Don’t miss the latest drinks industry news and insights Sign up for our award-winning newsletters and get insider intel and trends delivered to your inbox every week As vines are pulled and grapes left unpicked across California It’s become an all-too-familiar sight in California’s Lodi wine region Among the scenic vineyards and almond orchards lie heaps of grapevines that have been pulled from the ground It’s not that the vines are diseased; no one wants to buy the grapes Yet California grape growers say the drop in demand is only part of the story. Many contend that unfair trade policies and loopholes in federal regulations are crushing them in the domestic marketplace. With a 10 percent tariff on global imports currently in effect some California growers are hoping the additional tax will inspire big wine producers to buy more domestic fruit The California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) and the Lodi Winegrape Commission (LWC) have been particularly vocal about the plight of growers In a joint presentation to the winemaking community earlier this year LWC executive director Stuart Spencer and CAWG president Natalie Collins described a system stacked against growers due to tax loopholes and European subsidies estimated at €2 billion ($2.2 billion) annually “We import six times more wine than we export and we’re the largest wine consumption base in the entire world,” Collins says but what these all result in is less purchasing of California-grown fruit.” At the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in January, Jeff Bitter, the president of Allied Grape Growers in Fresno called for California growers to remove 50,000 acres of vines in 2025 mainly from the North Coast and Central Coast That’s in addition to the 37,000 acres California growers pulled last year The state’s bearing acreage for wine grapes peaked at 590,000 acres in 2019, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Acreage has since dropped to just under 446,000 “I know growers—multi-generational families—that have removed their vineyards altogether,” says Collins are selling their land or planting alternative crops And it’s not only happening in interior appellations “We’re seeing it in all regions of the state,” she says According to a recent report by Terrain a provider of analysis and insights to the agriculture industry California’s statewide average price for grapes fell eight percent per ton in 2024 Bitter points out that average prices don’t include zero dollar amounts for the grapes that didn’t get picked because growers couldn’t find a buyer are grapes that were under contract previously,” he says “Those contracts have higher supporting prices and many of them have some type of increase built in or some type of reference price to the previous year.” Growers that didn’t have contracts in 2024 Though the dip in demand is hurting California growers at all levels of the quality spectrum—even Napa Valley wine growers had trouble selling grapes in 2024—those in high-volume production areas face additional challenges whose family farms 40 acres of wine grapes in Lodi says California’s largest wine companies are contributing to the problem of unharvested grapes Instead of buying more locally grown fruit they are blending cheaper foreign wines into their products and labeling them with the American appellation of origin wineries to include up to 25 percent imported wine in these products Spencer says the practice is misleading to consumers and an insult to California grape growers “It allows them to lower their cost of goods and retain more profits and it’s almost creating a race to the bottom as the producers are fighting for market share,” he says “It’s left many growers without a home for their grapes.” CAWG estimates that 38 million gallons of imported bulk wines replaced California-grown grapes last year Collins says the organization has tried petitioning the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau for changes to the American appellation requirements “It’s something we would like to revisit,” Collins says “I think there are some loopholes that tie into consumer transparency that we’re going to look to tackle.” Another federal policy that hurts California growers, Spencer says, is duty drawback companies that bring in as much wine as they export to claim refunds on import duties and excise taxes The benefit applies to both bulk wine and case goods government has spent more than $200 million subsidizing imported wines “The largest buyers of California grapes have also become the largest importers of foreign wine,” Spencer says Collins says CAWG is advocating for the elimination of duty drawback for alcohol because she says it puts domestic growers at a disadvantage “We believe it functions as an import subsidy that distorts the market,” she says “We’d like to see a program in place that supports exports without requiring imports as a condition for eligibility.” many in California’s grape growing community say tariffs on imported wines could provide some relief “One of the frustrating things for those of us that own and farm vineyards in California is the wine industry is being characterized as only importers and the grower has been left out of the conversation,” says Spencer “Many of the growers in our communities see tariffs as a positive option.” Bitter adds that California growers often have greater farming and business expenses than those in many other countries especially if they are upholding higher standards for environmental practices and protections for workers “When we have to compete with countries that don’t have those same standards