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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 2, 2019)
2A — THE OBSERVER WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2019 LOCAL Search continues for missing Haines man D AILY P LANNER TODAY Today is Wednesday, Oct. 2, the 275th day of 2019. There are 90 days left in the year. By Jayson Jacoby EO Media Group TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT On Oct. 2, 1967, Thurgood Marshall was sworn as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court as the court opened its new term. ON THIS DATE In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson suffered a serious stroke at the White House that left him para- lyzed on his left side. In 1944, German troops crushed the two-month-old Warsaw Uprising, during which a quarter of a million people had been killed. In 1970, one of two char- tered twin-engine planes fl ying the Wichita State University football team to Utah crashed into a moun- tain near Silver Plume, Colorado, killing 31 of the 40 people on board. In 1971, the music pro- gram “Soul Train” made its debut in national syndication. In 1984, Richard W. Miller became the fi rst FBI agent to be arrested and charged with espionage. (Miller was tried three times; he was sentenced to 20 years in prison, but was released after nine years.) In 2002, the Washington, D.C.-area sniper attacks be- gan, setting off a frantic man- hunt lasting three weeks. (John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo were fi nally arrested for killing 10 people and wounding three others; Muhammad was executed in 2009; Malvo was sentenced to life in prison.) LOTTERY Megabucks: $3 million 1-17-18-27-35-48 Mega Millions: $50 million 10-17-39-42-59-3-x2 Powerball: $60 million 15-23-34-51-55-4-x2 Win for Life: Sept. 30 11-17-61-68 Pick 4: Oct. 1 • 1 p.m.: 6-3-1-5 • 4 p.m.: 1-3-9-8 • 7 p.m.: 6-2-7-2 • 10 p.m.: 7-3-5-1 Pick 4: Sept. 30 • 1 p.m.: 2-5-2-1 • 4 p.m.: 3-1-3-7 • 7 p.m.: 0-8-3-1 • 10 p.m.: 7-6-5-8 NEWSPAPER LATE? Every effort is made to de- liver your Observer in a timely manner. Occasionally condi- tions exist that make delivery more diffi cult. If you are not on a motor route, delivery should be before 5:30 p.m. If you do not receive your paper by 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, please call 541-963-3161 by 6 p.m. If your delivery is by motor carrier, delivery should be by 6 p.m. For calls after 6, please call 541-975- 1690, leave your name, address and phone number. Your paper will be delivered the next business day. QUOTE OF THE DAY “There’s one way to fi nd out if a man is honest — ask him. If he says ‘yes’ you know he is a crook.” — Groucho Marx Matthew Weaver/Capital Press Walla Walla farmer Jeff Schulke holds up a pumpkin in the patch prior to harvest on Sept. 27. Schulke and his family use the pumpkin patch as a fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House in memory of their late son Cooper, who died in October 2002. Pumpkin patch fundraiser honors late son ■ Walla Walla farm family raises funds for Ronald McDonald House in memory of son By Matthew Weaver EO Media Group WALLA WALLA, Wash- ington — A Washington farm family every year raises money for a charity that helps rural families in need of a place to stay when their child is in the hospital. For the last 12 years, farmer Jeff Schulke and his family have grown a pump- kin patch to raise funds for Ronald McDonald House in memory of their son Cooper, who died in 2002. He was 7-1/2 years old. “He was just a great little kid. He was very sociable, he went into every room and talked to everybody,” Jeff Schulke said. “He was a really happy little guy.” In August 2000, at age 5, Cooper developed a brain tumor that affected his vi- sion and balance. The fam- ily drove him to Seattle for surgery. They spent three weeks there, eventually fi nding housing through the local Ronald McDonald House. After surgery, the fam- ily took Cooper home. He entered kindergarten, but in the spring of 2001, the tumor returned. He had two more surgeries, and the family stayed at the Ronald McDonald House for a total of four months. In 2002, the tumor returned again, and Cooper lost his battle. In his memory, each year Schulke and his wife, Kara, son, Campbell, now 19, and daughter, Emer- son, 14, invite people to help harvest 3 to 4 acres of pumpkins and then sell the crop, donating the pro- ceeds to Ronald McDonald House. “Everyone loves picking pumpkins,” Schulke said. “It’s the discovery in the patch. You fi nd a big one or a little one or a whole bunch of weird-looking ones.” The patch boasts 27 vari- eties of pumpkins, including orange, blue, pink, white, tall and skinny. Schulke and his family then set up a “pumpkin patch” at their house in Walla Walla. Members of the public show up, make a donation and take home a pumpkin. “We’ll have up to 8,000 pounds of pumpkins leave our driveway in a day or a weekend,” he said. They also deliver pumpkins to various area locations, including a Walla Walla coffeeshop, a meat shop and garden center in