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Crestwood announces Student of the Quarter

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GOP leaders scramble to shore up support for health bill

<p>Ed Lekitsky may not have been fighting a losing battle, but he wasn&#8217;t exactly winning either.</p><p>It was more like a draw.</p><p>Lekitsky and his trusty snow blower were attempting to keep the sidewalks clear Tuesday in front of his South Atherton Avenue home in Kingston.</p><p>He had already made two early morning runs and was back at it for a third at 10:30 a.m. From the looks of it, the 72-year-old would return for at least a fourth if not fifth time.</p><p>Lekitsky was hard at work thanks to Winter Storm Stella that dumped over 20 inches of snow on some parts of Northeastern Pennsylvania, shutting down business and government offices, closing schools and causing municipalities to declare states of emergency.</p><p>As of 5 p.m., the National Weather Service in Binghamton reported Duryea with the highest snow total in Luzerne County at 25.8 inches. </p><p>Meanwhile, Mountain Top had the lowest county total at 15 inches. </p><p>Amounts varied elsewhere, with Luzerne Borough at 19.5 inches and Hazleton with 16 inches.</p><p>Even Montage Mountain ski resort, usually a place that welcomes snow with open arms, was shut down.</p><p>Stella caused a lot of other havoc as well:</p><p>&#8226; Wilkes-Barre instituted a travel ban, restricting travel on city roads to emergency vehicles and first responders. City officials also announced they will utilize private contractors for snow removal in specific neighborhoods.</p><p>&#8226; Performances of the show &#8220;STOMP,&#8221; scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday nights at the F.M. Kirby Center, were rescheduled for Nov. 9 and Nov. 10.</p><p>&#8226; State police and the Luzerne County Emergency Management Agency urged motorists to stay off the roads. For the most part, they heeded that advice. As of 2 p.m., a stretch of Interstate 81 between Dorrance and Wilkes-Barre was vacant save for a stuck tractor-trailer in the southbound lanes and a few other vehicles.</p><p><strong>&#8216;Piece of cake&#8217;</strong></p><p>Meanwhile, back in Kingston, Lekitsky was unfazed &#8212; no matter how many times he had to clean the same sidewalks.</p><p>&#8220;Piece of cake,&#8221; he said, observing how much snow fell in such a short amount of time. &#8220;I would say there&#8217;s 18 inches on that sidewalk over there!&#8221;</p><p>He also planned to clear walkways for a few of his neighbors.</p><p>Elsewhere, plow trucks could be heard roaring down the street. But seemingly moments after they passed, a fresh layer of snow had covered the asphalt.</p><p><strong>&#8216;Make best of it&#8217;</strong></p><p>Some decided to simply revel in the historic weather event.</p><p>Wanda Ansbeck, 36, had the day off from her job at Cawley Physical Therapy &amp; Rehabilitation in Pittston and ventured into Kingston&#8217;s streets with daughter Carly, 9, to make some winter memories.</p><p>Ansbeck&#8217;s relatives had fired up their ATVs and were cruising through nearby alleyways. They were even planning to make an igloo later in the afternoon.</p><p><span style="font-size: 16px;">&#8220;<span style="font-size: medium;">It&#8217;s a lot of fun,&#8221; said Ansbeck. &#8220;I try to make the best of it. We can&#8217;t change it, so enjoy it while we have it.&#8221;</span></span></p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Snow that started falling late Monday and throughout Tuesday left cars buried, as seen here on South River Street in Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/web1_TTL031517Snow10-5.jpg</photo0><caption0>Snow that started falling late Monday and throughout Tuesday left cars buried, as seen here on South River Street in Wilkes-Barre. </caption0><photoCredit0>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/web1_TTL031517Snow8-5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Allan Novitski shovels snow in front of Wilkes University off-campus housing on South River Street in Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/web1_TTL031517Snow8-5.jpg</photo1><caption1>Allan Novitski shovels snow in front of Wilkes University off-campus housing on South River Street in Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday. </caption1><photoCredit1>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/web1_TTL031517Snow6-5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Wilkes University students help a car out of the snow on South Main Street in Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/web1_TTL031517Snow6-5.jpg</photo2><caption2>Wilkes University students help a car out of the snow on South Main Street in Wilkes-Barre. </caption2><photoCredit2>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/web1_TTL031517Snow9AD-5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Clark Woznock, 2, plays in a pile of snow, while his father shovels the sidewalk in front of their Wilkes-Barre home. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/web1_TTL031517Snow9AD-5.jpg</photo3><caption3>Clark Woznock, 2, plays in a pile of snow, while his father shovels the sidewalk in front of their Wilkes-Barre home. </caption3><photoCredit3>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/web1_TTL031517Snow4AD-5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Michelle Ryman makes her way down Lawrence Street in Wilkes-Barre after helping her husband free his car from the snow Tuesday morning. Winter Storm Stella dumped more than 20 inches of snow on the region Tuesday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/web1_TTL031517Snow4AD-5.jpg</photo4><caption4>Michelle Ryman makes her way down Lawrence Street in Wilkes-Barre after helping her husband free his car from the snow Tuesday morning. Winter Storm Stella dumped more than 20 inches of snow on the region Tuesday. </caption4><photoCredit4>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit4></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/web1_TTL031517Snow9ADCMYK.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Clark Woznock, 2, plays in a pile of snow, while his father shovels the sidewalk in front of their Wilkes-Barre home. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo5>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/web1_TTL031517Snow9ADCMYK.jpg</photo5><caption5>Clark Woznock, 2, plays in a pile of snow, while his father shovels the sidewalk in front of their Wilkes-Barre home. </caption5><photoCredit5>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit5></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Up to 2 feet fallsas digging out begins</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Travis Kellar</p><p>tkellar@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Travis Kellar at 570-991-6389 or on Twitter @TLNews</p></shirttailMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><videoMeta><p><table class="mceItemTable" style="border:none;width:98%;"><tbody><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">VideoID:</td><td id="videoid" style="width:50em;font-size:90%;">9xhHqjMC-8g</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">VideoType:</td><td id="videotype" style="font-size:90%;">YOUTUBE</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">URL:</td><td id="url" style="font-size:90%;">www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xhHqjMC-8g</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Embed String:</td><td id="videoembedstring" style="font-size:90%;">&lt;iframe width=&#8221;560&#8221; height=&#8221;315&#8221; src=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/embed/9xhHqjMC-8g&#8221; frameborder=&#8221;0&#8221; allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Caption:</td><td id="videocaption" style="font-size:90%;">Stella hits Wilkes-Barre</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Credit:</td><td id="videocredit" style="font-size:90%;">Aimee Dilger</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Position:</td><td id="videoposition" style="font-size:90%;"> </td></tr></tbody></table></p><p style="margin-top:10px;font-size:70%;color:#555;">(use the &#8220;for files&#8230;&#8221; link above to associate attached files with this source)</p></videoMeta></div>

Dallas already buried under 21 inches of snow