Pro marijuana organization targets Supervisor Mike Maggard in radio commercials, Celeigh Chapman unveils a new album and Lisa Green's son joins the ranks of attorneys

 * ... MAD MIKE: A radio commercial attacking Supervisor Mike Maggard has hit the airwaves, taking him to task for opposing the legal regulation of marijuana. The ad says "Mad Mike" Maggard endangered the public by opposing the sale of legal pot under strict regulations. In the absence of regulations, the ad argues that taxes will go up and crime will increase as the sale of cannabis is

pushed underground. Expect more of this type of blowback from the supervisors' decision not to allow the legal sale of cannabis. Meanwhile, the American Legion endorsed the legal                   sale of cannabis for medicinal purposes, citing research showing an overwhelming number of combat veterans use marijuana regularly to control pain and get off opioids doing so.

* ... LISA GREEN: District Attorney Lisa Green has a lot to be thankful for, but perhaps this Thanksgiving was more special than most. Green reached out to me to share this: "In 2006 my middle child, Andrew, became interested in mock trial while he was a student at Bakersfield High School.  When the other coaches found out I was an attorney, they asked me to help with the team and so began my first of approximately eight years coaching mock trial at BHS (I continued to coach well after Andrew graduated). The really cool thing, is, last Friday Andrew passed the California Bar Exam and in doing so became my first mock trial student to actually become an attorney. Anyway, as you might imagine Jeff and I are so proud of him." As you should be, Lisa. Congrats to you Andrew.

 * ... CELEIGH: And congratulations to Celeigh Chapman, an East High and USC graduate who has produced a new album called "The Winner." Chapman, 32, now lives in Los Angeles and is part of the fabric of the SoCal country music scene.

  * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "My husband let me sleep in late and then made me pancakes. Someone please let Dateline know my death was absolutely premeditated."

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "If you speed up yoga, you then have breakdancing."

 * ... FALL FOOD: Here are a couple of my favorite culinary tips for Fall: try the lamb lollipops from Pyrenees Cafe, absolutely mouth watering, and the tortilla soup at Mama Roomba. Both perfect for a crisp fall day.

 * ... FAVORITE PIES: And speaking of food, an annual survey of the most popular Thanksgiving Day pies is out and once again pumpkin pie reigns supreme However, it appears that pumpkin is more beloved by Baby Boomers than millenials so a change may be coming. But for today the most popular pies are pumpkin, pecan, apple, sweet potato and chocolate in that order.

 * ... GOOD FORM: And finally, here is some good news to start your day, compliments of Jim and Diane Hankins. "My wife and I attended the Western Band Association (WBA) Championship competition at Buchanan High School in Clovis. Hundreds of wonderful young people from high school bands all over Southern California competed. The splendor and choreography of the bands reflected the untold hours of rehearsal and practice in the months leading up to this championship of the best of the best. Bakersfield was proudly represented by Bakersfield High and West High. The best part of the night was when my wife and I were sitting in the bleachers, the entire West High unit filled in all around us. It was a treat for us to be surrounded by so many enthusiastic young people. They were so full of good cheer and energy. Not one curse word was uttered during the time they sat around us. When competing bands took the field, many West High members shhhh’ed the group. All then watched, cheered and applauded for their competitors."

Updating that list of things we are thankful for, Taft College pitches in to help victims of the hurricane and Leticia Perez gets a statewide honor

 * ... GIVING THANKS: Have you done a self audit about the things you are thankful for? I have, and it starts with two healthy adult children, a cadre of friends who uplift me and provide a

sympathetic ear when I am down, a job that challenges me and work colleagues who always make me laugh, a doctor (Dr. Raj Patel) who walks me through the mine field of middle age, and a pair of tabby cats (one inside, the other out) who always great me with soft purrs and kisses.

 * ... MORE THANKS: Add to that all the local business owners who go out of their way to provide me with top flight service and food: Claire from Uricchio's Trattoria, Rod and Julie from Pyrenees Cafe, Jake from Jin Sushi, Meir from Cafe Med, Victor from Mama Roomba, Jeff from Salty's BBQ, Shauna from Muertos and Sonny from Mexicali.

* ... TAFT COLLEGE: Did you know that the Taft College baseball team has eight players from Puerto Rico? In solidarity with these athlete-scholars, the campus is holding a campaign to raise $10,000 for hurricane relief aid.

 * ... LETICIA PEREZ: Congratulations to Kern County Supervisor Leticia Perez who will be sworn in as president of the California State Association of Counties later this month in Sacramento. The organization is a lobbying, advocacy and service organization representing the state's 58 counties at the state and federal level. It deals with issues as diverse as health care reform, water and climate change and the budget. Perez is the first Latina to ever head the lobbying group.

 * ... KUDOS: Hats off to CSUB political science professor Jeanine Kraybill, who edited a new book coming out exploring the new age of hyper partisan politics. The book is titled "Unconventional, Partisan and Polarizing Rhetoric... How the 2016 Election Shaped the Way Candidates Strategize, Engage and Communicate." Kraybill is a professor of religious studies and political science and appears on my radio show (KERN NewsTalk 96.1 FM) every Thursday.

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "Just when I thought this year couldn’t get worse, I heard a grown woman describe time spent doing art projects as a 'crafternoon.'"

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "I'm going to make Thanksgiving bearable this year with my super laid back Xanax cranberry sauce."

 * ... PIE RUN: Don't forget the Pie Run on Thanksgiving morning out at Hart Park. It's the perfect way to start the holiday with a quick run (or hike or walk) into the hills overlooking the park and returning to connect with old and new friends and enjoy some hot coffee and plenty of pastries. Get there before sunrise (follow the tail lights in front of you) and start the day with some exercise.

