REGION
Wednesday, October 2, 2019
East Oregonian
Pumpkin patch fundraiser honors late son
By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press
WALLA WALLA, Wash.
— A Washington farm fam-
ily 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 pumpkin
patch to raise funds for Ron-
ald McDonald House in mem-
ory of their son, Cooper, who
died in 2002. He was 7-1/2
years old.
“He was just a great lit-
tle kid, he was very socia-
ble, 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 vision
and balance. The family drove
him to Seattle for surgery.
They spent three weeks there,
eventually finding housing
through the local Ronald
McDonald House.
After surgery, the family
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;
Capital Press/Matthew Weaver
Walla Walla farmer Jeff Schulke holds up a pumpkin in the
patch prior to harvest on Sept. 27, 2019. Schulke and his fam-
ily use the pumpkin patch as a fundraiser for Ronald McDon-
ald House in memory of their late son Cooper, who died in
October 2002.
son, Campbell, now 19; and
daughter, Emerson, 14, invite
people to help harvest 3 to 4
acres of pumpkins and then
sell the crop, donating the pro-
ceeds to Ronald McDonald
Houses.
“Everyone loves picking
pumpkins,” Schulke said. “It’s
the discovery in the patch. You
find a big one or a little one or
a whole bunch of weird-look-
ing 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
a home a pumpkin.
“We’ll have up to 8,000
pounds of pumpkins leave our
driveway in a day, or a week-
end,” he said.
They also deliver pump-
kins to various area locations,
including a Walla Walla cof-
feeshop, a meat shop and gar-
den 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 benefit the
organization.
“You just had to do some-
thing during that fall time of
year when (Cooper) passed
away,” Schulke said. “It gives
you focus and a way to chan-
nel all of that energy.”
Schulke’s mother and neph-
ews originally grew miniature
pumpkins. The family discov-
ered 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 donations directly to
their local Ronald McDonald
House.
“We’re not looking to
make our donation go any big-
ger,” he said.
The organization serves
mostly rural residents who
live outside major metropol-
itan areas, where specialized
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? You live two and
a half hours away, you can’t
commute, you’ve got to be
right there,” he said. “You
have to live some place. It is
definitely geared towards us
who live in the rural areas.”
The family plans to con-
tinue the pumpkin patch every
year.
When Cooper first got sick,
Schulke said, the family tried
to handle it all on their own.
“We thought people were
giving pity, but it’s grace,” he
said. “They’re being gracious.
You definitely learn to receive
charity. So now we’re teaching
people how to be charitable.”
BMCC baseball team takes batting practice
Harrison Reid swings at a
ball during batting prac-
tice with the Blue Mountain
Community College baseball
team on Tuesday afternoon
in Pendleton.
Staff photo by Ben Lonergan
A3
BRIEFLY
Residents asked for feedback on parks
HERMISTON — Hermiston residents have an opportu-
nity to provide input for the parks and recreation district’s
master plan.
The plan currently being drafted will guide the depart-
ment’s work for years to come, prioritizing spending and
construction on new parks and other facilities. Currently,
the department manages 16 parks, the Hermiston Family
Aquatic Center, Hermiston Community Center and two
trails.
The city has posted an online survey, accessible until
Nov. 1. The survey, which takes about 10 minutes, can be
found at bit.ly/hermistonparks_survey. It asks residents for
feedback on how happy they are with each of Hermiston’s
current parks and recreation facilities, then asks them to pri-
oritize other potential projects, such as an indoor aquatic
center, new playground, ice skating rink or boat ramp.
The survey is anonymous, but participants can enter
their contact information to be including in a drawing for
five $100 gift cards.
Walla Walla County Sheriff’s Office
deputy dies
WALLA WALLA, Wash. — The Walla Walla County
Sheriff’s Office is mourning the death of deputy John W.
King.
The sheriff’s office reported King’s death in a news
release Tuesday morning. The sheriff’s office did not reveal
when King died nor the cause of death.
