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• Local congressmen, opponents split on bailout bill

• Final project

• Vehicle theft report leads to suspect arrest in Lodi

• Regional Roundup

February 8th, 2010

• Public Meetings

• Locals pick best, most memorable Super Bowl commercials

• Regional Roundup

February 6th, 2010

• The Home Depot hopes to join Costco at Reynolds Ranch

• Meet Larry, Curly and Moe

• Baboon business

• Regional Roundup

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

• Lodi Library celebrates 100 years of serving the community

• Culinary craft

February 5th, 2010

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

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

• Tasered suspect claims he is Yosemite Sam

• Hours of sweat and work go into putting on crab feeds

• 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

• Bad bugs, weeds are hot topics at Grape Day

February 2nd, 2010

• Big rig plows 7 cars

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

• Former Lodian Erica Davis is first paraplegic woman to summit Kilimanjaro

• Jumpers across California

• Correction

• Regional Roundup

• No snow leopards, otters for Micke Grove

• McNerney leads in campaign cash

• Police: Train victim was a Lodi teen

February 1st, 2010

• Find cuddly alpacas not too far from Lodi

• Public Meetings

• Patients can expect faster, better service when Lodi Memorial Hospital's new emergency room opens

• Man killed by Amtrak train in Lodi

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)
• Many reject the politics of 'no' (45)
• 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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Final project

With new science wing, Tokay completes last part of renovations

Workers are finishing the last project in the 16 month-long plan to modernize and renovate the Tokay High School campus. Although not part of the original mold abatement, a new science wing is set to open Oct. 14 when students return from fall break.

The move couldn't come soon enough for Courtney Porter, who has been teaching biology in the school's home economics building surrounded by refrigerators and washers and dryers.

"It's coming together at a great time," said Porter, who joked he's learned how to boil water working in the food department. "The best part (of the new building) is the newness, the space, the storage."

Since being displaced, Porter has had to carry used chemicals to the old science wing across campus since they cannot be dumped down the same drain as regular liquid waste. His classroom textbooks line a tiny shelf and students must squeeze around a table to pick up test tubes and other equipment for the day's lab. There are no stations, so all of the preparation is done before students arrive for class.

But Porter, who has been at Tokay for 29 years, said he's enjoyed meeting teachers he normally wouldn't have, and added that they've been very accommodating. He feels it's all a minor inconvenience for what he's about to move into.

The six new state-of-the-art classrooms are each 1,400 square feet. The classrooms could comfortably hold 36 students with four seated at "pods."

The pods, or stations have five sides, storage underneath for microscopes and other lab tools, computer capability, mini sinks, gas hook-ups and electrical outlets.

"This is spacious compared to our old labs," Sandstrom said.

Those classrooms were the originals, built with the rest of the school in 1977. They were only 950 square feet and lab stations were along the wall, making it harder for students to do their work and pay attention to the teacher at the same time.

In the new classrooms, students can project their attention to the front where the teacher's demonstration table is located. A large overhead mirror similar to those you see on cooking shows or at trade shows will make it easier for students to follow along, Sandstrom said.

While not the centerpiece of the new classrooms, he is proud of the unique purple and gray tiles laid throughout the floor. The pattern has been installed in the campus' other new or renovated buildings at the same price of basic gray tile.

"It jazzes it up a little," Sandstrom added.

The six nearly identical classrooms that make up the new science wing are adjoined by a long, but wide, teacher preparation hallway complete with dishwashers for cleaning test tubes and microwaves for heating up concoctions. A refrigerator can store deceased cats in formaldehyde for biology class and long cupboards will contain the skeletons for anatomy.

"We have nothing like that now, just small storage rooms," Sandstrom said, adding that the move into the new building will give teachers a chance to toss outdated items. "It's neat having new stuff."

Foreign language classes will occupy the old science classrooms currently being renovated with carpet and new paint. The counters that make up the old lab stations along the walls must be removed.

We're done, but not quite," Sandstrom said. "There's still the shuffle of getting teachers to their right rooms."

The $3.8 million project was planned as part of the modernization of Tokay High and wasn't scheduled for another three to five years, but officials decided because of the emergency mold abatement last school year it would be more prudent to do all of the construction consecutively.

The new science wing is actually a modular building made up of 12 sections that were lifted into place by a huge crane. The building is not a portable, though, since it has been anchored into the foundation and is permanent.

Sandstrom said it was important it be painted gray with the familiar purple and gold stripe seen on other campus buildings and have the same roof level.

Contact reporter Jennifer Bonnett at jenniferb@lodinews.com.