Frozen: The East Coast is crippled by a snowy, icy storm that stretches all the way from Georgia to Maine. Atlanta and Washington are shut down. There’s snow and sleet in New York, turning to rain and snow. Nearly 5,800 flights are cancelled.

Saved: Republican Senate leaders rallied yesterday to pass the debt ceiling measure 67-31, avoiding a potential shock to the economy if the bill had failed. Raising the ceiling required a 60-vote majority. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas threatened a filibuster, but couldn’t pull it off. At least for the moment, moderate Republicans are shaking off the shadow of their Tea Party colleagues.

Nation: Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, who became a national figure when his city was flooded and partially destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, was convicted yesterday of taking payoffs for city contracts. Witnesses included some businessmen who admitted bribing Nagin. Prosecutors say Nagin received half a million dollars in cash and other valuables, including travel and free cellphone service. Nagin faces up to 20 years in prison.

>Nearly 3.3 million people have signed up for health insurance through the Obamacare exchanges, about a quarter of them young adults, the administration announced. Enrollment increased by a third in January, but it’s still a million short of where the White House wanted to be by now.

Last at Bat: Yankee slugger Derek Jeter announced on Facebook that 2014, his 20^th year with the Yankees, will be his last in baseball. He is the Yankees career leading hitter. Jeter said, “I want to finally stop the chase and take in the world.”

The Obit Page: Sid Caesar, one of the first stars created by television, died yesterday at 91. His weekly live comedy series, “Your Show of Shows”, broke comedic ground in the 1950s with sketches written by Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Neil Simon, and Larry Gelbart, among others.  Caesar was considered the greatest sketch comedian in what is known as the Golden Age of Television. But afterwards, Caesar disappeared into a 20-year alcoholic haze. He recovered and returned to work, but never to his original brilliance. Caesar said, “When you make people laugh, they’re getting better and that’s a wonderful thing to feel.

Sochi: All the following results have already appeared on television.

–Kaitlyn Farrington of Salt Lake beat Australia’s defending champion Torah Bright to win gold in the women’s halfpipe. Bright finished second and American Kelly Clark, third.

–Erin Hamlin of  New Hartford, NY became the first American ever to win a medal in the luge, taking home bronze. Luge was invented in St. Moritz in the late 1800s and didn’t come to the US until 1960s. Americans have had a hard time catching up.

–The women’s downhill ended in a first-ever tie with Dominique Gisin of Switzerland and Tina Maze of Slovenia both clicking in at 1:41:57.  Other alpine events have had ties, but never for gold. No silver medal was awarded. Switzerland’s Lara Gut finished third, just a tenth of a second behind.

–A questionable goal gave the Canadian women a 3-2 win over US hockey. Canada’s second goal was counted even though the ref blew a whistle before the puck crossed the goal line.

Out of the Closet: Skating announcer Johnny Weir has brought his unique style to the Russian Anti-Gaymes. The former Olympian has been seen sporting his bouffant hair while wearing a fur coat over a pink blazer, and other unique outfits. He went on air wearing a white blazer with matching silk t-shirt and a dripping faux pearl necklace. He favors a Prada handbag. Weir has always been flamboyant, but he seems to be having extra fun under the dour eyes of Russia’s bathhouse cop, Vladimir Putin.

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