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• Lodi shooting victim was mother of 8

• Rescued newborn in stable condition

• Muslim youth balance busy schedules while fasting during Ramadan

• Lodi man accused of bribing co-workers at trucking company

• Regional Roundup

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 (146)
• Obama is not a moderate (130)
• Sarah Palin's book hits the shelves: Locals react (63)
• Despite budget cuts, some Lodi Unified School District salaries continue to rise (54)
• Lodi City Council plans to cap number of taco trucks at 22 (46)
• 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)
• Nightmares about America's future (22)
• Tokay Tigers blow late 27-point lead in loss to Wolf Pack (22)

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Opening their studios

The Lodi and Stockton arts commissions have come together to bring the public into the creative realms of San Joaquin County artists.

Local painters, woodworkers, jewelry makers, collage artists, glass workers and sculptors in Lodi and Stockton are opening their homes, garages and studios to the public. Starting this weekend, artists will show their diverse work spaces, demonstrate their crafts and exhibit completed works.

A collaboration of Lodi and Stockton arts commissions, the tours will be on consecutive weekends. Stockton's Open Studio Tour is today and tomorrow and Lodi's tour will be Oct. 13 and 14. More than 30 artists will be represented over the two weekends. Get your tickets, get a map and admire your neighbor's art as they give a glimpse of the art that makes them tick.

Who: Samuel Bassett and Pepe Pool

Medium: Sculpture

Highlight: In a serene garden of trees, tropical bushes and towering bamboo, Bassett's and Pool's cement sculptures fuse minimal abstractionism and nature in a beautiful way. "I hope people will understand it better in the context of a garden rather than a gallery," Bassett said. In their study of negative space, the artistic partners have begun experimenting with color. The vibrant blues, purples and oranges are not paint or stain — it is the color of the cement. Bassett and Pool will showcase both the gardens, an indoor gallery and their workshop, where they create everything from rubber molds to meaningful cement towers.

Marilyn Eger stands inside her studio where most of her artwork is featured on the walls in Acampo. She will have the majority of her paintings displayed during the Open Studio Tour. (Angelina Gervasi/News-Sentinel)

Who: Marilyn Eger

Medium: Painting

Highlight: Eger has painted pretty much everything, and her two-story gallery proves it. Surrounded by vineyards of purple grapes, her studio is a tribute to the places she's been, the classes she's taken and those special moments she successfully seized. Landscapes, boats, people and still life wait to be viewed. An art teacher, Eger is always striving to become a better painter. "I'm an energetic painter and I love what I do," she said.

Who: Lisa Goldman

Medium: Paper arts

Highlight: Paper mache masks with animalistic characteristics. A framed mingling of beads, string, paint and paper. Tiny pieces of pottery. Glass faces. Colorful, fused glass dishes. These are just a few of the artistic elements you'll find when you enter through the beaded mirror curtains of Goldman's Woodbridge gallery. Using found products, there is no limit to Goldman's eclectic creations. After your eyes wander over every little nook and cranny filled with interesting art, sit in her lush yard and enjoy a glass of wine with the artist.

William Head has one of his jewelry pieces, a crystal opal gold ring with diamonds, displayed at his goldsmith shop in Lodi. (Brian Feulner/News-Sentinel)

Who: Nina Rodriguez

Medium: Stained glass

Highlight: With her young daughter coloring on an easel beside her, Rodriguez creates stained glass like you've probably never seen before. Her lawn sprinklers are the most intricate: A large heron or egret created with layers of colorful glass and mounted to a hand-crafted stand that spouts water. The electric blue glass is her favorite because it is so vibrant, but the color combinations are endless in outdoor-inspired pieces.

Who: William Head

Medium: Jewelry

Highlight: Head likes to wow people with hand-crafted jewelry. He starts from scratch, forming metal and carving rare stones into unique pieces. More than diamonds and rubies, Head uses stones such as Tibetan turquoise opals, star sapphires in every color of the rainbow, chrysopraise, gem silica chrysocolla, etc. "There is so much more available than every day diamonds," he said. Each of his broaches and rings are completely unique. Head, a Lockeford native, isn't in gems for the money, but because he loves them, from rough to finished.

Who: Pete Troiani

Medium: Woodwork

Highlight: Using retired 59-gallon wine barrels, Troiani creates one-of-a-kind ice chests, Lazy Susans, wine bottle and wine glass racks, clocks, baskets and candle holders. His goal is to use 100 percent of the wine barrel. When making a table, he uses the staves as legs and the top of the barrel as the table top. Each of his products are hand-finished, polished and usually rich in color and stained from storing red wines.

Phyllis Marts sits in her garage, where she will have all of her paintings displayed during the Open Studios Tour in Woodbridge on Tuesday afternoon. (Angelina Gervasi/News-Sentinel)

Who: Phyllis Marts

Medium: Painting

Highlight: Marts has been painting since her first child was born 45 years ago. Her specialties are still life and landscapes painted with vibrant oils. Often times, she starts with a photo she took and adds her own elements in the painting process. In her garage that doubles as her studio and gallery, Marts shows hundreds of painting of bell peppers, melons, open fields, historic figures and flowers.

Open Studios Tour
Stockton tour: Today and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Lodi tour: Oct. 13 and 14, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Prices: $20, includes both cities and good for up to two people.
Where to get tickets: Downtown Stockton Alliance, Tidewater Gallery, Stockton Art League, Goodwin Gallery, Hutchins Street Square, With Garden Flair, Merle Norman Cosmetics Studio, WineStyle and Stockton and Lodi Arts Commission Offices.
Tickets or Information: 937-7488, 333-5511.

Contact reporter Lauren Nelson at laurenn@lodinews.com.