Bakersfield loves a party, even if it's an invitation only sneak peek of the new outlets mall, and more scams involving the Kern County court system

 * … OVERHEARD:  The VIP opening of the Outlets of Tejon Wednesday evening was a huge success, at least judging from the crowd that paid $25 each to get a sneak peek. One friend

likened it to "a big party" even though she was stranded on Interstate 5 for 20 minutes exiting the freeway because of the traffic. But not everyone thought it was so special. A middle-aged man was overheard talking to a friend about the event. "How was it?" he was asked. "Horrible," he responds. "Typical Bakersfield trying too hard to get excited. A new Target is not to be celebrated. And outlet stores are just outlet stores."

 * … SCAMS: This must be the season for telephone scams, because I seem to hear about a new one almost every day. Judi House shared this one: "Two people I know have received phone calls in the past two days stating that the caller is a warrant officer for our court system, calling regarding a fine being due for not responding to a court order to appear as a witness for the Grand Jury. The courts or the Grand Jury would not call on the phone to collect money. My understanding is it would be delivered either by letter or in person with a subpoena and most likely from the District Attorney's Office. All fines then would be paid to the County of Kern – not on a pre-paid cash card as requested by the caller. Also, you would have to have a file number assigned to your case – which wasn’t even mentioned in the phone call. Just remember: if in doubt call the court house they would be happy to help you."

 * … DONUTS: Kelly Giblin helped clear up why someone was selling Krispy Kreme donuts in the parking lot across from Barnes and Noble the other day. "This was no panhandling pastry pariah, but was actually one of several locations set up around town selling Krispy Kreme donuts as a fundraiser for McKee Road Baptist Church, which is raising funds for a mission trip to Mexico.," she said. "I understand that this is a very successful fundraising program offered by Krispy Kreme, but given the fact that there is no longer a location in Bakersfield, the church members must drive to Los Angeles in the very early morning hours to bring the donuts back warm and fresh. I can vouch that they were delicious and all of us working at the AIS Cancer Center and Lemonade Locks Wig Boutique enjoyed the boxes that were delivered to us by the church."

 * … PARTY SCHOOLS: For all you parents getting ready to send a child off to college, here is this year's list of the top party schools as ranked by The Princeton Review. Syracuse University claimed the top spot, followed by the University of Iowa (last year's winner), the University of California-Santa Barbara, West Virginia University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. (file photo of USCB party)

 * … BAD FORM: Becky Whitehead contributed this really odd thing that happened to her 80-year-old sister. "While turning right in her car off Bernard into the Home Depot parking lot my sister stopped for a pedestrian who was a dark-complected bearded giant of a man carrying two long  boards. My sister stopped for him to cross the street, and he stared at her with such hate that it in itself was very scary  He then proceeded to bang on her car with his boards. The car is badly dented, and my sister is still emotionally upset about it. Thank goodness she didn’t try to spray him with her pepper spray as she first thought of doing. He would definitely have over-powered her and who knows what would have happened. She just moved her car forward, and he got out of the way. She went on to Office Depot and called the police who took her report, but of course the guy was gone by the time they got there.  I must mention that my sister is 80 years old and weighs maybe 110 pounds."

Bako bits: Luigi's to celebrate 100 years and another bar opens at the Padre Hotel

 * ... LUIGI'S: I was at Luigi's Restaurant and Delicatessen the other day and heard from Gino Valpredo that the popular landmark eatery is about to celebrate its 100th anniversary. Gino said a huge celebration will be held Sunday, October 3, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Part of 19th Street will be blocked off and the restaurant will be serving some of its most popular dishes. This is one event that promises to be a hit.

 * ... COLLEGE BOUND: Another Stockdale High School student has been accepted to some of our top universities. Akash Jain, son of Anurag and Shelly Jain, has been accepted to Duke University, Johns Hopkins, UC Berkeley and UCLA among others. He's interested in bio-engineering and reportedly scored an impressive 2250 on his SAT.  