King began his law enforcement career at the age of 20
in 1979 with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, Califor-
nia, according to the news release, and decade later he began
working for the Los Angeles Police Department. where he
retired as a lieutenant in 2013.
King joined the Walla Walla County Sheriff’s Office in
March that same year. He retired again but stayed on as a
reserve deputy, then served a brief stint in 2018 as the interim
chief deputy before going back to reserve status where he
remained until his death.
The sheriff’s office in the news release described King
as a “cop’s cop with a sense of humor that could draw a
crowd.” He also was an avid outdoorsman and took pride
in his family.
M-F murder defendant now in
Pendleton jail
PENDLETON — Shayla Fawn Record
Tsosie of Milton-Freewater pleaded not
guilty last week to murdering her boyfriend.
Walla Walla police arrested Tsosie, 22,
in mid-August on a Umatilla County war-
rant for the murder of Christian Rodri-
Tsosie
guez Calvillo. She was in jail there, waived
extradition and arrived Wednesday to the Umatilla County
Jail, Pendleton. She pleaded not guilty Thursday in Uma-
tilla County Circuit Court to charges of unlawful use of a
weapon and murder. State court records also show Judge
Christopher Brauer set Tsosie’s bail at $10 million.
The state has accused Tsosie of fatally stabbing her boy-
friend, Christian Rodriguez Calvillo on June 21 at their
apartment in Milton-Freewater. He also was 22.
Tsosie has a pretrial conference Wednesday morning
in Pendleton for Brauer to consider setting a date for a bail
hearing in which the court would evaluate the strength of the
evidence in the case. Tsosie, however, can waive her right to
that hearing, which would free the court to keep her in jail
without bail until the conclusion of the case.
— East Oregonian staff
Greg’s Sleep Center Sofas ‘n More
Hermiston doctor on probation for opioid prescriptions
By JESSICA POLLARD
East Oregonian
HERMISTON — Fol-
lowing a complaint filed last
year, Hermiston Dr. Bruce
Carlson of the Urgent Care
Clinic will no longer be able
to treat patients with opioids
for chronic pain unless they
suffer from terminal illnesses.
His clinic is still running, and
he doesn’t plan to stop provid-
ing care anytime soon.
Carlson was placed on pro-
bation by the Oregon Medi-
cal Board in July, following a
complaint that alleged he pre-
scribed controlled substances
without medical purpose or
without following proper
procedures.
“I love taking care of peo-
ple, I’ve been taking care of
people for 45 years,” Carlson
said. “We’re short of help in
this area.”
Carlson said he is com-
plying with the stipulated
order, which issued a stayed
revocation of his license and
includes a $5,000 penalty, a
five-year probation period
and compliance to an educa-
tional plan.
He will also have to taper
his existing patients off
higher dose levels of opioids,
and completely off benzodi-
azepines or else direct them
to other physicians. He won’t
be able treat any new chronic
pain patients with opioids.
If Carlson completes the
probationary period success-
fully, his license will not be
revoked.
He said that he felt the
medical board’s language in
the complaint to be height-
ened, and that it reads worse
than it is.
“Anytime we get an educa-
tion, it always makes us bet-
ter,” he said.
According to the Ore-
gon Medical Board, Carlson
allowed a physician assis-
tant— whom he hired in 2014
— to continue issuing pre-
scriptions for Schedule II nar-
cotics even though she failed
her national recertification
test. The complaint states that
Carlson signed blank prescrip-
tion forms, which the assistant
then filled in his absence.
“I don’t want abnormal
prescriptions with my name
on them, going out,” he said.
“Once we became aware
that was a no-no, we stopped
doing that.”
Carlson explained that
when his physicians assis-
tant failed recertification, he
believed she was still eligi-
ble to prescribe Schedule III
through V drugs, as mandated
by the board. He thought
Vicodin, which he said she
was prescribing, was still a
Schedule III drug at the time.
It was later reclassified as a
Schedule II drug.
