Abri Cardenas became a starting midfielder in her first varsity season, but she never expected to write a page of Liberty Ranch history, too.

Lodi might be known for its German, Italian and Hispanic heritage, but on Sunday, Lodi became an Irish town.

The night before clinching a state berth, Tokay High School senior Anthony Sorbera had a dream about his elimination bout to start Saturday competition at Masters.

2012 has been widely hailed as an exceptional year for film, but I’m at a loss as to where all these great films are supposed to be. (But then, if we’ve lowered our standards of “greatness” to the point that something like “Silver Linings Playbook” is being proclaimed as a masterwork ... .)

(NAPSI)Many families this holiday season will stay home to avoid the stress by shopping online and have time left over to relax at home with their favorite TV shows and movies. In fact, eMarketer says online spending this holiday season will account for 24 percent of all U.S. retail spending during the period.

This is the first of 31 weekly columns regarding "The Story" that thousands of people, right here in Lodi, will be journeying through, and you are welcome to join in. The following churches are opening their doors for you: First Baptist of Lodi, Vinewood Community Church, Ham Lane Church of Christ, Temple Baptist Church and Emanuel Lutheran.

We were in the weeds for most of the summer, and browsing the wide release schedule for the next couple months makes it clear that things are only going to get worse before they get any better. But this too shall pass, and before we know it we’ll all be basking in the sweet, comforting glow of the fall movie season, in the company of Steven Spielberg, P.T. Anderson, Ang Lee and James Bond. But rewards must be earned, and for the time being we’ve just gotta grind it out.

I’m not even sure what to say at this point, besides thank God summer’s over. It has been quite an ordeal, and I suppose it’s only fitting that that the season goes out on a grossly disappointing note involving a sub-par sequel. Now we’ve just got to contend with that uneasy transitional period between the summer and fall movie seasons, and we may actually have some good movies to talk about. I’m waiting with breath that is bated.

As “The Expendables 2” rolls into theaters across the globe (look for the review next week), the 2012 summer movie comes to a close — and I honestly can’t remember ever being more depressed as a moviegoer.

Last week I offered a few brief thoughts on some cultural issues surrounding the movie theater shootings in Aurora, Colo., and events that have taken place since then suggest that I failed to address one of the key questions surrounding this tragedy: Is it safe to go to the movies anymore?

You may have noted that last week’s review of “The Dark Knight Rises” lacked any mention of the tragedy in Aurora, Colo. This was not meant as a show of disrespect to the victims, but as recognition that regardless of its now-infamous status, Christopher Nolan’s concluding Batman film deserved to be discussed on its own merits, as a movie — not as the alleged trigger that set off a madman’s rampage.

This week’s review of “The Dark Knight Rises” comes a little later than I had initially hoped, but oh well — it’s never too late to spread good news. And I advise you to enjoy the good times while they last, because the rest of the summer looks pretty dicey.

Jim Sturman, a Lodi office property management and leasing business owner, was presented with a Melvin Jones Fellowship at a recent Lodi Lions Club installation dinner. The Melvin Jones Fellowship, presented by the Lodi Lions Club through the Lions Club International Foundation, was awarded to Sturman as a lifetime achievement award for his enduring commitment to volunteerism and community service since becoming a member of the Lodi Lions Club in 1981.

A University of the Pacific graduate who was shot four times during the mass shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colo. on Friday has successfully come through surgery and was moved out of the intensive care unit, according to her pastor in Colorado.

A University of the Pacific graduate was critically injured after a shooter opened fire during a midnight showing of “The Dark Knight Rises” in Aurora, Colo. early Friday morning.

Screenings of “The Dark Knight Rises” and all other movies will continue as scheduled today at Lodi Stadium 12, a theater employee confirmed.

I tried to see “The Dark Knight Rises” in time for this week’s column, but that turned out to be a fool’s errand. But never fear — we’ll be looking at the summer’s most anticipated release next time, which I suppose is just as well considering that many viewers will wait until the crowds thin out a bit to see it anyway.

I fancy myself a halfway intelligent person, but I always seem to make the most head-smackingly stupid mistakes. A “for instance” would be the fact that I didn’t realize the News-Sentinel had an early deadline for the Fourth of July holiday, and found myself prepping for a late screening of “Magic Mike” as I discovered that the Lodi Living section was getting ready to go to press. It seems my stupidity knows no bounds.

It has occurred to me that I discuss my personal goings-on a bit less than my fellow News-Sentinel columnists do, but in the interest of partial disclosure, I must confess that life has gotten significantly more difficult for me in the past few months. I’ve started a new job that requires many long, grueling, thankless hours in an undesirable environment. The possibility of complete physical and mental collapse is now very real.

Quite unexpectedly, the first couple months of 2012 continue to offer some quality choices for discriminating movie-goers.

Dr. Floyd Zastrow, a Lodi optometrist, was presented with a Helen Keller Fellowship at recent Lodi Lions Club fund raising dinner. The Helen Keller Fellowship, presented through the Lions Eye Foundation of Northern California and Nevada, was awarded to Dr. Zastrow for his enduring commitment in assuring that the underprivileged in our community are provided with necessary vision related services. Zastrow has been a practicing optometrist for 61 years and has been a member of the Lodi Lions Club for 53 years.