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• Liberty Fire, Delta Blood Bank to have blood drive

• Galt wants second high school -- but not the bill for it

• Fund transfer needed to 'stabilize' Lodi'selectric rates

• A touch of Italy brightens downtown Lodi

• Influx of 'well-off' increases

• 17-year-old remains in hospital following near-drowning

• Cities could get more cash for annexes

• Amador County fights Indian casino, San Joaquin County traffic snarls

February 9th, 2010

• Middle College High School rated one of the best — and a bargain, to boot

• Lodi decathlon boasts top team in county

• Man who sparked counterfeit case pleads guilty

• Local businessman will visit Haiti to look for family

• Man who claimed to be Yosemite Sam pleads guilty to meth charge

• David Harmer seeks Republican congressional nod

• Lack of evidence in case against suspect in 'drug deal' stabbing

• Regional Roundup

February 8th, 2010

• Public Meetings

• Locals pick best, most memorable Super Bowl commercials

• Regional Roundup

February 6th, 2010

• The Home Depot hopes to join Costco at Reynolds Ranch

• Meet Larry, Curly and Moe

• Baboon business

• Regional Roundup

• Several Lodi venues let you watch the Super Bowl in style

• Lodi Library celebrates 100 years of serving the community

• Culinary craft

February 5th, 2010

• Kids, teachers help Haiti by collecting pennies for Learning Link

• Lodi, Galt students reach out to help Haiti earthquake survivors

• Tasered suspect claims he is Yosemite Sam

• Hours of sweat and work go into putting on crab feeds

• Things looking up for state's real estate

• Correction

• Regional Roundup

• Stray bullet strikes Lodi home; police suspect gang activity may be factor

February 4th, 2010

• Managers at Geweke Toyota answer questions about recall

• Lodi City Council votes to replace play structure at Century Park

• Lodi extends ban on pot shops for another year

• Mokelumne River triathlon set for June

• Family, friends to run half-marathon in memory of Galt family

February 3rd, 2010

• Correction

• Delta College trustees again collide over stipend committee

• Bad bugs, weeds are hot topics at Grape Day

• Lodi-area senators Dave Cox, Lois Wolk admit to gifts; Tom Berryhill case pending

• Lodi Unified School District president issues warning to speakers over cuts

• Galt City Council avoids budget cuts — for now

• New Lodi Memorial Hospital emergency room opens to the public without a hitch

• Regional Roundup

February 2nd, 2010

• Local business leaders say tourism, Costco, Home Depot may play roles in city's future

• Correction

• Former Lodian Erica Davis is first paraplegic woman to summit Kilimanjaro

• Regional Roundup

• No snow leopards, otters for Micke Grove

• McNerney leads in campaign cash

• Police: Train victim was a Lodi teen

• Big rig plows 7 cars

• Jumpers across California

The following stories have received the most reader comments during the last 7 days.

• Will terrorists be given Miranda warnings? (75)
• Lodi Unified School District president issues warning to speakers over cuts (64)
• President Obama's first year (45)
• Many reject the politics of 'no' (45)
• Islamic symbol in mosaic — what is all the fuss? (44)
• Writer comments on Neely column (42)
• The Home Depot hopes to join Costco at Reynolds Ranch (41)
• Time to shed the convenient sham of 'Don't ask, don't tell' policy (34)
• We need to conduct respectful conversations (30)
• Tasered suspect claims he is Yosemite Sam (25)

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Lawyer for three Lodi men arrested and held on immigration charges blasts FBI

A lawyer for three Lodi men being held on immigration charges blasted the FBI on Monday for allowing what he called a "presumption that my clients were somehow involved in a terrorist plot against the United States."

Lawyer Saad Ahmad also vehemently rejected federal accusations that his clients no longer deserve their visas, which are based on serving as religious leaders.

Representatives from the FBI and immigration office, however, say their investigation is far from over and that the men being held will get their day in court.

Ahmad, reached by phone at his Fremont office, said he has evidence Muhammad Adil Khan and Shabbir Ahmed were performing religious work as imams in Lodi and getting paid for it.

He said that evidence discounts the claims by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office contending the men failed to fulfill the duties of their religious employment as required by their visas, and therefore face deportation.

Khan's son, Muhammad Hassan Adil Kahn, is also being held because his visa is reliant on his father's religious status, Ahmad said.

Customs spokeswoman Lori Haley said she could not discuss the case her agency will bring against the men, but said they will be able to argue their own defense in that hearing.

"Their hearings are scheduled and they will have the opportunity to go before an immigration judge," she said.

All three men are scheduled for hearings to be held in San Francisco.

• Muhammad Adil Khan, 47, is being held for suspected violations including being an inadmissible alien, being a non-immigrant, and violating his status and fraud or misrepresentation to procure a visa or document. His hearing has been set for July 1

• Hassan Adil Khan, 19, his son, is being held on an allegation of violating immigration laws. His hearing has been set for June 29.

• Ahmed, 37, is also being held on an allegation of violating immigration laws: His hearing has been set for June 24.

Ahmad said the men "have not now, nor have they ever been, charged with any criminal violations, including any terrorist or conspiratorial activity."

Two other Lodi men, Hamid Hayat, 22, and his father Umer Hayat, 47, have been arrested for allegedly lying to the FBI for their reported ties to an al Qaida terrorist training camp in Pakistan.

But Ahmad said the FBI has not differentiated the case against the three men he is representing from that of the Hayats, and therefore needlessly dragged their names through the mud of the FBI's investigation.

"A public statement by (the FBI) would definitely help these poor men who are perceived around the world as being terrorists," he said.

Ahmad added he is currently also working on trying to get the immigration cases resolved without having to go to trial.

FBI Agent and spokeswoman, Marcie Soligo said the FBI's investigation is ongoing and the agency will not "differentiate" anyone until the case is closed.

"The only thing the FBI will really comment on is obviously the record speaks for itself," she said. "We're continuing with the investigation and all these people are involved in the investigation."

She said that investigation will continue indefinitely until agents can speak to everyone they want to. That could take three days or three months, she said.

"It will go on until we think it's finished."

Contact reporter Andrew Adams at andrewa@lodinews.com.