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• 2 killed in head-on Highway 12 crash

• Medicare: Lodi has five of top nursing homes in San Joaquin County

• What to look for when choosing the right care center for your loved one

• Local newsmakers in the new year: Who are the people to watch?

• Two shots fired at gas station in the last week

• Local unions support sales tax increase to aid budget

• Regional Roundup

• Correction

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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Local newsmakers in the new year: Who are the people to watch?

The following is a list of local people who will likely be in the news this coming year.

John Talbot

John Talbot

It is not so much what John Talbot could do in 2009; it's what he has already helped to start.

After the Lodi City Council approved redevelopment in July, Talbot collected enough signatures to put the issue up to a vote. Lodi residents will decide on redevelopment when they vote on Measure W in a special election on March 3.

Before the council voted on the issue, Talbot and a small group of opponents argued the people should be the ones voting on whether the city would establish a redevelopment agency.

Redevelopment would designate a 2,000-acre district that includes all of the Eastside and several commercial corridors that stretch into central Lodi. The city will retain a larger share of property tax revenue generated in the district. That additional revenue must then be spent on improvement projects that will benefit residents who live within the district.

Talbot and opponents worry about how the money will be used. Proponents say it is a good — and in some cases only — source of funding for beneficial projects.

Regardless of the decision, the discussion has started — not only on redevelopment, but the best way to improve the Eastside.

Dick Smith

Dick Smith

During the past year, Dick Smith has become a lightening rod in Galt politics as the lead spokesperson for Protect Galt's Future and as an advocate for Delta Greens.

Protect Galt's Future started a recall effort against then-mayor Andrew Meredith and Councilman Donald Haines last year. Since then, both the city and PGF have entered into lawsuits against each other.

The council voted to sue the committee because it failed to submit financial disclosure statements, while the recall group is countersuing with the argument that the city's campaign contribution ordinance does not apply to ballot measures like the recall effort.

For many years, Smith has also advocated for the Delta Greens project, an upscale senior retirement community.

Steve Castellanos

Steve Castellanos

Hoping to bring change to the Board of Trustees at San Joaquin Delta College, Steve Castellanos earned a spot on the college's board by a landslide win in the November election.

A former California state architect and Stockton native, Castellanos was one of four new trustees elected. Representing Area 5, which includes areas surrounding Lodi, Castellanos replaced former Trustee Dan Parises, who retired after 33 years on the board.

Castellanos promises an "open, honest and accessible board," and also hopes to fight for a satellite campus in Lodi.

J. Mark Hamilton

J. Mark Hamilton

J. Mark Hamilton has a vision for Lodi. It includes empowered residents and colorful sidewalks. Hamilton, who was appointed to the Lodi Arts Commission in 2008, has been working with Project Lodi Art to hold a citywide mosaic design competition. The mosaics — each based on a Lodi theme — will be placed in sidewalks and street corners on the Eastside.

After seeing the positive effects of the mosaics in other cities — including some in Italy — Hamilton thought the public art would benefit Lodi. He believes the project will beautify Lodi and allow residents to be involved from designing to the installation.

Once the sidewalk mosaics are placed after the rainy season, Hamilton has other plans that include building functional art that doubles as playground equipment.

Bryan Pilkington

Bryan Pilkington

Bryan Pilkington drafted the successful Measure V ballot measure, which was aimed at repealing a groundwater charge imposed by the district board of directors.

Pilkington enlisted the help of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association for legal work. The association named him Taxfighter of the Year for 2008 for drafting Measure V and winning a seat on the North San Joaquin Water District board.

Although voters passed Measure V, the two sides disagree on what the measure really means. That means that Pilkington will continue to be a major figure to watch in 2009.

Pilkington teaches third grade at John Muir Elementary School in north Stockton, and grows hay and raises red angus cattle and horses on his Lockeford ranch, where he has lived since 1985.