The Bakersfield Californian from Bakersfield, California • Page 14

14 Friday, Dec. 3, 1976 gi Stokmrftrift(CaUforHtan Bigfoot tippy-toes down near Kern -for spud bowl? By MAC MCDONOUGH Staff Writer That man's here again. Well, maybe not exactly here but getting close. That man's Bigfoot, and two Bakersfield women say they saw him Monday in neighboring Santa Barbara County. Probably heading this way to see the Potato Bowl game maybe.

Bigfoot usually is spotted from Northern California up into British Columbia, where he's known as Sasquatch. He's usually on the move, but during Monday's appearance he made what the women thought was a threatening gesture toward them. They didn't linger to find out if he meant it. Here's the story as related by Carmen Lomas. 1210 Water Street, Apt.

109, who was understandably reluctant to talk about what she saw. People would think her loony, she said. About 5:30 p.m., Mrs. Lumas was riding along Highway 166 headed for Cuyama and Bakersfield. At the wheel of her car was Lucille Calvillo, and Carol Martinez was in the back seat.

About 50 miles southwest of Cuyama the driver calmly said, "Look." Mrs. Lomas looked out the window and there on a slope only about 10 feet from the road was a huge creature 12 to 13 feet tall. "He had something in his hand, maybe a club, and he lowered it in a chopping motion after taking a step toward us. Lucille stepped on the gas. When Carol heard about what we saw she suggested we turn around and go back.

"You gotta be kidding," said the driver who didn't slow down. "That creature was solid black in color, but I couldn't tell if he was covered with hair," Mrs. Lomas said. The woman in the back seat, who didn't see the big follow, wondered if the motion he made toward the car "was aimed at us," said Mrs. Lomas.

It was dark by the time the car neared Cuyama. when they saw a California Highway Patrol officer directing a spotlight on cattle on the hillside. "He turned off his light when he saw us, then turned it on after we passed," Mrs. Lomas said, speculating there might have been "something" up there frightening the cattle. "But It's all like a bad dream and I'm still frightened when 1 think about that monster," she said.

Aviation vet favors Minter Field usage If Kern County wants to extend airport runways to accommodate larger and heavier jets, such a program should focus on Minter Field near Shafter rather than at Meadows Field as proposed, according to a Bakersfield man with more than 40 years in aviation. A. Claire Pritchard, 206 West Highland Drive, wrote the Board of Supervisors that before any of the "taxpayers' money is flushed down the drain," the board should carefully consider several factors including an increase in number of heavy freight trucks on roads leading to Meadows Field. The roads already are being used beyond their "reasonable capacity and through a thickly populated area at that." he said. An increase in air traffic over the residential area around Meadows "would be highly objectionable and would very likely cause the shutdown of the entire aviation related operations as has happened many times in the Los Angeles area" due to an increase of residents.

He cited recent closure of the Burbank Airport as an example. Pritchard said Minter Field, already owned by the county, would be the logical place for extended runways. It is "a sensible distance from any highly populated area." its vast potentials lie dormant. There are a number of factory type buildings and a railroad spur track at Minter. he said.

"There is enough space adjacent to "the field to allow runways five miles long if these should become necessary at some future date," Pritchard said. The board referred the letter to Stephen P. Schmitt, aviation director, who favors expansion at Meadows Field McFarland to select first rec director McFARLAND Selection of the first director of recreation of the recently formed McFarland Recreation and Park District will be made from 10 finalists to be interviewed tomorrow, according to Lisle Gates, chairman of the Recreation Commission. Announcement of selection is expected at the commission meeting Monday in the office of the district in Community Hall. Gates said 107 applications for the position were received from throughout the nation, with the number about equal in male and female candidates.

Commissioners are looking for a director with a background as varied as possible in all aspects of recreation, including organization and administration, Gates said. Pair suspected in Zody thefts One of two women arrested last night at Zody's Department Store, 4001 Ming Avenue, after a security officer accused them of taking items without paying for them, remains in custody at the county jail today. Booked on investigation of burglary were Shannon Mary Jolly, 19, 1805 Flower Street, and Jo Ellen Bailey, 27. 519 Bohna Street. Ms.