and our costs are significantly higher because of them,” he says “then it is appropriate to look at tariffs as a way to level the playing field.” any tariffs could be negated by federal loopholes “They could potentially be refunded through the duty drawback program,” Spencer says removing the incentive to buy domestic fruit Despite the challenges California growers face the glass is still half full for those who find ways to adapt Craig Ledbetter, a vice president and partner at Vino Farms in Lodi says he has removed nearly 1,000 acres in Lodi and other regions in the last year or so The grower and vineyard management company farms roughly 18,000 acres of vineyards in several North Coast Ledbetter is also shifting his farming practices for wine grapes Rather than solely catering to the state’s largest wineries at low district-average pricing he’s making a move toward certified organic and regenerative farming for his family-owned vineyards “You’re seeing growth in that market,” Ledbetter says “When I’m selling to my small guys that are really interested in [that kind of farming] I’m seeing three times the district average.” Even for the big buyers in the organic market he says he’s getting almost twice the district average for his grapes “That’s the direction that we are trying to go.”  he says he makes $850 to $1,000 per ton depending on the variety “We can make those numbers work even if we are farming it organically.” Ledbetter says this approach could provide a profitable future for Lodi growers if the industry is willing to make big changes “Lodi has too many acres of vineyards in the ground for all of us to do that so we need bigtime growth in the market,” he says “We need the [major wine brands] of the world to start playing with the organic market and see what they can do at a higher price point.”  With the under-$12 wine category continuing to decline he says he questions whether California should remain a player in that market Instead of selling California appellation wines for $10 or less maybe it’s time for big players to put Lodi on the label and sell those wines for $16 or $18 a bottle Vino Farms recently began growing grapes for the Avivo wine brand the Lodi-based producer makes 30,000 cases each year from regeneratively farmed “California is not an entry-level region,” Ledbetter says “It’s more of the mid-level and higher region in terms of price point and quality because our costs are so high here.”  would mean rethinking where grapes are grown in California “There really can’t be a whole lot of fruit south of Lodi in the valley because when you get south of here your temperatures change dramatically,” he says “You cannot get to the same quality that we can in Lodi especially if you’re farming it for [premium wines].” Vino Farms is now building a custom crush facility in Lodi as a benefit to its smaller winery clients Ledbetter hopes to have it up and running in time for the 2025 harvest “We’re going to continue to be grape growers,” he says “We know this market will turn around eventually Bitter also says he’s optimistic about the future for California growers—if they can fine tune their production to match what consumers want going forward “We’re talking about adjusting our acres from what was 580,000 at one time to closer to 500,000 so this is still a huge industry,” Bitter says “There are still plenty of opportunities for success within that.” Don’t miss the latest drinks industry news and insights—delivered to your inbox every week Tina Caputo is a writer based in Northern California who covers wine She was formerly the editor in chief of Vineyard & Winery Management magazine and her work has appeared in Wine Enthusiast She also produces the podcast Winemakers Drinking Beer and California—including one AVA that has already been approved—have exciting potential for the U.S fruit-forward profile of classic Provence rosé calls for reductive winemaking but some producers are turning to a more oxidative approach to add complexity to their wines small-batch releases to mezcals fermented in rawhide these are the expressions that stand out to agave spirits experts right now Learn more about how Provi simplifies the complex process of ordering and promoting wholesale alcohol between buyers SevenFifty Daily is an award-winning online magazine about the business and culture of the beverage alcohol industry covering all three tiers of the alcohol industry We recognise you are attempting to access this website from a country belonging to the European Economic Area (EEA) including the EU which enforces the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and therefore cannot grant you access at this time e-mail us at webmaster@lodinews.com or call us at 209-369-2761 e-mail us at info@hngnews.com or call us at 608.837.2521 A Lodi resident hit a $754,066 mega jackpot on April 10 — the second person to win big at the Sky River Casino in the last two weeks The Sky River Rewards member hit the jackpot while playing the progressive Dollar Storm Mega Grand Link slot machine on a $10 bet An Elk Grove resident won $511,000 on March 31 “It’s amazing how often these incredible wins continue to hit on our progressive table games and slot machines,” said Charleen Ripley “Dollar Storm Mega Link slot machines are very popular among guests and we offer a wide variety of other progressive games with more to come that will add even more excitement for our members and guests.” the local winners have won $1,265,377 at the casino in the last two weeks “Our winning streak continues as huge wins keep rolling in for lucky guests at Sky River Casino," Sky River Casino President