Austin sets an example of how to keep its downtown clean, Carol Ferguson retires at KBAK TV, more retail closings and Stockdale Principal Ramon Hendrix gets a promotion

 * ... RETAIL: If you don't think this is a tough time for retailers as they try to compete with online

shopping, check out this list of companies and the number of stores they have been forced to close:
Sears and Kmart 150 stores; JC Penny 138 stores, Macy’s 68 stores Abercrombie and Fitch 60 stores, Guess 60 stores, Crocs 160 stores, American Apparel 110 stores, Payless 400 stores, RadioShack 552 stores, Staples 70 stores and CVS 70 stores.

* ... ADIOS: One of our most prominent and longest serving local TV reporters, Carol Ferguson, has retired from KBAK after a distinguished career. Ferguson spent 25 of her 37-year career with KBAK and served as a role model for dozens of young reporters who used Bakersfield as a stepping stone to move on to larger markets. Prior to working in local TV, she also worked as the news director at KERN-AM as well as news director and anchor at KKXX.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Which vitamins work best for fighting a cold or the urge to hit my ex boyfriend with my car?"

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "Surround yourself with tacos, not negativity."

 * ... TRASH: Mayor Karen Goh's recent litter survey that seemed to downplay our trash problem prompted a flurry of emails, virtually all of them reflecting comments like the one from this reader: "Thanks for keeping this trash issue alive... (Mayor Goh's) results were laughable. It brought to mind another survey a while back that failed miserably: homeless population. Their count determined the homeless numbers had dropped by 50 percent.  But buried in their information was the comment they’d reduced the census taking hours from a 24-hour day to only 12. Duh!"

* ... DOWNTOWN: And speaking of trash I spent a few days in Austin recently and had the opportunity to see how a progressive city takes on litter. Historic downtown Austin is beautiful, but like Bakersfield it has a serious homeless problem. So how does it handle trash? There is a group called the Downtown Austin Alliance (a more focused, ambitious and strategic version of our Downtown Business Association) in which dozens of red shirted workers with push carts loaded with cleaning liquids go block by block picking up trash. I witnessed workers picking up litter as small as cigarette butts and on the day after Memorial Day one worker was busy cleaning up sidewalk vomit and urine on the side of a high rise - seriously. The idea? Downtown is the Austin's welcome mat to the world and it deserves to look as clean as possible. Is there a cost to it? Certainly. But this is a city that takes its welcome mat seriously.

 * ... RAMON: Congratulations to longtime Stockdale High School principal Ramon Hendrix, who is moving on to become the superintendent of the Greenfield Union school district. Hendrix led Stockdale with a steady hand, and while my daughter was there I witnessed his deep commitment to the students and their parents. Stockdale's loss is Greenfield's gain.

 * ... GOOD FORM: Here's yet another example of how some local companies feel it is important to give back to our community. Some 150 Grimmway Farms employees are volunteering to help restore the Greenfield Baseball Park this weekend. They will be sanding and repainting backstops, bleachers and dugouts, restrooms and storage facilities They will be joined by 25 Greenfield Baseball Association volunteers. The local little league, adult intramural teams and others will benefit from a refurbished baseball field and facilities to enhance their recreation activities.

* ... CSUB WRESTLING: The CSUB wrestling program is a civic treasure, and its success well documented. But (like litter) it doesn't happen without public support. That's why I purchased a $100 ticket in hopes of winning an Infiniti QX30 to support the program, which lives year by year via the generosity of all of us. Only 1,000 tickets will be sold and the drawing will be held on June 29. Call (661) 654-2343 for more information, or mail a check paid to CSUB Wrestling to 9001 Stockdale Highway, 8 GYM, Bakersfield, 93311.

