Joe Biden clinches Pennsylvania and becomes president elect, the return of pets to the White House (German Shepherds Major and Chamo) and the world loses Jeopardy host Alex Trebek to pancreatic cancer

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 company or publication.

 * ... ELECTION: Joe Biden is now the president-elect following one of the closest elections in American history which saw a record number of votes. All of the ballots are not yet in but Biden hit the magic

number in electoral votes when he won Pennsylvania on Saturday. In his acceptance speech Biden vowed to be a president for all Americans, regardless of party. Most Republicans I know were disappointed but resigned to a Biden presidency. Others, in fact perhaps most Republicans I know, are more fearful of vice president-elect Kamala Harris and their perception of her as "too far left" should something happen to Biden and she rises to the presidency. Dr. Brij Bhambi of Centric Health called Biden's acceptance speech "powerful and well worded that met the moment." Pastor Angelo Frazier of Riverlakes Community Church had this to say: "Yes, convictions are not based on polls, politics or focus groups, regardless of the outcome of the elections, it is this country we are fighting for... we must fight the good fight with honor, integrity and truth. It is the founding principles in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution that we uphold for all people and parties. The lust for power must never trump the triumph of love! We are all Americans now and we will be afterward. Let's rolll." Both Bhambi and Frazier are regular commentators on The Richard Beene Show on KERN Newstalk 96.1 FM. Frazier appears Mondays and Bhambi Fridays.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "If civil war starts, I ain't running! Cause I'm fat, that's why."

 * ... FIRST DOGS: The election of Joe Biden will do one thing we can all agree on: it will be good to see pets back in the White House. Joe and wife Jill have two German shepherds, Major and Champ, and the president is quite fond of dog kisses, we are told. In the pictures below are Major and Champ along with another yellow lab that a voter named ... Joe Biden.

 * ... ALEX TREBEK: We lost Alex Trebek, the longtime host of the popular game show "Jeopardy!" who died Sunday after a bout with pancreatic cancer. Trebek, 80, served a year with the cancer (the odds of surviving a second year with pancreatic cancer are just 7 percent) but recently took a turn for the worse and died Sunday. Trebek's connection with Kern County was strong, thanks in part to Sheri Horn-Bunk of the Taft College Foundation. When Horn-Bunk discovered that Trebek once joked he might attend Taft College to study oil drilling in retirement she reached out to him to appear at the West Kern Petroleum Summit. He did, graciously, and later funded a scholarship there. My wife and I were guests of Horn-Bunks last January when we went to Burbank to watch the filming of Jeopardy! where Trebek greeted us with warmth and charm. He was one of a kind and he will be missed.

 * ... MEMORIES: Check out this old picture of a motorcycle club in Kern County back in the day.

Did Rep. Kevin McCarthy warn President Trump against trying to kill the Affordable Care Act? City Councilman Bruce Freeman talks about the controversial dorm project, Keanu Reeves pays us a visit and Blaine Hodge gets a well deserved award

Friday, March 29, 2019

 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 such a special to live. Send your tips to rsbeene@yahoo.com.

 * ... MCCARTHY AND TRUMP: Did House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy warn President  Trump against trying to kill the Affordable Care Act?

That's the word from the Axios website that reported McCarthy called Trump and told him it was a bad idea that could hurt the Republicans in the 2020 general election. Said Axios: "McCarthy told Trump over the phone that the decision made no sense — especially after Democrats killed Republicans in the midterms in part over the issue of pre-existing conditions, according to two sources familiar with their recent conversation. As Bloomberg's Sahil Kapur points out — health care was the top issue for 2018 midterm voters, and voters who cared most about health care favored Democrats over Republicans by more than 50 percentage points." My two cents: I think McCarthy is absolutely right about this. Trump should leave the ACA alone and focus on our booming economy.

 * ... CSUB DORMS: It is not often you get authentic, honest dialogue with a politician, but that is what I had with Ward 5 City Councilman Bruce Freeman on the proposal from a private developer to built twin five-story apartment buildings to house CSUB students. For the record, CSUB president Lynnette Zelezny hates it, as do the high end residents of Stockdale Estates across the road. Freeman - remember he is the past CEO of Castle and Cooke which built Seven Oaks - knows something about zoning and he questioned how the developer used a conditional use permit (CUD) to bypass normal zoning regulations. Freeman clearly believes this is an incompatible development - that is my read of what he said, not his words - and I think we can all expect this thing to die on the vine. At the end of the day, after talking to Freeman for a half hour on my radio show, it was good to hear someone speak so honestly about a controversial project in the city.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "If your boyfriend has a sticker on his vehicle of Calvin pissing on something, you're gonna be a single mother."