Michael Facenda said “Epic jackpots like these continue to change lives for lucky players and we look forward to sharing news about the next big win.” Sky River Casino is located at 1 Sky River Parkway in Elk Grove The Lodi City Council have voted to place City Manager Scott Carney on administrative leave after he said that city employees had misused public funds and redacted information from agendas he prepared The city council held a special closed session on Wednesday to conduct a performance review of Carney and consider the city manager's possible discipline after a little more than an hour in closed session at Carnegie Forum the city council chose not to evaluate Carney's performance or remove him from his position the city council voted 3-2 to place Carney on administrative leave pending a third-party investigation into the allegations that he made last week and Councilmember Mikey Hothi voted in favor of placing the city manager on leave while District 1 Councilmember Alan Nakanishi and District 2 Councilmember Lisa Craig cast the dissenting votes "The city council did review briefly and discuss the statements made by Mr Carney on April 1 warrants and deserve careful consideration and the city will be hiring outside counsel to take a look into the statements that Mr a third-party attorney with Meyers Nave who was hired by the city The decision came a week after an April 1 special meeting to preview mid-year budget adjustments Carney read a prepared statement in which he said that City Attorney Katie Lucchesi and City Clerk Olivia Nashed coordinating to publish edited staff reports against his direction "Failure to follow direction is an act of insubordination in violation of the Lodi Municipal Code," Carney said "Although city council is aware of and working to respond to expressed concerns about roles and responsibilities I am speaking out because the redacted staff reports clearly prioritize protecting some city staff from scrutiny over public interest." Carney said the edited reports redacted public disclosures related to the overspending of the city's limited general fund internal control deficiencies and material findings from the city's annual audit He also said recent internal reviews of purchasing activity revealed evidence of widespread misuse of public funds adding that employees had used city credit cards to purchase personal items Before Carney could finish reading his statement The mayor later said on social media that "the city manager was stopped due to his comments not being agendized properly." dozens of residents made public comments in support of Carney and demanded transparency and accountability from the city council Lodi resident Annette McKay said that she was appalled to learn that some members of the city council were considering to discipline or fire the city manager for revealing financial issues and misconduct "The financial audit has brought to light some practices that are not in keeping with the city's mandate to manage the business of the city," McKay said "I expect you to put your personal agendas aside and to consider the needs of the city We should be grateful to Scott Carney for the work he has done and for his willingness to see this through but I think firing Scott will be even uglier." Resident John Slaughterback said it was proven there were problems in Lodi and he appreciated Carney for having brought some of the issues to light He warned the city council that if things were to "go wrong" at the special meeting he'd file a complaint with the San Joaquin County Grand Jury and the California Attorney General's Office "Trying to keep something secret just isn't right in my book and that seems like what people were trying to do spending thousands of dollars and not making changes is something that shouldn't happen," Slaughterback said and he needs to stay in office and do his job." Former Lodi Unified School District Trustee Ron Heberle said he supported an investigation into the alleged misuse of public funds but he was concerned that Carney discussed non-agendized items He urged the city council to remove the city manager from his post "He purposely divulged public employee evaluations "He accused city employees in open session before it went to closed session said there were a great deal of employees who loved and cared for the city and the employees took Carney's comments personally She said the city manager's concerns could have been addressed behind closed doors He could have talked to you about his employee in closed session," Wiman said "How would each one of you like it if your employer took you in front of your whole business and tell them that you have been insubordinate?" Carney and the city council did not publicly comment on the matter during the special meeting The city council will meet again on Friday to decide who will serve as acting city manager during Carney's leave Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at hworkman@recordnet.com or on Twitter @byhannahworkman. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow In a contentious meeting of the Lodi City Council on Tuesday City Manager Scott Carney warned the public of possible misuse of public funds before Mayor Cameron Bregman ordered him to stop talking Councilmembers had convened to preview mid-year budget adjustments Carney read a prepared statement in which he alleged that City Attorney Katie Lucchesi and City Clerk Olivia Nashed coordinated to publish edited staff reports contrary to his direction Carney previously served as Stockton's deputy city manager from September 2014 to February 2020 and was among four finalists being considered for the Stockton city manager position after Kurt Wilson was fired by the Stockton City Council in 2019 Carney began his tenure as Lodi's city manager in June 2024 "In hiring a city manager from the outside the city council wanted a fresh review of city operations "The edited reports redact public disclosures related to overspending the city's limited general fund and material findings from the annual audit." Carney added that the redactions reduced the transparency and accountability contained in the original staff reports which determined that the city failed to allocate allowable costs in recent years and overspent limited general fund resources "Staff originally estimated that there would be approximately $4.6 million more in general fund resources if the city had appropriately allocated costs during the last five years," Carney said "Budget staff continued to review the records and the good news is that the total amount overspent may be significantly less than originally estimated Evidence remains that allowable costs were not appropriately allocated for mid-year changes in the last three years." The city manager mentioned that a city of Lodi employee was terminated and charged criminally for "stealing thousands of dollars" from the city through a city credit card in 2021 procedures or centralized controls were changed after that incident When Carney mentioned that another city employee was terminated for stealing power from the city in 2024 "Confidential personnel matters cannot be discussed," Lucchesi said Bregman intervened and asked the city manager how much longer he needed to speak Carney said he was almost finished and continued to read his statement internal reviews of purchasing activity revealed evidence of widespread misuse of public funds and use of city credit cards to purchase personal items," Carney said city credit cards should never be used for personal expenses The Institute for Local Government provides clear guidance and warning that public officials have been removed from office for misuse of city credit cards." Carney told the council that a forensic audit will be initiated to determine the full extent of the misuse of public funds "The internal resistance to examining existing practices implementing professional standards felt disproportionate to the proposed changes in the last 10 months," Carney said "This resistance has raised concerns about what the assessments would find.” Bregman told Carney to stop speaking because his comments were going "far beyond" what was agendized for discussion "You will stop or we are going to end the meeting After more back and forth between the mayor and the city manager a frustrated Carney refrained from reading his statement and the budget review began Bregman and Carney did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday Bregman said "the city manager was stopped due to his comments not being agendized properly." A former Lodi City Council member convicted of election fraud and money laundering will forfeit two pieces of property and a large amount of cash to San Joaquin County Shakir Khan, who served on the Lodi City Council from November 2020 to February 2023, pleaded no contest to 77 felony and misdemeanor charges in January 2024 Khan's 77 counts included 41 charges of illegal gambling 12 charges of unemployment fraud involving COVID-19 reimbursements District Attorney Ron Freitas said Khan had admitted to engaging in criminal profiteering through illegal gambling and money laundering activities Khan ran illegal gambling sites while he was serving as a public official as well as a property located at 241 Watson St The two properties were worth a combined total of $383,013 $460,000 will go into San Joaquin County's general fund "When a public servant abuses their position to engage in criminal activities but a profound betrayal of public trust," Freitas said "This case is a stark reminder of the egregious nature of such corruption I commend the dedication of our team for bringing this to justice ensuring that those who exploit their office for personal gain face the consequences." Days before the 2020 general election in which he was a candidate to represent District 4, Khan was arrested on suspicion of money laundering The San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office said they found that the American Smokers Club located at 2620 E Waterloo Road in Stockton was the location of an illegal online gambling operation between Feb authorities discovered Khan to be the club's owner At an arraignment appearance in September 2021, an additional charge of Employment Development Department fraud was filed against Khan for "unlawfully receiving money from the state during the pandemic relief efforts," DA officials stated Khan was arrested on multiple election fraud charges The election-related claims brought against him included registering people to vote who were not entitled to registration and "subscription of a fictitious name" to a nomination petition The alleged election fraud occurred from January 2020 to November 2020 according to the complaint filed against Khan He resigned from the city council later that month and ultimately received a two-year sentence for the election fraud after agreeing not to contest his charges The district attorney's office said that once the terms of the forfeiture agreement are fulfilled all restraining orders on Khan’s assets will be lifted and he will proceed to sentencing in the underlying criminal case The Lodi Beer Fest & State BBQ Championship will once again bring local brews and barbecue back to the Ole Mettler Grape Pavilion at the Lodi