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• Woodbridge Wilderness Area fire still under investigation

• Losing their shelf life

• San Joaquin supervisors to consider $75,000 settlement for Lockeford bar owner

• Writer describes her 71 days at Ground Zero

• Crash involving Caltrans workers closes I-5 for hours

• Regional Roundup

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 (151)
• Obama is not a moderate (130)
• Sarah Palin's book hits the shelves: Locals react (66)
• 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 (48)
• 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 (23)
• Tokay Tigers blow late 27-point lead in loss to Wolf Pack (22)

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Writer describes her 71 days at Ground Zero

J. Patch Guglielmino had never been to New York City prior to 2001. Her first trip to the city put her square at Ground Zero, some 10 days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

She spent 71 days helping people cope with the incomprehensible tragedy that took place on 9/11. That included finding body parts and hearing horrendous tales about what people saw, such as numerous people jumping out of windows at the World Trade Center.

Guglielmino listened to terrified children ask her, "Will my daddy jump out the window?"

With the seventh anniversary of 9/11 just four days away, Guglielmino spoke to about 25 people at the Lodi Public Library Sunday afternoon about her new book on her experiences at Ground Zero. The book is called "A Flag at Half Mast; a Personal Account of the Attack on America." She was invited by her sister, Patricia Pischalnikoff, a member of the Lodi Friends of the Library.

"I'm so proud of my sister," Pischalnikoff said.

Guglielmino, who lives in Healdsburg, has worked at 24 disasters throughout the United States.

Pischalnikoff said she phoned her sister frequently while serving at Ground Zero.

"I needed moral support," Guglielmino said. "It was tough down there. There was so much hysteria, and we had to work like robots."

Workers at Ground Zero had to maintain a professional attitude and avoid letting their emotions get to them. She heard the song "Amazing Grace" so often while she was in New York that she struggles to contain her emotions when she hears the song.

"I can't listen to 'Amazing Grace,'" Guglielmino said. "I have to leave the room ... Too much stress."

Another problem Guglielmino covers in her book is that employees and volunteers who spent any significant time at Ground Zero are getting sick due to being exposed to chemicals that were released into the air, Guglielmino said.

Workers cleaning up the area were exposed to chemicals from the computers that were destroyed, benzene from the airplanes that crashed into the World Trade Center and asbestos from the elevators, she said.

Guglielmino has encountered her own health issues that she suspects came from exposure to chemicals at Ground Zero. She says she suffers from chronic asthmatic bronchitis, acid reflux and post-traumatic stress syndrome.

Guglielmino became impressed quickly upon her first visit to New York.

"People in New York — they're wonderful," she said. "People think they're cold and unfriendly, but they're not."

People who came to hear Guglielmino's story and buy her book were impressed with what she had to say, and they learned things they didn't know about the 9/11 tragedy.

"I thought it was great," said Lodi resident Anita McKeever, a volunteer for Friends of the Library. "I thought it was interesting that nobody knew what to do (at Ground Zero) because none of this happened before."

Seven years later, Guglielmino is still busy volunteering for those in need. She works with hysterical families in the emergency room at a Santa Rosa hospital, she comforts victims at crime scenes for the Santa Rosa Police Department and she volunteers for the Healdsburg Fire Department.

Contact reporter Ross Farrow at rossf@lodinews.com.