Waitsburg and a feed store in the Tri-Cities. All proceeds go to Ronald McDonald House. After Cooper passed away, the family wanted to do something to benefi t the organization. “You just had to do something during that fall time of year when (Cooper) passed away,” Schulke said. “It gives you focus and a way to channel all of that energy.” Schulke’s mother and nephews originally grew miniature pumpkins. The family discovered a patch of “unintended” pumpkins. Son Campbell got the idea to do a pumpkin patch as their fundraiser. They aim to raise $15,000 this year. The most they’ve raised is a little more than $18,000. Schulke asks people to make additional monetary donations directly to their local Ronald McDonald House. “We’re not looking to make our donation go any bigger,” he said. The organization serves mostly rural residents who live outside major metro- politan areas, where special- ized treatment is available, he said. “You go there, your life is in a wreck ... and you’re going to be there three months, what do you do? FAMILY OWNED You live two and a half hours away, you can’t com- mute, you’ve got to be right there,” he said. “You have to live someplace. It is defi - nitely geared toward us who live in the rural areas.” The family plans to continue the pumpkin patch every year. When Cooper fi rst got sick, Schulke said, the fam- ily tried to handle it all on their own. “We thought people were giving pity, but it’s grace,” he said. “They’re being gra- cious. You defi nitely learn to receive charity. So now we’re teaching people how to be charitable.” Searchers are navigating a section of the steep and snowy Wallowa Mountains for the fourth straight day looking for signs of a Haines man who went missing while hunting deer over the weekend. The search for Andrew Dean “Andy” Dennis, 60, is focused on the area around Crater Lake, near East Eagle Creek about 32 air miles northeast of Baker City. Ground crews are working along with two helicopters in the quest to fi nd Dennis, who relatives say is very familiar with that area. Dennis’ niece, Candy Sturm, said he has hunted in the area frequently, and has also done guided tours. The search started Sunday after relatives told police that Dennis had failed to return from a hunting trip to the East Eagle Creek area. Searchers found his vehicle at the East Eagle trailhead. On Monday a pair of helicopters, one from the National Guard and one from Baker Aircraft, ferried searchers to the Crater Lake area, which is reached by a steep 6-mile trail that starts near East Eagle Creek. In a statement sent to the Baker City Herald, Dennis’ wife, Patty, expressed her appreciation for “Sheriff Ash and Chuck and Cid Christ- man for all they have done, they are truly amazing.” Dennis is a white male, 5-foot-5 and 170 pounds, with light brown hair, blue eyes, and a beard and mustache. He was known to be wearing a camoufl age baseball cap and possibly a tan coat. Anyone with information about Dennis’ location should call the Baker County Sher- iff’s Offi ce at 541-523-6415. Saturday, Oct. 5 Grand opening for The Other guys, Saturday - noon to six. Mark your Calendar 12-3 KUBQ will be live onsite broadcasting, ribbon cutting at 3pm, Wasteland Kings 3-6, Hines Meat with sausage dogs and pulled pork, and lots of big giveaways. www.VisitUnionCounty.org 541-786-8984 Alliance Self Storage 2105 E L Ave., La Grande • allianceselfstorage123@gmail.com 215 Elm Street La Grande (541) 963-5440 northwestfurnitureandmattress.com Exploring Wild Headwaters A Study of Stream Networks, Geology, and Transpiration in the River of No Return Wilderness www.CountrysideSheds.com Thursday, Oct 3rdtpmt 3rd • 7pm • FREE! FREE! Friday, Oct STORAGE BUILDINGS John Whiting, MS Geosciences, Idaho State University (541) 663-0246 Locally owned and operated for over 24 years RENT to OWN and 90 Days Same as Cash John’s research to improve understanding of remote mountain watershed hydrology took place in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness in 2014 and 2015. Based out of the University of Idaho’s Taylor Wilderness Research Station on Big Creek, John bushwhacked up small headwater streams and determined water use of Douglas-fir trees. The collaborative effort between Idaho State University geologists and the Taylor Ranch crew sheds light on the question of what happens to snowmelt and rainwater in the rugged Salmon River Mountains. Physicians Mutual Insurance Company Call for your FREE Information Kit! Get help paying dental bills and keep more money in your pocket. 1-877-599-0125 www.dental50plus.com/25 Coverage not available in all states. Acceptance guaranteed for one insurance policy/certificate of this type. Contact us for complete details about this insurance solicitation. This specific offer is not available in CO, NY; call 1-800-969- 4781 for similar offer. Certificate C250A (ID: C250E; PA: C250Q); Insurance Policy P150 (GA: P150GA; NY: P150NY; OK: P150OK; TN: P150TN). AW19-1037B 6209 See our display lot at NEW LOCATION! 10505 N. 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