Grape Festival Grounds at 413 E "The Lodi Beer Fest is a great celebration of craft beer from up to 50 local and national breweries," the Lodi Grape Festival Grounds website states Held in conjunction with the State BBQ Championship more than 30 BBQ teams will compete for prizes in a variety of categories." the festival has a new addition called "The Spirit Lounge." The lounge will feature award-winning whiskey A limited number of tickets will be sold for the Spirit Lounge This section is listed on the festival's website under "S" VIP tasting and is sold out tickets for the VIP tasting and general admission sections were still available as of April 23 The VIP tasting ticket allow attendees to enter the event an hour early at 1 p.m Attendees can enjoy beer tasting from up to 50 breweries This ticket is $50 in advance and $60 at the door General admission tickets allow attendees to enter the event at 2 p.m Tickets are $40 in advance and $50 at the door There is also an option for people who are not drinking The designated driver tickets will be $15 at the door and online This ticket "must be purchased with someone that has a valid Lodi Beer Fest ticket," the website states No children of any age or pets are allowed To purchase event tickets, visit grapefestival.com/p/tickets The State BBQ Championship is sanctioned by the Kansas City BBQ Society (KCBS) The contestants will cook four different meats: chicken The meats will be judged based on appearance the winner will be sent to the 'World Series of BBQ,' known as Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (draw) and an American Royal Invitational Qualifier as well as a Team of the Year (ToY) event," the festival's website states There are over 40 breweries participating in the festival Food vendors participating in the festival include: Unlimited tasting is available from the breweries listed and food is available for purchase from the food vendors there will be water stations available at the event and pretzel necklaces available for purchase to support the Lodi High Band Booster Club For a full list of breweries, food and vendors, visit grapefestival.com LODI − Hailed as a cornerstone of the Lodi athletics community Rob Terhune now has a corner section of Lodi that bears his name The longtime Lodi High School softball and basketball coach who died at 58 years old in March 2024 after complications related to cancer The Rams' softball field in Kennedy Park was formally named Terhune Field before the team's game against Wood-Ridge (a 13-9 loss) a family member and a friend; he shaped lives of countless players in basketball and softball,” Lodi athletic director Alyson Gorski said as part of a pregame ceremony The ceremony included Lodi principal Michael Attanasio Lodi deputy mayor Vincent Martin and members of Terhune’s family Former Lodi athletic director Pat Tirico threw out the honorary first pitch Coach Terhune taught us the value of teamwork hard work and dedication,” said Jessica Wagner “What set him apart was his unwavering belief in each one of us.” detailed the history of Kennedy Park in his pregame remarks noting it was a field that Terhune had played on himself as a child “How cool is it that when we come to this place “It’s still the mecca complex for sports in Lodi.” Plans for a naming ceremony on Opening Day were scrapped because of bad weather There is a sign underneath the scoreboard down the first base line that reads 'Robert T First-year Lodi softball coach Emma Bernardo is a product of the Lodi athletic program and played for Terhune before graduating in 2018 She has carried over many pieces of his philosophy “He would stress that you always put in 100 percent all the time and he would say that the score is always 0-0 whether you’re winning by 10 runs or down by 10 runs,” Bernardo said “We laugh about some of the things he would say like ‘put an anchor on it’ if there was a bad throw and the ball sailed but we still say ‘together on three’ because that’s how we ended every practice.” Bernardo served as a volunteer coach for Terhune her last two years at The College of New Jersey arranging her schedule to be around the Rams as much as she could teaching pre-K and living near what is now Terhune Field The Rams won the league title in 2017 and finished 18-7 quick jokes and how he missed a Springsteen concert because he had to present her for Senior Awards “He called it Emma Day and he had to talk about me for 20 minutes Organize Registered nurses at Adventist Health Lodi Memorial in Lodi will hold an informational picket on Wednesday to call attention to hospital management’s failure to address recruitment and retention of staff nurses and its impact on patient care announced California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU) today Nurses say Lodi administration refuses to address their concerns about nurse retention and recruitment Scores of nurses have left Lodi since January 2024 putting increased strain on nurses’ ability to provide safe and therapeutic patient care RNs are demanding that Lodi Memorial administration invest in the nurses who courageously took care of the community through the entirety of the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond The nurses voted to join CNA in March 2023 and have been in negotiations for a first contract since July 2023.  “Patients are at the center of our shared mission,” said Stephanie Moraes RN in the medical-surgical unit at Lodi Memorial “Nurses are taking a stand and demanding that Lodi administration stop putting profits over the lives and safety of our patients and community.” Who: Registered nurses at Adventist Health Lodi MemorialWhat: Informational picket to demand safe staffing retention of RNsWhere: Lodi Memorial Hospital “We have seen so many nurses leave for neighboring hospitals with powerful union contracts that retain nurses and have a strong voice in patient care,” said Moraes “We call on Lodi’s administration to invest in the nurses who provide that excellent care here.” CNA represents nearly 350 nurses at Adventist Health Lodi Memorial California Nurses Association/National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the nation with more than 100,000 members in more than 200 facilities throughout California and nearly 225,000 RNs nationwide CE courses are free to National Nurses United members See all classes If you’re interested in organizing a union at your facility Contact us See all issues © 2010 - 2025 National Nurses United    |    Privacy Policy This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page A Bergen County teenager is accused of critically injuring a man in a stabbing last weekend in Lodi who was not publicly identified by Lodi police has been charged with juvenile delinquency in connection with the incident the department said in a press release Wednesday the charges would be the equivalent of attempted murder weapons possession and endangering an injured victim Police responded to 911 calls reporting a knife fight in a local park at 4:50 p.m State news: How North Jersey towns navigate name confusion was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center He was listed in critical but stable condition as of Wednesday Lodi police carried out a search warrant at the suspect's home in Hasbrouck Heights on Wednesday He was placed in the custody of the Bergen County Juvenile Detention Center pending further action by the court compassionate care and the expertise of the region's only academic health center World-class care and doctors for both routine and complex health care challenges We train the health care providers of tomorrow skills and abilities to deliver exemplary care UC Davis schools and education programs offer the highest quality training skills and values to lead change and improve health for all We believe improving health for all is possible our collaborative research includes clinical blogs and publications from UC Davis Health with the latest health care AJ Moreno’s mom noticed her youngest son’s belly was bloated “It looked like he had eaten a big meal,” Christina Moreno said “His tummy just looked so full.” The couple didn’t think much more about it initially his left side was really firm and his right side was squishy,” Christina said “We decided to set up a doctor’s appointment for the next week.” 5-year-old AJ was always trying to keep up with his three older brothers he was full of energy and wasn’t the type to complain after a color run at school and a much-needed bath AJ’s mom discovered that his left testicle was also enlarged “We decided it was time for an Emergency Department visit,” Christina said After scans at the local hospital near their home in Lodi, AJ’s parents heard the dreaded words: We think your son has cancer. That night, he was transferred to UC Davis Children’s Hospital by ambulance AJ was admitted to the UC Davis Pediatric Emergency Department for more scans Wilms tumor is the most common pediatric kidney cancer and the fourth most common pediatric cancer overall Symptoms of Wilms tumor vary but can include swelling in the stomach area and a mass that can be felt Wilms tumor is typically found in children younger than 5 years old Our world turned upside down in an instant,” Christina said “One afternoon you’re thinking everything is great and then that night you hear your child has cancer.” AJ had a mass on his left kidney the size of a softball I felt like a wall was immediately put up in front of us,” Christina said I couldn’t see the next day let alone what the next few years looked like We had to take it moment by moment.” The team at UC Davis Children’s Hospital informed the Morenos that AJ would need surgery. He was scheduled for the following Monday morning at UC Davis Children’s Surgery Center The initial hope was to surgically remove the tumor but it was large and had adhered to other organs the team took biopsies and met with the family to outline a treatment plan AJ’s parents were desperately trying to keep up “We quickly realized this was completely out of our control,” Armando said “We knew we had to trust the experts.” The care team shared how they would address AJ’s condition. He would undergo chemotherapy and then they’d schedule another surgery “We didn’t know what AJ’s future was going to look like because the stark reality is that this disease has a mind of its own,” Armando said “But it was very helpful to know we had UC Davis in our corner and that AJ was the type of kid who would fight this.” The Moreno family soon began their weekly trek to UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center for AJ’s chemotherapy treatments Tuesdays were the most dreaded days of the week … except for Dr Marcio Malogolowkin is the chief of the division of pediatric hematology-oncology We absolutely adored the man,” Christina said “I remember my husband and I and were sitting in our clinic appointments waiting for Dr We talked about how amazing it was that we ended up here We felt like we were in the right place.” Malogolowkin explained to the Morenos that the intent of chemotherapy was to shrink the tumor on AJ’s kidney so the team could go back in and remove it The hope was that chemotherapy would also decrease the size of the lesions in AJ’s lungs “I was very happy with the