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• Lodi-area Democrats weigh in on 'superdelegates'

• Man accused of shooting at vehicle in Lodi

• Three area mayors to gather, discuss their concerns in summit

• Local SkillsUSA teams win big at regional competition

• Broken pipe drenches courthouse, forces closure

• Two vehicles collide on Lodi Avenue; one crashes into School Street arch

• Comedian Kathy Griffin puts Tracy in the spotlight

• Couple basks in sunny glow of victory after winning free solar power

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 (165)
• Obama is not a moderate (130)
• Sarah Palin's book hits the shelves: Locals react (70)
• Lodi City Council plans to cap number of taco trucks at 22 (48)
• The haves should help the have-nots (30)
• Public health care is a Christian option (29)
• Tokay in, traveling to unbeaten No. 3 Grant for football playoffs (25)
• Government-run health care is a bad idea (17)
• Young woman fatally shot at Acampo home (17)
• Sierra Adventure store to close after four years in Downtown Lodi (16)

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Couple basks in sunny glow of victory after winning free solar power

The seemingly endless sunshine that illuminated Tracy this week seems the perfect initiation for a new home solar system.

At least, Bryan and Stacey Watson sure think so.

The couple beat out 15,000 contestants to win a free home solar system through BP Solar and "Evan Almighty," a Universal Pictures movie that was filmed using energy from solar panels.

The Watsons, with their 1-year-old son, Chance, basked in their win Thursday while a team from 1st Light Energy Inc. installed 25 solar panels on top of their home, which sits just north of Schulte Road.

The system comes with a wireless module that shows how many kilowatts the panels have converted into energy and how much energy the family's used on any given day.

The Watson's utility bills typically range from $150 in the winter to $250 during the heat of summer. They expect a $20 to $30 charge on their next bill.

The panels typically convert more sunshine into energy than a household uses up during mild-weather months. Families can bank "energy credit" with Pacific Gas and Electric Company that can be used during the high-energy months, like July and August.

The Watsons plan to put away the money they save for Chance's college fund.

"We'll see the benefits of this for as long as we live here," Stacey Watson said.

Tracy has become a hotbed for solar electric systems, said Richard Bennett, the western region sales manager for BP Solar.

"This area has high utility rates, especially in the summer," he said. "And Tracy has plenty of sunshine."

Justin Krum, owner of 1st Light Energy Inc., first installed solar panels on Tracy homes about six years ago. Now, he has monthly requests for the systems.

Most solar systems cost about $40,000, but state and federal tax breaks and rebates will cut down the cost of a solar system by about 40 percent, Bennett said.

This isn't the first time the Watsons have won a prize.

Stacey Watson started entering sweepstakes as a hobby about two years ago. Now, she goes through a roll of stamps each week for chances to win vacations, books, T-shirts and other prizes. She's won clothes, calendars and other knickknacks.

When she logged on to BP Solar's sweepstakes Web site about six months ago, her hobby paid off.

"She can use up as many stamps as she'd like," Bryan said with a laugh.

The prize also fits the couple's goal to tread lightly on the environment.

Bryan, 40, carpools with a friend from Modesto to his job at Dublin Toyota, where he works as a mechanic. Stacey, also 40, is a homemaker and walks instead of driving whenever she can. The couple also recycles and uses heat and air conditioning sparingly.

"I don't know why more households don't do this," Stacey said of the solar system. "I hope more people will go green."

Contact Danielle MacMurchy at danielle@tracypress.com.