Uricchio's Trattoria will reopen for curbside pickup soon, the county says it is not in the business of shutting down businesses that violate the state lockdown, and KBAK's Rachelle Murcia celebrates the end of her chemo treatment

Welcome to Bakersfield Observed. Our mission is to celebrate life in Kern County by focusing on newsmakers and events and the local characters who make this community such a special place. The views expressed here are strictly my own and do not represent any other person or organization.

 * ... REOPENING: Uricchio's Trattoria, the popular downtown eatery that closed temporarily when the stay at home orders were passed down, will be reopening for take-out service on Tuesday, May

19. That's according to owner Claire Porter, who said Uricchio's would reopen with a limited menu as it gauges when it might return to tabletop dining both inside and on its open air patio. Porter said she anticipates the industry will be allowed to reopen but only with some restrictions, possibly limiting inside seating and requiring the use of masks and gloves by some employees. Meanwhile some local restaurants - including Mossman's Fish and Chips, Moo Creamery and Spencers - have reopened with restrictions in defiance of the state order.

 * ... PHASE TWO: As California moves into the Phase 2 process of reopening, county chief administrative officer Ryan Alsop said the county would not be in the business of shutting down businesses that violate the state order. Alsop said the county is in a position of "re-enforcing" the state mandate, but it would be up to the state to use it regulatory power to cite and punish any business that reopened prematurely. For restaurants and bars, Alsop noted, the state can use its regulatory powers over food and alcohol to mete out punishment if needed.

 * ... GIANT HORNETS: Are you ready for the killer hornets? That's right, Asian hornets that grow to two inches in length have been spotted in Washington and farmers worry they could play havoc with the bee population used to pollinate plants. Perhaps not surprisingly, we are told that eating the large hornets is common in some Asian countries.

 * ... TEACHER HONORS: Congratulations to Joseph Andreotti, who was named Teacher of the Year for the Lakeside Union School District. The honor puts him in the running to be Kern County teacher of the year. Andreotti teaches eight grade and ansi is the AVID site coordinator for the AVID program.

 * ... RACHELLE MURCIA: A big hats off to KBAK evening anchor Rachelle Murcia, who officially completed her round of chemotherapy for cancer. The local anchor posted this to celebrate the day: "FINAL CHEMO DONE! I had 4 Red Devil treatments, 4 Taxol treatment and my last treatment was in the 4th day of the 4th month. The force is strong in this one.
(I wore some special things my loved ones sent to me. What I couldn’t wear, I carried with me and that bag sat right next to me for the 5 hours of my last treatment. Thank you all!)"

* .... OLD SCHOOL FIREFIGHTERS: I spotted this photo on a friend's Facebook page so I cannot tell you the date of this photo, or where it was taken, but it is a beauty. Are those beers they are drinking?

 * ... MEMORIES: Don't you just love this picture of old Caliente? Thanks to the Kern County of Old Facebook page for this nugget from our past.

Accelerated Urgent Care doctors trigger a storm of controversy over the coronavirus, images of child porn appear on a Bakersfield College Zoom meeting, catching up with KBAK TV personalities and how about getting a speeding ticket for going 165 mph!

Welcome to Bakersfield Observed. Our mission is to celebrate life in Kern County by focusing on newsmakers and events and the local characters who make this community such a special place. The views expressed here are strictly my own and do not represent any other person or organization.

 * ... CORONAVIRUS: Two doctors who own and operate Accelerated Urgent Care (known as one of the places that offers coronavirus testing) have ignited a storm of controversy by calling for the opening of the economy and casting doubt on the motives behind the current policy to control the virus. Dr. Dan Erickson and Dr. Artin Massihi basically said the virus is simply a another flu and the reaction has been overblown. (Erickson proudly boasted that he does not wear a mask) The response from other doctors was swift. One expert, quoted in The Californian, said the doctors used flawed data and accused them of "advancing factual inaccuracies." On social media, the blowback was  hard and immediate. One reader accused the doctors of taking the stand so they can make more money at Accelerated, which is now closed to most all other business while it provides testing. The Kern County Health Department also disagreed and said the county should continue to practice social distancing. So are the Accelerated doctors motived by money or science? You decide. (photo courtesy of The Californian)

