Young Musicians Move Onto District Competition

A Mom Struggles To Live Down Her Past 
A Hoped-for Christmas Reunion With Her Son Fails To Materialize. Child Welfare
Officials Say They Have No Choice But To Act.

By MICHAEL McNARNEY mcnarney@leader.net
 Tuesday, December 26, 2000 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 3A 





WILKES-BARRE TWP. - It was 7 p.m. Christmas night and the wind chill factor
was registering 9 below zero, but Nick Lemaster wasn't fazed by the low
temperatures and wind. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``I've worked in worse,'' the tanker-truck driver said Monday as he
replenished the gasoline supply at the Sheetz gas station/convenience store on
state Route 309. ``This ain't that cold.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The cheerful Lemaster, dressed in a parka, heavy gloves and ball cap, was
one of the few people found outside Christmas night, braving the first bitter
cold snap to hit the region. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``You get used to it,'' Lemaster said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 His secret: long johns and two pairs of socks, which keep the cold cement
at bay as he hooks hoses from his 8,750-gallon truck to the underground tank
valves. ``We've got to do it, or people can't get around,'' said Lemaster, a
Liverpool resident who drives for CLI Transport. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Heather Kratz of Kingston wasn't quite as jolly. She had left her coat in
her car as she pumped gas into her Pontiac Sunbird. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``I hate it. I'm ready for summer already,'' a shivering Kratz said as she
hurried into the store to pay for her gas. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Temperatures Monday never got above the high of 17 degrees that was reached
at 12:01 a.m. The mercury was expected to drop as low as 5 Monday night, said
National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Jurewicz in Binghamton, N.Y. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Jurewicz said the wind chill got as low as 20 below zero Monday, but became
less fierce as winds - gusting as high as 20 miles an hour slacked off. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The wind chill factor is the combined effect of low temperatures and of
wind on exposed skin, Jurewicz said. The harder the wind is blowing, the more
moisture evaporates off the skin, and the colder you feel. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Jurewicz compared it to getting out of a swimming pool in the summer. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``It seems like you're really cold,'' Jurewicz said. ``But once you towel
off, it's not as bad.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Vince Kabacinski, executive director of VISION, an agency that aids the
homeless, said 20 to 25 men were sheltered at St. Jude's Roman Catholic Church
in Mountaintop on Christmas night. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``The cold weather is a major concern,'' Kabacinski said. The shelter's
population was about 10 percent larger than normal, he said, because of the
cold and because of getting people into the shelter before Christmas. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A slight warm-up is expected today, with temperatures expected to reach the
mid-20s with winds from 15 to 25 miles per hour and widely scattered snow
showers and flurries. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Bitter Cold Weather Does Not Go On Holiday 
The Wind Chill Index Got As Low As 20 Below Zero On Monday, And Winds Gusted
As High As 20 Miles An Hour, Says Meteorologist.

Bitter Cold Weather Does Not Go On Holiday The Wind Chill Index Got As Low As 20 Below Zero On Monday, And Winds Gusted As High As 20 Miles An Hour, Says Meteorologist.