`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 CHARLES H. BOGINO and CHRISTINE LIBERASKI; Times Leader
Staff Writer
 Wednesday, January 05, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1A QUICK WORDS: SNOWSTORM HITS HARD,
MOVES ON 





WILKES-BARRE -- Boscov's department store closed just in time Tuesday --
just as the snow began tapering off. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Fwump! &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Hard and fast the snow fell. And it was pretty much all over by
mid-afternoon, leaving nearly a half-foot outside the entrance of the downtown
Wilkes-Barre store. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But 1994's first snowfall, sufficient for skiers and deep enough to cause
minor migraines among road crew members and police officers, fell short of
expectations. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 By noon, as the last holdouts among retailers and businesses decided to
shut down for the day, the snow lightened up. The proverbial
hand-in-front-of-the-face could again be seen. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But seemingly, everything was shut down. Not too many cars were on the
roads, just fine as far as police and clean-up crews were concerned. And there
were no reports of accidents or serious injuries. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Emergency management officials said people seemed to have taken a cue from
last year's bliz zard and gotten ready. They pretty much stayed home. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If the record 23-inch snowfall left by the March storm was Northeastern
Pennsylvania's wake-up call, Tuesday's snowfall was the snooze-button reminder
to get up and smell the coffee. This is the north. It snows here. Hey, get
used to it. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "People have been lulled into a false sense of security over the past
several years because we haven't had all that much," said Rolly Keisling,
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation spokesman for the six-county
northeastern district. "I think people just have to realize that when it snows
this hard and this fast, not all the roads are going to be cleared right
away." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 People who left their homes for windowless offices before 9 a.m. Tuesday
wouldn't have been prepared for the winter wonderland that would greet them as
they left hours later. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Snow fell at a rate of nearly 2-to-3 inches per hour in some areas, with
the northwestern portions of Northeastern Pennsylvania getting hardest hit
with nearly a foot of frozen water, according to the National Weather Service. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 By 2 p.m., forecasters with the National Weather Service at
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport in Avoca said the brunt of the
nor'easter was over, with a light snowfall to last into the evening and
bringing with it -- maybe -- just a couple inches more. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The storm actually is moving a little bit faster and was a little bit more
intense than we expected," said Mike Jurewicz, a meteorologist with the
weather service at Avoca. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 By 3 p.m., totals around Luzerne County varied slightly: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Wilkes-Barre, 5 inches &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Shickshinny, 7 inches &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Hazleton, 8 inches &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport, 9 inches &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The cleanup crews could be out again tonight and into Thursday, when a
little more snow is expected to fall, Jurewicz said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Not as significant as today, but maybe a few inches," Jurewicz said on
Tuesday. "That's another headache." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Forecasters also predict Thursday night could bring additional wet weather,
possibly sleet and snow. But it's too early to predict how hard the area could
be hit. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Despite the lower-than-expected measurements from Tuesday's storm, its
speed was equivalent to the mess it left in the late morning hours Tuesday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Awful," "terrible," "snow-covered" and "slick" were the words state and
local police used to describe the area roadways. On Route 309 in Hanover
Township, a tractor-trailer slid on an icy spot and jackknifed, causing local
police to close the road for a few hours. And state officials shut down the
entire Pennsylvania Turnpike to any vehicle with or pulling a trailer, saying
trailers pose too many dangers to motorists. Officials expected to keep the
restriction in place until well into the evening Tuesday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 People were smart, though. Police reported few motorists braved the weather
and roads Monday morning and afternoon mainly because government offices, most
business and all schools closed. And for those who had to travel, most drove
vehicles with front-wheel and four-wheel drives, police said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 At motels along Interstate 81, some people decided to stay an extra night
rather than get stuck in the storm. A few who got off to a slippery start
thought better of continuing their trips. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We do have some people who checked out this morning and turned around and
came right back," said Timothy Wei, an auditor at the Howard Johnson's on
Route 315 in Pittston Township. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 An official at the Wyoming Valley Auto Club agreed there wasn't too much
happening on area streets. Due to recent severely cold days, the auto club has
had an influx of calls. Tuesday, however, the number of calls dropped
significantly. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Today was a treat compared to what we had the past couple days," said
field representative Jim Willauer. "Our office even closed at 1 p.m., and now
we're just sitting around waiting for the phone to ring and catching up on
some other work." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 PennDOT spokesman Keisling said people staying off the roads have helped
the snow-removal crews do a better job. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 By noon, the crews had plowed all roads -- even rural ones -- at least
once, he said. As the snow began to taper off, the crews manning the 82 state
trucks and 18 municipal ones in Luzerne County were out clearing the main
roads first and intended to work throughout the night, Keisling said. The
light winds didn't appear to be causing any problems with drifting snow. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "As long as that doesn't pick up, you give us a couple of hours and we'll
have most of the major roads clear," he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The airport also was clear, despite only three or four flights Tuesday,
compared with the usual daily 30 arrivals and departures. Four plows kept the
runways cleared, said airport manager Barry Centini. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Full-time soldiers at local Pennsylvania National Guard armories were
alerted and began mustering vehicles and equipment Tuesday, just in case Gov.
Robert Casey decided to declare a state of emergency. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Some National Guard units in other areas assisted with isolated emergencies
Tuesday, said Fred Walters, spokesman for the state Department of Military
Affairs. An Air guard unit airlifted several people to hospitals, and Army
guard outfits provided four-wheel drive vehicles for state agencies. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 While Luzerne County commissioners declared an emergency at 11 a.m., it was
called off by 3 p.m., after the storm's intensity lessened. No statewide
emergency was declared Tuesday.

Snowstorm Hits Hard, Moves On Despite 5 To 9 Inches It Dumped On The Area, All Went About As Well As Could Be Expected On Tuesday