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• Estrellita takes huge dip in progress report

• Another inquiry

• Congressional committee to review local foreclosure crisis

• Regional Roundup

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 (165)
• Obama is not a moderate (130)
• Sarah Palin's book hits the shelves: Locals react (71)
• Lodi City Council plans to cap number of taco trucks at 22 (49)
• The haves should help the have-nots (30)
• Public health care is a Christian option (30)
• Tokay in, traveling to unbeaten No. 3 Grant for football playoffs (25)
• Government-run health care is a bad idea (17)
• Young woman fatally shot at Acampo home (17)
• Sierra Adventure store to close after four years in Downtown Lodi (16)

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Regional Roundup

Police K9 trials to be held Saturday in Lodi

About 30 police dogs will descend on Lodi this Saturday for the fifth annual art O'Keefe Memorial K9 Trial.

The event, hosted by the Lodi Police Department, starts at 8 a.m. at Tony Zupo Field, at the corner of Washington Street and Lawrence Avenue. There is no admission cost and it is open to the public.

Police dogs from across California will compete — and train at the same time — in four areas: searching for people, obedience, agility and protection.

The dogs and their police officer trainers have no idea what kinds of scenarios they will face, and Lodi teams don't have any hometown advantage, said coordinator Sgt. Chris Jacobson.

Typical scenarios range from having to find a hiding person to running and jumping through an obstacle course. During the protection phase, which usually ends the day, trained volunteers act as suspects and wear thick suits, and the dogs catch them.

A concession stand will be open, with all proceeds going to the Lodi police cadets. Lodi's K9 team will also be selling T-shirts and posters — which are new this year, Jacobson said.

Though the field is reserved from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., the trials usually end by early afternoon at the latest, depending on the number of dogs and how long it takes them to complete each scenario.

Youths robbed of iPods

Four boys riding skateboards at Lawrence School on Wednesday evening were robbed of iPods and some change, according to Lodi police.

The boys — one age 12 and the others 13 — were at the 721 Calaveras St. school around 7 p.m. when two men in their early 20s approached. The men asked the boys if they wanted to buy marijuana, and the boys declined, Sgt. Chris Jacobson said, after reading reports on the incident.

Then one of the men demanded cash from the boys, who also declined that request. The man then punched one of the youths and stole two music players from them, along with a small amount of money, Jacobson said.

No medical assistance was requested.

The men left the scene, possibly in a white van. The one who punched the boy was described as Hispanic, 5-feet, 11-inches tall, 200 pounds, with black hair. The other one was described as white with blond hair.

Transit-oriented growth guidelines approved

The Lodi City Council voted 5-0 this week to approve design guidelines for transit-oriented development Downtown.

The guidelines encourage the construction of pedestrian-friendly projects within a one-quarter-mile radius of Lodi Station. Such projects might include high-density mixed-use buildings, often with retail shops below residential units.

They advocate for projects with fewer parking spaces, given the proximity to transit.

Outgoing City Planning Manager Peter Pirnejad said the vote is largely symbolic. Developers do not have to follow them unless the council decides to make the guidelines part of Lodi's Development Code.

"What we're trying to do is steer (projects) in the right direction," Pirnejad told the council Wednesday night in his final council meeting before leaving for a new municipal planning post in Daly City. "We're trying to increase residential development in that core area."

Grant money is available for those interested in building transit-oriented projects, noted City Manager Blair King. By working with the city, successful applicants can tap into some of the $2.5 billion in Proposition 1C funds approved by voters in 2006, he said.

The guidelines are the result of ideas and comments received during several community workshops and from city staff suggestions.

They were developed as a result of a $75,000 Community Based Planning Grant the city received from the California Department of Transportation in 2006.

Elderly Galt man found dead

An elderly Galt man who went missing Tuesday was found deceased the following day.

No foul play is suspected.

Galt police had issued an alert Wednesday when the 89-year-old man never returned home after leaving in his pick-up truck. That night police sent out an update that he had been "located."

Diversity Day set for Saturday

The Galt Community of Character Coalition has organized a Diversity Day this Saturday at the Galt Community Park.

The event will feature entertainment that reflects Galt's cultural diversity. More than two dozen local organizations are also expected to attend the event to showcase volunteer opportunities for members of the Galt community.

Food will be available for purchase, and there will also be music and games for children.

The event will take place from 2 to 6 p.m.

Olde Towne Stroll to be held Sunday

Woodbridge merchants will host the Woodbridge Olde Towne Stroll from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday in the business area on Lower Sacramento Road.

The stroll will feature locally produced crafts, a Woodbridge-based band, a Harley and Corvette show, 40 vendor booths and art.

Additionally, the Woodbridge Irrigation District will have a ribbon cutting for its new fish screen project near the irrigation canal, just south of the Arco station on Lower Sacramento Road.

A breakfast will be held most of the morning beginning at 7 a.m. at the Masonic Lodge on Augusta Street, just west of Lower Sacramento Road. The Stockton Bike Club will conduct a 25-mile ride beginning at 8 a.m.

Proceeds will benefit the Woodbridge Grange.

Tracy joins opposition against canal plan

The Tracy City Council voted Tuesday to join Lodi and other cities in and around the San Joaquin Delta to oppose a proposed canal that would deliver water to Southern California.

A plan to build a peripheral canal died at the hands of voters in 1982, but has been revived by a panel appointed by the governor called the Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force.

The city councils of Stockton, Lodi and Manteca have joined the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors to oppose the canal, as Tracy's did Tuesday night. Five counties around the Delta have also banded together as peripheral canal opponents.

County Supervisor Leroy Ornellas, of Tracy, was at Tuesday's meeting to urge the council to oppose the canal.

What bothers Ornellas as much as the canal itself is a proposal for what he called "new governance" for the Delta that could take decisions that impact Delta waterways out of the hands of locals and put it into the hands of others.

"Southern California interests are very supportive of this plan," Ornellas said.