Al-Qaida back
on the attack Day after man dies, details of
Al-Qaida has rebuilt some of its pre-Sept. 11 alleged assault remain cloudy
capabilities from remote hiding places in
BY STEVE E. SWENSON
Pakistan, leading to a major spike in attacks Californian staff writer
last year in that country and neighboring e-mail: sswenson@bakersfield.com
A
Afghanistan, the Bush administration said ssault suspect
Wednesday. Attacks in Pakistan more than Matthew Reed
says the Festival
doubled from 375 to 887 between 2006 and FELIX ADAMO / THE CALIFORNIAN
of Beers incident that
2007, and in Afghanistan, the number of In the spotlight one last time. Homer Joy, who wrote “Streets of Bakersfield,” stands in Buck Owens’ old has left Kevin Johnson
recording studio Wednesday on North Chester. The studio is closing its doors for good.
attacks rose 16 percent, to 1,127 incidents brain dead “should
never have happened.”
I
n the half-lit studio, Rick Davis what happened on Sat-
Homer Joy, who famously wrote
sits in a folding chair among urday at Stramler Park,
the hit song “Streets of Bakers-
mic stands, glossy red and yel- but he denied coming
field” in anger after the studio
low electric guitars, a xylo- up to Johnson, 29, from
brushed him off, stops by Wednes- Johnson
phone and a low, dusty black behind and punching
day with warm feelings for the
couch better left to a frat house. his neck.
It’s Wednesday morning, and Please turn to STUDIO / A3 “I did not come up from behind,” Reed said.
the man who took over Buck “I love that dude. I never wanted him to be
Owens’ old studio on North hurt like that.”
Chester Avenue is shutting it Bakersfield.com Reed said there was an argument first.
Bakersfield police initially reported an argu-
down. He sent an e-mail to cancel See video of Homer Joy reminisc-
his insurance. He’s ready to sell ment between the two men came before the
ing about recording “Streets of punch, but then said Reed hit Johnson from
the equipment. Bakersfield” in the studio.
“It’s a logical, orderly progres- behind.
sion in closing a business,” he Jonathan Davis, musicians who “It was not during a fight,” Sgt. Greg Terry
EDUCATION says. filled this room in Oildale with said Wednesday. Johnson was hit on the side of
twang and thrash. The sole the neck, toward the back, Terry said.
College tuition
Surrounded by walls covered in
sea foam green sound panels, Owens-era piece of equipment Reed said the whole incident “was beefed up
underneath a ceiling lined with left in the building is a reel-to- by two girls” — both ex-girlfriends of his and
’60s space-age white globe and reel mastering machine one of whom is Johnson’s current girlfriend.
No more SUVs
clean up tiny specks of dust, soot when residential wood burning is pro- Arvin councilwoman, Fresno City Please turn to AIR / A3
STUDIO: Owens family in no big rush to sell off property plan. They raised the same con-
cerns a year ago when the air dis-
wintertime and is considered the
most harmful air pollutant. In addi-
tion to triggering asthma attacks
Continued from A1 old guys in there. Don ... Don was was busy and Haggard had a com- When he moved out the grand trict board voted on a controversial and lung ailments, the tiny parti-
there. Buck was there.” mitment in Sacramento. piano a few months ago, Davis had smog cleanup plan. cles can pass through the lungs and
place. He hasn’t stepped inside Many of those speaking against into the bloodstream, where they
the building since 1974, two years Bakersfield metal blues artist Buckaroo Jim Shaw says the to sit down and play one more
Marc Jones was the last to record Owens family is in no rush to sell. time. the plan were community organiz- can clog arteries.
after he penned the rebellious ers in Arvin and Lamont who said Doctors have documented trends
Bakersfield anthem. in Pig Studio, on Sunday night. To They still have a tenant, a medical But Homer Joy’s duet with
equipment repair shop. If some- Owens, “John Law,” is the final neighborhood committees consis- that show an increase in deaths
“I had blisters in my boots by avoid a conflict of interest, Rick
one has a good offer down the line, song to bounce around Wednes- tently rank air pollution as their from lung diseases, heart attacks
the time I got back to the motel Davis subleased to Pig Studio
they’ll consider it. day morning. That’s subject to biggest concern. Arvin has experi- and strokes on days when fine par-
room, and I sat down with ‘Streets owner Nick Forcilo in 2005 when
“We said goodbye 18 years ago change. enced some of the highest levels of ticle pollution is high.
of Bakersfield,’” says the 63-year- he became executive director of
“I’ll probably come back tonight air pollution in the nation in recent A 2006 Cal State Fullerton study
old, recalling the walk from the the Kern County Board of Trade. when we moved out and the TV
and sit out in the studio and sing a years. estimated particle pollution costs
studio that inspired the song. Pig Studio stopped taking new station (KUZZ) took it over,” he
few choruses of ‘Streets of Bakers- Air District Executive Director valley residents $3.2 billion annual-
The motel on Garces Circle is clients April 1 and finished exist- says. “ ... I’ve been here 38 years Seyed Sadredin said scientific stud- ly in doctor’s visits, lost productivi-
ing projects by the end of the and it’s hard not to say that it’s field,’” Davis says.
long gone. A strip club took its ies by the air district showed the ty and early death.
place. month. totally without emotion, but the advocates’ suggestions for further Heavy-duty diesel trucks are the
Joy and Davis circle the studio. Davis moved his Fat Tracks stu- building’s still there, reducing PM 2.5 wouldn’t work. largest source of PM 2.5. Other
Joy points out a section of wall dio into Owens’ building in 1992. the room is still Sadredin said the current plan is major contributors include burning
that once contained the vocal The building is still run by the there, the equip- one of the toughest in the nation. of forests, orchards and agricultur-
booth. Inside, he and Buck’s musi- Owens family. ment will be moved “This plan has every control you al fields and industrial machinery
cians used to act goofy, “flip each It’s hard to run a studio of this out one more time. can imagine,” he said. burning liquid fuel and natural gas.
other off and blow each other kiss- size, Davis says. The demand isn’t Things are different
es.” there, not when young musicians than they were when
“It was like it is now, but it’s can lay down tracks at home with
I started in 1970.”
kinda like all that evaporated for Pro Tools software.
He doubts the stu-
me,” Joy says later by phone. “I “I was just honored to have the
dio will make a come-
could see the piano sitting there. I chance to be caretaker, in a sense,
to be here to help it close with dig- back.
could see the drum deal with a
“I don’t think you
picnic umbrella over the drums.” nity,” he says.
could get enough busi-
“For a little while today, I was Davis invited his son and Merle
ness or Rick would
25 years old,” Joy adds, his voice Haggard to walk around the stu-
have done it,” he says.
full of emotion. “I saw, felt all the dio one last time, but Jonathan
Garces explored Kern spots Soldiers from B Company, 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment
patrol in the Shiite stronghold of Sadr City in Baghdad, Iraq. The U.S. mili-
tary death toll hit a seven-month high of 50 for the month of April, nearly
half in attacks in Baghdad where Americans face running street battles
AP
Spanish missionary crossed river 232 years ago, The natives received him with
joy and he rewarded them with
Share your story against Shiite fighters in the Sadr City district.
recorded geographical, cultural details of area gifts of glass beads and tobacco.
The villagers gave a feast and per-
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