2A — THE OBSERVER
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2019
LOCAL
School
district
responds
to threat
D aily
P lanner
TODAY
Today is Monday, Nov.
18, the 322nd day of 2019.
There are 43 days left in the
year.
By Sabrina Thompson
The Observer
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT
On Nov. 18, 1999, 12
people were killed when a
bonfire under construction
at Texas A&M University
collapsed.
ON THIS DATE
In 1883, the United States
and Canada adopted a sys-
tem of Standard Time zones.
In 1916, the World War I
Battle of the Somme pitting
British and French forces
against German troops
ended inconclusively after
4-1/2 months of bloodshed.
In 1963, the Bell System
introduced the first com-
mercial touch-tone tele-
phone system in Carnegie
and Greensburg, Pennsyl-
vania.
In 1978, U.S. Rep. Leo
J. Ryan, D-Calif., and
four others were killed in
Jonestown, Guyana, by
members of the Peoples
Temple; the killings were
followed by a night of mass
murder and suicide by more
than 900 cult members.
In 1991, Shiite Muslim
kidnappers in Lebanon
freed Anglican Church en-
voy Terry Waite and Thomas
Sutherland, the American
dean of agriculture at the
American University of
Beirut.
In 1999, a jury in Jasper,
Texas, convicted Shawn Al-
len Berry of murder for his
role in the dragging death of
James Byrd Jr., but spared
him the death penalty.
In 2003, the Massachu-
setts Supreme Judicial
Court ruled 4-3 that the state
constitution guaranteed gay
couples the right to marry.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Few people can see
genius in someone who has
offended them.”
— Robertson Davies,
Canadian author
Courtesy photo
Elgin native Jennifer McClure-Spurgeon and her care team as she goes through her cancer treatment. McClure-
Spurgeon is the daughter of retired Union County Commissioner Steve McClure of La Grande and Jackie
McClure of Wallowa.
Elgin alumna battles cancer
By Trish Yerges
For The Observer
Taco feed, auction raise funds for McClure-Spurgeon
WESTON — Jennifer McClure-
Spurgeon knows what it’s like to
battle cancer. She’s been struggling
with the disease since her first diag-
nosis in February 2013 when it was
discovered she had stage 1B cervical
cancer.
McClure-Spurgeon’s most recent
recurrence of cancer was diagnosed
last December. Her treatment was a
laparoscopic radical hysterectomy with
the removal of nearby lymph nodes.
Since then, McClure-Spurgeon, 46, has
been going to her exams as ordered by
her oncologist and receiving a clean bill
of health.
“At my five-year checkup, I was con-
sidered statistically normal,” she said.
“I was no more likely to have a recur-
rence than someone having cancer for
the first time.”
It certainly looked like a victory for
her. However, four months later, she ex-
perienced severe abdominal pain and
an intestinal blockage. That’s when it
was discovered there was a 6 centime-
ter tumor pushing against her colon.
This came as a surprise to her and her
care team.
“This led me to believe that (re-
sidual) cancer cells were left there due
to the kind of surgery I had, or maybe
I was just unlucky,” she said. “New
studies show that patients who have
the laparoscopic hysterectomy have a
5% greater chance of cancer recurrence
than those who get an open abdominal
hysterectomy.”
A biopsy last December revealed
recurring cancer.
“With tumor sizes over 3 centime-
ters, survival rates are really poor,”
said McClure-Spurgeon, who is the
mayor of Weston. “But because it
hadn’t spread beyond the abdominal
cavity, that changed that prognosis (to
something more hopeful).”
Surgery in January removed the
tumor. She started chemotherapy in
March — once a week for six weeks
— followed by 32 sessions of radio-
therapy in the Tri-Cities. The side
effects of the radiation therapy were
hard to endure, McClure-Spurgeon
said. She experienced intestinal
burning, required two kidney sur-
A taco feed will be held at the Elgin Community Center between 5 p.m. and
6:30p.m.Nov.23followedbyapieauctionat6:30p.m.withallproceedsgo-
ing to support McClure-Spurgeon, an Elgin alumna.
Her friends Connie and Glen Carter offered to organize the taco feed and pie
auction benefit at the Elgin Community Center. This is just their latest demon-
stration of loyal friendship, McClure-Spurgeon said.
“The whole process is humbling, to know you are that well cared for,” she
said. “I can’t begin to describe the gratitude I feel for Connie and Glen for
wanting to put this together.”
Connie Carter especially has a deep-rooted connection with Jennifer.
“I went to Elgin High School with her,” she said. “We’ve been friends forever.”
Connie Carter planned the taco feed and pie auction at an opportune time
for the public.
“It’s the weekend before Thanksgiving, so who doesn’t need a pie for
Thanksgiving, right?” she said.
The Carters are planning on an attendance of 200 people, “so it will be first
come, first serve.” The $1 hard-shell beef tacos will be served buffet style,
where people can add their own choice of toppings, including lettuce, cheese,
tomatoes and onions. There will also be Pepsi beverages on hand for pur-
chase. Following the meal will hold the pie auction.
“We’d like people to donate pies to auction off,” Connie said. “If you would
like to do that, please bring them to the Elgin Community Center between noon
and 4 p.m. on Saturday, and then we’ll know how many we have to auction off.”
All of the proceeds will go toward the exorbitant costs of cancer treatment,
especially the medical deductibles that compound over time, and medical
transportation costs to and from Seattle, Tri-Cities and Walla Walla.
“All those things just add up quickly,” Connie Carter said.
“We invite everybody to come out and support Jennifer and her family as
she goes through this difficult time in her life,” Glen Carter said.
— Trish Yerges, For The Observer
geries and suffered dangerous bacte-
rial infection in the colon.
“It was just an agony to drag myself
to radiation treatments,” she said.
