`northern Exposure' Is 
Tv As It Ought To Be 
There's No Gunplay, No Arrests, No Explosions, No Karate, No Swimsuits, No 
Negligees, No Casual Sex.

19 Public Officials Take Oath Of Office 
Festive Mood Prevails At Courthouse As 
Swearing-in Ceremonies 
Take The Spotlight

By JIM VAN NOSTRAND and SYLVIA CASTRO URIBES; Times Leader
Staff Writers
 Wednesday, January 05, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1A QUICK WORDS: SERVICES RENDERED 





WILKES-BARRE -- Theresa Sincoms refused to let Tuesday's snow storm get in
the way of her commitment to the St. Vincent dePaul Kitchen. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Sincoms, of Wilkes-Barre, has volunteered every Tuesday at the soup kitchen
for the past three years. She was there yesterday too, despite weather
conditions that kept the kitchen's food delivery truck off the road and forced
most area social service agencies to close. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "I don't live too far away and I love coming here," Sincoms said. "I'm
retired and there is no greater place I'd rather be. The people who work here
are fabulous." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 About 30 people who trudged through the snow for a hot meal Tuesday were
grateful. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I'd be having a peanut butter and jelly sandwich at home if this place
wasn't open today," said Ralph Lee, 50. "I only live around the corner, so
getting here wasn't that much of a chore. I'm just glad people here showed up
to work today." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Coordinator Ann Marie McCawley said the kitchen's four employees came in,
but Sincoms was the only volunteer to show up. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I can't blame the people that didn't come," McCawley said. "Some come from
Pittston and other areas and it would be too difficult for most volunteers to
get here." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 All Luzerne County agencies were closed Tuesday except for group homes and
child protection and residential services, Human Services Director Joseph
Loftus-Vergari said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Referrals for emergencies were being handled by Helpline at 829-1341. Two
caseworkers manning the telephones took 500 calls by 1 p.m., compared with the
normal 60 or so for a weekday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Most of the callers simply wanted to know which agencies were open,
caseworker Chris Hughes said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The heavy snow forced VISION Inc. to move its homeless shelter and drop-in
center from Christ United Methodist Church in Mountaintop to Central United
Methodist Church at South Franklin and Academy streets in Wilkes-Barre. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The icy roads made travel up and down Route 309 too hazardous, Executive
Director Vince Kabacinski said. The shelter, which has about 15 to 20 patrons
right now, will remain in Wilkes-Barre until the weather clears. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 VISION's van was used to help local people with emergencies Tuesday,
Kabacinski said. It delivered heart medication to an elderly woman and food to
a mother too weak from recent surgery to shop for her children, among other
calls. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "If it is in the realm of reality, and it is a non-medical related
emergency, we will respond as we prioritize our calls," Kabacinski said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Bureau for the Aging senior centers in Wilkes-Barre, Sugar Notch,
Edwardsville, Dallas and Shickshinny were closed Tuesday, but were expected to
be open today. Meals on Wheels didn't deliver Tuesday, and a call to the
Wilkes-Barre office wasn't returned. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Commission on Economic Opportunity in Wilkes-Barre remained open and
tried to conduct business as usual, Director Gene Brady said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Not all of CEO's employees could make it to work, Brady said. Those who did
hooked up chains to their tires and carried snow shovels and sand while
responding to emergency calls from the homebound. CEO used four-wheel-drive
vehicles to deliver coal to two homes in remote areas inaccessible to normal
deliveries. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Hazleton-based Operation Overcome of the Anthracite Region took three
people to regularly scheduled kidney dialysis appointments. But like most
other agencies, it canceled its other programs and took only emergency calls. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "They're pretty sturdy people ... if they can meet their obligations, they
will," Executive Director Shirley Ray said of her staff members. "But it's
best to keep the roads clear." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 TIMES LEADER/DON CAREY &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A patron enters St. Vincent dePaul Kitchen on East Jackson Street for lunch
Tuesday. The soup kitchen remained open despite Tuesday's snowstorm. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 TIMES LEADER/LEWIS GEYER &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Truck driver Doug Bradt of Iowa walks to his tractor-trailer parked at the
Skyliner Truck Plaza during Tuesday's storm. Bradt's driving companion, Gabby
the dog, is tucked inside a warm jacket.

Services Rendered Storm Stopped Some, But Not All, Who Help Needy