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• Hundreds of applicants flock to Kohl's job fair in Lodi

• Activist's measure would cap salaries for city of Lodi's non-union employees

• Pursuit, armed burglary suspects appear in court

• Insurance fraud suspects plead not guilty

• Correction

February 9th, 2010

• Middle College High School rated one of the best — and a bargain, to boot

• Lodi decathlon boasts top team in county

• Man who sparked counterfeit case pleads guilty

• Local businessman will visit Haiti to look for family

• Man who claimed to be Yosemite Sam pleads guilty to meth charge

• David Harmer seeks Republican congressional nod

• Lack of evidence in case against suspect in 'drug deal' stabbing

• 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

• Delta College trustees again collide over stipend committee

• Bad bugs, weeds are hot topics at Grape Day

• 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

• Regional Roundup

February 2nd, 2010

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

• Correction

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

• Regional Roundup

• No snow leopards, otters for Micke Grove

• McNerney leads in campaign cash

• Police: Train victim was a Lodi teen

• Big rig plows 7 cars

• Jumpers across California

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

• Will terrorists be given Miranda warnings? (75)
• Lodi Unified School District president issues warning to speakers over cuts (64)
• President Obama's first year (45)
• Many reject the politics of 'no' (45)
• Islamic symbol in mosaic — what is all the fuss? (44)
• Writer comments on Neely column (42)
• The Home Depot hopes to join Costco at Reynolds Ranch (41)
• Time to shed the convenient sham of 'Don't ask, don't tell' policy (34)
• We need to conduct respectful conversations (30)
• Tasered suspect claims he is Yosemite Sam (25)

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Hundreds of applicants flock to Kohl's job fair in Lodi

Up to 300 people were lined around the block on a toasty Monday morning at Hampton Inn & Suites hoping to land one of the 120 jobs available at the Lodi Kohl's store, which opens on Sept. 27.

Although Kohl's job fair took place most of the day Monday and will continue through Thursday, applicants had to wait more than an hour before getting their instructions from Kohl's officials.

Those who had appointments already set up were the first to be granted a 45-minute interview. Everyone else had to wait outside the hotel without any shade to see if there would be time for someone to interview them later in the day.

"I can't guarantee you a time for the rest of the day or rest of the week," Kohl's employee Amanda Pekarek said.

Two Kohl's employees interviewed applicants in groups of about 15 in a hotel conference room, said Pam Ensminger, of North Stockton, who completed her interview shortly before 6 p.m. on Monday.

"I came in without an appointment and still got in," Ensminger said.

Ensminger said she liked the group process.

"The spotlight isn't on one person," she said. "You can listen to everybody else's answers and help polish your own."

Interview appointments have been filled for the week, but Kohl's will interview as many who show up to the job fair as time allows. On Sunday, 14 people with interview appointments didn't show up, Pekarek said. That allowed waiting applicants without appointments to be interviewed.

"There are a lot of applicants, a lot of people to choose from," store manager Melissa Park said. "The town is excited about us coming in."

Park and corporate spokeswoman Kristen Cunningham said they couldn't disclose the total number of applicants due to privacy issues.

Approximately 120 jobs are being offered, many of them part time. Cunningham said she cannot provide salary information because of competition, but new hires will receive competitive wages, health insurance, 401(k) plan, employee stock ownership and merchandise discounts.

Applicants ran the gamut. Some were dressed like they were ready for an interview, while others wore T-shirts and jeans or shorts. One man wore a black tank top revealing tattoos up and down both arms.

Park said she couldn't discuss anything specific about what attire is appropriate for a job interview, but she admitted, "If you're applying for a job, you want to bring your best foot forward."

Several applicants waiting patiently for an interview on Monday had been laid off from their last jobs. Many of them said they need some income.

"I'm having a baby in September, so I've got to have a job," Lodi resident Robert Guerrero said. "I've made a bunch of applications in Lodi without a single callback in the past two months."

Guerrero said he's been in general construction and has experience with a forklift, and he hopes to get a position in shipping and receiving.

"I'll do anything right now," he said.

Jason Mohl came up all the way from Merced for the job fair because he has two children to support. He's worked through a temporary agency in Merced, but there haven't even been any temp jobs available the past three or four months, said Mohl, who has worked in road construction and sales.

A Lodi resident who identified herself only as Tiffany said she's been looking for work for the past year while attending California State University, Sacramento. She hasn't found anything; now she's trying Kohl's.

And for Cassie Barkley, of Lodi, it's about finding a job to support her college education. She was laid off from a new company in the summer of 2008.

"They couldn't afford me," Barkley said.

Park said hiring decisions should be completed within about two weeks.

Contact reporter Ross Farrow at rossf@lodinews.com.