 * ... PRAIRIE FIRE: Stopped by the new Padre Hotel Friday night for the opening of Prairie Fire, the hotel's impressive new second floor outdoor bar and restaurant. It features a long bar, high seating, fire wall and plenty of room to circulate under the stars. My bet is it will be a huge draw for weddings. Jane Haupt was there celebrating her birthday with a group of friends playing bridge, the museum's David Gordon and pal Sue Deininger showed up, and I heard former Pittsburgh Steeler Joey Porter and his entourage made an appearance later that evening. Even Padre owner Brett Miller was there overseeing things before flying back to San Diego.

* ... GLEANERS ANNIVERSARY: Looks like the Golden Empire Gleaners is getting ready to celebrate its 25th anniversary. Executive director Pam Fiorini says they are looking for clients to share what impact the Gleaners had in their lives as part of the celebration. The Gleaners is also looking to to finish the job of replacing its roof, at a cost of about $80,000. Give Pam a call if you'd like to help, at 661-324-2767,

 * ... MONSTER TRUCKS: Reader Donna Painter wrote in to share her own pet peeve: those huge monster trucks that look like they would run you over in an accident. "One day I looked in my rear view mirror and saw only a big bumper and almost the undercarriage of a pickup truck. If one of those monsters hit me from any direction, they would decapitate anyone in my vehicle. Notice the semi rigs have a drop-down bar that prevents anyone from going underneath them. Why don't they require that for those raised pickup trucks? I think this is a safety issue that someone needs to take up."

 * ... GAUCHO REUNION: A big reunion of UC Santa Barbara alumni is being planned by Elaine McNearney. The event is planned for Saturday, April 24, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and will include food and wine pairings. The cost is $25 per person. Among those on the planning committee are Sharon Mettler, Laura Wolfe, Joan Kerr, Suzanne Bunker Kishimoto, Terry Meyer and Patty Smale. To RSVP call McNearney at 661-703-4353.
 , Lui

* ... BAKERSFIELDISM: You know you're from Bakersfield when "you are no longer surprised when you know half the people in the room at lunch at Luigi's."

Another Bakersfield allergy season, the death of June Aaron and remembering UC Santa Barbara in the early days

* ... ALLERGY SEASON:  The downside of the annual explosion of wildflowers and greenery in Kern County is the onset of allergy season. This year it seems like everyone I know is suffering from a scratchy throat, watery eyes and headaches. I checked in with Dr. Raj Patel over at Preferred Family Physicians on Truxtun Extension who said this is starting as a fairly typical year, but he has some advice about how to protect yourself. "If everyone would keep their windows closed at night you would reduce the symptoms by 50 percent. The weather is so nice there is a temptation to open up and enjoy the cool air." Patel said the worst months for allergies here are March and August. He recommended three over-the-counter drugs if you're suffering: Claritin, Zyrtec and Cetirizine, a generic for Zyrtec.

* ... JUNE AARON: I was saddened to hear of the death of June Aaron after a 20-year battle with lupus. June was the wife of Hal Aaron, one our community's true gentlemen and the owner of the real estate development firm Aaron Development. Hal told me he was fortunate to be there at the end, and that his wife died in his arms. He had nothing but wonderful things to say about Hoffmann Hospice, and he mentioned that a memorial service will be scheduled at a later date. June served on the Kern County Grand Jury, was a volunteer at the Guild House and was a member of the Kern County Republican Central Committee. The Aarons have also been huge supporters of both the Bakersfield SPCA and Children's Home Society. They were married 52 years.

 * ... SICK BAY: I also heard that Mark Ehly, a longtime California Highway Patrol officer stationed at Fort Tejon, had a setback in his recovery from a December brain aneurysm. Mark was in rehabilitation locally when he experienced more problems and was rushed to San Joaquin Hospital where he underwent surgery to control the bleeding in his brain. He is now in an induced coma. You may remember Mark because he's the public affairs "face" of the CHP at Fort Tejon and has appeared numerous times on local TV and in the newspaper. He is just 50 years old. Keep his wife Shannon and their family in your thoughts.