 * ... HOMELESS: Here is your random homeless picture this week, compliments of a runner on the Panorama Bluffs who shot this of folks living on the bike path.

 * ... STAR SIGHTING: Hats off to actor Keanu Reeves who ended up in Bakersfield on a  unscheduled stop and made the best of it. Reeves, 54, was on a United flight from San Francisco to Burbank when the plane landed in Bakersfield because of a mechanical problem. The passengers were later loaded in taxis and driven to Burbank, but not before Reeves regaled them with statistics and fun facts about Bakersfield, and playing some old Bakersfield Sound songs from the past.

 * ... BLAINE HODGE: And here is another shoutout to Blaine Hodge, the young man who was injured when he tackled a man wielding a machete who was attacking a woman at a local Starbucks on Stockdale Highway. Hodge received the civilian version of the Medal of Honor for his actions.

 * ... WOMEN: And finally, congratulations to my friend Sheri Horn-Bunk who is among a group of impressive women recognized by Garden Pathways as the 2019 "Women with a Heart for Bakersfield." Bunk and the others - Jasleen Duggal, Diana Mestmaker and Natesha Johnson - will be honored at a high tea on Wednesday, May 8, at Seven Oaks Country Club.

* ... MEMORIES: Check out these old photos of 19th Street and the original Kern County Hospital. Wow.

The generosity of Alex Trebek to Taft College, the top 500 most polluted cities in the world exclude North America, and Dennis Quaid stops by for a cocktail at Uricchios

Friday, March 8, 2019

 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 such a special to live. Send your tips to rsbeene@yahoo.com.

 * ... ALEX TREBEK: The news from Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek that he is suffering from Stage 4

pancreatic cancer stunned America, but few know if his personal connection and his generosity to Taft College. It was five years ago that Sheri Horn-Bunk, head of the Taft College Foundation, read on the Huffington Post that Trebek joked he wanted to take a course in oil exploration at Taft College once he retired. Calls were made and Trebek ended up speaking at the West Kern Petroleum Summit in 2015, introducing Oklahoma oil baron T. Boone Pickens. In honor of his appearance the college started an oil engineer's scholarship in his name, and he promptly sent Horn-Bunk a check for $10,000 to endow it.

 * ... POLLUTED CITIES: I ran across a list of the world's top 500 most polluted cities, and guess what? The United States, and in fact Canada, did not have a single city on the list. Does that mean we are free of pollution? Certainly not, but it does point to the lunacy of mounting a  all-out effort on climate change here while the rest of the world does nothing. Consider: of the top 10 most polluted cities, nine are in India. Of the top 100, fully 57 of them are in China. Mexico and several Central American counties - Guatemala, Colombia, Peru and Costa Rica - made the list far down but no U.S. or Canadian cities made the list.

 * ... DID YOU KNOW? Did you know that upwards of 70 percent of the incoming freshmen at CSUB enter college deficient in both basic math and English.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "If Morgan Freeman was narrating my life story, I bet he'd be tired of repeating 'He's still eating' all the time."

 * ... SPOTTED AT URICCHIO'S: Well look who was spotted at Uricchios the other day, none other than actor Dennis Quaid. Word was that Quaid was here, along with country singer Tanya Tucker, to record music at a local recording studio.

 * ... MEMORIES: How about this old postcard featuring fishing on the Kern River?

 * ... MORE MEMORIES: And how about this advertisement for the Padre Hotel in 1962:

The Wounded Warrior Project is in crisis mode after a damning investigation into its lavish spending, Wiki's Wine Dive offers a lunch special and the Bakersfield Arts District Foundation gets off a big night

 * ... VETERANS: One of the largest and most prominent non profits that serves veterans - the Wounded Warrior Project - is in crisis mode after a damning report that calls into question its spending on lavish dinners and parties.
Among the findings of a New York Times investigation: the charity flew 500 employees to Colorado Springs for an "all hands" meeting at the exclusive Broadmoor Hotel, employees routinely buy business class seats and others stay at $500 a night hotel rooms. More troubling: the charity spends 40 percent of the money is raises on overhead, as opposed to other groups like the Semper Fi fund that spends just 8 percent on salaries and overhead. The organization raised some $372 million last year, mostly small donations from people over the age of 65.

