Polls show a majority of whites now believe more change is necessary to protect minorities, remembering Frank Gifford and more on the rash of burglaries around town

* ... RACE: In the wake of several high profile shootings of black Americans by police, there seems to be a major shift in how white Americans feel about race. Two polls, one by Pew Research and the second by the Washington Post/ABC News, concluded that a majority of white Americans

now believe more change is needed to protect minorities. According to The Los Angeles Times,"the shifts are significant. For the last several years polls had shown that fewer than four in 10 whites said the country needed more change to achieve equality." That has grown significantly, and the largest shift in attitude has come among Republicans, where the number of people who feel more change is needed has grown 15 percent.

 * ... GIFFORD: Here's something about the life of the late Frank Gifford you might not know, compliments of Rick Van Horne's book Halley Street Heroes. Said Van Horne: "Frank Gifford (Bakersfield High and Bakersfield College) was a first round draft choice in 1952, (but) also in that draft was Gifford's good friend and high school teammate Bob Karpe. In the same draft also was legendary Taft College coach Al Baldock. Baldock and Gifford were teammates at USC." (file photos of Gifford, Karpe)

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "Fear the man wearing velcro strapped sandals, for he has nothing left to lose."

 * ... BAD FORM: Here is another sign of the times. A woman posts a note on Facebook looking for a small urn bearing the ashes of her father that was stolen along with other items during a burglary at her home.

 * ... LOST MAIL: Ever wonder why your mail service is spotty sometimes? Consider this note from reader Elton Kelly, who took the time to compliment two employees of the Stockdale Highway post office (Darlene and her supervisor Brad) despite what happened. Turned out he was waiting on a package from eBay that was shipped to the Stockade Highway office but ended up downtown. But rather than send it to Stockade just a few miles away, it was shipped to Pasadena, then to Santa Clarita, then to Opa Locka, Fla., back to Santa Clarita and finally to Stockade, a journey of eight days. "Granted this was only an eBay purchase but what if it had been my stroke-medications or replacement-parts for my wife's insulin-pump? Something needs 're-thinking' and fixing."

  * ... BURGLARS: With all the reports about burglaries and car theft, here is a bit of good news from Nancy Bellue. "One morning I recognized that a certain car had gone around and around our block many times while I was on the driveway getting my kids into the car, etc.  Then, as I drove on down the street I asked myself, 'What if that was a burglar who saw me load up and leave home?' So, I circled back home, locked the kids in the car, and (foolishly) went to my front door and hollered into  the house where the bad guy was, sure enough! He hadn’t had time to pack up anything...  hearing me he ran out the back door.  In court later (I had his car license  number) i was told ’sorry’… I should have given him time to steal SOMEthing, as evidence. Recently at our son’s home in Westchester, the perp walked in at 6 a.m. (construction crew forgot to lock up), robbed a few electronic toys quickly and drove away…. but, happy, stupid, and high on meth he came back for more an hour later! Kelly welcomed him that time, and began a conversation, all the while snapping iPhone photos of the guy and his car, which he forwarded to the police immediately. They caught him an hour later and he was sent back to jail!"

Kurt Rivera appears to be out at KBAK TV and an 87-year-old man makes good on a 60-year-old debt to legendary lawyer Morris Chain

 * ... HONESTY: Here's a sweet story of honesty, forgiveness and faith that will send you into the weekend with a smile. Sixty years ago, when 87-year-old Kenneth Cannon of Wasco was in his

prime, he ended up in a fight that landed him in court facing a lawsuit. He hired the legendary Morris Chain to defend him, and Chain managed to get the fine reduced from $10,000 to $1,500, still a hefty fine back in those days. Morris' fee was $100, but Cannon was working in the potato fields and promised to pay Chain over time. Chain told him: "Once you get on your feet, you pay me." Jorge Barrientos, head of marketing for Chain Cohn Stiles, tells the rest of the story: "Fast forward 60 years, Kenneth noticed in the newspaper that our law firm moved offices (Chester and 18th), walked into our lobby Wednesday with a new $100 bill he took out from the bank stuffed inside of a small yellow envelope. He knows Morris died in the 1970s, but since we still have Chain’s name at our firm, he felt he should give the money to us." Cannon told Barrientos:  “It’s been on my mind this whole time. I had quite a guilty conscience about it all. I was obligated to pay back my debt.” Barrientos declined to take the money. "He is a sweet older fellow," Barrientos said. "And it is such a remarkable story." (file photo of Morris Chain)