A follow-up CT scan in July showed
no evidence of disease, but two weeks
after her six-month checkup, she was
back in the hospital when subsequent
imaging revealed a 10-centimeter
tumor on her liver with lymph node
involvement and a small spot on her
lung.
Her oncologist started her on a
new course of chemotherapy this
month with breaks as needed.
McClure-Spurgeon will have chemo-
therapy infusions every three weeks
in Seattle and blood tests 10 days
after each infusion to monitor liver
and kidney function. If this goes well,
the oncologist may gradually add two
other drugs to her treatment proto-
col.
“I have to believe that I can be one
of those 11% who survive,” she said.
Traffic stop lands two in jail on drug charges
Observer staff
ISLAND CITY — A traf-
fic stop Friday in Island City
led to the seizure of drugs
and guns and two arrests,
including a Stanfield wom-
an wanted on a warrant.
The Union County Sher-
iff’s Office in a news release
reported deputies and detec-
tives stopped the vehicle
at 11:20 p.m. on the 11600
block of Island Avenue near
the Walmart store. The team
searched the vehicle and
seized heroin, methamphet-
amine and oxycodone and
two firearms.
Deputies arrested the two
occupants: Matthew Carter
Coote, 30, of La Grande, for
carrying a concealed firearm
and possession and delivery
of heroin; and Josie Lee
Pritchard, 30, of Stanfield,
for possession and delivery
of methamphetamine, hero-
in and oxycodone plus felon
in possession of a weapon
and giving false information
to law enforcement.
The sheriff’s office also
arrested Pritchard on a
Umatilla County warrant.
State court records show
Pritchard in August cut a
deal in Umatilla County
and pleaded guilty to two
counts of conspiracy to de-
liver heroin, a Class A felony.
Circuit Judge Jon Lieuallen
sentenced her to five years
of probation.
But on Oct. 7, accord-
ing to court documents,
Lieuallen issued a warrant
for her arrest after she
violated multiple terms of
her probation, including
skipping out on drug abuse
treatment and not using
illegal drugs.
Coote and Pritchard are
in the Union County Jail,
La Grande. Coote’s bail is
$10,000, according to the
jail’s online inmate roster,
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“Someone has to be part of that 11%,
why not me?”
McClure-Spurgeon is the daughter
of retired Union County Commissioner
Steve McClure of La Grande and
Jackie McClure of Wallowa. She was
raised in Elgin and graduated in 1990
from Elgin High School. She earned
a degree in art history at Whitman
College, where the 6-foot-3 athlete
played basketball and became the first
Whitman women’s player to earn the
National Collegiate Athletic Associa-
tion All-American honors.
She and her husband, Dave, live in
Weston, where they run a family busi-
ness in real estate appraising. They
have raised two daughters and have a
son living at home, who is a freshman
at Weston High School. In addition to
the family business and her role as
mayor, she has other community oc-
cupations she put on hold while giving
attention to her rigorous cancer treat-
ment regimen.
10106 N. ‘C’ • Island Cit y
541-975-1364
and Pritchard’s is $50,000.
The sheriff’s office also re-
ported receiving assistance
in this case from La Grande
police, Oregon State Police
and other agencies.
School attendence dipped
on Nov. 15 in the wake of
a reported school threat.
La Grande School District
Superintendent George Men-
doza said the recent threat
against the high school was
determined not to be credible.
The concern came Nov. 7
when an anonymous mes-
sage was found on a graph-
ing calculator, indicating a
student was unhappy with
the school and warned people
not to come to school Nov.
14. Mendoza said the school
district launched an investi-
gation with local law enforce-
ment, per district protocol.
Once the district receives or
identifies a threat or concern-
ing comments, staff then
investigate and evaluate the
seriousness to determine the
danger it poses, recognizing
that all threats are not the
same. The district considers
and implements interven-
tions to reduce risk of harm or
violence, shares resources and
communicates with students
and staff, and raises aware-
ness for available support
systems and reporting tools.
Lastly, there is follow-up to
assess, monitor and support
all resources and interventions
applied.
“Our investigation process
deals with facts that are dis-
covered in real time,” Mendoza
said. “We work hand-in-hand
with law enforcement. We
need evidence to support
credible threats as well as
concerning comments. We
also need to take practical
and reasonable precautions
to ensure the safety of all staff
and students.”
The school district alerted
parents of students there
was no cause for concern and
that school would go on as
normal. However, according
to La Grande Middle School
Principal Kyle McKinney, ab-
sences were double what they
regularly are at the middle
school on Nov. 14. High school
Principal Brett Baxter did not
respond to requests for com-
ment before publication about
the threat.
While the school district
and LGPD determined there
was no danger to students
and staff because the mes-
sage did not indicate a spe-
cific plan or threat of action,
the investigation is ongoing.
The district is asking anyone
with additional information
to come forward and share
using the Safe Oregon tip line
844-472-3364 or by contact-
ing the La Grande Police
Department or the Union
County Sheriff’s Office.
As a precaution, the pres-
ence of law enforcement
throughout the district was
increased in response to this
threat, according to Mendoza.
“The district needs to follow
a reasonable and measured
approach to all safety concerns,”
Mendoza said. “(We) don’t want
to overreact or underreact and
need to keep safety as our para-
mount duty and responsibility.”
THANKSGIVING
Dinner
Community Connection Nutrition
Department is once again providing
Th anksgiving Dinners that will serve a family of 4 for $ 35.00.
Th ese are designed for those families that are too busy to cook and
there is no work for you! Th ese meals also make wonderful gift s for
those families that are struggling.
Contact Sydney Gleeson @ Commnity Connection
541-962 5851
Medicare, Auto, Home
insurance and Annuities
Toll Free 1-866-282-1925
www.reed-insurance.net
Kevin Reed