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• Lodi Mexican restaurant, Porfi's, to close after 31 years

• Lauchlands a Lodi grape-growing clan for five generations

• St. Joachim's Church plans to relocate Lockeford's vintage 1850s chapel in spite of objections from historical society

• Regional Roundup

• Suspicious item gets 'Chili' reception by Lodi police

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 (170)
• 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 (50)
• 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 (22)
• Young woman fatally shot at Acampo home (17)
• Sierra Adventure store to close after four years in Downtown Lodi (16)

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Suspicious item gets 'Chili' reception by Lodi police

THE TALE OF THE STRANGE ITEM: Lodi police were recently sent to investigate a small, suspicious item topped with a blinking red light near the flag pole at Farmers and Merchants Bank on Church Street.

As one officer, humor firmly in place, later summed it up: "We approached the area tactically and kept plenty of distance between us and the flag pole. We were looking for a device similar to something you saw in the movie 'Speed.' ... It was a black coaster-sized device sitting on the ledge that skateboarders use to annoy the people at the bank.

"I approached the object without fear and at considerable risk to myself. The first thing I noticed about the 'box' was the Chili's sticker on top."

Yes, it was a piece of plastic the restaurant uses to notify waiting customers when their table is ready. It was blinking, so the officer had a feeling the table was finally ready.

CHURCH VS. CRIME: If you rob a bank and then run into a church, can police follow you inside and arrest you, despite freedom of religion guaranteed under the Constitution's First Amendment?

That was a Lodi woman's question, which recently befuddled police employees, who wondered if there was an ulterior motive.

An officer answered the first question: Yes, they can haul bank robbers out of church.

However, there is the case of Elvira Arellano, an illegal immigrant holed up in a Chicago church because her 8-year-old son is a legal U.S. citizen and she faces deportation. She's been in the church since August. Law enforcement officials say they can enter the church but have not done so, and nobody is disputing their right to enter the church.

Of course, Arellano is not accused of a violent crime, and we're pretty sure cops would barge through church doors to get a bank robbery suspect.

As for the Lodi woman, we have a strong hunch that her only ulterior motive is curiosity.

ASTUTE CRIMINAL ALERT: Did you hear the one about the drunken man who drove himself to the California Highway Patrol office to find out what had happened to his impounded car?

Yes, that really happened earlier this month.

An officer approached the man to ask if he could help but then smelled a familiar odor.

No word on how far the man had driven before arriving safely at the Stockton office east of Highway 99.

DESPERATE CRIMINAL ALERT: Speaking of hazardous drivers, there was the suspect whose red Ford Mustang hit a house last week on South Washington Street.

Nobody was injured and the driver fled, but then the car came back long enough for the occupants to retrieve a bumper that had fallen off.

The car took off again, and police officers found a trail of bumper bits.

BOARDSTOCK LOOKING FOR A HOME AGAIN: Remember BoardStock?

Lodi nearly earned itself the alternative sports spotlight a few years ago when the promoters of BoardStock sought to set up shop at Lodi Lake.

The event would have featured various sports like wakeboarding, skydiving, wake surfing and motocross.

While the City Council nixed the motocross event, it did allow Lodi Lake to be used as a site for the contest despite protests from residents who lived near the lake.

BoardStock was a go until the organizers suddenly canceled on Lodi. It eventually wound up at Lake County's Konocti Harbor Resort on the shores of Clear Lake.

According to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, however, the event is now looking for a new home after a slew of underage drinking violations at the 2006 BoardStock event meant Konocti Harbor lost its liquor license for 20 days in January.

Who knows, maybe Lodi will get another look. Perhaps a ZinfestBoardStockpalloza?

ST. PATRICK'S IN IRELAND? Well there's a big parade in Dublin, but otherwise, St. Patrick's Day isn't a big deal in Ireland, according to Lockeford resident and devout Irishman Gary Gordon.

Gordon, who typically visits Ireland twice a year, will be there for St. Patrick's Day, but no one seems to care if you wear green.

"It's an American thing," Gordon said. "If you're not in one of the big cities, there's nothing going on."

SAME-NAME MARRIAGE: How often does someone named Stuart marry a Stewart? Well, the new director of the San Joaquin County Historical Museum did just that.

When he was in school and students were seated alphabetically, David Stuart typically said "here" whenever the teacher called Kay Stewart's name during roll call, the reason being that "Kay" sounds somewhat like "Dave."

Stewart kept asking Stuart why he always responded when the teacher called her name. Apparently, she forgave him. In fact, it resulted in wedded bliss.

And no, they aren't related except by marriage.

Items in Grapevine, which runs every other week on Mondays, are written by various reporters on the staff. If you have an item to contribute, e-mail Newsroom Assistant Pam Bauserman at pamelab@lodinews.com or call her at 369-7035.

First published: Monday, March 12, 2007