One woman's account of the meltdown at Meadows Field and a personal testimonial to Five Guys Burger and Fries

 * ... MEADOWS FIELD: One of the passengers who nearly missed her flight at Meadows Field when the TSA baggage screening machine broke wrote with her version of that nightmare. Judy Lopez said it happened last Tuesday, May 31, as she tried to board the 6:20 a.m. flight to Phoenix aboard US Airways. She had high praise for the airline, which delayed the flight to try to wait on as many passengers as possible, but not for the TSA or airport management. "I was approximately 25th in the security line" an hour before her flight was scheduled to leave," she said. "After a half hour, I was still about 20th in line because the TSA agents were bringing people from the back of the line to the front. This included all passengers with special needs and there was no effort whatsoever to have a dedicated line for them, nor was there a dedicated line for those who had checked passage." She later learned it was the second day the machine had been down, and she wondered why airport director Jack Gotcher was not informed about it, and didn't move quicker to resolve the problem. "His comment that 'this is a TSA issue' is rather hollow." Some 30 people were left stranded at the Bill Thomas Terminal when the flight took off without them. These included passengers who arrived more than an hour early but failed to make it through security.

 * ... FIVE GUYS: My recent post that Five Guys Burger and Fries may be coming to Bakersfield triggered some mail from some rabid fans. Said Charlie Powell: "Richard, my wife and I got back Sunday after a two week trip to Virginia. While in Williamsburg we went to a Five Guys Burger place, after seeing a story about them on TV. We were more than impressed. We've always been In-N-Out fans, but Five Guys wins, hands down. The burgers reminded us of the homemade, grilled burgers from our youth. And, the fries are totally unique. The employees were very gregarious, and challenged us to compare them to In-N-Out. Clearly, Five Guys has a great business model, including employee devotion and loyalty. Bring it on!"

 * ... BAKO SUMMER: It was Wednesday afternoon when I got the first taste that our long spring was about to end. I was downtown and could almost taste the heat as I inhaled, a sure signal that the breezy porch days of spring are giving way to a Bakersfield summer. Valley heat has its own unique taste and smell, so different than other areas I have lived, and aside from the punishment I'll suffer from the utility's SmartMeter, I enjoy the long days of summer. Bring it on.

* ... DID YOU KNOW? Did you know that in 1950 an architect named Wilson Call built the Oildale Post Office on a lot he had purchased from Justes Sheen for $3,500? Around the same time Call's uncle, Ralph Trout, sold his Twin Pepper's Beer Bar which was later demolished. Trout then purchased a lot across the street and Call designed and built the building that houses Trout's bar at Chester Avenue and Lincoln Avenue. At one time Trout owned the famous Black Board bar, the Highland Bar and Trout's. Thanks to retired architect Wilson Call, now 95, who submitted this bit of history.

  

 * ... MAYFAIR MARKET: Longtime contributor Don Kurtz responded to an earlier post about the old Mayfair Market in Oildale.  "My father, Frank Kurtz, was the manager for many years. I won't say it was the center of Oildale but close. Almost all of the employee's resided in Oildale. The ice cream parlor was owned by Jim Harris and his family. They produced just about everything you needed for a party from ice cream to punch.  I was 14 at the time and remember they had the cutest daughter!  In the Mayfair there was also a lunch counter were everyone hung around. I  remember the ranchers coming down from Woody and adjoining areas for their weekly load of groceries. Had my first real job setting up and selling Christmas tress in the parking lot. Was only 15 and it took me months to get the sap off of my hands!  At that time anything you needed could be purchased in Oildale."

 * ... HISTORY DAY: Fruitvale Junior High School has a long and distinguished tradition of achievement in the History Day competition, and they are at it once again.Writes Dan Jenson: "I thought you might be interested to learn that six students from Fruitvale won California State History Day championships and are leaving this weekend to participate in the National History Day contest at the University of Maryland. Our friends' son, Christopher Trickey, will be competing in the individual documentary category, while Julie Marie Castro, Morgan Kaess, MaKay Moss, Grace Yaesel Park and Brooke Richter will be competing in the group performance category. In addition, two other children from the district, Jessica Jensen, (my daughter) and Cassidy Porter, both from Endeavour Elementary School, won state championships but won't be competing as the elementary division is not eligible for nationals. The Fruitvale district has been extremely successful in this competition over the years, and it's no accident. With coaches like Mrs. Rowena Moore at Endeavour, the kids do things most of us could never even dream about. I mean, what do you say when President Carter's chief-of-staff calls your house and asks to speak to your ten-year-old daughter? It's absolutely amazing!" Hats off to these high achieving kids.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: You know you're from Bakersfield "if you ever snuck friends into the Crest Drive-in in the trunk of your car."

