Bakersfield rolls out the red carpet for the Amgen Tour of California and remembering Suzanne Rivera, local cyclist who died on Mother's Day

 * ... AMGEN: Get ready for a day to remember Thursday when the Amgen Tour of California cycling race comes to town. Organizers are expecting as many as 30,000 people to view the race, which features some of the top pro cyclists in the world. The 18-mile time trial course starts on the bluffs across from Bakersfield College, follows Alfred Harrell Highway out to Hart Park and returns up the steep grade back to Panorama. It promises to be a spectacular event and if you have never witnessed a pro bike race, this is your chance to see some of the world's finest athletes in action. It's absolutely free, it starts at 1 p.m. and should by over shortly after 4 p.m. And, let's not forget to thank our city for agreeing to put water in the Kern River for the day to help put our community in its best light.

 * ... RIP SUZANNE: Friends and family are mourning the death of Suzanne Rivera, the 47-year-old mother of two who died in a nasty crash during a women's road cycling race near Mariposa. Like any sport cycling has its share of inflated egos and posturing, but Suzanne always had a smile on her face and never had a bad word for anyone. She crashed into a support van on a steep descent on Mother's Day, but she died doing something she loved. (Californian photo of Suzanne with coach Danny Kaukola)

* ... HIGH ACHIEVER: Among the many notable kids graduating from high school is Cristobal Trujillo, a Ridgeview graduate who is headed to Yale on a full-ride scholarship. Michelle Beck, one of his former teachers, told me Cristobal came to this country speaking no English but eventually mastered the language and qualified for the GATE program. That's an accomplishment that should make us all proud.

 * ... HOPPER: As if legacy media didn't have enough challenges, now comes the "Hopper" that threatens to to disrupt the television business model. The "Hopper" is a device offered by Dish Network that allows people to completely avoid commercials. Viewers can already fast forward through commercials, but the "Hopper" does it automatically and the viewer sees nothing but a momentary blank screen and no commercial. As the Wall Street Journal noted: "The notion that viewers won't see even a whirr of fast forwarded ads threatens billions of dollars in broadcast television advertising-and risks the ire of the networks."

 * ... BABY NAMES: The Social Security Administration has released the most popular baby names for 2011. According to USA Today, the top name for girls were Sophia, Isabella, Emma, Olivia, Ava, Emily, Abigail, Madison, Mia and Chloe. For boys: Jacob, Mason, William, Jayden, Noah, Michael, Ethan, Alexander, Aiden and Daniel.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: Donna Pacheco wonders if anyone else remembers Hart Park in the 1950s when it featured boat racing, the miniature train, a roller coaster and a merry-go-round. Donna worked at a food stand selling hot dogs and drinks.

New details on the death of Bakersfield cyclist Suzanne Rivera in Turlock ...

 Suzanne Rivera, the Bakersfield cyclist killed in a nasty crash during a women's stage race in Mariposa County, apparently hit a support van when she came around a corner in a group. Kerry Ryan, owner of Action Sports, noted she simply may have been on the wrong side of the group of riders and unable to avoid the van, which had stopped to help another cyclist. Read more of the Bakersfield Californian's coverage.

Kern Wheelmen statement on death of Bakersfield cyclist Suzanne Rivera

 The following statement is from the Kern Wheelman website regarding the death Sunday of local cyclist Suzanne Rivera. (photo by Chris Rigby)

 "It is with the heaviest of hearts that I write to you this sad news. Today, we lost a teammate, training partner, and friend. Suzanne Rivera passed away as a result of a crash at the Mariposa Women’s Stage Race. Suzanne was an amazing athlete, who could run marathons in under three hours, after a running injury she decided to take up cycling, naturally she picked the sport up quickly and excelled at it. She loved riding and trained hard here in Bakersfield with many of us. She belonged to my team B4T9, which is based out of Santa Barbara but has a 3 person Bakersfield contingent as well. Apart from being an amazing athlete, she was a loving mother and wife, and was a fun, kind-hearted and spirited woman. She was so nice, always so happy and so encouraging to everyone she was around.

The Mariposa stage race, is a four stage race, where the first race was a 10 mile time trial, the second was a 6 mile hill climb with 2100’ of climbing followed in the afternoon by a 40 mile circuit race with a lot of hills, and Sunday was a 48 mile road race with long descents and more hill climbing. However, Suzanne is an amazing hill climber and she went into the final race in second position. She was so happy this weekend working with the team and enjoyed the competitive aspect of racing.

...I’m sending this note out as a courtesy to those that know her and have had the great opportunity to ride with her. We as a community, team, and as individuals are heartbroken, devastated and sad beyond words that could be written at the loss of Suzanne. Our thoughts and prayers are with Suzanne, her family and friends on this most anguishing day and for the difficult days they face ahead.

