Serving the community since 1922
Serving the community since 1922
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On this Memorial Day, it seemed kind of surreal. In my lifetime, we have been involved in the Vietnam War, the wars in the Middle East and several events on our homefront, including government buildings in Oklahoma and a tragedy in New York City, in which we were attacked on a large scale with planes flying into the Twin Towers, resulting in the largest terrorist attack ever on American soil. With each occurrence, the patriotism and strength have shown in our military, our civilians and communit...
“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” Proverbs 14:34 Solomon in all his wisdom hit the nail on the head with this nugget of truth, didn’t he? The Psalmist said it this way in Psalm 33:12a, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord…” And one of America’s most beloved Presidents, Abraham Lincoln had a favorite scripture he oft quoted, “And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” (Mark 3:25 NKJV) Well, it does seem at this time that ou...
Wow, how quickly life can change! Not that many weeks ago we heard about “COVID-19” on the news, and now we’re a part of that news. Like you, I’ve been observing a variety of reactions throughout our local area, nation and the world. In some ways it has brought out the best in many people but in other ways the worst. I also find it interesting that this is all happening around Easter, when believers in Christ celebrate the “living hope” that is found in Him due to his resurrection. Whether it’s a pandemic like the current one, weather-relat...
With this pandemic still in the headlines, and the Governor’s stay at home order still in place, people are getting antsy to get back outside, living their lives fully, without hinderances. Well, I think that we are a long way from that right now. Even when businesses start to open up, schools gear up to open back up in August, and our beloved sports teams are back in action, there will still be certain precautions and requirements in place for awhile. This really is just common sense. The w...
This is not about who is “afraid” or “not afraid” -- this is about what kind of human being you are. -- First of all, I wear a mask in public, not for me, but for [begin ital]you[END ITAL]. --I want you to know that I am educated enough to know that I could be asymptomatic and still give you the virus. --No, I don’t live in fear” of the virus; I just want to be a part of the solution, not the problem. --I don’t feel like the “government is controlling me.” I feel like I’m being a contributin...
The coronavirus pandemic has affected not only the city's different businesses, the schools, and city office buildings, but it is also touching other phases of everyday life. For the individuals who pick up our garbage, there is an added challenge to their already demanding job, as they must navigate their way through the process of emptying our trash, not knowing if that household had been touched by the virus or not. Coupled with this challenge is the fact that so many residents are either...
Have you ever been watching a news report on television and heard the anchor say, “In other news…”? The report might sound something like this, “Today the police arrested a suspect in the grocery store robbery. In other news, city leaders were at a ribbon cutting for a new wing of the local hospital.” The phrase “in other news” connects the two stories. We would probably never put the two stories together until the anchor links them together with, “In other news.” Can I encourage you a l...
Lost amid the COVID-19 news is a recent accomplishment for which the communities of Lamont and Weedpatch should be proud. The Sunset Labor Camp Bridge Housing Program that was set up by the Housing Authority of Kern County last fall as a temporary shelter for unaccompanied homeless women closed recently. But that is not the story that brings pride. The story of that temporary program, its accomplishments and the Lamont/Weedpatch community that embraced them is a story that needs to be told. People unfamiliar with those communities may not know...
Where is God in times of crisis? Perhaps we can easily relate ourselves to that question due to recent events that jeopardize the life of the masses. But now, is really God away from us? We just celebrated the 5th Sunday of Lent. In the Gospel of John 11:1-45, proper to that Sunday, we heard a character Martha who said to Jesus: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” This came from a person that, according to the scriptures, was close friends with Jesus. The Messiah used to go to the house of Martha and her brother Laz...
We are going into another week of the COVID-19 shelter-in-place order, and I believe Kern County is doing great in terms of complying with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order. But our numbers of those testing positive continue to increase. At the time of this writing, we had our first fatality, in our District 4 community of Delano, and I think we all know we’re not done yet. Sadly, there is more to come, but let’s follow the guidelines we’ve been given and stay as safe as possible. Many of you in the district, as well as many county employees, continue...
Wow, how quickly life can change! Not that many weeks ago we heard about “COVID-19” on the news, and now we’re a part of that news. Like you, I’ve been observing a variety of reactions throughout our local area, nation and the world. In some ways it has brought out the best in many people, but in other ways the worst. I also find it interesting that this is all happening around Easter when believers in Christ celebrate the “living hope” that is found in Him due to his resurrection. Whether it’s a pandemic like the current one, weather-relat...
By now, I’m certain that all of us have been impacted by the COVID-19 virus, and I’m also certain that you are keeping informed so I will not use our weekly Couch’s Corner to provide you any “breaking news,” as it changes so fast. But I would like to keep you informed on what’s going on at the county, how to find out what services are still available, and how your District 4 office can help you with matters concerning the county. In compliance with the state emergency shelter-in-place guidelines, the county has shut down all nonessential functi...
