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Slant: Short opinion pieces and rumor-chasing notes News: News: Deteniendo la Sangre Shades of Green: Happening Person: Carrie Copeland LAWMAKERS SEEK TO TWEAK SPECIES ACT Oregon Sen. Jason Atkinson (R-Central Point) is sponsoring a state measure to encourage federal changes to the Endangered Species Act (ESA), America's 30-year-old wildlife protection legislation. Senate Joint Memorial 5 is a statement on behalf of the 73rd Legislative Assembly of Oregon urging Congress to "update" the ESA to de-emphasize critical habitat designations and give private landowners a more active role in recovery efforts.
The memorial implies support of U.S. Rep. Greg Walden's "sound science" bill, which would require peer review for scientific data used in ESA decisions and solicit input from landowners for species recovery plans. Jamie Rappaport Clark, vice president of Defenders of Wildlife, says that Walden's bill would take scientific decisions out of the hands of scientists and delay species protection efforts. Walden and Atkinson are from the same district in southwest Oregon. Atkinson says that ESA reform is necessary because the act has imposed hardships on Oregon landowners. "I think you could argue that Oregonians really feel the heavy hand of a federal law implemented from far away," he says. The senator brushes off concerns from environmental organizations that the conservative push for ESA "reform" will weaken species protections. "Right now the nonprofits make a lot of money from scare tactics," he says. Ivan Maluski of the Sierra Club's Portland office says that Atkinson's measure is bad public policy for the Oregon Legislature. "The biggest problem with the ESA is that Congress is not adequately funding efforts to recover species, and there's ongoing habitat degradation," he says. "Oregonians should view this effort as a part of a larger agenda to undermine every measure of environmental protection that we have gained over the last 30 years." — Kera Abraham
FED BUCKS ON CHOP BLOCK Oregon stands to lose an estimated $769 million in federal support over the next five years under the new Bush budget. A new analysis released this week predicts cuts to a wide range of programs including K-12 education, Head Start, environmental programs, foster care, AIDS drugs, community development and child care assistance. The analysis, published Feb. 22 by the Washington, D.C.-based Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, looks only at "discretionary" spending, which does not include other cuts proposed by the president in entitlement programs such as Medicaid, food stamps and farm subsidies. "The president's choices about where to invest federal dollars over the next five years do not match with the priorities of most Oregonians," says Michael Leachman, policy analyst at the Oregon Center for Public Policy, which assisted in the report's release. "The president wants to shift federal priorities away from investing in Oregon's children, away from protecting the environment, and away from working families and toward a few super-wealthy families. That is not what most Oregonians want." Bush proposes to reduce federal funding for education programs, including programs funded under the No Child Left Behind Act. Total federal education funding would decline by 14 percent by 2010 under the president's plan, according to the analysis. Cash-strapped K-12 education in Oregon would lose a total $120 million over the next five years, counting only inflation, not growth in the student population. Much of the reduction in K-12 education funding would come from cuts to special education programs. "There's not a school district in Oregon that isn't struggling to cover the costs of special education," said Leachman. "But the president's plan is to dig the hole deeper." Special education programs in Oregon would see cuts totaling an estimated $85 million over the next five years, according to the analysis.
