Regional Roundup

Lodi High video production students will show their series of short films, called "Finding Our Own Way: Teens in Lodi," at a special screening on May 17 at Lodi Stadium 12 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

The collaboration of short films focuses on a range of issues, including teen drug use and racism on the Lodi High School campus.

The event is free of charge.

An additional showing will take place at the California State University, Stanislaus' Student Union on May 13 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

National Guard troops returning to Lodi

Several dozen soldiers based at the Lodi unit of the California National Guard will soon be home from Iraq, after spending a bit more time at a New Jersey base.

About 820 members of the Guard's 143rd Field Artillery returned to the United States from a year-long deployment to Iraq on Sunday.

Partly because the deployment was so large and included troops from the entire state, the soldiers will come home individually rather than on charter flights, said Sgt. Will Martin, with the Guard's public affairs office. Another factor was the bankruptcy of an airline that had contracted many such charter flights.

About 40 soldiers left Lodi in the early hours of May 30. From there, they joined more troops at Camp Roberts in Paso Robles and ultimately headed to Fort Dix in New Jersey. They trained there for several months and then headed to Iraq.

City delays discussion on bond financing

City of Lodi leaders tabled a talk Wednesday on how to address concerns regarding its variable rate electric utility bonds, worth nearly $47 million. City Manager Blair King said a request to French bank BNP Paribas to provide a letter of credit was recently declined, making the discussion moot. The city has been searching for ways to bolster its credit rating and avoid having investors redeem city bonds early, as they have on a couple of occasions this spring.

A letter of credit would have helped the city's credit rating, and perhaps allowed the city to terminate its relationship with the troubled MBIA, the nation's largest municipal bond insurer that's had its own credit downgraded.

Finance Director Jim Krueger said the next and most viable option was to refinance the bonds to a fixed rate.

Converting a variable rate to fixed, however, can be complicated by swaps — complex financial mechanisms intended to guard against interest rate spikes. Should MBIA's and the city's credit rating each be downgraded, the city could face a $9 million termination fee for the swap before it can refinance to a fixed rate.

Wanted: The funkiest of Lodi crafters

Are you an edgy crafter who mocks the so-called trendy designs filling stores? Do you love your homemade wallet, your made-by-me iPod case or the funky gifts you make your friends? Are you all about Betty Page, Andy Warhol or the anti-Barbie? Do you embroider tea towels with skulls and crossbones? Do you cover every surface with Mod Podge or tape? Are your favorite clubs the Craft Mafia and Stich 'n' Bitch? If you're a cool craftster who put your own spin on grandma's embroidery, we want to know.

To have your work considered for an upcoming Lodi Living story, e-mail Lodi Living editor Lauren Nelson at laurenn@lodinews.com. Include photos or a detailed description of your creations (anything from magnets to clothing and home furnishings), information about yourself and a contact phone number. You can also call 369-7035.

Man pleads guilty to assaulting deputy

Nearly three years after an Acampo man attacked a San Joaquin County Sheriff's deputy with a screwdriver and was then shot, he pleaded guilty this week to assault and was then found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Peter Donald Raine, now 63, remains in custody and will return to court May 23 for a report recommending where he be housed, Deputy District Attorney Ted McGarvey said. Raine will ultimately remain in custody until doctors determine that he does not pose a threat.

The long-running criminal case began May 26, 2005, when deputies were called to a disturbance at a home in the 23000 block of Sowles Road. Raine and his roommate had gotten into an argument about the Vietnam War, and after deputies arrived Raine picked up screwdrivers and began threatening deputies, according to court testimony from a September 2006 hearing.

Pepper spray and a baton didn't stop Raine, and a sergeant shot him twice after Raine pinned another deputy down and was trying to plunge screwdrivers into his neck. The sergeant testified that he was about to fire a third time when Raine, who knew him from previous contacts, said, "Hey, Sarge. I guess I'm getting too old for this. I'm tired."

Raine spent five days in the hospital and was then booked into the county jail on an attempted murder charge. He has since been in and out of state mental hospitals, and on Monday he pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon, a strike.

Both the prosecution and defense agreed with a doctor's report that Raine was insane, McGarvey said, and a judge then ruled that he was not guilty by reason of insanity.

Thieves target flea market vendors

Galt police are investigating whether a group of people are distracting vendors at the flea market and then stealing their belongings.

Tuesday afternoon, two or three women began talking to a vendor at the market. As they distracted the vendor, a man stole the victim's purse and checks, according to police.

Witnesses happened to notice and called police, and the man fled as soon as officers arrived, Sgt. Chuck Dedricksen said. The women told police they were merely shopping and didn't know the man, so officers let them go.

What the women didn't know was that undercover detectives followed them. When they met up with the man, the gig was up. To add to matters, Dedricksen said, the man was the father of one of the women.

All three were arrested and the incident remains under investigation.

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