Luigi's won't be opening second outlet at the Racquet Club, and Jagels is roasted in retirement

 * ... LUIGI'S OUT: It looks like the near perfect marriage of Luigi's Delicatessen and the Bakersfield Racquet Club won't be happening after all. If you recall, Luigi's was expected to open a small second branch at the downtown Racquet Club, replacing Big Popy's Deli which left at the end of the year. But now Luigi's co-owner Gino Valpredo says the family has had second thoughts and decided to pass. "We really need to focus on getting our rhythm" at the main 19th Street location, Gino told me. "We're sorry if we disappointed anyone." And who can blame him for focusing on his core business in this economy? But the idea of a second Luigi's location was intriguing to many, especially to all those loyal customers who know you have to arrive at 11 a.m. or earlier if you expect to get a table later in the week. Meanwhile, the Racquet Club will continue to look for a new vendor for its coffee and lunch shop.

 * ... JAGELS ROAST: They packed the house at the Crystal Palace to roast retiring District Attorney Ed Jagels last week. Lois Henry, the Californian columnist who has tangled with Jagels over the years, wasn't invited but decided to crash the party instead and was warmly welcomed. There was a long list of speakers, including Sheriff Donny Youngblood, Police Chief Greg Williamson and even longtime courts reporter Steve Swenson, who got in some real zingers at Jagels' expense, all said with love. But it was Jagels himself who stole the show when he got his turn at the podium. Responding to Chief Williamson's dig at how long Jagels had served, Jagels retorted that he too remembered back when the police department actually had fitness standards (a clever shot at the chief's weight).

 * ... SICK BAY: Heard the other day that old friend David Price, the retired director of the county's Resource Management Agency, is facing some medical issues. Dave is one of the nicer and most decent public servants Kern County has produced and last year retired to Johnson City, Tennessee, becoming a fan of the University of Tennessee Volunteers at the expense of his alma mater, Fresno State. But now he's now being treated for numbness and unsteadiness caused by calcification of his upper neck vertebrae, leading to compression of his spinal cord. He's scheduled to see a specialist at the University of Virginia next month. "You can imagine what a shock this is," he told me. "I knew I had some problems from prior diagnostic work but nothing like this... The scary part is I've been warned that even a seemingly small bump on the head could result in total paralysis, including ventilator." Keep this special man and his family in your thoughts.

 * ... SMALL WORLD: You never know when you're going to run into someone from Kern County, wherever you are. It happened to Lt. Jordan Buzzell, a pediatric dentist at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, when had a chance encounter with Sgt. Michael Walth at the Miramar dental clinic. Buzzell is a 1998 graduate of Taft Union High School and Walth is a graduate of Maricopa High, class of 1999. Said Buzzell: "We didn't know it but we are both stationed here at Miramar and met yesterday when Michael came in for an appointment with me. I am actually a pediatric dentist now on temporary assignment to this clinic after serving two years in Japan... so the fact that we met was even more surreal. Michael has already served on two deployments to Iraq and Kuwait and is now awaiting word on duty as a recruiter for the Marines."


 * ... SPOTTED: Monsignor Craig Harrison moving through the crowd at the Padre Hotel bar like a rock star, shaking hands, chatting and causing one women to remark: "Someone has to introduce him to me. I'm ready to become a Catholic!"

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: From reader William Upshaw: You know you're a Bakersfield old-timer if "you remember the sugar cane field at Oak Street and Brundage Lane."

McCarthy: time for common-sense values and new accountability and transparency in government

 Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield), gives us his weekly report from Capitol Hill. In his words:

 "The new Congress was in session this week for first time and I am truly honored to continue serving the people of the 22nd District as your Representative.  I am humbled and thankful that people from Kern and San Luis Obispo Counties traveled all the way to Washington to watch me get sworn in.  This Congress, I will also be serving my colleagues in a new role as the Majority Whip.  The job of the whip is to make sure operations on the floor run smoothly and that communication lines are open between leadership and members of Congress.  I will be fighting for  our common-sense values as we start to make tough decisions to help America regain its economic strength and soundness for present and future generations.  

