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Bridges could open in spring
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Five Points, Keslinger bridge work nearing completion By AIMEE BARROWS news@daily-chronicle.com KINGSTON – Drivers could have to wait several more months before the Five Points bridge over the Kishwaukee River in Kingston reopens. DeKalb County engineer Nathan Schwartz said it all depends on the weather in the coming months. “At one point we thought it would open by Thanksgiving, and then January,” Schwartz said. “But now, based on a typical winter, it will probably be springtime. But it depends on this winter; we could have 40 degrees and no snow, or have a winter like last year.” The Five Points bridge, as well as the Keslinger Road bridge southwest of DeKalb, could both be back in service by springtime, Schwartz said. He said the weather has been good lately, and workers from Gilberts-based Copenhaver Construction are making progress on the Five Points project. “For example, they poured the concrete for the bridge deck Dec. 13, which was a Saturday,” Schwartz said. “That shows the contractor is making a concerted effort and trying to get this work done. He had to pay overtime.” The Five Points bridge over the Kishwaukee River has been closed since the end of October 2013, cutting off a main route into Kingston from
the north. There have been several delays, and Schwartz said last year’s harsh winter is a big reason. He said contractors can normally work several days during a typical winter. “[Last year] was an unusual winter, and little did we know that it was going to be really nasty and they wouldn’t be able to work,” Schwartz said. “If they were able to work last winter, we wouldn’t be having this discussion.” Schwartz said there were other things that contributed as well, such as unexpected work related to the steel beams that caused delays. “We could see the project wasn’t moving along in a timely manner in our viewpoint,” Schwartz said. “But the contractor made some staffing changes late in the summer, and I don’t know if that’s a coincidence, but the progress got better.” Not everyone has been happy with the construction’s progress. Kaitlyn Lord, assistant manager at Casey’s General Store at 129 Railroad Street in Kingston, said business has dropped off since the construction began. “We have a lot of angry customers, and they ask all the time when it’s going to be done,” Lord said. Casey’s manager, Michelle Gee, said some former
Photos by Danielle Guerra – dguerra@shawmedia.com
The four advent candles and the Christ candle are lit, representing the birth of Christ, during the Christmas Eve candlelight service Wednesday at Malta United Methodist Church.
Malta, DeKalb churches share message of Christmas By DARIA SOKOLOVA dsokolova@shawmedia.com DeKALB – The voices of children and adults filled Malta United Methodist Church as they joined together in prayer at the Christmas Eve Family Candlelight Service. Malta United Methodist Church, located at 301 S. Second St., was among a handful of DeKalb area churches that held their annual worship service and shared their message with the community at Christmas. “It’s important that we realize that God came down to us on Christmas Day, and we should celebrate that because you always hear that
See CHRISTMAS, page A5
The Rev. Noah Panlilio sings “O Holy Night” with parishioners during the Christmas Eve candlelight service at Malta United Methodist Church.
See BRIDGES, page A5
Detente spawns Cuban worry on U.S. migration rights The Associated Press HAVANA – Like tens of thousands of Cubans, Gerardo Luis wants to get to the United States, and he’s suddenly worried time may be running out. Across an island where migrating north is an obsession, the widespread jubilation over last week’s historic U.S-Cuba detente is soured by fear that warming relations will end Cubans’ unique fast track to legal American residency. AP photo For nearly a half-century, People wait for visas at the U.S. Interests Section on Monday in Ha- the Cuban Adjustment Act has vana, Cuba. After the restored diplomatic ties between Cuba and the given Cubans who arrive in U.S., many Cubans expressed hope it will mean greater access to jobs. the U.S. a virtually guaranteed
path to legal residency and eventual citizenship. The knowledge that they will be shielded from deportation has drawn hundreds of thousands of Cubans on perilous raft trips to Florida and land journeys through Central America and Mexico. “If they take away the adjustment law, it would mean Cubans would end up just like all the other Hispanics who want to enter the United States,” said Luis, a 36-year-old construction worker who said he may try to reach Mexico and walk across the border if he doesn’t get a visa soon. U.S. officials say there are no immediate plans to change
immigration laws or policy. But with the U.S. and Cuba negotiating a return to full diplomatic relations, many Cubans wonder how long their extraordinary privilege can survive under restored diplomacy, and are thinking about speeding up plans to get to the U.S. “I don’t know if they will take it away,” Angela Moreno, a 67-year-old retiree said of the preferential treatment, “but if they do, Cubans who go to the United States will have to do it like people from other countries.” Cubans arriving at a U.S. border or airport automatically receive permission to stay in the United States under
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policies stemming from the 1966 act, which allows them to apply for permanent residency after a year, almost always successfully. Seeking to discourage mass migrations by sea, the United States developed its so-called “wet foot, dry foot policy,” in which migrants who make it to the U.S. are automatically allowed to stay. Those stopped at sea are either sent back to their homeland or to a third country if they can prove a credible fear of persecution. U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat, said he
See CUBA, page A5
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