* ... BOB ELIAS: I spotted an interesting picture on social media the other day that originally appeared in the Taft Midway Driller. The fading black and white photo showed local celebrities Buck Owens, Don Meridith, Frank Gifford and Gifford's mother, Lola, at a Bob Elias Hall of Fame banquet in 1976. Thanks to Sheri Horn Bunk, director of the Taft College Foundation, for sharing.

 * ... GOOD MESSAGE: And speaking of Sheri Horn Bunk, I can always rely on her to pass on some inspirational wisdom. From her Twitter account: "A person will soon forget what you said, and people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "There was a glorious time, before social media, when you would just lose touch with people."

 * ... FOODIE BEST BET: One of the best lunch deals in town is over at Wiki's Wind Dive and Grill in the Sully's shopping center at Seven Oaks. Simply cut out the coupon that has been running in The Californian and get enjoy a "buy one, get one free" lunch. The popular watering hole also features more than ten items at under $10 each.

 * ... ARTS DISTRICT: It was nice to see a good turnout for the new Bakersfield Arts District Foundation kick off reception at Metro Galleries the other night. Among those who appeared to support this new foundation focused on the downtown arts district included former Supervisor Karen Goh, Dignity Health's Robin Mangarin, Assembly candidate Vince Fong, the Art Council of Kern's David Gordon, David Cohn and George Barrientos from Chain Cohn Stiles, Lisa Kimble Edmonston, the Tree Foundation's Melissa Iger, Bakersfield City School District board member Andres Gonzales, Bike Bakersfield's Jason Cater, the Bakersfield Chamber's Nick Ortiz and Hillary Hanes, Kati McKeown from Congressman Kevin McCarthy's office and her husband, Bakersfield High teacher Sean McKeown, Mento Buru's Matt Munoz and Miranda Whitworth from the Kern Federal Credit Union and finally D.R. Horton's Jason Martin and daughters Ellie and Lillie.

* ... GOOD FORM: Congratulations to Deborah Durkan, who recently retired as head of MARE (Mastering Abilities Riding Equines). Durkan spent more than 20 years at this important non-profit, helping it grow and expanding its programs serve a greater number in our community with special needs and disabilities. In a letter to MARE supporters and staff, Durkan thanked everyone "who has blessed my life through MARE ... and 'May the Horse be with you.'"

Drunk driving cases are down in cities where Uber operates, Sheri Horn-Bunk is recognized by the Taft Chamber and here's to a new U.S. citizen

 * ... UBER: It looks like ride-sharing services like Uber are helping reduce the number of drunk driving cases. That's the word from Mothers Against Drunk Driving which noted that cities that  allow Uber are showing a marked decline in driving while intoxicated.  As a report noted: "In California, drunk-driving crashes fell 6.5 percent among drivers under 30 in the markets where Uber operates following the launch of uberX in the state. That represents potentially 60 fewer drunk

driving crashes each month -- a total of 1,800 crashes avoided -- since July 2012. California is Uber’s home state and longest-running market and demonstrates for a possible similar reduction in other Uber markets." If you haven't downloaded the Uber app and tried it, you should. It is cheaper, faster and as reliable (or more so, some would argue) than traditional taxi cabs.

* ... CAFE MED: Cafe Med is one of our signature restaurants known for its unique Mediterranean cuisine, quality of service and lively happy hour. And this year it is celebrating its 25th year in business by offering customers a series of specials along with a grand celebration in June. According to owner Meir Brown, there will be specials on the 25th of every month thought the year. Said Brown: "It has been an amazing 25 years and we look forward to serving Bakersfield for many more!"

 * ... BURGERS: And speaking of food, a reader wrote to complain about the quality - and size - of the custom hamburgers at The Padre Hotel bar. "They are half the size they used to be," he told me. So I took it upon myself to check out the complaint and I can assure you the Padre burger is as delicious - and as large - as ever. Maybe the cook had a bad day when the reader dined there, but I list the hotel's Blue Truffle burger as one of the best burgers in town, along with the Hudson burger from Muertos Kitchen and Lounge and the Sonny burger from downtown Mexicali. (file photo of the Hudson and the Sonny burger)

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: This quote was attributed to Will Rogers: "When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.”

