possibility:  Erin Briscoe who just joined the KBAK morning team after leaving KERO TV. Her tenure in the market and name recognition would seem to make her a logical candidate. Like most companies when it comes to personnel issues, KBAK declined to comment on exactly why Rivera left, but insiders saw this coming when his biography and picture were taken down from the KBAK website and his company Facebook page disappeared. Last month Rivera was arrested after a domestic disturbance involving the 50-year-old anchor and his 36-year-old girl friend, Mindy Morrow. Although the district attorney's office declined to prosecute, Rivera's career at the station is over.

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "I’m glad I don’t have to hunt for my food, I don’t even know where sandwiches live."

 * ... MORE TWITTER: "Classic. Wells Fargo (allegedly) sends an email ALERTING me someone tried to hack my account. Then puts me on hold 45 minutes. Great 'ALERT.'"

* ... CRIME: Stephen A. Montgomery answered my call about crime with this missive: "The answer to your question as to is there more crime or are we just hearing about it more may be directly above in Lois’ column as she considers the downgrading of the fines for those few citations issued for illegal fireworks. Our system is simply doesn’t do enough to make bad actors feel the pain hence more crime. Far too often the pain is left for the victims to deal with."

 * ... BURGLARIES: And speaking of crime, a friend who lives downtown told me about her own home being burglarized at 10 in the morning. "A few minutes before I left the house a young man was knocking on my door for a long time. I finally answered through the door and he said he had the wrong house. As I was leaving I saw him with another man. They saw me drive off and when I returned an hour later, they had used a rock to smash through a window and get into the house."

 * ... MCMURTRY: James McMurtry is an award-winning singer and song writer who will be a headline at the Oct. 10 99 Music Festival out at Cal State Bakersfield. He has produced a dozen albums and is a regular on the Americana music scene out of Austin. His father is Larry McMurtry, a Pulitzer Prize winning author of the mega hit Lonesome Dove.