diff --git a/src/main/java/org/gcube/portlets/user/newsfeed/server/NewsServiceImpl.java b/src/main/java/org/gcube/portlets/user/newsfeed/server/NewsServiceImpl.java
index 817bc3a..c6140ad 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/gcube/portlets/user/newsfeed/server/NewsServiceImpl.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/gcube/portlets/user/newsfeed/server/NewsServiceImpl.java
@@ -303,8 +303,7 @@ public class NewsServiceImpl extends RemoteServiceServlet implements NewsService
 				return null;
 			}
 
-			_log.info("****** retrieving feeds for user: " + userName);
-
+			String lowerCaseHashtag = hashtag.toLowerCase();
 			/**
 			 * this handles the case where the portlet is deployed outside of VREs (regular)
 			 */
@@ -314,11 +313,9 @@ public class NewsServiceImpl extends RemoteServiceServlet implements NewsService
 				for (Organization org : currUser.getOrganizations()) {
 					GroupManager gm = new LiferayGroupManager();
 					if (gm.isVRE(org.getOrganizationId()+"")) {
-						String vreid = gm.getScope(""+org.getOrganizationId()); //get the scope 
-						_log.debug("Reading hastagged feeds for VRE: " + vreid + " hashtag=" + hashtag);
-						
-						ArrayList<Feed> OrganizationFeeds =  (ArrayList<Feed>) store.getVREFeedsByHashtag(vreid, hashtag);
-						for (Feed feed : OrganizationFeeds) {
+						String vreid = gm.getScope(""+org.getOrganizationId()); //get the scope 		
+						ArrayList<Feed> feeds =  (ArrayList<Feed>) store.getVREFeedsByHashtag(vreid, lowerCaseHashtag);
+						for (Feed feed : feeds) {
 							feedsMap.put(feed.getKey(), feed);							
 						}
 					}
@@ -327,9 +324,8 @@ public class NewsServiceImpl extends RemoteServiceServlet implements NewsService
 			//else must be in a VRE scope
 			else {
 				String vreid = session.getScopeName();
-				_log.trace("News Feed in VRE, Reading feeds for VRE: " + vreid);
-				ArrayList<Feed> OrganizationFeeds =  (ArrayList<Feed>) store.getVREFeedsByHashtag(vreid, hashtag);
-				for (Feed feed : OrganizationFeeds) {
+				ArrayList<Feed> feeds =  (ArrayList<Feed>) store.getVREFeedsByHashtag(vreid, lowerCaseHashtag);
+				for (Feed feed : feeds) {
 					feedsMap.put(feed.getKey(), feed);							
 				}
 			}
@@ -364,6 +360,8 @@ public class NewsServiceImpl extends RemoteServiceServlet implements NewsService
 		}
 		return null;
 	}
+
+
 	/**
 	 * return only the user connection feeds
 	 */
@@ -809,7 +807,7 @@ public class NewsServiceImpl extends RemoteServiceServlet implements NewsService
 			}
 			_log.trace("Attempting to delete feed " + feedid);
 			return store.deleteFeed(feedid);
-			
+
 		} catch (Exception e) {
 			e.printStackTrace();
 			return false;
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/gcube/portlets/user/newsfeed/server/Utils.java b/src/main/java/org/gcube/portlets/user/newsfeed/server/Utils.java
index dbea21c..5a532c2 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/gcube/portlets/user/newsfeed/server/Utils.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/gcube/portlets/user/newsfeed/server/Utils.java
@@ -180,4 +180,43 @@ public class Utils {
 		}
 		return null;
 	}
+	
+	/**
+//	 * 
+//	 * @param vreid
+//	 * @param hashtag
+//	 * @return the feed map for the client containing occurrences of the hashtag
+//	 * @throws PrivacyLevelTypeNotFoundException
+//	 * @throws FeedTypeNotFoundException
+//	 * @throws FeedIDNotFoundException
+//	 * @throws ColumnNameNotFoundException
+//	 */
+//	private HashMap<String, Feed> getFeedsMap(String vreid, String hashtag) throws PrivacyLevelTypeNotFoundException, FeedTypeNotFoundException, FeedIDNotFoundException, ColumnNameNotFoundException {
+//		if (hashtag.length() < 2)
+//			throw new IllegalArgumentException("Hashtag length myst be greater than 1");
+//		else {
+//			HashMap<String, Feed> feedsMap = new HashMap<String, Feed>();
+//			String upperCase = hashtag;
+//			String lowerCase = hashtag;
+//
+//			char afterHashtag = hashtag.charAt(1);
+//			if (Character.isUpperCase(afterHashtag)) {
+//				upperCase = hashtag;
+//				lowerCase =hashtag.substring(0,1)+Character.toLowerCase(afterHashtag)+hashtag.substring(2);
+//			} else {
+//				upperCase =hashtag.substring(0,1)+Character.toUpperCase(afterHashtag)+hashtag.substring(2);
+//				lowerCase = hashtag;					
+//			}	
+//			
+//			ArrayList<Feed> lowerCaseFeeds =  (ArrayList<Feed>) store.getVREFeedsByHashtag(vreid, lowerCase);
+//			for (Feed feed : lowerCaseFeeds) {
+//				feedsMap.put(feed.getKey(), feed);							
+//			}
+//			ArrayList<Feed> upperCaseFeeds =  (ArrayList<Feed>) store.getVREFeedsByHashtag(vreid, upperCase);
+//			for (Feed feed : upperCaseFeeds) {
+//				feedsMap.put(feed.getKey(), feed);							
+//			}
+//			return feedsMap;
+//		}
+//	}
 }