* ... LOOKING BACK: Retired Cal State Bakersfield math professor Lee Webb wrote to tell me about growing up in Santa Barbara in the days when UC Santa Barbara didn't enjoy the stature it does today. His father had been a geology professor at UCLA and joined the new UC Santa Barbara campus. In Lee's words:"
  "Apparently UCSB was to be UCSBC and not to have the stature of a Berkeley or UCLA (little did they know that a few year's ago UCSB would produce more Nobel Laureates than Berkeley and UCLA).  All of my father's science colleagues at UCLA told him he was crazy to go to that backwater place to be called UCSBC.  As I remember in 1947 there weren't even any stop lights in the Santa Barbara. My father was a very wise man, because he accepted the position. What a place to be raised as a child, compared to LA!  I remember in the late 1940's going to UCSBC football games at La Playa Stadium, which is now the stadium for Santa Barbara City College. UCSBC was up on the Riviera above the mission and Industrial Arts was located where the current SBCC campus is now located.  Dad often had one of his antique Franklin cars in the building where students worked on it in the Automotive class."
 Lee graduated from UCSB as did his son Rob. His daughter Tamara was accepted there but chose Cal Poly and eventually ended up with a degree from Cal State Bakersfield.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: This from work colleague Evan Jones: You know you're from Bakersfield when "your funeral is followed by a car wash." Ouch!

Good news in the local used car sales and another scam hits the Bakersfield housing market

* ... GOOD NEWS: I dropped by the impressive new showroom at Motor City Lexus Saturday afternoon for Coldwell Banker's 2nd Annual Wine Tasting and Auction to benefit the American Cancer Society. More than 400 folks showed up to enjoy tastings from 25 California wineries and support the fight against this dreaded disease, which took my own mother. While there, Motor City general manager John Pitre told me the entire Motor City group (Buick, GMC, Lexus) set a record for used car sales in February, up more than 30 percent over the previous high. That's an all-time record, reflecting what may be a pent up demand for quality used cars in the 2007-2009 range. We take the good news when it comes.

* ... RENTAL SCAM: As if selling a house weren't hard enough these days, a new scam is making the rounds. This one starts with someone pulling a picture of your house off a Realtor web site and then posting it "for rent" on the free classified site Craigslist. If someone is naive enough, they will pay a deposit to this "renter" and happily get ready to move in - all without the knowledge of the homeowner who is simply trying to sell her house. I'm aware of this scam because it happened to my wife and me. Three times prospective "renters" showed up at our front door, one pair peering through the window like a pair of peeping Toms, checking out the "rental." Realtors say this is happening all over town, from Seven Oaks to the Northeast. These scammers could be from anywhere, from Lagos, Nigeria to across town. So if your house if for sale, stay on your guard and expect the occasional surprise guest.

 * ... PROUD MOTHER: Shirley Strickler is a registered nurse at Kern Medical Center and an understandably proud mother of four girls, three of whom went off to school and didn't return. All Highland High graduates, they include Christina Strickler Clayton, a UC Santa Barbara graduate now living in Carpenteria; Natalie Strickler, a San Diego State graduate now in San Francisco, and Leslie Strickler, another UCSB Gaucho who is living in San Diego. "They have had wonderful worldwide adventures and are great women, open minded and aware - they have taught me much about lifelong growth and learning," their mother said.  "My husband Fred is a Bakersfield native who has four daughters, four sisters and three granddaughters. Is he one lucky guy or what?" Amen.