  "There is a lot of work to do in this new Congress and it could be likened to taking over a struggling company and now reorganizing it to make it work better. It is my goal to operate the House with more transparency and accountability. Last year, my colleagues and I, through the America Speaking Out project, created a new way for Americans to directly communicate their concerns and priorities with their elected officials.  With the feedback from you in the 22nd District and from people all across America, we were able to present a new approach to governing with A Pledge to America.   In this new Congress, we now have the opportunity to humbly establish a more accountable and effective government that will help create jobs, end economic uncertainty, stop out-of-control spending, and reform Washington. "

Here is what happened this week.  Our first order of business was to establish the rules for how the House will be run.  Under the new rules, all House bills introduced will be required to cite Constitutional authority for further consideration.  Second, bills introduced will be available to all members for three calendar days for review before being considered on the floor.  Third, tax increases cannot be used to pay for new mandatory spending and bills that would increase mandatory spending over one, five, or ten years will have to cut current spending of equal or greater amount in order to be considered.  To review all new rules, visit:
http://rules.house.gov.

  "Also, Washington must always remember the origin of its governing authority – the people, which is why this Congress began with the reading of the Constitution.  As Patrick Henry said, “the Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government.”

  "Finally, the House passed a resolution that reduces House operating budgets from top to bottom.  Budgets of leadership offices, committees, and individual member offices all have been cut to save taxpayers an estimated $35 million in the first year.  There is more work to be done though and I will keep you updated.

Bako Bits: CSUB gets ready to honor five alumni and a diaper story you're not going to believe

 * ... CSUB HONORS: Hats off to four well deserving local folks who have been chosen to enter the Cal State Bakersfield Alumni Hall of Fame. It's remarkable how many community leaders have come out of CSUB and this is a stellar group. It includes Ben Stinson ('79), owner of Stinson's Stationers; Jon Van Boening ('92), president of Bakersfield Memorial Hospital; John Hefner ('85), retired from the Fruitvale School District; and Christine Frazier ('84), Kern County Superintendent of Schools. A dinner will take place at the Petroleum Club of Bakersfield Saturday, February 19. Call (661) 654-3211 for tickets.


  * ... FRENCH VISITOR: Ever consider hosting a foreign student in your home? If so here's your chance. Susan Peninger is local coordinator for Horizon's du Monde, a French company that brings French students to the United States for home stays. She's looking for a family willing to house a 16 or 17 year old for 10 days between February 15-25.  The student needs a place to sleep or can share a room with a like gender. The students want to experience life with an American family and are expected to follow your house rules. If interested call Susan at (661) 332-7147.

 * ... IVY LEAGUE: Always happy to pass along some good news about our high achieving local youngsters. Alicia Mathur, a senior at Stockdale High School, has been accepted to the University of Pennsylvania school of engineering and will be starting her studies in the fall. Her brother, Neil, is a senior at Princeton University. Two local kids in the Ivy League making us all proud.

 * ... DID YOU KNOW? Did you know that the pair of huge lion statues that once graced the steps of the old Kern County Jail were sold to a fraternity at the University of Nevada in the early 1960s when the building was torn down?

  * ... DIAPERS: Sick of hearing me rant about those in our community who so casually discard their diapers in our parks and on our streets? Well this story will really make you sick. Kyle Estle, a partner in Dallis Higdon and Associates, told me about finding literally dozens of used diapers on the roof of a rental on 33rd Street. "I don't really enjoy the diaper entries but I'm glad you are raising awareness so maybe some will change their behavior. Anyway, one of our appraisers was doing an apartment inspection in Bakersfield and took the attached picture. (go to www.bakersfieldobserved.com to see the picture) Apparently the former tenants were too lazy and disgusting to throw their used diapers in the trash and instead used their neighbor’s roof." The picture is almost too graphic for a family newspaper, but it shows what must be three or four dozen diapers, piled up, on a flat roof. Apparently the tenants next door just tossed their used diapers out the window onto the roof next door.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: You know you're from Bakersfield when you have to explain Tule fog to others.

