NATCHEZ &045; Ida Cook gets emotional when she thinks about the sacrifices she’s made since International Paper closed its Natchez mill last August.

Cook worked as a process specialist in the lab at IP for seven and a half years. A single mother of three, including two teens at Natchez High School, she knew she had to find another job quickly.

Through IP’s Human Resources Department, she was re-employed by the company after six months.

Although her new job pays about $3 more per hour, this time Cook is assigned to a 12-hour swing-shift some 80 miles away at IP’s Pineville, La., mill.

&uot;I get sleepy driving over there. One morning I woke up about ten feet away from (hitting) a road sign,&uot; she said.

Faced with commuting three hours round-trip each workday alone, Cook rented a house in Pineville to live in when her shift was on.

&uot;I work three or four days, and then I’m off for two or three days. The days I’m off, I’m at home in Natchez. But I’m leaving my kids behind when I go out of town,&uot; she said.

Cook said she didn’t want to move her youngest son and her daughter to a new school.

&uot;He’s a good athlete, and she plays in the band. I didn’t want to do anything to hurt their chances for a scholarship,&uot; she said.

Meanwhile, with the extra money Cook makes in Pineville going to pay additional rent, transportation and vehicle maintenance, she finds it hard to save money or pay for needed repairs on her home in Natchez.

&uot;That six months after IP closed was the longest I’d ever been without work. I fell behind, and I’m trying to catch up now on my bills,&uot; she said.

Cook, 43, said the work is also more demanding on her current job.

&uot;I’m working on a paper machine at the Pineville mill. It’s harder work, and there are less people working with you,&uot; she said.

A member of St. Martin Missionary Baptist Church in Kingston, Cook said fellow church members have helped by checking on her family, and a friend stays with her youngest children when she’s away.

&uot;I’m hoping to hang on until my kids can all graduate and go to college,&uot; she said.

With her eldest son now looking for a job, Cook said she’s worried Natchez offers no real opportunities for him.

&uot;I heard one of the mayoral candidates say tourism is bringing jobs to Natchez. I don’t know what jobs he’s talking about, but tourism hasn’t brought me anything,&uot; she said.

Cook said gambling, hotel and restaurant industries are not enough to sustain Natchez.

&uot;People need more than minimum wage jobs,&uot; she said.