 * ... RIVERA: Now that KBAK TV and longtime anchor Kurt Rivera have parted ways, speculation is turning to who will move into his chair as nightly anchor of Eyewitness News. One possibility:  Erin Briscoe who just joined the KBAK morning team after leaving KERO TV. Her tenure in the market and name recognition would seem to make her a logical candidate. Like most companies when it comes to personnel issues, KBAK declined to comment on exactly why Rivera left, but insiders saw this coming when his biography and picture were taken down from the KBAK website and his company Facebook page disappeared. Last month Rivera was arrested after a domestic disturbance involving the 50-year-old anchor and his 36-year-old girl friend, Mindy Morrow. Although the district attorney's office declined to prosecute, Rivera's career at the station is over.

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "I’m glad I don’t have to hunt for my food, I don’t even know where sandwiches live."

 * ... MORE TWITTER: "Classic. Wells Fargo (allegedly) sends an email ALERTING me someone tried to hack my account. Then puts me on hold 45 minutes. Great 'ALERT.'"

* ... CRIME: Stephen A. Montgomery answered my call about crime with this missive: "The answer to your question as to is there more crime or are we just hearing about it more may be directly above in Lois’ column as she considers the downgrading of the fines for those few citations issued for illegal fireworks. Our system is simply doesn’t do enough to make bad actors feel the pain hence more crime. Far too often the pain is left for the victims to deal with."

 * ... BURGLARIES: And speaking of crime, a friend who lives downtown told me about her own home being burglarized at 10 in the morning. "A few minutes before I left the house a young man was knocking on my door for a long time. I finally answered through the door and he said he had the wrong house. As I was leaving I saw him with another man. They saw me drive off and when I returned an hour later, they had used a rock to smash through a window and get into the house."

 * ... MCMURTRY: James McMurtry is an award-winning singer and song writer who will be a headline at the Oct. 10 99 Music Festival out at Cal State Bakersfield. He has produced a dozen albums and is a regular on the Americana music scene out of Austin. His father is Larry McMurtry, a Pulitzer Prize winning author of the mega hit Lonesome Dove.

Are we seeing more crime or are we just hearing about it more? And the head of a local non-profit tangles with Californian columnist Lois Henry over fireworks

* ... CRIME: I don't know why I torture myself, but occasionally I check the "Bakersfield Thieves" Facebook page to check on all the crime around our town. Here's a sampling of one day's activity: A car is broken into in front of the Body Xchange in the northeast, two women are robbed near Pin Oak Park in the southwest, and a resident comes home to find a burglar breaking into her garage in the area of Hageman and Old Farm roads. My question: is there more crime these days or are we just hearing about it more?