 * .... CASA GRADS: The largest class ever of volunteers for the Court Appointed Special Advocates graduated last week. These are the folks who work with the courts in cases involving minor children, and they do an awful lot of good in the areas of our community that have the greatest need. Kate Kenny is the volunteer recruiter coordinator and said there were 39 people in the class, all sworn in before Judge Jon Stuebbe. She said all were "excited about taking a case and making a difference in the life of an abused, abandoned or neglected child in Kern County." Hats off to this group.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISMS: This one came from my friend Rachel Legan, morning host at KGFM 101.5 FM radio: "You know you're from Bakersfield when you spot wedding parties having their pictures taken in front of the rocks and water fountains at a mini-storage."

Fondly recalling Lou Ella's children's store and Coldwell Banker plans big fund raiser for Relay for Life

 

 * ... RELAY FOR LIFE: Greg Holland over at Coldwell Banker reminded me that one of the most important fund raisers of the year, the Relay for Life Wine Tasting and Auction, will be held next weekend (March 13) at the Motor City Lexus dealership. This is the second year this event has been held and only 550 tickets will be sold. It's a terrific way to support a good cause and meet your neighbors, all while dining on some of Bakersfield's finest food and enjoying wine from 25 Central Coast wineries. Last year the event raised more than $37,000 for the Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society. Holland said tickets are $50 in advance and $60 at the door and are available all Coldwell Banker offices and at Imbibe Wine Merchants. Remember: it's next Saturday at the Lexus dealership and runs from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. You can also call 661-747-6208 for tickets. Kudos to the Coldwell Banker team for coordinating this event.
 .
. * ... REMEMBERING LOU ELLA'S: Susan Lewis is a former Bakersfield resident who now lives in Scottsdale, Az., who wrote to share her memories of the old Lou Ella's children's store on Baker Street. "My favorite thing there was the stock of Story Book Dolls. Every spring, the new dolls arrived in their polka dot dresses ... stacked along the north wall just behind the window display area. Lou Ella's is a part of my memory of my childhood... a good memory." Susan left Bakersfield in 1958 but often returns and said she always drives down Baker Street.
 Another reader, Kelly Donovan, called Lou Ella's one of our "finest institutions."
 "My grandmother Mrs. Vincent Casper used to take me down and dress me in Lou Ella's finest. It was at Lou Ella's that I learned how to dress, how to appreciate a pulled-together look. Even as a very young girl, the minute we pulled her Thunderbird up into the parking lot I knew I was in for a wonderful treat.. One of the most precious memories I have is of my grandmother taking me down to purchase a layette before my son was born. Armanda and Brenda were there to help me feel special then, just as they always were."

 * ... ONE LEGACY: It looks like the recent golf tournament to raise money for One Legacy and Donate Life was a huge success. Preliminary proceeds from the raffle and auctions alone totals more than $70,000 and the entire event could raise up to $100,000, according to those involved. Former Pittsburgh Steeler and Foothill High School product Joey Porter donated two football jerseys, both bringing in $4,000 a pop. The event was held at Seven Oaks Country Club and put on my Lori Malkin. Lori's son, Jeff Johns, died in a car crash a year ago and on that same day became an organ and tissue donor. His organs saved five lives and his tissue donations healed 50 others. The recipient of a kidney was in attendance. Now that's an inspirational story.

 * ...  FIRST FRIDAY: Only rain will be able to spoil the excitement around Friday Friday in the arts district. Make sure you check out the "Opening Doors to the Arts" exhibit in which downtown streets will have "public art" featuring colorfully painted old doors. Make a night of it downtown, beginning with the multiple arts studios to dinner at one of the many downtown eateries: Uricchios Trattoria, Mama Roomba's, the Padre Hotel and Mexicali just to name a few. The "public art" will be on display only from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Also this weekend is the popular "Cioppino Feed" to fund the Bakersfield West Rotary Foundation, which has helped so many non-profits and charities over the years. This is always a huge event featuring the event's famous seafood cioppino stew and a lively auction. It will be held Saturday night at Leddy Hall on the campus of Garces Memorial High School. Contact Howdy Miller at Ticor Title for tickets, at 661-846-5606.


