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• It's in the cards

• Local brewers, winemakers honored

• Galt Council may raise curtain on movie theater agreement

• Spanish story time, classes gain popularity

• Lodi's science museum still has a way to go

• Regional Roundup

• Board member: Officials at Vineyard school thought building work was legal

• Officers rebuff assistant sheriff, endorse Lobenberg

• Snowmobile users may get sanctuary near Yosemite park

• Logbook

November 21st, 2009

• Logbook

• Holiday drive spreads cheer to U.S. troops

• Galt High students want board to approve open-campus policy

• Poisoning victims remain hospitalized

• Expert: Half a mushroom cap can be deadly

• Tokay grad files claim over Lodi's Grape Bowl

• Lodi Middle School holds annual Turkey Trot

• Regional Roundup

• No motive or suspect in shooting

• Sacramento cop arrested for alleged kidnapping

November 20th, 2009

• Acampo woman killed

• Salvation Army Kettle Kickoff

• Advocacy groups sue East Bay Municipal Utility District over Pardee expansion

• Regional Roundup

• Galt plans to help residents with energy-efficient projects

• Stable southeast of Lodi approved

• One year after a heart attack, Lodi's Judy Mims thanks rescuers

• National Guard troops return home in time for the holidays

• Real estate market gets on more solid ground

November 19th, 2009

• Operation: Christmas

• Logbook

• Suspect arrested after hiding in fridge

• Chase ends in crash

• Galt Joint Union High School Distric hires new superintendent

• Sales tax hike yields dividends: 5 new officers join Galt Police

• Lodi Unified School District board votes to cancel summer school for 2010

• Water surges in Mokelumne River yield more salmon

• Lodi City Council will consider redevelopment next June

• Lodi City Council plans to cap number of taco trucks at 22

• Corrections

November 18th, 2009

• Regional Roundup

• Paranormal group conducts second investigation of building

• Congress allocates money for local water projects

• Sarah Palin's book hits the shelves: Locals react

• Lodi man finds wife's ashes during police display of stolen property

• Galt City Council rejects study on rent stabilization

November 17th, 2009

• Paying tribute to a Lodian

• Lodi Budget and Finance Committee to look into ways to save money on employee benefits

• Regional Roundup

• Decision on summer school expected at tonight's Lodi Unified School District meeting

• Clements gets free water rescue boat

• Redevelopment to be discussed by Lodi City Council again

• Court reinstates death penalty for killer of Lodi grad

• Clarification

November 16th, 2009

• Correction

• Public Meetings

• City Council 'triple-dog dared' to ditch cars, use Lodi buses

• Sierra Adventure store to close after four years in Downtown Lodi

• Lodi's First Sip event showcases area wineries' latest vintages

• Three members of Lodi-area family fall ill after eating poisonous mushrooms they reportedly found at Lodi Lake

• Regional Roundup

November 14th, 2009

• Galt school district narrows superintendent search to one

• Regional Roundup

• Despite budget cuts, some Lodi Unified School District salaries continue to rise

• Watchful neighbor in Lodi helped bust suspected burglars

• New Galt city manager juggles job, family

• Despite an increase in homeless students, school districts look to bolster enrollment, raise revenue

• A first look at 2009 vintages at Lodi's First Sip wine-tasting event

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

• The country's mess is our fault (169)
• Obama is not a moderate (130)
• Sarah Palin's book hits the shelves: Locals react (73)
• Lodi City Council plans to cap number of taco trucks at 22 (50)
• Public health care is a Christian option (33)
• The haves should help the have-nots (30)
• Tokay in, traveling to unbeaten No. 3 Grant for football playoffs (25)
• Government-run health care is a bad idea (20)
• Young woman fatally shot at Acampo home (17)
• Sierra Adventure store to close after four years in Downtown Lodi (16)

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Lodi's science museum still has a way to go

After almost two years of planning, fundraising and meetings, the backers of the World of Wonders Science Museum are a bit closer to their goal.

In May, the Lodi City Council approved the museum's request to use vacant office space on the ground floor of the central parking structure on the corner of Sacramento and Pine streets.

Plans call for a hands-on science museum in which area residents can learn the principles of science through various displays.

The council originally gave the museum six months to raise enough money to open, but no contracts have yet been signed, said Dan Ingrum, who thought up the idea after visiting San Francisco's Exploratorium museum.

"It's really a win-win for us and the city," Ingrum said.

Ingrum, owner of Danz Jewelers, is also on the museum's board of directors. The board has applied for 501(c)(3) nonprofit status and is waiting to apply for grants to supply exhibits and educational materials.

The 12,000-square foot museum will have a store run by Lodi School Store owner Harrison Weese, and a classroom.

Exhibits could be leased, purchased from the Exploratorium or built in Lodi based on Exploratorium models. To save money and keep displays fresh, some will be traded among other museums, said marketing director David Diskin.

About $20,000 was raised at a recent private fundraising dinner, Diskin said.

The city of Lodi is not funding any part of the project, Diskin said. The offices, which have been vacant since the parking structure opened in 2002, don't have floors, insulation, lights, plumbing, or air conditioning.

Despite the vacant offices on the north end of Sacramento Street and a tattoo parlor, liquor store, card room and bar nearby, Diskin and Ingrum, aren't worried if the site is appropriate for children.

Diskin said downtown Lodi as a whole continues to improve and believes a children's museum could help kick off a revitalization of Sacramento Street. He and Ingrum also say the museum's location is ideal because of the parking and bus depot.

Diskin said that because about 411,000 public school students live within an hour of Lodi, schools won't need to travel so far for a great field trip. They are estimating about 25,000 visitors per year.

First published: Friday, July 14, 2006