tumor response to chemotherapy,” Malogolowkin said “It allowed us to move forward with the surgical procedure.” AJ had surgery at UC Davis Children’s Surgery Center on December 29, 2021. The team, led by pediatric surgeon Erin Brown successfully removed the tumor as well as his left kidney ‘I want to get home and see my brothers Let me know what I need to do to get out of here,’” Christina remembered “It was important for him to do the things he had to do before we could leave Chemotherapy continued and AJ began radiation He had seven rounds of radiation on his abdomen His parents said he was as ornery and determined as could be throughout the treatment “Here’s a kid who has this confidence about him,” Armando said Christina also marvels at her son’s tenacity “We believe that this strong mindset carried him through,” Christina said But some “fluffy stuff,” namely Huggie the facility dog did help make cancer treatments a little more tolerable Care team members like nurse Cheyanne Van Dyke also supported AJ and his family “Cheyanne has been instrumental in our journey,” Armando said “She went out of her way to share in our tears and laughter.” The Lodi community also took inspiration from AJ’s story. Multiple fundraisers were held in his name, including the annual Tin Cup Cares golf tournament that raises funds for families with children facing cancer “There has been an amazing response to what we’ve gone through marking another milestone in AJ’s treatment “He has this drive in him to always be the best I don’t know if we’d be sitting here having this conversation if he didn’t adopt that attitude,” Armando said “He’s a special kid and he reminds us daily to be joyful.” The Morenos often reflect on their son’s cancer battle and about what the future holds “Landing on the doorstep of UC Davis was probably one of the biggest blessings throughout all of this,” Christina said our community continues to rally around us.” “It’s great to continue to share all the goodness that came from this,” Armando said “It really keeps us focused and sharp and hopefully Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.:hs-publicaffairs@ucdavis.edu916-734-9040 After business hours, holidays or weekends:hs-publicaffairs@ucdavis.edu916-734-2011 (ask for public information officer) © 2025 UC Regents. All Rights Reserved | Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy 4301 X St., Sacramento, CA 95817 Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker the Ice Age Scenic National Trail winds through the campus of the Lodi School District.  “Teachers see the Ice Age Trail as their outdoor classroom,” said Bill Welch on WPR’s “Wisconsin Today.” Welch is a longtime volunteer with the Lodi Valley Chapter, which operates under the Ice Age Trail Alliance The chapter maintains nine of the 1,200 miles of Wisconsin’s historic trail chapter volunteers have collaborated — informally — with Lodi students to provide outdoor learning opportunities such as day hikes backpacking trips and service learning related to land restoration and trail construction.  “We spend a lot of time promoting and working on the trail physically as well involving youth,” Welch said.  the Lodi School District is the first K-12 Ice Age Trail Campus in Wisconsin The partnership formalizes the more than decades long relationship between students and trail volunteers and staff within the school district are great partners and it made perfect sense to formalize our relationship,” Ice Age Trail Alliance CEO Luke Kloberdanz told WPR via email Kloberdanz intends this official partnership to be an example for other K-12 institutions across the state to similarly recognize the Ice Age Trail Alliance as a partner in getting youth outdoors “It is one thing to study a glacial feature — such as an esker — in a textbook,” he said “It is a completely other experience to walk across an esker while following the yellow blazes of the Ice Age Trail.” Lodi High School junior Juniper Schmidt is one of several students who built a new section of Ice Age Trail to celebrate the official partnership last fall “I have always had a fantastic appreciation for nature,” Schmidt said The avid hiker said the opportunity provided a way for them to connect to a trail they love.  “The actual paving of the trail was a lot of fun,” Schmidt said “We used rakes and other tools to pave the way and clear brush.” Welch added that part of trail maintenance includes students learning to better understand the pragmatics for trail building and removing invasive species — a nature subject that’s all too familiar to Schmidt “I’ve known how to point out invasives since I was pretty young,” they said “I’ve gone out with various groups and helped remove different kinds of plants the trail runs through campus and offers easy access to learning and hiking He said that thanks to Schmidt and district efforts “I ended up working with Bill on our middle school hiking club to pave that trail,” Schmidt said.  About 4.6 million people used the trail last year according to a study by the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Kloberdanz called 2024 a “stellar” year with record-breaking visitors and volunteer hours Welch hopes the official partnership can develop the next generation of volunteers and nature advocates “I think we’re a small part of helping these students become more effective adults,” he said Schmidt said they see a future career in nature “I can absolutely foresee myself volunteering on the Ice Age trail and helping out,” they said “I’m thinking about going into environmental science in college.” Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.