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• Wal-Mart still seeks to build Supercenter in Lodi

• Lodi native starting over after hurricane

• Bates seeking chance to break into city politics in council race

• Former Tokay band director returns for Delta concert

• Regional Roundup

• Public Meetings

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 (165)
• Obama is not a moderate (130)
• Sarah Palin's book hits the shelves: Locals react (70)
• Lodi City Council plans to cap number of taco trucks at 22 (48)
• The haves should help the have-nots (30)
• Public health care is a Christian option (29)
• Tokay in, traveling to unbeaten No. 3 Grant for football playoffs (25)
• Government-run health care is a bad idea (17)
• Young woman fatally shot at Acampo home (17)
• Sierra Adventure store to close after four years in Downtown Lodi (16)

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Lodi native starting over after hurricane

Life was good for Greg Votaw.

After tattooing for more than seven years, the Lodi native had a growing base of clients and a steady income to support himself and his 5-year-old daughter.

They lived near the beach in Texas, where his daughter, Clowie, had just started Kindergarten.

Then Hurricane Ike swept through town.

Votaw and his daughter evacuated three weeks ago, before the storm struck, and came back to Lodi to see friends and family.

But Votaw couldn't take his home and business with him, and they were all but destroyed. Five feet of water flowed into his Texas home.

"I lost everything in the bottom story of my house," he said. "Everything that wasn't hanging up on my walls is gone."

For a tattoo artist, the ink is just the final step — designing a tattoo is a large part of the process, and artists keep sketches and photos of their work. The work that Votaw couldn't take with him is gone.

The work that survived is also ruined by damage from salt water.

Greg Votaw, 31, sits with his five year old daughter Clowie as they enjoy a family barbecue in Lodi on Saturday. Votaw, a tattoo artist who was born and raised in Lodi, will return to Galveston, Texas, today where his home and shop were destroyed by Hurricane Ike. (Dan Evans/News-Sentinel)

Votaw, 31, has spent the last few weeks in Lodi. He was born at Lodi Memorial Hospital, attended local schools and graduated from Lodi High School, where he played football.

Three years ago, Votaw moved to Texas so he and his daughter could start a new life, he said.

He was doing well and owned his own shop, Galveston Tattoo Corner. He did a lot of traveling to tattoo conventions, taking Clowie with him.

His clients included a fire chief and a police sergeant, who told him that evacuation orders were coming. So he and Clowie left town a day early.

Votaw had insurance on the shop, but didn't have flood protection. Even though wind caused the flood, his insurance isn't paying to fix the place.

After spending the last three weeks in Lodi, where he's managed to make some money with his tattooing skills, Votaw is heading back to Texas today.

Clowie's school resumes on Oct. 15, so Votaw has a little more than a week to resume life in Galveston.

"I've got to find a place to live, and start over," he said.

Contact reporter Layla Bohm at layla@lodinews.com.