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  • Steve Merlo: Impressive variety of birds can be viewed here in Kern County

    Home to a huge variety of feathered beauty, Kern County's fields, marshes, parks and other habitat hold hundreds of different species of birds. These avian friends can be seen by not only the professional birdwatcher, but the casual observer as well. All one needs to get started are a set of binoculars, pad and pen and a relatively new birding book. Even if it means viewing them from your own back yard, it's still fun!

  • VALERIE SCHULTZ: Blisters on my lip -- call it a cold sore-spot

    Here's a brief diary of one of the more horrible cycles of life:

  • MATT MUNOZ: You want the funk? Zapp to it

    Along with releasing a string of bumpin' weekend jams for cruising and getting your most righteous groove in the '80s like "Dance Floor," "More Bounce to the Ounce" and "So Ruff So Tuff," the group has a string of slow-jam hits: "Computer Love," "I Want To Be Your Man" and "Slow & Easy," to name a few.

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    CAMILLE GAVIN: Play a rainbow of possibilities

    Powerful and color-blind. Those are the words that continue to flash across my brain as I reflect on a preview of "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf" that I saw last Friday.

  • RICHARD BEENE: Bakersfield Observed, a blog about life, media, politics and people

    CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON

  • LOIS HENRY: Out of town water baron is not what he seems

    He's a rich guy with lots of land, lots of water and lots of power.

  • Following game on social media half the fun

    Super Bowl Sunday is not just an epic day for football fans, but for anyone tied into the social media grid. Aside from watching the championship game and the commercials, half the fun for me is reading commentary during the game on Facebook and Twitter.

  • OLIVIA GARCIA: Nonprofit offers free tax help for eligible residents

    INCOME TAX: Tax season has arrived, and if you are still trying to make sense of the new rules or what information you need to file your return, there's help -- free help, especially if you make less than $50,000 a year. The nonprofit Mexican American Opportunity Foundation is currently scheduling appointments for individuals or families to process their tax returns at no charge. The free service is available only to those of low to moderate incomes, said Magda Menendez, MAOF administrator. The nonprofit is able to offer this service through its involvement with the Kern VITA Partnership, a coalition led by United Way of Kern County.

  • RICHARD BEENE: Bakersfield Observed, a blog about life, media, politics and people

    THE BUZZ: The talk downtown is that former city Fire Chief Ron Fraze may run for the Ward 2 City Council seat being vacated by Sue Benham. Benham, now vice president of development at Memorial Hospital, has said she won't run for another term in the ward, which covers much of the downtown area. Fraze lives downtown and supporters feel his inside knowledge of how the city works would serve the area well. I talked to Fraze Saturday, and he told me he is considering a run and is honored that some folks are urging him to enter the race. Stay tuned.

  • Death on the mountain -- did it have to happen?

    The tragic death of logger Bill Bennett last fall was bad enough.

  • ROBERT PRICE: Why voters are choosing independence

    If you are disappointed, annoyed or fed up with the Democratic and Republican parties to the point of abandonment, you have a growing number of friends.

  • Robert Gautney: Golfers fall on 'Most Powerful' list

    Four or five years ago, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson occupied the No. 1 and No. 5 positions on the 100 Most Powerful Athlete List. My, how times have changed.