Bailey was released from the jail after posting $5,000 bond. Schmitt said his plan would cost $7 million. Between now and next year the Federal Aviation Administration would finance up to 90 per cent of the cost. The project should begin before October 1978 when FAA financing would be cut and the county's share of cost would double, he said. Before starting the runway extension, from 6.700 feet to 11.000." Schmitt said the county must purchase 120 acres in three parcels adjacent to Meadows Field.

Extending Meadows' runway would permit landing and takeoff of larger, heavier jets and the airport would be in compliance with state regulations aimed at reduction of noise levels in areas surrounding airports. By extending the runway to the northwest, jets and commercial aircraft would land farther down field, effecting a lower noise level around neighborhoods. Disclosure from page 13 our business is so broad and covers so many aspects of the planning process," Gay told a reporter. Commissioner Tim Banks, a Sandstone Brick Company salesman, questioned whether there ever is a time when a commissioner "didn't have some interest in community issues." But Leach said he was talking about "financial interests" and not others as suggested by Banks. Mrs.

Haddad, a housewife and former escrow company owner, posed this problem: "If a developer who is buying lumber from Sandstone Brick appears before the commission, would Tim (Banks) have to abstain? Would the same apply to Burr Baldwin, an insurance broker, when someone appeared who bought insurance from him five years ago or had his dog operated on by Dr. James Frederickson (a commissioner and veterinarian?) Where's it all going to end?" Leach said no one in professional life is precluded from serving on the commission. "All he has to do, as I and other city officials do, is to disclose potential conflict of interest," he said. He pointed out a commissioner need not abstain from voting on a proposal unless he or she will benefit financially from the proposal. Mrs.

Haddad then posed this question: "Suppose I was a city council member and my father was city manager. Would I have the right to vote on the budget and his salary?" Leachs said Mrs. Haddad couldn't if the city manager were a relative. In response to questions whether another architect could be appointed by the council as a planning commissioner, Leach said he didn't see any reason "why not." The reference to the architect was in regard to Walt Smith, who died recently. "I certainly hope we can get another architect on the commission.

Mr. Smith did such a wonderful job," said Charmion Bettencourt, planning commission secretary. Other commissioners taking part in the discussion were Joe H. Davis, a Pacific Telephone Company employe, and Mary Prewett, a housewife. "It looks like Jill and I are the only ones who won't have to worry about conflict of interest," Mrs.

Prewett said alter the meeting. After apparently losing all their hydraulic fluid, the brakes failed and a truck tumbled over a retaining wall yesterday afternoon. The incident occurred at building site of the si million, 72 -bed Kern Youth Facility on Ridge Road, adjoining Juvenile Hall. The truck was unloading, preformed walls for the building when the accident happened. The facility's completion date Is April 30 and its general contractor is Biggar Construction Company.

(Californian Photo) Inheritance tax referee examinations tomorrow A total of 189 applicants from 41 counties are eligible to take the statewide examination which will be given tomorrow to qualify candidates for possible future appointments as state inheritance tax referees, state Controller Kenneth Cory announced in Sacramento. The three-hour written examination will be conducted by the state Personnel Board in Bakersfield, Fresno, Los Angeles, Eureka, Redding, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara and Susanvllle. The Bakersfield tests will be given at the Department of Benefit Payments, 1909 16th Street. Those who pass the examination will remain qualified for five years from the date of the examination. They will join candidates who qualified through examinations given in 1972, 1973 and 1975.

The examination will cover four general subject areas appraisal of real property, appraisal of tangible and intangible personal property, analytical and reasoning ability, and inheritance tax law and procedures. The deadline for applications was Nov. 12. Cory said the primary goal of the examination is to establish qualified candidates in 29 counties which have fewer than three' previously qualified candidates available for consideration when vacancies occur. The state has 163 inheritance tax referees who, according to law, are appointed by the state controller to serve four-year terms.

Appointments must be made from among those who have successfully completed the qualifying examination. Temporary appointments are permitted for counties with no qualified applicants, and a referee may be assigned from an adjoining county if there arc less than three qualified applicants. Expectant from page 13 No one was home at the time of the fire, Marshall said. The owner, Lionel Saenz, is a truck driver and was out of town. Mrs.

Saenz was Christmas shopping and did not get home until after firemen had departed, he said. Neighbors later called firemen to say that when Mrs. Saenz came home and found out about the fire she went into shock and had to be taken to the hospital. No information was available on her condition. Loss to the dwelling was $5,000, with a $25,000 save.