PIELC LISTS SPEAKERS Imprisoned Eugene activist Jeffrey "Free" Luers is listed as a keynote speaker at the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference (PIELC) on the UO campus March 3-6, and more surprise guests might join the list as the world conference draws nearer. This year's theme is "Living As If Nature Mattered," inspired by the book by Bill Devall on "Deep Ecology." Devall is one of the keynote speakers March 3. Luers, serving 22 years for burning three trucks at an SUV dealer's lot, will not be led to the podium in leg irons by armed guards, but rather will give a previously recorded address, according to Zack Mazer, one of the law student organizers. An estimated 3,000 environmental attorneys, scientists and activists from around the world are gathering in Eugene for the 23rd annual PIELC and the keynoters list includes Devall, Fernando Dougnac, Beverly Wright, Gail Small, Carla Garcia Zendejas, Dune Lankard, Samuel Epstein, Rod Coronado, Leslie Carothers, Zygmunt Plater, Jane Akre and Steve Wilson. At last count, 195 events are associated with the PIELC, offering massive overchoice. At 4 pm Friday, for example, participants will have to pick from 14 different seminars and workshops ranging from gray wolves in Oregon to choosing law careers to "Making Foreign Companies Clean Up Transboundary Contamination." For details and registration information, visit www.pielc.org
STOP 'HARD BARGAINING' As the Lane Transit District labor dispute drags on, a group of citizens is weighing in to urge both the district and the union to return to the bargaining table. The LTD/ATU Community Committee, composed of citizen volunteers, released a report Feb. 23 detailing its conclusions. The report emphasizes the public losses that the region would suffer in the event of a strike and asks both parties to offer fresh proposals in an attempt to resolve the dispute. The committee asks the LTD board — which has chosen not to participate in bargaining — to get involved. "You represent all of the community, not just the management of LTD, and the community needs to hear from you," the report reads. To the union, the committee says: Be willing to flex on a health care contract. While commending the union for postponing a strike scheduled for Feb. 1, the committee asks the union to adopt a more positive stance toward the district. The committee asks the district to drop its proposed work rule changes, rethink its 4 percent cap on pay raises, and refrain from implementing the rest of its proposals so that the good faith bargaining can proceed. In sum, the report calls on both parties to stop the "hard bargaining" that sully labor relations and seek a fair resolution. — Kera Abraham
CORRECTIONS/CLARIFICATIONS Raw goat milk producer Vicky Wade's e-mail address was reported incorrectly ("The Raw Deal," 2/17). The correct address is rawgoatmilk@greatglen.net
Tax
Breaks A tax break program under consideration by the Eugene City Council could divert tens of millions of dollars in funding for schools and other government services to corporate profits. The City Council, which appears almost evenly split on the issue, plans to vote March 7 on creating an Enterprise Zone tax break program covering 90 percent of the city's industrial land for the next decade. Business groups and corporations lobbying hard for the tax breaks argue that they will create jobs. They claim that the breaks will not cost the city anything, because without them, the corporations wouldn't come to Eugene and pay taxes. "The question isn't really why do an enterprise zone," said City Councilor Jennifer Solomon. "They question is why not?" But there is little evidence supporting the free job creation claims of tax break supporters. Most research has shown that such tax break programs simply give companies money for location and expansion decisions they would have made anyway. Here's a sampling: In 2002 University of Iowa researchers Alan Peters and Peter Fisher studied 75 enterprise zones in 13 states and concluded that the vast majority of the jobs would have been created even without the costly tax breaks. In 1998, two-time Pulitzer Prize winning reporters Donald Barlett and James Steele reported on tax incentive "corporate welfare" in a four-part Time magazine series. "It has turned politicians into bribery specialists, and smart business people into con artists. And most surprisingly of all, it has rarely created any new jobs." A 2000 study commissioned by Oregon's largest business lobby, Associated Oregon Industries, shows tax breaks don't work. Tax breaks aren't a big factor in location decisions by corporate headquarters, the study found. The corporations tend to choose states with large populations and big economies. California and New York have high taxes but do the best at luring corporate headquarters. Each new job recruited to the state adds to the population by about 2.3 people and is therefore unlikely to result in reduced unemployment, according to studies by Oregon Employment Department