The last time anyone saw Morgan Patten alive she was eating alone at an Applebee's, eager to meet her fiance the next morning. She would never make it, and a family is determined to find out what happened

 THIS WEEK ON THE RICHARD BEENE SHOW (KERN NEWSTALK 96.1 FM/1180 AM) WE WILL FEATURE A SPECIAL REPORT ON THE LIFE OF MORGAN PATTEN, A 24-YEAR-OLD WOMAN WHOSE LIFE WAS CUT SHORT IN MYSTERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES LATE LAST YEAR.  ENGAGED TO A BAKERSFIELD MAN AT THE TIME OF HER DEATH, IT IS A STORY

OF YOUTH, HOPE, LOVE AND UNSPEAKABLE TRAGEDY THAT HAS LEFT LIVES CRUSHED FROM BAKERSFIELD TO BOSTON. 

 TUNE IN ON TUESDAY, AT 1:30 P.M. PACIFIC TIME, TO HEAR MORGAN'S LOVED ONES TALK ABOUT THEIR QUEST FOR JUSTICE. IF YOU ARE OUTSIDE THE BAKERSFIELD AREA, YOU CAN GO TO KERNRADIO.COM AND LISTEN TO INTERVIEW LIVE.

Philip R. Brandon grew up a block off Panorama Drive on a leafy street in Bakersfield, California,  and like many of his neighbors, spent his early years attending classes at Our Lady of Perpetual Help and later at Garces Memorial High School. But Kern County and Bakersfield were not in his future, and his journey into adulthood took him 3,000 miles across the country to Massachusetts
where he found meaning in work, the Marine Corps and most of all, a woman who would forever change his life.

Morgan Patten

 By all accounts Morgan Patten was remarkable: an ethereal presence who grew up in Bradford, New Hampshire, where her family owned a small family lumber mill. Her parents called her “Mouse,” and through them she inherited a work ethic and moral compass that reflected the core values of her family: loyalty, faith and family. It was hardly a surprise then that Morgan, the only child of Steve and Renee Patten, set her sights high to become an environmental lawyer. While waiting for law school to start, she pulled long shifts as a  manager at the Hyannis Marina.

 Philip and Morgan’s lives converged on Martha’s Vineyard, where Phil had moved after leaving Bakersfield, and in the parlance of their parents, it was meant to be. They were instantly inseparable, their bond only growing closer when Phil shipped off to Parris Island, S.C., where he would endure three months of basic training to become a U.S. Marine.

 But this romance had no story-book ending. By now engaged, Morgan took a commercial airliner to Jacksonville, N.C. to reunite with Phil, who was wrapping up Advanced Infantry Training at Camp Geiger. The last time anyone would hear from Morgan was the night before she was to meet Phil. Hungry after a long day of traveling and anxious to get to bed early to meet Phil in the morning, Morgan walked to an Applebee’s next door to her hotel and ordered a garden salad with grilled chicken and a Sam Adams Boston Lager. She spent dinner texting both her parents and Phil.

 The last time her parents would hear from her was at 9:42 p.m. on Friday, November 8. “Okay, going to sleep.” she told her mother, who responded with a simple, “Love you. Goodnight.”

 There would be no more texts. Morgan’s short life would come to an end on a lonely country road 15 miles away from Applebees when a pickup truck carrying Morgan and two Camp Lejeune Marines - military police off all things - flipped and crashed, throwing Morgan from the vehicle. Police said the vehicle was going close to 90 mph when it veered off the road.

 She was 24 when she died, her death cloaked in a mystery, a murder mystery some might call it, and it has consumed the lives of her fiancee Phil and her parents and friends.

 How did Morgan end up in a truck with two strangers? Why did this young girl, overwhelmed with excitement to see her fiancee, a young lady known for her caution and good judgment, end up with two Marines who were complete strangers? Was she kidnapped? Forced into the truck by the Marines? Something more sinister?

 How did she die? Why did she die? Who will be held responsible, and where is the justice? 

 Next week on Tuesday, September 1, I will chat with Phil Brandon and Morgan’s parents, Steve and Renee Patten, about the search for justice in the death of Morgan Patten.

 It is a story of love, hope, youth, promise and tragedy. And it is a story that at least today, has no ending. 

 The segment will be aired at 1:30 p.m Tuesday on KERN NewsTalk 96.1 FM/1180 AM. To listen to the broadcast outside the area, go to KERNRADIO.COM to listen to the interview live.

Despite the pandemic CSUB posts a record enrollment for the semester, Bakersfield gears up for dove season and the long project to widen 24th Street starts to wind down

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.

 * ... CSUB: Despite the pandemic and millions out of work, Cal State University Bakersfield has set a new record for enrollment. CSUB president Lynnette Zelezny says enrollment for the semester that began this week stands at 11,700, a record high for our local university. All 23 CSU campuses have gone to
online learning, even though Zelezny said a few students remain on campus, some of them living in the on-campus dormitories. Zelezny noted that fully 80 percent of CSUB's students receive some time of financial assistance.

