Is the super high end housing market warming up? And get ready for some cyclocross racing at Hart Park on Sunday when Bakersfield hosts the California state championships

  * ... HOUSING MARKET: The last five years hasn't seen much activity in the high end real estate market, but that may be starting to change. Mary Christenson, the Watson agent who specializes in high end properties in the Southwest, told me a $1.4 million home on the Seven Oaks golf course had four offers in five days of showing. "We have three buyers still ready to buy! Where are the new listings?" she asked.

 * ... TRASH: This note came from a reader reacting to those who so casually litter our streets. "Concerning those we see throwing trash out of their car. I went to Cal Poly SLO, and if you saw anyone throwing trash out of their vehicle, you would turn them in. This was in late 1970s. Now when I see it in a parking lot I confront the people and they have always picked it up without a confrontation. Maybe if more of did this, it may make a difference."

 * ... RODEWALD: Legendary Kern County broadcaster Don Rodewald will be inducted into the East Bakersfield High School Hall of Fame on February 16. Bakersfield City School District trustee Rick Van Horne told me that East High recently sent a film crew to sit down with Rodewald and let him reminiscence about his early days in radio and television. "Don is still in good spirits at Glenwood Gardens, so much so, that the crew ran out of video taking it all in," he said.

 * ... CYCLOCROSS: If you're looking for something to do this weekend, drive out to Hart Park to take in the California State Cyclocross Championship. It runs from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday and will feature some remarkable athletes riding off road on a European-style course. Even if you don't know much about the sport, it provides a great spectacle from multiple angles, and is absolutely free. Organizers Sam Ames and Keith Barnden tell me there will be a beer garden, drum line, bag pipes, food and more.

* ... CLEAN UP: The Oildale Foundation is planning a massive clean up of the area around the North Chester bridge on Saturday. Patrick Frase told me that Mayor Harvey Hall will be joining in the effort and he is urging other folks to volunteer. "With the very generous commitment of Mr. Greg Sanders and Varner Brothers Disposal we will beautify this area by removing tumbleweeds, dead vegetation and litter! Yes there is a lot of it... months of debris and neglect! With that said I am asking for volunteer help. We are starting at 8 a.m. meeting at Beardsley and North Chester Avenue. Trash clean up supplies will be provided."

 * ... WRESTLING: I goofed in writing about an upcoming dinner to support CSUB's storied wrestling program. The event is February 9 (not in April) so get your tickets now. They cost $40 each. Make your checks payable to The Coyote Club and mail to Janis Varner, 12300 Old Town Road, Bakersfield, 93312.

 * ... BANDUCCI'S: Another memory about the old restaurant Banducci's Corner on Weedpatch Highway. Terry Gaiser writes: "My favorite memories of Banducci's: Bud and his wife, the spaghetti and best, their apple pie with the secret rum sauce!"

More good news on building permits from Mission Bank and the Bakersfield Museum of Art introduces its new executive director to the community

 * ... BUILDING: There is more evidence that our local economy is improving, albeit slowly. A report from Baynes Bank, vice president over at Mission Bank, shows marked improvement in the number of building permits being issued. While the total number of 2012 permits pulled were 259 percent higher than 2011, he noted "we are still less than 50 percent of where we were a decade ago." Bank said a large apartment project has broken ground near Gosford and Pacheco roads, "and there are two more significant projects being discussed in the Northwest.... Also of note, Standard Pacific Homes (the national builder that purchased local builder Probuilt Homes) pulled eight permits in December. These are the first Bakersfield permits they have pulled in over four years. Welcome back."

 * ... MUSEUM: I ran into the newly appointed executive director of the Bakersfield Museum of Art just a few hours after his appointment was announced. My guess is that John Lofgren and his wife Inger will fit nicely into our community. He's got the charm, experience and drive to take the museum to the next level. I chatted with Lofgren while he was out dining with retiring director Bernie Herman and his wife Joan, Sheryl and Lou Barbich and museum board chair Susan Hersberger from Aera Energy.

* ... AMMO SALES: The push by the Obama administration for new restrictions on gun ownership has led to a predictable surge in the sales of weapons and ammunition at local gun stores. One gun shop owner, Gene Thome of Bear Mountain Sports, told me there is a run on almost every type of ammunition, and that he sells his Glock semi-automatic pistols as quickly as they arrive.

