Work gets under way on the 24th Street widening, Candi Easter dies and did you know that more than 50 U2 spy planes were made right here in Oildale?

Friday, October 26, 2018

 Welcome to Bakersfield Observed. Our mission is to celebrate life in Kern County by focusing on newsmakers and events and the local characters who make this such a special to live. Send your news tips to rsbeene@yahoo.com.

 * .. 24TH STREET: The widening of 24th Street has been decades in the making, and now after eight lawsuits and years of delays, the final construction phase is now under way. The city held a

ground breaking Thursday morning at the corner of 24th and Oak Street on the empty lot that once was used to sell pumpkins and Christmas trees. Now that houses on the north side of 24th have been razed and a brick sound wall erected, the next step is a sound wall on the south side near Oak and Beech Street, the widening of 24th between the Kern River and Beech and the widening of the northwest portion of Oak Street. It should all be done by spring 2020.

 * ... RIP CANDI: Candi Easter, the longtime head of the Kern County Democratic Party, has died after an extended illness. Easter stepped down from her party post a few years ago and has been in ill health for months. Services are pending.

 * ... U2 SPY PLANES: Did you know that the famous U2 spy plane was assembled right here in Bakersfield? That's right, according to retired Gen. James Whitehead the first 50 U2s were assembled at a secret Lockheed manufacturing facility on Norris Road in Oildale. The U2s were assembled there in 1956 and 1957. The planes were assembled there and flown to Nevada where they were flight tested in the military's super-secret Area 51 airfield.

 * ... DOWNTOWN EATERIES: If you don't live or work downtown, you might be missing a growing culinary trend toward mom and pop family owned restaurants devoted to healthy eating. The Locale Farm to Table across from the downtown Post Office started the trend, and now right down the street are a growing number of eateries: Rig City Coffee Roasting, Better Bowls and the Hen's Roost, home of the best vegan burger in town. Meanwhile, more local restaurants and bakeries are planned for the so-called Eastchester where the Smitten Cafe has enjoyed a gangbuster's business. If you haven't been downtown lately, it is worth your while.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Why are you showing me pictures of your kid if you have a dog?"

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "No matter how nice I ask random people, nobody will take me to Funkytown."

 * ... SPAY NEUTER: Hats off to a group of local pet rescue organizations for a successful day vaccinating more than 300 dogs this past weekend. Dozens of spay neuter vouchers were issued, pet food was provided for those in need and distemper vaccinations were administered at Heritage Park. Volunteers represented a number of organizations, including Bakersfield Boxers and Bullies Rescue, SafeFurr Place Animal Rescue, Cook's Veterinary Hospital, Bakersfield SPCA and the Bakersfield Pet Food Pantry. The event was funded by the Basic Needs Foundation. The next clinic will be held Nov. 11 at the same park.

 * ... MEMORIES: How many of you attended this Fleetwood Mac concert back in the day?

Some random Facebook pictures of our world ... amazing sunsets and nature

 The world is a beautiful place, as witnessed by these pictures I lifted from the posts of some of my friends on Facebook. Enjoy these amazing shots.

Scientists are predicting a strong El Nino year in 2019, the effort to repeal the gas tax seems to be falling short and who knew that the original diet soda Tab had a cult-like following?

Monday, October 22, 2018

 Welcome to Bakersfield Observed. Our mission is to celebrate life in Kern County by focusing on newsmakers and events and the local characters who make this such a special to live. Send your news tips to rsbeene@yahoo.com.

 * ... GAS TAX REPEAL: It looks like the attempt to repeal the gas tax (Proposition 6) is failing to

win broad support. That's the word from a new USC Dornsife/LA Times poll which revealed that 17 percent of California voters are undecided and nearly half are not familiar with the initiative. With the election just a couple weeks off, 41 percent of likely voters said they support Prop 6 or are leaning toward supporting it, while 42 percent are in opposition.

* ... EL NINO: The west, and California in particular, got some good news this week when the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted a bearish El Nino is in our future. If the El Nino arrives, we should experience some major storms and snowfall in the Sierra that California needs to replenish our aquifers. Harry Starkey, general manager of the West Kern Water District, said the El Nino effect will be "full blown" in 2019.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Don’t you wish karma was like pizza and could be delivered in under 30 minutes?"

 * ... MAGGARD VERSUS HEINLE: One of the more interesting local races this year pits Supervisor Mike Maggard against city fireman Jeff Heinle. It started out ugly, things turned civil, and here in the stretch it is getting ugly again. I will be interviewing Heinle on KERN NewsTalk 96.1 FM on Tuesday and Maggard on Friday. Tune it to hear their closing arguments. The Richard Beene show runs from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. daily on weekdays.