* ... BARC: A nasty little dispute erupted this week between Jim Baldwin, president of the Bakersfield Association of Retarded Citizens (BARC), and Lois Henry after Baldwin accused the columnist of being a "liar." It all started when Henry asked Baldwin a simple question about how much money BARC makes selling fireworks and what they use it for.  (Baldwin opposes a ban on fireworks while Lois supports it) That seems a straight forward enough question for a high profile non profit that routinely seeks donations and grants from local companies and individuals. But apparently it struck Baldwin the wrong way, and he "went ballistic" while accusing Henry of not supporting his non profit. "Frankly, I was unprepared for the extreme vitriol Baldwin spewed at me," she said. "He flat out called me a liar and untrustworthy... and he was just getting started. He refused to tell me anything about BARC's fireworks sales or how the organization spends that money." Baldwin also told Lois he would no longer take her calls, never a wise move by someone of Baldwin's stature. Note to Jim: no one questions whether BARC serves its clients well, but wouldn't you be better off embracing a little transparency rather than throwing a fit over what seems like a reasonable question? Even Jeff Pickering, the former head of the Kern Community Foundation, threw his support behind Lois with this Twitter feed: "Accountability and transparency on money should be SOP for charities like @BakersfieldARC. Keep asking." Apparently some of BARC's board of directors agree. Nick Azemika, a local attorney who serves on the board, was one of several who called to reassure me that BARC's finances and books are "one hundred percent open" to Lois or anyone who cares to look. "This is a great organization and everything is above board," he told me.

* ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "If your entire car fits within the width of a crosswalk, you need to re-evaluate some of your life's choices."

 * ... MCKENZIE: Congratulations to KERO TV anchor Tim Calahan and his wife Erika, a delightful couple, who are the proud parents of newborn McKenzie Lynn Calahan. McKenzie was born Monday at Mercy Southwest Hospital and came into the world at 7 pounds 13 ounces.

* ... FOODIE: Stopped by Meir Brown's Cafe Med this weekend and didn't leave without enjoying the longtime Mediterranean restaurant's signature house salad, which takes cabbage to a whole other level. I added some blackened salmon and it main a hard to beat entree.

* ... SOLAR: If you think there has been an uptick in calls by telemarketers, you are in good company. Greg Laskowski is being inundated with calls from folks selling solar energy systems. "I received seven calls the other day.  I finally took one to task, telling him that he was the seventh solar telemarketer, and the fifteenth so far for the week. The gentleman informed me that there are over 6,100 registered solar marketing firms. Looks as if I am at the bottom end of an enormous funnel full of unwanted phone calls. Thanks to governors Schwarzenegger and Brown there will be no end to this kind of harassment because of their support for green energy."

The secret to Donald Trump's popularity? Could it be our contempt for Congress and the presidency? And Alex Trebek to appear at the fall Taft energy summit and the Padre Hotel gets some love

  * ... TRUMP: Here's some more wisdom from Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan on the popularity of Donald Trump, and by extension the left leaning Democrat Bernie Sanders. "His rise is not due to his supporters' anger at government," she wrote. "It is a gesture of contempt for government, for the men and women in Congress, the White House, the agencies. It is precisely because people have lost their awe for the presidency that they imagine Mr. Trump as a viable candidate.... They're not nihilists, they're patriots, and don't experience themselves as off on a toot but pragmatic in a way the establishment is not."

 * ... BETTY: The funeral service for Betty Leonor, the 44-year-old artist who died of liver cancer last week, was held in Florida this weekend and I tuned in via the internet to watch the tribute. Leonor was not a product of Bakersfield, but she did her best work here and it was in places like The Metro Galleries downtown where the genius of her work was first shared with the general public. Her paintings, many self portraits, reflected a searing honesty not unlike the lyrics of the late jazz signer Amy Winehouse. Both were masters of their crafts, and both are gone well before their time. (Leonor's self portrait 'She waits' shown below)

 * ... TREBEK: Alex Trebek, the iconic host of the long-running hit TV game show Jeopardy!, will be the emcee of the West Kern Petroleum Summit set for this October at Taft College. This is a smart and witty move by organizers that will certainly add some flair to the petroleum summit, which was a huge hit when in its inaugural session last year. The event is set for Friday, October 16, at the college. Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy will also appear at the summit.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Nothing good has ever come from answering a call from a blocked phone number."

 * ... PADRE: The Padre Hotel earned some nice recognition when it received the esteemed Four­Diamond award from AAA for the first time since its opening in 2010. This prestigious rating reflects a combination of overall quality, range of facilities and level of service. It is awarded to just 5 percent of the 28,000 hotels ranked annually. Four Diamond hotels are recognized as having luxurious accommodations, full­ service amenities and the highest level of hospitality.