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Is now the time to purchase real estate? And Five Guys Burger and Fries may be headed to Bakersfield

 * ... TIME TO BUY? Is now the right time to buy a new home? The Wall Street Journal argues it may be, despite the fact that prices continue to decline and the nation may be facing a "double dip" in the housing market. Why? Interest rates are at historic lows, a glut of homes has created a classic "buyer's market" and prices may begin to rise sooner than we think. "While we might not see rapid growth in the next couple of years, there are a tremendous number of positive signs that could lead to a rebound," said Anthony Sanders, a real estate finance professor at George Mason University. "So what might the next five years look like?" the story added. "Once the foreclosure mess begins to clear up... the traditional drivers of the housing market - demographics, affordability, loan availability, employment and psychology- should take over."

 * ... EINSTEIN:  Bakersfield Memorial Hospital will hold a ground breaking for the Einstein Front Entrance Pavilion Thursday, honoring Dr. Hans E. Einstein. Memorial is undergoing a growth surge and this latest addition is a well deserved honor for Dr. Einstein, who has been one of the nation's leading experts in looking for a cure for Valley Fever. Construction will include a new exterior, an interior hospital entrance with canopied areas for patients and visitors, enlarged and enhanced lobby area and improved parking and circular drive for patient drop off. The ground breaking will be held at 5 p.m.

 * ... THE BUZZ: Word on the street is that a Five Guys Burger and Fries restaurant may soon be headed to Bakersfield. This Virginia-based company is big in the South and apparently a franchisee has purchased the rights to open a Five Guys both in Los Angeles and Kern counties. Five Guys is strikingly similar to In-N-Out Burger but usually does not have drive through service.

 * .... NEW PRINCIPAL: It looks like M.T. Merickel, principal at Seibert Elementary, will be moving to Stockdale Elementary School to replace longtime principal Ron Madding. Madding is retiring from the Panama-Buena Vista School District this year after serving for years as principal at Stockdale. (photo of M.T. Merickel courtesy of Panama-Buena Vista School District)

* ... EPILEPSY: There are a lot of deserving charities in our community, all competing for our attention, and one that needs our help in the Kern County Epilepsy Society. It is holding its annual Mud Volleyball tournament in Stramler Park on Saturday, June 25. The cost is $350 for a team of six to ten people. "Like our city, our organization has seen its ups and downs, but the participation of the community in our yearly event has always allowed us to raise enough funds to continue to provide services to those affected by brain injuries and epilepsy," said Julie Gragg. If interested, call (661) 634-9810 to sign up.


 * ... SPOTTED: Young couple with three children and two dogs, parked off Panorama Drive adjacent to the walking park, casually toss their Taco Bell wrappers and empty soda cups in the gutter while getting into their SUV.
 

* ... WHO KNEW? In 1973, Bakersfield had its own comic book in the tradition of the underground comics coming out of the Bay Area. Titled "Bakersfield Kountry Komics," the comic book was written and illustrated by Larry Welz and Larry Sutherland, who was from Bakersfield. The adult themed magazine is now considered a collector's item .

A Bako weekend full of events and Doug and Adele Davis get some well deserved recognition

 * .... WEEKEND: It was a big weekend for events of all kinds, starting with the First Friday celebration downtown to a big cycling road race that drew more than a 100 riders from across Southern California. The First Friday event in the arts district was held under perfect conditions and the streets were packed. It was encouraging to see so many businesses doing well as folks mingled in the streets and took in the art galleries. Out at the Golden Empire Classic road race championships, there were several nasty crashes and at least one rider suffered a broken ankle when he failed to negotiate a turn going over Round Mountain. But the conditions were ideal and riders seemed to love the challenge of the 32-mile loop over Round  Mountain. Among the local riders participating in the race were Tyler Williams, Mike Marotta, Mike Noel, Gareth Feldstein, Tom Morgan, Glenn Hammett, Matt Clark, Mike Hutson, Brian Monroe, Sam Ames, Greg Walker, Matt Thompson David Rous, Zane Adamo and Mike Perry, and many others.