economist Art Ayre. A 1995 internal study by the Oregon Economic Development Department predicted that only about one-third of Hynix (then Hyundai) jobs would go to current local residents. The Oregon Eco-nomic Development Department conducted a study in 1993 that concluded "analysis of tax incentive programs finds little evidence that they are effective in promoting economic development." The research indicated that labor costs, transportation, materials, quality of city services and other considerations outweigh tax incentives in deciding where corporations locate. Studies in 1988 and 1996 by the federal, nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) found little or no evidence that tax break programs actually create jobs. There's now widespread and growing recognition that such tax breaks don't make sense. "The handout game, whether it involves steel mills or baseball teams or high-tech R&D, stops when politicians fathom or are made to learn that it doesn't pay off in most cases … They ought to attend to competitiveness by maximizing the appeal of their jurisdiction to every kind of enterprise, not just those with a big snout," the Wall Street Journal wrote in a 1994 editorial. In 2001, Paul O'Neill, a former CEO of Alcoa and U.S. Treasury Secretary, told Congress, "As a businessman, I never made an investment decision based on the Tax Code ... If you want to give me inducements for something I am going to do anyway, I will take it." Locally, cities have given corporations large tax breaks only to have them lay off workers. In 2001 computer disk maker HMT shut down, laying off 400 workers after Eugene gave it almost $2 million in tax breaks. In 2003 Sony shut its CD factory laying off 277 workers after Springfield gave it $3 million in tax breaks. Hynix shut down and laid off 600 employees for six months after Eugene gave the corporation $48 million in tax breaks. Under an earlier enterprise zone program in place from 1987 to 1997, Eugene gave tax breaks to 57 companies. More than 95 percent of the tax breaks went to Hynix, a corporation that has teetered on bankruptcy. Statewide, Oregon spent untold hundreds of millions of dollars recruiting high tech companies in the 1990s only to see mass layoffs a few years later. Oregon now has some of the lowest business taxes in the nation, but is a national leader in unemployment and government red ink. Although a new enterprise zone could mean a windfall of tens of millions of dollars for Hynix and corporations like it, it could blow a huge hole in school funding. About half of local taxes go to support education. Grade school and higher education supporters are now pleading with the Legislature to avoid debilitating cuts. Unlike tax cuts, abundant research shows that well funded schools and universities do create jobs. "Tax incentives pale in comparison to the educational level of the workforce" in terms of creating jobs, says Councilor Bonny Bettman. She says the questionable tax breaks aren't worth the major revenue loss. "That's forgone revenue for the city for public safety, it's forgone revenue for the state for public education, all the services that we are losing and bemoaning." Kevin Matthews of Friends of Eugene agrees. With enterprise zones, "a tiny fraction of the money goes to local, needy, appropriate businesses," he said. "The majority of the money is just a tax giveaway to big business." The American Federation of Teachers shares the concern about tax breaks taking money from schools. "Businesses and organizations that receive public subsidies often provide little measurable benefit to the public," the group said in a resolution. Some city councilors critical of the existing program have expressed interest in modifying it to target local, environmentally sensitive companies creating high quality jobs. But that would require an act of the state Legislature. As state law stands now, enterprise zone tax breaks cannot be denied to companies because they create huge amounts of pollution, violate anti-discrimination and other laws, pay poverty wages for temporary jobs or promote urban sprawl. A corporation moving to town can get its entire factory exempt from taxes if it only creates one new job. Companies already here can get more tax breaks even if they are laying off workers. Councilor Betty Taylor says the enterprise zone tax breaks are unfair to other taxpaying businesses who regularly add good jobs without tax breaks. Taylor said the enterprise zone tax breaks do little to reduce local unemployment because most of the jobs are taken by people moving to the area. "We don't want growth just to have growth."
Stopping
the Bleeding The Riverstone Clinic in Springfield is one of those nearly impossible dreams that came true because a core group of people never gave up on it. It took 10 years and dozens of local health organizations working together to make it happen, but in March 2004 the clinic opened its doors.
