Meet Zeb Smith, hero of the anti "Shame On" movement, on Californian Radio KERN 1180 Monday morning

 * ... STARDOM: Zeb Smith may not be a household name now but he's darn close to it. If you haven't heard, Smith is the local contractor who took on those folks who picket local businesses with the "Shame On" signs. Smith works as a non-union contractor and has long been fed up watching these Carpenter's Union workers picket local companies. When he saw them in front of the new Dewar's candy store in the Northwest, he thought "enough is enough." He made his own poster, reading "Shame on These ...(expletive)" and had his picture taken next to the banner. After posting on Facebook, the picture went viral and he's become an instant hero to legends of people who disagree with the "Shame On" protesters. I'll have Smith on Californian Radio KERN 1180 Monday at 9 a.m. Tune in to hear how Smith has become a hero to many in our community.

 * ... MATLOCK: Learned the other day that retired Bakersfield police chief Eric Matlock has been battling a serious illness that has left his weak. Matlock served as chief from 1999 to 2004 when he retired, and has remained active in our community. In 2007 he was inducted into the CSUB Alumni Hall of Fame. Keep Matlock and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

* ... SPOTTED: From reader Craig Holland: "A guy on a skateboard going around the (Garces) traffic circle against traffic! It is difficult enough on a bike going with traffic. He looks like a future nominee for an upcoming Darwin award."

 * ... LEADERSHIP: A new organization is seeking nominees to honor the "unsung heroes in our midst who represent the humble qualities of servant leadership." The award is named for the late civic leader Warren Carter, former president of Watson Realty. A breakfast to honor the winner is set for Thursday, May 3, at Stockdale Country Club. To nominate someone go to www.kernleadershipalliance.org.

* ... HISTORY LESSON: Another nugget from a June 1896 edition of The Californian: An advertisement for Grove's Tasteless Chill Tonic promises that "it makes children as fat as pigs... just as good for adults." It was offered for sale by J.A. Hughes, "leading prescription pharmacist of Kern County."

 * ... SAM THE HIPPO: Randy Martin over at Covenant Community Services wonders who remembers a hippopotamus who used to live over near Sam Lynn Ball Park. "If it wasn't a hippo," he told me, "it was some other large beast."

Remembering Warren Carter and recalling a time when the U-2 spy plane was manufactured in Bakersfield

 * ... RIP WARREN: Our community lost another popular businessman when Warren Carter lost his battle with cancer on Friday. Warren purchased Watson Realty in 1982 and grew it into one of the most powerful and influential realty companies in Kern County. Always deeply religious and with a booming voice and avuncular nature, Warren grew up in McFarland where he and his long-time wife Lenore raised their family. Lenore died of cancer on Thanksgiving Day 2009. Longtime Watson Realtor Mary Christenson called Warren a "gentle giant with a kind heart." Watson is now run by his son, Ken Carter. Keep this family in your thoughts.

 * ... HISTORY QUIZ: Did you know that the first 55 U-2 spy planes ever built were manufactured right here in Bakersfield in a super-secret warehouse off Norris Road? That's right, the Lockheed-built plane that provided photographic evidence of Soviet missiles in Cuba, sparking the Cuban missile crisis, were built here and assembled elsewhere. And one of the pilots who flew  the U-2 over Cuba,  retired Air Force Gen. James Whitehead, also calls Bakersfield home. All this came to light during a Rotary presentation, during which Whitehead explained his experience in flying the aircraft.

 * ... BRAKE OR BREAK? Stephen A. Montgomery recalls working as a crew member on a locomotive when  he noticed "an emergency brake valve label was stamped to read 'EMERGENCY BREAK.' Actually we all need a break now and then and sometimes I guess it can be classed as an emergency."

 * ... SPOTTED: Two deliriously happy paroled state prisoners leaving the downtown bus station while whistling and yelling at random women driving down 18th Street.

  * ... HOMETOWN: Marlene Morales, head of marketing at the law firm of Chain Cohn Stiles, submitted this as another reason to celebrate where we live. "Great golf courses with some of the least expensive green fees in California. Where else can you go tee-it-up at 3:30 p.m., round finished by 7:15 p.m., all for $32 including a cart at RiverLakes! Sycamore Canyon in Arvin offers two rounds of golf for only $30 (including a cart) Monday through Thursday after 1 p.m."

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: Jack Kelley writes that you may be a Bakersfield old timer if "you remember when the Chamber of Commerce was located where the Kern County Museum is now."

Warren Carter dies of cancer. He was 74.

  Warren Carter, whose family built Watson Realty into one of the most powerful and influential real estate firms in Kern County, has lost his battle with cancer. He was 74. It was in 1982 that Carter purchased Watson Realty and led it through a period of hyper growth as Bakersfield expanded and grew. He was under the care of Dr. Ravi Patel at the Comprehensive Blood and Cancer Center (CBCC) at the time of his death. His wife, Leonore, died of cancer on Thanksgiving Day, 2009.