 * ... ZOOM BOMBING: Imagine being Bakersfield College president Sonya Christian and you are hosting a Zoom meeting with community leaders to talk about the school's response to the coronavirus. And then imagine you are looking at the screen and someone - a hacker - posts a graphic video of child pornography. Well it happened, as it often does on unsecured Zoom meeting accounts, and the meeting was quickly ended. Bakersfield police are investigating. Among those attending were state Sen. Shannon Grove, county CAO Ryan Alsop and Michael Turnipseed of the Kern Taypayer's Association. (stock photo for illustration purposes only)

 * ... SPEED: Remember when I reported that speeding along Interstate 5 had skyrocketed since the shelter at home orders? Well, check this out: a CHP officer ticketed someone for going 165 mph - yes that is right - in south Orange County. Be careful out there.

 * ... NEWS ANCHOR: It was good to see KBAK TV anchor Rachelle Murcia posting a video on Facebook during one of her visits to the Comprehensive Blood and Cancer Center (CBCC) for treatment. Murcia is staying busy and occasionally broadcasting from home during her treatment, which has compromised her immune system and put her at greater risk of the coronavirus. Keep Murcia and her family in your thoughts.

 * ... REYNA HARVEY: Now that we are catching up with local television personalities, Reyna Harvey, a high spirited and talented reporter for KBAK TV, has joined KRON TV in San Francisco. Harvey is originally from Oakland so the move north was a homecoming of sorts.

 * ... JACKIE PARKS: And finally, you likely remember longtime anchor Jackie Parks who moved to Maryland a few years back along with her anchor personality Todd Karli. It turns out their son, Jack, s returning to the Golden State to attend Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. Sometimes you just can't take the California out of the kid no matter where you end up. Parks and Karli were the most prominent husband-wife couple on TV when they left KBAK a few years ago.

 * ... GASOLINE PRICES: Who thought we would see prices like this at your local pump?

 * ... TRASH: If you ever drive on Round Mountain Road, a favorite spot for local cyclists, you may have noticed how some people use it as their own personal dumping ground. Check out this photo from Facebook allegedly showing a truck that may have left a load of dump on the side of the road. We are told this has been reported to the Sheriff's Department.

 * ... MEMORIES: Don't you just love this picture of the old "Dead Man's curve" on the old Highway 99 before Interstate 5 was built? Thanks to the Kern County History Fans page for this shot.

Calm down, no one is trying to raise your property taxes by repealing Prop 13, Donald Trump mistakes Kansas for Missouri, KBAK anchor Rachelle Murcia shares a personal health struggle and Edward Lee recovers from a stroke

Welcome to Bakersfield Observed. Our mission is to celebrate life in Kern County by focusing on newsmakers and events and the local characters who make this community such a special place. The views expressed here are strictly my own and do not represent any other person or organization.

 * ... PROP 13: Is the state of California trying to repeal Proposition 13 so it can raise your personal property taxes? If you believe everything you read on Facebook, you would think so. But the truth is far different. In fact, there is an effort to repeal parts of Prop 13, but it would not affect personal property taxes. Instead,  the California Schools and Local Communities Funding Act of 2020, also

known as the "split-roll" measure, would raise taxes on factories, stores and industrial real estate by requiring they pay property tax based on current market value rather than the value of the property when it was purchased. ​Politifact, a non-profit website devoted to truth in reporting, said Facebook in particular is full of misleading statements about Prop 13 and it cited a Bakersfield publication as one of many sources spreading untruths. Said Politifact: "A similar Facebook post by Bakersfield Tuff, a media company focused on racing and rodeo, was shared more than 2,200 times. Others have appeared on the platforms Next Door and We Chat, according to the campaign for the initiative." The initiative may be flawed in many ways - and many would argue this is just the first step toward repealing Prop 13 altogether - but in this case it would not raise property taxes on individuals.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Be honest, you thought the Kansas City Chiefs were from Kansas."

 * ... MISSOURI OR KANSAS?: And then there was this, tweeted by our president. Now, in his defense, this is a common mistake many people make, but it didn't stop folks from heaping scorn on him.