 * ... PRESIDENT'S AWARD: So nice to hear that CSUB music professor Doug Davis and his wife, Adele, received the President's Award on the 25th anniversary of the Bakersfield Jazz Festival. This is a wonderful event that would not be possible without the efforts of Doug and Adele. But what some folks don't know is that the jazz festival has also raised more than $500,000 for scholarships for deserving CSUB students. The festival is a wonderful thing, but these scholarships add a new dimension to the annual event out at the CSUB  campus. 

 * .... SPOTTED: Christine Thornburgh, a partner in the firm of  Brown Armstrong, Accountancy Corp.,  was seen at at the outdoor Prairie Fire lounge at The Padre Hotel with an entourage of friends celebrating her 40th birthday. Accompanying  Thornburg in her limo were fellow Brown Armstrong employees Connie Perez, Ariadne Cimental and Diane White. Anker Fanoe, regional president of the local Rabobank office, joined in the celebration at the outdoor bar.

 * .... CUSTOMER SERVICE: Hats off the Hoggz Surf Shop over at the Town and Country Center at the corner of Gosford Road and Stockdale Highway. I was there looking for board shorts and experienced a brand of customer service I had not seen in a very long time. You can credit that to owner Chad Hoggard who has created a culture where customer satisfaction is the standard.

 * ... MEMORY: Reader Pam Martinez wrote to say she remembers an old ice cream shop "next to the Mayfair Market on North Chester. My mom worked at Mayfair, next to Standard School. It was a real treat to get ice cream there. Also remember a tiny burger stand on Ferguson, had the best fries. Thanks for the memories."

 * ... WHO KNEW? Two brothers in Cincinnati, Ohio, are planning to open a restaurant called “Bakersfield.” The restaurant pays homage to the Bakersfield Sound and the genre’s “rebel, outlaw” feel. They’ll serve tacos burritos and other Mexican-inspired dishes.

McCarthy: no to raising the debt ceiling until President Obama agrees to significant spending cuts

  House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy looks at the week on Capitol Hill. In his words:

 " It was great to be in Bakersfield on Monday to spend Memorial Day with my family and those who have served from our community. I was honored to participate in events at both Union and Hillcrest Cemeteries to
thank the brave men and women who have sacrificed so much for our freedoms. The Memorial Day Weekend also marked the first wildfire of the season in our area. As always, our firefighters did a great job
and acted quickly to contain this fire.

  "I arrived back in Washington on Tuesday where I went straight to the House floor to vote ‘no’ on raising the debt limit without accompanying spending cuts and budget reforms. I made it clear from the beginning of this debate that not one House Republican would vote for an increase in our debt limit without spending cuts and budget reforms, and Tuesday’s vote proved that we’re serious about getting Washington’s fiscal house in order.
 "Our nation is over $14 trillion in debt and borrows 40 cents out of every dollar. This is unsustainable and threatens America’s economic vitality and credibility. Any increase in the debt limit must be accompanied by substantial spending cuts and budget reforms that start the process of getting our borrowing addiction under control.
  "This was reiterated to the President on Wednesday when I was joined by the rest of the Republican Conference for a meeting at the White House. I urged the President to present a credible deficit-reduction plan. I left the meeting cautiously optimistic, and with the President’s assurance that he was committed to discussing real spending cuts and recognized the need to reform our critical health and retirement security programs. I am hopeful this isn’t just Washington political speak, and that we really will be able to work with the President and our colleagues across the aisle to implement solutions that will create jobs, pay down our debt and put our budget on the path to balance.

  "On Thursday, the Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on the San Joaquin Valley Water Reliability Act, legislation I introduced with Reps. Nunes and Denham earlier this month to get water running in our
communities and get people back to work. I had the honor of introducing Jim Beck, General Manager of the Kern County Water Agency, who was testifying in support of this bill that is critical to our local economies. I will continue to work to move it forward.