 * ... GOOD FORM: Congratulations to my friend Juan Ventimiglia, a local substitute teacher soon to be credentialed in English, who last week became a U.S. citizen. With all the debate and controversy over immigration, it's heart warming to see someone like Ventimiglia talk with youthful wonder about the legal process he went through to become a citizen. The 29-year-old was born in Argentina but came to the United States with his mother, Monica Ayuso, who was pursuing a Ph.D. in English, at the age of two. He is a graduate of CSUB. In this case, Argentina's loss in our gain.

 * ... MORE GOOD FORM: It was good to hear that the Taft Chamber of Commerce is recognizing Sheri Horn-Bunk as its Woman of the Year for 2016. The ever energetic Horn-Bunk is director of the Taft College Foundation and is one of the brains behind the successful West Kern Petroleum Summit that is held on the college campus. Kudos also go to Bob Colton for being named Businessman of the Year and Tanner Melton who will be given the Youth Leadership Award.

Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek sends $10,000 to Taft College to fund a scholarship, downtown Bakersfield gets some love from a travel writer and the Bakersfield Californian Foundation gives out $275,000 in grants

 * ... TREBEK: Alex Trebek, the popular host of the long-running game show Jeopardy!, has developed a love affair of sorts with Taft College. Trebek has long had a fascination with oil and gas production, and in October he showed up as the emcee of the West Kern Petroleum Summit

sponsored by the Taft College Foundation. Trebek politely declined to be paid for his appearance, and instead foundation director Sheri Horn Bunk promised to create an engineering scholarship in his name. What happened next? Bunk said Trebek sent a check for $10,000 to help fund the scholarship, which Bunk called totally unexpected. "His letter to me asked if I found a good text book on drilling for oil please send that to him," she said. "The gift was unsolicited and this is one I will always remember." What's next? Trebek told Bunk he planned to return to Taft, this time to take up skydiving.

 * ... VALENTINE: A travel writer from the Sacramento Bee spent some time in Bakersfield recently, and his story cast us in a pretty good light. The piece was devoted to downtown and some of our iconic buildings and businesses: the Fox Theater, the Kress Building, the Woolworth building, the antique malls and the Padre Hotel. Said the writer: "Yet there is an undeniable charm to downtown Bakersfield’s fossilized, late-1950s feel. If you want modern conveniences – an Applebee’s and an Apple store; a Chipotle and a Nordstrom – alight to the 150-square-mile sprawl of the city’s outer, strip-mall-saturated regions. Downtown Bakersfield clings to the past with buttons and buckles, not Velcro. Sure, there’s a fancy arena and a few chain hotels anchored on Truxton Avenue. But on the grid, streets numbered and lettered with straightforward humility, the past isn’t even the past, as Faulkner wrote. This is a good thing. This is downtown Bakersfield’s charm." (photo courtesy of the Sacramento Bee)

* ... GRANTS: The Bakersfield Californian (family) Foundation awarded its Fall grants last week, handing out $275,000 to deserving non-profits. The Community Action Partnership of Kern was awarded $100,000 for a food bank solar energy improvement project, the Children First Campaign was awarded $50,000 (with an additional $50,000 in matching funds available) for a family zone pocket park, the Bakersfield SPCA was given $50,000, and the Independent Living Center of Kern $25,000. Lastly, the Lamont Women's Club was awarded $25,000 to restore the city welcome sign and the Youth 2 Leaders Education Foundation won $25,000 for a technology readiness project.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "The sole purpose of a child’s middle name, is so he can tell when he’s really in trouble."

 * ... DRILLERS: Elaine Conley added this note about the old days at Bakersfield High School. "My husband, Larry Conley, enjoyed your column  about the pep band playing 'Sweet Georgia Brown' when the basketball team warmed up. Larry was captain of the pep band in 1960-61 and remembers this very well. He said the basketball coaches didn't like it because the players started twirling the ball and acting like the Globetrotters, but nothing was ever done because it was THE Driller Band!"

