Cal State Bakersfield enrollment hits 8,400, United drops service to Houston and Father Bert Mello takes over as pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help

 * ... CSUB: Some factoids from CSUB President Horace Mitchell's annual report on the state of

the university: Total enrollment stands at 8,371; females comprise 61 percent of the student body; 80 percent of the students are under the age of 25; 50 percent are Hispanic, 23 percent white, 7 percent African American and 7 percent Asian. The most popular major is business administration (14.5 percent) followed by psychology (8.7 percent), interdisciplinary studies (7 percent), criminal justice (7.5 percent), biology (6.3 percent) and pre-nursing (6.1 percent.)

 * ... UNITED: The decision by United Air Lines to discontinue service to Houston cuts off the preferred route to the Southeastern United States. It's yet another effect of the plunge in the price of oil, and no doubt there is more to come. Talk to anyone in the oil industry, and they will tell you they live in fear of the next layoffs.

 * ... BAD FORM: A woman is driving an older Honda on Columbus Street with what appears to be a grandson sitting on her lap hanging out the driver's side window while she casually smokes.

 * ... SUPER BOWL: Ruth Fee didn't care for Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning plugging Budweiser in his victory interview. Said Fee: "I hope MADD was paying attention... What a message to young people. Athletes used to be icons to whom young people were supposed to look up to. Not any more. The bottom line - shame on Budweiser! (Don't like beer but I love those high-stepping, gorgeous Clydesdales.)"

* ... PATIO DINING: In my recent post on patio dining, Kitty Jo Nelson reminded me that the Village Grill offers some of the best alfresco experiences in town. "Food is great and the staff is pleasant... and plenty of parking," she said.

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "One thing that I have never had in the glove box of my car, is a pair of gloves."

* ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "You trust me holding your child? Do you know how many iPhone screens I’ve cracked?"

 * ... PASTOR: Our Lady of Perpetual Help has a new pastor, and he has quite the life story to share. His name is Father Bert Mello, and in an interview with KGET TV, he concedes he has "lived a pretty decrepit life." Mello says he once smoked three packs a day, was a beer salesman and fell away from the church. "You know," he told the station, "sex, drugs and rock 'n roll was the reality of my lifestyle." Father Bert was ordained in 2001 at St. John's Cathedral in Fresno.

Kevin Burton decides against running for mayor of Bakersfield, an expert predicts the price of oil will double this year and Monsignor Michael Braun begins his farewell tour

 * ... OIL: With the price of oil hovering around $30 a barrel, it's hard to find optimists in the oil patch. But at least one analyst is bucking that trend by predicting the price will double to around $60 a barrel by the end of this year. That's the word from The Wall Street Journal which reported that

energy executive Harold Hamm believes the current glut will ease as U.S. producers "ratchet down production until the market recovers." Hamm, chief executive of the U.S. shale producer Continental Resources,  also described OPEC as "almost a nonentity" that is losing its ability to dictate market prices.

 * ... KEVIN: Kevin Burton has decided against running for mayor this year, citing his responsibilities as president of the San Joaquin Community Hospital foundation. Burton, who will turn 45 next week, called being mayor "a lifelong dream" but told me he was simply not in a position to run for election this year. "I love this city and it's been my goal to be mayor," he said. "But I just can't do it now." It is still not certain if Harvey Hall will run for reelection, and Burton's decision creates an even wider opening for former homebuilder Kyle Carter to seek the office. Carter says he is running whether Hall runs or not.

* ... MONA: An interesting exhibit of neon signs will be on display in Glendale next month when the Museum of Neon Art holds its grand opening. And one of its prized pieces is none other than one of the original neon signs for the now defunct Green Frog market. The sign, if you remember it, has the phrase 'Howdy Folks' under a strutting green frog decked out in a tuxedo and black top hat. By the way, if you are into this kind of stuff, take a leisurely drive through old east Bakersfield some time and take in the treasure trove of neon signs that grace our streets, from Pyrenees Cafe to Luigi's to Woolgrowers to the Arizona Cafe. Or, better yet, head over to the Kern County Museum to check out its impressive display of old neon signs.

 * ... BRAUN: Good luck to Monsignor Michael Braun, one of the smartest - and wittiest - pastors in town who has spent three decades leaving his imprint on Catholic life here. Braun will retire at the end of this month, but not before a 'farewell tour' of sorts that included a tribute dinner at Bakersfield Country Club that drew some 300 people. When Braun steps down, he will be the longest-tenured pastor at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, also surpassing those at other local Catholic parishes.

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "I'd like to read an obit about someone who did not die surrounded by family. Someone whose niece was on her way but didn't quite make it."

 * ... FUND RAISER: Mark your calendar for the annual reverse raffle and fund raiser for the Our Lady of Guadalupe School, a small non-profit school that serves students through the eighth grade. The dinner is set for Saturday, Feb. 13., at the Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine at 4600 E. Brundage Lane. Tickets are going for $140 (steak dinner for two and one entry into the reverse raffle) and there will be an $8,000 grand prize. This year's honorees for the Monsignor Craig Harrison award: Rose Alderete, Marylou Burlingame and Woolgrower's Restaurant-Jenny Poncetta and Mayie Matia.