By Keith Reid, The Record, Stockton, Calif. Jul. 10--LOCKEFORD -- Residents of the slow-growing town of Lockeford have waited years for a middle school campus to send their seventh- and eighth-grade students to instead of driving or busing them to Houston School, miles away in Acampo.

By Keith Reid, The Record, Stockton, Calif. Jul. 8--The combination of wildfire smoke and a heat wave, which forecasters predict will bring temperatures as high as 108 degrees to Stockton this week, has prompted Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to activate California's plan for excessive heat emergencies.

By Keith Reid, The Record, Stockton, Calif. May 12--STOCKTON -- While her Waterloo School students are on vacation this summer, middle school teacher Stephanie Phillips will be preparing a special lesson plan for next year's classes -- only she will be doing it in Brazil.

By Keith Reid, The Record, Stockton, Calif. Apr. 21--A projected 15 percent of San Joaquin County high school seniors have not passed the California High School Exit Exam for the 2007-08 school year and will not graduate with their class.

Life became rosier for pop star Gary Brooker yesterday after he won back the full royalty rights to his massive worldwide hit A Whiter Shade of Pale. The lead singer of Procol Harum has led a comfortable existence since the song was released during the Summer of Love of 1967.