Longtime KBAK anchor Lisa Krch is leaving the station and questioning why Caltrans insists on plowing through a long established neighborhood to extend a freeway

* ... ANCHOR AWAY: Longtime KBAK/KBFX Eyewitness News anchor Lisa Krch has reportedly been let go by the CBS and Fox affiliates. Krch arrived in 1997 from Chico/Redding as morning anchor and later moved to the prime evening anchor slot. This latest talent change is one of many that news director Cristi Jesse has made since arriving at the duopoly last year.

 * ... WESTPARK: If you haven't read the column by Lois Henry on why Caltrans is insisting on plowing through the Westpark neighborhood to extend Highway 58, I recommend you do so. It is amazing to me that we would opt to destroy several hundred single-family homes and permanently divide a neighborhood just to save a couple of parks, which could easily be relocated and replaced.

* ... CALIFORNIA: There is little doubt that California economy is improving, but how you feel about that depends on where you live. Coastal areas are rebounding nicely, but the Central Valley and other inland areas are still struggling. According to a New York Times analysis, the Bakersfield metro area has a jobless rate of 13.4 percent compared to 7.7 percent in Santa Barbara and 7.9 percent in San Francisco. Fresno's unemployment rate came in at 14.9 percent, which the state average held at just over 10 percent.

 * ... WHAT RECESSION? Our jobless rate may be stubbornly high, but it hasn't stopped us from enjoying our favorite restaurants. I was out Saturday night and tried - unsuccessfully - to get a seat at both K.C. Steakhouse and Enso downtown, both of them doing booming businesses. We ended up squeezing in at Muertos in the Wall Street alley, but it's good to see the local eateries seems to be doing well.

 * ... HOT MARKET: And if you don't think the local housing market is heating up, consider this: A friend who works at Trader Joe's is being transferred and listed his house the day before Thanksgiving. By the Friday after Thanksgiving, he had five offers on his house and seven scheduled showings the next day. His listing agent: Laurie McCarty of Coldwell Banker.

 * ... CHRISTMAS NEEDS: The Centennial Medical Group has collected supplies for our troops overseas but is having trouble finding someone to help box them and ship them abroad. If you can help, contact Joanne Pearce at (661) 326-8989.

 * ... DID YOU KNOW? Did you know that Guy Madison, the Hollywood star who played a starring role in "The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok" in the 1950s, was from Bakersfield? He was born in Pumpkin Center and went to both East High School and Bakersfield College before heading off to Hollywood. He was married briefly to the actress Gail Russell and died in 1966.

Remembering the events of September 11, getting to know the Pluot and worrying about the recession

 * ... SEPTEMBER 11: This Sunday is the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, and I hope each of you will find a special way to observe this day. At the very least we can all proudly display our American flags while remembering all the lives lost in the war on terrorism. Reader Tina Burke wrote to ask if The Californian was going to devote a page to Old Glory as we did last year. The answer is yes, we will, so look for it in your Sunday Californian.

 * ... RECESSION: Experts now say the odds of the nation falling into a second recession - California hasn't pulled out of the first one yet - are now 50-50. Many smaller local companies have made all the cuts they can, and owners are downsizing their homes and selling assets to make payroll. We may see a new wave of business failures if things don't turn around soon.

. * ... PLUOT: I was introduced to the "pluot" at the downtown Farmer's Market this past Saturday. If you haven't heard of it, the pluot is one of a number of new hybrid fruits that are hitting the market. The pluot his part plum and part apricot and is absolutely delicious. I was told these particular pluots were grown in Lamont. Other hybids include the pluerry (part plum and part cherry) and the peacharine (part peach and part nectarine.

 * ... THE BUZZ: There is a lot of talk among downtown property owners and business people about the proliferation of drug activity at the corner of 21st and Eye streets downtown, one of the popular corners for the homeless and groups of itinerant young people. One business owner told me he had gone to the Bakersfield police with his concerns, particularly after witnessing a drug transaction in broad daylight.

 * ... OVERHEARD: At a dollar store on Olive Drive, a young woman asks the cashier to direct her toward "eyeliners." When told the store was out of eyeliners, the young woman responded: "Then tell me where the Sharpie markers are. I've used them before but you really have to be careful because what you see is what you get!"

 * ... GOOD SERVICE: Add these businesses to the growing list of places where you can expect outstanding customer service: the downtown U.S. Post Office, where the familiar faces behind the counter are always smiling, and my service technician from Clark's Pest Control.

 * ... COOKIE MAN: A reader passed along a wonderful story featuring former Bakersfield resident Don Wedel, who now spends his time baking cookies for needy children and their families in Midland, Texas. It's yet another example of how much good there is in a world that sometimes seems so crazy. Mary Lytell told me that Don, her cousin, has been helping the needy at the Midland "transitional house" for several years now. He is the son of the late Milt and Priscella Wedel and the younger brother of the late Jerry Wedel. (photo courtesy of the Reporter-Telegram)

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: Joyce Adams wrote to clarify and earlier post regarding the old Adams Shoes that once featured a size of extra long shoes. "Next to the five and dime (the name was Wagner's) was a shoe sotre, Adams Shoes. My husband, Al Adams, and I were the owners. The 'work boots' (actually shoes) were a size 35 and were made for Robert Wadlow. He had worn the shoes and outgrew them to a size 37 before his death at the age of 22. We still have the shoes that were on display at the shoe store. They are but 18 inches in length but look much longer!"