By the end of the first year the multi-lingual doctors and nurses at Riverstone had treated 5,519 patients and handled 9,751 visits. They currently treat an average of 50-60 people per day, and about 25 percent of those patients identify themselves as Hispanic. Ten of the 27 employees at the clinic are bilingual. Every sign, pamphlet and notice is posted in both English and Spanish. "The health care center is a desperately needed element [of health care] for this community," said Carmen Urbina, executive director of the Centro LatinoAmericano in Eugene. "And while it's another Band-Aid, it's a pretty huge one for us." Ernesta Sanchez Varro, 46, is originally from Oaxaca, Mexico. She first came to Riverstone a few weeks ago because her forearms hurt. Dr. Miriam Gage explained in English that Varro is embroiled in a workers' compensation claim, and originally saw a doctor who only spoke English. She had a translator during that visit. But Varro speaks enough English to know that what she said wasn't translated the way she wanted to say it. Riverstone Clinic is different. Dr. Gage is fluent in Spanish: no interpreter needed. "It's easier for me," Varro said in Spanish. "I feel more sure and I have confidence in her. She pays attention and that makes me feel better because I know she's listening. It's like seeing a doctor in my own country." The clinic's roots extend deep into Lane County's Latino community. In 1994 the United Way did a needs assessment focused on the Latino community. Out of that study came the Latino Medical Access Coalition in 1995. The following year a different organization, the Programa de Asistencia Medica (PAM), started providing basic medical care out of Centro LatinoAmericano on 5th and Blair in Eugene. Between 1996 and 2003, PAM served more than 8,000 different clients. Ultimately organizers from the Centro LatinoAmericano and people working at PAM brought together all the players necessary to provide a more permanent solution: the Riverstone Clinic. The Northwest Health Foundation funded a study in 2003, which revealed that the Latino population in Lane County is one of the most medically underserved and uninsured groups in the area. "For Lane County's migrant and seasonal farm worker families and other low-income Latinos, the high level of 100-200 percent FPL [Federal Poverty Level] residents translates into proportionally fewer safety net funds," the study reported. "There are over 58,000 people living in this perilous category in Lane County, and 4,000 of them are Latinos." The study also found that Hispanics are about 2.5 times more likely to be uninsured than non-Hispanics. Meanwhile Lane County's Hispanic population continues to grow rapidly. Between 1990 and 2000, the Latino population in Eugene increased 124 percent, compared to a 14 percent increase in the county overall. The 2000 census shows 14,874 Hispanics living in Lane County, which makes up about 4.6 percent of the population. But the Latino community is typically underreported because many Latinos are undocumented and want to remain invisible. Urbina said a more accurate count is closer to 30,000, about 22 percent of the county's population. Aware of the growing need for a more comprehensive health care solution, dozens of different health care organizations worked together on a federal grant to start a community health center. In early 2004 they received the funding necessary to open Riverstone. Katy Bloch, who wrote most of the grant proposals, calls the clinic a "medical home" for many of the patients. She got involved in the process through her work with homeless youth. "Health care in this country is appalling," Bloch said, sitting in the spacious boardroom on the second floor of the clinic. "Look at all the people who are struggling just to find a home for themselves and their children for a night. I worked to get this clinic up and running for them." Bloch stressed that the clinic is for everyone, not just Latinos, not just the poor and working poor, the uninsured and underinsured. "Anyone can come here," she said. "This is not a poor people's clinic, not a Latino clinic. We're here for everyone." Riverstone Clinic is open Mon/Wed/Fri 8-5 and Tu/Th 10-7. For more information or to make an appointment, call 682-3550.
Deteniendo
la Sangre La Clínica Riverstone en Springfield es uno de esos sueños casi imposibles que se hizo realidad gracias a que un grupo de personas fundamentales nunca se dieron por vencidos. Tomo 10 años y el esfuerzo conjunto de docenas de organizaciones locales para que se lograra, pero en marzo 2004 la clínica abrió sus puertas. A finales de ese año los médicos y enfermeras multilingües de Riverstone habían dado tratamiento a 5,519 pacientes y proporcionado 9,751 consultas. Actualmente atienden a un promedio de 50-60 personas al día y aproximadamente el 25 por ciento de esos pacientes se identifican como hispanos. Diez de los 27 empleados en la clínica son bilingües y cada uno de los letreros, avisos y folletos están en tanto inglés como español. "El centro de salud es un elemento absoluta y desesperadamente necesario [de cuidado de