 ... GOOD FORM: This note, signed simply Dee and Jean, showed up in my mailbox and is worth sharing. "This morning my gentleman friend and I went to have breakfast out at our favorite restaurant - Mel's Cafe on Knudsen and Olive. It was one of those chilly mornings where pumpkin pancakes for me and ham and eggs for my friend seemed fit.  Since we are just a little old senior couple, it was a big order. Soon our waitress came over and said our check had been paid for.  It was such a great surprise.  Made our day! We want to please say thank you to the man and his little boy for turning our day into a happy day. Sir, if you are reading this, we thank you and God bless you!"

1954 Kentucky Derby jockey Ray York will appear at North Rotary fund raiser and get ready for another First Friday

 * ... RAY YORK: It's not every day that you meet a former jockey who rode to victory in the Kentucky Derby. But that's what happened to Sheri Horn Bunk, head of the Taft College Foundation, when she found herself talking to the great Ray York the other day. Bunk met York through Taft businessman Bob Hampton. Turns out York, who rode Determine to victory in the 1954 Kentucky Derby, lives on a horse ranch off Highway 119. Always the promoter, Horn won a commitment from York that he would attend North Rotary's annual fund raiser on April 13 at Seven Oaks Country Club, appropriately named "Dinner at the Derby." If anyone is interested in tickets, call Linda Pounds at (661) 619-3344.

 

 *  ... CULTURE SHOCK: We are all used to seeing tumbleweeds blowing about during our windstorms, but not everyone is so amused. Consider this note from reader Carl R. Moreland: "My wife Mary and I were driving down Panorama Drive toward downtown Mexicali with our 10 year old twin grandchildren, Bryn and Thalia, who were visiting from Walnut Creek. At the turn near Garces, all of a sudden one of them became very excited and shouted: 'Look at the big brown balls!' Both girls were amazed at the sight. We finally realized that they were watching tumbleweeds rolling down the street. Very unlike the Bay Area."


* ... FIRST FRIDAY: Make sure you remember for another First Friday this week when the weather promises to be perfect for an evening downtown. I rarely miss this monthly celebration of downtown, and if you haven't been, here's my recommendation for a perfect evening: start with dinner at one of our downtown restaurants. I prefer Uricchio's Trattoria, where you are always greeted with a smile and treated to an excellent Italian meal at reasonable prices. Then stroll the streets in the arts district and enjoy the street musicians and crafts displays, and stop by the antique and specialty stores in the 19th Street corridor. Don't forget The Metro Galleries on 19th Street, where owner Don Martin will be featuring there works of local artist Claire Putney in a show titled "Wish you Were Here." (The show is sponsored by the law firm of Chain, Cohn, Stiles) And finally, grab a nightcap at The Padre, the Alley Cat or even the bar at Uricchio's to end the evening.

 * ... PAJAMAS: A reader dropped me a note to ask if I could "stand one more chapter in the nightwear saga," to which I replied, why of course! So here it is: "Many years ago my sister-in-law and her daughters, who were chronically late, were rushing off to West High in an effort not to be late again. Unfortunately, my sister-in-law was wearing a see-through baby doll shorty nightgown when she ran out of gas on the way home. This was pre-cell phone days and needless to say, whomever she got to stop to help her got an eye-full. Too, too embarrassing.

 * ... SPOTTED: Teresa Hammett submits this example of having a good neighbor: "Sighted, (on more than one occassion), a mature gentleman walking his black and white dog in the lower Country Club neighborhood of East Bakersfield. This responsible citizen enjoys a good walk with his dog and keeps a grocery bag handy for any trash he sees. I don't know his name or where he lives but I just wanted him to know that his neighborhood walk and litter patrol is much appreciated by his neighbors."

"Litter: It's beneath us" may be the city's new anti-litter campaign

 * ... LITTER CAMPAIGN: It looks like the city may have settled on a new slogan for an aggressive anti-litter campaign for our community. The expected new slogan came from Californian Opinion editor Robert Price, a master wordsmith who came up with a clever double entendre that should play well: "Litter: It's beneath us." Price said he dreamed up the phrase after a blog item I posted referring to a woman who complained when her daughter's class was asked to pick up trash after recess at a local elementary school. The mother apparently told the principal that doing so was "beneath" her child. Dianne Hoover, city parks and recreation director, hopes to engage the media and other civic organizations to send a strong message that folks need to take pride in their community. It's an uphill battle, but it has my support.