Tempers rise on the first day of school, KBAK steals an anchor from KGET and a good citizens dresses down a litterbug in a city bus

* ... BACK TO SCHOOL: The rush to get our kids back to school this week brings out the worst in some of us. Listen to this rant from reader Mike Glinzak: "This morning, the first day of school at Centennial Elementary, I witnessed the worst parking of MANY I have seen today when mommies brought their kids to school. The white SUV shown was parked and left unattended for 10 plus

minutes at the corner of Westdale Drive and Cardigan Avenue while a perfectly healthy young woman took her apparently perfectly healthy 8-year-old to class. When she returned, I told her she was illegally parked and was blocking the intersection and handicapped street crossing. Her comment: 'I didn't know I was parked illegally'  REALLY! ... I know this is a problem at many schools, but after living across from Centennial, I see the same dangerous conditions occur several times a day. Complete disregard for parking in NO STOPPING zones, created so school buses can have proper sight lines in the area, parking in front of fire hydrants, double parking, and of course, parking in an intersection at a 45 degree angle between two streets."

 * ... BILL THOMAS: The public slap down that former Congressman Bill Thomas gave to City Councilman Terry Maxwell has been brewing a long time, and chances are this is not the last we will hear of it. Thomas is immensely proud of the $600 million-plus in road improvement funding he arranged before leaving office, and the 24th Street widening process is among the crown jewels on the project list. Maxwell opposes the project, which led to the rare public rebuke from Thomas, who singled out Maxwell as the member of the City Council who most loves hearing his own voice.

 * ... BAD FORM: There are few things that get past the attention of my downtown neighbor Bettina Belter. So it shouldn't surprise anyone that when a passenger in a GET bus casually tossed a wad of garbage out the window, she chased the bus down to the downtown terminal to let the driver know "that a passenger had just broken the law and trashed not only my 'hood, but our city."

* … DOGS: Liz Keogh had this response when she learned her dog was on the list of the breeds deemed "least obedient." Said Keogh: "That explains it! My 'problem child' is a beagle/dachshund mix. I suppose it could be worse: he could be a beagle/borzoi mix."

 * … SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "I love sleep because it's a time machine to breakfast."

 * … LOCAL TV: More musical chairs among the local TV anchors. It looks like one of KGET's weekday anchors, Rachelle Murcia, is headed to KBAK, which recently lured Erin Briscoe away from cross-town rival KERO TV. She will share the anchor desk with incoming anchor David Gonzales.

 * ... JURY DUTY: A few thoughts after spending some time on jury duty this week: there is no quicker mood killer than getting caught in the jurors' parking lot by a slow moving train; the healthiest snack in the courthouse vending machine seems to be spicy "flamin" Cheetos; and somebody, somewhere, must have an idea how to speed up the selection process.

Embattled Bakersfield College president Sonya Christian picks up some support from the public and new faces coming to KBAK TV

 * ... SONYA: It looks like the Kern Community College District's trustees are encouraging Bakersfield College president Sonya Christian to seek work elsewhere, but there is a loud chorus of those who support her in our community. This note, from local historian Gilbert Gia, reflects how

many folks feel. Said Gia:"What a shame that the KCCD board encouraged an acclaimed leader to seek other work. Are seven changes of president in ten years not enough? And has BC's ascendant excellence under the leadership of Dr. Sonya Christian interfered so terribly with the needs of the other two colleges in the system? Step back and get some perspective."

* ... EL NINO: Ronal Reynier weighed in on the chances that California will experience a strong El Nino this winter: "Every day now we read and hear the predicted El Nino could be as strong or stronger than the one in 1997. It was just 18 years ago; do you remember? Seventeen people died and there was $550 million in damage. Should we be worried? No, the simple reason is so far this year weather forecasters' have been wrong 95 percent of the time. Each time they have forecast rain
we have received enough to spot-up our car's windshields or none at all. People who can afford and choose to live next to our beaches, on cliffs and on hillsides, know the risk and gladly take them. I only wish I was one of them. Come on El Nino; we may not be ready for you, but
here in the valley we welcome you."

* ... ANCHORS: KBAK TV has hired longtime Los Angeles news anchor David Gonzales to anchor its evening newscasts, replacing Kurt Rivera who left the duopoly a few weeks ago after his arrest in a domestic incident. The gig for Gonzales is temporary while KBAK searches for a permanent replacement, but I am told he could stay if things work out. Gonzales is married to long time Los Angeles news director Nancy Bauer-Gonzales. Meanwhile, KBAK is losing another evening anchor, Courtney Bryant,  who is moving to St. Louis to join KMOV.

