RIP Pete Cattani and Bill Lee, our homeless population and former Mayor Mary K. Shell shows some resourcefulness at the Holy Smoke barbecue

 * ... RIP: Bakersfield lost a pair of local businessmen this past week. Sherman Lee, owner of Bill Lee's Bamboo Chopsticks and a major landowner downtown, died of pancreatic cancer and Pete Cattani,

owner of the Ammo Dump gun store, also passed away. Lee was 76 years old while Cattani was 84. Cattani was active in shooting competitions and his Easton Drive gun store was a must-stop among shooting enthusiasts. In June, we lost Gene Thome, owner of Bear Mountain Sports off Weedpatch Highway.

 * ... HOMELESSNESS: I moderated a panel on homelessness at CSUB recently and some of the statistics were just stunning. Some of what I heard: the homeless population is getting younger, particularly among women and their children. In addition fully 65 to 70 percent of the homeless veterans without combat experience have substance absue issues, and there is a clear distinction between panhandlers (many of whom have places to live) and the true homeless. Another worrying sign: their numbers are steadily increasing not only in Bakersfield but across the country.

 * ... DISNEYLAND: The oddest, and most stunning, photographs that appeared on Facebook this week were the pictures taken at Disneyland while the Anaheim Hills fires turned the skies an eerie blood orange. The amusement park remained open while just a few miles away the wind-whipped fire consumed a dozen expensive homes.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "The problem with drinking with people from work is they’re the ones I bitch about when I’m drunk."

 * ... PAT SAJAK: This tweet from Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak spoke volumes: "OK, let me explain this again: We're celebs. We're wiser and more empathetic than you. We are famous. Please take our opinions more seriously."

 * ... MARY K. SHELL: Former mayor Mary K. Shell has always been known for her resourcefulness and it was on display last week when she attended the Holy Smoke barbecue at Garces Memorial High School. Navy veteran Gene Bonas shared a table with the former mayor and reported this: "My wife noticed she was eating her steak with a plastic fork, so Robbie offered her one of the steak knives she always brings to BBQs for everyone to use. With a sly smile, Mary K. held up a Swiss Army knife and stated she was doing quite well. Mary K. was a totally delightful person to have dinner with."

 * ... BAD FORM: An odd sight along the bike path near North Chester this weekend when a group of riders headed west turned the corner to come upon two homeless men laughing hysterically as a muscular black pit bull was hanging from a rope tied to a tree, his sturdy jaw clenched tight to the end of the rope in an apparent show of strength.

 * ...REUNIONS: I was out and about this weekend and caught friends going to a couple of notable class reunions. The West High School class of 1987 were enjoying their 30th reunion at The Padre Hotel while Highland High class of 1977 was celebrating its 40th reunion.

Oil production across the country surges to new highs and the country is now producing 83 percent of its energy needs, and former Bako mayor Mary K. Shell throws some love at the downtown Post Office

 * ... OIL: Thanks to fracking and other new methods of extracting oil, our country is now producing more than 7 million barrels of oil a day, the highest since 1993. And, we are growing closer to total oil independence. According to a story distributed by the Bloomberg news service, the United States is now producing 83 percent of its total energy needs. "Production grew by the fastest pace in U.S. history last year and will accelerate in 2013 as horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, unlocks crude trapped in formations such as North Dakota’s Bakken shale," the story said. "The state boosted production 40 percent last year through October, Energy Department data show. Texas was up 23 percent, and Utah rose 11 percent."

* ... DARNELL:  Steve Darnell, vice president and general manager of the Buckley Radio stations in Bakersfield, is leaving to become sales manager of Clear Channel radio in Fresno. Darnell joined Buckely in 2002 and was a member of West Rotary. The Buckley stations include KKBB, KLLY, KSMJ and KNZR.

 * ... LOFT LIVING: The finishing elements are being installed on the 1612 City Loft project in downtown Bakersfield. All nine units have been pre-leased and residents are expected to be moving in within the next month or so. The project, which is in the building formerly known as the Hay building, has been in the construction phase for the past year. Some of the residents include local Realtor Adam Belter, KBAK reporter Tom Murphy and long-time Walker-Lewis employee Stephanie Gonzalez and husband A.J.

 * ... OVERHEARD: At a local Starbucks a customer who had bought a coffee for a young homeless man outside remarks: "Well that was unexpected. He said he really wanted a hot chocolate."

* ... POST OFFICE: Former mayor Mary K. Shell speaks for many when she talks about the outstanding service at the downtown Post Office. "The employees are exceptional! They make it a practice to let you know if you can mail or ship something at a better price and they greet each customer with a smile, especially when the waiting lines are long  In addition, I can’t forget to thank my letter carrier, Ralph, who’s been on the same 93301 route for maybe ten years or more.  He gets mail to me even with a mangled address, in rain, fog or blistering heat!"

 * ... CRABFEST: The hottest ticket is in town next week is for the Crab and Rib Fest to benefit the St. Francis Parish School.  It is already a sellout with some 400 people expected to head to the Kern Country Fairgrounds next Friday for the annual event that raises tens of thousands of dollars for the Parish.

BakersfieldLife magazine features 11 inspiring women from Kern County

 Make sure to check out this weekend's BakersfieldLife magazine, which will feature some of the amazing women role models in our community. Among those being featured are former mayor Mary K. Shell (that's her on the cover), Sheryl Barbich, Judi McCarthy, Barbara Smith, Sheryl Chalupa, Diane Hopkins, Cathy Abernathy, Mikie Hay, Rosa Corona, Mary Christenson and Ginger Moorhouse. The magazine comes out Saturday inside the home-delivered Californian.