  "Several families from Bakersfield were in Washington this week. I was pleased to see the Georgino, Pisano and Etcheverry families and Donice Boylan. I also want to send my congratulations out to all our students
who have graduated in May and that will be graduating this month. These graduates are the key to the future of our community and nation, and I wish them the best of luck. The teachers and parents who have
supported these young people are also deserving of our gratitude, and I want to thank them for their commitment.

First Friday is alive and well in downtown Bakersfield and some perspective on the local housing market

  * ... HOUSING: Local appraiser Gary Crabtree, arguably the foremost authority on the Kern County housing market, added some perspective to news that the nation's housing market has hit the dreaded  double dip. "Let's not hammer another nail in the Bakersfield market coffin just yet. My independent research for the first quarter of 2011, indicates that the Bakersfield market is still 2.7% above falling into the 'double dip' category. My preliminary numbers for May indicate the median price rose last month to $131,750 or an increase of 4.6% over March. Sales volume has remained stable at around 550 units per month and foreclosures have remained stable at an average of 400 units per month over the last year. Well conditioned 'short sales' are receiving multiple offers  What is driving the Bakersfield market? Investors - they account for 1 of every 3 sales in Bakersfield in the past year."

  * ... FIRST FRIDAY: It's time for another First Friday downtown, and yes First Friday is alive and well. There seems to be some confusion about that since the advent of Third Thursday, a new event which replaces the old Chester Avenue Street fairs sponsored by the Downtown Business Association. These are two distinctly different venues serving different audiences. First Friday is more high brow, focusing on the arts district, art galleries and downtown businesses and restaurants and is the brainchild of Metro Galleries owner Don Martin. Third Thursday seems to be an extension of the old street fair idea with kettle corn and other street vendors hawking their wares, though it has moved to the more attractive Mill Creek Park. Different experiences, but both deserving of our support.

 * ... METRO EXHIBIT: And speaking of First Friday, Metro Galleries will feature an all-women art show that will benefit the Women's and Girls' Fund, part of the Kern Community Foundation. The show is called "Chronicles" and features the art of Chris McKee, Claire Putney, Barbara Reid and Marlene Tatsuno. Also on display will be new works by artist Heidi Rufeh. A portion of the opening night sales will be donated to the Women's and Girls' Fund. Metro Galleries is located on 19th Street but make sure you visit the other galleries, businesses and restaurants in the downtown area.

 * ... TUITION: The annual cost of tuition, room and board and a private, four-year college has not soared to $37,000 and tops $50,000 at some elite schools. For public schools, the average annual tuition is $16,000. The University of California system's tuition is set at $11,000 and change but could rise dramatically if the state budget is not brought under control.

 * ... CSUB SPORTS: Did you hear that three CSUB sports teams (men's basketball, women's water polo and golf) were among eight NCAA Division 1 sports programs in California that have been warned by the NCAA for poor academic performance? Not surprisingly, a supporter of the embattled wrestling program wrote to point out that three of the ten starters on the CSUB wrestling team are on the national All Academic Team: David Morgan, Elijah Nacita and Tyler Iwamura.

 * ... FOUNDATION: The Bakersfield Californian Foundation, a private family foundation run outside the auspices of the newspaper company, recently handed out almost $62,000 in grants. This round of grants focused on the Tehachapi area and included groups such at the Rotary Club of Tehachapi, the Tehachapi Community Orchestra, the Tehachapi Community Theater Association and the Tehachapi Mountain Foundation.

 * ... OVERHEARD: A downtown resident is heard telling a friend that he has taken to mowing the lawn of the abandoned house across the street because he fears its dismal state will hurt his chances of selling his own home.

Broken TSA screening machine leaves dozens stranded at Meadows Field

 * ... AIRPORT NIGHTMARE: It was a nightmare at Meadows Field Tuesday morning when some 30 passengers were stranded when their Phoenix-bound US Airways flight left without them. What happened? It seems the TSA X-ray baggage screening machine broke on Monday, forcing every piece of luggage to be hand checked. Passengers who showed up over an hour early  for the 6:20 a.m. Phoenix flight didn't make it through the screening in time and the plane left without them. There was no warning of this on the Meadows Field website and no email alert from the airline, leading one passenger to moan, "Another reason not to fly out of Bakersfield." Meadows Field director Jack Gotcher told me the machine was fixed by midday Tuesday and he had no idea why two days passed without it being repaired. "This is a TSA issue," he said, noting that four flights leave within an hour of each other in the morning to Phoenix, Denver, Los Angeles and San Francisco and there is little room for error.