 * ... RADIO: Speaking of local media, popular morning deejay Tony Manes (Tony in the Morning) has left KGFM and moved with his family to Fresno, where his wife landed a new job.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "It’s hard to trust humans; even the blind prefer to be guided by dogs."

* ... DOGS: Susan Peninger dropped me a note about a good program sponsored by the Kern County Aminal Control facility on Fruitvale. In her words: "With all the negatives surrounding animal control and issues related, I thought I’d share something positive. I received a renewal notice for one of my dogs and on the postcard was information I wasn’t aware of; I’m certain I’m not alone in this so maybe this could go in your blog. Every Wednesday from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., at the Kern County Animal Control facility on Fruitvale there’s a rabies/licensing clinic for county residents. Rates differ for altered and unaltered dogs, so proof of spaying/neutering is needed.  Microchips are FREE and anyone over 62 can license at a reduced rate. The staff was friendly, helpful and the line went quickly.  This is definitely a one-stop operation and one that people should take advantage of to ensure the safety and health of their pets."

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.

Ray Wylie Hubbard, James McMurtrey, Sam Outlaw and others to appear at the 99 Music Fest in October, a celebration of the roots of Americana music in a town that gave birth to "the Bakersfield Sound"

 * ... MUSIC FESTIVAL: If you are into celebrating the roots of American music make sure to mark your calendar for Saturday, Oct. 10, when the 99 Music Festival will be held at the CSUB amphi-

theater. This promises to be a dynamic lineup of true "Americana" music playing on two stages in a city that played such an important role in shaping the sounds we love. A partial lineup of the acts include Ray Wylie Hubbard, James McMurtrey, Sam Outlaw, the Roustabouts and Truxton Mile. Tickets are $40 and will go on sale Aug. 7 at 99 musicfest.com.

* ... HEALTH CARE: Beverly Lamb shared this bit of soon news about her son, who recently visited a doctor in the Los Angeles area. "He asked where my son was from, when he told him Bakersfield the doctor told him he had practiced in Bakersfield for seven years. He said he loved his patients here, they listened to him, followed his orders and never argued with him. He said his patients down there come in with notes and reams of print outs from the internet and question everything. He said it takes him 15 minutes to convince them he knows what he is doing and then they complain about the wait."

 * ... SPOTTED: On Twitter was this: "I never make plans until I know how I am getting out of them."

 * ... BRISCOE: Erin Briscoe, long time morning anchor with KERO-TV (channel 23) is leaving after seven years with the station. No official word on where she is going but I have been told she will end up at cross-town rival KBAK-TV (29).

 * ... PANHANDLER: Lu Granillo was stopped at a traffic light downtown when he saw a pan handler with his sign asking for money. "He then set his sign down and proceeded to count the money he had collected in full view. It was quite a haul. He seemed to be quite proud of himself."

 * ... SEVEN OAKS: Castle and Cooke has unveiled plans for its latest expansion in the Southwest, called Highgate at Seven Oaks. Highgate is located on some 443 acres at the corner of Ming Avenue and Allen Road and will eventually include a new Highgate Elementary School scheduled to open in 2018.

 * ... MEMORIES: Linda Welch dropped me a note with this memory of a man who kept exposing himself at the old JC Penney's store downtown. "He was in the basement one day and decided to awe a young associate," she said. "We he did she said, 'Sir, the little boy's department is on the mezzanine.' He was never seen again. What an ego buster!"

Ryan Beckwith, sacrificed at Bakersfield College, heads to Cal State Bakersfield to work in the athletic department, and more readers lament the trash on our streets

 * ... BECKWITH: It looks like former Bakersfield College Athletic Director Ryan Beckwith has landed on his feet. Beckwith, who was forced out at BC after the football team was stripped of its championship because of program violations, is joining Cal State Bakersfield as a strength and

conditioning trainer in the athletic department. CSUB Athletic Director Jeff Konya said Beckwith will likely start as a part-time employee. Beckwith was only at Bakersfield College for two years, and many thought he was unfairly painted as the fall guy for program violations that had been going on for many years.