 * ... BAKERSFIELDISMS:  You know you're from Bakersfield when "Everyone always says they're going to leave, but you know that if you try, you will get sucked right back in."

Remembering San Joaquin Bank, and UC Santa Barbara alumni speak out

.

 * ... TIME FLIES: It's amazing to think that it has been almost five months since state and federal regulators closed San Joaquin Bank, one of the premier business banks in our community. It was the afternoon of Oct. 16 when the regulators descended on the bank, locked the doors and announced that Citizens Business Bank was taking over. It's difficult to gauge the impact - both psychological and financial - of the closing of a well connected bank in any community. More than 100 banks were closed across our country in 2009, and some 22 have been shut this year alone, another indication that recovery remains a long way off. On a happier note, March marks the one-year anniversary of the opening of Imbibe Wine and Spirits off Truxtun Extension, one of the success stories in this recession. Opened by spouses Dave and Tami Dobbs, this wine specialty store has been an instant hit and is frequently used by business groups for social gatherings. The downtown Rotary Club held a social there last week, featuring Imbibe's impressive array of specialty cheeses and wines.

 * ... GAUCHO NATION: I received a thoughtful hand-written note from reader Ruth Ann Ullman in response to an earlier post (from Helen and Chester Troudy, read it here) speculating over who is the oldest living UC Santa Barbara grad in Bakersfield. "I am not sure if my husband is older than Chester (Troudy), he is only 85! But he did graduate from UC Santa Barbara in 1948 and we have been married for 63 years." Ullman said her husband taught with the Kern High School District in the Kern Valley and later transferred to North High School. He eventually worked at the newly opened Highland High and became the applied arts chairman. She added: "When John graduated from Santa Barbara, Will Turney and Don Lucas graduated at the same time with degrees in industrial education... they both returned to Bakersfield."

 * .. TWICE GAUCHOS: I ran into local attorney Harley Pinson the other day and he reminded me that both he and his wife Cynthia graduated from UC Santa Barbara. In fact, they are Gauchos twice over, having graduated from El Cerrito High School in the Bay Area where the mascot is the Gauchos. The couple has been married for over 36 years. Harley helped start the UCSB alumni chapter in Kern County about a decade ago and served on the board of the UCSB Alumni Association for seven years. Their son Adam (Stockdale High) is also a UCSB alum while daughter Lisa (also Stockdale High) graduated from Azusa Pacific University. Both kids now live in Bakersfield. Harley is now a partner with the local law firm of Klein, DeNatale, Goldner, Cooper and Kimball after spending 30 years as a legal counsel for Occidental Petroleum.

 * ... MACNEIL RETURNS: Old friend Laura Wolfe shot me an email to tell me that Shafter's native son Robert MacNeil will return to Kern County for a performance with the Bakersfield Symphony/Masterworks Chorale on March 13, to be followed by a benefit concert in Shafter the next day. MacNeil graduated from Shafter High School in 1987, and will perform a benefit concert for the Class of 2010 on March 14 at 3 p.m. in the Shafter Mennonite Bretheren Church. MacNeil is a graduate of Chapman University and USC, where he was a student of the Thornton School of Music. He is an accomplished soloist, having sung with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and performed solos at Carnegie Hall. For more information, email his sister Alanna Henry at alannahenry82@yahoo.com

* ... BAKERSFIELDISMS: You know you're  from Bakersfield when "You know where  all the haunted houses are when Halloween rolls around" and "You have offered someone a Dewar's chew."

