Regional Roundup

Parachutists collide over Galt; one killed

Two men collided in mid-air while skydiving north of Lodi on Saturday, killing one and seriously injuring the other,the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Department said.

One of the two, a 31-year-old man from Olympic Valley, was pronounced dead at the scene at approximately 1:45 p.m. His name was unavailable at press time pending notification of immediate family members.

The other skydiver, 22-year-old Ben Quinn, a resident of Lake Tahoe and personal friend of the deceased, was seriously injured in the mid-air collision.

Quinn was found unconscious in a vineyard and was transported to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento with spinal injuries, the Sheriff's Department said

Quinn was in critical-but-stable condition Sunday evening, a UC Davis representative said.

A preliminary investigation showed that the men were both experienced skydivers and were on their third jump of the day when the accident occurred.

The FAA will conduct an investigation into the accident, investigating officers said.

Council study session set for Tuesday morning

Lodi City Council members will meet publicly with a representative of CPS Executive Search Tuesday morning to receive an update on the search for a new city manager.

The firm was chosen by Mayor Larry Hansen and, on Wednesday, the city appropriated $25,500 for the search. CPS will provide a public presentation on the process to replace former City Manager Dixon Flynn at Tuesday's study session.

Council members will also be asked to develop a city manager candidate profile and recruitment strategy, according to the agenda.

Flynn resigned earlier this month to run for City Council. Janet Keeter, the deputy city manager, was chosen as the interim city manager Aug. 4.

Also on Tuesday, the council is scheduled to discuss Stockton's amended sphere of influence plan which affects Lodi's wastewater treatment plant. Lodi, too, is working on a similar sphere of influence.

On Wednesday, the council set a Sept. 1 public hearing to make an application to the San Joaquin Local Agency Formation Commission to designate that sphere. The city's Planning Commission approved the action last week.

Tuesday's meeting begins at 7 a.m. in Carnegie Forum, 305 W. Pine St., and is open to the public. For more information, contact the City Clerk's Office at 333-6702.

City volunteers will be honored at ceremony

Hundreds of citizen volunteers who sit on city boards, committees and organizations will be honored for their contributions to Lodi at a ceremony Thursday at Hutchins Street Square. It is an annual event sponsored by the City Council.

Those who have retired during the past year will receive special recognition. There are 15 recipients.

For more information, call the City Clerk's Office at 333-6702.

Supervisors to look at housing program

San Joaquin County supervisors are expected to approve changes to the county's housing program.

When it was established in 1994, the program helped first-time, low-income home buyers with the purchase of a new house.

The program set up a "deferred mortgage" that would bridge the difference between the mortgage and what the home buyer could afford for a house, according to a community development department report.

At the time, the assistance for a down payment couldn't exceed $20,000 or 20 percent of the home price.

But with escalating costs in home prices between 1994 and now, supervisors are being asked to approve a new loan proposal of $40,000 and $50,000.

According to community development staff reports, in 1994, houses were selling for about $85,000 each. Nowadays, that same house would go for $200,000.

Since its inception, the program has helped 304 first-time homebuyers county wide.

The board of supervisors will meet at 9 a.m. Tuesday, 222 E. Weber Ave., 7th floor, Stockton.