 * ... TRASH: Some things are just too hard to believe. Consider this note from Patricia Seymour: she was taking a walk down Panorama Drive near Thorner School when she spotted a white pickup with a black trailer pull into an open field. And sure enough, the occupants dumped a full load of trash right in the open field. She called Bakersfield police and the dispatcher insisted she had to witness the incident, which she had. "I realize there are other emergency calls... so we started walking home and at Fairfax we saw three detective cars driving from the north. We figured they had been out practice shooting at Hart Park or to a meeting.  I don't know if detectives go out on calls but as I am a multi-tasker and I figured they could have dropped by to at least give warning to these dumpers. The area at the end of Panorama Drive is constantly being dumped on. It's a sad sight when one is trying to exercise and enjoy the great outdoors."

 * ... MORE TRASH: And speaking of trash, Ken Barnes has been going to Canada to hunt for more than 25 years. "On our 40-mile drive from the airport in Edmonton to the town of Tofield, it would be unusual to see more than three or four pieces of litter along the highway for the entire trip. And they do not use clean-up crews....the people just do not litter!"

 *... OVERHEARD: On the first day of school, a mother tells her teary-eyed kindergarten daughter that she must go to her class or the school will call the police and her parents will go to prison.

 * ... SPOTTED: Having a bite to eat at The Padre Hotel bar the other day were Supervisor Leticia Perez, fresh off her loss in the 16th state Senate district runoff, and Roy Ashburn, who also is recovering from his loss in a supervisor's race.

 * ... CALAHAN: Former KGET reporter Tim Calahan is back in the business, joining KERO TV as a breaking news reporter in the afternoon and the 11 p.m. co-anchor along with Jackie Parks. Calahan had most recently been with the Kern County Mission.

 * ... MEMORIES: A walk down memory lane with Gene Bonas on the old Andre's Drive-in. "The Andre family ran both Andre's Drive-Ins and the Garces High School cafeteria.  Mary Andre managed the Niles Street Andre's, Joe managed the Brundage Lane Andre's, and John managed the Garces cafeteria and filled in when Mary or Joe needed time off... My memory of Andre's on Brundage had to do with two Garces students who worked at the restaurant.  A close friend of mine ran the grill ensuring all the food was cooked to perfection.  I can still taste the hamburgers and fries that (my friend) made and snuck to me out the back door without anyone's knowledge."

Caltrans' recommendation to put a freeway through the Westpark neighborhood gets more heat from readers, and do you allow your dog or cat to share your bed?

* ... WESTPARK: My earlier blog about the plans by Caltrans to rip through Westpark to extend Highway 58 drew this response from former resident James Houck. "Your piece today and Lois Henry's were interesting to this old timer who remembers what Caltrans, abetted by the city of Bakersfield, did to stable neighborhoods in the 1950s and 1960s. They started ruining neighborhoods by turning 24th Street and Niles Street into one-way thoroughfares. Westchester and what is now called old Westchester are still dealing with that mess, as you well know. Then they ripped through some nice old neighborhoods to turn 58 (then 466) and 178 into freeways. The results can still be seen from H Street to about Cottonwood Road on 58 and from Union Avenue to about Haley Street on 178. No wonder those are among the highest-crime areas in the city. Westpark will join them soon."

 * ... PETS: A recent national survey revealed that of the American families that own pets, fully 70 percent of them allow their dogs or cats to sleep with them, a percentage almost equal to the number of married people who share the same bed. Surprised?

* ... MADISON: I wrote recently about the great Hollywood actor Guy Madison, who grew up in Bakersfield before a successful acting career in the 1950s. I apparently erred in reporting that he went to East High when in fact he graduated from the old Kern County Union High School. Said Joyce Hobbs: "After re-reading your column, I realized that Guy Madison must have transferred from East High to Bakersfield Junior College, on the same grounds those days as KCUHS. Darn, and all that time I thought he was a Driller!" You were correct Joyce. Mea culpa.

