Sexual harassment is alive and well in Kern County, Wood-Dale Market to carry fresh fish at its new location and Kevin Burton joins a local law firm

 * ... SEXUAL HARASSMENT: Given all the sexual harassment and groping charges on the national level, did you ever think if it is better - or worse - here in Kern County? I posed that question to Katy Raytis, a lawyer who specializes in sexual harassment for Belden/Blaine/Raytis. Her answer might surprise you. It is actually worse here, she told me, because of the chummy nature of our community. "Everyone knows everyone," she said, "and that leads to familiarity and the idea that it
can't happen to me. But it does." The time of year when we should all watch our behavior? The holidays, of course, when we find ourselves at company Christmas parties with our guard down while alcohol is being served.

 * ... ATHLETIC SCHOLARSHIPS: And speaking of surprising, did you know that only 2 percent of high school athletes actually receive some sort of athletic scholarship to attend college? That's the word from Trevor Horn, prep sports writer for The Bakersfield Californian. The number is so small, in fact, that Horn has this advice for parents who are dreaming their children will get a scholarship: "Relax and just enjoy the ride," he said. "Enjoy them participating in sports and let them play multiple sports."

 * ... FISH MARKET: It looks like the new Wood-Dale Market at Grand Island Village will be opening sometime after the first of the year. And here is some good news: Chris Vasquez, son of owner Israel Vasquez, says the old-style meat market will also be carrying fresh fish. Vasquez told me they will start with the most popular types of fish - salmon, sea bass etc - but will let the customers decide what they should carry. Work at the new location, next to the Sol Y Luna restaurant across from Wiki's Wine Dive and Grill, is well under way as they shoot to open after the first of the year.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Congressmen only make $174,000 a year! How can they be expected, on such a meager pittance, to raise a family, buy groceries, send their kids to school, and pay massive sexual harassment settlements? Impossible."

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "One day you're 18, eating pizza for every meal, wearing a size 4 and the next you're 30, drinking kale and debating wearing a T-shirt in the pool."

  * ... KEVIN BURTON: Kevin Burton, who has been the face of the marketing for Adventist Health for the past seven years, is leaving his job as head of its foundation to join the law firm of Klein DeNatale Goldner. Burton will be overseeing corporate and business development as well as marketing the firm.

 * ... THE TOWER: It looks like the old downtown church that has housed several restaurants (Bell Tower Club, The Ivy) is about to get a new owner. Robert Alimirzaie, executive chef at Bakersfield Country Club, has purchased the elegant old church and will open it as a restaurant called "The Tower" in February.

Packs of wild dogs appear on the Kern River bike path, a local fraternity at CSUB shows some class and the annual 'elf on a shelf" craze catches hold

 * ... HEADS UP: For those of you who use the bike path to run, walk or ride, be aware there is a

pack of eight to 10 dogs (a mixture of pit bulls and some smaller mutts) that are chasing cyclists and runners on the stretch between Beach Park and Manor Drive. These dogs appear vicious and in a pack, they are dangerous.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "I’m pretty certain everyone waiting to board at this gate is praying they’re not sitting next to me on this flight. Also, this airport burrito is pretty spicy."

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "I have a secret lock button like Matt Lauer’s except it locks my family in the dining room until they finish their food."

 * ... CHRISTMAS ELF: The annual "elf on a shelf" Christmas tradition is starting to show up in workplaces across town. I spotted the first one at a hair salon (it was a gay elf teamed with a shirtless boyfriend elf) and yet a second one appeared at a local Starbucks.

 * ... ARMY-NAVY: My old pal Gene Bonas, a proud Navy veteran who knows his way around submarines, dropped me this note about the upcoming Army-Navy football game. Said Bonas:
"As a Navy veteran, I'll be cheering for both teams. And, you can bet that no one will be taking a knee during the national anthem at this game. This is the only game where everyone playing is willing to die for everyone watching, including those pampered millionaires and their asinine owners.  I'll certainly say a prayer and drink a toast to both teams and to the nights I can't remember and the shipmates I'll never forget when I served four years on submarines."

* ... GOOD FORM: A reader named L. Houston was having trouble using her cell phone to hail an Uber ride when a young man intervened. Using his own cell phone, the stranger set up an Uber ride and said he would absorb the charges. "He would not accept reimbursement," she said. "I didn’t get a name but he sure has my heart felt thanks from a nice little old lady."

 * ... MORE GOOD FORM: And here is a special hats off to members of the Kappa Sigma fraternity at Cal State Bakersfield who donated their time to help the Assistance League during its Chez Noel Holiday Home Tour fund raiser. Said Dona Chertok: "We are so grateful to these fine gents."

 * ... FEEDBACK: George Russell wrote to respond to a piece about Rance Howard written by Nick Thomas in a recent edition of The Californian. "Writer Nick Thomas’ article about Rance Howard in Saturday’s paper brought to mind one of the last films Rance participated in. It was directed by Bakersfield transplant Tom Russell, writer, director and BYU film instructor. The movie 'Redemption' starred such notables as Margo Kidder, Ed Hermann, Rance Howard, and was produced by Firstlight Independent, with offices here in Bakersfield. Producers of the film included local support from Bill Nelson, Russell Judd and Mark Eddy. Great film based on a true Utah frontier story."