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• Spraying set for Lodi

• Governor declares emergency in three counties

• Collapsed bridge had history of problems

• New City of Lodi policy pose a risk?

• Walk for Wesley

• Regional Roundup

• Hamid Hayat to be sentenced next week

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

• 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

• Chase ends in crash

• Operation: Christmas

• Logbook

• Suspect arrested after hiding in fridge

• Galt Joint Union High School Distric hires new superintendent

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

November 18th, 2009

• Regional Roundup

• Paranormal group conducts second investigation of building

• Congress allocates money for local water projects

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

• Galt City Council rejects study on rent stabilization

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

November 17th, 2009

• Clarification

• 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

• Paying tribute to a Lodian

November 16th, 2009

• Correction

• Public Meetings

• Regional Roundup

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

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

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

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

November 14th, 2009

• Galt school district narrows superintendent search to one

• Regional Roundup

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

• Watchful neighbor in Lodi helped bust suspected burglars

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

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

• New Galt city manager juggles job, family

November 13th, 2009

• What to expect with new homebuyer tax credit

• Lodi Muslim: Local mosque not involved

• Regional Roundup

• Mayor Larry Hansen points out Lodi's economic progress

• First phase of Lockeford park by 2011?

• Lodi veteran recounts close calls in Vietnam

• Burglary suspects are under arrest

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

• The country's mess is our fault (154)
• Obama is not a moderate (130)
• Sarah Palin's book hits the shelves: Locals react (67)
• Despite budget cuts, some Lodi Unified School District salaries continue to rise (58)
• Lodi City Council plans to cap number of taco trucks at 22 (48)
• The haves should help the have-nots (30)
• Lodi Flames slim playoff chances vanish in setback to Tracy Bulldogs (25)
• Tokay in, traveling to unbeaten No. 3 Grant for football playoffs (25)
• Public health care is a Christian option (25)
• Nightmares about America's future (23)

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Hamid Hayat to be sentenced next week

Lodi man convicted last year on terror charges faces up to 39 years in prison

A pre-sentence report has recommended that Hamid Hayat, the Lodi man convicted of terrorism last year, spend 35 years in prison.

His defense calls that recommendation "draconian and unfair."

Hamid Hayat

Hayat's attorneys wrote in a six-page response, filed last Friday, that federal sentencing guidelines could instead call for a nine-year sentence. Government attorneys have not yet filed a response.

He is scheduled to be sentenced next Friday and could receive up to 39 years in prison.

Hayat, 24, has been jailed for more than two years, since his June 5, 2005, arrest.

A federal jury last year convicted him of providing material support to terrorists and lying to the FBI.

Hayat's attorneys have argued that he was unfairly subjected to hours of interviews with FBI agents and only told them what they wanted to hear.

In videotaped interviews played for the jury, he denied attending terror training camps in Pakistan, then later said that he saw camps. An FBI agent testified that he never found physical proof that such a camp existed.

Jurors deliberated for nine days before convicting Hayat.

Then a juror came forward, saying the foreman was biased throughout the case and that she was pressured to change her vote to 'guilty.'

U.S. District Court Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr., who will sentence Hayat Aug. 10, denied requests for a new trial.

Hayat was one of five men detained after the FBI spend years conducting an undercover investigation in Lodi.

The FBI originally focused on religious leaders in Lodi's Pakistani community, paying an informant to infiltrate the Lodi Muslim Mosque. When he couldn't get close to the leaders, he testified at trial, he befriended Hayat and even encouraged him to "train" in camps.

In June 2005, FBI agents swarmed through Lodi, detaining two religious leaders on immigration violations, along with the 19-year-old son of one of the men. All three ultimately agreed to be deported back to Pakistan, and they were never charged criminally.

Hayat and his father, Umer Hayat, were interviewed for hours and then arrested.

The elder Hayat was charged with two counts of lying to the FBI and a jury ultimately could not reach a verdict.

After accepting a plea deal on an unrelated charge, he has since gone back to work and still lives in Lodi.

Contact reporter Layla Bohm at layla@lodinews.com.