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• Before Stephanie, there was Lillian

• Galt to honor its gold-medal winner

• Wal-Mart: Lodi plans are going forward

• Class is in session

• Four arrested in Lodi prostitution caper

• Regional Roundup

• Lodi Unified facing shortfall on several construction projects

• Galt planning fees to increase

• Community Center for the Blind opens office in Lodi

• Peter Fox named San Joaquin County public defender

November 2nd, 2009

• Deputies name suspect in fatal Acampo shooting

November 7th, 2009

• Lodi High graduate was at Fort Hood

• Lining up for flu shots in Lodi

• Tour packs buses as birdwatchers admire Sandhill cranes

• City of Lodi staff looking into possibility of limiting number of taco trucks

• Daytime thieves targeting Lodi homes

• Lodi High School rally featured on 'Good Day Sacramento'

• Out of control

• Homicide suspect Anthony Hubbard arraigned

• Regional Roundup

• New Lodi Memorial rule to combat spread of H1N1: Visitors must be older than 16

November 6th, 2009

• Short sales make up nearly half of Lodi market

• Regional Roundup

• Lodi man accused of smuggling drugs, weapons for inmates at state prison

• 'I-5 Strangler' sentenced to 6 terms of life

• Jury convicts Acampo man of torture, assault of his girlfriend

• Young girl is 200,000th person to assemble AIDS, HIV care kit

• Woman in wheelchair struck by car

November 5th, 2009

• A lower Lodi Lake

• Streetside scarecrows

• San Joaquin County considers moratorium on new Williamson Act contracts

• Speakers address Lodi Unified School District budget shortfalls, plea to keep programs

• Armed robbers still targeting Lodi shops

• Regional Roundup

• California voters have final say over $11 billion water bond

• Weekend bus service to continue until Lodi City Council makes decision

• Paul Tebbel shines spotlight on sandhill cranes

• Your complete guide to Sandhill Crane Festival

• David Diskin is first to give an invocation under new city of Lodi policy

• Man wanted in Acampo homicide gives up to San Joaquin County Sheriff's detectives

November 4th, 2009

• Candle fire

• Rep. Jerry McNerney sets telephone town hall for Thursday

• Regional Roundup

• Lodi City Council weighs raising fares to restore some bus service

• Galt City Council argues over ordinance hiring residents

• San Joaquin County sues state over prison hospital planned for Stockton

• Big win for Allen Baroni in reclamation election

• California sends Democratic loyalist John Garamendi to Congress

• Bicycling father raising awareness of teen suicide

• Jason Behrmann is unanimously named Galt's city manager

November 3rd, 2009

• 500 attend service for Kyle Coumas

• Correction

• Galt considers ordinance that would require city contractors to hire locally

• Regional Roundup

• Have you seen a missing guide dog puppy in Lodi?

• Galt man dies after weekend Highway 12 crash

• Jason Behrmann is top candidate for Galt city manager

• Deputies name suspect in fatal Acampo shooting

• Clarification

November 2nd, 2009

• Downtown Lodi trick or treat

• Public Meetings

• Correction

• Kyle Coumas funeral today

• Regional Roundup

• Sandhill Cranes Festival comes to Lodi next weekend

• Lamborghini lovers gather for show, fine wine, luncheon in Woodbridge

• Lodi's 'Biggest Loser' Christy Richesin runs 5K Halloween race

• 27-year-old man shot to death Saturday night in front of Acampo home

• Group investigates reports of haunting

October 31st, 2009

• Area schools have no plans of closing due to H1N1 virus

• Tokay High evacuation

• Gated communities in Lodi

• Finishing touches on Hill House replica

• Regional Roundup

• In remembrance of Kyle Coumas

• Lodi-area Halloween events

• City of Lodi settles case of mistaken identity

• Lodi a reflection of Halloween's retail emergence

• Izzy Laviola and Seth Siddle-Mitchell crowned Tokay homecoming queen and king

The following stories have received the most reader comments during the last 7 days.

