A Driller turns 101, more trash on our city streets and be ready for the National Day of Giving coming in two weeks

 * … DRILLER: Richard Diffee dropped me a note to say that Bakersfield High graduate Ross Thornton just celebrated his 101st birthday. "He played for the Drillers in 1931 … and a couple of his teammates were Romain Clerou and Homer Beaty. He also played two years as center for the Renegades. If any of his teammates from 1931 read this, give him a call as he would love to hear from you. "

 * … TRASH: Mary Helen Barro wrote to say she was appalled on reading about the two women who were throwing trash out of their SUV downtown.  "I only wish the witnesses had snapped a photo with their cell phone, or noted their license plate number and turned it over to authorities. Years ago when I lived in Studio City (San Fernando Valley), new tenants moved into our neighborhood, and they trashed the area around their property. There was traffic in and out at all hours. Our Neighborhood Watch group began writing down all the license plates of their visitors.  After a couple of weeks, we held a news conference and announced that we had given all license plate numbers to authorities.  The offending neighbors moved out within a month.  I strongly believe that we need to take similar actions here in Bakersfield, when trashy neighbors and drivers litter our town. By the way, kudos to the lady who threw the dirty diaper back into the car.  These trashy people won't stop until their trash is thrown right back at them, or until they get a hefty fine for littering our streets.  Along with the fine should go 20 hours of community service picking up trash "

* … SPOTTED: While driving west on Highway 58, Scott McArthur sighted "an adult doe (deer) bound across 58 in front of oncoming traffic and wait in the median in order to cross. I thought I was back in Michigan."

 * … GIVING: Make sure you look for the 2013 Charity Giving Guide that will be inserted into The Bakersfield Californian this Sunday. Produced by the Kern Community Foundation, it provides a practical way to research local non profits while offering testimonials on personal giving. And remember that coming up on Tuesday, Dec. 3, is the national "day of giving."

  * … TURKEY:  Independence High School is once again teaming up with Living Grace Church to hold its second annual Turkey Drop on Saturday Nov. 23, at the high school from noon to 2 pm.
Said Chuck Beatty: "Please join us by dropping off a frozen turkey or other non-perishable items.  Last year, we were able to donate 120 complete dinners to the FLOOD Ministries and to needy Independence families. Independence High School is located at 8001 Old River Road. Any questions, please call Kelly Hardin at (661) 834-8001

 * … BAD FORM: Stephen Montgomery called out whoever tagged a sign in front of a community garden in our community. "Amber Beeson and her volunteers have put their hearts and souls into making the 4th and Eye community garden a success so it was with some frustration that I spotted the damage some street mutt did to one of their signs. Makes you want to dope-slap someone. This tag has been successfully removed with slight damage to that garden decal."

Bako Bits: Bob Lerude is honored by watchdog group for saving taxpayer dollars and another incredible story about those who use our community as their personal trash can

 * … KUDOS: Hats off to Bob Lerude, the county Parks and Recreation director who has been honored for saving taxpayers' dollars. The Kern Citizens for Sustainable Government, an advocacy group dedicated to promoting responsible government spending at the local level, will honor Lerude this week for finding ways to save more than $300,000 by contracting out services for three remote parks.

 * … DRILLER: Another Driller success story compliments of Don Bollard: "My wife, Roberta taught Home Economics at BHS for many years. She loved teaching there and is very proud of the school and the students she taught there. Our daughter, Kathleen, graduated from BHS in 1976. Went on to get her BS at Santa Clara, her MS and PhD from Cal and is now the Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Colorado. Another Driller success story.

 * … OVERHEARD: A young man is asked he he did that day. His response: "We bought a carton of cigarettes for a guy who just had a stroke."