Personal bankrupties shoot up 25 in California and what does your multi-media experience look like?

 * ... BANKRUPTCIES: Should not have been surprised to read that the number of Americans filing personal bankruptcy shot up 9 percent last year. That's according to the Wall Street Journal which cited stubbornly high unemployment and the plunging value of our homes. California had one of the worst rates, up a full 25 percent, while the Southeastern states in the Deep South were faring much better. The rate of bankruptcies in Arizona, another state plagued by foreclosures, rose 24 percent.

 * ... YOUNG GUNS: Interesting to note, also in the Wall Street Journal, that the new Republican leadership in the House of Representatives signals a marked generational shift. For example, incoming Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, from Bakersfield, is 45 years old while the outgoing whip, James Clyburn, is 70. The new House Republican leader is Rep. Eric Cantor, who is 47. He replaces Democratic leader Steny Hoyer, who is 71. Said the Journal: "The broader question is what substantive impact  this wave of new, young Republicans will have on Congress's work. Mr. Cantor says the generational change will produce more unconventional approaches - and that the newcomers' common denominator is a commitment to attack government spending."

 * ... TABLETS: Spent a full day crossing the country on airplanes the other day and couldn't help but notice the explosion of iPads, Kindles and other tablet-like devices carried by passengers. One middle aged man seated next to me spent the five-hour flight shuffling among his iPad, a Dell laptop, a newspaper, his Blackberry, and a hard-cover book on golf. His travel companion was reading a book on a Kindle and doing the crossword puzzle from The New York Times. Talk about a multi media experience.

* ... LOCAL SYMPHONY: Jerome S. Kleinsasser wrote in to comment on reader Walter Stewart's observation about the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra, referring to Antonin Dvorak's  Symphony in E-Minor No. 9. "Our community is blessed to have such a dedicated and accomplished ensemble of players with a tradition dating all the way back to 1932 in the depth of the Great Depression. The Symphony continues to regularly provide our community with the finest in orchestral music. The next concert is on February 5. I hope you will join us."


 * ... FLYOVER: Ever seen one of spectacular military flyovers at a college football game?  I witnessed one involving some vintage World War II era fightsers at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla., and now I learn one of our local kids was flying a Navy FA/18 E during the flyover at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Tyler Hurst, a 2000 graduate of Stockdale High School and later the Naval Academy, was piloting one of the four jets that swooped low over the Rose Bowl, according to this parents, Marilyn  and Dave Hurst. They said the jets were part of VFA 147, the Argonauts, stationed at Lemoore Naval Air Station.

 * ... RESOLUTION: How is this for a New Year's resolution: let's all commit ourselves to getting into shape and shaving those excess pounds. Kern County has one of the highest obesity and heart disease rates in the state, and it's time we got off that list.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: From Kurt Seeger: You know you're a Bakersfield old timer if  "you saw Jim Morrison at the Doors perform at the Civic Auditorium in the 1960s."

Prepare for another surge in foreclosures and a Dezember girl opens a museum in Qatar

 * ... HOME SALES: Looks like we're in for more turbulence before we see a real recovery in the local real estate market. Analysts now say the recent drop in the foreclosure rate was only temporary, caused by lenders "putting the brakes" on repossessions because of the focus on faulty foreclosure practices. But now the big banks are expected to restart foreclosures  "with a vengeance," signaling a surge in repossessions this in the first quarter of this year. RealtyTrac vice president Rick Sharga told The Los Angeles Times that the U.S. housing market's recovery "would be set back three months because of the delays involved in the foreclosure fracas." Meanwhile, local Realtors are digging in for another bumpy ride before things start to improve.