• Bible is entwined with American civic life (135)
• I predict: A conservative tide will rise in 2010 (73)
• David Diskin is first to give an invocation under new city of Lodi policy (70)
• The Treaty of Tripoli hoax (60)
• Universal health care solves big problems (54)
• Here's what my father knew about the assassination of JFK (35)
• Stuck in neutral? Hardly! (35)
• Words from our forefathers (27)
• City of Lodi staff looking into possibility of limiting number of taco trucks (24)
• Majority cannot deprive the minority (23)

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Regional Roundup

Child abuse suspect cries through court appearance

A Lodi man accused of beating his 2-month-old daughter made his second court appearance Tuesday, where he sobbed and nearly hyperventilated.

Justin Beebe, who turned 21 behind bars Monday, didn't speak as Deputy Public Defender Eric Taylor asked a judge for more time because his office is assigning a specific attorney to handle the case.

Instead, Beebe cried and breathed audibly as bailiffs stood near him. As his breathing grew louder, the brief court hearing ended and Beebe began sobbing loudly after leaving the courtroom.

Beebe, who is being held in segregation at the San Joaquin County Jail, will return to court Sept. 8.

Beebe is facing nine felony charges, which could send him to prison for life, in connection with the Aug. 11 beating of his infant daughter. Lodi police say that the baby's mother went to work for the first time after maternity leave, then came home to find the baby badly injured.

The infant was flown by medical helicopter to a Sacramento hospital but has since been released. She is doing well, police said Tuesday.

Meanwhile, donations of gift cards and diapers have been pouring in after Friday and Saturday media coverage of a break-in at the family's apartment. While the mother and baby were at the hospital, and Beebe was in jail, the south Lodi apartment was ransacked and all of the mother's valuables were stolen.

The community response has been amazing, said Paula Grech, of the Women's Center of San Joaquin, which accepted donations so the mother could remain anonymous.

Lodi teen accused of rape with weapon

An 18-year-old Lodi man was jailed on $510,00 bail Tuesday, charged with five felonies relating to a July sexual assault report.

Juan Garcia pleaded not guilty to charges of rape with a knife, attempted sodomy, domestic violence with a weapon, making criminal threats and assault with intent to commit a felony.

He is also accused of violating his probation in two previous cases, including an allegation of disobeying an order to stay away from gang members.

Garcia, who Lodi police say is a documented gang member, had been sought since the July 28 sexual assault. He was arrested last week on an unrelated matter by San Joaquin County Sheriff's deputies, and Lodi police added their charges Friday.

Garcia asked Judge David Warner if he could go to trial as soon as possible "to get it over with." Garcia later said in court that he had "already talked to the girl" in the case.

Prosecutors asked Warner to sign an order barring Garcia from having any contact with the victim, and the judge promptly did so.

Garcia will return to court Friday, and a preliminary hearing is currently scheduled for Sept. 3.

Toddler injured in alleged DUI crash

A 2-year-old boy was hospitalized Tuesday morning after his father allegedly sped up Highway 99 and crashed into a tree before being arrested on suspicion of driving drunk.

The driver, 51-year-old Lester Charles Russell, of Las Vegas, was hospitalized with several broken ribs and abrasions.

Around 8:30 a.m., drivers north of Kettleman Lane called 911 to report a reckless northbound driver traveling at perhaps 100 mph, California Highway Patrol Officer Adrian Quintero said.

Then, south of Victor Road, Russell's 2001 Kia Spectra veered off the east side of the highway and struck a tree, Quintero said. Officers determined at the scene that Russell was driving under the influence, Quintero said.

The boy, who was strapped in a car seat, had lacerations and a bruise to the forehead. Though his injuries did not initially appear life-threatening, he was taken by medical helicopter to UC Davis Medical Center for observation in case of a head injury.

Russell, who was wearing his seat belt, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and child endangerment, both felonies. He was taken by ambulance to Lodi Memorial Hospital.

Developer gets time extension

Due to the downturn in the economy and the weakness of the real estate market, a Lockeford developer has been given an extension to complete subdivision improvements for a small subdivision off Highway 88 until May 1, 2009.

The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors approved the time extension on Tuesday.

Water storage tank coming to Thornton

The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors allocated $383,903 in Community Development Block Grant funds Tuesday to complete a water storage tank project in Thornton. The entire project will cost almost $1.8 million.