 * … LITTER: And just when you think things can't get much worse, they do. De Rhodes was driving downtown last week when she spotted two women in a large SUV casually tossing trash out their car windows.  "These women threw out of  all of their Sonic trash onto K Street as they left the Sonic parking lot.  As though that weren't enough, they continued to throw out even more accumulated garbage from their vehicle onto L Street (right in front of KGET), as they waited for a green light at 21st Street.  Then, not once, twice, or even three times, they did it four times as the proceeded south on L Street, not missing one business in their path.  Even Sequoia Sandwich Shop (which keeps their property soooo clean) got sacks full deposited near  their front door.  I can't say they even stopped pitching trash  because I turned east onto 18th Street. Just once, I was able to pull along side their Explorer long enough to  thank them for throwing out their garbage all over town.  As you have no doubt assumed their car windows were rolled down affording them the "quick pitch,' so they listened just long enough to thank me muttered with a whole lot of expletives, obscene gestures and something about "whoopin my ___".  (photo by De Rhodes)

 * … CY'S: A question about who remembers the old Cy's Coffee Shop downtown drew this response from Sandy Oliver. "Donna Semar (posed a) question why her husband referred to Cy's as Robin Hood's. I believe is because the restaurant that replaced it was called The Robin Hood. My brother in law, Al Goetschalckx, owned the restaurant   He and Cy May were very good friends, and Al leased the building and bought all the fixtures from Cy. The Robin Hood burned down I believe in the early 1960s.  Cy May then moved to the location on Union Avenue.

 * … MORE CY'S: And then there was this from reader Paula Rodenburg: "My mother, Eve Pocorena, was a waitress at the Cy's Coffee Shop on 18th and Union from the early 1950s until 1960 when she and my dad Larry had saved enough money to pay off their mortgage and she could quit her job. She took her last weekly paycheck of $35 before tips and bought me a Pekingese puppy which I named Puppins, my first dog. Her boss was Cy May and she got a real kick out of working for him… At that time the old Route 99 was the only way in and out of Los Angeles from the north so she served quite a few famous celebrities including John Carradine, father of Keith and his siblings. She remembered John coming in with five children and always talked about how well behaved the children were. When my sister, now Patti Sergent, went to nursing school in Los Angeles my mom and dad made her come home on weekends to hostess at Cy's - Mr. May was kind enough to give her a job. It was Patti's first time away from home and they were trying to keep her out of trouble.  Didn't work!"

'

McCarthy: Today Americans are losing their health care insurance, and tomorrow we might lose access to doctors because of Obamacare

 Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the Bakersfield Republican and House Majority Whip, gives us his weekly view from Capitol Hill. In his own words:

 "After the President broke his promise to the American people that they could keep their health insurance under his law, we’re seeing that is simply not the case around the country. More and more

constituents are coming forward upset that the health care plans they have had are now ending. In California, it is now expected that about 1 million Californians will lose their existing health insurance by the end of this year.


 "What is most frustrating to me is simply this: all of this was predictable and avoidable. Similarly, it is this frustration that guided our legislative principles last month when House Republicans proposed something very simple: suspend Obamacare’s individual mandate for just one year. Unfortunately, this Administration chose politics over policy.


 "But now - in a reversal from just one month ago - Democrats are calling for suspending the individual mandate itself or the mandate’s tax penalty. In keeping with our commitment to the American people, today, the House acted once again to counter the disastrous effects of this law by passing H.R. 3350, the Keep Your Health Plan Act.  Very simply, this bill allows providers to continue to offer health insurance plans in 2014 that don’t meet the oppressive standards of Obamacare.  Additionally, our bill allows those without health insurance to qualify for these same insurance plans without being forced to shop for plans they don’t want on some faulty government website.


 "Today, it is fact that Americans cannot keep their coverage.  Tomorrow it will be the staggering and unexpected costs.  Next month, Americans will find that they might lose access to their doctors, and the list will go on.  No administrative fix will solve these underlying fundamental issues that make Obamacare unworkable. I call upon the President today to join us to undo this mess and look at real health care solutions.

Rotary Club of Bakersfield sends team to Nicaragua to in honor of the late Wendy Wayne, and more dirty diapers on our streets

 * … ROTARY: Kudos to the twelve people representing the Rotary Club of Bakersfield who just returned from a week in Camoapa (central), Nicaragua, to work on a water project in honor of Wendy Wayne.  Nine Rotarians, two spouses and Cindy Chernow, Wendy's sister, worked community to build a "lavender," a wash and bathing station next to a newly installed well. This project will have a tremendous impact on the village of Las Pencas, which previously obtained water and washed its clothes in the same river – a river that would often run dry during Nicaragua's long dry season. The group included Cindy Chernow, Sue Benham, Bob and Patti Burdette, Jim Cordle, Jeff Green, Jeff Johnson, Justin Leland, Dave Plivelich, Steve and DeAnne Sanders and Ray W. Watson.  This is just one more example of the impact the Rotary Club of Bakersfield has in our community and abroad.

