Cal State Bakersfield welcomes a record high freshman class and readers weigh in on the danger of pitbull terriers

 * ... CSUB: Despite all the challenges facing our local university (and there are many) it's good to see that Cal State Bakersfield is expecting another year of record enrollment. President Horace Mitchell says some 8,255 students are enrolled to date, and of those more than 1,300 are first time freshman, a record freshman enrollment.

 * ... PITBULLS; My inbox was overflowing with comments on pitbulls following a reader's post about dogs off their leashes on the Panorama Bluffs. Here are two examples, from both sides of the debate. Dannette Keeler said she used to be afraid of pit terriers until she met one named Buddy. "My husband brought him home from work because he was left there because his owner couldn't have him at an apartment. For months he wanted to bring him home and I refused. We already had the greatest dog and breed, a golden retriever. Well that was five years ago. I kick myself for the months I wasted with my prejudice. When I meet this sweet heart he climbed in my lap, kissed me and curled into a tight ball like a kitten. He is now Buddy Dallas Keeler and more loved than you could know.  He has been around every circumstance from babies, children, (Halloween is his favorite he greets the kids with a gentle kiss), elderly, small crowds, large crowds and last week a lost dog who walked into our home and scared him! He barked but did not bite!"

 * ... MORE PITBULLS: Meanwhile there are folks like Christy Morgan, a dog lover from way back but one who had a bad run-in with pitbulls a few years ago. She had been running with her golden retriever on the bike path near Cal State when a family of pitbulls attacked her dog. "They got him down in a ditch on his back and began tearing away at his neck and trying to tear his ear off. I kicked them, screamed at them, and threw any thing that I could find at them, all to no avail. When the pits’ owner finally got to the scene, she was so scared of her own dogs that she was unwilling to do anything to try to stop the fight." Finally, Christy picked up her bloodied dog and shrieked at the one dog who had not backed off. "When I turned and looked at my baby, he had blood all over his head and neck. One of his ears was hanging on by a thread of skin (literally)!" Her dog survived, but it's no surprise she has been wary of pitbulls ever since.

 * ... SPOTTED: House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) with wife Judy and their two dogs taking a Labor Day stroll near the bike path at Cal State Bakersfield.

* ... FIRST FRIDAY: It's time for another First Friday and this one promises to be one of the best of the year. It's all centered around "Latination," a collection of dozens of pieces of really impressive art recognizing the culture and vibrancy of Latin American life. The juried show begins around 5 p.m. at Don Martin's Metro Galleries on 19th Street, and will feature food by El Pueblo and music by Mento Buru. But that's not all. You are missing out if you don't hit one of our downtown restaurants, starting with old reliables like Uricchios Trattoria and extending to new startups like The Mark and Muertos. Expect a good crowd and perfect weather. Make a night of it.

* ... HERRERA: Also on First Friday well known local artist Alberto Herrera will be at Kuka's Folk Art on 19th Street signing his most recent children's book called Musika. Stop by to meet the artist and to enjoy the local folk art store.