 * ... SPOTTED: A pox on the young man driving a newer VW Passat who casually tossed his fast food drink cup out his window while driving south on Gosford Road.

 * ... WRESTLING: The folks who raise the money to keep the wrestling program alive at Cal State Bakersfield have an important event coming up on Saturday, Feb. 9. It's a dinner to celebration 40 years of wrestling and it costs just $40 a seat. It will be held at Stockdale Country Club at 6 p.m. Make your checks payable to the Coyote Club and mail them to Janis Varner, 12300 Old Town Road, Bakersfield, Ca. 93312.

 * ... GUILD HOUSE: Another cause worth supporting is coming up Sunday, January 27, at the historic Guild House on 18th Street. It's a five-course dinner (including wine and a tour of the graceful, grand old dame of downtown homes) to benefit the Henrietta Weill Child Guidance Center. Tickets cost $100. Call Nada for reservations at (661) 834-3566.

 * .... BANDUCCI'S: Marilyn Brown dropped me a note about the old lunch place Banducci's Corner. "My dad ate lunch there several times a week with friends and relatives from the Edison area.  As a family we would go out to dinner on Friday nights and one of our favorite places was Banducci's Corner.  I remember Julia Banducci giving us kids candy from the attached store. Banducci's was a fun place with good food where everybody knew your name!"

Californian Radio tackles gun control with guests Donny Youngblood, Kern County Sheriff, and Gene Thome, owner of the gun store Bear Mountain Sports

* ... GUN CONTROL: With the Democrats holding a super majority in the California legislature, it's a sure bet that our state's already tough gun laws are about to get much stricter. So what is next? Background checks on buying ammunition? More restrictions on the types and models of weapons that can be sold? On Monday, Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood will be on Californian Radio KERN 1180 to talk about gun control, the recent shooting in Taft and the 2nd Amendment. We will also be joined by Gene Thome, the owner of Bear Mountain Sports on Weedpatch Highway. Tune in at 9 a.m. to join a lively discussion on the hot issue of the day.

* ... FISHER: Fisher Communications, the company that owns KBAK TV and the Fox affiliate KBFX, appears to be up for sale. Industry insiders say the company is exploring "strategic alternatives" because of pressure from billionaire investor Mario Gabelli. Fisher also owns TV stations in Portland, Seattle and Boise among other markets. It is not certain if the company will be sold as a group or broken apart, and it is too early to tell what that will mean for the local staff and the direction of KBAK and the local Fox affiliate.

 * ... SPOTTED: Reader Virginia Childres submitted this about a homeless person she spotted on a local street. "I read this morning about the sign your friend saw and I remembered the funniest one I saw yesterday. I laughed again every time I thought of it, 'I'm too ugly to prostitute and too dumb to get a job. Just give me money.'"


 * ... HARVARD: Joe Feghali is a graduate of Stockdale High School who is now attending Harvard University, and he has returned to talk to other Bakersfield students about getting into Harvard and other elite schools. He will speak to students at Stockdale and 15 other local high school and middle schools this month.

 * ... NRA DINNER: Don't forget the annual Southern Valley Friends of the National Rifle Association dinner and auction which is set for Friday, February 1, at the Bakersfield Elks Lodge. Dinner tickets at $50 each and there will be opportunities to enter special drawings. Call Cyndi Benson if you are interested in sponsorships or donations, (661) 205-8569.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: You may be a Bakersfield old timer if you remember Banducci's Corner at Weedpatch and Edison highway as a great place for lunch.

McCarthy: While the Taft shooting was tragic, the heroic actions of Ryan Heber and Kim Fields show the strength of our community

 Our weekly update from House Majority Whip Rep. Kevin McCarthy:

 "This week, Judy and I were deeply troubled and saddened by the news of the shooting at Taft High School.  The heroic actions of Taft High School teacher Ryan Heber and the campus supervisor Kim Fields led to countless lives being saved. I also commend those from the Taft Police Department and the Kern County Sheriff’s Department for their quick response.  Additionally, Taft High School students bravely remained calm and acted on the training they received that same morning to prepare for such an event.  Judy and I offer our thoughts and prayers to the victims, their families, and the entire Taft community during this time.

