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• He could face life sentence

• Two injured in drive-by shooting in Lodi

• Crafty canines

• Environmental film festival comes to Lodi tonight

• Shooting scenario training

• Regional Roundup

• Lodi conference teaches sustainable agriculture, watershed management

• City Council excited about Lodi Avenue art project

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 (161)
• Obama is not a moderate (130)
• Sarah Palin's book hits the shelves: Locals react (70)
• 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)
• Public health care is a Christian option (29)
• 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 (23)

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Crafty canines

Fish and Game trains dogs to sniff out invasive species in area

The newest weapon in the state's fight against invasive species has four legs, a powerful nose and answers to the name of Louie.

The state Department of Fish and Game has begun using six canine teams to search for invasive species like zebra mussels as well as often-poached animals like abalone and other illegal items.

One of the teams is based in Stockton and consists of Fish and Game Warden Lori Oldfather and her bright-eyed, energetic yellow Labrador retriever, Louie.

Zebra mussels and quagga are small freshwater mussels that can cause big problems for water systems and native habitats. The animals can spread from different lakes and waterways by sticking to boats. In the last year, Fish and Game inspected nearly 83,000 boats, trying to halt the spread of the two species.

Louie and Oldfather were recently practicing their inspections at the Mokelumne River fish hatchery using a training boat. Oldfather would hide items in the boat and it was up to Louie to find them.

"Where is it, Louie?" Oldfather commanded.

Tail up and nose wriggling, Louie sprang into action sniffing along both sides of the boat. Seconds later he found the abalone Oldfather had hidden under the bow.

"Good job, Louie," Oldfather said as she bent down to scratch Louie's ears, her eyes shining with pride, before throwing him his blue and orange ball.

The pair graduated in February from the K-9 academy located in Willits and have been working everyday on bonding and expanding their searching skills.

At the academy, the dogs are first trained with scented tennis balls shot into the air from hydraulic boxes. The dogs had to find the balls and bring them back to the box with a scent matching the ball's scent. After mastering the boxes, the dogs were trained to find real quagga hidden on boats, much like Oldfather and Louie continue to do each day.

Their reward? A ball just for them.

"He's great because he has no bias ... his only bias is to his ball," Oldfather said.

Oldfather is also training Louie on her own to sniff out deer and bear blood for the upcoming hunting season when wardens often face hunters and poachers trying to hide meat and carcasses in various parts of their boats or vehicles.

She hides the packets of meat and blood throughout a boat and has Louie jump in and find them. With a little prompting, he is sitting, alert and focused. Eager to see if he has found the right thing, he stares at the exact spot where Oldfather hid the meat: sealed in a bag and closed in an airtight cooler on top of a seat on the boat. Another ball for Louie.

"Good boy, Louie," Oldfather praises once more.

While the initial training is complete, Oldfather and Louie continue to work with the canine academy.

"We meet with the master handler every month (but) we continue our communication between the two of us everyday," Oldfather said.

Oldfather has been with Fish and Game for about 18 years but hasn't ever had a trained dog working with her. However, she said her new partner will be quite beneficial.

"I know what a big help a dog can be to a game warden ... it can be a concern to the bad guy," Oldfather said.

"They're a huge benefit to our job because they can find anything," added Oldfather's partner, Game Warden Alan Gregory.

Gregory doesn't have a trained dog, but brings his "companion" dog with him to work each day to help out with everyday tasks and to keep him company.

How to sponsor a dog team or make donations

Game Warden Lori Oldfather and Louie are part of a program called Californians Turn in Poachers (Cal-TIP). The program runs six canine groups designated to find harmful, invasive species and illegal items hunters and poachers may try to hide.
The canine program began through grant money, but the Department of Fish and Game plans to fund the program with donations.
All donations are tax deductible and can be sent directly to CalTIP Inc., K-9, 17 Mace Blvd., Suite J PMB 125, Davis, CA 95618.

Quagga and zebra mussels

A bag of quagga mussels. (Jennifer M. Howell/News-Sentinel)

Quagga and zebra mussels first arrived in the United States from Europe in the 1980s, according to a fact sheet by the Department of Fish and Game.
The animals have been spreading west ever since and cause problems because of their prolific growth. Quagga and zebra mussels can clog pipes that carry drinking and irrigation water, interfere with hydroelectric systems and also damage the environment in general.
Both zebra and quagga mussels were found in Lake Havasu and the San Justo reservoir this January. However, there haven't been any reported in San Joaquin or Sacramento counties, according to Fish and Game.
— News-Sentinel staff.

Many of the dogs that went through the academy were companion dogs but after graduation were purchased by Fish and Game to be used in the field, said Erin Gallop, public information officer for Fish and Game.

The dogs cut down on costs and help with warden efficiency.

"The dogs could save us 800 personnel hours a year," said Alexia Retallack, spokeswoman for Fish and Game.

The academy was first funded by seed grants and now the department is accepting donations and sponsorships of dog and warden teams, said Retallack.

The wardens who trained their companion dogs were paired up with them; however, Oldfather and Louie are a special match-up.

"I'm the lucky one that got a new dog," Oldfather said, adding that even though her companion dog didn't pass training, she still has a great love for Louie.

"(There is) almost too much of a connection. I let him sleep on the couch," Oldfather said.