 * ... BEST BET: And speaking of eating, the Union Station Deli on 18th Street downtown has changed hands and the new owners are rolling out a lot of delectable menu items. My favorite: a Mediterranean salad featuring black olives, red onion, salami, artichokes, yellow bell peppers and three different types of beans.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy: Veterans continue to die while waiting for treatment from the VA, and this must change

 House Majority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) brings us up to date with this weekly report.

 "On the first day of this Congress, the House passed the Hire More Heroes Act. When our veterans return home, Washington shouldn’t put up any roadblocks when our heroes are finding a job. However, that’s exactly what the Obamacare employer mandate does. So the House unanimously

passed this bill that excludes veterans from Obamacare’s punitive employer mandate threshold if they already have health care through TRICARE or the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). For the sake of our veterans and all the small businesses who want to hire them, I am pleased that today this legislation was signed into law.

 "However, much work remains in changing the culture at the VA. Years after major problems at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) came to light; our veterans still aren’t getting the care they deserve. The VA continues to have a culture of unaccountability, and our veterans are suffering the consequences. To date, only three people have been successfully fired for manipulating wait times at the VA.  Yet dozens of veterans, if not more, have died waiting for care and more continue to wait. This is unacceptable.
 "The problems in the VA aren’t caused by one or two or even three people.  It is caused by a lack of accountability and a system of job security that protects employees even at the expense of the veterans they are supposed to serve. This bill to bring accountability to the VA is not about punishment. This is about putting our veterans, their health, their well-being, their choice, and their care above a job protection for a VA employee who would rather change the numbers and get a promotion than save lives.
 "We owe it to our veterans to send a message that their lives are more important than protecting the jobs of those who failed them.
 "In addition to our work helping our veterans, House passed this week H.R. 427, the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act that reins in the regulatory actions of federal agencies that place more and more burdens on our small businesses and entrepreneurs.
 "The Constitution demands a separation of powers between coequal branches of government. That separation has been blurred under the Obama Administration. The executive branch now acts as the legislator, administrator, and judge of regulations created and enforced by unelected bureaucrats. This is not only an affront to our constitutional order, it also blocks the people from having ultimate authority through their elected representatives over the laws that govern them and affect their lives. That means more costs get added on to workers, businesses, and communities across this country without them having any say.
 "With this bill, Congress is reasserting its role as the sole legislator and making government more accountable to the people. Unelected bureaucrats shouldn’t have unchecked power, especially if a regulation is going to significantly affect our economy.

A major university issues a "bias free" language guide that says the use of the word "American" can be offensive ... really? And artist Betty Leonor dies after battling liver cancer

    * ... LANGUAGE: Here's another sign of the times we live in: a "Bias Free Language Guide" has been put together by faculty and staff at The University of New Hampshire. The guide recommends, among other things, that we drop the reference to being Americans" because that could be offensive.

Seriously. Said the guide: “North Americans often use ‘American’ which usually, depending on the context, fails to recognize South America. American assumes the U.S. is the only country inside these two continents.” Instead, the guide recommends terms such as “U.S. citizen,” “resident of the U.S.” and “North American or South American” as “preferred.” Some other recommendations in the guide:
    Problematic: Opposite sex. Preferred: Other sex.
    Problematic: Homosexual. Preferred: Gay, Lesbian, Same Gender Loving
    Problematic: Normal … healthy or whole. Preferred: Non-disabled.
    Problematic/Outdated: Mothering, fathering. Preferred: Parenting, nurturing.
    Problematic/Outdated: Obese, overweight people. Preferred: People of size.

 * ... LEONOR: Our community lost a shining light this week when local artist Betty Leonor died after a long battle with liver cancer. Betty was know for her stunning self portraits in oil which were exhibited several times locally at The Metro Galleries. While battling cancer she returned twice to her beloved Dominican Republic where she established a foundation to help impoverished youth. Her husband is former CSUB baseball coach Bill Kernen.

