SCAM: Heads up on a new scam going around town. The other evening Janice Rivera, who lives out near Jenkins Road, said a man showed up at her door saying he was there to upgrade her security panel. Her husband let him in, but Janice was wise enough to ask for his identification. "I looked at the man and said, 'You have a Vivant employee badge on.' He told me that Vivant bought out Monitronics. I said, 'No, they didn't, I would've received an email.' I told him no thanks and goodbye. He then left without saying another word. A few minutes later, I remembered that I did receive an email from Monitronics, quite a few months ago, warning of this happening.... Beware and be alert!"

MOVE: I spent the last week moving into a new home, and I could not have done it without some superior customer service from a few local companies. Jesus and Ryan of Hansen's Moving and Storage were quietly efficient and friendly, and Rich Johnson of Johnson's Painting squeezed me into his schedule to spruce the place up. Also kudos to local Realtors Dutch Toews and Gary Gibson, who made the process seamless. These are times when you welcome those local connections in a town like Bakersfield.

Services scheduled

Ignacio Alaniz, 91, Lamont, May 29 in Lamont. Visitation 4 to 8 p.m. June 4, Hillcrest Chapel; funeral 10 a.m. June 5, St. Augustine Catholic Church, 10601 Myrtle Ave., Lamont. Hillcrest Memorial Park & Mortuary.

Services scheduled

Ignacio Alaniz, 91, Lamont, May 29 in Lamont. Visitation 4 to 8 p.m. June 4, Hillcrest Chapel; funeral 10 a.m. June 5, St. Augustine Catholic Church, 10601 Myrtle Ave., Lamont. Hillcrest Memorial Park & Mortuary.

Q: I noticed today that metro Bakersfield recycle drop sites will close June 30. Please tell me the reason for this decision.

I mainly recycle cardboard products at the Thorner Elementary and Bakersfield College sites, and as evidence of the bins always being full, so do other folks in the area.

Bakersfield College and TBC Media, representing The Bakersfield Californian and its affiliated publications and digital products, will partner to bring Renegade football games in video to bakersfield.com for the 2014 season.

For the first time, all 10 of Bakersfield College's 2014 football games will be live streamed in video on Bakersfield.com and GoGades.com, where video highlights from the games will also be made available.

EUGENE, Ore. -- Stockdale senior Blake Haney won't attend classes at Oregon until the fall, but his first valuable lesson came a few months early, on the track at Hayward Field on Saturday in the Prefontaine Classic.

Haney, with hopes of becoming the sixth American high schooler ever to break four minutes, ran a 4:10.41 in the International Mile, well behind the rest of a fast pack.

PORTLAND, Maine — Day in and day out we go to the ballpark to play the game we love. There are moments of late-night rain delays, overnight travel and a variety of weather conditions but there are also moments of joyous walk-off wins, dominant shutout pitching and amazing web gem catches.

We are incredibly fortunate to play the game we do, and we try to never take that for granted. We also realize that while we are not in the major leagues, we do carry a voice that fans appreciate and value.

ADELANTO -- Jesse Winker hit a three-run home run and Marquez Smith hit a solo shot to help the Bakersfield Blaze beat the High Desert Mavericks 15-10 Saturday.

The Blaze had 18 hits, including three apiece by Ryan Wright, Smith and Seth Mejias-Brean.

It was a successful finish to high school baseball careers for the Bakersfield Senior All-Stars Saturday night.

The 22-player squad representing 10 city schools overwhelmed the Central California Coast All-Stars 13-5 at Bakersfield College's Gerry Collis Field.

Services scheduled

The Rev. Karen J. Bryan, 71, Bakersfield, May 27 in Bakersfield. Visitation 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. June 2, Basham-Anspach Funeral Care. Funeral 10 a.m. June 3 at Basham-Anspach Funeral Care Chapel, 620 Oregon St. Basham Funeral Care.

EUGENE, Ore. -- It's the fastest, and arguably the most prestigious, race of Blake Haney's budding running career.

He has the added pressure of trying to becoming the sixth high schooler in American history to break the legendary four-minute barrier in the mile.

I must admit my surprise at Thursday's announcement that Bill Kernen had done an about-face and decided to put his coaching retirement on hold.

It was May 8 when the Cal State Bakersfield baseball coach -- who started the program from scratch after his hiring in 2007 -- said he was retiring to return to New York City and resume writing plays.

ADELANTO -- Burt Reynolds' two-run homer highlighted a three-run eighth inning that lifted the High Desert Mavericks to a 9-8 victory Friday over the Bakersfield Blaze.

David Vidal hit a two-run homer and he and Juan Perez had three hits apiece to lead Bakersfield, which outhit the Mavericks 16-12 but stranded 10 runners.

Cal State Bakersfield has received about 100 applications for its head baseball coaching position since the May 8 announcement that head coach Bill Kernen was retiring.

But everything changed shortly after May 24's season-ending 3-1 loss to Sacramento State at the Western Athletic Conference Tournament in Mesa, Ariz.

VISALIA -- Wandy Peralta pitched seven scoreless innings with six strikeouts and only one walk to lead the Bakersfield Blaze to a 5-0 victory Thursday over the Visalia Rawhide at Recreation Park.

Peralta (5-4) allowed only two hits. He retired 12 in a row from the second through sixth innings.

Services scheduled

George John Hupp, 86, Wofford Heights, May 25 in Wofford Heights. Graveside service 11 a.m. June 2, Inglewood Park Cemetery. Sierra Valley Mortuary, Lake Isabella.

The state Senate is moving to prepare for accidental spills and explosions as more oil is shipped into California by rail but has rejected a moratorium on fracking, the contentious method for extracting oil.

Lawmakers on Wednesday approved SB 1319 in response to a series of damaging oil spills from rail cars in other states and Canada. The bill would expand the state's existing oil spill prevention program, traditionally aimed at oil tanker ships and pipeline spills, to include rail disasters.

A new general manager. A new coaching staff. An almost entirely new roster.

And a 1-10-1 start to the season.

The annual Senior High School All-Star Baseball Challenge will have a new look this season: Bakersfield All-Stars will take on a team from the Central Coast.

The game is set for 7:15 p.m. Saturday at Gerry Collis Field at Bakersfield College; player introductions will begin at 6:45.

VISALIA -- Beau Amaral's bases-loaded single in the eighth inning broke a tie and sparked the Bakersfield Blaze to a 6-4 California League win over the Visalia Rawhide on Wednesday night.

Yovan Gonzalez walked to force in an insurance run moments later.