A local attorney proposes a bike path for Round Mountain Road, more on local postal theft and bacon lovers rise up to defend their pork

 * ... BIKE PATH: I ran into local attorney Phil Ganong this week and he floated an idea that makes a lot of sense for those who use Round Mountain Road for running or cycling. Ganong owns

property along Round Mountain (his home is the near top) and he is willing to donate enough of it to build a bike path to keep cyclists off the road, which is heavily used by oil maintenance trucks. "I'd like to challenge other land owners to join me so we could build something that would keep everyone safe," he said. "I'd like to dedicate it to people like Doug Bentz (a former ski shop owner who died last year) and Norm Hoffman," the popular Bakersfield College professor and fitness instructor who was hit and killed by a motorist on Fairfax Drive in 2001. It's an idea in its early stages but one worth of consideration by the county. (photo by Derek Smith)

* ... POSTAL THEFT: I bet we all wish we had a mail carrier like the one who serves Ken Beggs. Said Beggs: "I wanted to let you know of an action taken by my mail carrier. I received a phone call from my mail carrier asking if I posted a letter in my my box. Yes he called me. I'm not going to give you his name because he would probably get in trouble for calling. He said our mail flag was up and no letters were in the box. He was worried that someone may have taken our out going letters. I told him the neighbors children were playing around our mail box and must have put it up. I thanked him for being concerned. Who does that nowadays? We have the best ever mailman."

* ... BACON: So now the World Heath Organization says that processed meats - and that means bacon and sausage - may cause cancer. First it was milk that was bad for you, then eggs (thank goodness eggs made a comeback), then almond milk (consumes too much water) and now the target is processed meats. As the comedian Albert Brooks quipped: "World Health Org says processed meat causes cancer. Pigs respond, 'You put your family in a grinder and see how healthy it is.'"

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

 * ... BAD FORM: Shame on whoever left two large Taco Bell soda cups, assorted used napkins and paper food wrappings plus - ready for this? - a soiled diaper - in the parking lot of the Target near the Park at Riverwalk. A trash can was a mere 30-second walk away.

 * ... MARINES: This is for all you Marines who served in the Korean War, compliments of veteran John D. Mixon: "With regard to the Marine at the Rio Bravo County Club, as submitted by Rick Tomlinson... I too, was a Marine with the First Marine Division at the Chosin Reservoir battle during  November-December 1950 in North Korea, and thought that I was the only survivor of that famous battle that lived in Bakersfield. I would be very interested in knowing who that person is, and I would greatly appreciate it if you would run a short sequel and perhaps he may see it, and give me a call. You may print my cell phone number (661) 889-1179. Of the 15,000 marines that participated, I suspect that after 65 years, there are fewer than 2,000 of us still alive. Best regards, and Semper-Fi."

Bako Bits: Have you ever grabbed a sock under your bed and found it belonged to a burglar hiding under there? That and more odd stories from Bakersfield and Kern County

 * … GOOD FORM: A friend of mine lost her checkbook recently but was lucky there are good people in this world. When she returned home, her bank had called and left a message that the

checkbook was at Albertson's, turned in by a kind stranger. "Do you realize how lucky I was? My whole bank book with checks and I didn't even know it. They did not know who found it, so to this day I haven't a clue who the MOST honest person was. So chalk up a good mark… Ole Bakersfield people are pretty special!"

* … BAD FORM: I came across this note about a man who had an unwelcome visitor in his home. I will not identify him given the nature of the crime. "He came home to his new house tonight and found various subtle things amiss… So eventually he checks under his bed and finds a sock. He goes in to grab the sock and there's a foot in it. A BAD GUY IS UNDER THE BED! He runs out of the house and calls the sheriff's department back… Anyway, bad guy got away."

 * … CRABFEST: Tickets are sale for the annual Rib and Crabfest benefitting the St. Francis School Parish. This is always one of my favorite fund raisers in a town that excels at raising money for good causes. It's held at the Kern County Fairgrounds, is presided over by Monsignor Craig Harrison and features some of the best ribs and crabs you will ever eat. Tickets for the event, held on Friday, Jan. 24, are $75 each and can be purchased at St. Francis school. (photo of Tracy and Brian Kiser at Crabfest)

 * … CANNABIS: The politics around the medicinal and recreational use of marijuana are quickly changing. Colorado and Washington have decriminalized its use for recreational muses, and New York is looking at relaxing its own laws governing cannabis. On Tuesday, at 9 a.m., I will be chatting with local attorney Phil Ganong who has been actively pushing for Kern County be less restrictive about the sale of cannabis for medical purposes. The interview will be video streamed live on bakersfield.com and can be heard on First Look with Scott Cox on KERN NewsTalk 1180.