* … ONCE A DRILLER: Tom Schroeter sent me a gentle reminder about being a Driller. Said Schroeter: "As the proud father of Ali Schroeter, I want to thank the paper for the article in Thursday's edition recognizing her for breaking a school volleyball record at Rutgers University (Former Driller Sets Record).  However, I would be remiss (and would suffer the slings of all Drillers) if I didn't point out one error in the article. There are no 'former' Drillers. As you have no doubt heard, 'once a Driller, always. . . .'   And so next time there is an article about a 'former' Driller, you might consider something like '2012 Driller Sets Record.'" I stand corrected!

 * … DIAPERS: Can you stand one more story about people tossing dirty diapers on our streets? This from Carole Casteen: "Bakersfield is a great place to live, but some of our residents need basic instruction on civil behavior.  One Saturday morning I went to the Costco on Panama Lane, and arrived early enough to get a parking spot extremely close to the front door.  As I was loading my groceries into my vehicle, I noticed a white bundle smack in the middle of the parking space right next to my car.  I watched as a huge truck roared through the parking lot and chose to drive into the parking space next to my car. Yes, he drove his big truck right over the white diaper bundle, squishing it completely and then drove off.  Fortunately none of the stuff that squirted out of the rolled-up diaper sprayed onto my car, and fortunately I was far enough away and had already loaded my groceries. Note: the rolled-up diaper next to my car could not have been more than 25 steps to a large trash can near the Costco entrance. The Costco manager said that it happens there ALL THE TIME!"

 * … MORE TRASH: And there is this from reader Denney Evans: "I read that a special task force is being assembled to  monitor vehicles heading toward our city dumps. A suggestion. Use this group to monitor high schools. We could balance the budget on the citations. My findings in  Riverlakes confirm that the student favorites are  Bud Light, Camels, McDonalds and Starbucks."

 * … COFFEE SHOP: For all your old timers out there, who remembers Cy's Coffee Shop? This from reader Donna Semar: "You might know a resource where I could find more information about Cy's Coffee Shop that was located on the northwest corner of 18th and Eye Streets.  I'm very interested in images from the interior. My husband referred to it as Robin Hood's and doesn't know why. Perhaps there was a mural of Sherwood Forrest on the walls?  He would visit Cy's with his father in the early 1960s. I do know that there were 3 Cy's - 18th and Eye, 18th and Union (then it was 99), and 24th Street (currently 24th Street Cafe). Any information will certainly enhance our Thanksgiving conversations."

Pots holding shade trees for the downtown arts district are vandalized and The Salvation Army gets a $100,000 grant from The Bakersfield Californian Foundation

* … VANDALISM: It was distressing to awake Saturday and learn that someone took a hammer to one of the beautiful new pots that were installed downtown to beautify the area. The pots, which were

purchased via a grant from The Bakersfield Californian (family) Foundation, were placed throughout the arts district to hold shade trees. The pot that was demolished sat near the Ice Housing framing studio on 19th Street.

 * … GRANTS: And speaking of The Bakersfield Californian (family) Foundation, it awarded a $100,000 grant to the Salvation Army, Tehachapi Service Center to fund the creation of a Community Center that will serve the residents of the Tehachapi area. The Foundation has also offered the Bakersfield Homeless Center Job Development Program a matching grant of $50,00. If the Homeless Center can raise $50,000 within six months, the Foundation will match that amount with its own $50,000.

* … DIAPERS: My earlier blog post on a woman who tossed a dirty diaper into a car via the sun roof after watching a couple leave in on the curb drew applause from more than a dozen readers. This, from Gene Bonas, was typical:  "I just love it when the Esthers of the world seize this type of opportunity and act on it. Great story! If you see Esther in a future meeting, give her a great big hug for me."

* … BAD FORM: Frances Quiroz raises a point about bad form that I just happen to agree with. It happens when parents take their young children into R-rated movies. "There were at least three families with kids that I saw going in to this movie. A movie, that if you looked up it's reviews, has three scenes of nudity, sexual content and sexually suggestive scenes and fondling… Are you kidding me? This is what you want to expose your kids to? As a parent of two minors myself, ages 13 and 16, there are some movies that are PG13 that I won't let my kids watch. Maybe I'm a parent from the dark ages, but I care about what my kids are exposed to. Please tell me that I'm not the only one!"

