Here's one for the books: Who remembers the Great Kern County Mouse War of 1926? And another oil town in Texas has the lowest unemployment rate in the country

* … MOUSE WAR: John Pryor sent me a note tipping me off to the great Kern County "mouse war" of 1926. It's such an odd story I simply must share it. Turns out Kern County had experienced several years of drought and by 1926 the Buena Vista Lake was dry. Two men then planted 11,000 acres of barley and maize in the dry lake bed, which proved to be an ideal breeding ground for mice. Then, it began to rain and the water level started rising, sending mice scurrying for higher ground. Pryor said more than 50,000 mice were killed in one day by the use of poisoned barley. On Taft

Highway, thousands of mice were ground to deal under car wheels. A man was then hired to poison the mice and - according to legend - some 44 million mice were killed. Sea gulls, ravens and hawks then moved in and the "war" was over. And that, as they say, is the rest of the story.

* … OIL TOWNS: I read with interest a story the other day saying that the U.S. metro area with the lowest unemployment rate is a shale oil boomtown: Midland, Texas. Midland's jobless rate is just 2.9 percent and the city is one of the fastest growing metro areas in the nation thanks to Permian Basin Shale. Kern County, of course, is also experiencing a boom in oil production yet our unemployment rate is well north of 10 percent.

 * … SERVICE: Memo to Damon Culbertson, general manager of Subaru of Bakersfield: not only is your product first class, but your service representative Amanda David is a gem.

 * … PAINTER: And speaking of white glove service, I ran into my favorite house painter Rich Johnson the other day. There are a lot of good painters in town, but few are as meticulous - not to mention just plain nice and cheerful - as Rich. Johnson Painting can be reached at (661) 706-1077.

 * … KENNY BARNES: The 32nd annual Ken Barnes Open Skeet Championship is coming up this weekend out at the Kern County Gun Club. This is an excellent chance to catch some of the top All-American shooters from across the country. The tournament is named in honor of Bakersfield's own Ken Barnes, known as the "father of the 400 X 400." For the uninitiated, that means he hit all 400 targets without so much as one miss. The tournament runs Friday through Sunday.

 * … MEMORIES: I was at Chalet Basque this weekend when a reader asked me a question I couldn't answer. He wanted to know the name of a small cafe that occupied the space where Tam O'Shanter now sits. He thought it was "Touey's" but he wasn't sure of the spelling. Ideas?

Bako Bits: hot new art shows highlight Friday downtown, the downtown Rotary Club awards $40,000 in grants and a reader recalls the glory days of the Bakersfield Racquet Club

* … DOWNTOWN: Not sure about you but I plan to spend this Friday downtown for the first First Friday of Spring. Among the attractions, both Uricchio's Trattoria and the Wall Street  Cafe have

new appetizers, The Padre has revamped its menu, Chef's Noodle bar is always a good choice and in my opinion, Muertos has the best burger in town. Over at The Metro Galleries on 19th Street, a new show titled "Echoes and Whispers-Listening to Nature" showcases the creative passion of artist Linda Brown. Ceramic works by Mark Ahlstrand will also be on display.

* … SPELLING: Dave Kettler told me a story that I simply must share. He was in the drive through lane at a downtown eatery recently when he saw a sign in the window saying, 'Thank you for your contentious business.' (Obviously they meant to thank the patrons for 'continuous' business.) When he came to the window, with his tongue planted firmly in cheek, he said 'Your prices are too high, the wait was ridiculous, the food cold and yes, you're welcome!'"

 * … GRANTS: Hats off to the Rotary Club of Bakersfield (the downtown club) whose foundation just awarded more than $40,000 in grants to local non-profit organizations. Among those receiving money were the Boys and Girls Club, Garden Pathways, Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra, BARC, Friends of Mercy Foundation, Greater Bakersfield Chamber Vision 2020, Boy Scouts of America, Golden Empire Gleaners, Buena Vista Museum of Natural History and the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

  * … ART: Thursday morning members of the Bakersfield Museum of Art's Blue Ribbon Committee toured the art and sculpture-filled Bakersfield Country Club home of Milt and Betty Younger and were treated to a surprise gift for one of the visiting members. At the end of the tour, Betty surprised them by giving a framed watercolor she painted in 1965 of the Oleander home of W.B. Camp home to committee member Karrie Kirschenmann Camp, who is married to W.B.'s grandson, Clayton. Betty recalled sitting on the curb when she painted it almost 50 years ago. She said she had entered it in the Kern County fair and took first place.