salud] para esta comunidad," dijo Carmen Urbina, directora ejecutiva del Centro LatinoAmericano en Eugene. "Y mientras es otro parche, es uno bastante inmenso para nosotros." Ernesta Sanchez Varro, 46, es originaria de Oaxaca, Mexico, y vino por primera vez a Riverstone hace unas semanas porque le dolían los antebrazos. En inglés explicó la Dra. Miriam Gage que Varro está envuelta en una reclamación de indemnización laboral, y originalmente vio a un doctor que solo habla inglés. Durante esa visita ella tuvo un intérprete. Sin embargo Varro habla suficiente inglés para saber que lo que decía no estaba siendo traducido correctamente, o por lo menos no en la manera en que ella lo quería decir. En la Clínica Riverstone la situación es diferente. La Dra. Gage domina el español con fluidez y no se requiere de un intérprete. "Es más fácil para mi," Varro dijo. "Le tengo confianza. Se me facilita y me da atención. Me hace sentir mejor porque me está escuchando bien. Me siento segura, come si estuviera en mi país." Las raíces de la clínica se extienden profundamente en la comunidad latina del condado de Lane. En 1994 United Way realizó una valoración de las necesidades de la comunidad latina. Como producto de ese estudio surgió la Coalición Latina de Acceso Médico. El siguiente año el Programa de Asistencia Medica (PAM) empezó a proporcionar cuidado médico básico en el Centro LatinoAmericano ubicado en la calle 5 y Blair en Eugene. Entre 1996 y 2003, el PAM sirvió a más de 8,000 individuos. Finalmente organizadores del Centro LatinoAmericano y las personas trabajando en PAM reunieron a todas las partes necesarias para proporcionar una solución más permanente: la Clínica Riverstone. En 2003 la Fundación de Salud del Noroeste (Northwest Health Foundation) patrocinó un estudio, el cual reveló que la población latina en el condado de Lane es uno de los grupos en el área que recibe menos servicios médicos y que no cuenta con seguro médico. "Para las familias migratorias y campesinas así como otros latinos de bajos ingresos en el condado de Lane, los residentes que se encuentran en el nivel alto del 100-200 por ciento del Nivel de Pobreza Federal son los que reciben proporcionalmente menos fondos de protección," reportó el estudio. "Hay más de 58,000 personas viviendo en esta categoría de peligro en el condado de Lane, y 4,000 de ellos son latinos." El estudio también encontró que es 2.5 veces más probable que los hispanos no tengan seguro médico en comparación con las personas que no son hispanas. Mientras tanto, la población hispana en el condado de Lane continúa creciendo rápidamente. Entre 1990 y 2000, la población latina en Eugene aumentó un 124 por ciento comparado con un 14 por ciento a nivel nacional. De acuerdo al censo del año 2000, los 14,874 hispanos que viven en el condado de Lane componen aproximadamente el 4.6 por ciento de la población. Pero la comunidad latina está típicamente sub-reportada porque muchos latinos son indocumentados y quieren permanecer invisibles. Urbina dijo que una cantidad más exacta sería cerca de 30,000, o aproximadamente el 22 por ciento de la población del condado. Concientes de la necesidad creciente hacia una solución de cuidado integral de salud, docenas de diferentes organizaciones de cuidado de salud trabajaron juntas para solicitar un subsidio federal con el fin de iniciar un centro de salud para la comunidad. A principios del 2004 recibieron los fondos necesarios para abrir la Clínica RiverStone. Katy Bloch, quien escribió la mayoría de las propuestas del subsidio, se refiere a la clínica como "el médico de cabecera" para muchos de los pacientes. Ella se involucró en el proceso a través de su trabajo con los jóvenes sin hogar. "La asistencia médica en este país es pésima," ella dijo, sentada en el amplio salón de juntas en el segundo piso de la clínica. "Son tantas las personas que luchan simplemente por encontrar un lugar donde puedan dormir una noche con sus hijos. Por ellos trabajé para hacer funcionar esta clínica." Una y otra vez ella recalcó que la clínica es para todos, no solo latinos, no solo los pobres y de bajos ingresos, personas sin seguro médico o sub-asegurados. "Todos pueden venir aquí," ella dijo. "Ésta no es una clínica para la gente pobre, no es una clínica latina. Estamos para servir a todos." La Clínica Riverstone está abierta lunes, miércoles y viernes de 8-5 y los martes y jueves de 10-7. Para mayor información o para hacer una cita, llame al 682-3550.
Green
Dreams A recent trip to the West Eugene Wetlands hit me with the force of revelation. I had visited corners of wetland, like Swallow Pond across from Lane Electric. I knew there was more wetland beyond West 11th, but driving past, it looked like just factories and grass. Yet once I turned onto Terry Street and walked west, I stepped into another world, vast and serene. Marshes spread into the distance. White-tailed kites floated above, and meadowlarks sang from the grasses. Meadowlarks! For years I had looked for them, and they had been here all the time.
