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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 community such a special place. The views expressed here are strictly my own and do not represent any other company or publication.
* ... MOTHER'S DAY WEEKEND: You could have spent Mother's Day at brunch, with the family at the beach or just hanging around the pool on a sunny Sunday. Or, perhaps less glamorously, you spent it dealing with the seemingly never ending chaos caused by vandalism, drugs and homelessness. For one homeowner on 21st Street, her weekend was ruined when she awoke to find her wood fence virtually [Image]
destroyed by vagrants who made off with lawn furniture. "When will it end"? she asked me. "Who do we call? We all feel so helpless." If you were the CPA Andrea Rutherford Hill, whose neat, tidy office is on 19th Street, someone smashed the front window to her office. It was the fifth time this has happened since last Oct. 31. And then there was the newly wed couple in Riviera Westchester, who spent part of Sunday afternoon watching a homeless man light a series of fires along the bike trail along the Kern River, igniting a large area of brush and trees until fire units arrived. And so it goes.
[Image]  * ... FREELOADER: And then I spotted this post about a random woman in the Olive Drive area who allegedly walked into someone's home in the middle of the night, had a snack and even showered before leaving. This note was left by a resident on the Ring network: "This girl tried to walk into my daughter's home at 3xam. She then broke into her car, ate her kids snacks, and went to the neighbors home, walked in their front door, stole an Xbox, Apple Watch, and a laptop all while the family slept.She then went into another homes doggie door. Ate food, and showered. Walked right out their front door!! Keep an eye out!! Stay safe!"
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* .... FITNESS: It's no secret that California makes a lot of lists: it ranks as one of the most expensive places to live in the nation, we house the lion's share of the nation's homeless and we have some of the most liberal criminal sentencing laws in the country. But here's a list we can be proud of: California is ranked No. 8 on the list of the most healthy states. We were helped because we aren't as fat as other states even with bad air, but it does reflect the Golden State's fondness for a healthy lifestyle. The top ten list was led by Hawaii, followed by Colorado, Vermont, Utah, New Hampshire Massachusetts, Connecticut, California, Rhode Island and New Jersey. The most unhealthy states? Kentucky and West Virginia.
 * ... PHOTO GALLERY: Here are two remarkable post storm pictures from California, featured in the MHIC (My Home Is California) Facebook page. The first picture of Avila Beach is taken by Angela Churchill and the second of the Lake Shasta dam by Paul Kim. Enjoy.
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* ... MEMORIES: The Kern County History Fans is a local group dedicated to sharing our common history, and its Facebook page is a treasure trove of goodies. Here are a couple of items that appeared on its page. Enjoy.
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