* … MEMORIES: This memory courtesy of reader Michael Perry: "The recent USTA tennis matches at Bakersfield Racquet Club reminded me that my grandfather, Earl Cook, one of the founding members of BRC, once hosted the Ozzie and Harriet Nelson family (including David and Ricky) at his home on Baldwin Road during a tennis tournament at BRC in the early 1950's. Ozzie and Harriet were a tennis family before they were the perfect TV family. Lake and Edith Lovelace often joined Earl and Eva ['Feathers' and 'Mimi' Cook for a spirited game of bridge on Baldwin. Lake, the real founder of the Bakersfield Racquet Club, allowed me to take my first swimming lessons there even though I was way too short. (He proved it by measuring the depth of the pool with his cane and showing me even the shallow end was over my head!) My teacher was Tommy Gallon. I kid you not! "

The nation marks the birthday of Cesar Chavez, but years after his death the United Farm Workers has become an insulated, irrelevant force, say critics

* … CHAVEZ: The legacy of Cesar Chavez has been in the spotlight this week - a new biopic movie on his life opened along with National Cesar Chavez Day - but is the union he founded still 

relevant? Some critics say no, and they say his foundation now exists to run radio stations, attract grants and employ a few people. Miriam Powell, who wrote an unflinching portrait of Chavez and the United Farm Workers in the book 'The Union of Their Dreams: Power, Hope, and Struggle in Cesar Chavez’s Farm Worker Movement,' said this in an opinion piece for Fox Latino News:  "The man born 87 years ago today worked with a single-minded intensity few could ever match. For a time, that zeal produced unprecedented gains for California farmworkers. But the union he founded failed to thrive and has become irrelevant; farmworkers today know Cesar Chavez only as the name of a famous Mexican boxer. In the end, Chavez’s legacy is far from the fields, in cities across the country where his name evokes pride and his life serves as an example of what community organizing can accomplish."

 * … HEART HEALTH: Margaret Scrivano Patteson is the seeming picture of perfect health: an avid runner and cyclist, she rarely goes a day without a vigorous workout and watches what she eats. Yet while cycling recently the 51-year-old pharmaceutical sales rep suffered a heart attack, and her story is a cautionary tale for all of us who think we are doing the right thing but are unaware of the silent killers within us. Patteson appeared with me on First Look with Scott Cox to talk about her family history of heart disease and to thank her cardiologist, Dr. Brijesh Bambi, the folks at Bakersfield Heart Hospital and her personal physician, Dr. Raj Patel. Go to bakersfield.com to view the entire interview.

 * … GOOD FORM: Julie Calvin submitted this bit of news to make your day. Last Sunday she went to PetStyling Co. on Coffee Road to pick up her dogs after being groomed. "As I hurried to get them safely into my vehicle, I apparently dropped my wallet in the parking lot. Not realizing that I had dropped it, I continued home.  About five minutes later I received a call from the manager at PetStyling and they had found my wallet (I didn’t even realize yet that I had dropped it!).  I went back to retrieve my wallet and everything was still in it. It’s nice to know that there are still honest people in the world!

* … CIOPPINO: Congratulations to Bakersfield West Rotary for another spectacular Cioppino Feed over at Monsignor Leddy Hall this past weekend. The proceeds from the event - it raised some $100,000 -  will help fund the club's foundation as well as Memorial Hospital's pediatric unit.

  * … WRESTLING: I ran into Vernon Varner at the Cioppino Feed and he reminded me of another upcoming fund raiser to support the storied CSUB wrestling program. The event, planned for Tuesday, May 6, will feature former world wrestling champion and ex New England Patriots player Stephen Neal. Tickets are $75 each. Call Janis Varner at (661) 587-8157. CSUB wrestling could not exist with the help from the Varners and the Coyote Club, and it's worth your consideration to support this effort.