 * ... PASSING: I was also told that Pat Patterson, the very first freshman class president at East High School in 1938, passed away this week. She was also a long-time teacher and counselor at Bakersfield High.

* ... MUSIC: A big Americana music festival is coming to the CSUB amphitheater in October, and this weekend country radio station KUZZ 107.9 is giving listeners a chance to score tickets before they go on sale. Sets of tickets to the 99 Music Festival will be given away this weekend only on KUZZ. The music festival, featuring Ray Wylie Hubbard, James McMurtry, Sam Outlaw, Monty Byrom and others, is a tribute to the unique sound that has been called "Americana" music. Tickets are going for $40 and can be purchased beginning next Friday at www.99musicfest.com.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER:" I feel like there’s something missing in my life and I don’t know if it’s a person, a puppy, or just a burrito."

 * ... BASEBALL: Congratulations to a local Bakersfield baseball team that has earned a berth in the World Series in Klamath Falls, Oregon. The Northwest baseball 18U won the Pacific Southwest Regional (California, Arizona, Utah, Nevada and Colorado) and will leave next Thursday for the World Series. The team is comprised of players from 10 different Kern County schools and is a true representation of Bakersfield at its best.

  * ... TREES: The Bakersfield City School District dropped me a note regarding a reader who complaining about trees being cut down at Munsey Elementary School. Said Steve McClain from the business office: "We would like to share with your readers that Munsey Elementary School’s tree removal was part of the district’s school safety improvement plan which includes the extraction of deteriorated trees. In place of the damaged trees, we are planting three new Chinese Pistache trees that will grow alongside two recently planted Oak trees. Over time, these trees will provide shade for the student bus loading area and the hard court play areas for primary grade students. Thank you for the opportunity to respond to this public concern as we strive to improve our schools for children.

The long slump in the energy sector continues with more layoffs, more on that nasty run of car break ins about town and a Zippo lighter tells a soldier's story about Vietnam

 * ... ENERGY: It looks like the long slump in the energy sector is not about to end anytime soon. The big oil service companies like Halliburton and Baker Hughes (they plan to merge) are signaling

yet more layoffs as the price slump continues. Energy prices are down 20 percent over the past six weeks, thanks to expectations that new Iranian oil make flood the market. Said The Wall Street Journal: "Oilfield service providers have announced job cuts deeper than initially declared and warned of more layoffs to come. Halliburton Co. and Baker Hughes Inc.... disclosed last week that they cut 27,000 jobs between them, double the 13,500 announced in February. ConocoPhillips has already cut nearly 1,500 jobs so far this year but is planning more layoffs this fall that could number into the thousands... The impact of low oil prices isn’t limited to U.S. energy companies. Firms world-wide have shelved $200 billion of new-project spending, the Financial Times reports."

* ... CRIME: A resident in the Northwest awoke to find the windows smashed in on his daughter's car parked in front of the house. When the repair people came out to replace the window, they said this is happening a dozen times a night across town.

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Might wake up early and go running but I also might win the lottery. The odds are about the same."

 * ... VIETNAM: Making the rounds on Facebook the other day was a picture of an old Zippo lighter inscribed with this bit of wisdom: "NAM 71-72: We the unwilling, led by the unqualified to kill the unfortunate die for the ungrateful."

 * ... SCAMS: I have mentioned this scam before, but it is worthy of a reminder. This from Judy Hanson: "My elderly parents live in central California. Someone called their home phone saying they were from Microsoft. They said that my parent’s computer was messing up a lot of other people’s computers. Microsoft needed to fix it. They convinced her to give them numbers off of her computer. They also tried to convince her to give them her credit card to charge her $150 to fix the problem. They didn’t get her credit card, but they did remotely wipe her computer and my parents had no back-up. They lost everything, address book,  photos, everything."