 * ... LOCAL BOY: It was nice to learn recently about a local product who has gone on to an amazing career in science and the military. Brandon Arritt, a 1991 Highland High School graduate and United States Air Force Academy appointee, is now working at an Air Force Research Laboratory facility in New Mexico. One of his latest projects: working on a NASA-deployed solar "sail" that uses the velocity of photons to propel or slow objects in space. His mother, Leellen Arritt, works in the county Roads Department. Never one to brag about her son, it fell to another county employee (Allan Krauter) to tell me about Brandon's success.

 * ... RACQUET CLUB: The Bakersfield Racquet Club, the historic tennis and fitness club at the corner of Truxtun Avenue and Pine Street, has finally landed a new restaurant tenant. Moo Creamery has announced it will open a second location at the club and will start serving lunches there on March 1. Luigi's Delicatessen had planned to run the restaurant but later backed out.

 * ... TAFT ROTARY: Sheri Horn Buck lives in Bakersfield but spends a lot of time in Taft, where she is heading up the relatively new Taft College Foundation. And though she's a member of North Rotary, she's spending a lot of time bonding with the good folks at the Taft Rotary Club. Last week was the club's Valentines Day Dinner where Charlie Beard, president of General Production Services, was honored as Citizen of the Year for his work on the Oil Workers monument. The ladies award was given to Tina Leikam, owner of Taft Dominoes Pizza. And for Sheri? She was made a Paul Harris Fellow (Paul Harris is the founder of Rotary), a recognition that Taft has truly become her second home.

 * ... HAWTHORNE SCHOOL: The 1952 earthquake changed the face of Bakersfield forever, destroying so many historic buildings that were replaced by the rather bland architectural styles of the 1950s. One of buildings that is lost forever is the old Hawthorne School that once stood at the corner of 24th and O streets. Reader Tom Mullins said his family ran a small grocery store across the street from the school and "I watched a newly repaired wall section collapse into 24th Street when the August quake hit. Repair workers had just left for the day minutes before and were lucky they weren't on the scaffolding at the time."

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: From reader Loretta Pedroza: You know you're from Bakersfield "if you remember the horn honking on the Helm's Bakery truck when it came into your neighborhood and you ran out to buy bread or whatever goodies you talk your mom into."

Short takes: From waterfowl hunting to a blog on white tablecoth dining to hopes for a better economy

Some short takes around our community:

* ... MORE MIXED SIGNALS: This is starting to sound like a familiar refrain, but every time we get some good news on the economy it's followed by yet more words of caution. Wayne Kress, the always optimistic partner in the local commercial firm CB Richard Ellis, sent a Twitter feed on a Washington Post story saying that manufacturing and housing - two sectors that have suffered the most in this economy - are now expanding. As the Post said, the development offers "fresh evidence that the economy has begun to grow." That's certainly good news and I join with Wayne in celebrating any bit of good news. But there is plenty of evidence to indicate that any incipient recovery will be a slow one, particularly if it is a jobless recovery. Even the Post story recognized this, quoting an economist as saying "the bad news is that it is still not creating any extra jobs, meaning that the U.S. is heading for yet another jobless recovery." Meanwhile, I had lunch with a local high-end custom home builder and his outlook was bleak, noting that the recent upturn in residential sales have all been on the low end and most of them foreclosures working their way through the system. He pointed me to a recent analyst study out of San Diego (I haven't found it yet) which apparently said it would take until 2016 (seven full years) for our residential market to begin to resemble the way it looked in 2005. Ugh.

* ... SERVING DOVE ON A WHITE TABLE CLOTH: Looks like local Bakersfield High grad Paige Hill is making good use of her masters in writing. The daughter of San Joaquin Bank president Bart Hill and wife Napier, Paige is wrapping up her masters in writing at the University of South Carolina and has started a blog about cooking. (check it out here at www.forkenvy.com) Paige, who got her undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina, lends her own personality to the blog and brings in her own personal experiences, including her familiarity with hunting and shotguns.



From her blog:
"It’s September first. The opening day of dove season. If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m not a vegetarian. My father is the resident hunter in our family, as my hunting license has only served to allow my downing clay birds at the skeet range. Some meats mark the seasons, like lamb in the spring and dove in the fall. As much as I impatiently await the days when I get to put on my brown leather boots when September nears, my tongue equally longs for the taste of game bird when the days grow shorter and colder. If you are a fan of duck, you will enjoy dove. If you are a fan of chicken, you will enjoy dove. If you are stuck in a chicken rut, treat your taste buds to something wonderful and unique. It is a bit lighter meat than duck, but more game-y in flavor and tender. Like other birds, dove can be roasted or broiled whole; but, if you want to leave the bones out of the equation (recommended) cut into breast pieces and sauté. You can ask your butcher for this service, too."

