Oftentimes, newspapers covers multiple areas. The Record covers Lodi. It also covers Tracy and Manteca, even though those cities have their own papers. The Sacramento Bee also occasionally covers issues in Galt and even Lodi.

I consider it a luxury to have two papers covering one city considering cutbacks in the industry nationwide. Having more than one news source keeps reporters on their toes and adds a little competition that might lead writers and photographers to be a bit more aggressive or dig a little deeper to find informative stories.

I feel like Galt and Lodi have a lot of connections. We have staff in our newsroom who live in Galt. One of our reporters lives in Stockton but has family in Galt. Also, I have found many of the issues we cover in either city is mirrored in the other. Walmart for example has been a contentious issue with some groups in both cities. I have heard people in Lodi suggest the idea of running something similar to the Galt Market to fund the city. And who knows? Maybe roundabouts are next on the horizon for Lodi.

So while I understand your concerns, I do feel it is important to cover both communities to the best of my ability. As always, if I'm missing stories in either city, please e-mail me at maggiec@lodinews.com, give me a call at 369-7035 or stop by the newsroom. Thanks.