 * ... MORE MADISON: And there was this from William Upshaw: "I take exception to your piece about Guy Madison. His real name was Robert Mosley. He lived on Terrace Way, just east of Chester Avenue. He attended Kern County Union High School, not East High. He joined the Navy during WW II. He had bit parts in movies before he become Wild Bill Hickok. His family and my family were close friends."

* ... ADIOS KRCH: And another reader, Virginia Frazier of Lamont, wrote to express her dismay that KBAK TV had parted ways with anchor Lisa Krch. "This is just too much... John Dabkovich, Leyla Santiago and Cambi Brown.  I think management should seriously think about replacing news director Cristi Jesse. We are seriously considering switching to Channel 17 for our morning and evening news."

 * ... KBAK: And speaking of Krch, it looks like Amity Addrisi will be replacing Krch as anchor of the KBAK weekday newscasts. Amity has spent time as a morning anchor on Channel 29.

Longtime KBAK anchor Lisa Krch is leaving the station and questioning why Caltrans insists on plowing through a long established neighborhood to extend a freeway

* ... ANCHOR AWAY: Longtime KBAK/KBFX Eyewitness News anchor Lisa Krch has reportedly been let go by the CBS and Fox affiliates. Krch arrived in 1997 from Chico/Redding as morning anchor and later moved to the prime evening anchor slot. This latest talent change is one of many that news director Cristi Jesse has made since arriving at the duopoly last year.

 * ... WESTPARK: If you haven't read the column by Lois Henry on why Caltrans is insisting on plowing through the Westpark neighborhood to extend Highway 58, I recommend you do so. It is amazing to me that we would opt to destroy several hundred single-family homes and permanently divide a neighborhood just to save a couple of parks, which could easily be relocated and replaced.

* ... CALIFORNIA: There is little doubt that California economy is improving, but how you feel about that depends on where you live. Coastal areas are rebounding nicely, but the Central Valley and other inland areas are still struggling. According to a New York Times analysis, the Bakersfield metro area has a jobless rate of 13.4 percent compared to 7.7 percent in Santa Barbara and 7.9 percent in San Francisco. Fresno's unemployment rate came in at 14.9 percent, which the state average held at just over 10 percent.

 * ... WHAT RECESSION? Our jobless rate may be stubbornly high, but it hasn't stopped us from enjoying our favorite restaurants. I was out Saturday night and tried - unsuccessfully - to get a seat at both K.C. Steakhouse and Enso downtown, both of them doing booming businesses. We ended up squeezing in at Muertos in the Wall Street alley, but it's good to see the local eateries seems to be doing well.

 * ... HOT MARKET: And if you don't think the local housing market is heating up, consider this: A friend who works at Trader Joe's is being transferred and listed his house the day before Thanksgiving. By the Friday after Thanksgiving, he had five offers on his house and seven scheduled showings the next day. His listing agent: Laurie McCarty of Coldwell Banker.

 * ... CHRISTMAS NEEDS: The Centennial Medical Group has collected supplies for our troops overseas but is having trouble finding someone to help box them and ship them abroad. If you can help, contact Joanne Pearce at (661) 326-8989.

 * ... DID YOU KNOW? Did you know that Guy Madison, the Hollywood star who played a starring role in "The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok" in the 1950s, was from Bakersfield? He was born in Pumpkin Center and went to both East High School and Bakersfield College before heading off to Hollywood. He was married briefly to the actress Gail Russell and died in 1966.

Lynda Halligan returns to KBAK TV as a morning anchor, and is Walmart headed to the old Mervyn's plaza on California Avenue?

 * ... KBAK: There is a familiar face back on the local morning television circuit. Lynda Halligan, who worked as a noon anchor and co-anchor of the evening news on KBAK TV (29) from 2003 to 2007, has returned as anchor of Channel 29's morning program. Halligan has spent more than 14 years in broadcasting, including time with QVC, Fuse and most recently the ReelzChannel. In the morning she is teamed with Aaron Perlman and Cambi Brown.