* ... DEZEMBER GIRL: Here's a unique way to spend New Year's: Longtime  Bakersfield residents Brent and Anna Dezember ushered in the New Year halfway across the globe in Qatar, visiting their eldest daughter Michelle. Michelle is director of education for the Museum of Modern Art, Mathaf, Qatar. As a member of the executive team, she served as master of ceremonies for the opening of the museum as her proud parents looked on. She has been in Qatar about a year. Michelle graduated from Santa Clara University, was a Fulbright Scholar, studied at the University of  Barcelona and worked at the Brooklyn Museum before heading to Qatar. (photo courtesy of the Santa Clara University)

 * ... MIGS: Carl Bryan wrote in to join the chorus of local folks recalling Migs Apsit, the popular Bakersfield High School teacher who used to lead tours of the country during the summer. "I was fortunate enough to participate in Migs' USA tour the summer of 1960 (after my freshman year). Migs and his wife (nicknamed Tiny, I believe) and a few other chaparones accompanied by about 65 students on a big bus that went generally counter clockwise around the country. In seven weeks we passed through 37 states." Bryan noted that Migs was the head football coach at East. "Because of Migs' college football background (at USC, I believe) East High ran a single-wing offense. Migs also had the nickname of 'Hoppy' because he had been a part-time stand-in double in the movies for William Boyd, who played the part of Hopalong Cassidy."

 * ... DID YOU KNOW? The stately brick home located at 20th and B streets was built for Ellen Baker, the daughter of town founder Col. Baker. The house later became a Catholic boy's home and is now restored as a private residence and law office.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: From reader Walter Stewart: You know you're a Bakersfield old timer if "you remember when the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra was giving concerts when Anton Dvorak's Symphony in E minor No. 9 (From the New World), Op. 95 was known as Symphony No. 5. This is not a joke." I'll have to trust you on that one, Walter.

Good riddance 2010 and hello 2011, and the Padre faces another hurdle

 * ... NEW YEAR: By all accounts 2010 was another tough year in this prolonged Great Recession, so let's all hope the new year ushers in better times. I compiled my own list of hopes for our community for the new year. Here's a sampling:

  1) Let's hope we can go a full year without a single case of child abuse or animal cruelty in our community.
  2) I pray for the recovery of our real estate market and better times for  our hard working local Realtors.
  3) I hope for more of a civil discourse in our nation, and that all sides - liberals and conservatives - learn to work together for the common good.
  4) For all those out of work, here's hoping there are paychecks and health insurance on the horizon.
  5) For all those ailing and battling sickness, both physically and emotionally, here's to a rapid recovery and good health.
 6) If just a few of those come to pass, it will be a good year.

 * ... PADRE: Local risk management consultant John Pryor shared with me a letter, penned on old Padre Hotel stationery, that was written to him when he was just six days old. It was written by R.L. Hendrickson, who was an insurance company "special agent" who worked with Pryor's insurance broker father. "I was six days old when he wrote this letter," Pryor wrote to Brett Miller, the Padre's new owner. "The Padre Hotel was just four years old. Bakersfield's population was about 27,000. Our family's phone number at the time was 89 - without any dial until later. The Padre's phone number wasn't listed on its letterhead. It wasn't needed. Callers simply picked up the phone and asked for the Padre Hotel. The friendly operator complied and made the connection." The original owners were Roy Cummings and Fred Widmer. The letter gave Pryor some advice about obeying his mother and father and ended with the line, "A Merry Christmas to you and the OLD people."

 * ... MORE PADRE: Speaking of the Padre, I'm also hoping the historic hotel emerges from its latest round of worries and successfully renegotiates a $8.4 million loan to keep the old girl open. The Padre's dilemma is a metaphor for the  long-tail effect of this recession: a loan taken out two years ago by a La Jolla bank that no longer exists and now called by a new bank (OneWest) that has no ties to our community. The irony is that the Padre is doing well - sold out rooms for New Year's and cash flow positive. I work and live downtown and spend a lot of time at the Padre and know its owners well, so I am not unbiased here. But these are folks who put their own capital at risk to bring life back into downtown, and it serves absolutely no one to see this venture fail. It's in all of our interests that the Padre stays open and under its current ownership.