 * ... TAB SODA: Who remembers Tab, one of the original diet sodas introduced by Coca-Cola back in 1963. I thought the brand died years ago, but it turns out the soft drink as a cult-like following by people who will drive hundreds of miles to buy a six pack. After a major bottler discontinued it in a 14-state territory, Tab drinkers took to social media to demand that Coke make it available. Coca-Cola said it continues to bottle Tab, but it just isn't available everywhere.

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 * ... MEMORIES: How cute is this? Thanks to the Facebook page Kern County of Old.

A collection of Elizabeth Warren memes... just for grins

Elizabeth Warren's bizarre claim of Cherokee ancestry has triggered a field day of memes on social media. Here are a few.

The campaign to unseat Assemblyman Rudy Salas will top $1 million, new businesses grow out of the local farmer's markets and Imbibe Wine and Spirits offers Spanish cava at a bargain price

Friday, October 19, 2018

 Welcome to Bakersfield Observed. Our mission is to celebrate life in Kern County by focusing on newsmakers and events and the local characters who make this such a special to live. Send your news tips to rsbeene@yahoo.com.

 * ... MENDES VERSUS SALAS: If you want to know how important the Democratic and

Republicans parties view the race for Assembly district 32, follow the money. Challenger Justin Mendes, a Republican who spent just $40,000 in the primary, expects to spend north of $1 million in his race to unseat Rep. Rudy Salas. Mendes says he expects Salas to spend twice that much.

  * ... SMALL BUSINESS: Did you know that our local farmer's markets also serve as business incubators? That's right, a number of local brick and mortar businesses started off as vendors at the Brimhall and Haggin Oaks farmers market, according to Jaclyn Allen, who runs the markets. Allen knows this all too well because she too started off selling nut products in the local markets, and now has branched out and is the owner of Hens Roost, the popular vegan and vegetarian restaurant on G Street. Allen said two nearby businesses, Rig City Coffee and Better Bowls, also started off at the farmer's markets before deciding to sign and lease and take it indoors.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Life is like a box of chocolates; an emotional chick can destroy one in under five minutes."

 * ... INDIAN CUISINE: Are you ready for a new entry into the Indian restaurant scene? It's about to happen with the opening of Viceroy, a new eatery on Stockdale Highway devoted to Indian cuisine.

 * ... SPANISH CAVA: My tip for the upcoming holidays: if you are looking for a good Spanish cava to entertain guests, consider the Campo Viejo cava available at Imbibe Wine and Spirits for just $10 a bottle when you buy six bottles of wine or champagne. Cheaper than its French counterparts but a solid bubbly.

* ... MEMORIES: You know you are a Bakersfield old timer if you remember when College Center opened in August o 1960 off Columbus. Photo courtesy of the Kern County of Old Facebook page.

Tis the season for political hit pieces to fill our mailboxes, the Dodgers run in the playoffs adds some cheer to a rancorous political climate, and how many sex offenders live in your neighborhood?

Monday, October 15, 2018

 Welcome to Bakersfield Observed. Our mission is to celebrate life in Kern County by focusing on newsmakers and events and the local characters who make this such a special to live. Send your news tips to rsbeene@yahoo.com.

 * ... CAMPAIGN SEASON: If there was any doubt the gloves have come off as we head into the final stretch before the November elections, just open your mailbox. The hit pieces come daily, and

some are hyperbole and some are outright intentionally misleading. Supervisor Mike Maggard's campaign has been throwing big money into direct mailers in his campaign against challenger Jeff Heinle, who is labeled a "liberal Democrat" in one Maggard hit piece. Why that matters in a nonpartisan office is besides the point: hit pieces often work. In the Maggard piece, it lists his supporters as Sheriff Donny Youngblood, Rep. Kevin NcCarthy, former Assemblywoman Shannon Grove and Assemblyman Vince Fong. It lists Heinle's supporters as one person: Supervisor Leticia Perez, and the world knows there is no love lost between Perez and Maggard. And so it goes.

 * ... DODGERS: There's nothing like the LA Dodgers in the playoffs to give us some much needed relief from the acid rain of local and national politics. Put the Kavanaugh hearings and the rancor on the Board of Supervisors behind us, because the Dodgers are making another run for a return to the World Series. If you went anywhere this week - bars, restaurants, the homes of friends - folks were watching Dodger baseball, one of those rare times when we are united in cause, and spirit.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Since every living being has a soul, does that mean that all of us are haunted?"

