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• Biggest Loser: Lodi

• Man arrested in Lodi also wanted in Texas

• After being denied by Lodi Animal Shelter, man buys dog of his own

• North San Joaquin Water agrees to settle with Howard Jarvis

• New Lodi, Galt farmers markets struggle to gain vendors and customers

• Regional Roundup

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? (75)
• 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)
• Many reject the politics of 'no' (45)
• Writer comments on Neely column (42)
• The Home Depot hopes to join Costco at Reynolds Ranch (41)
• Police: Train victim was a Lodi teen (31)
• Time to shed the convenient sham of 'Don't ask, don't tell' policy (31)

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Galt businesswoman Terry Parker opens batting cages, has plans for teen hangout center

With dozens of city, school and organized softball and baseball teams in Galt, business owner Terry Parker saw a need for batting cages, a place where batters could practice at their own skill level and others could just have fun. That's why she opened The Dugout in Galt, the area's newest batting cages.

Terry Parker is a Galtonian all the way — born, raised and graduated from Galt High School. There was no question about where she would start a business with her husband, Ron Owning.

Parker opened her real estate company, Parker Realty, in 1990. Five years ago, she bought land on Industrial Drive and has since developed the Parker Industrial Center, where Parker Realty and Galt cheeseburger king, The Squeeze Inn Restaurant, are now located. In the corner of the U-shaped center is the bright and clean Dugout, which has been open for just over a week.

Already, people are seeking The Dugout to work on their power hits, aim and hand-eye coordination. Young baseball and softball players are practicing their skills, and teams are already signing up to rent cages for one or two hours at a time.

She says batting cages do wonders for baseball or softball practice.

"When they're on the field practicing, it puts a lot on the pitcher's arm," Parker said.

She added that if there are at least 12 members on a team, that's a lot of pitching one player is expected to do. However, with batting cages, the whole team can hit over and over in just a half hour.

For anyone interested, she will also hold batting and pitching clinics that will be posted outside, as well as on their Web site.

Each cage is set to throw at a different skill level. Some can hit fast baseball pitches while others hit softballs shot out at medium-speed.

"We can make the machines fit a person with any skill level, we can customize the pitching," she said.

The Dugout isn't just for teenagers or those who play on a team. The cages are open to people of all ages (though a 3-and-a-half-year-old recently had trouble swinging the bat), men or women, regardless of whether they can hit the ball or not.

"They shouldn't feel shy. Nobody makes fun of anybody here," Parker said. "Somebody who has baseball or softball experience is always here to help."

With plenty of open space nextdoor, Parker plans to create an arcade and eventually club-like setting for youth. She already has plans to bring in ballpark-themed tables, Foosball tables, ping-pong and virtual golf. XM satellite and surround-sound is already set up so you can listen to music while you bat. Those waiting will be able to play arcade games or watch TV on the flat-screen hanging over a countertop, where tickets, snacks and bottled drinks are sold.

Parker also has plans to sell baseball and softball apparel for out-of-town players who forget their slider shorts or shin guards, which she's seen many times when her children were playing baseball and softball.

Contact Lauren Nelson at laurenn@lodinews.com.