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• 'I'm not a rich man, but I've given you an honest name'

• Mervyns in Lodi shutting its doors

• Lodi police arrest 8 gang members during parole sweep

• 11th Congressional District race: Dean Andal vows to cut taxes, invest in energy

• 11th Congressional District race: Jerry McNerney seeks second term in Congress

• Regional Roundup

• Workers protest non-union labor at Lodi Memorial Hospital

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 (152)
• Obama is not a moderate (130)
• Sarah Palin's book hits the shelves: Locals react (67)
• Despite budget cuts, some Lodi Unified School District salaries continue to rise (56)
• 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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'I'm not a rich man, but I've given you an honest name'

Woodbridge irrigation accident victim Antonio Contreras recalled as a man of hard work, honor, love of family

By the time he reached the second grade in Mexico, Antonio Contreras was already finding work to help his family, which ultimately grew to include 13 children.

He was never able to finish school, but he was determined that his children would get the opportunity. It happened: His two sons have finished law school and his two daughters are currently enrolled at four-year universities.

Contreras, 55, drowned Thursday evening at work in the Woodbridge Irrigation Canal after he jumped in to retrieve a part that had fallen into the water. He left behind his wife, four children and four grandchildren. "When this happened, I thought, 'What did he instill in me?' The hard work and education," his son, Antonio Contreras Jr., said Friday. "If I can be half the man he was, I'll be happy."

Exactly what happened in the water just east of Lower Sacramento Road remains under investigation by state and county investigators. San Joaquin County Sheriff's deputies said it wasn't unusual for Contreras to go in the water in the course of his work.

Whether any other medical problem was a factor is awaiting autopsy results, which Deputy Les Garcia said weren't yet available Friday.

California's Department of Industrial Relations opened an investigation Friday morning, a process that typically takes two to three months but can last up to six months.

Contreras had entered the water to retrieve a piece of equipment called a flow meter head, DIR spokeswoman Erika Monterroza said. Contreras and other employees had been working on a fish-diverting project that prevents fish from leaving the Mokelumne River and getting lost in the irrigation canal.

Antonio Contreras Jr. wipes away a tear while talking about his father, Antonio Contreras, who died Thursday evening after jumping into the Woodbridge Irrigation Canal. (Brian Feulner/News-Sentinel)

Woodbridge Irrigation District employees referred questions to manager Andy Christensen, one of two employees who jumped in the water and tried to save Contreras. Christensen wasn't available for comment Friday, employees said.

Deputies had initially said Contreras was 57 and a 21-year employee, but family members corrected his age Friday and said he had been employed at the district for 26 years.

Contreras moved to the U.S. at age 17 to find work and a better life, said his eldest son, Juan Contreras. He became a permanent resident but didn't seek citizenship until recently.

He became a U.S. citizen last year and voted for the first time ever in this spring's primary election. He was so proud to be able to vote for a president that he rescheduled a vacation to see his ailing mother until Nov. 5, the day after Election Day.

His sons weren't sure if their father ever had a credit card, but he apparently didn't need one: He owned his Lodi home with no mortgage.

Contreras put his family first, Juan Contreras said, and a neighbor said that Contreras dreamed of one day buying a neighboring house so his children could stay close to him.

When he wasn't working and spending time with his family, Contreras was mowing neighbor Ann Hodgdon's lawn. The day before he died, he took the 84-year-old stroke survivor to get a flu shot.

"I trusted that man," she said quietly. "It's just so sad."

Hodgdon asks people to speak slowly due to her stroke, and Contreras hadn't perfected his English, she said, so they didn't always quite understand each other. When that happened, they'd just laugh.

"That family worked hard to educate their children, and they all were doing really well," she said.

Contreras proudly attended each child's graduation, including the two bachelor's and the master's degree Antonio Contreras Jr. received.

The son, who worked as a behavior analyst at a special education school, then followed his brother's footsteps and finished law school. He took the state bar exam and is waiting to hear if he passed.

Contreras' two daughters are both interested in criminal justice, so they may wind up following similar paths, the brothers said.

Contreras, who came to Lodi because he had family in the area, had worked in fields and then at a lumber mill until it closed.

One day at a laundromat, he met a woman who was managing Woodbridge Irrigation District, Juan Contreras said. The woman liked his attitude and said that if he needed work, she'd hire him.

More than two dozen years later, Contreras was still working there, providing for his wife of 36 years and making sure his children and grandchildren had the means to get through school.

"He valued an education," Juan Contreras said, fighting back tears, as did his brother. "He told us, 'I'm not a rich man, but I've given you an honest name.'"

Contact reporter Layla Bohm at layla@lodinews.com.