 * … BAKERSFIELD COLLEGE: Four distinguished alumni of Bakersfield College will be inducted into the alumni association's Hall of Fame this week. On Thursday, the alumni group will hold a dinner to honor Dr. John Alexander, Peter Reyes, Bill Houser and Gerry Collis into the hall of fame. Some tickets are still available by calling (661) 395-4800. Tickets are $35. The event kicks off at 6 p.m. in the Bakersfield College Cafeteria.

  * … GOOD FORM: The folks over at Covenant Coffee on North Chester are sponsoring a Book Drive for Oildale Schools. Said Covenant's Randy Martin: "The goal is for each K-6 grade student from Wingland, Standard, Beardsley and North Beardsley to be given two books each ...we need about 4,000 books! The drive runs through Nov. 17. We are giving a free coffee with the donation of two books!" This is a good cause and, if you haven't been to Covenant's trendy coffee shop on North Chester, here's your chance to check it out.

McCarthy: Veteran's Day is the time to thank those who have served to protect our freedoms

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, House Majority Whip and a Bakersfield Republican, gives us his Veteran's Day views.

 "As Veterans Day approaches, I was honored that South Korean Ambassador Ahn Ho-young graciously accepted my invitation to come to Kern County on Wednesday to honor our veterans,

especially our Korean War veterans who served and sacrificed so that the South Korean people may be able to enjoy the freedoms they have today. Standing in front of the Kern County Korean War Memorial at Jastro Park, Ambassador Ahn presented medals that were made with the old barb wire from the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that was melted down. To see our local veterans honored in such a way is something I will never forget.

 "Since our nation’s founding, America has been blessed with men and women who courageously served in the name of peace and freedom. They sacrificed and demonstrated strength, determination, and bravery. Around the world, our veterans have always been there to defend all of us and we owe them a debt of gratitude.

 "In 1775 on the Old North Bridge in Concord, Massachusetts, an event occurred that would forever change the world. The words of American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson describe it best:  “By the rude bridge that arched the flood, their flag to April’s breeze unfurled, here once the embattled farmers stood, and fired the shot heard around the world.”  He refers to the first shots upon British soldiers by Americans acting under orders.  This small skirmish marked the first organized attack by American troops, the first British retreat, and the beginning of America’s fight for independence.  More significantly, it sent a message to the rest of the world that these American colonies would not live by the rule of a tyrant across an ocean - a belief that molded the identity of the American citizen.

 "On that bridge in Massachusetts 238 years ago stood individuals that were much more than farmers; they were our first servicemen, our first defenders of liberty, and our first veterans.

 "This Veterans Day, we recognize the contributions of all our veterans - some of them having made the ultimate sacrifice to protect and carry the torch of liberty.  In America today, less than one half of one percent of the American population serves in the armed forces.  Nonetheless, there are nearly 23 million veterans in the United States and nearly two million of them live in California.  I am proud to that say our Congressional District is home to one of the highest concentrations of veterans in the state - nearly 55,000 people have answered the highest call to service.

 "Because of our veterans, we live in freedom. And for those who currently serve, they will eventually join this special group that will forever have our gratitude. Let us all take a moment to say thank you for serving our country and making our community proud. I encourage everyone in our community to take part in as many of the Veterans Day activities this weekend and on Monday to honor our veterans.

Home ownership rates slide in the United States post recession, and Elon Musk kicks off the CSUB speaker series in grand style

 * … REAL ESTATE: An interesting statistic came out this week noting that home ownership in the United States is at its lowest level in more than 20 years. The home ownership rate is now sitting at

65.1 percent, down from almost 70 percent in 2004. Experts say this points to the activity of investors buying up property when the market tanked, but apparently investor activity is now leveling off as prices rise. The cash offers from investors also squeeze first time buyers out of the market, and make it more difficult for those who are underwater on their mortgages to refinance.

 * … MUSK: Cal State Bakersfield could not have found a better speaker to kick off its Distinguished Speaker Series than Elon Musk, the South African-born entrepreneur and founder of PayPal who spoke at the Dore Theater Wednesday evening.  Musk, who also founded SpaceX and Tesla Motors electric car company, challenged the audience to think more broadly and was refreshingly honest in his opinions on things like High Speed Rail. (He called it an embarrassment based on 40-year-old technology.) Hats off to CSUB President Horace Mitchell for kicking off an important speaker series that will certainly enrich our community.

