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• How to survive $2.9 million deficit?

• Goodbye, McDyver

• City Council to consider purchasing office

• Delta water fight

• Recycling bill waiting on governor, who's waiting on budget

• Regional Roundup

• North San Joaquin to ask Lodi for water

• Correction

November 21st, 2009

• Logbook

• Holiday drive spreads cheer to U.S. troops

• Galt High students want board to approve open-campus policy

• Poisoning victims remain hospitalized

• Expert: Half a mushroom cap can be deadly

• Tokay grad files claim over Lodi's Grape Bowl

• Lodi Middle School holds annual Turkey Trot

• Regional Roundup

• No motive or suspect in shooting

• Sacramento cop arrested for alleged kidnapping

November 20th, 2009

• Acampo woman killed

• Salvation Army Kettle Kickoff

• Advocacy groups sue East Bay Municipal Utility District over Pardee expansion

• Regional Roundup

• Galt plans to help residents with energy-efficient projects

• Stable southeast of Lodi approved

• One year after a heart attack, Lodi's Judy Mims thanks rescuers

• National Guard troops return home in time for the holidays

• Real estate market gets on more solid ground

November 19th, 2009

• Operation: Christmas

• Logbook

• Suspect arrested after hiding in fridge

• Chase ends in crash

• Galt Joint Union High School Distric hires new superintendent

• Sales tax hike yields dividends: 5 new officers join Galt Police

• Lodi Unified School District board votes to cancel summer school for 2010

• Water surges in Mokelumne River yield more salmon

• Lodi City Council will consider redevelopment next June

• Lodi City Council plans to cap number of taco trucks at 22

• Corrections

November 18th, 2009

• Regional Roundup

• Paranormal group conducts second investigation of building

• Congress allocates money for local water projects

• Sarah Palin's book hits the shelves: Locals react

• Lodi man finds wife's ashes during police display of stolen property

• Galt City Council rejects study on rent stabilization

November 17th, 2009

• Paying tribute to a Lodian

• Lodi Budget and Finance Committee to look into ways to save money on employee benefits

• Regional Roundup

• Decision on summer school expected at tonight's Lodi Unified School District meeting

• Clements gets free water rescue boat

• Redevelopment to be discussed by Lodi City Council again

• Court reinstates death penalty for killer of Lodi grad

• Clarification

November 16th, 2009

• Correction

• Public Meetings

• City Council 'triple-dog dared' to ditch cars, use Lodi buses

• Sierra Adventure store to close after four years in Downtown Lodi

• Lodi's First Sip event showcases area wineries' latest vintages

• Three members of Lodi-area family fall ill after eating poisonous mushrooms they reportedly found at Lodi Lake

• Regional Roundup

November 14th, 2009

• Galt school district narrows superintendent search to one

• Regional Roundup

• Despite budget cuts, some Lodi Unified School District salaries continue to rise

• Watchful neighbor in Lodi helped bust suspected burglars

• New Galt city manager juggles job, family

• Despite an increase in homeless students, school districts look to bolster enrollment, raise revenue

• A first look at 2009 vintages at Lodi's First Sip wine-tasting event

The following stories have received the most reader comments during the last 7 days.

• The country's mess is our fault (170)
• Obama is not a moderate (130)
• Sarah Palin's book hits the shelves: Locals react (73)
• Lodi City Council plans to cap number of taco trucks at 22 (50)
• Public health care is a Christian option (49)
• The haves should help the have-nots (30)
• Tokay in, traveling to unbeaten No. 3 Grant for football playoffs (25)
• Government-run health care is a bad idea (22)
• Young woman fatally shot at Acampo home (17)
• Sierra Adventure store to close after four years in Downtown Lodi (16)

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Art from a can

Once, Pete Juarez was a tagger. Now he's painting murals and creating mainstream art in Lodi

Drawing used to be a solitary hobby for Pete Juarez. He'd blend into the shadow of the freeway, under a Stockton bridge or behind a parked train car and let his creativity flow from the nozzle of an aerosol can. He'd write words like "Bam" or just tag his name. He'd draw each one differentlly. Bubble letters. Sharp, jagged words. He would draw accurate, meticulously drawn shadows that he learned how to master when he was only in eighth grade.

Most of the time, he was his only admirer. Most of the time, his bright, bold images were painted over by the city. Most of the time, the only people who saw his work were those who drove by and thought, "the work of gang bangers."

But Juarez was never in a gang. He didn't spray words that represented the north or south sides of town. He used red and blue, which can be identified as gang colors; but he also used lime green, teals and watermelon pink.

He refered to himself as a street artist: one of many teenagers who see private and city property as their own personal canvas.

"People shouldn't think of it as bad," Juarez said. "It gives people something to look at."

While some phantom artists may feel they're doing a service to the community, the city of Stockton and police have a different name for them: vandals.

In addition to creating murals, Pete Juarez paints on canvas. He is inspired by individual words and colors. (Courtesy photo)

"Calling them artists undermines efforts of legitimate artists," Stockton police office Pete Smith said. "Regardless of what their intentions are, it's criminal."

From getting busted to getting paid

Most street artists aren't the types to have gallery receptions or meet-and-greet sessions with collectors.

But it doesn't mean they can't be.

After years of tagging illegally, Juarez was caught.

After a little maturing, 30 days of community service and a $7,000 vandelism fine — Juarez still tags.

Now, though, he's getting a different kind of attention. He's making money — and getting recognition from other artists.

(Courtesy photo)

"I'm an artist, and I'm in awe. I had tears in my eyes watching him work," said Linda Ramos, a Lodi mural artist who also works for Burgad Imaging, a photography studio in Lodi.

Ramos heard about the Stockton graffiti artist from a friend. After looking at Juarez' MySpace page, at both legal and illegal taggings, she was amazed by his teqnique and style. While most artists who paint large-scale murals need to use a gridding system, Ramos says Juarez doesn't need to. He can look at his space and know exactly what the finished product will look like. He's already painted murals for churches and a market.

The photography studio hired Juarez and his tagging partner, Stevan Chang, to paint a graffiti mural inside the studio. Not only is it giving street artists like Juarez and Chang a place to create their art, Ramos said it will help people to stop identifying all graffiti as a negative thing in the community.

(Courtesy photo)

Chris Spurgeon, the Burgad studio manager, didn't expect Juarez and Chang to create such large-scale, professional graffiti art.

"I was very impressed. I saw the (murals) and my jaw dropped," Spurgeon said.

On three walls, colorful graffiti images read, "Peace," "Dream" and "Love" in oranges, blues and purples. Created in mid-August, the murals are already becoming popular backdrops for professional photo sessions.

Juarez, who has also been painted murals for two churches, is looking to do more as an artist in Lodi. He even thinks an exhibit at an upcoming Lodi Art Hop might be in his future.

"In Stockton, he's the best at what he does," Ramos said. "In Lodi, he's coming into a fresh clean slate."