North Dakota embraces fracking and it puts the entire state to work, and a liberal anti-gun state senator is arrested on firearms trafficking charges

 * … FRACKING: I received this note from a reader who wanted to weigh in on the debate over hydraulic fracturing. Listen to Michael Jacobsen's words: "Greetings from Bismarck, N.D.! As on online subscriber to the Californian, I found it amusing to read your column about the environmental group that claims that fracking causes earthquakes. If that's the case, North Dakota should be like Jerry Lee Lewis's song

'Whole lot of shakin going on.'  Maybe someone should ask them to come to the 'Oil Patch' in Northwestern North Dakota. The unemployment rate in the Williston area is .7 percent (no joke).  Statewide, the unemployment rate is 2.4 percent. The state is prospering and people in Bismarck can make $10.50 an hour at fast food places. The wages are even higher in Dickenson and Williston. One lady from Dickenson said most of the young people will accept no less than $18.50 an hour for a part time summer job. True, there are accidents that occasionally happen, but these are usually taken care of quickly. There have been earthquakes in N.D., but not related to fracking. On an unrelated note, I will be moving to Bakersfield in a month or so. My beautiful bride, Sharon, is there right now looking for a place to live. We hope to meet you sometime." Welcome back home Michael!

 * … KARMA: How appropriate is it that state Sen. Leland Yee, who prides himself as a gun control advocate and has spent years writing anti-gun legislation, is arrested and charge with conspiracy to traffic in firearms? What is it they say about karma? (photo by the Associated Press)

* … BAD FORM: Darlyn Baker was in the drive through lane at the downtown Starbucks when this happened: "As I turned the curve getting closer to paying, to my surprise and dismay was an empty Starbucks cup someone had tossed in the flower bed. Unbelievable!  Surely the car in front or behind them had to see them tossing it out, assuming they were not the only one in line. I guess some feel entitled and don't give a flying flip about littering."

* … JURY DUTY: Superior Court Judge David R. Lampe responded to the reader who complained about jury duty. "I sympathize with those who are called to jury duty who experience delays and excessive waiting, he said. "I ask all of the jurors who come to my court to please be patient with the process. While we respect efficiency, it cannot be our highest value. Our most compelling ethic is fairness. We judges have to 'get it right,' and that takes thoughtful deliberation and time. What we ask of jurors is their time, even if that includes sitting and waiting while matters are being conducted outside of their presence. We cannot instruct all prospective jurors 'en masse' because the parties have the right to be present, and every case is unique, even if there are common legal principles. We judges hear the case at the same time as the jurors, and so there is a lot that goes on in the courtroom that jurors do not hear. We cannot try the cases twice, once to the judge and then to the jury, which would make things less efficient, rather than more. Our jury system is unique and precious. Laws are merely abstract notions, until they are applied by the courts. Everyone should keep in mind, when those laws get applied, they might be applied to you. With that perspective, I am sure most would desire a calm, careful, fair, and deliberative process where the common will of the citizens of the community decide the question. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, the American jury system is a terrible form of justice. It is just that all of the others are so much worse."

McCarthy: Sgt. 1st Class Robert Keiser personified the American hero

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, House Majority Whip, gives us his weekly view from Capitol Hill. In his words:

"This week was another special week for Kern County. I had the honor of presenting the Distinguished Service Cross posthumously to Sergeant First Class Robert Keiser for outstanding service and heroism during the Korean War.

 "Sergeant First Class Keiser resided in Randsburg, CA with his wife, Pamela, until he passed away in 2009. He was a member of the U.S. Army’s Second Indianhead Infantry Division. On November 30, 1950, he and his division approached a major roadblock of damaged and abandoned American vehicles. Under constant enemy fire, Sergeant First Class Keiser swept forward and personally cleared the roadblock vehicle by vehicle. He loaded the dead and wounded aboard vehicles that could still run and commanded those around him to drive to friendly lines. In a battle that would become known as “The Gauntlet,” Sergeant First Class Keiser’s actions were undoubtedly a decisive factor in saving hundreds of lives.

"Sergeant Keiser was not just a Randsburg cowboy, he was an American hero.
 "Also in Washington, a new statue was unveiled in the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall. What makes this unique is that the person who designed and sculpted this piece was born in Taft and raised in Bakersfield. But in addition to that, this is his second statue that is now displayed in the U.S. Capitol.

 "It was great to see and catch up with Benjamin Victor this week when he stopped by my office. His latest work is a statue of agricultural hero Norman Borlaug, which is one of the two statues in the Capitol for the State of Iowa. Many of us in Kern County know his work in Taft when he sculpted the Taft Oil Workers Monument that was unveiled during the city’s centennial celebration.  And now, hundreds of thousands of visitors in the Capitol each year will also know Ben, who has the distinct honor of being the only living sculptor to have two sculptures in National Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol (his other being the statue of Paiute activist Sarah Winnemucca for the State of Nevada).

 "Our community is a special place with tremendous people and this week, all of America got to see it.