 * ... DOUBLE DIP: It looks like the dreaded "double dip" in housing is now official. Prices continue to fall as tens of thousands of foreclosed properties queue up to move through depressed markets across the country. One expert told CNBC that "our fingers are crossed" that housing may begin to recover in late 2012. Meanwhile, The New York Times reported that the percentage of Americans owning homes has sunk to 1998 levels and will drop further because of general disenchantment with the market.


 * ... KERN RIVER: Spent Memorial Day paddle boarding on the Kern River, starting at Beach Park and ending up 6.5 miles downstream at the Park at River Walk. Friend and columnist Herb Benham promised a stress relieving bit of exercise mixed with pure unmitigated fun, and he didn't disappoint. Ninety minutes of pure bliss in a bank to bank river that bristled with wildlife, affording a spectacular view of our community thanks to the record snowfalls. The Kern should have water most of the summer, and this particular area is generally shallow and fairly safe.

 * ... IRISH: Amazing how many local kids end up at Notre Dame, and here are two more who just graduated. This from Cindy Gallegos: "I just wanted to let you know that our family just returned from South Bend, Indiana. We were there to see our daughter Chelsi Gallegos (Garces class of 2007) graduate from the University of Notre Dame.  She will be living in Chicago and working for the Aon Corporation. We were also able to visit with the family of Ricky Gonzalez (East High class of 2007). Ricky will be working for General Mills in Minneapolis. We are very proud of both of them. Go Irish."

 * ... HOFFMAN: Hoffman Hospice held a fund raiser last week and got an unexpected boost when dinner with BakersfieldLife's Dining Divas brought in a whopping $3,500. Wendy Porter, director of the  Wounded Hero's Fund, was the top bidder and is anxious to dine with the Divas. The  Divas include Californian columnist Lois Henry, Robin Noble, Kim Jessup,  Sofie Zimmermann and Sofia Ronquillo.  Each month the Dining Divas review a local restaurant about town and apparently it can be a lively group.

 * ... MEA CULPA: I goofed in an earlier post about an upcoming book signing this Saturday at Russo's Books. The local author is Shirley Castro and the book is in the Pelican Family Series. Turns out Shirley does not live at the beach and lives right here in Bakersfield.

 * ... MEMORY: Karen Earl DeWalt wrote to wonder if anyone remembers "Sudds Hardware on North Chester and the Standard Malt Shop on Ferguson next to Standard School?"

Cindy Meek retires at St. Francis Parish School while Art Sherwyn says goodbye to Stockdale High School

 * ... MEEK RETIRES: Cindy Meek, the longtime principal at St. Francis Parish School, has retired after a long and distinguished career. She served as principal for 20 years and has worked with Monsignor Craig Harrison for years. "I started working with him when I was teaching at St. Francis and he was in the seminary.  It has been a great thirty-two years experience all together." Meek will continue to be involved with scholarship, teacher training and assisting her successor, Father Denis Ssekannyo.

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 * ... ART'S FAREWELL: I attended the retirement party for Art Sherwyn, the popular Stockdale High School art teacher who has left a lasting imprint on so many students, colleagues and friends over the years. If the measure of a life can be judged by an event like this, then Art Sherwyn has certainly done something right. Teachers, friends, former students and family members showed up at the Bakersfield Museum of Art to testify to the ability of one person - in this case a teacher - to profoundly influence the direction of one's life. His two children, Liz and Ben, gave moving tributes to their father, as did several former students of Art's when he was at Wasco High School. Sherwyn is best known as an artist, but I know him from his time guiding my younger daughter on the Stockdale girls tennis team. And I will you he was an artist there as well.