* … LITTER: This note from Interim HealthCare's Darlyn Baker:  "I saw something today that resonated with me. At the traffic light at the Oswell off ramp of 178 East, there frequently is a person standing with a sign asking for money, but not today.  Someone had obviously provided some food in the past three days. On top of the transformer box sat two clear plastic cups half filled with water.  In the weeds next to where the person stands were two medium size white Styrofoam food containers.  Seeing this, it seems as though those who give food to these individuals need to say, 'Be sure to take this container and put it in a trash can.'"
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New restaurants choose downtown Bakersfield as their venue, and Californian Radio examines medical marijuana and a proposed voter initiative

 * ... EATERIES: Opening a bar or restaurant is always a risky venture, and it's sad to see some of them struggle and close. Among those that have closed recently are the Thai Orchid and the Hourglass, both located off Brimhall Road. While they closed, others are opening, and many of them are choosing the downtown arts district. Chef's Choice Noodle Bar (19th and Eye streets) has been a huge success, and it will soon be joined by a steak house called The Mark also on 19th Street, and Muerto's Kitchen near the Alley Cat bar in the Wall Street Alley. Another restaurant is apparently going into the building that Fishlips occupied.

* ... MEMORIES: Received a wonderful hand written letter from Linda Polston talking about Bakersfield back when it was a smaller, much simpler town. She shared the story of going to Bill Lee's Bamboo Chopsticks every Friday night in the 1950s and being greeted by Bill Lee himself, smoking a cigar and making small talk with all the diners at their tables. "His wife didn't speak much English and she'd always say to me, "want a sucka?' and hand me a sucker she kept at the checkout counter.... We joined the big celebration after  Bill Lee's was remodeled .... They reopened with a dancing dragon and fireworks and other entertainment. We still use the commemorative chopsticks they gave out that night."

* ... MARIJUANA: The battle over medicinal marijuana, derided by law enforcement but praised by those who use it to treat illnesses, is heading to a decisive period this election year. One of the latest developments is a proposed voter initiative that would "provide that neither the state nor any local government may prohibit operation of a medical marijuana patient association, including a storefront, unless a court finds it is an actual nuisance." Local attorney Phil Ganong is behind the initiative and will be my guest on Californian Radio KERN 1180 Monday at 9 a.m. Tune in to hear Ganong bring us up to date on this controversial local issue.

* ... COMMUNITY: Dan Raytis passed along this story, yet another testament of the goodwill that lives within all of us. "About six weeks ago my wife’s family experienced an unimaginable tragedy of unexpectedly losing a 13-month-old baby. In the week that followed, there was much to do planning for the funeral.  Our good friend (and local photographer) Torrie Nicholas agreed to help by putting together a video for the funeral, which included the task of transferring home movies to DVDs. As time was running out, she took the home movies to Henley’s to see if they could transfer them to DVDs.  Jimmy (an employee at Henley’s) and his friend Michael had a difficult time, but spent an entire day on the project and ultimately got the videos onto DVDs.  If that wasn’t enough, then they stayed late after closing to explain how the DVDs worked.  And they did it all FREE OF CHARGE. This is exactly the great, local service that makes Bakersfield such a wonderful community.  Please pass along a tremendous thank you both to Torrie Nicholas Photography and to Henley’s for going way above and beyond."

 * ... PAJAMAS: Is it bad taste to walk your children to school wearing pajamas and a robe? Pam Cheatwood doesn't think so, and she offers this reasoning. "I just want to say how disappointed I was to read that a lady walking her children to Standard School in her pajamas was newsworthy. You see, I work at Standard School District and we are thrilled anytime a child gets to school and has the opportunity to learn. I say kudos to the mom, who possibly was ill, who made sure her children were at school regardless of her situation.  Personally, I think you should have a permanent section in your blog for the positives that are happening at all school districts throughout Kern County. If you want to stop by Standard School District, I would be happy to tell you about all of the wonderful things going on for the students there."