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• Richard Hazard shares his artistic talents at Lodi's Java Stop, carving bears for customers

• Railroad cars — and residents' complaints — are still lingering

• 18-year-old in serious condition after shooting

• Public Meetings

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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World, history await local Olympic athletes

Three Olympic athletes with local ties will trace the historic footsteps of iconic American sprinter Jesse Owens when they compete at the 12th IAAF World Outdoor Championships on Aug. 15-23 in Germany.

Stephanie Brown Trafton, Brad Walker and Amy Acuff hope to medal in the first international meet held at Olympic Stadium in Berlin since Owens became the first American to capture four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics.

War, peace and the passage of time have changed the world since German Chancellor Adolf Hitler presided over those Olympic Games, but Owens remains an enduring symbol of freedom and equality.

Brown Trafton received an award in Owens' name after becoming the first American woman to win a gold medal in discus since 1932 at last summer's Beijing Olympics, and she will be proud to perform on such historic grounds.

"I was fortunate to receive the highest honor of USA Track and Field in 2008, the Jesse Owens Award for Outstanding Athlete of the Year," said Brown Trafton, a 29-year-old Galt resident who trains in Sacramento. "Now I get to honor his legacy again in 2009 by wearing the USA uniform at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin."

Brown Trafton likely will be the favorite going into the world championships. She already has won four events this season: the Nike Prefontaine Classic, the Reebok Grand Prix, the USA Outdoor Championships and the World Championships Preview.

"I'm fairly certain that if I do what I need to do, I can bring home a gold medal," Brown Trafton said.

"I'm feeling pretty confident right now."

Walker, a Washington resident who trained with Tri-Valley Athletics at the Port of Stockton last year, is the reigning world champion in the pole vault and the American outdoor record holder. He had a disappointing performance at the Beijing Olympics but could rebound with a big vault at the world championships.

Walker, 28, won the USA Outdoor Championships and finished second at the IAAF Monaco Super Grand Prix with a season-best vault of 19 feet, 1/4 inches. He is expected to contend for a medal in a strong world championship field that features French sensation Renaud Lavillenie.

Acuff is a four-time Olympian who lives in Isleton and trained with Tri-Valley before the club disbanded. She started training on her own after UK Athletics named former Tri-Valley coach Dan Pfaff director of the Lee Valley Performance Centre in London. Acuff, 34, said she might have retired if port director Richard Aschieris hadn't allowed her to continue using Tri-Valley's former training facility on Rough and Ready Island.

"I've been really focused and there haven't been a lot of distractions this year, so I feel like I've done high-quality work," Acuff said. "I'm so appreciative. The port has been awesome, and I feel really connected to Stockton."

Acuff finished ninth in qualifying in the high jump at the Beijing Olympics. This season, she finished second at the Tsiklitiria Grand Prix, first at the Millrose Games, first at the USA Indoor Championships and second at the USA Outdoor Championships.

"I'm really excited about the world championships," Acuff said.

"I really want to try to bring home a medal. That would be the pinnacle of my career."