CASA puts on its annual fund raiser and remembering the 1970 student riots at UC Santa Barbara

* ... CASA GALA: One of the biggest social events of the weekend was held Friday when the Court Appointed Special Advocates of Kern County (CASA) held its annual fund raiser at the Moorea Banquet Centre off Harris Road. I'm always encouraged when the community turns out in mass to support  non-profits like CASA, and this event was no exception. CASA director Colleen McGauley told me they had 330 folks there, all bidding on silent and live auctions and dining on some excellent food and wine. There's not enough room here to note all the donors and supporters who were there, but among those I spotted included Bill and Whitney Rector, Steve and Nancy Sewell, Pat and Robin Paggi, David Coffey, John and Susie Falgatter, David and Catherine Gay, Pat and Roger Christy, Dan and Mikie Hay, John and Sonja Bush, Twila Klassen and Dave Urner, Joe and Jan Drew and Ernie and Shelly Phoenix, among others.

 * ... MORE GAUCHOS: Reader Joan Knowlden wrote to say that her husband, John Schumacher, was a student at UC Santa Barbara during the infamous student riots of 1970 when a branch of the Bank of America was burned. She said her husband "was walking home from school and walked into the bank after the doors were off. He looked around and thought 'this is probably not a good place to be if the cops come' and left the building." Schumacher and his sister, Mary King (valedictorian at Garces Memorial High in 1969), both graduated from UCSB and returned to Bakersfield, where they both now teach at Lakeside Junior High School. Thanks for writing Joan. By the way, Joan is an alum of Cal State Bakersfield.

 * ... GAUCHOS VERSUS ROADRUNNERS: Speaking of UC Santa Barbara, one alum reminded me that the Lady Gauchos will play the Cal State Bakersfield women at the Icardo Center next Saturday, March 6, at 5 p.m.

   * ... LA BOHEME: I heard from Ron Gallington that his son Aaron, a junior at Pepperdine University, is performing the lead role of Rodolphe in Puccini's LA Boheme at the university. Last summer Pepperdine sent Aaron and co-star Carolina Uribe to Heidelberg, Germany, for two months to study for the role and perform in Germany, Austria and Italy. Aaron is a theater and music major at Pepperdine and is a 2007 graduate of Liberty High School, where his proud father said he thrived "under the tutelage of his instructors Mr. Ware and Mr. Mac."

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISMS: You know you're from Bakersfield when "you have debated the merits of skiing at Lake Ming versus Buena Vista," and "the best restaurants in town serve pickled tongue!"

UC Santa Barbara sweethearts and the Women and Girl's Fund goes prospecting

  

* ... UCSB SWEETHEARTS: Loved the email I received from Helen Troudy, who wondered if she and husband Chester (named after Chester Avenue, but that's another story) were the oldest living local graduates of  UC Santa Barbara in Bakersfield. In her words: "I graduated in l947 and my husband graduated in l950 as a returning veteran of WWII. It is where we met and were married at the beginning of his sophomore year. At that time the campus was located on the Riviera above the Mission in SB, and the Industrial Arts Dept. (my husband's major) was located across town on the Mesa. This caused many trips back and forth to attend classes on both campuses. I was a student in Spring l945 when SB was chartered by UC, and we had a huge celebration, including a torch light parade in the pouring rain. I worked on the campus during the time my husband was a student, and it was at that time that negotiations were underway to acquire the Marine Base at Goleta for a new campus. We came to Bakersfield in l973 when my husband accepted the position of Superintendent of Panama School District replacing Wayne Van Horn. I wonder if we are the oldest alumni in Bakersfield? We are 84 and 87 and have been married for 62 years." Wow. Who can beat that?

 
 * ... GIRL'S FUND: I dropped by the "Prospect Lounge" at the Padre Hotel the other night to attend a meeting of the Women and Girl's Fund, a group that does an awful lot of  good for young women in our community. The fund was created  in 2005 by Judi McCarthy, the current chair of the Kern Community Foundation, and now boasts an endowment north of $400,000. Judi and Girls' Fund chair Mary Bynum were "prospecting" for more supporters and announced the fund will give away $20,000 this year, focusing on physical, sexual and domestic safety. Among those attending were Jane Haupt, former Bakersfield mayor Mary K. Shell, Laura Wolfe, Ray and Joan Dezember, Ken and Teri Jones, Jack and Mary Lou Thompson, Judith Chase and Ted Tilbury, Jeanette Richardson, Danielle Kilpatrick, Bettina Belter, Lori Mariani and daughter-in-law Tanya Mariani, Laurie Bustamante, John and Sheila Lake, local Realtor Mary Christenson, Lyndia Krausgrill and Sylvia Cattani, among others.

