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• Redevelopment approved

• Utility rating raised

• Owning a small part

• $8.5 million construction plan begins

• Lodi law: Volunteer coaches must pass checks

• Regional Roundup

• Five for the Fourth

• Fourth of July holiday closures

• Correction

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 (170)
• Obama is not a moderate (130)
• Sarah Palin's book hits the shelves: Locals react (73)
• Public health care is a Christian option (71)
• Lodi City Council plans to cap number of taco trucks at 22 (50)
• The haves should help the have-nots (30)
• Tokay in, traveling to unbeaten No. 3 Grant for football playoffs (25)
• Government-run health care is a bad idea (25)
• Young woman fatally shot at Acampo home (18)
• Sierra Adventure store to close after four years in Downtown Lodi (16)

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Lodi law: Volunteer coaches must pass checks

If you decide to begin coaching children at a Lodi game without going through proper background checks, you could be arrested, under an ordinance approved Wednesday by the City Council.

All volunteer coaches must be fingerprinted, a way to perform background checks, but every once in a while parents or spectators try to bypass that process.

One time, a man had several violent felonies on his record, meaning that he could not coach, but he ignored city parks employees' requests to leave the field, Deputy City Attorney Janice Magdich told the City Council at their Wednesday night meeting. Since parks are public, that meant the man wasn't trespassing.

The council voted 4-0, with Councilwoman Susan Hitchcock absent, to pass the ordinance.

The coaching issue only came up with that one man, but sometimes parents get worked up and also try to start issuing orders on the field, Interim Parks and Recreation Director Steve Dutra said before Wednesday's meeting.

"We are a recreational operation, not a competitive operation. The children are out there to have a good time," he said, noting that children can also learn about teamwork and discipline along the way.

The ordinance gives police the authority to arrest or cite anyone who refuses to leave the field during an organized sporting event. Under the new law, only youth team members and approved volunteers will be allowed within 10 feet of the field of play.

Approved volunteers get an application through the Parks and Recreation Department and then get fingerprinted at either the parks office or the police station. The fingerprints are sent to California's Department of Justice, which checks the applicant's background. Results go to the city's Human Resources Department and are kept confidential, Dutra noted.

Ultimately, Dutra said, the goal is to keep youth games entertaining, and a bit educational.

"When you go and watch your children, your grandchildren or your neighbor's children, you go there with the expectation of having an enjoyable experience."

Contact reporter Layla Bohm at layla@lodinews.com.