Lodi Unified School District trustees finalized a contract agreement with Superintendent Cathy Nichols-Washer on Tuesday that extends her employment by one year and pays her almost $225,000 annually. Her contract will expire on June 30, 2016.

Last July I wrote a blog item commending the city of Lodi for steering clear of the underfunded retirement health benefit mess that Stockton fell into.

The Galt City Council has set a special public meeting next week to discuss Councilman Curt Campion’s request for health care benefits as an elected official.

(BPT) - People insure their homes, their cars and even their vacations without giving it a second thought. But many do not think about insuring their most important asset – their income – from a disability caused by illness or injury. And it’s not just income during working years that is at risk. A disability can also put a serious dent in your ability to enjoy retirement.

An outside audit has recommended the Galt Joint Union Elementary School District contribute more than $300,000 to its retirement account annually to make up for a lack of funding in years past and plan for future costs.

The Lodi City Council approved a resolution last week to increase the salaries for four positions at Lodi Electric Utility. City officials hope the move will entice more applicants with the right qualifications to consider working in Lodi.

Four jobs — including the electric operations superintendent, the manager of engineering and operations, rates and resources engineer and the senior power engineer — will receive a 15 percent raise.

The electric utility director will receive a 5 percent raise to $162,747 to keep an appropriate salary separation, said Ayers.

(BPT) - If you’re looking to start a career – whether it’s because you’re just beginning your journey as a working adult or because you’re ready for a change in life – you should know that the process is much larger than just getting a degree and looking for a job.

Going to college; getting your first job; moving into your own place. To these rites of passage, add one more: doing your own taxes. And, it doesn’t have to be scary. There is actually a simple way to do your taxes that can help save you time and money.

More and more high school and college graduates and are finding it increasingly difficult to find employment.

Hidden in Obamacare is an employer tax that must give businesses pause in business strategy. Never before has legislation encouraged businesses to contemplate shrinking their operations and outsourcing jobs overseas.

Gretchen Talley retired from the San Joaquin County Board of Education in June, but taxpayers could pay for her health care for life.

Back in the 11th grade, my work ethic was way ahead of the times.

If a police officer or firefighter dies of a work-related injury or illness within 4 years and 8 months of retirement, their family can currently file for a hefty worker's compensation payment.

(BPT) - - There is a common misperception that most disabilities are caused by accidents. In reality, the majority of disabilities are caused by illness. You might think it won't happen to you. And perhaps it won't. But in 2009, more than 15 million Americans experienced a disability that prevented them from working.

The city of Lodi recently inked new contracts with eight of its nine labor unions, and for the first time created a two-tier pension system for public safety employees.

New hires for police officers and firefighters will now have a pension formula of 3 percent at 55 based on the average of the three highest years of pay. Currently, public safety employees use a 3 percent at 50 formula based on the highest single year of pay.

Watching Stockton’s treasury get wiped out by spendy arenas and the granting of over-generous employee benefits got me thinking: Do city of Lodi retirees get paid health insurance?

Line dancing classes will be held at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays at the Eagles Hall, 217 E. Lockeford St., Lodi. Pat and Eric Mitchell will be the instructors. Classes are $5 for non-members or free for members. For more information, call the hall at 209-339-1615.

According to a Lodi News-Sentinel story earlier this week, Congressman Jerry McNerney will hold a July 16 workshop to help veterans access the newly created Veterans Retraining Assistance Program. VRAP will offer eligible, unemployed veterans up to one year of career retraining.

The first years of the 1970s saw the U.S. involvement in Vietnam and the military draft coming to an end. The size of our military began to shrink, despite an increased threat from the Soviet Union in Europe as they continued to build a larger and offensively oriented force.

At $58,052, a 10-year teacher in one of San Joaquin County’s smallest school districts, Oak View, earns more than a 10-year teacher in Elk Grove, which is among the state’s largest districts. That current annual salary is $57,878.

The travel industry was not always in the plans for Judy Bader. She had her sights set on a law career when she went away to school at age 17. It wasn't until her return to Lodi that the world opened up to her.

Hettie Schaeffer grew up around Placerville and Tahoe and was very athletic, spending her time snowboarding, skiing and horseback riding. As a young adult, she ventured into the world of make-up artistry and fashion, but it wasn't until a she applied to a police academy that she found her real calling.

The Lodi City Council approved a new contract for the mid-managers union Wednesday night, but one councilman did not support the agreement because he feels it does not go far enough to reform city employee pensions.

City staff has been in negotiations for months with nine of the city’s 10 unions because their contracts expired on Jan. 1.

The following is a list of public meetings in the Lodi and Galt areas this week:

So you want to be a substitute teacher? There's a lot more to it than filling out an application and waiting by the phone.