I, personally, and all of the team, want to express our gratitude to the nurses, racers and friends who gave their all on site to administer every life saving measure possible. Everyone was courageous in their effort.
Thank you for your support, prayers and thoughts for the family and friends of Suzanne at this difficult time. Details of services will be posted at a later date.

With great sadness,
Lori O’Lin, B4T9 Team, sponsors and supporters.

Bakersfield cyclist Suzanne Rivera dies in a road race in Mariposa County

 Suzanne Rivera, a local runner and cyclist from Bakersfield, died Sunday during a woman's cycling race in Mariposa County. Suzanne was a long-time runner who took up cycling after an injury and quickly became a contender.
 Details are sketchy but she apparently crash during a long decent. Efforts to revive her on the scene were not successful. She leaves behind a husband and two children.

California taxes drive two families to leave the state and beware of an elder abuse scam

 * ... ROBBERY: Heads up on a scam and crime that is becoming all too common in our community. The latest victims are Glen and Millie Crabtree, who have been married for 68 years and have lived quietly on the east side of town. Last week they were the victims of a robbery and scam that cost them $2,000 in cash and almost $700 in jewelry. It was last Monday around 11 a.m. when they returned home from the bank and two Hispanic women appeared and their door, inquiring about a weight loss product Millie sells to earn a little extra cash. While one of the women distracted Millie, the other went into their bedroom, found the family safe open and pocketed the cash and jewelry, including their wedding rings. "I just feel so stupid now," said Millie, who is 85. "It's not even the money but jewelry and our wedding rings that we have had for 68 years." She described the women as in their early 50s and one "weighs 300 pounds. I have never seen hips and thighs that big. I would know her anywhere." A friend is offering a $1,000 reward. Call Bakersfield Police if you have any information.


 * ... OVERHEARD: A middle aged woman sharing her family's frustration over Calfornia's $19 billion budget deficit and the prospect of even higher taxes. "Two people on my street, one is an oil engineer and the other is a lawyer, are leaving California because of taxes. One just listed his house and his moving to Nevada and the other is leaving when his daughter goes to college next year. They have both just had enough." My take: I think most people would agree to higher taxes if they believed Sacramento was  serious about curtailing spending and agreeing on pension reform for state employees.

  * ... GAY MARRIAGE: The debate over same-sex marriage rages on, fueled by President Obama's revelation that he now supports it. This clearly is an issue that divides our community, and today (Monday) on Californian Radio KERN 1180 we will tackle the topic. Among my guests will be Judith Pratt, a communications professor at Cal State Bakersfield, and a young gay man who thinks it's a bad idea. Call in to (661) 842-5376 to weigh in, beginning at 9 a.m.


* ... TRASH: John W. Sliger dropped me a note to have his say about those who litter our community. "It is a symptom of the laziness that has invaded our lives. Another such symptom is shopping carts at places like Walmart. Everytime we go to one of the stores that provide shopping carts for their customers I find the carts just dumped in the parking lot, often within just a few steps of a 'cart corral.' I can somewhat understand this when it is in the handicapped-parking area. Those people have a reason. Other people are just plain lazy. It does NOT matter how much of a hurry the individual is in, just dumping the cart is rude, inconsiderate, and costly."

 * ... GOOD DEED: Speaking of trash, hats off to retired Superior Court Judge James Stuart who donated a park bench and a concrete trash can that were installed at RiverWalk Park. A sign reads the trash can is dedicated to "Lucky and Friends" in honor of the judge's dog, a stray who was found by his son a few years back. Reader Aneta Adams wrote to thank the judge, saying previously there had been no trash can at the southeast corner of the lake.  "It was difficult for some people to clean up after their dogs around that lake or to carry their trash the far distance to another trash can or to their cars. My husband and I have had no problem doing so, even though that location has been precisely where our two Scottish Terriers decide to relieve themselves. Since the addition of the 'Lucky and Friends' trash container, we have noticed an improvement to the trash situation around that lake."

Time magazine's cover stirs up some controversy

 Time magazine has a provocative cover photo that is getting a lot of folks talking. With Mother's Day around the corner, you can be sure we will be hearing more about this.

Presumed GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney and wife Ann are headed to Bakersfield for a fund raiser, and Californian Radio to explore gay marriage

 * ... ROMNEY: It looks like presumed Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and wife Ann are coming to Bakersfield for a fund raiser at the home of Grimmway Farms owner Barbara Grimm-Marshall. It's being billed as "an afternoon with Governor Mitt and Ann Romney" and will be held on Wednesday, May 30. Tickets are going for $2,500 a pop, $10,000 will get you a photo session and for $50,000 you get a private reception. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) will be there along with event co-chairs Jim and Beverly Camp, Iva and Michael Hawkins and Barbara Grimm-Marshall and Darcy Marshall.