 * ... CSUB FUND RAISING: Meanwhile, someone is doing a a hell of a job with fund raising out at CSUB. Largely through the efforts of University Advancement under vice president Victor Martin, the university has raised $10 million for students, a 34 percent increase from the previous year. 

It’s a record fundraising year for California State University, Bakersfield during the 2019-2020 fiscal year.

CSUB president Lynnette Zelezny put it this way: “In a year of great challenge and sacrifice, CSU Bakersfield’s most loyal supporters demonstrated their belief in our students with generous gifts that will allow the university to expand research opportunities and other innovative programs for the benefit of our region, economy and residents. CSUB owes a special debt of gratitude to Barbara Grimm-Marshall and Kari Grimm Anderson for their visionary investment in the study of agricultural business, which is a game changer for CSUB and the families committed to this honorable way of life that feeds millions around the world." 

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "One morning, the CEO of UPS woke up and was like 'Screw it, trucks don’t need doors.'"

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: This picture pretty much sums up the year.

 * ... 24TH STREET: The long slog to widen and improve 24th Street from Highway 99 through town is coming to an end, and not a day too soon. With most of the road widened and repaved, the city will use most of September to work on landscaping on both the north and south sides of the street. There will be periodic lane closures in each direction. Below are some artist renderings of how the landscaping may look.

 * ... DOVE SEASON: Dove season opens next week, but opening day is celebrated as much in some of our iconic watering holes as it is in an open field. Traditionally the opening of dove season has been a gang buster's business at places like Woolgrower's and Pyrenees Cafe in east Kern and this year - despite the pandemic - the show will go on. Check out this post from Rod and Julie Crawford over at Pyrenees: "Opening Day of Dove Season is next Tuesday September 2 and our patio is open for service with a full Basque Breakfast and cocktails. Please try and come early since we do not take reservations that day, also remember we have limited outdoor seating due to COVID and once you are seated we cannot allow guests to walk around ... we ask that you stay in your seat. Also please have a mask on until you are seated. Thanks for understanding. See you Tuesday it’s going to be a fun day." (photo is from a previous year at Pyrenees)

 * ... MEMORIES: From the archives of the Kern County History Fans' Facebook page comes this little treasure, who around 1988 at Paso Ranch.

California's rush toward green energy is leaving residents in the dark, Amestoys closes and is left tagged and vandalized and CSUB president Lynnette Zelezny set for a radio interview on the first day of classes

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.

 * ... POWER BROWNOUTS: Just so we are all clear, it's important for every Californian to know that if your utility cuts your power because of the heat, this is something the California legislature brought on themselves. That's right because the truth is there is plenty of power in California, more than enough to

keep every air conditioner humming through the most extreme heat waves. But in California, in the name of climate change, the state requires that 60 percent of our power should come from renewable energy, and wind and solar farms simply cannot keep up. With the mandate in place, augmented by generous federal subsidies for alternative energy, perfectly functioning power plants have been closing, leaving our state increasingly dependent on wind and solar. In a report from the Institute of Energy Research, it is noted that "California's blackouts are a product of its politically-determined reliance on intermittent, unreliable renewable energy, not the heatwave. " Many of California's natural gas and nuclear plants have had to shut down because they cannot compete with heavily subsidized renewable energy," it said. "Also, California's state water regulations are forcing the shutdown of natural gas plants along the coast that can quickly ramp up generation during peak demand periods or when solar power plunges. Because of policies promulgated by California's anti-fossil energy politicians, Californians are paying for new renewable power when they already have natural gas capacity readily available to meet demand 24/7."

 * ... AMESTOYS: Amestoys, the iconic east Bakersfield bar that held court for more than 70 years before closing last year, has been reduced to a sad pile of graffiti-strewn trash and rubble. The River Boulevard bar closed in June of last year, and already it has turned into an eyesore. It has been broken into, set afire and tagged with graffiti on virtually every wall.

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "I am getting tired of being part of a major historical event."

 * ... LYNNETTE ZELEZNY: The pandemic has turned the college experience upside down and no where is that more true that out at Cal State Bakersfield. The CSU system kicks off virtual classes Monday while other schools - notably in the Southeastern Conference - are planning to have students on campus and continue with sports. I will chat with CSUB president Lynnette Zelezny on Monday at 2 p.m. on KERN NewsTalk 96.1 FM/1180 AM to get her views as we kick off a new academic year.

 * ... CALIFORNIA FIRES: There are literally hundreds of fires burning in California today, many of them clustered in northern California from Santa Cruz to Vacaville and all along the I-80 corridor. And one problem plaguing California is the lack of firefighters, which was aggravated when Gov. Gavin Newsom patrolled hundreds of fire fighting inmates because of the coronavirus. State officials say there are normally some 3,000 inmate firefighters ready to serve, but that number has been reduced to around 1,000 because of the paroles.

 * ... IBERIA HOTEL: Check out this picture of an old Basque Hotel in east Bakersfield. A precursor for the now closed Noreiga Hotel?