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• Lodi City Council sends plan for DeBenedetti Park back to staff for more review

• Chase leads to arrest, search

• Aimee Murry promoted to division chief in Lodi Fire Department

• $33,000 raised to help tortured Tracy teenager

• New Galt high school will open on time

• Regional Roundup

• Community good to Lodi's nonprofits

• Lodi Unified School District approves early retirement plan for teachers

• Correction

February 8th, 2010

• Public Meetings

• Locals pick best, most memorable Super Bowl commercials

• Regional Roundup

February 6th, 2010

• The Home Depot hopes to join Costco at Reynolds Ranch

• Meet Larry, Curly and Moe

• Baboon business

• Regional Roundup

• Several Lodi venues let you watch the Super Bowl in style

• Lodi Library celebrates 100 years of serving the community

• Culinary craft

February 5th, 2010

• Kids, teachers help Haiti by collecting pennies for Learning Link

• Lodi, Galt students reach out to help Haiti earthquake survivors

• Tasered suspect claims he is Yosemite Sam

• Hours of sweat and work go into putting on crab feeds

• Things looking up for state's real estate

• Correction

• Regional Roundup

• Stray bullet strikes Lodi home; police suspect gang activity may be factor

February 4th, 2010

• Managers at Geweke Toyota answer questions about recall

• Lodi City Council votes to replace play structure at Century Park

• Lodi extends ban on pot shops for another year

• Mokelumne River triathlon set for June

• Family, friends to run half-marathon in memory of Galt family

February 3rd, 2010

• Correction

• Regional Roundup

• Delta College trustees again collide over stipend committee

• Lodi-area senators Dave Cox, Lois Wolk admit to gifts; Tom Berryhill case pending

• Lodi Unified School District president issues warning to speakers over cuts

• Galt City Council avoids budget cuts — for now

• New Lodi Memorial Hospital emergency room opens to the public without a hitch

• Bad bugs, weeds are hot topics at Grape Day

February 2nd, 2010

• Big rig plows 7 cars

• Local business leaders say tourism, Costco, Home Depot may play roles in city's future

• Former Lodian Erica Davis is first paraplegic woman to summit Kilimanjaro

• Jumpers across California

• Correction

• Regional Roundup

• No snow leopards, otters for Micke Grove

• McNerney leads in campaign cash

• Police: Train victim was a Lodi teen

February 1st, 2010

• Find cuddly alpacas not too far from Lodi

• Public Meetings

• Patients can expect faster, better service when Lodi Memorial Hospital's new emergency room opens

• Man killed by Amtrak train in Lodi

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

• Will terrorists be given Miranda warnings? (72)
• President Obama's first year (67)
• Lodi Unified School District president issues warning to speakers over cuts (64)
• Local business leaders say tourism, Costco, Home Depot may play roles in city's future (60)
• Islamic symbol in mosaic — what is all the fuss? (49)
• Writer comments on Neely column (42)
• The Home Depot hopes to join Costco at Reynolds Ranch (41)
• Many reject the politics of 'no' (37)
• Police: Train victim was a Lodi teen (31)
• Time to shed the convenient sham of 'Don't ask, don't tell' policy (30)

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Realtor luncheon a time of positive reinforcement, looking forward

After the rough year real estate saw in 2008, one could possibly look at the annual Lodi Association of Realtors luncheon as a helping of comfort food.

Lodi Realtors gathered Wednesday at the Woodbridge Golf and Country Club to install the 2009 officers and directors of the LAR and pay tribute to those who gave their most to the local real estate industry. Despite the previous year, when the phrases "mortgage meltdown" and "housing crisis" became all-too-common, the packed banquet room was lively with talk and a positive energy was felt throughout.

"Things are slower, but I think it will turn around," said Linda Bush, the immediate past president of LAR. "There are a lot of good people in our association willing to put themselves out there."

Echoing that sentiment was the immediate past president of the National Association of Realtors, Richard Gaylord, who was on hand to swear in 2009's officers and directors. It was the first time an NAR official attended the LAR Luncheon, which celebrated its 88th year.

Gaylord said that whereas other associations' memberships across the state and nation fluctuated — and sometimes declined — during a rocky 2008, Lodi's membership stayed consistent. Properties in the Lodi vicinity also stayed on the market for a shorter period of time than other areas.

"The first time I came to Lodi, in 2000, I fell in love with it," Gaylord, a Long Beach resident, said. On his first trip, Lowell Flemmer, a Lodi Realtor, took Gaylord on a tour of the city, and he was amazed to see homes for sale in all price ranges.

And though the news painted a dismal picture of the market last year, Gaylord said the news was better than people realized.

Gaylord stated that there had been 4.9 million sales statewide in the past year. Though that news was encouraging, Gaylord said by mid-2009, the market will start to get better. He also said that the NAR will be working closely with Barack Obama's administration to get more people into homes.

The afternoon function was filled with reassurance, humor and even bittersweet moments.

Inducted into the Lodi Realtor Hall of Fame was Ted Katzakian, who died unexpectedly last year. Katzakian was a past president of the association, former mayor of Lodi and city councilman, and was credited for building many portions of the city. His son, Tim Katzakian, swelling with emotion, accepted the award on behalf of the family and received a standing ovation.

Paul Mertz, another past LAR president and Lodi Realtor, was honored as the Realtor of the Year. It was the second year in a row the honor was bestowed upon Mertz, another first for the organization.

Adding to the list of firsts was the installation of Ryan Sherman as 2009 president, the youngest member, at 37, to hold the position. It was Sherman's mother, Jan Sherman, who was responsible for getting him into the real estate business.

"As a mother, it's really hard to be calling him, 'Mr. President,'" Jan Sherman said.

After his installation, Sherman said that even though he was starting the year as president with trepidation, he was viewing the real estate glass as "half-full" and encouraged his colleagues to move forward, seeking out opportunities.

"Whether you're a leader in a household or an organization ... you need to be optimistic," Sherman said.

"I think he's going to be a great president for this association," Gaylord said.

Contact Business Editor Marc Lutz at marcl@lodinews.com.