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Mill family faces lean yule OUT OF THE ASHES Manuel and Tina Rios are among families who lost jobs in the Labor Day fire that destroyed Medford's Boise Cascade Corp. mill. The Mail Tribune is following three families, chronicling their efforts to rebuild their lives. Stories will run occasionally as workers look for new jobs, seek training and cope with daily struggles. Photo by Andy Atkinson Manuel Rios, who worked at the Boise Cascade Medford plant before it burned, shops for jeans at Black Bird Monday night, when the store was open to Boise workers only. Unemployed worker tries to emphasize the positive By MARK FREEMAN Come midnight Christmas eve, Manuel Rios longs to spend a few hours enjoying the present without longing for the past or fearing the future. His family will gather at his parents' Medford home that night, when tradition holds that they awake slumbering grandchildren at midnight to open gifts. But they will do so without the benefit of another family tradition -- steady work at the Boise Cascade Corp. mill in Medford. The mill was destroyed by fire Sept. 6. With Manuel and his two brothers -- who also worked at the mill -- still unemployed after the blaze, the adults will struggle to enjoy their first Christmas without Boise. "We try to hold everything in, and not let the kids know what's going on," said Manuel Rios, whose boys are 6 years, 3 years and 8 months old. "That's the hard part -- keeping the kids from thinking there's something wrong. `I just hope the kids can enjoy Christmas," he says. Christmas without Boise's backing is a tough nut to crack for families like the Rioses, who are relying on a hodge-podge of unemployment compensation and alternative jobs to keep their lives and families together. And that leaves precious little room for Christmas. Money is so tight that the Rioses felt unable Monday night to take advantage of a special 20-percent-off shopping night at the Black Bird Shopping Center in Medford. The store closed its doors early Monday to all but burned-out Boise workers. Manuel Rios bought just a pair of off-brand work jeans for $18 before heading home. At the Rios home, it's hardly a Donna Reed existence. Manuel has not worked since fire destroyed Boise Cascade's Medford plant. The flames also gutted the livelihoods of Manuel and his brothers Greg and Albert. Boise officials still have not decided whether to rebuild the plant and hire back some or all of the displaced workers -- or to abandon the operation, Boise spokesman Bob Smith said Monday. Manuel recently finished welding classes, but his efforts to bag a $7-per-hour job so far have been fruitless. Tina had been a stay-at-home mom. But circumstances dictated she find work -- at a floral-delivery company where she works exhaustive weekend shifts. As their medical insurance was to expire last month, Tina had a medical procedure to ensure she has no more children. She was back to work immediately. "We couldn't afford even one day away from my work," Tina Rios said. The strain has been hard on the couple in ways beyond the financial. "When I was working at Boise, I was so confident," Manuel Rios said. "I knew we'd have everything we needed. "Now, we add up the bills two or three times to make sure that we're going to make it," he said. And make it they have. But barely. The family has cut corners wherever it can to keep making payments on its modest home and truck. The electric baseboard heat all but stays off, with the living room woodstove belting out the lion's share of BTUs. While the stove warms their bodies, it can't warm their hearts. The Rioses see the specter of unemployment everywhere. When Manuel feels down, he retreats to the sofa. The crackle of the woodstove and the volume of the TV creates enough background noise that husband and wife can talk about their fears without the kids hearing. "A lot of times I feel down and depressed, (and Tina) tries to make me feel better," Manuel Rios said. "But it's not something you can ignore." But Manuel will try to be upbeat at least one night, Christmas Eve, by reminding himself that the Rioses need each other more than they need Boise. "As long as we're all together and healthy," Manuel Rios said, "that will be fine." Black Bird sale, raffle cheers jobless families By MARK FREEMAN C athy Tanner's hopes for getting a bread maker for Christmas were dashed this year until Monday, when her luck finally rose. The Tanners were among 460 families whose jobs at the Boise Cascade Corp. mill in Medford burned away in a Sept. 6 mill fire. "This past month has been a real struggle," she said. But the struggle lightened for a moment Monday night during a discount shopping night for Boise workers at Black Bird Shopping Center. During the event, Tanner's raffle ticket was pulled. She won a $90 bread maker. "I couldn't believe it," she said. "It's been rough, but getting this is nice. Real nice." Tanner was one of a few hundred visitors Monday to Black Bird, which shut its doors early to the public so the displaced Boise workers could shop. Shoppers received the same deal as Black Bird employees _ 20 percent off general merchandise, 10 percent off guns and ammunition. The shopping night, which went unadvertised, was a way Black Bird could says thanks to local millworkers, who have been its best and most loyal customers. "They supported us forever," owner Bill Quitt said. "I figured this is payback time." The gesture was appreciated. "It's nice to know the community really still cares," said Tammy Cook, whose husband is a 15-year Boise veteran. "This will really help a lot of people here." Along with the discounted prices, shoppers placed copies of their December power bills into a box, from which Black Bird chose three at random. The store will pay the chosen bills, Quitt said. One winner was Dale Miller, who was grateful Black Bird picked up his $35 December electric bill. For him, the night felt like a reunion of sorts. "A lot of the guys I haven't seen since the fire," Miller said. "Finding them here was nice." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford, Oregon USA