BuckOwens.com, the official website of Buck Owens' Crystal Palace, will stream tonight's sold-out, star-studded celebration of what would've been the venue's namesake's 78th birthday live starting at 7 p.m.

Click thru to the site's "Live on Stage" page to listen tonight via RealPlayer.  (It looks like they stream other performances too, so check back.)  And for more info about the concert lineup, read today's story from The Californian.

--Jason Sperber

Unless you've been holed up inside your home for the past three weeks, you've noticed the near-daily plume of wildfire smoke the sweeps over Bakersfield in the afternoon.

Well check out this sweet satellite pic of the plume on Sunday.

You can also get the latest on how much the fire has cost and how firefighters are doing at this Raw Reports blog post.

--Davin McHenry

Bakersfield native Capt. Brennan Goltry was recently awarded the silver star and two purple hearts for his actions in February in Iraq.

Check out this blog post on Goltry's accomplishments and check out the video, which we've embedded.

Here's some highlights from the military write up:

The sun had just set on Goltry and his platoon’s routine mounted patrol in Samarra. He noticed the brightness of the full moon as his convoy turned south on 20th Street, because it gave the enemy an advantage of extra visibility on the U.S. patrol, he said.

The five up-armored Humvees progressed south, when they began taking automatic weapons and sniper fire from the south and west.

“It was an ‘L-shaped’ ambush,” said the Bakersfield, Calif., native. “(Insurgents) engaged, we identified every position we could, and returned fire.”

The lead Humvee was disabled immediately, so Goltry had his driver pull their vehicle perpendicular and in front of it to provide cover. Goltry spotted a shooter to his right, opened his door, and returned fire. He received two gun shot wounds to his left leg but continued fighting until the shooter was killed.

Goltry took cover and gathered his men; like him, some of them were wounded. It is unknown how many attackers were involved, but Goltry led his men south on foot with suppressive fire and basically ran through the objective until the enemy was constrained. The ability to gain fire superiority allowed for his more seriously wounded paratroopers to receive medical care... ...

“I’m real proud of my men,” Goltry said. “They fight real hard for me, and they’ve saved my (rear) more than once.”

-- Davin McHenry

Last Sunday, TBC published its annual Kern Life guide, full of information and resources for living in Kern County.  It was put together this year by Contributions Editor Jennifer Baldwin, who also runs our Your Words citizen journalism program.  For those of you who didn't get a copy, or misplaced it, the entire print edition is available online, page by page.  But the other cool thing is that all the resource data compiled for the magazine is also on New To Bakersfield, our sister site and online community for newcomers and others who want to know and share more about "life as it should be."  On New To Bakersfield, not only is all the Kern Life info searchable, but you can also add information and opinions and ask questions in the comments.

Speaking of adding your opinions, our Inside Guide family of interactive local business directories is growing.  Many of you have already discovered the Inside Guide to Dining, where you can review your favorite (or not-so-favorite) restaurants.  Now, we've filled out two new categories:  Home & Garden and Personal Care & Services.  So, want to rave about your electrician or complain about service at your local hardware store?  Looking for recommendations for a new hairstylist or a closer place to get your nails done?  Get on the Inside - it's not just food anymore.  (Heh.)

[Also, don't forget, though we've worked very hard to fill out the categories with all the businesses we could locate, if we're missing one, let us know.  And if you're a business owner and you've found your listing, claim it; if your business is missing, register to get a free profile.]

--Jason Sperber