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• Partying — anywhere they can

• Are programs aimed at drunk driving reaching students?

• Lodi redevelopment proposal was opposed — all over city

• After Measure W: We need an ‘Eastside Summit’

• Man’s arrest connected to Lockeford bank robbery

• Regional Roundup

• Assemblywoman Alyson Huber hopes bills will bring more ‘sunshine’ to government

• Public invited to prepare caregiver kits for Lesotho

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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Are programs aimed at drunk driving reaching students?

Local school administrators understand that “Just say no” to alcohol no longer works, so they look toward awareness-focused programs, like “Courtroom to Schoolroom” and “Every 15 Minutes.”

But even those, presented hand-inhand with law enforcement, can create a slippery slope, Tokay High School Principal Erik Sandstrom said. It’s telling students not to drink and drive versus telling them to drive safely if you’ve imbibed, he added.

Despite losing one of their own in a possibly alcohol-related crash (the police investigation has not concluded), Lodi High School’s “Every 15 Minutes” presentation is still scheduled for sometime after spring break, according to principal Bill Atterberry. He said those closest to the school’s recent fatal accident will be excused if emotions are still too raw. “But recent events make the message of ‘Every 15 Minutes’ all the more poignant. The point is to make the message local and immediate, to expose our students to the tragic local, immediate and long-term consequences of teenage drinking,” Atterberry said.

“The two-day event is emotionally trying, but will be even more so against the backdrop of Stephanie (Jones)’ death.”

Atterberry, like Sandstrom, hopes it makes a difference. Administrative assistant Tammy Foley, who oversees the program at Tokay High, said that one year after participating, a group who planned to add alcohol to their prom festivities rented a limo.

“I know we’re not going to reach everyone, but if we reach just one. ... We’ll never know.”

“Every 15 Minutes” is held annually, alternating between the two Lodi high schools, and is open to juniors and seniors only.

Because of this, Tokay recently had its freshman and sophomores go through the county’s “Courtroom to Schoolroom” program. It centers on the on-campus presentation of a real DUI sentencing by an actual judge of convicted offenders.

Participants are required to observe real courtroom etiquette as they watch the entire process, and Judge Richard Vlavianos has proof that it works.

“It really does change attitudes and behavior,” he said of the program that he helps oversee, pointed toward a survey conducted by the San Francisco “Courtroom to Schoolroom” office. After participating, 66 percent of students said they would be more likely to try to stop a peer from driving after drinking, while 65 percent reported they were less likely to ride with someone who had been drinking.

But another survey commissioned by the California Healthy Kids Program gives bleaker statistics.

In 2006, of the Lodi Unified School District juniors surveyed, 37 percent had consumed an entire alcoholic drink in the past 30 days, leading researchers to believe that they could be regular drinkers and not just those who experiment. Additionally, 23 percent reported they had been drunk on school grounds.

Tokay High administrators are so aware of the problem of teen drinking that they bring a Breathalyzer to every event — whether it’s a dance or a game — to measure students’ blood alcohol content.

Furthermore, both parents and students must sign a contract before prom on April 4 acknowledging that the machine may be used and that there is a zero-tolerance policy, according to Sandstrom.

“And it’s just not the .08 legal driving limit we’re looking for,” he said of the testing threshold. “Teenagers can’t have any. It’s against the law.”

Contact reporter Jennifer Bonnett at jenniferb@lodinews.com.