 * ... MORE MIGS: Yet another person has come forward to recall, with great fondness, former East High teacher and football coach Migs Apsit. This time it was John Brock who wrote to recall when he joined the group of kids who Migs took across the country every summer. "Others will know more about him than I  but I happened to go with him on one of the trips for high school kids he organized during summer vacations. It was called the USA Tour and it essentially circumvented the U.S. over a period of about six weeks. I recall that there were about 70 kids and we traveled in two buses. We stayed in hotels, motels and camped out occasionally. It was a fantastic experience." And so it sounds.

 * ... DID YOU KNOW? Some of the rumored Chinese tunnels downtown actually do still exist. During the retrofitting and renovations to the basement of the Hay Building (soon to be 1612 City Lofts) workers uncovered and then resealed tunnels leading out under Eye Street and also 19th Street.

  * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: You know you're a Bakersfield old-timer if "you remember when almost every doctor in town had an office in the Haberfelde Building."

Readers weigh in with a walk down memory lane. And a history lesson on the old Nile Theater

 * ...  MIGS: I've heard from a lot of folks who remember Migs Apsit, the former East High football coach who made a positive imprint on thousands of kids' lives. Here's one response from reader Don Black: " I was one of the fortunate kids that got to go on one of Migs Apsit's (we called him, Coach) tours around the U.S.  It was in 1967 (I think) and there were three of us from Taft on that trip. Myself, my cousin Mike, and Roger Miller joined the rest of the kids from Bakersfield. Looking back, I can't believe Coach and his wife, Tiny, took a bus load of kids on such a long tour.  It was just the two of them and a bus driver to keep track of us all.  We took sleeping bags and slept on the ground about every other night.  The other nights we had motel rooms... We hit all the important spots along the Southern Coast, up the East Coast, and back through the Midwest. We got a great overview of the U.S. and Tiny would give us a history lesson on every stop. We swam at Miami Beach, had 'shoo fly pie' in Amish country, saw a show at the 'Copa' in New York, visited Williamsburg, saw Niagara Falls.... Along the way, we saw and did tons more (and a few things we weren't supposed to!).  It was a great experience.
 
 * ... HUNGER: Make sure you remember to "vote" for Bakersfield in the Wal-Mart Foundation's Fighting Hunger contest. All you have to do is visit Facebook and "like" Bakersfield to cast your vote. The website is www.facebook.com/Walmart. Bakersfield is currently in ninth place and must finish sixth or higher to win $100,000 to fight hunger. Fresno is ranked No. 1 and the voting ends Dec. 31.

* ... FONTANA'S PIE: Gene Bonas wrote to sound off on an earlier post about the long lines outside of Fontana's Pie Shop on Niles Street. Turns out Gene graduated from Garces Memorial High School with Dorothy Fontana, daughter of the owner. "Dorothy was one of the most popular and generous kids at St. Joseph's, not only because she supplied our classes with every kind of pie Fontana's  made but because she was an excellent student and friend. It was always a treat to hang out with Chuck Dawson, who lived next door to Dorothy... There was always a gang of kids at either Dorothy's or Chuck's house... Dorothy, Chuck and I, along with other St. Joseph's and Garces alumni, keep in touch because of Mass, reunions, Garces activities and running into one another while shopping. It never fails to amaze me how small Bakersfield has remained in spite of its growth."

 * ... DUSTIN'S DINER: The totals are in and this year, the Haggin Oaks hot cocoa stand named Dustin's Diner raised $12,609 for the Bakersfield Homeless Center. The diner was started more than a decade ago by Dustin Kilpatrick and his parents as a way to raise a few bucks for the needy. It's now become a staple of the Haggin Oaks holiday light show, staffed by dozens of neighborhood kids who keep the tradition alive. Dustin, meanwhile, graduated with an engineering degree from USC and is back in Bakersfield working. 