* ... LaLANNE: Did you know the late great fitness guru Jack LaLanne had a strong local connection? That's what I learned from a local couple, Herb and Rita Loken, who said they visited Jack's widow, Elaine, recently in Morro Bay. She said her husband and Jack met in the 1940s in Minneapolis and their friendship was renewed in the 1950s when Herb joined the staff at Bakersfield College. "As you may know, Jack LaLanne spent his early years in Lamont as a puny little kid but went on to be the forerunner of physical fitness. They opened their home to us on many occasions and their visits to Bakersfield always included dinner at the Woolgrowers," Rita said.

 * ... MILESTONES: It was three years ago this week that locally owned San Joaquin Bank was seized by federal regulators and shuttered during the housing and banking crisis.

 * ... OVERHEARD: One of my favorite local businesses, the UPS Store in the old Mervyn's plaza, is being forced to move because the building is being torn down. What will be built in its space? One friend was hoping for a Cabela's, and another for a Bass Pro Shop. Sorry, but one commercial real estate insider says a new Walmart will be built there.

* ... BC JAZZ: Here's a cause I could get behind. Some folks up at Bakersfield College have formed an organization devoted to the arts and culture. It's called "Friends of BC Jazz" and was the brainchild of two professors, Kris Tiner and Dr. Randal Beeman. The idea: raise an endowment of $50,000 to purchase equipment and to offer scholarships and travel for students. "We are more than pleased to announce that Columbine Vineyards in Delano has stepped up to the plate first with a $10,000 gift for the purchase of new equipment, which we hope to have on campus in time for our November concert," Beeman said. Anyone wishing to contribute a tax deductible gift can send a check to Friends of BC Jazz, in care of the Bakersfield College Foundation, 1801 Panorama Drive, Bakersfield 93305.

  * ... IRISH: Carolyn Bergman wrote to remind me of yet another Bakersfield youngster who is off to school at the University of Notre Dame. She is Nicole Madrilejo, a 2010 graduate of Garces Memorial High School who is now a junior in South Bend. She is an Irish cheerleader and is the latest in her family to attend the school. Her father, Dr. Nelson Madrilejo, graduated from Notre Dame while her mother, Nicole Madrilejo, is a nurse at San Joaquin Community Hospital.

 * ... FOOD SHOW: If you are a foodie, or even an aspiring cook, make sure you get your tickets to Savor Bakersfield, our town's most impressive cooking show set for Nov. 13 at Rabobank Theatre. It is a production of Dash (Parade) magazine and will feature English chef Jon Aston. Tickets are just $20 and available at ticketmaster.com or calling (800) 745-3000. The event will feature boutique shopping from over 40 local vendors, food sampling from 10 local restaurants (Noodle Bar, Padre, Johnny Rockets, Red Pepper, etc...) plus beer and wine sampling.

Catholic Online's Michael Galloway resorts to name calling and racial epithets as he is grilled by KBAK TV's Kurt Rivera, and our local housing market remains red hot for sellers

 * ... CATHOLIC ONLINE: There are few things as entertaining as watching the subject of a local investigation squirm, lose his cool and resort to name calling when pressed to answer a simple question. The latest case of bad form involved Michael Galloway, a local entrepreneur who apparently has built a pretty good business through his for-profit website Catholic.org. (Don't confuse Catholic.org with being the official arm of the church) The business has been the subject of numerous investigations and fines, and last week KBAK's Kurt Rivera followed up on a complaint that the company had withheld payment to a contractor. Galloway turned ugly when Rivera pressed him for answers. "You're an angry little Hispanic man. Geraldo. Isn't your name Geraldo? Is your name Geraldo? You're dressed like a pinhead. You are a pinhead," Galloway said while being filmed. Rivera didn't back off and Galloway ended the interview with yet another racial slur: "Goodbye little man. Go eat some tacos.'" Really Michael?  Seems not even a website with the name of Catholic.org can buy one class. (photo courtesy of KBAK TV)

