City infested by a ‘worm’
You can probably blame the Russians. Or at least an underground crime organization rooted there. On about April 1 it all began innocently enough. A Lodi city employee clicked on a legitimate-looking email with an “invoice” attached. Then the employee saw a bone-chilling message appear on the screen: “Your network has been penetrated,” with instructions on what to do next. A Russian-made computer “worm” had made its way into the city’s network and had encrypted (locked) critical files, bringing critical systems to a halt. It was either pay a huge ransom for encryption keys or fix it yourself. The ransomware virus is named “Ryak.” The organization credited with operating this particular strain of malware is named “Grim Spider,” a “sophisticated eCrime group that has been operating the Ryuk ransomware since August 2018,” according to a security website. Grim Spider is believed to be a “cell” of a Russianbased operator. We now know the city spent $140,000 on lawyers and security experts who helped guide the city in recovering from the outage. The city will only have to pay the first $50k, the rest is being picked up by insurance. That doesn’t include the staff time it took to get servers rebuilt and the programs back on their feet, according to City Manager Steve Schwabauer. While this particular ransomware specifically targets institutions, other varieties are out there and can infect your personal computer. They usually arrive as an email attachment. Click carefully.
THE FINISH LINE: It’s been a testament to a father’s love and the enduring human spirit. Lodian Price Burlington, 60, finished his 3,500-mile bike ride across America last Wednesday, two days ahead of schedule. Burlington embarked on his crosscountry trip in early June to honor his late son Carson, who was killed in an auto accident in 2017. He was also riding to raise money for the High-Fives Foundation, which helps individuals achieve their athletic goals. Over half of the $100k goal was raised. Burlington started his months-long trip from software company SAP headquarters in San Ramon, where he works. He finished the trip at the company’s offices in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, arriving to rousing applause from at least 100 fellow employees who were gathered outside to greet him. Burlington’s wife Joretta made the trip with him, following not far behind in a motorhome. There were a couple of minor setbacks along the way: a sinus infection, then just days away from the finish line his bike slipped on wet pavement, and down he went. He walked away with some road rash and a slightly fractured hip. Other than that, the ride went smoothly, he says. In a poignant message to his late son, Burlington posted this on his Facebook page, “Today was one of those days I broke out in tears thinking about you on the trail. Miss you so much.”
SPOOKY: Local classic car collector Kirk Wentland and a friend recently visited a local funeral home to look at a classic hearse the place might be selling. They were waiting there in the lobby, a bit uneasily, maybe sweating a little. C’mon, it’s a funeral home. They’re supposed to be a little spooky and eerie, right? Anyway, the person they were waiting for quietly appears from the shadows and purrs, “Hello,” nearly causing Kirk to jump out of his skin. Might as well have been Dracula himself. When Kirk told the guy that he scared the wits out of him, he said with a grin, “That’s
what I’m supposed to do.”
FRIENDS FOR LIFE: Some people graduate from high school and never look back. Then there are others like Irene Polenske who make forever friends. And they stay in touch. Irene, who is in her 90s, gets together with several of her former Lodi High (class of ‘46) classmates once a month for lunch. “Some of us also went to grammar school together at Lafayette School. At one time we had about 16 people in our group but are down to eight,” she says. They frequent the same places around Lodi and waitresses have gotten to know them pretty well. More interesting, however, is that total strangers have picked up the group’s tab — twice! “The first time, the daughters of a woman who had graduated from Lodi High (and had) just passed were in town for her funeral. They said they could imagine her sitting with her group of friends enjoying lunch so they felt moved to pay our bill. The second time, a younger man had watched us laughing and having such a good time that he stopped by our table on his way out, placed money on the table and said it was good to see us having so much fun,” says Irene. “I guess it’s these kinds of things that have kept us in Lodi all these years.”
TICKET TO RIDE: Kids ride free these days, to school and back, that is. That’s right, students can ride the city’s Grapeline fixed-route bus to and from school for free, thanks to an $85,000 Caltrans grant awarded to the city. The purpose of the money is to “provide safe access to schools from in town,” according to city officials. The grant was requested by children’s advocates.
MAIL CALL: We received a letter in the ole mailbag the other day from long time Lodian Moe Gritsch, who used to write a column in the Lodi Life & Times newspaper. She included a clipping of one of her columns from 1982 wherein she reports, “How to know you are growing older.” We all have a couple dozen examples, but here are a few jewels worth repeating: “Your knees buckle, and your belt won’t;” “Everything hurts and what doesn’t hurt, doesn’t work;” “Your back goes out more than you do;” “You look forward to a dull evening;” and, “You sit in a rocking chair but can’t get it going.” … And Becky Treichel posted this on her Facebook page, “I hate it when I see an old person and then realize that we went to high school together.” Timely observations during this class reunion season.
DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE: There’s going to be a “Hot August Night” block party and ice cream social on Aug. 10 from 5 to 8 p.m. in front of Tony Segale’s Double Dip Gallery at 222 W. Pine. The Gallery is an interesting mix of “Moderne-Retro California watercolors” by owner Tony Segale, antiques, vintage jewelry, handcrafted items and Gunther’s famous ice cream. The street will be closed off for the event and net proceeds will benefit the Lodi Historical Society. Bike Lodi is also offering valet parking for your ride, so saddle up.
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