Celebrating all our young adults who come home during the Thanksgiving holidays, Kiyoshi Tomono is leaving KGET TV for a career in health care, and remembering the giant personality of Norm Hoffman

* ... THANKSGIVING: One of the great joys of the holidays is reconnecting with some of the young men and women who moved away after college but always return home for the holidays. You will see them this weekend at Luigi's, Woolgrowers, Pyrenees and all the haunts that beckon the

young home. I had a chance to catch up with four of them at The Padre the other day and left thinking: a few years ago these knuckleheads were driving their parents nuts in high school, and yet today they are holding down great jobs, buying homes and seemingly on top of the world.

* ... KIYOSHI: KGET TV is losing one of its most popular anchors with the announcement by Kiyoshi Tomono that he is leaving to pursue other interests. The long-time morning co-anchor said only he was leaving the station to go into the health care field, but he did say he was staying in town. Tomono is widely recognized as one of the smartest of the local TV anchors and has worked at the station since March 2004. With two young children, he no doubt will enjoy a new career that doesn't entail a 2 a.m. wakeup call.

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "People who say, 'I’ve got your back' are usually looking for the best place to stick the knife."

 * ... GOOD FORM: Here is a note from Wofford Heights residents Dave and Helen Escobedo that is worth sharing in this holiday season. "My wife and I had eye doctor appointments in Bakersfield yesterday morning. After our visit to the doctor we stopped at the Panda restaurant on Rosedale for lunch before our drive back up the canyon for home. As we stood in line a young man behind me asked if I had served in the Navy (he saw my Navy hat( and I said yes I had been in the Navy a long time ago. (I am 78 yrs old, my wife is 74). When it came time to pay for our food this young man stepped forward and paid our bill for us. He would not take no when I said he didn't have to do that. He said that he wanted to. What a wonderful surprise and a beautiful thing for him to do. He brought tears to my eyes and a lump in my throat. His name is Steven. Thank you Steven, whatever discomfort I may have from my service to my country, you and other young people like you makes it all worthwhile. God Bless you and thank you again."

 * ... CALM: I took a bike ride out to Lake Ming this weekend and noticed that the annual Holiday Lights event at CALM is about to open. This Bakersfield family tradition features over three million lights designed by Josh Barnett, and all proceeds benefit CALM. The show opens Nov. 27 and runs through Jan. 2, 2016. IT will be open every day except Christmas from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

 * ... NORM HOFFMAN: And speaking of cycling, I was headed up Fairfax Drive with my friend Scott Rosenlieb the other day when we passed the spot where former Bakersfield College health professor Norm Hoffman was struck and killed by a car on March 1, 2001. Scott and I shared a few laughs recalling Norm, a physical specimen with a huge personality and over-the-top charm. When he was hit by an inattentive driver, Norm was 59 years old and training for the U.S. Masters National Cycling Championship. At the exact spot where he was hit, someone painted the ancient Chinese symbol for yin and yang, a fitting tribute. The paint is faded, but not the memory of Norm Hoffman.

 * ... CHEZ NOEL: Another seasonal event of a different slant is the 28th Annual Chez Noel holiday home tour set fro Dec. 4-5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Ticket prices are $40 and all the proceeds go to benefit the good folks over at the Assistance League of Bakersfield. Pick up tickets at the Bargain Box Thrift Store on Q Street, Kern Travel, Christine's, Inspire Salon and Span, SugarDaddy's or Victoria's at the Marketplace.

American cyclists more likely to die in bike crashes, Temblor Brewing Co. opens its doors to the public and good news for the Boys and Girls Club of Kern County

 * ... CLCLING: There are few better forms of exercise than cycling - the benefits to the

cardiovascular system are well known - but there is a dark downside to the explosion of recreational cyclists on our roads. I have chronicled numerous cycling accidents in this blog, and almost invariably they involve inexperienced or "beginning" cyclists riding beyond their talent level. Surprising? Not really according to The New York Times, which reports that "per kilometer and per trip cycled, American bicyclists are twice as likely to get killed as German cyclists and over three times as likely as Dutch cyclists." Why? American motorists are largely intolerant of cyclists, bike lanes here are rare and often inadequate and American riders are simply going too fast or not paying attention.

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "The first 80 years of adulthood are always the toughest."

* ... TEMBLOR: I stopped by the new Temblor Brewing Co. to see what all the buzz was about in the community. This new local craft brewery is located in a cavernous building off Buck Owens Boulevard and is run by founders Thomas Maxwell and Don Bynum, two 30-somethings living the dream of owning their own brewery. (Maxwell is the son of local restaurateur and city councilman Terry Maxwell and Bynum the son of local developer Greg Bynum). Maxwell told me there are about 30 local investors and on the Sunday I visited, the place was busy with folks tasting Temblor's line of craft beers and enjoying entrees from the kitchen. Temblor is undergoing a soft opening with the official "grand opening" set for mid October.

 * ... RESCUE DOGS: Last week I wrote about a new thrift store that has opened to benefit the HALT (Helping Animals Live Tomorrow) rescue organization. Liz Keogh wrote to remind me that some 40 years ago, the Kern Humane Society opened its own thrift shop (aka "The Antique Store" as one client at a clinic referred to it). It is located at 2111 Brundage Lane, and the proceeds from the sales are used to fund their much-needed and successful programs for spay/neuter and limited medical assistance vouchers. Good luck to both these worthy organizations.

 * ... GOOD FORM: Jason Cohen is a financial adviser who spends hours volunteering as the president of the Boy and Girls Club of Kern County. He is understandably proud of this organization,  which was named the best Boys and Girls Club in the nation recently in several categories, and he shot me a note to remind me of all the good it does. In his words: "The Boys and Girls Clubs of Kern County now has 535 incredible employees who day in and day out work tirelessly to give our 8,000 kids a day tools to be productive and caring citizens. We started this school year with 62 sites making us the largest club in California. All really amazing facts we should be proud of as residents."

 * ... NORIEGA: Longtime business attorney Rob Noriega is joining the Young Wooldridge law firm in its business law department. Noriega, who serves as legal counsel for TBC Media, has been carrying on the practice of his late father, Joe Noriega, since his retirement 20 years ago.
"I did so with a wonderful partner, Eric Bradshaw, for many years. After Eric left the firm to join the Kern County Superior Court in 2009, I became interested in joining a larger law practice. A few months ago, I was approached by the Young Wooldridge firm about joining the firm’s Business Law Department and we appeared to match up well from the beginning. I was attracted to the firm’s long history in this community, the firm’s culture, and its excellent reputation in some core areas of legal practice."

Bakersfield cyclist severely injured while cycling near Lake Tahoe, fights for his life

 A Bakersfield man was severely injured Thursday when his bicycle was hit by a semi-truck near Lake Tahoe. Police it it happened in the Cave Rock tunnel where 49-year-old Mike Aldridge was cycling.
 Apparently there isn't a bike lane in the tunnel and the east bound truck ran over Aldridge. The accident happened around 9:40 a.m. on Thursday.
 Unconfirmed reports say Aldridge is in danger of losing one leg. Prayer requests were appearing on social media websites as Aldridge underwent surgery. (photo courtesy of the Reno Gazette-Journal)