Bakersfield is the No. 4 market in the nation for political advertising on the radio and some nice props for Janis Varner and her work in our community

* …POLITICS: If you feel like you are inundated with political attack ads locally, there is a good reason for it. According to the organization Media Monitors, Bakersfield ranks No. 4 nationally as a

market with the most radio political advertising. That's right, we rank right behind Fresno, Chicago and San Francisco as markets with the most political advertising on local radio. That's a pretty impressive number, considering the California gubernatorial campaign is not as heated as in many other states.

* … PRESERVE: Several readers have contacted me to clear the air about a project to preserve the area below the Panorama Bluffs near the bike path. Said Andy Honis, Kern River Corridor Endowment Board Member and Panorama Vista volunteer: "This is a project that a number of us have invested thousands of volunteer hours in. We want to enhance wildlife habitat around the Kern River as well as to provide recreational opportunities for the people of Bakersfield. We expect the result to be something that Bakersfield can point to with pride. People can learn a great amount about our preserve by going to our website 'panoramavista.org.'"

* … JANIS: Janis Varner is a tireless supporter of so many good causes in our community, and it's nice to see her receive some well deserved recognition. Mike Stricker, who like Janis is a big fan of CSUB wrestling, dropped me this note: "For the last two years I've watch as the veterans and the Honor Flight Veterans were honored and recognized at a CSUB wrestling match thanks to the efforts of Janis Varner. How nice is this ... Thanks Janis (The Official Team Mom of the CSUB Wrestling Team) Varner." (file photo of Janis Varner, right)

 * … OVERHEARD: A cat owner who was visiting a veterinary hospital after Halloween is sharing the story about seeing a dog in the waiting room high on methamphetamines. "They didn't know if someone fed meth to the dog or if he had found it himself. They say they see dogs on drugs all the time."

* …. ATHLETES: It is always nice to catch up on local student athletes that have taken their talents to the collegiate level. Here's an update compliments of reader Tom Schroeter: "Another example of Kern County athletes playing Division 1 sports occurred (recently) when two local athletes who had played against each other in high school faced one another again. Big 10 Women's volleyball teams from the University of Nebraska and Rutgers University met at Rutgers. Kelsey Fien (2012 Titan/Bakersfield Volleyball Club) started as outside hitter for the Huskers, and Ali Schroeter (2012 Driller/Club Jamba) was starting libero for the Scarlet Knights. The game was streamed live on the BTN plus network. The Huskers, ranked 14th nationally, came away with the victory in three hard fought sets. Fien had 12 kills with a hitting percentage of .321 and Schroeter, who is fifth in the Big 10 Conference in digs/set, had 21 digs."

 * … SCAM: My personal physician, Dr. Raj Patel of Preferred Family Medical, shared with me this email scam that is too ridiculous not to share. The email allegedly came from an African diplomat and warned Raj, in broken English complete with misspellings, that his ATM card had access to $2.7 million if he would pay a fee to renew the card. "Really," Patel said, "this is too funny."

 * … BAKERSFIELDISM: Kevin Sneed says you know you are getting old when "most of the history news in the Today In History section in the newspaper is younger than you."

Ron Fraze bows out of the Ward 2 city council race to succeed Sue Benham, and Californian Radio prepares to review Tuesday's primary election

* ... FRAZE: Former city fire chief Ron Fraze has pulled out of the race to succeed Sue Benham in the Ward 2 City Council race. Fraze was one of the first to express interest in running for Council but sent an email Friday telling friends he had reconsidered. "We appreciate your friendship and your support, however, we believe God is leading us in a different direction. We intend to return all monies that were contributed to my campaign," he wrote. Others running for the seat in the November election include Elliot Kirschenmann, a member of the Bakersfield Planning Commission, and Terry Maxwell , a local restaurant owner.

 * ... POLITICS: And speaking of politics, are you ready to vote in Tuesday's primary election? Are you familiar with the issues on the ballot? We will be previewing Tuesday's election on Californian Radio KERN 1180 beginning at 9 a.m. We will also talk to Dr. Raj Patel of Preferred Family Care Physicians about the epidemic of diabetes in our community.


* ... BIOLA: Al Gutierrez wrote that that he was in the audience last week when his grandson, Michael McClain, graduated from  Biola University in La Mirada. "We then rushed back to Bakersfield Christian High School to witness the cum laude graduation of his brother, Kevin McClain. Kevin's next stop is the University of Arizona. The boys are the off-spring of Steve and Becci McClain."


* ... BAD SERVICE: Is there any worse customer service on the planet than ATT? I was forced to convert to ATT for internet service when I ordered DirecTV, and friends had warmed me about the company's reputation for poor service. But even I was dumbfounded after I spent more than two hours - yes that is correct - being shuffled around to different numbers and customer service reps just to locate a lost order.

* ... PHONE PREFIXES: Craig Holland remembers the old telephone prefixes back in the day. From Craig: "The central part of Bakersfield had the FAirview exchange, while the east side had EMpire, Oildale had EXport and south side of town had TEmple... I can still remember the first phone number my mom had me memorize: FA3-5146."

* ... LITERACY: The Kern Adult Literacy Council has found a new executive director to replace Donna Hylton, who resigned recently.  Ida Tagliente will fill the role on an interim basis and her position will be reevaluated in six to nine months. Board president Clayton Mongtomery said, "Ida’s past experience on the executive board and at Bright House Networks makes her a great fit for our team, and I have every confidence that she will guide us through this transition and into a stronger position."

 * ... BAD GRADE: And speaking of literacy did you know that Bakersfield is considered the "least educated" city in America? According to The New York Times, only 15 percent of the adults in Bakersfield hold a college degree, compared to a national average of 32 percent. Lost Angeles weighed in at 21 percent, Las Vegas at 21.6 percent, Boston at 43 percent and Dallas at 31 percent.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: Local physical therapist Kyle Lacy says you have been around Bakersfield a while if you remember Fred Clad motors that featured imported auto brands like Jaguar, Porsche and others.