 "Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to get to know students at Mira Monte High School and Harmony Magnet Academy in Strathmore. I'm always impressed with these students who are already serving as leaders in our communities and who remind us of the work we need to do so that they may have a future of endless opportunities. I stressed to the students in the audience that they have the power to achieve anything in life, so long as they maintain their drive to do it.  One of the students asked me about the direction of America.  I compared America to an Olympic swimmer.  That America was - and still is - in first place, but over the years our nation has added weights to its back in the form of burdensome government regulations that have slowed down its performance.  America has accumulated excess weight that can and should be shed.  These types of questions tell me our students are interested in issues facing our nation and have a passion to succeed.

  "I also attended the grand opening this week of the Caterpillar California Parts Distribution Center in Kern County.  This is a great addition to our community but as we move forward we must constantly work to improve our business climate by reducing the burdens caused by taxes, regulation, and litigation.

 "This week, I am reminded of how extraordinary our community is and how much we care for each other. As I work with leaders in both local government and the business community and see the future leaders of our nation hard at work in our local schools, I know that we have the ability to overcome our nation's biggest obstacles.  I look forward to working with all of them to solve the challenges we face every day.

Oil production across the country surges to new highs and the country is now producing 83 percent of its energy needs, and former Bako mayor Mary K. Shell throws some love at the downtown Post Office

 * ... OIL: Thanks to fracking and other new methods of extracting oil, our country is now producing more than 7 million barrels of oil a day, the highest since 1993. And, we are growing closer to total oil independence. According to a story distributed by the Bloomberg news service, the United States is now producing 83 percent of its total energy needs. "Production grew by the fastest pace in U.S. history last year and will accelerate in 2013 as horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, unlocks crude trapped in formations such as North Dakota’s Bakken shale," the story said. "The state boosted production 40 percent last year through October, Energy Department data show. Texas was up 23 percent, and Utah rose 11 percent."

* ... DARNELL:  Steve Darnell, vice president and general manager of the Buckley Radio stations in Bakersfield, is leaving to become sales manager of Clear Channel radio in Fresno. Darnell joined Buckely in 2002 and was a member of West Rotary. The Buckley stations include KKBB, KLLY, KSMJ and KNZR.

 * ... LOFT LIVING: The finishing elements are being installed on the 1612 City Loft project in downtown Bakersfield. All nine units have been pre-leased and residents are expected to be moving in within the next month or so. The project, which is in the building formerly known as the Hay building, has been in the construction phase for the past year. Some of the residents include local Realtor Adam Belter, KBAK reporter Tom Murphy and long-time Walker-Lewis employee Stephanie Gonzalez and husband A.J.

 * ... OVERHEARD: At a local Starbucks a customer who had bought a coffee for a young homeless man outside remarks: "Well that was unexpected. He said he really wanted a hot chocolate."

* ... POST OFFICE: Former mayor Mary K. Shell speaks for many when she talks about the outstanding service at the downtown Post Office. "The employees are exceptional! They make it a practice to let you know if you can mail or ship something at a better price and they greet each customer with a smile, especially when the waiting lines are long  In addition, I can’t forget to thank my letter carrier, Ralph, who’s been on the same 93301 route for maybe ten years or more.  He gets mail to me even with a mangled address, in rain, fog or blistering heat!"

 * ... CRABFEST: The hottest ticket is in town next week is for the Crab and Rib Fest to benefit the St. Francis Parish School.  It is already a sellout with some 400 people expected to head to the Kern Country Fairgrounds next Friday for the annual event that raises tens of thousands of dollars for the Parish.

Bako Bits: Get ready for the "Nut Festival" in June, voting is underway for the Best of Kern County and a new face at KBAK TV

 * ... TRASH: Betsy Gosling spotted something you don't see often in our community. "On Sunday morning on my way to church at about 8:30 a.m., a man is picking up trash along Gosford across the street from Sam's Club.  I really commend him for doing that. He's obviously doing that on his own and

wants the street to be clean.  I want my residential area and have begun pulling garage sale signs off poles and picking up papers myself.  It's our planet and we need to take care of it.  Most people don't think about that, unfortunately."

 * ... NUT FESTIVAL: Planning is well under way for the first Kern County "Nut Festival," a two-day celebration of the almonds, pistachios and other nuts that are so important to our local economy. Organizers are promising a"truly unique experience" that will put Bakersfield on the map, much as the garlic festival has done for Gilroy. It is planned for Friday and Saturday June 14-15.

