Patti Wallace stood on a busy street corner at Pine Street and Cherokee Lane, a brush dripping with brown paint in her hand. She hemmed and hawed, looking for the right angle to apply a nose to the face she was creating on the side of a traffic control signal box on the sidewalk. A dropcloth taped around the base of the box protected the sidewalk, and a line sketch of her design was lightly penciled in on its surface.

(BPT) - Families are always looking for ways to cut household costs. One area that provides a bit of budget-cutting flexibility is home entertainment costs.

A Sleep Train mattress center and a Starbucks are coming to the Reynolds Ranch shopping center off Harney Lane in south Lodi, according to city sources.

In Lodi, home values are up. Foreclosures are down. And while it still has room for improvement, the city’s financial heath is getting better.

Huffing and puffing, I rocked back  and forth until I could coax my aching knees to help lift me off the couch. I ambled toward the bathroom of my Fresno apartment, dropping off another empty beer bottle in the kitchen along the way.

(NAPSI)—Owning a digital device such as a smartphone or tablet has quickly gone from being a luxury to a necessity.

Dear Barbara: I am on a low carb diet, and I want to make lettuce wraps. Can you tell me what kind of lettuce is used for the wraps? — Kelly from Lodi

While waiting for traffic lights to change at busy intersections, Lodi residents will soon have the opportunity to view vibrant and colorful pieces of art.

(BPT) - These days, everyone is searching for ways to save money and stretch budgets. Consumer experts advise people to sniff out deeper discounts, saving opportunities and additional ways to cut costs. For pet owners, it can feel challenging to cut costs without compromising on care.

The Lodi Chamber of Commerce will host an Outstanding Citizens Award Celebration later this month to celebrate their 90th year in operation this month.

First of all, many thanks to all of you who sent such nice Christmas cards to our house. We really appreciate your thoughts. Sending cards, though planned for, just didn't happen here. We thought about everybody a lot and if thought transference works, we did fine! Also, although I don't approve of email messages in place of hand-written ones, I received such a nice one that I forwarded it to those whose email addresses I had.

(BPT) - Después de que la familia de Carol Vanderploeg sufriera una doble pérdida de empleo en la primavera pasada, le surgió la preocupación de cómo podría asumir el costo promedio mensual de $1,300 del medicamento por receta para la epilepsia de su esposo.

Dear Santa,

(BPT) - After Carol Vanderploeg’s family experienced a double-job loss last spring; she worried about affording the $1,300 average monthly cost of her husband’s epilepsy prescriptions.

I am royally disgusted. I had the first page-plus of this column written and saved in the computer as of last night. When I came to call it up tonight, it had completely disappeared. So I have to begin again. I guess that's what happens when the computer is more than 15 years old and the typist is not very computer-savvy!

Lodi City Council candidates discussed gang violence, bringing jobs to town and even whether there is a local good ol' boys network in front of 24 people at the Lodi Public Library.

What type of music do you listen to? Favorite artists?

Lodi police officers and an off-duty Stockton officer arrested a Sacramento man they said was caught attempting to steal several thousand dollars of items from Home Depot at Harney Lane on Wednesday night.

I was amazed at your recent article about how members of Congress were complaining because members of our Olympic team were going to wear dress uniforms for the opening parade that were made in China.

Warm peaches with melted butter and brown sugar. Grilled watermelon and feta salad. Marinated Parmesan zucchini. Veggies on a skewer. Grilled fruit salad. Locals share some of their favorite lighter grilling fare, proving that summertime grilling can be just as tasty when  meat isn’t invited to the char party.

The Frank Magana Memorial Texas Hold 'Em Tournament was a success! We raised $3,500 toward his daughter's college tuition! Thank you one and all for your help and support! We couldn't have done it without the kindness and generosity of the businesses in our community! Please look them up if you need any products or services!

The ball kept moving — right to left, left to right, into set and back.

And there I was, ever helpless in front of the cage, swerving side to side at the mercy of wherever the ball traveled.

When the shot landed squarely into the right corner of the net, I felt a frustrating setback — but also relief. It meant that I could finally take a brief rest.

Last year Lodi High School launched a program to reward deserving students who improved their standardized state test scores in core subjects. As you probably know, much is at stake for students and schools who do not perform well. Since there is no grade attached to the test, the staff looked for innovative ways to provide incentives for students to do their best on the STAR test. We asked community members and businesses to help us out.

Lodi residents looking for a job close to home can start applying for positions at the new Home Depot that will open on April 26.