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• Faces of tragedy

• Investigation continues into crash as canal gives up yet another body

• Family identifies body of relative who died in accident

• Local fire, medical squads frequently respond to submerged vehicles

• Business district to get street lights

• Correction

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 (147)
• 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 (55)
• 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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Son of Lodi resident aboard Olympic sailing team

Olympian Austin Sperry didn't spend a large chunk of his life in San Joaquin County, but the short time he resided in the Central Valley laid the foundation for his quest to reach the Olympic games this year.

Sperry, a former Stockton resident, whose father Brooks currently lives in Lodi, teamed with father-in-law John Dane to qualify for the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing in the Men's Sailing Star class division.

The 1-2 punch of Austin as the crew and Dane as the skipper beat out 19 other squads to claim top billing at the U.S. Olympic Sailing Trials last October in Los Angeles. Only one team from each division made the cut.

"Only one team goes from each event at the trials, so it was an impressive win from that point," Brooks said. "This is his first time in Olympics in is his third try. In the two trials before, he finished somewhere in the ten's. This time they won."

The Sperry's lived in Stockton for three years and Brooks introduced Austin to the open waters at that time with the Stockton Sailing Club while also spending summers at the St. Francis Yacht Club

"He started sailing at five-years old. We used to go out on the Delta," Brooks said. "After high school he started sailing with Mark Reynolds, a three-time Olympic medalist."

In 1982, the family moved out to the East Coast where Austin went to high school at Avon Old Farms all-boys school in Connecticut before traveling cross country again to play lacrosse at Whittier College in Southern California. He then moved to San Francisco to focus on sailing full time and currently resides in Gulfport, Miss.

Brooks, meanwhile, made his way back to Lodi to take over the house his mother left when she passed away.

"My mother lived in Lodi and was a school teacher in the '60s, '70s and '80s," Brooks said. "I've lived here the last ten years."

John Dane, right, and Austin Sperry, of Gulfport, Miss., head back into the Gulfport Harbor on Wednesday, May 28, 2008, in Biloxi, Miss., after a practice run in preparation for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games. The two will represent the US in the Star class sailing competition. (Associated Press file photo)

Fate brought Austin, 30, and Dane together in 2004 when Dane's daughter Sally caught the attention of Austin's gazing eye.

Soon after, Austin and Dane were training for an Olympic berth four years down the road.

"It was crazy. It was unbelievable," Brooks said of his son's Olympic berth. "His father-in-law is the poster child of AARP. He's from New Orleans and he's been a good sailor all his life. There's a great story there. He and Austin hooked up and beat out the young guns."

Dane is the oldest U.S. team member in any sport at 58 years old and the oldest sailor competing by nearly 17 years. He was part of a team that took second place in the 1968 US Olympic Trials.

Austin, is currently unavailable for comment because he's training in the coastal city of Qingdao, China, some 430 miles to the east of Beijing, where the Olympic regatta will take place.

He will return to San Francisco on July 23 to get his credentials and paperwork for the Olympics before heading back to Qingdao on Aug. 1. The regatta starts on Aug. 9 and runs through Aug. 24.