 * ... SKEET SCHOLARSHIP: Congratulations to Dominic Buoni, a17-year-old senior at Bakersfield Christian  High School, who just landed a scholarship to shoot skeet at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo. Dominic is the third Bakersfield youngster to head to Lindenwood to shoot skeet, joining All-American Brian Foley and Elizabeth Key, both Ridgeview High School graduates who are now Lindenwood freshman. The sheer number of high achieving youngsters in the shotgun sports from Bakersfield is impressive, and for some it's paying the cost of college. Dominic is the son of Frank and Lori Buoni and he has three shooting siblings, Darin, Joshua and little sister Jenna.

 * ... HOME EXPO: If you are thinking about buying or selling your home, you should attending the Home Buyer and Seller Expo Saturday at the downtown Bakersfield Marriott. There will be 40-plus vendors there, including folks from Castle and Cooke, Towery Homes, Michael Flooring, Coldwell Bank Preferred Realtors, Prudential Tobias Realtors and so many more. And one of the best things: it is absolutely free. The expo will run from 1 p.m. t 4 p.m.. Make sure to check it out.

 * ...  BAKERSFIELDISMS: You know you're from Bakersfield when "You know what an '08er' is and where the 'Dale is."

Kern County women in peril and the economy continues to struggle ...

* ... WOMEN IN PERIL: The two most depressing news stories in The Californian this week had to be the Northwest Promenade rape trail and the report that Kern County leads the state in teenage pregnancies and births. The first involved the guilty verdict in the trial of Anthony Ray Graham Jr., convicted of a bold and horrific abduction and rape of a woman in broad daylight outside the Babies 'R' Us store on Rosedale Highway, one of our community's most prominent shopping venues. The idea that predators like this roam the streets of our community is terrifying enough, but it is particularly chilling to those of us with daughters. (read Jason Kotowski's full report here) Kudos to prosecutor Lisa Green for bringing a measure of justice to the victim and her family. And then there was Steven Mayer's story on Kern County having the highest teen birth rate in California, even while the statewide rate has dropped. (read his story here) This is our collective shame and you can't help but worry about the state of our young women. This is yet another reason why the work of groups like the Women and Girl's Fund of the Kern Community Foundation is so important.

 * ... ECONOMIC INDICATOR: One place I look for indications of an economic recovery is in company hiring, which has been in a funk for the past couple years. Kern County's jobless rate is near 16 percent and the business people I know have hunkered down for a long, slow recovery. Riley Parker is one person who has a finger on the pulse of hiring, since his company (Parker and Associates) does background screening of potential new employees for companies. Parker told me that part of his business has been steady this year - not great - yet another indicator of general sluggishness. But another part of his business is "booming," he said. "We have had a real surge in real estate fraud cases ... A new twist is in the number of 'intellectual property' cases that are being referred... Some displaced workers are deciding to use the proprietary information gleaned from their former employers to become entrepreneurs."

 * ... GAUCHO WORLD: Retired Kern County School superintendent Larry Reider told me to add his longtime wife Sandy to the list of local folks who hail from UC Santa Barbara. Sandy spent 33 years teaching in Arvin and Fruitvale, and according to Larry was such a diligent student at UCSB that "she was upset she couldn't get to classes when they closed the campus after they burned the Bank of America building during the Isla Vista riots!" I'll take Larry at his word, but I also know that nearly every day is a "riot" of sorts on Isla Vista.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISMS: You know you're from Bakersfield when "Instead of people thinking you're rich for having leather seats, they think you're stupid." And you also know you're from Bakersfield when you have to "explain to someone what Beach Park is all about."