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• 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 (170)
• Obama is not a moderate (130)
• Sarah Palin's book hits the shelves: Locals react (73)
• Public health care is a Christian option (73)
• Lodi City Council plans to cap number of taco trucks at 22 (52)
• The haves should help the have-nots (31)
• Tokay in, traveling to unbeaten No. 3 Grant for football playoffs (25)
• Government-run health care is a bad idea (25)
• Young woman fatally shot at Acampo home (18)
• Sierra Adventure store to close after four years in Downtown Lodi (16)

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McNerney tops Andal to retain Congressional seat

Incumbent Democratic Congressman Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton, beat Republican challenger Dean Andal on Tuesday in the 11th Congressional District.

With all 649 precincts counted, McNerney had 55.3 percent of the vote and Andal claimed 44.7 percent.

"I'm pretty confident — but it isn't over until it's over," McNerney said Tuesday before the final votes were counted.

The 11th Congressional District sprawls from Lodi to Morgan Hill and includes large portions of the east and south Bay Area.

Out walking precincts Tuesday morning in Pleasanton, McNerney was heartened by a resident with a bumper sticker on his car supporting John McCain.

"Since he backed McCain, I wasn't sure if I should approach him or not. But I did," McNerney said. "I stuck out my hand and told him who is was and he said, 'Jerry? Oh, yeah, I just voted for you.'"

He said his lead over Andal was earned, in large measure, by reaching out to constituents and spending many hours meeting with residents in their hometowns across the district. In the last two years, he has held numerous "Congress on the Corner" events in outlying communities, including Lodi.

An energy engineer, McNerney upset Republican incumbent Richard Pombo in 2006. He has opposed the war in Iraq and favored the federal bailout package.

Andal is a former member of the Assembly and the state Board of Equalization. He is also a current Lincoln School District trustee.

The campaign was intense and well-financed, with total donations of nearly $4 million. As of Oct. 15, McNerney had raised $2.8 million and Andal $$1.2 million.

Much of McNerney's money came from unions; much of Andal's from developers and business interests.

McNerney's campaign raised issues about Andal's role in the development of the controversial Mountain House campus for Delta College. Andal worked as a consultant for Mountain House developer Gerry Kamilos.

Planning and consulting fees for that campus have cost millions, though little progress has been made.

Andal attacked McNerney for passing out Congressional pork in exchange for campaign contributions. He pointed out that McNerney helped secure a $1 million contract for EDO Corp., which has an office in Morgan Hill. After that earmark, EDO contributed $9,500 to McNerney's campaign. McNerney said the earmark was a legitimate defense contract and that he's provided unusual transparency by posting any earmarks on his Web site.

On Tuesday, Theresa Hong, helping coordinate Andal's campaign, said the EDO earmark reflects a "culture of corruption" in Washington that Andal hoped to clean up.

"This election, more than anything else, is about integrity," Hong said. "The American public has grown sick and tired of the wasteful spending and distribution of pork."

Andal himself could not be reached for comment.

In Lodi, several voters interviewed favored Andal.

"If we want change, we need to change, and that means clearing out the incumbents," said Mark Hoyle, voting at the Lodi Academy on Central Avenue.

But Thomas Collins, who is homeless, and who voted at the Grape Festival grounds, felt McNerney deserved a return ticket to Washington.

He said McNerney has been responsive to veterans and seems more interested in helping people in need. "From what I hear, he cares about people. He wants to help us out," Collins said.

Traditionally a conservative district, the 11th has tilted more Democratic in the last four years, though Republicans still hold a slight edge in registration, 40.1 percent to 39.01 percent.

In 2004, the numbers were 45 percent Republican and 37 percent for Democrats.