One distinctly Christian characteristic is the virtue of humility. No one naturally likes to be humble, a word that is rooted in ideas of lowliness, poverty, submission or subjugation, and debasement (Prov 22:22-23; Amos 2:7; Zech. 7:10). Everyone wants to be thought of as great, exalted, in charge, answering to no one; this, of course, is pride, which is rightly regarded as the opposite of humility (it comes from a sinful heart; Mark 7:21-23). Humility became a virtue in the Old Testament, focusing on one’s submission and devotion to God (...
Time is passing us by so quickly, and there are times in which I wish it can slow down a little. 2020 means 2020 vision to be able to see what really matters this year. At Canyon Hills Wasco, we spent four weeks focusing on four things that should really matter to you this year— one of them is “community.” The human soul desires community; it’s the way that God created us. From the beginning God said, “Let us [plural] make man in our image and in our likeness” (Gen 1:26). There was community in...
“If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.” --Proverbs 24:10 “Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle.” --Napoleon Hill Have you ever come against a struggle, a roadblock or a seemingly insurmountable obstacle? Of course you have, if you have lived any length of time or tried anything considered off the beaten path. Sometimes those barriers are self-imposed; other times they are tossed in your path by a boss, a coworker, a foe or friend. It matt...
On Wednesday, Feb. 26, I joined work crews from the Bakersfield Homeless Center and Caltrans as we kicked off a program that was initiated in the District 4 office and will serve the entire county well, especially all the communities of the district. This program is the litter abatement program on state highways in the county, utilizing the homeless and homeless-vulnerable workers employed through the county’s contract we just signed this week with the Bakersfield Homeless Center. When we try to solve the problem of homelessness, we have to u...
How many of you have bought a birthday or Christmas gift only to get it home to find out that “Batteries Not Included” was hidden in small print on the packaging. How frustrating is that? You have already bought the gift, now you have to buy batteries, too? It is especially irritating if you didn’t realize it until the person you bought the gift for opens it and can’t use it until somebody finds some batteries. Have you ever noticed when this happens, it feels like you have every size battery ev...
Vince Lombardi, the coach of the winning team of the first two Super Bowls, once said, “Football is a great deal like life in that it teaches that work, sacrifice, perseverance, competitive drive, selflessness and respect for authority is the price that each and every one of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.” This game has grown to proportion once reserved for Christmas, Easter, Memorial or Labor Day. At first it was just a championship game, then it became Super Bowl Sunday, a...
"I began a motion of the heart toward my origins." When I read this sentence in Wendell Berry's novel, Jayber Crow, I recognized the feeling. It was 2003. I was a third-generation Shafter native, living in Virginia and feeling increasingly out of place. A motion had begun back to my origins. In the book, Jayber is a promising student. His teachers tell him he could rise above his roots. He wasn't interested. "Far from rising above them, I was longing to sink into them until I would know the...
And at the end of 10 days their features appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king’s delicacies. Thus, the steward took away their portion of delicacies and the wine that they were to drink and gave them vegetables. Some time ago, I was driving in the backroad of Wasco heading toward Delano when all of a sudden I drove into an area covered in fog. It was getting late; the fog was so dense that I had to slow down to at least 20 mph. Being in the b...
At the Board of Supervisors meeting on Jan. 14, I have to admit, I have never been more proud. The room was packed by concerned citizens from all walks sharing their concerns and points of view on oil production in Kern County, with key officials from Sacramento present. While the state has been talking about the “managed decline” of the oil industry, we here in Kern County have been concerned about those statements and their impact here. In my letter to the state dated Dec. 17, I invited the state to join us for a discussion and we had qui...
Lucius Annaeus Seneca, a Roman statesman who lived from 5 BC-65 AD, made a statement that should be written and remembered in 2020. He said, "We become wiser by adversity; prosperity destroys our appreciation of the (what is) right." A very profound statement, isn't it? Especially when we consider it was written by a man who died in 65 AD. This thought kinda runs counterculture to the prevalent thought of today, doesn’t it? In a day when prosperity, ease and opulence seem to be the norm for m...
Well, 2019 is in the rear view mirror, and the next decade is underway. This past year has been such a busy one for me. It has been full of some great times, like having a job that I just love, covering events, writing, taking photos and always learning. This job is really different every week, you never know what is going to happen. I am so thankful for this job, doing something that I love to do. It has also been a good one in our family, with everyone staying relatively healthy, safe, and...
Much thanks to the Valley Ag Voice for their article “Local Leaders React to Passage of USMCA,” in their January issue. For those of you who may not know, USMCA is an updated NAFTA, and stands for United States Mexico Canada Trade Agreement. It was passed by the House of Representatives on Dec. 19 in a very bipartisan vote (385-41). Its impacts on the Central Valley -- and especially Kern County -- are profound, and it seemed appropriate to share parts of their story here. According to Valley Ag, the seven key provisions that impact agr...
Years ago (more years than I care to remember) I started an Insurance agency with my main company being one that was less than 15 years old at the time. It was a company rather unique in its products, management and methods of motivation. One such motivational method was a mantra which was repeated as group meetings in and conventions. It went like this: “I will win. Why -- I’ll tell you why. Because I have faith, courage and enthusiasm!” There were hand motions and gyrations that accom...
