Lodi Police Officer Gary Fauth questions witnesses after Tuesday afternoon's robbery of Community Business Bank, located at 1540 W. Kettleman Lane. The bank was robbed at 4:23 p.m. (Whitney Ramirez/News-Sentinel)

Regional Roundup

Man robs Lodi bank

A man in dark clothing robbed a Lodi bank Tuesday afternoon and fled before police arrived.

The man entered Community Business Bank, 1540 W. Kettleman Lane, around 4:20 p.m. and demanded money, according to police. No weapon was seen and nobody was injured.

The suspect, described as a white man in his 30s, was wearing a black hat, dark gray hooded sweatshirt, dark jeans and had a thin beard with a goatee, according to Lodi police. He left the bank on foot and no vehicle was seen. Police dispatchers first received an alarm from the business and then, while officers were on their way to the alarm, got word from the bank that it had been robbed. The bank is located in a newer office complex that had a number of false alarms while under construction and when businesses were moving in.

Community Business Bank, aimed at small businesses, opened in a temporary location on Lodi Avenue in November 2005. It moved to its present building in April 2006.

Officials design ag plan for Central Valley

MODESTO — Fresno and Stanislaus counties have developed a coordinated plan to protect the region's valuable agriculture industry from disasters ranging from animal viruses to food contamination.

The "All-Hazards Food and Agricultural Emergency Response Template" spells out specific roles for local, state and federal agencies if there is an agricultural emergency.

The plan was crafted from $117,000 in grants from the Department of Homeland Security and has been adopted by the California Agricultural Commissioners and Sealers Association, officials said Monday.

The template has piqued the interest of other states seeking to consolidate government efforts in emergencies, said Carla Thomas, deputy director of the western region of the National Plant Diagnostic Network.

Authorities have long used similar frameworks to divvy up work responsibilities between fire and law enforcement agencies, but farming presents its own set of challenges.

Stanislaus and Fresno counties have large poultry populations, so response measures there had to include poultry disease outbreaks, Stanislaus Agricultural Commissioner Dennis Gudgel said.

In the past, it could take several days to get all responders involved, but with the new plan in place it should take just two hours, said Gary Hinshaw, Stanislaus County assistant director of emergency services.