Environmental groups attack hydraulic fracturing, but trying to prove a negative won't stand up in making public policy, and some bad form when two dogs are locked in a hot car

 * … FRACKING: I had to chuckle at the recent letter to the editor from an Oakland-based environmental group that insists on trying to link hydraulic fracturing to earthquakes. Never mind that

countless government studies have discounted this theory (as they used to say, 'never let the facts get in the way of a good story') the writer said earthquakes have occurred in areas where fracking is practiced. And? What he didn't say was that quakes have happened in areas free of fracking as well. That's called trying to prove a negative, and frankly the argument doesn't hold water. Hydraulic fracking needs legitimate oversight, not hysteria.

 * … SAFETY: The incident at the Wal-Mart on Gosford Road is a cautionary tale to everyone. Two young black men in a white van pulled up to a woman in front of the store and grabbed her purse while the van was moving, hurling the woman against the moving vehicle and throwing her to be ground. Bakersfield police said the woman was not seriously injured and she maintained hold on her purse. They are looking for suspects. Be safe out there.

 * … BAD FORM: Gordon Dowdy spotted this bit of bad form in front of the Panera Restaurant on Stockdale Highway: "At 12:30 p.m. today a car with all the windows rolled up and two poor little dogs locked inside. We consider this animal abuse."

* … GOOD DEED: Lupe Canon-Morales and her friend were taking their daily walk recently when her friend tripped and fell.  "As I was helping her up and retrieving her glasses, a young lady driving by (we walk in an industrial area) witnessed what had just happened. She made a U-turn, pulled alongside us and inquired if we needed help. She then drove us back home. We were so rattled we failed to get her name, we want to thank her for her thoughtfulness and taking the time to see us safely home.  God Bless her, we need more people like her in this world!"

 * … BAGEL SHOP:  A reader wrote that her husband was in Bagels and Blenderz recently and spotted a couple with their small gray chihuahua sitting on the table. "How unsanitary was that?" she asked. "You may think twice before you sit down to enjoy your next bagel and coffee at this location.  Let's hope they clean and disinfect their tables frequently!  Remember people, dogs are not human!"

 * … CEMETERY: My friend Ray Mish, owner of Mission Family Mortuary, dropped me a note about the old Chinese Cemetery between Terrace Way and Brundage Lane. After the cemetery was moved to clear way for a housing tract, Mish said a contractor putting in a swimming pool found the skeletons of two people. Mish was working for there now defunct Armstrong-Flickinger Mortuary and he asked the owner if he would donate baby caskets to bury those two in Union Cemetery, which had donated a plot of ground where the other Chinese had been buried. "I then contacted members of the Ming family, a prominent Chinese family. I was given permission to conduct these services with a minister and flowers and a large gather of people and it was a traditional Chinese funeral." Mish said he is now in his 75th year in the funeral business, starting when he was just 14 years old.

A scuffle at The Padre Hotel lounge leaves some patrons worried about their safety, and volunteers gather to clean up Oildale one block at a time

 * … PADRE: An ugly incident Saturday night at The Padre Hotel triggered two letters to the editor from women worrying about their safety at the bar. This is the kind of press that people like Padre

owner Brett Miller hates, and he told me Tuesday that he was getting to the bottom of it. "Someone stabbed someone with a pen," he told me. "It was a puncture wound…. Usually we have a good crowd I am surprised we had an issue." Miller said he was meeting with his staff to make sure the popular downtown bar and eatery was attracting the "right crowd" in its after hours lounge.

 * … OILDALE: Volunteers will be fanning out across Oildale this Saturday for a huge clean up day. Cher Pannell, president of the Oildale Leadership Alliance, told me some 200 people are expected to participate. It will start at 8 a.m. with Supervisor Mike Maggard serving as the honorary chairperson. Kern Country Animal Services will be there, holding a dog and can clinic offering free micochipping and spay-neutering at low prices. Want to participate? Show up at Standard Park for the fun.

 * … SIGN OF THE TIMES: This note from reader Pete Parson speaks for itself: "I live around the corner from the homeowner on Los Flores who fired warning shots when burglars were 'operating' on a neighbor’s house.  I am currently in the process of remodeling my bathroom and in so doing removed the old bathtub and placed it in my yard just off the front steps. Over a couple of weeks I made calls to numerous charities to effect a removal of said tub with no takers coming forward. As a last resort, utilizing a ploy my father once used with an worthless old freezer, I affixed a 'for sale $50' sign to it and to my great relief the tub was stolen within 24 hours."