 * ... GAY MARRIAGE: Polls show the nation is slowly warming to the idea of same-sex marriage, but the issue remains has hot as ever. On Monday, I will be take on the topic on Californian Radio KERN 1180 beginning at 9 a.m. Among my guests will be a young gay man who vehemently opposes same-sex marriages. Tune in to hear him articulate his position. We'll also hear from Dr. Raj Patel, partner in Preferred Family Care Physicians, about the obesity epidemic.


 * ... REIDER: I attended the dedication of the Larry Reider Education Center this week, named after the retired Kern County Superintendent of Schools. One of the reasons Reider is so enormously popular,  outside of guiding the department during some economically turbulent years, is his terrific sense of humor. In his speech, he recalled a friend who had been promoted to chief executive of a local company. Said Reider: "So this man asks his wife, 'Honey, in your wildest dreams did you imagine me being promoted?' And his wife replies: 'Honey, you're not in my wildest dreams.'" Classic Larry.


* ... TRASH: Tami Schumacher is a relative newcomer to Bakersfield (her family moved here from Southern California last summer) and she is amazed at the amount of trash on our streets. "I was at the park with my dog and saw a car pull up and a man drop a cup out of the car.  He proceeded to go to the basketball courts without picking up the cup and a trash can was 10 feet from him!" Tami: I wish I could tell you that what you witnessed was an anomaly, but it's not.

 * ... MAKE A WISH: The Make-A-Wish Foundation does an awful lot of good locally and generally does so without a lot of press. Which is why I'm happy to promote the organization's special fund raiser next Friday, May 18, at the Crystal Palace. It's the "Silver Spur Gala" featuring a steak dinner, live auction items and of course dancing. And, you get to taste Bowen's Whiskey, the new Bakersfield-made whiskey for just $5 a pop. (All proceeds go to Make-A-Wish). Tickets are $100 each or $1,000 for a table of eight. Call (661) 634-WISH (9474) if you are interested.

Obesity rate skyrockets and Donna Hylton is out as executive director of the Kern Adult Literacy Council

* ... OBESITY: How fat are we as a nation? Would you believe that the obesity rate among American adults is expected to top 42 percent by 2030? There are a host of factors of course - our obsession with fast food, snacks, sodas and and our aversion to exercise among them - but experts are warning the consequences for our health care system will be enormous. The diabetes epidemic alone will be devastating. Maybe we should start with smaller serving sizes, exercising more and giving up that morning Starbucks high calorie coffee (topped with whip cream) that really isn't much different than having a milkshake for breakfast. (photo courtesy of The Orange County Register)

* ... SHAKE UP: Donna Hylton, longtime executive director of the Kern Adult Literacy Council, is out after almost 12 years on the job. No word yet on who will replace Hylton, whose main job was raising money for literacy programs and operational expenses. The Council has long been on the forefront of confronting Kern County's illiteracy problem, which affects almost 25 percent of Kern adults.

* ... SPOTTED:  A young couple, sitting in a grey Nissan in the Target parking lot at Valley Plaza with an infant in a car seat, casually toss their Carl's Jr. burger wrappers and used napkins out the window before pulling out. As a friend told me: "Now there's some good modeling behavior."

 * ... PEREZ: Leticia Perez, the district representative for state Sen. Michael Rubio who is running for county supervisor in the 5th District, has picked up the support of the powerful Kern County Fire Fighters Union via its Political Action Committee. The union is mailing out flyers urging voters to cast their ballots for Perez, who is running against incumbent Karen Goh. This promises to be one of the closest races to watch, so stay tuned. (photos of Perez and Goh)

* ... ASSISTEENS: The Assisteens League, which has guided so many of our daughters through the years, is about to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The group was formed locally in 1963 and is open to young people in grades 9 through 12. Marianne Keathley told me they are looking for former members for an anniversary event to be held next year. Contact Marianne at mtkeathley@hotmail.com for more information.

 * ... RODEWALD: Yet another memory of the bomb shelter years after the Cuban Missile Crisis. This nuggets from Rocky King, whose father in law is former local TV personality Don Rodewald. "He spent a month in a Nuedeck bomb shelter down on 19th Street during the bomb shelter scare. He and his wife, Shirley, spent the time together in the shelter and for their sacrifice, recieved a free bomb shelter from Nuedeck pools. Don asked the Neudeck brothers if he could have a swimming pool instead. The rest is history. By the way, Don still lives here in town in a senior living place and I am his ex-son in law."

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: You know you're from Bakersfield if "traffic has come to a halt due to a huge flock of sheep crossing the road."