August 6. 2008 PageA2 Michelle Puts Focus on Her Daughters Discusses marriage, motherhood in Ebony (AP) — Forget the pearls. M ichelle O bam a says her best accessory is her husband. "Barack and I — as part­ ners, as friends and as lovers — we accessorize each other in many ways," said Obama, wife o f Democratic presiden­ tial candidate Barack Obama. "The best thing I love having on me is Barack on my arm and vice versa, w hether it's having him standing there smil­ ing at me, or watching him mesmerize a crowd or talk to some seniors in a senior cen­ ter." Michelle Obama discussed her marriage, fashion sense and how she balances m oth­ erhood and work in an inter­ view with Ebony magazine. The issue hits newsstands na­ tionwide on Aug. 12. Should she becom e first lady, M ichelle O bam a says her primary focus will be on P their two daughters — Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7. "My firstjobinall honesty is going to continue to be mom- in-chief," she said, "making sure that in this transition, which w ill be even more o f a transi­ tion for the girls ... that they are settled and that they know they will continue to be the center o f our universe." M ichelle Obam a said the challenges women face in bal­ ancing their families and jobs should be highlighted in gov­ ernm ent policies — whether it’s through better health care or more family leave time. She also expressed her sup­ port for military wives and the additional stress they face when their husbands are away Michelle Obama, wife o f Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama and have done multiple tours D-lll., speaks at a Women for Obama luncheon in Chicago. active in her husband's cam- o f duty. "Tack on the fact that loved ones who are com ing hear those voices a lot." back dealing with emotional M ichelle Obam a, 44, has paign and is scheduled to speak there is no sustained mental health support for these fami­ issues," she said. ’You've got worked as a lawyer and hospi- to m ilita ry sp o u s e s on lies as they are struggling with people in pain and we don't tai executive. She has been W ednesday in Norfolk, Va. Like her husband, sheexer- cises regularly — an activity that was hard to find time for when the girls were younger and Barack Obam a was away working in the Illinois Senate, she said. She said realized she was putting on weight after her oldest daughter was born. She started working out at 4:30 a.m. and would let her hus­ band help with the children if they cried in the early hours. " I found it wasn't that Barack wasn't interested in helping," she said. "It's just that when the baby cried at 4 a.m., I got up faster than he did because I would hear the baby and 1 would be up." M ichelle Obama said she tries to teach her daughters the importance of exercising. The family also eats organic as much as possible, she said. "(B eing fit) has becom e even more important as I've had children, because I'm also thinking about how I'm model­ ing health to my daughters," she said. Subscribe! 503-288-0033 PCC Enrollment Grows 14 Percent Fill Out & Send To: |Jortlani» (fibs^rtter Attn: Subscriptions, PO Box 3137, Portland OR 97208 s u b s c r i p t i o n s a re j u s t $ 6 0 p e r y e a r (please include check with this subscription form) N ame : _______________________________ T elephone :_________ A ddress : ________ I or email subscriptions@portlandobserver.com I NEED HELP GROWING OR STARTING YOUR BUSINESS? <&) Portland State xj/ U N IV E R S IT Y Business Outreach Program Is offering a series of workshops to assist you in: • Developing your Business Plan • Budgeting and Financing • Accounting • Marketing These workshops are FREE to qualified entrepreneurs and start soon. Dates are to be determined. For information and registration Please call 503-725-9820 or email: bop@sba.pdx.edu For the fourth straight term, Portland Com munity College has experienced enrollm ent growth. This sum m er term, PCC is seeing double-digit growth across most campuses. Overal I the col lege grew by 9.7 percent in total headcount and 14.3 percent in full-time equivalent (FTE) students. "As the economy continues to slow, it's apparent people are starting to turn to PCC in greater numbers to start their P re sto n P u llia m s education or to retrain into a new career,” said PCC Presi­ dent Preston Pulliams. "The growth at the college has been phenomenal. In many areas across the district, we are near capacity now for general class­ room use and office space. This presents challenges in meeting the needs o f our stu­ dents' and educational part­ nerships." The C ascade C am pus in north Portland had one o f the biggest increases in enroll­ ment. It swelled by 21.1 per­ cent in FTE and 18.3 percent in overall headcount. "W e’re excited that so many people are taking advantage o f the wealth o f resources we have available here," said Algie Gatewood, president o f C as­ cade C am pus. "People are beginning to realize, more and more, the importance o f edu­ cation, and that it is the com ­ mon denom inatorof success." Paramedic Sentenced for Sexual Abuse The w oman said she passed out in her Portland hom e and o n e o f her children called fo r h e lp . S h e sa id Haszard fondled her as she lay in a sem icon­ (AP) - A M ultnom ah County judge scious state. sentenced a form er param edic to five "I wasn't all the way years in prison for inappropriately touch­ aw ake, but I was aware ing fem ale patients during am bulance o f w hat was happening trips. around me," the woman Judge Leslie Roberts also sentenced said. "That's what both­ Lannie Lee Haszard to Five years o f pro­ ers me the most. It was bation and ordered him to register us a I i ke watch i ng somebody sex offender following his release. do som ething to me and Haszard. 62. pleaded guilty to a t­ L annie Lee H a sza rd ' couldn't do anything. tem pted first-degree sexual abuse. O nce at the hospital, The abuse becam e public afte ra local the w om an rem em bers w aking and scream ­ African A m erican wom an, a 28-ycar-old ing when Haszard entered her room. Hospital single m otherof three, reported what Haszard staff told her she im agined what happened. had done to her last December. Multiple ambulance patients victimized but she dem anded that police be called. "He was the first to believe me," she said o f the Portland police officer. A fter the w om an’s story hit the news, several other victim s cam e forward to report abuse by Haszard. They ranged from 28 to 73 years old. Three o f the them attended M onday's hearing with family sitting by their sides. "The one thing they all had in com m on was they're all in the back o f the am bulance with Lannie Haszard." Deputy district attor­ ney D onald Rees said. H aszard, w ho lost his jo b w ith A m eri­ can M edical R esponse and his p ro fe s­ sional ce rtific a tio n , did not speak at the hearing. T he single m other and two other victim s are suing H aszard and AMR. Portland Crime Rate Dips to 30 Year Low Saturday, August 23, 1:00 - 4:00 PM Reflections Coffeehouse & Bookstore 446 NE Killingsworth Street, Portland * Free Family Entertainm ent Free Food - "Free Gifts for Kids ’■'while supplies last « Sponsored by Portland Metro Mocha Moms www. por tlandmochas. or g Portland's crime rate has sunk to the lowest level since the city started keeping records in the 1970s. Police said the overal I crime rate was 63 victims o f crime for every 1,000 people. That com pares to a high o f 161 victim s o f crim e for every 1,0 0 0 people in 1988. The figures show that Port­ land has made steady improve­ ments its crime rate almost every year over the past 20 years. Last year, shoplifting was the only crim e to increase, growing by three percent. All other crim es were down 14 percent. The murder rate was down 13 percent com pared to this time last year. Rape and rob­ bery were also down 17 per­ cent. Auto theft had the larg­ es, drop at 36 percent.