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<br />A member of the Congregation of St. Joseph in the 1980s, Sister Helen was asked to correspond with a death row inmate, <br />Patrick Sonnier, at Angola (the Louisiana State Penitentiary). She agreed and became his spiritual adviser. After witnessing <br />his execution, she wrote a book about the experience. The result was “Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the <br />Death Penalty in the United States.” The book has since become a movie and an opera. <br /> <br />Since 1984, Sister Helen has divided her time between educating people about the death penalty and counseling individual <br />death row prisoners. She has accompanied six men to their deaths. In doing so, she began to suspect that some of those <br />executed were not guilty. This realization inspired her second book, “The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of <br />Wrongful Executions.” She is presently at work on another book, “River of Fire: My Spiritual Journey.” <br /> <br />“Prisons, Compassion, and Peace” events include the “Prisons and Peace” UNESCO/UO International Conference; Eugene <br />Opera’s Northwest premiere of the opera “Dead Man Walking,” and the 40th anniversary celebration of Sponsors, Inc. For a <br />complete community calendar, visit www.eugeneopera.com/events. For more information about free events at the Eugene <br />Public Library, call 541-682-5450 or visit www.eugene-or.gov/library. <br /> <br />“Our Choices, Our Future” Focus of Spring Home Show Booth <br />A showcase display at the Spring Home Show features photos of children in healthy and unhealthy environments. The goal <br />is to encourage people to think more carefully about how the choices they make every day affect the future - resources, air <br />and water quality. The display also includes interesting facts about pollution and some simple steps to lessen impact in <br />these areas. <br /> <br />The booth is in Expo Hall 1, space #524, at the Lane County Spring Home Show this weekend. <br />The information station will have handouts on a range of topics, and staff from partner agencies <br />will be available to answer questions. <br /> <br />Booth visitors who complete a short pledge will have the option of entering a drawing with <br />multiple prizes donated by local businesses and several agencies. There’s an activity table for <br />younger citizens to color or make bookmarks. <br /> <br />This is the fifth year that an interactive booth, created and staffed by the Lane Pollution <br />Prevention Coalition (Lane P2C) will be featured in the Expo Hall. The Lane P2C is a group that <br />works together to share information and inform and educate residents about pollution <br />prevention tips. These agencies include the City of Eugene’s Stormwater and Wastewater <br />Management Programs, City of Springfield Environmental Services, Department of <br />Environmental Quality, Lane County Public Works-Recycling and Household Hazardous Waste <br />Programs, Springfield Utility Board, Lane Regional Air Protection Agency, and Eugene Water & <br />Electric Board. The City’s Stormwater Management Program focuses on protecting local <br />waterways while promoting environmental stewardship. <br /> <br />For more information, please call Kathy Eva, public information specialist for the Stormwater Management Program, at <br />541-682-2739 or visit www.eugene-or.gov/happyrivers. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 <br />March 7, 2013 <br />