* ... KAIBAB: Regular contributor Al Guitierrez dropped me a note about the pronunciation of Kaibab Avenue in northeast Bakersfield. "I liken the pronunciation of Kaibab to mai tai, jai alai, lanai etc. Everyone I know, including the Kaibab mailman, pronounces its 'kaybab' not 'ky-bab' like mai tai, jai alai etc."

 * ... DID YOU KNOW? Did you know that the Nile Theater was once the Bakersfield Opera House? It's the same structure but has been radically altered over the years. It was built at the turn of the century.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: From Robbie Horton: You know you're a Bakersfield old timer "if you remember going to a Merle Haggard concert for free! It was outside of Young's grocery story on south Chester. The stage was built with wide boards. This was around the early 1960s."

Who remembers Migs Apsit? And a newcomer gives his approval of Bakersfield

 * ... GOOD IMPRESSION: Always encouraging to hear how much newcomers enjoy our community, which is why I enjoyed the email from Jeff Pickering, the new head of the Kern Community Foundation. Jeff, his wife Stephanie and their two children moved to Haggin Oaks from Florida earlier this year.  This was their first year stopping by Dustin's  Diner, the Haggin Oaks hot cocoa stand that yearly raises more than $10,000 for the Bakersfield Homeless Shelter. "As newcomers, this tradition is one of the many reasons we have come to love our new hometown of Bakersfield," he said. "Thanks to your efforts to shine a light on some of the 'bright spots' in our community." Their children are Colin, 6, and  Olivia, 5.

 * ... NEW GIG: For you fans of Rachel Legan and her brother Dustin, longtime morning anchors on 101.5 KGFM, they have now moved over to Hot Hits 93.1, a sister station of American General Media. The "Rachel and Dustin in the Morning" show has become a community staple, featuring such hilarious takes as "Missed Connections," a laugh-out-loud gig where the hosts pull the most outlandish romantic missed connections off Craigslist and read them on the air. AGM says Tony Manes will take over mornings on KGFM.

 * ... WHERE'S MIGS? Reader Joe Boone dropped me a note wondering if anyone remembered a former East High teacher named Migs Apsit. "He would take a bus load of students, on summer vacation, around the U.S. The Californian would print photos of the group at well know sites, such as on the Capitol steps, Yellowstone etc. Perhaps there might be a reader who was lucky enough to participate? I almost made the trip in 1959 but at the last minute a family health issue made me and a buddy back out."

 * ... MERCY GRANTS: The Friends of Mercy Foundation has given out $20,000 to local charities, another boost in the arm to so many deserving non-profits during this economic downturn. The grants came from the endowment in honor of Sister Phyllis Hughes, who was hospital president from 1982 to 1987. Among those receiving grants were BARC, Community Action Partnership of Kern, food bank; Kern Comprehensive Cancer Awareness Partnership, the Special Olympics and St. John's Missionary Baptist Church.

 * ... MORE GRANTS: Speaking of grants, the Catholic Healthcare West Community Grants Program also announced a total of $217,767 in awards. This money comes from both Memorial and Mercy hospitals. Among those non profits who were awarded grants were Alliance Against Family Violence, Alzheimer's Disease Association of Kern County, Bakersfield Police Activities League, California Veterans Assistance Foundation, CASA of Kern County, Golden Empire Gleaners, Henrietta Weill Child Guidance Clinic, MARE, the MS Society and the West Side Community Resource Center.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: Reader Dennis Horack says you know you're a Bakersfield old-timer if "you remember the big slide at Valley Plaza, owned by my good friend Don Carter, a former Bakersfield Californian newspaper distributor. Also, if you remember the Dove Restaurant in east Bakersfield and the House of Don restaurant on Union Avenue. Thanks for the good old days."