The proposed West Eugene Parkway would cut through the heart of the wetlands. But if they are left in peace and attract visitors, these beautiful wild lands might bring more money into the local economy over the long term than the quick profits of road-building. The wetlands, our community's green lungs, would stay safe for hawks and meadowlarks, and for all of us. This experience set off a burst of inquiry. I've been asking many people: "What natural wonders make Eugene/Springfield a place that visitors would come to explore?" By visitors, I mean most of all ourselves, not just travelers from Massachusetts or Japan. Of course, they are welcome, but as fuel for cars and airplanes becomes more expensive and people understand the effects of travel on the global climate, I think many of us will take some of our trips closer to home. Many people mentioned that the greenness of our neighborhoods and parks and the diversity of outdoor recreation, appeal to residents and visitors alike. Another dominant theme was connectedness. People want to connect everything with everything else: downtown Eugene's "cultural epicenter" to the UO along a vibrant path of galleries, shops, and restaurants; the Ridgeline Trail to wetlands and rivers along a growing web of greenways; Eugene/ Springfield to the Pacific Crest Trail and the ocean. Springfield, Eugene, and Santa Clara are already linked by bike trails, and the Amazon bike path has nearly reached Fern Ridge. Recreation corridors double as wildlife corridors. Our home is special because of its rich diversity of ecological niches. In and near town are rivers and riparian forests, oak woodlands, wetlands, rain forests, coast and mountains. Wildflowers and wildlife are abundant. Lane County is a birdwatchers' paradise, with 390 of 750 U.S. species. Eight hundred members of the American Birding Association visited here in June 2002; birding tourists arrive in fall to see swifts pouring down the old Condon School chimney. Birdwatching is America's fastest-growing recreational activity, with a 155 percent annual growth rate. Hosting 1.7 million wildlife travelers a year, Oregon ranks fifth in the nation. Our area has strong potential as a destination for "foodies" and wine-lovers. Wild berries, mushrooms, and truffles abound in nearby forests. In the beneficent moderation of our climate, we grow a wide range of food plants and flowers: gorgeous roses and a multitude of berries along with tomatoes, peppers and excellent grapes. Stephanie Pearl Kimmel of Marché visits farmers' markets wherever she travels, but her favorite is here in Eugene, with its locally grown food and friendly farmer/vendors. "Our market has the flavor of where we live," she says. Opportunities for agricultural tourism are plentiful: wineries, gardens, u-pick berries, pumpkin patches and corn mazes, lavender farms, alpaca ranches, and world-famous nurseries. Jackie Chama at Bloomer's Nursery mentions the need for a published vineyard-farm-nursery back roads route. Sonoma Farm Trails in California provides a working model. Eugene/Springfield is a place of convergence. Cities and nature blend where rivers flow. Local festivals in splendid natural settings weave together music, dance, arts, crafts, and food. This year Bob Jensen of Big Green Events is planning an "affordable, accessible" river festival, where people can paddle local rivers, learn about river stewardship and listen to local music. Robb Hankins, Eugene's cultural services director, characterizes Eugene as the "world's greatest city for the arts and outdoors." He believes Eugene will grow gracefully if we keep celebrating nature and the creative spirit. Many people regard Eugene/Springfield as a growing mecca for nature tourists — people who want a city base to explore valley, coast, and mountain habitats. Mayor Kitty Piercy and Steve Gordon see a planned education center in the West Eugene Wetlands as a magnet for visitors and residents, where everyone can learn about south Willamette Valley nature. Piercy says Eugene is respected nationwide for its pioneering work in preserving prairie wetlands; she thinks this reputation will help fund construction of the center. She sees Eugene/Springfield not only as an urban area with beautiful wild places, but as a human community loving and taking care of natural treasures. "Being stewards of what we've got is a significant thing," she says. "We hold in our hands some of the remaining old growth and pristine waters that are fast disappearing from the planet." Please send ideas to shadesofgreen@eugeneeweekly.com
CARRIE COPELAND
Back home on the foothills of Mount Spokane in Eastern Washington, Carrie Copeland was the black-sheep braniac and punk-rocker in a family of rodeo riders. But when she crossed the state for college in Bellingham, she got hooked on outdoor activities: hiking, biking, and rock climbing. "I studied biochem, but I hated being indoors," says Copeland, who switched to environmental education and spent summers teaching at an adventure camp on Orcas Island. After graduation in 1997, she was hired as a crew leader by Eugene's Northwest Youth Corps. "I was shocked at how hard it was to build trails," she admits. "But the kids walked away with self-confidence, a love of nature, and a wad of cash." Founded in 1984, NYC employs teenagers from around the U.S. on conservation projects for the BLM, the Forest Service, and parks throughout the West. As many as 40 crews of 10 workers each are in the field during the peak summer season. After eight years with NYC, most recently as field director, and now married to NYC administrator Jeff Parker, Copeland retired last month to devote more time to her nine-month-old son Owen and to nursing school studies at LCC. -BY PAUL NEEVEL
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