* ... TIGHT MARKET: Christine Zimmerman is a local Chevron employee who has been house hunting in one of the tightest real estate markets in recent memory. Unfortunately, the supply of homes is near an all time low, and what she is encountering is all too common. "Yesterday, we found 'the house:' price, location, amenities, aesthetics, the entire package. It was newly advertised, and we were enthusiastic. I contacted the local real estate company whose ad we found first thing this morning, using their online form to request a showing... The second email from the company explained to me that the property had been 'contingent' since April as a short sale, agreed to between seller and buyer pending bank approval." Christine wondered if this was ethical, but experts told me in this case, it is. Short sales take months, and backup offers are discouraged, so they homes remain listed in case the deal falls through. Gary Belter of Coldwell Banker told me reasonably priced homes are "going in a heartbeat" via multiple offers. "It's a crazy market and there just isn't enough inventory," he said, "and the process of a short sale can really drag out the process." In the meantime, good luck to Christine and her husband in their search for a new home.

 * ... BAD FORM: A pox on the family who left Jastro Park littered with candy wrappers, used paper plates and gift wrapping paper after holding a piñata party Saturday. The broken piñata and other assorted pieces of trash were left exactly where they fell onto the grass. Is it really too much to ask parents to clean up after their children?

 * ... GOOD FORM: Meanwhile for every example of bad behavior someone, somewhere is trying to do the right thing. Just two blocks from Jastro Park and the piñata party, a woman walking her dog casually picks up discarded cups and trash as she makes her afternoon rounds.

* ... PAINTING: Hats off to Rich Johnson and his crew of meticulous painters for giving my 1909 downtown bungalow a fresh coat of paint that makes the old place look nearly new. Old homes are like relationships; they need a lot of love and care to keep fresh, and Johnson is an expert in breathing new life into houses that have seen better days. Johnson came to me via word of mouth and local recommendations. Give him a call as (661) 706-1077 if you're in the market for an expert painter.

 * ... COMPOSER: Congratulations to Coral Rose ("Coco") Chapman, the 6-year-old daughter of KEDC director Richard Chapman who just also happens to be a terrific young piano composer. Her original composition was among a handful chosen from over 500 statewide entries. Earlier this month, she performed her piece at the Composers Today Symposium in San Diego (held during the annual convention of the Music Teachers Association of California).  She attends Harmony Road Music School in Bakersfield.

Witness: Angelo Mendoza had "wild look" in days before blinding his son

Details are beginning to emerge about the man accused of attacking his 4-year-old son and literally biting one of his eyes out. The boy remains hospitalized and it is not known if he is blind in one or both eyes. This is the most talked about story in town, an utterly outrageous and disgusting story, and it has captured the attention of readers across the globe. The suspectg, confined to a wheelchair, was apparently on some kind of drug rage when he attacked his son. The boy told police: "Daddy ate my eyes out." The latest details come from KBAK TV's Carol Ferguson, a longtime veteran reporter who knows how to work a story.(read her report here) She tracked down friends of the suspect, Angelo Mendoza Sr., who said he had been enrolled at Bakersfield College last year and had been training for a long bike ride in his wheelchair. And, to the first of my knowledge, Ferguson tracked down the boy's mother (lots of questions about where she was since the boy was living with his father).



From the KBAK report:
"The child's mother, who called herself Desirae but would not disclose her last name, said Mendoza has been wheelchair-bound since December 2004 when he was stabbed in the back and left paralyzed from the waist down. Desirae said Mendoza had hoped to organize a bicycle ride from Disneyland to Disney World."
KBAK also quoted another friend, Harvey Clowers, as saying Mendoza seemed enthusiastic about wheelchair sports but had recently showed a change in attitude.
"It just seems like ... he had a wild look in his eyes," Clowers said on Wednesday. "He was kind of speeding around, rolling fast and just moving around like he was under the influence of something."

Photo courtesy of KBAK TV website