Welcome to Bakersfield Observed. Our mission is to celebrate life in Kern County by focusing on newsmakers and events and the local characters who make this community such a special place. The views expressed here are strictly my own and do not represent any other company or publication.
* ... ELECTION EVE: This probably won't come as a surprise but did you know that almost seven out 
of 10 Americans have experienced crushing stress over this election? That's the word from the New York Times that reported Sunday that never before has the general electorate been so stressful as in this election year. Families and friendships have been torn apart, the cancel culture is in full swing and perhaps never have people on both sides considered themselves so right, and the other side so wrong. If you are a stressed out voter, rest assured you are not alone.
of 10 Americans have experienced crushing stress over this election? That's the word from the New York Times that reported Sunday that never before has the general electorate been so stressful as in this election year. Families and friendships have been torn apart, the cancel culture is in full swing and perhaps never have people on both sides considered themselves so right, and the other side so wrong. If you are a stressed out voter, rest assured you are not alone.
* ... THE ANGRY CATHOLIC: Ryan Gilligan, a former Benedictine monk who is among a group of men accusing Monsignor Craig Harrison of sexual improprieties, was featured on a podcast devoted to cleansing the church of deviant priests. A graduate of Bakersfield High School and a former confidant of Harrison's, Gilligan now stands as one of the few accusers who has gone public against Harrison, who was suspended by the Diocese of Fresno in April of 2019 after multiple men came forward to accuse him of lewd sexual behavior. Gilligan was the featured guest on The Angry Catholic podcast and spoke to the intimidation of men who come forward to accuse priests and the long history of the Catholic Church in covering up abuse cases. Harrison has since filed a slander suit against Gilligan, and he has slapped a lawsuit on the church itself. Kyle Humphrey, one of Harrison's attorneys, has likened accusers to "pigs" lining up at the trough for payoffs, a point which Gilligan cites as another example of the type of intimidation and slander that has become the focus of the defense of Harrison. At this point, going on two years since his suspension, it appears unlikely Harrison will ever return to St. Francis and his future in his hometown of Bakersfield seems uncertain. (The good news for Harrison: the statute of limitations has expired in most of the cases so Harrison will likely avoid any criminal prosecution, although we may see some civil lawsuits against him) For this part, Gilligan has since left the monastery but remains committed to exposing wayward priests, including his old mentor Harrison. Gilligan is featured twice during the 50-minute podcast, at the beginning and the end. (file photo of Gilligan and Harrison in happier times at St. Francis Church, Bakersfield)
* ... LIST OF ACCUSED PRIESTS: Meanwhile pressure is mounting for the Diocese of Fresno to publicly name the priests who have been accused of sexual misconduct. The Fresno Diocese is only one of two in the state that have yet to release the names of the accused priests, saying it remains a "work in progress." But lawyers for accusers are demanding to see the list. Attorney Jeff Anderson, whose firm specializes in clergy abuse cases, said it is long past time when "the identities, histories and current whereabouts of all clergy accused of child sexual abuse who worked in the Diocese of Fresno to be known." The Diocese of Fresno serves some 1.2 million Catholics in 87 parishes in eight counties: Fresno,Tulare, Kings, Kern, Inyo, Madera, Merced and Mariposa.
* ... HALLOWEEN: Rep. Kevin McCarthy and some of the local Republican hierarchy were out to provide a safe Halloween for hundreds of local children this weekend. McCarthy and his staff provided a drive-through Halloween and campaign rally Saturday afternoon at his local office off Empire Drive, drawing hundreds of cars, many festooned with Trump flags and even a masked Trump impersonator. Helping the congressman work the crowd were Mayor Karen Goh, Assemblyman Vince Fong, Kern High School District trustee Jeff Flores and David Valadao, who is running to return to Congress after being ousted by Democrat T.J. Cox. KERN radio producer J.R. Flores (pictured) was among those who brought their children to the event.
* ... BLUE MOON: Did you catch the full moon on Halloween night? It was spectacular, and it turned out it was the first Halloween full moon since 1944. The Oct. 31 full moon is also referred to as a "blue moon," which means a second full moon in as single calendar month (also called a Hunter's Moon). The full moon was visible across the United States.
* ... TRASH CLEANUP: Hats off to all the volunteers to fanned out across our community this weekend to help pick up trash. Peter Wollesen, a cyclist, posted this comment along with the pictures below: "While volunteers from the Kern River Parkway Foundation were cleaning up trash around the Adobe House at Hart Memorial Park, I joined up with cyclist volunteers from Team Action Dad and Kern Wheelmen Bakersfield to pick up trash in the foothills above Hart Park. With help from county staff and dozens of volunteers, we made a huge impact! Big thanks to Adrian Monge for organizing this!"
* ... MEMORIES: Check out this 1910 circa photo of old Bakersfield with the Beale clock tower in the distance. Thanks to the Facebook page Kern County History Fans for this one.
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