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "You know that nice tingly feeling you get when you’re falling for someone? That’s common sense leaving your body."

 * ... SEX OFFENDERS: So you think you live in a safe neighborhood? Think again. You might be surprised how many felons, and even sex offenders, live close by. I know this because a friend turned me onto a new iPhone app called "Offender Locator." Download the app (it costs 99 cents) and you can zoom into your neighborhood, or anywhere in town or the country for that matter, and see where sex offenders live. I live downtown south of 24th Street and the area is (thankfully) free of offenders, but Oildale and the east side have enough to make you uncomfortable.

 * ... MEMORIES: How about this photo I spotted on the Kern County of Old Facebook page. Its caption: "Comparison photos / SW Corner Chester at Truxtun. When the Kern County seat was moved from Havilah to Bakersfield a new courthouse was constructed in 1876. It soon became inadequate for the growing county. In 1896 it was reconstructed with additions that doubled the size of the original building (Post card photo below). When a more modern courthouse was built across the street in 1912, the county sold the old courthouse to the City of Bakersfield for use as its city hall. Both the old and new courthouses were damaged in a 1952 earthquake and demolished. The 1876 architect was Albert A. Bennett. The 1896 expansion was designed by architect Charles Barnett McDougall. A cement-and-wrought iron fence that enclosed the 1896 courthouse now stands inside the entrance of the Kern County Museum."

Los Angeles reports typhus cases linked to rising homelessness, San Francisco has a new app to report feces and urine (from the homeless), TLO wines will open a tasting room in town and Liberty Roche will debut her new album

Friday, October 12, 2018

 Welcome to Bakersfield Observed. Our mission is to celebrate life in Kern County by focusing on newsmakers and events and the local characters who make this such a special to live. Send your news tips to rsbeene@yahoo.com.

 * ... SNAPCRAP: Just how bad has homelessness affected San Francisco? Well, it is so bad that an app has been created so people can take pictures of feces on the sidewalk and send the images to the

city to have it cleaned up. It's called Snapcrap, and it allows people to take shots of feces and deliver an alert to the Public Works Department. It uses GPS to track the specific location and also creates a ticket so user can make sure their complain is received and dealt with. Meanwhile, health officials in Los Angeles are warning of a typhus outbreak linked to the homeless encampments that are so prevalent downtown. Typhus outbreaks linked to homeless encampments have been reported in Los Angeles, Pasadena and Long Beach.

 * ... RIP PAT DEMOND: Pat DeMond, who served as the Ward 2 represented on the City Council, has died. Not sure what was the cause of death. Demond served as a councilperson and vice mayor from 1987 to 2000. Said current Ward 2 councilman Andrae Gonzales: "Among her notable contributions to our city and downtown revitalization include approval of the Chester Avenue streetscape, the Cenntenial Garden (now Rabobank) arena, the Holiday Inn Select (now Marriot) hotel, and the Amtrak station."

* ... TLO WINES: Here's a first for Bakersfield: TLO winery, owned by the Zaninovich family, is opening the first tasting room downtown. Andy Zaninovich and his daughter Avery say the tasting room, located on 18th Street across from Sequoia Sandwich Co., should be open by the end of the month.

 * ... WINE DEALS: And speaking of wine, if you head over to Imbibe Wine and Spirits and partake in their "six for $60" offering (six bottles of wine for $60) you will receive two Reidel wine glasses free. Tell them you want "the Richard Beene deal." Imbibe is a sponsor of The Richard Beene Show that runs daily from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on KERN NewsTalk 96.1 FM.

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Kids today don’t know how easy they have it. When I was young, I had to walk 9 feet through shag carpet to change the TV channel."

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "Just installed one of those little dentist's sinks on my wife's side of the bed."

 * ... LIBERTY ROCHE: Liberty Roche, a 16-year-old song writer and singer, will debut her new album at the Bakersfield Music Hall of Fame on Thursday, Oct. 25. Roche is a junior at Bakersfield Christian High School and has been singing when she was just 11 years old. She is working with American Idol contestant Amy Adams for the past five years.

 * ... MOVING ON: Bob Meadows is leaving Mission Bank to become business development director for the city of Shafter. Meadows served as vice president/community development officer for the bank but said he could not pass up the "amazing opportunity" in Shafter. His last day will be next week.

 * ... MEMORIES: Who remembers Helms bakery from back in the day? Check out this photo from the Kern County of Old Facebook page, where the caption read: "The Helms Man. Every drawer in the back of the truck was loaded with pies and donuts. A childhood delight in Westchester."