* ... PARADISE FOR HUNTING WATERFOWL: Speaking of birds and hunting, ran across an interesting story in the Ducks Unlimited magazine citing the Central Valley as one of the top 15 areas to hunt waterfowl in the country. It's easy to underestimate the popularity of bird hunting locally, and apparently we live in one of the prime locations. (read the full story here) According to the story:

"Acre for acre, the Central Valley of California supports more wintering waterfowl than anywhere else in North America. At peak times, this region hosts 5 to 7 million wintering waterfowl—more than 60 percent of the Pacific Flyway’s ducks and geese. As you would expect, the high ratio of birds to habitat results in some superb waterfowl hunting. This is especially true on private duck clubs in places such as Butte Sink, Suisun Marsh, and the Grasslands. Good public hunting is also available on several intensively managed national wildlife refuges and state wildlife areas in the region, which also support large numbers of wintering waterfowl.

The abundant species: pintails, mallards, wigeon, green-winged teal, Aleutian cackling geese, white-fronted geese, light geese



* ... MORE CHANGES AT CSUB: Yet another person is leaving the fund raising arm at Cal State Bakersfield, the third to leave that I know of (joining Laura Wolfe and Sheri Horn Bunk) That's the word from Athletic Director Rudy Carvajal, who sent an email to supporters updating them on changes. The latest to leave University Advancement will be Christene Kimmel, according to Rudy. In addition, he said Ashley Sodergren is moving to Stockton to work on Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society, and Brian Powell has accepted a development position at James Madison University in Virginia, which is within driving distance of his hometown. Their last working day is September 11.

Short takes around town: Another "First Friday" is upon us, another departure for CSUB fund raising, and a local kid makes us proud

Lots happening around our community so here are some short tidbits around town:

* ... ANOTHER OUT AT CSUB: There's been more turnover in the fund raising office over at Cal State Bakersfield. Sheri Horn Bunk is the latest to leave, opting instead to become Foundation Director over at Taft College. This follows the departure of longtime employee Laura Wolfe, who according to President Horace Mitchell was the victim of budget cuts. Still, the departures of Wolfe and now Bunk have many university supporters talking about new development head Beverly Byl and where she's taking the team.

* ... LATIN ART EXHIBIT: Make sure to redline this Friday on your calendar. After all, it is “first Friday” and downtown will be buzzing. The weather should be perfect (if a tad warm) and make sure to stop by Metro Galleries over on 19th Street to catch “Latination,” a juried show of art with an Hispanic theme. Some of this stuff is quite good and Don Martin, galleries owner, tells me there will be complimentary Mexican eats along with a no host margarita bar. The pictures below are by Patti Dolittle (red scarf) and Kim Jessup.





* ... BUSINESS INDUSTRY BREAKFAST: The 24th Annual Business and Industry Leaders Breakfast is set for Thursday, Sept. 17, over at the Petroleum Club. This is put on by the Golden Empire Gleaners and is always a good place to network with local business leaders. This year’s speaker: Sean McNally, vice president of corporate and government affairs for Grimmway Farms. Call 661-324-2767 for more information.

* ... JUST THINKING: Is there any weirder story than the arrest of Phillip Garrido in the abduction of Jaycee Lee Dugard? You have to wonder how this one case will affect California’s plan to partially relieve the budget mess by paroling thousands of prisoners early. And it has certainly raised questions about a system that paroles a man like Garrido, who served only 11 years in prison after a rape and kidnapping that landed him a 50-year sentence. Expect a huge outcry in the name of this poor girl who spent 18 years held against her will.

* ... LOCAL KID DOES GOOD: Always nice to recognize local kids doing well. The latest is Troy Harvey, a Bakersfield High and Bakersfield College grad and former Californian photography intern, who graduated Sunday from the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara. Troy is now in the job market and is contemplating whether to remain in Southern California or to return to Bakersfield. Thanks to former Californian photographer John Harte for the tip on Troy and the picture below.