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• Off to the races again

• LOEL gets $132,000 for renovation

• Portion of Highway 12 will be renamed today in memory of Rio Vista officer killed in crash

• County honors Lodi's VanNess as teacher of the year

• Regional Roundup

• Corrections

November 21st, 2009

• Logbook

• Holiday drive spreads cheer to U.S. troops

• Galt High students want board to approve open-campus policy

• Poisoning victims remain hospitalized

• Expert: Half a mushroom cap can be deadly

• Tokay grad files claim over Lodi's Grape Bowl

• Lodi Middle School holds annual Turkey Trot

• Regional Roundup

• No motive or suspect in shooting

• Sacramento cop arrested for alleged kidnapping

November 20th, 2009

• Acampo woman killed

• Salvation Army Kettle Kickoff

• Advocacy groups sue East Bay Municipal Utility District over Pardee expansion

• Regional Roundup

• Galt plans to help residents with energy-efficient projects

• Stable southeast of Lodi approved

• One year after a heart attack, Lodi's Judy Mims thanks rescuers

• National Guard troops return home in time for the holidays

• Real estate market gets on more solid ground

November 19th, 2009

• Operation: Christmas

• Logbook

• Suspect arrested after hiding in fridge

• Chase ends in crash

• Galt Joint Union High School Distric hires new superintendent

• Sales tax hike yields dividends: 5 new officers join Galt Police

• Lodi Unified School District board votes to cancel summer school for 2010

• Water surges in Mokelumne River yield more salmon

• Lodi City Council will consider redevelopment next June

• Lodi City Council plans to cap number of taco trucks at 22

• Corrections

November 18th, 2009

• Regional Roundup

• Paranormal group conducts second investigation of building

• Congress allocates money for local water projects

• Sarah Palin's book hits the shelves: Locals react

• Lodi man finds wife's ashes during police display of stolen property

• Galt City Council rejects study on rent stabilization

November 17th, 2009

• Paying tribute to a Lodian

• Lodi Budget and Finance Committee to look into ways to save money on employee benefits

• Regional Roundup

• Decision on summer school expected at tonight's Lodi Unified School District meeting

• Clements gets free water rescue boat

• Redevelopment to be discussed by Lodi City Council again

• Court reinstates death penalty for killer of Lodi grad

• Clarification

November 16th, 2009

• Correction

• Public Meetings

• City Council 'triple-dog dared' to ditch cars, use Lodi buses

• Sierra Adventure store to close after four years in Downtown Lodi

• Lodi's First Sip event showcases area wineries' latest vintages

• Three members of Lodi-area family fall ill after eating poisonous mushrooms they reportedly found at Lodi Lake

• Regional Roundup

November 14th, 2009

• Galt school district narrows superintendent search to one

• Regional Roundup

• Despite budget cuts, some Lodi Unified School District salaries continue to rise

• Watchful neighbor in Lodi helped bust suspected burglars

• New Galt city manager juggles job, family

• Despite an increase in homeless students, school districts look to bolster enrollment, raise revenue

• A first look at 2009 vintages at Lodi's First Sip wine-tasting event

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

• The country's mess is our fault (165)
• Obama is not a moderate (130)
• Sarah Palin's book hits the shelves: Locals react (71)
• Lodi City Council plans to cap number of taco trucks at 22 (49)
• Public health care is a Christian option (31)
• The haves should help the have-nots (30)
• Tokay in, traveling to unbeaten No. 3 Grant for football playoffs (25)
• Government-run health care is a bad idea (17)
• Young woman fatally shot at Acampo home (17)
• Sierra Adventure store to close after four years in Downtown Lodi (16)

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County honors Lodi's VanNess as teacher of the year

Jill VanNess has welcomed students into her home for dinner or transported them to visit prospective colleges. Those are among the creative strategies this Lodi High English language development teacher has used with her students, and they are among the reasons she was chosen as this year's San Joaquin County Teacher of the Year.

In May, VanNess earned the title of teacher of the year for the Lodi Unified School District.

San Joaquin County selects its teacher of the year from applicants and nominations throughout the area's 14 school districts. As this year's selection, VanNess now advances to the state level, where she will be considered for one of five California teachers of the year awards.

Bill Atterberry, Lodi High principal, credits VanNess with the great strides that English learners at the school have made on both the California High School Exit Examination and the end-of-year content standards tests.

"Jill possesses the uncanny ability to balance empathy with professional assertiveness, as well as constantly explore creative opportunities to help her students succeed," Atterberry said in a statement issued by the San Joaquin County Office of Education earlier this week.

Atterberry also recognized VanNess for her work as the department head because of the staff she has built and the expectations she has created for student achievement. He added that students who were barely passing their classes soon found themselves enrolling in college.

As for VanNess, she said she feels that coming from a family of educators and studying abroad in Germany helped shape her as an educator.

"As a foreign exchange student in high school, I learned what it was like to be a student in school and not know the language," VanNess said in the statement. "At this point, I realized I loved interacting with other cultures and wanted to teach English to English-as-a-second-language learners."

In addition to teaching English-language learners, VanNess also teaches freshman English classes. She worked in a West Sacramento school district for four years prior to coming to Lodi Unified nine years ago.

"It's an honor to work with so many nice people. I'm getting the award on behalf of a bunch of people," she said.

She lives in Lodi and is married to University of the Pacific professor Mark VanNess. They have three children who attend LUSD schools.