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• Lodi planners say proposal to widen freeway from Stockton ignores wastewater, power plant

• Galt City Council makes guidelines to promote respectful discourse

• 'Education advocate' proposes charter school on former site Turner Elementary

• North San Joaquin Water Conservation District rejects claims for groundwater charge refund

• Regional Roundup

• Are you a Lodi High student interested in journalism?

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? (69)
• 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)
• Writer comments on Neely column (42)
• The Home Depot hopes to join Costco at Reynolds Ranch (41)
• Police: Train victim was a Lodi teen (32)
• Many reject the politics of 'no' (32)
• We need to conduct respectful conversations (30)

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Acampo teen Dominic Hilaman on the rise in the taekwondo ranks

At age 9, Dominic Hilaman earned his first black belt. Seven years later, the Acampo taekwondo fighter is a member of the 2010 AAU Taekwondo Junior National team.

Hilaman, 16, recently took gold in the AAU Taekwondo National tournament in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., earning one of 10 spots on the squad that is made up of the top 14- to 17-year-old taekwondo competitors in the country.

The junior at Liberty High School has been doing taekwondo for close to 12 years, but making the AAU national team is his best accomplishment yet.

Fred Estrada, Hilaman's instructor at Robinson's Taekwondo in Galt, has worked with Hilaman for years. Outside of paid travel to competitions and possible sponsorship opportunities, Estrada knows Hilaman's latest feat could propel him to a world championship appearance.

"As long as he keeps working hard," Estrada said. "He is at the top of where he needs to be, now he needs to stay on top. That's just the beginning."

Hilaman, the son of Connie and Rodney Hilaman who own Robinson's Taekwondo in Lodi and Galt, defeated Alexander Yow of Wisconsin twice, including once in a tiebreaker, to win the AAU male bantam division and make the team. Hilaman will travel with his AAU squad to Madrid, Spain to fight in the Spanish Open in the spring.

With Estrada as his instructor, Hilaman, who is now a third-degree black belt, spends most of his time training at the Galt gym. He comes there after school and doesn't go home until it's dark. Each week night it's the same routine. Then he spends most of his weekends at tournaments across the country and world.

Hilaman said he's become more dedicated and passionate about taekwondo in recent years as he's improved.

"Before I didn't really like it because I was losing," Hilaman said. "When you start losing, you start getting discouraged. But when you start getting better and start winning, then you just want to keep winning." Before traveling with his AAU squad, Hilaman has his sights set on qualifying for the world championships. He will get his chance to do so in December when he travels to the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. He will take on the best fighters in the country in hopes of earning the one qualifying spot in his division. If he makes it, he will represent the United States at the world championships in El Salvador in 2010.

Estrada said he believes that Hilaman has the potential and athleticism to go far in his taekwondo career.

"He's got the drive, it's just we have to pull it out of him. I think now he's got the vision," Estrada said. "You have to get them to want to achieve what they want and when they see what they want, they'll work hard to get there."

Contact reporter Joelle Milholm at joellem@lodinews.com.