Foodie website selects Bakersfield's best restaurants, I add my own touch and more on those porch thefts about town

 * ... FOODIE: A website called "The Culture Trip" has listed its favorite Bakersfield restaurants, and they clearly hit some of the high spots. Included were Noriega Hotel, 24th Street Cafe, Hodel's, J's Place, Uricchio's Trattoria, Mama Roomba, Zalka Indian Cuisine, Cope's Knotty Pine Cafe

and Muertos Kitchen and Lounge. I would add these to that list: Luigi's Delicatessen, Pyrenees Cafe, Jin Sushi, Cafe Med, Casa Munoz, The Red Pepper, The Mark, Valentien's, Mexicali, Woolgrowers and The Padre Hotel. (Photo of Muertos owner Shawna Haddad)

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "If I had a dollar for every time I thought about you, I would start thinking about you.

 * ... THEFT: The maddening trend of folks stealing packages off porches continues. Consider this note from Debbie Statezni: "My daughter sent me flowers today…on HER birthday to thank me for being her mom.  Someone took them off my front porch before I got home from teaching. Nice.  I hope whoever did that needed those flowers."

 * ... GOOD FORM: Kelly Clanton sent out these kudos to a local Costco employee: "Special thanks to Alan, who works the door at Costco, for singing 'It Had to be You' to people as they walk in the door and brightening everyone's day. What a gem!"

 * ... BAD FORM: And Joe Michael submitted this nugget that will have you shaking your head. Said Michael: "Have you noticed the flocks of gulls around town recently? Maybe the wet weather has brought them in? As I was parking at Target on Wible, I noticed a single bird interested in something on the ground. As I watched I finally identified it as a discarded diaper. The bird pecked and pulled until it was finally opened and the bird dined on the contents. I suppose a bird watcher was kind enough to leave this morsel for a hungry bird? Unfortunately the ungrateful bird did not dispose of the wrappings in the garbage."

* ... ACHIEVER: Some good news about a local South High lad from Mary K. Shell. John W. Lathrop, 1982 graduate of South High School, has been promoted to Brigadier General and Assistant Division Commander, 40th Infantry Division of the California National Guard. His promotion was celebrated in the fall  at a ceremony in Los Alamitos. He is the son of Donna and Robert Lathrop, both of whom taught at South High. Lathrop was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve in 1986 upon his graduation from UC Riverside. He saw duty in South Korea and participated in Desert Shield and Desert Storm while assigned to the Army’s 27th Field Artillery Regiment. After joining the National Guard in 1991 he was deputy commander of a group deployed to Iraq in support of Iraqi Freedom IV, serving in 2005 and 2006. His wife is the former Mary Patrice Manning and the couple has two daughters: 21-year old Kaitlin and 19-year-old Elizabeth.  John’s twin brother, Mike, is a retired Marine.

Researchers say getting cancer for many people may just be plain bad luck, Guy Fieri rolls into town looking for good bar food and another random act of kindness gets a nod

 * … CANCER: I am not sure if this is good news or bad, but researchers now say that in most cases, coming down with various types of cancer may just be plain bad luck. In fact, random genetic mistakes may account for "two thirds of the risk of getting many types of cancer, leaving the usual suspects -

heredity and environmental factors - to account for only one third," reported The New York Times. Said one researcher: "For the average cancer patient, I think this is good news. Knowing that over all, a lot of it is just bad luck, I think in a sense it's comforting." Of course, some cancers like lung disease can largely be avoided by our own personal behavior, but other deadly forms of cancer appear to be tied to random luck.

 * … KINDNESS: A reader whose wife underwent a recent liver transplant in Los Angeles reached out to thank his longtime neighbors in the Polo Grounds, Vickie and Mike Taylor, who have been caring for his 4-year-old dachshund while they have been away. (He asked not to be identified since he is out of town so much). "Frannie (the dog) got out of the yard Friday and Vickie called in tears. Bakersfield City Animal Control called and said a nice lady had Frannie at her home and was holding her for Vickie to pick up. Thank you to the unknown Bakersfield good Samaritan and the Taylors for keeping our pet well cared for."

 * … GUY FIERI: It looks like a number of local restaurants will be featured on Guy Fieri's popular Food Network show Diners, Drive Ins and Dives. In addition to Pyrennes Cafe, I have heard the show will also be filming at Mama Roomba downtown, 24th Street Cafe and Salty's BBQ. This doesn't guarantee that all the restaurants will make the cut, but film crews are about town chronicling some of our favorite lunch spots.

 * … NARDUCCI'S: More local restaurant news; the popular lunch spot Narducci's has opened a second location called Narducci's North Beach Cafe on 21st and O streets.

 * … OVERHEARD: At the Garden Spot recently and man is overheard talking about reading the newspaper: "I always check the obituaries. Mainly to make sure I'm not in there."

 * … SPOTTED: From reporter Steve Mayer's Facebook wall: "Someone has invented a smart belt with a buckle that automatically loosens when you've eaten too much. First, this is a sad commentary on our society. Second, where can I get one?"

 * … BUCKEYES: I always hear from reader Sunny Kapoor when his beloved Ohio State Buckeyes post a victory (which is often these days) so it was just a manner of time before his email landed in my in-box. "The Buckeyes were amazing last night," he wrote after OSU upset Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, "and the victory was very much enjoyed at my household, where I watched the game with my wife, and sons Arie (Chico State) and Nigel (Ohio State). I hope to be able to go watch them play in the National Championship game in Dallas, but if not, I am sure they will make this Buckeye proud. Go Bucks!"