* … FOUNDRY: I was sad to learn that one of our downtown art galleries is shutting its doors. Opened in 2010, The Foundry Art Gallery has been a staple of the downtown scene, particularly on First Fridays. Christina and Ty Sweet, the owners, struggled to keep the gallery afloat but eventually were forced to close it. Christina Sweet told me she will go back to painting and will work with Don Martin, who owns The Metro Galleries next door, on an annual Foundry exhibit. (file photo of Christina Sweet)

 * ... DIAPERS: This comes from my friend Esther, a resident of La Cresta. She was walking her dog on the Panorama Bluffs last week when a car pulled up and five young people piled out. "There were two women and one had a baby in a stroller. They put the baby in the stroller and walked off. When I went to cross Panorama, I saw they left a fresh diaper right there on the curb. I was so mad. Then I saw they left their sun roof open so I tossed the diaper inside."

 * … HIGHWAY: Reader Sam Rodriguez poses this question: "I would like to know who is the brains behind eliminating the left turn lane heading east on Highway 178 to turn on to Masterson. Now you have to literally come to a stop on 178 to turn left onto Masterson. Needless to say this is very unsafe.  My daughter takes my grandson to school at St. Francis every morning and she says after dropping him off and coming home she has almost been rear ended twice. Just a very unsafe thing having to stop on a busy highway to make a left turn in front of westbound travelers on 178.

* … GOOD FORM: Hats off to Kerry Ryan and the crew at Action Sports for taking the time to conduct a bike maintenance class to Boy Scout Troop 147. Said Tom Saba, father of one of the Scouts: "This is the second time this past year that he has volunteered his time and resources in this manner. This helps the boys complete their cycling merit badge course."

Younger people are avoiding signing up for the Affordable Care Act, and CSUB gets ready to kick off its men's basketball season

 * … OBAMACARE: Now that the Affordable Care Act is law, it appears its clunky website is only a small part of its many problems. The bigger issue, according to experts, is the reluctance of young people to sign up in the exchanges. Why? Most young people are healthy, broke and just starting out in their

careers, and the idea of paying $200 to $300 a month for a plan they rarely use is asking a lot. The problem: the economics of Obamacare depends on younger people subsidizing older people, and if this doesn't happen, the system will collapse under its own weight. Stay tuned.

 * … CSUB: Keep an eye on the Cal State Bakersfield men's basketball team this year as it competes in the Western Athletic Conference. Coach Rod Barnes is now in his third year and told me his team enters this year healthy and ready to compete for a berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Runners kick off the season with an away game this Friday against the PAC 12's Washington State, followed by their first home game at the Icardo Center on Monday against UC Merced.

 * … ACHIEVER: Bakersfield High principal David Reese shared with me a story of a local Driller who has gone on to make her hometown proud. She is Dr. Katrina B. Mitchell, a 1996 BHS grad who is now a general surgery resident at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa with summa cum laude in history from Bowdoin College. She has now been honored with the Surgical Volunteerism Award for her outreach during residency and her contributions toward improving surgical care and education in Tanzania.

 * … MUSIC: Hats off to a few friends and colleagues of mine who have found a way to bring fresh new music to our town. Four friends - Herb Benham, Rogers Brandon, Harry Starkey and Jeff Pickering - formed a non profit called "Passing Through" to bring new musical acts to town. Over the weekend, upcoming solo artist Patrick Park sang for a crowd of 80 people at the beautifully decorated Metro Galleries. It was an eclectic mix in the audience, everyone from musicians Jim Shaw and Monty Byrom to former congressman Bill Thomas and his wife Sharon to Secure Systems owners Bruce and Molly Bussaca. If you ever get a chance to take in one of these concerts, you should do so. Up next: the band Houston Jones on Sunday, Nov. 17.

 * … FUND RAISER: Don't forget to make reservations for the big fund raiser for Catholic Charities Harvest for Hope set for this Saturday at the old satellite wagering building at the Kern County Fairground. Monsignor Craig Harrison will be there to hold court and the proceeds will go to help the neediest in our community. Doors open at 6 p.m. and tickets are $100 each. Call (661) 281-2130 to reserve your tickets.