HEPPNER
G T
50¢
azette
imes
VOL. 135
NO. 5 8 Pages
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Lindsay iles for
county judge
Another contender has budget committee, serves
thrown her hat into the ring on the Morrow County
for the county judge posi- Cultural Coalition board,
and is vice president
tion in the upcoming
and past president
primary election.
of the Heppner Jr./
Melissa Lind-
Sr. High School
say of Heppner an-
Booster Club.
nounced she has
She will run
iled for the position
against Greg Sweek
of Morrow County
of Heppner, who
Judge, which cur- Melissa
iled for the judge
rent judge Terry Lindsay
position in Decem-
Tallman will vacate
ber.
at the end of next year.
County positions up for
Lindsay is a Heppner
native, graduating from grabs in next year’s election
Heppner High School in are Morrow County Judge,
1986. She attended Mt. Morrow County Commis-
Hood Community College sioner Position 1, Morrow
and obtained an associate’s County Clerk, Morrow
degree in social science County Justice of the Peace,
in 1988 before graduat- Morrow County Sheriff,
ing from San Diego State Morrow County Survey-
University in 1990 with a or and Morrow County
Bachelor of Science degree Treasurer. All are four-year
in business administration. terms except for judge and
She worked as Oregon justice of the peace, which
branch manager at GMAC are both six-year terms.
The county court last
Mortgage in Lake Oswego,
OR for several years before year voted to eliminate the
returning to Heppner in county judge position and
1995. She then worked at move to three part-time
Inland Empire Bank as a commissioners with a full-
loan officer and at Bank time, paid administrator.
of Eastern Oregon as the However, Morrow County
mortgage division manager Clerk Bobbi Childers says
and vice president before the vote to make the change
leaving to be owner and op- came after the Sept. 10 il-
erator of Turner Ranch, Inc. ing date for the position,
Lindsay is going into so the oficial ballot title
her third year on the Mor- remains that of judge for the
ro w Co unty Plannin g time being. Childers says
Commission, has served whoever is elected would
three years on the Mor- serve as a part-time com-
row County Health District missioner according to the
Foundation board, is cur- county court’s decision but
rent chair of the Morrow -See LINDSAY FILES FOR
County School District
JUDGE/PAGE FIVE
Wolf spotted near
Anson Wright Park
Local woman seeks help
with animal rescue
By David Sykes
April Herzog firmly
believes an animal shelter is
needed in Morrow County,
and Monday she went to
Heppner City Council to
ask for help in establish-
ing one.
“I am here looking for
ideas. I am looking for
people who would take
on providing an animal
shelter,” she told the city
council. “I know there is
no money, but I am still
looking for any help you
can give me.”
While admitting there
is an animal pet problem
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
A friend in need receives a gift of love
By Andrea Di Salvo
Do you love any of
your friends enough to give
them a kidney?
That was a question
Sarah Skroch asked her-
self last summer when she
found out her good friend,
Trisha Harding, was in des-
perate need of one. Harding
was born with only one
kidney; on top of that, the
kidney she had was fail-
ing her. Harding had IgA
nephropathy, also known
as Berger’s disease. It’s a
kidney disease in which an
antibody called immuno-
globulin A (IgA) lodges in
the kidneys and hampers
kidney function.
The women’s husbands
had met while skydiving in
Montana; the women had
a friendship that stretched
back five years. Harding
was already very ill when
she told Skroch and her
husband, Eric, about the
disease—in stage four fail-
Sarah Skroch displays a certiicate of gratitude for her dona-
tion of a kidney to her friend Trisha Harding. -Photo by Andrea
Di Salvo
ure, she was only a step
away from needing dialysis.
“She was on the wait-
ing list,” says Skroch, “but
if you qualify (for a trans-
plant) you wait ive years on
average in the U.S.”
Skroch, 28, was living
with her husband and three
children in Hawaii, while
Harding, 32, was at home in
G-T will be open next
Monday
The Heppner Gazette-Times will maintain normal
business hours next Monday, Feb. 15, and will not be
closed for the Presidents Day holiday. The deadline for
next week’s issue will remain at Monday at 5 p.m.
Kalispell, MT. That didn’t
stop Skroch, from wanting
to help. She says she irst
spoke with her husband
about the possibility of
donating a kidney to their
friend.
“It’s not just about me.
I have children, a family,”
she says, but adds, “I have
a strong belief that I’m here
for a purpose, and if I can
help anybody out, I’m all
for it.”
With her husband sup-
porting her, Skroch first
checked to make sure she
and Harding had the same
blood type. Then she began
the process of being tested
for compatibility as a donor.
In August she had blood
drawn in Hawaii. Within
24 hours, doctors had to
draw blood from Harding in
Spokane and then take it to
a blood lab to make sure the
blood mixed well. Part of
the process involved look-
ing for six genetic markers,
and doctors found a miracu-
lous match between the two
women.
“For us not being re-
lated…it was ive out of six,
which is a one in a million
chance,” says Skroch. “I
can show you a picture of
her. We look nothing alike;
-See GIFT OF LOVE/PAGE
THREE
Heppner native establishes endowment
for cancer research at OHSU
Editor’s note: Pat Kilken-
ny is a Heppner native.