 * ... THREE SONS: It's not often that you have three sons in the same family celebrating graduations at the same time, but that's the case with John and Angela Genter. Their son Brock is graduating from CSUB with a degree in biology and a minor in chemistry. He was also named biology student of the year and is working for the Forest Service and studying for the MCATS. Son Aaron is also graduating from CSUB with a degree in business. He works for Lightspeed Systems as a sales force administrator. And finally, son Evan is graduating from Frontier High School with a not too shabby 4.2 GPA. He is headed for the Colorado School of Mines where he will be studying to become a petroleum engineer. Congrats to John, who is chief operating officer at Lightspeed, and wife Angela.

 * ... GOOD NEWS: Reader Shelley Cauzza dropped this nice note: "I meant to write a while back, then forgot, then was re-inspired by today's (Friday's) column  I can't tell you how much I appreciate the good news in your column.  I was very pleased to see your comments about Jacob Frost and University of Colorado.  I was his first grade teacher (and his younger brother's a few years later) and I can tell you he was a great kid back then. I wasn't surprised to see what he had accomplished. He had the heart of a lion back then. But proud to know him, for sure. And his parents deserve a round of applause too. Carol was probably one of the most amazing mothers I have ever met. Here I am 10 or so years later raising my own kids, and I pray I am half as good as she is. So, thank you, I enjoy the good news."

 * ... ENGINEER: And then there is Don McCuan, a 2000 graduate from Wasco High School who will be getting his master's in geology at CSUB. Dan worked  for his father's  window business but was inspired by Bakersfield College geology professor Natalie Burzstyn to pursue a career in petroleum geology. He is finishing his thesis in time to start work as a professional geophysicist at Occidental Petroleum in just a couple of weeks. While in graduate school at CSUB, he worked as a research assistant on a prestigious National Science Foundation grant to the Geology Department.
  
* ... WHO KNEW? Highland, East Bakersfield and South were all high schools attended by members of Bakersfield-grown, Grammy-award winning band, Korn.

McCarthy: Israel deserves our support and Obama's call for a pullback to pre 1967 borders is simply wrong

 House Majority Whip Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) gives us his weekly view from Capitol Hill. In his words:

 "This week, I had the opportunity to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu while he was in Washington addressing a joint session of Congress. Israel is a critical ally and a model of democratic government in an unstable region. Israelis live under a constant threat, and President Obama’s call for the implementation of 1967 borders only puts Israel in an indefensible position, limiting their ability to properly defend their people. We cannot allow for that.

 "Our commitment to our friends around the world isn’t just based on national security, but our economic security as well. There’s no question we need to get people back to work and generate more economic opportunities in our local communities. On Wednesday, I spoke to the Latino Coalition about the need to break down barriers to job creation. One way to do that is to pursue an ‘all of the above’ energy approach that will help increase our domestic energy production and address high gas prices. Earlier this month, I launched the House Energy Action Team to pursue policies to do just that, and this week, we released our ‘Fed Up With Prices At The Pump?’ video to highlight our efforts. In June, I’ll be making my way up to Ridgecrest to discuss with local business owners and community leaders ways in which the action we take in Washington can actually help folks back home.

 "This Memorial Day, I’ll be at home in the district participating in several events over the long weekend to honor our members of the Armed Forces. On Sunday, I’ll be at the Bakersfield National Cemetery at 9 a.m., and on Monday, at Union Cemetery at 9 a.m. and Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery at 11:30 a.m. I urge anyone who wants to join to come out and remember the men and women who have sacrificed so much so we can live in freedom and democracy. While we all enjoy the three-day weekend, let’s also reflect on the meaning of the holiday. The liberty we enjoy every day is directly due to the selfless service of countless men and women who’ve given their time, and too often their lives, to protect and defend our great nation. This Memorial Day has added significance as we recognize the tremendous work of those in our military and intelligence community who brought justice to Osama Bin Laden.

 "Luckily, several constituents came to town this week. I was able to have lunch with Tommy and Barbara Lee and their family, as well as meet with Al and Barbara Sandrini and Cathleen Rutherford. Speaking of our local community, this Friday is the annual Mojave Intermediate Space Challenge. This great event encourages creativity and strengthens local students’ interest in science and technology. In 2009, the House passed a resolution I introduced recognizing this great event and I applaud the innovation of these young people.

 "I will continue to work to protect our nation’s values and promote policies that will help grow our economy and jobs here in Kern County.