 * ... BEST OF KERN: Remember to vote in the annual "Best of Kern" competition that highlights everything from the best romantic restaurant to the best personal trainer in town. The voting started this week and extends over a month. To vote, go to bestofkern.com and register your email. The results will be printed in the April 27 edition of BakersfieldLife magazine.

 * ... DIVAS: Speaking of BakersfieldLife magazine, a new group of "Dining Divas" will debut the February issue. The new group includes teacher Andrea Ames, Stephanie Pickering, Marlene Morales of Chain Cohn and Stiles, Denise Ornelas of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and pastry chef Mai Giffard.

* ... OVERHEARD: Best panhandling line of the week, so far: "Do you have any change I could use to get back to Shafter to get my debit card?"

* ... SPOTTED: Posted by a friend on Facebook: "While I was waiting for my takout pimento cheese sandwich, a woman walked in, placed an order and said to the cashier, apropos of nothing, 'I need some affirmation.' Without missing a beat, he replied, 'You are awesome. Nice to get what you ask for, isn't it?'"

 * ... DID YOU KNOW? Did you know that certain birds actually mourn the death of other birds? That's the conclusion of a study in the journal Animal Behaviour, which concluded that when a Western scrub jay dies,"other jays may hold a kind of funeral - screeching over the body for as long as half an hour."

* ... KBAK: More comings and goings in the local television market. Rob Finnerty is joining Lynda Halligan and Aaron Perlman on KBAK/KBFX Eyewitness News Mornings. Finnerty arrives from Boston where is was most recently a wealth management advisor at Merrill Lynch. Previously he was sports anchor for New England Cable News.

Tonia Valpredo, owner of Luigi's Delicatessen in Bakersfield, talks about her personal taste in designing her home.

 Don Martin, director of Metro Galleries in downtown Bakersfield, interviews Tonia Valpredo about her personal design taste in her beautiful Bakersfield home. This video accompanies a story on her home in the most recent issue of BakersfieldLife magazine.

Former House Ways and Means chairman Bill Thomas will discuss the fiscal cliff Monday on Californian Radio, and good news in the local housing market

 * ... BILL THOMAS: Bill Thomas, the longtime congressman from Bakersfield who once steered the House Ways and Means Committee, will join me Monday morning on Californian Radio at 9 a.m. to discuss the fiscal crisis and where the country goes from here. Before retiring in 2007, Thomas was widely known as one of the smartest men in the room, a tax and budget expert who knew how to get things done in a divided Congress. We will talk about the current congressional deadlock and get his views on what our country needs to do to resolve our fiscal mess. Join us at 9 a.m. on KERN 1180.

 * ... HOUSING: Good news on the local housing market. Gary Crabtree, one of the foremost local real estate experts, said the December market showed "amazing strength" due to a shortage of supply and fewer distressed homes on the market. "This comes as very good news for the new construction sector who continues to gear up to meet the lack of supply, which also results in job growth," he noted in his Crabtree Report. The report said the median price had risen 6.6 percent month over month and almost 19 percent over a year ago. "With the continued decline in REO (real estate owned) saturation rate and the foreclosure rate, the market has nowhere to go up up!" Now that is good news.

* ... HOMELESS: The number of street people in Bakersfield is simply staggering, overwhelming the good work our homeless shelters do to provide for the needy. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, only New York tops California for the number of homeless people living in emergency or transitional shelters. California had more than 27,000 people living in shelters while New York topped 36,000.

 * ... ABANDONED DOGS: Deanna Haulman witnessed an event that is all too common these days. "We live on College Avenue and there are many stray dogs. Today we would like to thank the Hispanic man in a light blue pickup who stopped and dropped off a small white dog right on the street.  We hope when you are no longer wanted by your family, they do not dump you along the roadside.  We tried to get the dog to come to our house but it was too frightened. Don't worry within a half hour the dog was hit twice and died. We hope you are proud of yourself.  A nice young man that hit the dog a second time stopped and was very concerned because he hit the dog after it was struck the first time.  Another young lady also stopped and check to make sure the dog was dead, bagged it so we could call the county animal control the next day."

 * ... SCOUTS: Mark Saturday, Jan. 26, on your calendar for the annual Grand Slam Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser put on my Boy Scout Troop 147. It runs from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at the Olive Knolls Church cafeteria on Fruitvale Avenue. You get eggs, sausage, pancakes, orange juice and coffee all for only $5.