 * … PANHANDLING: Robert Clements has an easy answer to panhandling: punish those who give money. "People who give cash perpetuate the problem. Pass an ordinance that  makes it an infraction to give cash to panhandlers. The ordinance  could also require any group or individual who wish to solicit for  donations in public to get a permit to do so or be cited (including  panhandlers). Once a few people are cited and the word spreads the  source of funds would dry up. This would create a reason for the givers to think twice, since they are the real problem.

 * … HIGHWAY 58: And finally there was this from Bill Deaver about those trucks on Highway 58. "I've been driving 58 (and 466 before it) since it was built, and have great respect for truckers. But there are two kinds who create problems: those who do what your letter-writer reported (slow passing) and those who, on the downgrades on both ends, go like a bat out of hell. The solution is a climbing lane out of Bakersfield from General Beale Road to Tehachapi. It will cost a fortune and won't be built for years, but it has to be one of this county's major highway priorities given its role as a major goods movement corridor, which you can confirm with KernCOG."

 * … MEMORIES: A reader submitted this about the location of the old French Village restaurant. "My grandparents lived in the house on the south side of the French Village. It was located at what is now Life House Parkville Healthcare Center at 329 No. Real Road, which is just south of Palm St. My family lived with my grandparents for a short time in 1944. My brother and I used to play with the owners children as they lived in a house on the property of the French Village."

A dog is found abandoned with his ears cut off as well as his tongue, but rescuers say he is now healthy and doing well. Hats off to the volunteers and veterinarians to help these abandoned pets

 * … MUTTS: I stopped by the Healthy Bakersfield Expo at the Convention Center this weekend where I met Hooch, an adorable French Mastiff who was hanging around the Marley's Mutts dog rescue booth. When Hooch was found, someone had cut off both ears and cut out his tongue, an act so cruel

and senseless that it makes you lose faith in humanity. (Hooch is now fed by hand and is happy and healthy, thank you). There was another dog who had been shot, and a third who also had his ears cut off. Kudos to  Marley's Mutts, San Joaquin Veterinary Hospital and all the other dog and cat rescuers and the veterinarians who donate their time to help these animals.

 * … EYESORE: Don't expect that imploded PG and E plant at the corner of Gosford Road and Rosedale Highway to be cleaned up any time soon. Cal-OSHA has said there can be no cleanup of the site until the investigation into what went wrong is complete, including appeals. Looks like that eyesore will be with us for a while.

 * … MARCH MADNESS: For those of you who are into March Madness, I spotted this post on Twitter: "The 16 perfect brackets probably belong to lifelong North Dakota State fans who attended Mercer for undergrad and Dayton for grad school."

 * … PANHANDLING: Gerhard Schmidt had a good take on the panhandling ordinance before the City Council. "Let me make sure I get this right about the possible panhandling ordinance. It is to criminalize the act, right? That would  mean a fine or jail time. Since these criminals don’t have the money to pay the fine, they would have to panhandle to get it. The alternative, giving them jail time, and the jails are already overcrowded, would mean free room and board for them. It would not really be free. You and I would be paying for that, if you are a taxpayer."

* … HIGHWAY 58: Last week I wrote about a carload of young people flashing obscene gestures to a truck driver on Highway 58. I labeled it bad form, but Steve Laird has another take: "Certainly, it was bad form  and very boorish behavior for this type of road rage to occur. There simply is no excuse for it.  However the driver of the passing big rig probably does not have clean hands in this. Highway 58 is a two lane highway, and I have personally observed many slow moving trucks pass an even slower moving truck at a very slow speed. In the end the truck doing the passing can end up tying the fast lane for a minute or so because they cannot generate the speed to complete the passing maneuver in a reasonable amount of time.  Now both lanes are blocked and in the end the truck doing the passing ends up doing the same speed he was before he passed the slower truck. The difference is he is now the one in front.  That is very frustrating and is an abuse of the passing lane. Again, there is no excuse for for this incident of road rage, but the frustration caused by a very slow passing truck is understandable."

 * … CAMP KEEP: The Camp KEEP Foundation will be hosting its annual WineCamp for KEEP fundraiser on May 3 from 6-9 p.m. Tickets are $40 for the event, which will feature appetizers, wine, live music and opportunity basket. This year it will be held at a private residence in the Northwest. .FOr tickets call (661) 636-4629. All proceeds benefit the Foundation’s “campership fund” that helps send kids to camp who can’t afford to go otherwise."