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• Cutting corners

• What's in it for Lodi residents?

• Suspect in drugstore robbery apprehended

• Lodi High grad assists magician on 'America's Got Talent'

• Renting of 'the square' to church could raise money, conflicts too

• Regional Roundup

February 8th, 2010

• Public Meetings

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February 6th, 2010

• The Home Depot hopes to join Costco at Reynolds Ranch

• Meet Larry, Curly and Moe

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• Several Lodi venues let you watch the Super Bowl in style

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February 5th, 2010

• Kids, teachers help Haiti by collecting pennies for Learning Link

• Lodi, Galt students reach out to help Haiti earthquake survivors

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• 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

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February 2nd, 2010

• Big rig plows 7 cars

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

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• Jumpers across California

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• Regional Roundup

• No snow leopards, otters for Micke Grove

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February 1st, 2010

• Find cuddly alpacas not too far from Lodi

• Public Meetings

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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)
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• 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)
• Police: Train victim was a Lodi teen (31)

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Lodi High grad assists magician on 'America's Got Talent'

Tracy Vietmeier's gig as assistant to comedic magician Nathan Burton in Las Vegas has just gained national attention: The act is in the wildcard show for "America's Got Talent," hosted by Regis Philbin.

Vietmeier graduated from Lodi High School in 1993. She's been performing and dancing for most of her life and has performed in Las Vegas for the last six years, said her mother Barbara Vietmeier, of Lodi.

"When I saw her on TV, I thought, 'Now she's doing what she's wanted to do,'" Barbara Vietmeier said.

Tracy Vietmeier auditioned for Burton's act and has been one of his assistants for a year. Burton auditioned for the talent show several months ago in Los Angeles. He did his most famous trick, "The Microwave." For this, he climbs in a giant microwave. A lot of steam comes out, and he steps out as a black man. Several weeks ago, this trick aired, and Burton's act ended up in the semi-finals. Judges David Hasselhoff, Brandy and Piers Morgan (the British guy), all enjoyed the talent.

For his next act, he brought five assistants.

"I ended up being the lucky one to go to the show with four other girls," she said. "Nathan is a great magician and comes up with great tricks."

She enjoys learning how magic works.

"Hopefully America will vote for us, and we'll have a chance to win the show," she said. "There's not too many people who can say they got this far. ... It has been pretty amazing."

Vietmeier also has enjoyed seeing the different acts on the show. There's a wide variety, including jugglers, a young yodeler, a four-part harmony group, a rappin' granny, a contortionist, quick-change artists and much more.

Vietmeier's love of performing began when she auditioned for "The Wizard of Oz" with the Lodi Children's Theater and was cast as Dorothy. In high school, she was part of the drill team and was in choir. She continued performing at San Joaquin Delta College and taught at two dance studios in Lodi.

She later moved to Las Vegas to be close to her sister and began to audition for various shows. In addition to the comedic magic act, she is in "V — The Ultimate Variety Show." She also is a go-go dancer for The Fabulous Four — a Beatles Tribute. And she did a three-week run of being a back-up dancer for Trenyce from "American Idol."

Newsroom assistant Pam Bauserman contributed to this report.

Contact reporter Jennifer Gokhman at jenniferg@lodinews.com.

First published: Wednesday, August 9, 2006