 * ... RACHELLE MURCIA: KBAK evening anchor Rachelle Murcia has come out publicly in her fight against breast cancer. The anchor submitted a Facebook post last week in which Murcia detailed her personal struggle. "My writing teacher always taught me never to bury the lead and get right to the point. I have breast cancer," she wrote. "I found a mass before Christmas...The doctors found two large masses on my left side. They are calling them late stage two, early stage three cancer." Murcia ended the message by saying she did not plan to talking about the cancer often. "The next time I plan on talking on the air about my cancer is when I can come to you and say, I beat the dang thing and I am cancer free. So, go out there, live, be kind to one another, and have a good evening.”

 * ... MAYORAL DEBATE: KGET television will host a debate featuring Mayor Karen Goh and the candidates seeking to unseat her. The debate will air at 7 p.m. tonight (Monday). The candidates are facing off in the March 3 primary and if no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff will be held in November.

* ... SICK BAY: Edward Lee, a longtime mechanic at Action Sports, is recovering from a serious stroke. Lee suffered a stroke several weeks ago, was able to leave the hospital and apparently suffered a second one that sent him back to the hospital. Friends say he is resting but the road to recovery is uncertain. Keep Ed Lee in your thoughts.

 * ... MEMORIES: Last week I submitted a picture of the old Germania Beer Hall and asked for your help where it was. Well, Art Moore solved the puzzle for me, sending me this "now and then" photo of the intersection of 19th and L streets. Enjoy.

 * ... MORE MEMORIES: And yet another walk down memory road thanks to Art Moore.

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.

Good news for car makers as sales rebound and thousands return to work; meanwhile the Escalade is the country's top stolen car

 * ... CAR SALES: There's good news for our nation's car makers who are experiencing a strong rebound after taxpayer bailouts and bankruptcies. According to The Los Angeles Times a "leaner, more aggressive auto industry is making a comback, hiring workers and ramping up manufacturing plans." The "big three" of Ford, General Motors and Chrysler alone have added 90,000 jobs since the lowest point two years ago. In fact, growth has been so strong that even in distressed Michigan, hiring has shaved the unemploymenet rate to 10.9 percent, lower than California's of 12 percent. Over at Jim Burke Ford, owner Dan Hay told me business had clearly picked up, thanks in large part to our region's healthy agriculture and energy industries. "We are fortunate to live in Bakersfield," he said. "Our customers seem to feel much more up beat than a few years ago." Ford, of course, never went through bankruptcy and never requested nor received a taxpayer bailout.

 * ... STOLEN CARS: And speaking of cars, it turns out the Cadillac Escalade is the most stolen vehicle in the country. The Insurance for Highway Safety said the luxury sport utility vehicle is more than six times as likely as the average vehicle to be stolen. Also making the "most stolen" list were the Ford F-250 crew 4WD, the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 crew, the Ford F-450 crew 4WD, the GMC Sierra 1500, the Chrysler 300 and the Ford F-350.

 * ... NEW ANCHOR: KGET has found a new anchor to replace Robin Scott Mangarin. Rachelle Murcia, traffic reporter for KOMO in Seattle, is joining the KGET team to anchor the nightly news broadcasts along with Jim Scott. She joined KOMO in 2005 and has spent the last six years handling traffic.

 * ... SCHOLARSHIP: Proud grand parents Chester and Helen Troudy passed along this good news regarding grand daughter Stephanie Anthony Santa, a 2004 graduate of North High School. Stephanie is one of five national recipients to receive a $5,000 scholarship to the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington D.C. where she will complete her final semester of nurses training. She is a student at Marymount University in Alexandria , Va , and will graduate in May 2012 with a BS/RN degree. Her parents are Sue and Paul Anthony.

 * ... RADIO TIME: Tune in to Californian Radio on SmartTalk 1230 AM Friday when iIwill be chatting with Congressman Kevin McCarthy on the crisis in Libya and the debt showdown, and later in the hour with state Sen. Michael Rubio who may be making a congressional run himself. (file photos of McCarthy, Rubio)

* ... PARKINSON'S: Mary Meaders dropped me a note to spread the word about support group for folks with Parkinson's Disease. With more than 200 folks in our community suffering from Parkinson's, there is clearly a need for a group like this. The group meets the second Tuesday of every month at the First Presbyterian Church downtown, located at 1705 17th Street. Meetings start at 2 p.m.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: You may be from Bakersfield if you "remember picking pumpkins out at Al Bussell's ranch."