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I loved the air tanker photo on the Bakersfield.com homepage. Great stuff. The Kern County Fire Department sent me a couple of short videos from the aftermath of the Wofford Complex fire. I added them here.

Strange about the cause though. I spoke with Captain Brandon Smith of the Kern County Fire Department and he said all 8 of the fires are still unexplained, though may not be arson....

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I made an appearance on ESPN1230 radio with guest host Kevin Bartl of the Bakersfield Condors. We talked weird sports superstitions, the Cleveland Browns and the trivia book Random Obsessions. Bartl was overjoyed that he was listed in the book twice.

Make sure to watch the video as Bartl and Hop from ESPN banter about the Raider Nation, and as I ask if any of the Condors regularly “yak” before games.

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I don't know whether the Lakers are officially affiliating with the Bakersfield Jam, but it sure is seeming that way after Friday's press conference. Team owner Stan Ellis hinted on it at least twice at the media event, saying they would affiliate with an NBA team in close proximity to Bakersfield.

While I wrote about my journalist thoughts on the whole enchilada on Face News, I am my typical skeptical self whether the Jam's decision to come back and hold NBA caliber games out at the Norris Road facility will work.

Of course I will be there to support. I really do want to see semi-pro sports in Bakersfield flourish, and it should be nothing but good times out at the Jam Center, a million-dollar facility originally a state-of-the-art training center.

We'll see what happens. You can decide for yourself what you think by watching an edited video of the press conference.

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NICK BELARDES turned TV/online journalist after blogging his way to success. His articles and essays have since appeared on the homepage of CNN.com and other news sites across America. His book "Random Obsessions: Trivia You Need To Know" is due to hit stores in August 2009. His Twitter novel, “Small Places” is the first original literary novel on Twitter and has been featured in the Christian Science Monitor, Mashable.com, Metroactive.com, Bohemian.com, NPR and more. He has also written "Lords" about the Bakersfield urban myth Lords of Bakersfield. His new homepage at nickbelardes.com offers weird true stories and more.

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I have a lot of fun at the Jam games sitting next to Californian reporter Stephen Lynch. We both couldn't help cracking a smile as fans razzed the Reno Bighorns coach for calling a timeout when he had none. What was going on there? 

There was some good basketball being played on both ends of the court by both teams. And I enjoyed getting a glimpse of David Robinson's former NBA coach Bob Hill who was in attendance...

 

It's a touchy subject in the light of the recent arrest of Dr. Jeff Freesemann who was charged with transporting drugs, etc. 

Yet several local nurses have spoken out on a related topic: doctors on drugs. What are the statistics? One out of ten doctors face drug or alcohol addiction during their career, statistics suggest...

Excerpt:

According to an article on the American Medical Association Web site, as many as one out of ten doctors will face drug and/or alcohol addiction throughout their career. Such addictions, the article states, are often not revealed to employers.

But what does that mean in the shadow of the recent arrest of the former chief of staff of San Joaquin Community Hospital and the potential related web of healthcare professionals, including physicians, who may be facing drug addiction in Kern County?

While recently, Dr. Jeff Freesemann and his wife have been arrested for transporting and selling drugs, and that the doctor may have treated patients after drugs were allegedly seized from his home, nothing has come out in the Bakersfield media on whether Freesemann has battled any kind of substance abuse.

And that goes for the healthcare professionals he may have supplied drugs to as well, as it has not been determined whether local healthcare professionals have frequented the local nightclubs where Freesemann’s alleged drug supplies were used.

Read the full article

I met with Dr. Donald J. Oswald, the economics department chair at CSUB, today regarding the 778 point Dow drop. Here's my ugly report, "Economist Concerned 778 Point Dow Drop Could Trigger Recession." 

I've also attached a video and some student reactions. - n.l.

Kern 1410's Inga Barks gives a whole new perspective on Scott Cox's admitted sign stealing.

Excerpt:

Read: Inga Barks Says Coworker's Sign Theft May Be More Than Prank  

The local sign-stealing prank that got a radio show host suspended last week may be more than a publicity stunt, according to the host’s coworker, Inga Barks.

Last Wednesday, Kern 1410 AM radio show host Scott Cox admitted to stealing a local pastor’s campaign signs.

Inga Barks, in an interview with Truxtun Avenue, said about Cox: “I have never seen him show a clear disdain for anyone like he does Chad Vegas.”

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Isn't there enough death at senior living facilities without a dead cat having to rot for six days outside of one?

Oh man, if I see this cat on my morning walk again today I'm going to hurl chunks.

But whose responsibility is it to clean up this roadkill?

Read the full story and post a comment.

Or post one here for the B.com community...

From my story, "Moths In Cotton Fields" I posted last night. Maybe you had a few tough jobs that you worked in your life. This was one of mine...

"This was crawling into the blackness before a dream. I scooted along on my belly. Blue smoke wafted from deep inside the pipe. It was the kind of darkness I always feared: claustrophobia, crawling, scooting, shuffling, following the line, knees scraping metal."

Read the rest of the story

Feel free to leave comments here or over on the story itself.

This article has all the flavor of a good debate: controversial police shooting, newsroom discussion, controversial pastor, grimacing news director and autopsy photos discussed. There's already some pretty interesting notes in the comments.

Read: EXCLUSIVE: Shootout In Bakersfield. Discussing The Autopsy Photos Of Leon Anderson Jr.