Bako Bits: Death by a thousand cuts in a terrible economy, and a tribute to the warriors from the 'Greatest Generation'

* ... GLASS HALF FULL: It takes the heart of an optimist to see blue sky in the midst of this recession, with its daily drumbeat of bad news across virtually all sectors of the economy. Continuing job losses, rising foreclosures and the specter of a double-dip recession are not exactly a recipe for optimism, even if the DOW did rally and settle above 10,000. But that's just me, which is why I admire those folks who always seems to see blue skies in the middle of a thunderstorm. One of those is Wayne Kress, principal at CB Richard Ellis here in Bakersfield, who has started a blog about industrial real estate that is worth a read. (check it out here) Wayne is a graduate of Cal Berkeley, married to longtime residential Realtor Leslie Walters, and one of the more knowledgeable folks when it comes to commercial real estate. Naturally optimistic, he thinks we're cycling out of this doomsday cycle and will emerge just fine. And speaking of optimism, I ran into Shai Gordon, formerly one of the owners of the popular bar and restaurant Cafe Med over off Stockdale Highway, who is also working in the commercial sector. Shai left Cafe Med about four years ago and now works for Western Realty Advisors. After catching up on things he advised me to "be more optimistic." I'll try. Promise.

 * ... LIVING WITH PAY CUTS: I was thinking about the budget difficulties over at Cal State Bakersfield while reading a story in the New York Times about how pay cuts have become so much a part of the economic landscape. The story (read the full report here) follows the emotional roller coaster of an ExpressJet pilot who took a 50 percent pay cut but is thankful to still have work. Many companies  locally, including The Californian, have instituted across-the-board pay cuts to deal with the lingering effects of the recession. And of course we have the county furloughs and other cutbacks that have simply become a way of life. These kinds of moves were unthinkable a few years ago, but then who expected to see an economy like we are dealing with today? An excerpt from The Times story:

 " In recent decades, layoffs were the standard procedure for shrinking labor costs. Reducing the wages of those who remained on the job was considered demoralizing and risky: the best workers would jump to another employer. But now pay cuts, sometimes the result of downgrades in rank or shortened workweeks, are occurring more frequently than at any time since the Great Depression."

 * ... FINDING WAYS TO SAVE: If there's a common theme these days, it's that we are all finding ways to cut back: canceling vacations, putting off major purchases and keeping our cars longer. Every penny counts, and I am amazed at how we are all dealing with it in different ways. I was saddened to hear that Riley Parker, a private investigator and owner of Parker and Associates, dropped his membership in the downtown  Rotary Club as one way to save a few bucks. Riley has taken on some significant investigative projects out of town, and continuing Rotary was simply not practical. In addition, his wife Jane fractured her elbow in a nasty fall and the recovery means Riley had to hire an employee to replace her-an unbudgeted expense that just made things worse. Keep Jane in your thoughts as she recovers from the spill.. On another topic Riley passed on this email that I wanted to share. It speaks for itself:

"Some time ago you folks ran a great little story on a retired Marine aviator named Don 'Slim' Harris. Slim is one of my neighbors and one of the most delightful gentlemen that I have ever known. I knew that his poker group of retired Marines, all having served from WWII through Vietnam, were coming today for a quick game. Most of them retired from the old Marine Air Station El Toro or Camp Pendleton and still live in Orange County. There were 10 of these old timers seated at the table ... their lowest rank at retirement was Lt. Colonel and a couple of them were as high as two-star general.... all part of that 'greatest generation' and I left with a sense that I had just been a part of something so special and honorable that it is difficult for the rest of us to understand."

. * ... BUSINESS EXPO 2009: Don't forget about the 19th annual Bakersfield Business Expo set for Tuesday, October 27, over at the Rabobank Convention Center. Admission is $5 and it runs from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. This is a Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce sponsored event and always a good place to network and find ways to grow your business. Need tickets? Call the Chamber at 661-327-4421.

Will this recession serve as a "great awakening?" Why business may never be the same again

Wow, what happened to those cool mornings of June? Just when we thought it would last, summer and temps well north of 100 have become the norm. Lots going on, so here are some short shots around our community:

THE GREAT AWAKENING... As I make my rounds in the community I'm beginning to hear two familiar refrains from local business owners: first, it's all about cash management right now and second, the enduring lesson from this recession is that businesses may never return to their former size. The cash part is easy: with sales down 30 to 50 percent in some cases, your focus has to be on preserving and managing cash until things get better. To avoid nonpayament, one local business is making customers pay half upfront. Others have simply turned the screws hard down on expenses and are delaying any capital expenses like new computers, cars and equipment. The second part is more worrisome for the long term: businesses that have downsized their staffs have realized that while folks are working harder, things are going just fine. In other words they're thinking: were we too big earlier? And going forward: we're going to stay lean.

As one owner of a prominent business in town told me recently: "think of the money that would have dropped to the bottom line if we hadn't gotten so big."

This tells me that the recovery - at least in terms of employment - may lag far beyond metrics like sales and topline revenue growth. Faced with higher taxes from both the state and federal side and stung from the last recession, there will be a tendency to stay small, and that means fewer jobs in a community that already is job starved. Folks are skittish, and if you can get by without authorizing another hire, you'll do just that.



PETTY THEFT OR SIGNS OF MORE TROUBLE? ... I'm amazing at the sheer number of stories I hear about petty thefts, robberies and overall criminal activity of late. A friend had to call the cops because some weirdo was peering into his window one night, and a few days later his office was broken into. Another friend was in Los Angeles and had her car window smashed and personal items stolen. Recently, my neighborhood has been the victim of a string of thefts. Weird stuff like pool floats, a poolside refrigerator (along with two bottles of champagne) furniture cushions, outdoor lamps even a couple of front door welcome mats. Have things gotten so bad that people are driving through neighborhoods stealing welcome mats? In the grand scheme of things this is all small stuff, but the thought of some nut wandering around your back yard, or crawling over your gate hauling away your personal stuff while you're inside asleep is maddening, not to mention a bit frightening.