The Herald-News • Sunday, August 9, 2015
|GETTING STARTED
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The emotions of heading back to class It was with a bit of nostalgia that the other day I browsed the back-toschool aisles at the store. I have no need for reams of looseleaf paper, spiral notebooks or crayons, because I’m not headed back to school later this month. Sadly, you don’t get summer vacations once you join the workforce; had I realized this at a younger age, I might not have been in such a hurry to grow up. But I kind of wanted to buy some supplies anyway. There’s something about stuffing a new backpack with freshly sharpened pencils, markers and folders and picking out the perfect outfit for the first day of class that can’t be replicated – and that, at times, I yearn for. It’s a mixture of feelings, all churned together that, when combined, equal an emotion I can’t quite define. There’s excitement to see friends. Nervousness over what challenges may arise this year. Anticipation over whether you’ll be
VIEWS Kate Schott in any classes with your crush (or, conversely, with that kid you just can’t stand). And maybe a pinch of dread that the summer is over and you’re going to be spending more time inside than you’d like. I have mixed feelings of my school days. I loved elementary school, where we made books (it’s amazing how paper with cardboard covers wrapped in contact paper can make you feel like an author), was outspoken in class and made friendship bracelets out of embroidery thread with my gal pals. I hated junior high. I went from being with the same 90 or so kids I had known for seven years in elementary school to being with hundreds of students – many of
whom I didn’t seem to get along with, but longtime friends just seemed to adore. I was awkward, had no idea (or interest) in dressing in a way that would remotely make me seem cool (I still feel this way some days) and seemed to have lost my voice for these two years. High school was better: I found groups I belonged to, joined the school newspaper (newspaper ink seems to have has always been in my blood), and started charting the course of becoming who I wanted to be – and found the voice needed to speak up for that person. But if given the option, there are days I would rewind time and go back to school. I’d tell that little girl at recess who, instead of gossiping with the girls, always wanted to play soccer with the boys to keep at it – and when she could, to be a better player than the boys. I’d tell the 13-year-old me to hang in there, that while I may have lost
some childhood friends, there were people I hadn’t met yet who were going to change my life for the better. And I’d let that 17-year-old know that burgeoning interest in journalism was going to ignite in college and propel her toward a career that would take her places she never imagined. Our local elementary and high school students head back to class, some as early as this week. I hope as they head out the door for their first day of class, they feel that emotion they can’t quite explain, that in some ways, defies definition. And I hope they savor it. Thank you for reading The Herald-News.
• Kate Schott is editor of The Herald-News, the Morris HeraldNews and Herald Life. She can be reached at kschott@shawmedia.com or 815-280-4119. Follow her on Twitter @Kate_Schott78.
Interstate 55 bridge lane closures start Monday By BOB OKON
Vehicles southbound on Interstate 55 brake for road work on the Des Plaines River bridge in Channahon in 2014.
bokon@shawmedia.com CHANNAHON TOWNSHIP – Lane closures scheduled to start Monday will be a reminder of traffic trouble and crashes that plagued maintenance work for two summers at the Interstate 55 bridges over the Des Plaines River. These closures will be only for two or three weeks, however, and only during certain hours of the day because no construction is involved. The bridges are getting routine inspections. Guy Tridgell, spokesman for the Illinois Department of Transportation, said even though the maintenance project was completed last summer, the bridges are due for an inspection. “That project lasted two years,” Tridgell said. “We’re supposed to have the inspections every other year. That last time the inspections were done was in the first year of the project.” Tridgell said some thought was given to doing the inspections last summer. But IDOT decided against keeping lanes closed any longer because of the strong interest in reopen-
Shaw Media file photo
ing all lanes. The bridges were fully reopened Aug. 15, 2014. Less than a month earlier, on July 21, two fatal collisions involving semitrailers occurred at about the same time in the construction zone and caused the deaths of six people. Over the course of the twoyear project, eight people died in collisions. There were 243 collisions. Police also issued 9,392 traffic citations during the construction. State police will be watching closely during the upcoming lane closures, Trooper Deann Falat said. “We’ll have troopers out
there during lane closures, and they will be enforcing,” Falat said. Traffic accidents in construction zones happen for a variety of reasons, Falat said. “A lot of it has to do with people not paying attention that a construction zone is coming up,” she said. She cautioned against driving on the shoulder to get to exits. “We will be watching for that,” Falat said. The two I-55 bridges were built in the 1950s. Inspectors examine individual parts and at hand’s length, Tridgell said. “They’re pretty involved
Repairs start soon to Jefferson Street bridge in Shorewood SHAW MEDIA SHOREWOOD – The Illinois Department of Transportation has announced that repairs soon will begin to the Jefferson Street bridge over the DuPage River in Shorewood. Weather permitting, the work will begin Aug. 17, according to an IDOT news release. The project involves repairs to the bridge deck and approaches, as well as replacement of the expansion joints. To complete the work, lanes will be narrowed and reduced to one in both direcinspections for a bridge that is older and is quite large compared to other bridges in the area,” he said. Each I-55 bridge is 1,400 feet long. There is one for northbound lanes and another for southbound traffic. The inspections of the southbound bridge is scheduled first,
tions. The project is to be completed by Oct. 1, according to IDOT. Motorists can expect delays and should allow extra time for trips through the area. Drivers are urged to pay close attention to flaggers and signs in the work zones, obey the posted speed limits and be alert for workers and equipment, according to the news release. Details on other construction projects in IDOT’s District 1 are at http://goo.gl/ upgvZu. Updates on the impacts to traffic are available at www.travelmidwest.com. with daily lane closures scheduled between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. Inspections on the northbound bridge will follow, with lane closures daily between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. IDOT will post electronic message signs advising motorists of expected travel times through the construction zone.