 * ... GRANTS: The Bakersfield (family) Foundation is now accepting letters of inquiries for its fall grant cycle. The foundation will award three grant amounts: one at $100,000, a second at $50,000 and a third at $25,000. All applications are due on Friday, August 28. There is no particular theme for this grant cycle, though the foundation is primarily interested in capital projects as opposed to funding operating expenses. The winners will be announced in November. For information go to the www.bakersfieldcalifornianfoundation.org.

 * .. DUTCH FRONTIER: I was stunned by the number of messages I received after writing about the Dutch Frontier restaurant in Ducor. It seems almost everyone from Bakersfield has visited it, and folks universally rave about its local ownership. I am told there are still some tables open for Thursday, August 6, when The Mark restaurant pays tribute to the Dutch Frontier by recreating its menu.

Remember the Dutch Frontier restaurant in Ducor? Local restaurateur Lee Marek will have a tribute to the Dutch Frontier on August 6 at his downtown eatery The Mark

 * ... DUTCH: The Dutch Frontier restaurant in Ducor has always had a big Bakersfield following, and by some measures offers some of the best steaks and customer service around. One of its biggest fans in Lee Marek, one of the owners of The Mark restaurant on 19th Street. In honor of the Dutch

Frontier, The Mark will be recreating the Dutch Frontier's menus for one special night on Thursday, August 6. Said Marek: "I really wanted to spark everyone's great memories of their visit to Dutch Frontier and hopefully convince them to drive to Ducor again. After much conversation and initial reluctance, his family agreed. They will bring their menu, their meats, their French onion soup, their lemon drops, etc. to The Mark on August 6."

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Why do I wake up tired and go to bed wide awake?"

 * ... OVERHEARD: A woman is telling a friend: "Oak Street between San Emidio and California Avenue is the new Union Avenue. I live there and it has everything: drugs, prostitution, gangs. It's a mess."

 * ... GOOD FORM: Pat Mahan sent a shoutout to the city of Bakersfield's mobile app that allows folks to report potholes and other problems. "I sent in a request regarding horrendous potholes at the intersection of Tulare Street and California Avenue. Within seven days the potholes cease to exist. My car thanks you."

 * ... DATA: Research data tells a lot about our community and how we spend our leisure time and money. Here's a tidbit that may (or may not) surprise you: only 6.4 percent of Kern County adults report going to a symphony concert in the last year, while more than 60 percent regularly go to the movies.

 * ... ADVICE: Sal Cruz of Delano has some free advice for all you young people who travel in the passenger side of a car with your bare feet on the console. "I see it all the time and it's dangerous," he said. "If something happens your feel fly through the windshield. Now that the weather is warmer I see it all the time traveling to Bakersfield."

 * ... BIKE SAFETY: Warren Rooney is an avid bike rider, and he has ridden the trails about town literally hundreds of times. But this weekend, we crashed while headed out to Enos Lane on the bike path, and he credits his helmet with saving his life. "I went over the top of the handlebars landing on my head and face. One eye was swollen shut and the other was full of dirt so I was almost blind. Thankfully, several cyclists stopped within a few minutes, the first on the scene called 911, others called my wife, gathered my belongings and my bike and gave me both assistance and emotional support. I am very thankful for everything these very caring fellow cyclists did. Additionally, I wanted to stress the importance of wearing a bicycle helmet every single time that you get on your bike. This was the 'safest' part of my ride. It is a flat, wide bike path that I have ridden well over 100 times and I was going less than 15 miles per hour. It couldn't have been much safer yet, in a split second, I was on the ground with a shattered helmet. I think that helmet saved me from a cracked skull, a broken neck and possibly saved my life. Please wear a bicycle helmet no matter how fast or slow that you ride. I am recovering from a black eye, a very sore neck, many abrasions, and a whole lot of swelling. But, thanks to the helmet, I was treated at the hospital and released later that day with no broken bones or serious injury."