The complaint also lists
several incidents in which
Carlson reportedly prescribed
excessive amounts of opioids
to patients without medical
justification. Some patients
were prescribed daily doses
of pain medication that had a
morphine equivalent dose of
120.
The Center for Disease
Control stated that doctors
should avoid increasing dos-
ages past 90 without careful
justification.
Carlson said he disagrees
with the board’s findings
that he prescribed without
justification.
“Everybody that was pre-
scribed pain medicine com-
plained of pain,” he said. “I
wasn’t handing out pain med-
icine like candy.”
The board also stated
that some patient drug tests
showed an absence of the
prescribed medications. One
patient tested positive for
methamphetamine.
Carl-
son allegedly didn’t take any
action.
“I have to be trusting, and
sometimes that gets me into
trouble,” he said.
Carlson noted he’d heard
new reports of people selling
their medication for other pain
medications, and that he felt
that may have been the case in
the past.
The board stated that with
another patient, Carlson con-
tinued to prescribe oxycodone
and gabapentin to a patient
for six months without an
office visit, and prescribed an
additional medication which
posed a risk to the patient’s
health due to a higher body
mass index.
Carlson insisted all of his
pain patients have monthly
appointments.
Carlson said he sees 2,000
Oregon Health Plan patients,
and since pain was introduced
as a fifth vital sign in 2001,
opioid prescriptions have
increased.
“I have more OHP
patients than any other doc-
tor in the county,” he said.
“A lot of (patients) aren’t
working and they have con-
ditions where they can’t
work. A high percentage are
on pain medications.”
FALL into SAVINGS
Fall Means Huge Storewide SAVINGS...
Mattresses, Sofas, Recliners, Lift Chairs and MORE.
Adjustable Beds
Mariana 8 Adjustable Beds
Memory Foam
We Are
Now
$
899.
Your Queen
Sleep Specialists
BLACK
18 Month Interest Free Financing
10/2
Cineplex Show Times
$5 Classic Movie
Showing Today @ 12p
Platinum
FRIDAY
Beautyrest
$
Oh God!
300.
OFF
Abominable (PG)
2D 4:40p 7:00p
9:20p
Rambo: Last Blood (R)
4:50p 7:10p
9:50p
* Matinee Pricing
Pendleton, OR I-84 - Exit 216
Ashley Motion
Sofa
Power
$
Motion
699.
$
Downton Abbey (PG)
4:10p 6:50p 9:40p
wildhorseresort.com • 541-966-1850
Or FREE Financing Offer
Recliners &
Ad Astra (PG13)
4:00p 6:40p 9:30p
It: Chapter 2 (R)
4:30p 8:00p
Mattress Sets
Starting at
Lift Chairs
$
NOW OPEN GSC Mattress Outlet
BEST MATTRESS Prices in Town !!!
Stack Pack of Comfort
Queen
Make a
diff erence in a
foster child’s life.
699.
Carlsbad
$
249.
Pillow Top Mattress
$
10” Queen Hybrid Mattess 499.
American Bedding Mattresses
Fitzgerald Euro Top
$
Sale
$
King Mattress
699.
$
Reg. 389.
239.
3.
Queen Mattresses
OR
Kenai EuroTop
12 Months Free Financing $ 399.
Reg. 699.
Queen Mattress
Reg.
999.
Saquaro Euro Top
$
$
Become a CASA
Info & Training Sessions
Oct 7th-18th
in Pendleton and Hermiston
Call a local CASA
Coordinator for details!
Hermiston: (541) 667-6169
Pendleton: (541) 278-6292
Weekdays 9:30A- 6P
Saturday 9:30A- 6P
Sunday 12N - 4P
541-567-1099
Court Appointed Special Advocate
umchs.org/CASA
On Sale!
Greg’s
Sheets
Pillows
Blanket Throws
Mattress Pads
HWY 395 Hermiston
Sleep Center
We’re the store your looking for.
Sofas ‘n More