Pat Kilkenny and his
wife Stephanie have estab-
lished a $5 million perma-
nent endowment within the
Knight Cancer Institute at
Oregon Health & Science
University, which will es-
tablish a cancer scholars
program to support and
mentor exceptional OHSU
Ph.D. candidates.
Pat Kilkenny, now of
San Diego, is originally
from Heppner.
According to an OHSU
press release, Pat and
Stephanie Kilkenny have
created the Frohnmayer
Hicks Sciarretta Research
Scholars Program to honor
the memory of three men believe he would be hon-
who were central in their ored to know that one of his
lives: Stephanie Kilkenny’s legacies is to help support
father, John Hicks; former bright young researchers
Oregon attorney general who have the potential
and University of
to help end cancer
Oregon president
once and for all.”
Dave Frohnmayer;
“Dave Frohn-
and Pat Kilkenny’s
mayer and Mark
friend and former
Sciarretta were
colleague, Mark
close friends and
Sciarretta. All three
colleagues of mine
men died of cancer.
who had a deep
“My father was Pat Kilkenny commitment to im-
a successful attor-
proving health care
ney and businessman, but and outcomes, and who
his true passion was serv- both died of cancer much
ing his community and his too young,” Pat Kilkenny
country in a multitude of added. “I am very hopeful
ways, and cancer took him that the scholars program
too early,” said Stephanie named in their honor will
Kilkenny in the release. “I help foster innovative new
Wee Bit O’ Ireland is
on its way
Terry Harper of Heppner took this photo last Tuesday, Feb.
2, at 7:58 a.m., about a mile north of Anson Wright park on
Hwy. 207. Harper said he had to hit the brakes and stop for the
black wolf, which was standing in the middle of the highway
some 15-20 yards in front of him. It then ran past his truck
and up the bank by the road. Harper adds that anyone skiing
in the area may want to keep a sharp lookout and an eye on
their dogs. -Contributed photo
in the city, the council said about the plight of animals
there is no money available and has run a newspaper ad
for a shelter.
and printed lyers asking for
“We have al-
like-minded people
ways battled with
to step forward and
a dog and cat prob-
help establish a lo-
lem,” Mayor Skip
cal animal shelter.
Matthews said, but
She said although
admitted there could
some people have
be no inancial help. April Herzog told her they agree,
The city operates a wants to create no one has stepped
one-dog cage near an abandoned forward to help.
the treatment plant pet shelter.
“I’ve been told
on Riverside, but it
we need to set up
is used only for short stays a 501(c)(3) (nonproit or-
before abandoned animals ganization), and we need
can be transferred to Pet a board of directors, but I
Rescue in Hermiston.
-See CITY COUNCIL/PAGE
FOUR
Herzog is passionate
Mark your calendars
now for Heppner’s 34 th an-
nual Wee Bit O’ Ireland St.
Patrick’s Celebration on
March 18-20.
This weekend of cel-
ebration includes (just to
name a few) Heppner cham-
ber’s Irish Smoker amateur
boxing event, KUMA Cof-
fee hour, and the Ceili, with
lots of singing, laughing
and celebrating.
Leprechauns will roam
the city spreading cheer and
good luck. Car enthusiasts
will want to check out the
modern and vintage clas-
sics at the Cruz-In and, of
course, everyone will want
to save a spot on Main
Street for the Great Green
Parade.
Visitors and locals are
invited to watch the skilled
canines at the sheep dog
trials, as well as sign up to
show off their own skills in
See more on St. Pat-
rick’s events, including
the Irish Smoker and
Road Bowling, on PAGE
SIX.
approaches to detecting
and treating cancer so that
future generations will be
spared lives cut short by this
disease.”
Pat Kilkenny attended
the University of Oregon
to study journalism in the
mid-1970s, but dropped out
before graduation to work
in the insurance industry.
He then spent most of his
career in the insurance in-
dustry, most prominently
as the owner of Arrowhead
General Insurance Agency,
which he sold in 2006.
From March 2007 to June
2009, he served as the U of
O’s athletic director, donat-
-See KILKENNY FUNDS
ENDOWMENT/PAGE TWO
Two Heppner players
sign with Eastern
the Welly Toss and the Irish
Bowling team competition.
On top of that, there
will be plenty of Irish music
and entertainment, local
shops for shopping, food
vendors, books and crafts.
Included in the schedule
will be activities for chil-
dren, youth and adults.
The entertainment
planned for this year in-
cludes a local youth tal-
ent show. Main entertain-
ment for Saturday will be
CrossStrung, performing
at St. Patrick’s Parish Hall,
and The Old Time Fiddlers,
who will be performing at
the Fairgrounds. All of this
Two Heppner football players have signed letters of intent to
play for Eastern Oregon University next fall. Patrick Collins
(left) and CJ Kindle, both players on this year’s state cham-
pion football team, signed their letters during a ceremony at
Heppner High School last week. Both expressed thanks for
-See WEE BIT O’ IRE- the support they have received from the Heppner community.
LAND/PAGE SIX -Photo by David Sykes
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