Sometimes you know something, no matter how outlandish, is the right thing to do.

Such is the cross-country trek Joe Bell of La Grande is training for. His goal? To make sure that his son Jadin’s tragic story is never forgotten.

I don’t drive the Wallowa Canyon as much as I used to, which is a good thing, because now I tend to pay attention more to the river than the destination. 

It’s no surprise to those who have lived in Northeast Oregon for long that the population on average is getting older. Even in La Grande, with all the youth and exuberance of Eastern Oregon University, census figures show the population as a whole is graying.

Once again our good gardening friend Ed Hume has compiled a brief synopsis of what to plant when, for vegetables, and it can be found in the “2013 Garden Almanac” on sale now at D&B Supply.

by Tony Radmilovich/For The Observer 

It’s a simple business and manufacturing rule: The right tool and the right process at the right time makes the right product. It holds true for the health care, too.

 For years, I’ve been in search of the right tool at the right time.

 My life has been changed by pain. About seven years ago, after suffering from debilitating pain in my legs, wrists, hands and arms for some time, my doctor prescribed medicine that managed to control my pain and allowed me to carry on a reasonably normal life.

 This forced me on long odyssey with doctors and pharmacies to help me live a productive existence and continue supporting my family.

 After a few months of success in controlling the pain, my insurer notified me it would no longer provide coverage for that medicine unless I first tried at least three other, less expensive medications to see if they could be substituted.

 At first I felt total fear as I knew that my present medication worked well and I was reticent to give it up. My doctor was apprehensive as well, saying that he had prescribed the original medication for good reason but since I could not afford it without insurance coverage, we had no choice but to try something new.

Was a Wallowa County sheriff once selected by a coin flip?

Yes.

In June of 1948 Gayle Stockdale became the sheriff of Wallowa County on the basis of a coin flip. 

Once, when we were both in fifth grade, my best friend, Mack, who was an even better friend of my older brother, Dug, became the proud owner of a plastic boat. 

It’s a sad fact. One in seven seniors across America is threatened by hunger. Some 8.3 million seniors faced the threat in 2010. This is a 78 percent increase since 2001 — and a 34 percent increase since the start of the not-so-Great Recession in 2007.