Ridgecrest heart of ancient civilization? Clues to what may be man's earliest habitation in the Western Hemisphere are being unearthed by a group of Cerro Coso College students in Ridgecrest. Archeological sites in the desert area may lead strong support to theories of human occupation dating back 20.000 years, said Josef Gamper. anthropology instructor at the college. "We believe we're dealing with an area with one of the oldest human occupations in North America," Gamper said in presentation yesterday to Kern Community College District trustees. The archeological hunt began last summer when the San Bcmadino Environmental Review Board requested a survey of eight acres of property near the Ridgecrest Fairgrounds.

Gamper took his class on the survey to give students basic experience in field work. The group stumbled across a large concentration of obsidian flakes, projectile points and charred bones of animals, indicating a campsite several thousand years old. Gamper later told Ken Bracken, public information coordinator at Cerro Coso: "It was exciting to make this discovery right in the middle of Ridgecrest, since no one suspected evidence of ancient occupation existed here. It appears the culture we discovered was that of the Panamint Shoshone or Coso people." Equipped with a $1,000 curriculum development grant from the Kern Community College District, Gamper and his students continued their investigation for nearly five months. Gamper told trustees the group has used only scientific methods in gathering evidence of ancient cultures.

Once any excavation work begins, it may take 6 months to 2 years to complete it, he said. "We will proceed as slowly as possible, but we're concerned about souvenir hunters destroying the sites," Gamper said. Those who find artifacts should leave them there, he said, because their true value comes when they can be studied in relation to other findings in the area. A second site in the mountains west of Ridgecrest was discovered by a hunter, who related the find to archeology group. Gamper said this site is a rock shelter believed to have been used as a campsite for a long period of time.

The numerous pictographs. or rock engravings of animals, indicate the rock shelter was a relatively permanent site dating back several thousand years. Gamper said. The site is interesting because it is believed to have been used continuously up until the time white men arrived in the area. A third site being investigated in the El Paso Mountains southwest of Ridgecrest is the most significant discovery so far, Gamper said.

"House rings," or circular rock formations, along with petroglyphs-prehlstorlc rock the land was inhabitated for a long time. Significance of the third site. Gamper said, is that it may substantiate earlier findings by archeologist Emilou Davis indicating human occupation in the Panamint Valley between 10.000 and 40.000 years B.C. Miss Davis worked with Dr. Richard Leakey, whose discoveries often were described in National Geographic Magazine.

Suicide from page 13 The lack of personnel, Loustalot says, is not a cold blooded neglect, but a means of placing available personnel where the greatest demand in indicated. Beside potential suicides, jail personnel must be concerned with homosexual problems, jail bullies or otherwise vicious people, overcrowding, individuals with health problems, incompatible individuals such as informers and chitd molesters. (Traditionally jail inmates have inflicted their kind of justice on child molesters and Added to that is the potential of contraband being smuggled into the jail by a new inmate and the weekend guests those who have been granted permission to serve so many days in custody, accumulating time on weekends. Booking on weekends, plus weekend visits is overwhelming. The three were sympathetic but agreed that unless someone has a solution under the present conditions, little more than what is being done now can be made to eliminate the jail house suicide.

Police chief of 30s, 40s Robert Powers, 76, dies Services were held in Oklahoma City for Robert B. Powers, 76, former Bakersfield police chief who died after a brief illness. ROBERT B. POWERS A native of Las Vegas, N.M., Mrs. Powers attended the University of Alabama, where he played football along with teammate of Johnny Mack Brown, who later became a western movie star.

Powers moved to Bakersfield where he worked as a railroad policeman. He joined the police force as a motorcycle patrolman in 1928 and later attended the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va. He was named police chief in 1933. He headed the Investigation of the murder of Earl Warren's father. After his retirement as chief in 1947, Powers became a security officer at wood studios.

He also was active In the Baha'i religious movement, serving as chairman of the Los Angeles group. Survivors include two sons, Stephen of Tucson, and Robert Jr. of Salt Lake City; four sisters, Ruth Tondre of Los Lumas, N.M., Mrs. Coy Gallegos of Las Vegas, N.M., Mary Powers of Albuquerque and Martha Williams of San Diego, and six grandchildren..