MONROE UNFILTERED: THE DAILY BUZZ | July 8
Storm Cleanup Grinds On, A Bloody Fight in Scotrun, The Revolution Reaches Our Doorstep, and The Wall Comes to Stroudsburg
Wednesday, July 8, 2026
DAILY WEATHER
Wednesday is finally the break we've been waiting for. Mostly sunny skies, just a 6% chance of rain, a high near 84°F and a low around 66°F, with a light breeze – it really doesn’t get much better than that! Get outside while you can, because Thursday brings humidity and possible afternoon thunderstorms with highs in the low-80s. Friday looks a lot like Thursday but the weekend is looking good so far (but you know how the forecast can change in Northeast PA!).
THE DAILY RUNDOWN
Storm Cleanup Grinds Into Its Fifth Day. If your power is still out, you already know this isn't a fast fix. As of Tuesday evening, the PowerOutage site reported that 1,493 customers across Monroe County remained without power, served by FirstEnergy and PPL Electric Utilities. Stroudsburg Borough Council President Tarah Lewis said crews still had "probably two more days" of pulling trees off streets and repairing lines, and the borough is opening Twin Boroughs Recycling Center for residents to drop off storm debris. The Red Cross shelter at J.M. Hill Elementary has since closed after determining overnight shelter was no longer needed.
Confrontation Over a Dog Turns Violent in Scotrun. Pocono Township Police say Christopher Sigle confronted a man walking his dog on July 1, upset over an earlier incident between the two, and stabbed both the dog and its owner before leaving the scene. The victim was taken to the hospital by ambulance; a nearby resident rushed the injured dog to a veterinary hospital. Sigle now faces aggravated cruelty to animals, aggravated assault, and simple assault, and is being held at the Monroe County Correctional Facility awaiting arraignment.
DID YOU KNOW? HISTORY WITH A TWIST: WHEN THE REVOLUTION REACHED OUR DOORSTEP
As we celebrate our nation's 250th anniversary, it's easy to think of the American Revolution as a series of battles fought in distant cities like Philadelphia or Yorktown. But for our forefathers in 1778, the war wasn't a distant political disagreement; it was an immediate, existential threat that hit the forests of the Poconos.
If you walk down Main Street today, you're standing near where Fort Penn once stood. It was not a grand military installation, but a private, fortified stockade built by Colonel Jacob Stroud around his own home in 1776. It was, for a few harrowing years, one of the primary places of refuge for the families living north of the Blue Mountains.
The Threat from the North. The primary instability in our region during the Revolution didn't just come from the British Army; it was driven by a complex web of "Tory" activity. Tories, or Loyalists, were American colonists who maintained their allegiance to the British Crown. By the late 1770s, many had fled the colonies for the safety of British-controlled New York. From there, they actively incited and organized raids against the American frontier, often allied with Native American forces to destabilize the region.
This culminated in the tragic Wyoming Massacre on July 3, 1778. The conflict took place in the Wyoming Valley, near present-day Wilkes-Barre and Scranton, about 50 miles from our doorstep. A force of British-aligned Tories, led by Colonel John Butler and accompanied by Seneca warriors, descended upon the valley, which had been left largely defenseless after its able-bodied men left to serve in the Continental Army.
Refuge at Fort Penn. The aftermath of that massacre turned the Poconos into a corridor of terror. Survivors fled through the dense, swampy forests of what is now Coolbaugh Township, a treacherous route that earned the grim name "The Shades of Death" (you won’t find that on many real estate listings today!). Many did not survive the journey.
Those who did make it found a sanctuary in Stroudsburg. Jacob Stroud, acting with a level of local authority that frequently put him at odds with the provincial government in Philadelphia, opened the gates of Fort Penn. It became a makeshift refugee center, a supply depot, and a training ground.
Defying the Rules to Protect the People. The colonial authorities were rarely happy with Stroud. He frequently clashed with military authorities, once for bypassing the chain of command, and later for prioritizing his local neighbors over the rigid directives of the Northampton County military leadership.
Stroud was a man who understood that municipal survival often requires defying distant bureaucrats (perhaps our current politicians should take note). When he faced a court-martial in 1781, the case ultimately never reached a final resolution as wartime events overtook the process.
As we reflect on these days of celebration, remember that the "frontier" wasn't just a place on a map; it was a community of families who survived only because a local leader decided that the safety of his neighbors mattered more than the rules of the day.
Source: Monroe County Historical Association.
MONROE MARKET MOVERS: KEEPING OUR EYES ON 60 WASHINGTON STREET
We're keeping our eyes on this one. The PNC Bank branch at 60 Washington Street closed back in April 2024, one of 20 PNC closures nationwide that year. The building sat vacant for a year and a half until October 2025, when East Stroudsburg Borough Council approved a land development application from 60 Washington, LLC to renovate the building, add an additional story, and convert it into two retail spaces plus 20 apartments. In January, Council authorized signing a formal Developer's Agreement with the LLC, and as of a March update the project was still listed as active. No visible construction yet as of this writing. Slow-moving borough projects are the norm, not the exception, so don't expect a ribbon-cutting soon, but it's a real approved project worth tracking for anyone wondering what's next in the Crystal Street area.
SILVER LININGS: THE WALL COMES TO STROUDSBURG
Something quieter, and heavier, arrives in town this week. The Pocono Record reports that the Moving Wall, a half-size traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, goes on display at Stroudsburg High School (1100 W. Main St.) starting Thursday, July 9, arranged by Pocono Chapter 678 of the Vietnam Veterans of America.
The wall itself stretches 252.8 feet across 74 panels and carries more than 58,000 names. It will stay open to visitors 24 hours a day, staffed by volunteers, until it comes down around 1 p.m. on July 13. An opening ceremony is set for 6 p.m. Friday, July 10, rain or shine, with a closing ceremony at sunset on July 12. Stroudsburg High School will be open during the day to host a memorabilia display, and paper and crayons will be provided for name rubbings. A first aid station will be on-site, and info on groups like Valor Clinic Foundation will be available. Pets, food, drinks, and vendors are not permitted at the wall itself, though benches are provided for anyone who would rather sit back than walk up close.
Andrew Milazzo, vice president of the local Vietnam Veterans of America chapter, put it simply: some who served during that era but weren't directly in combat don't always feel like "Vietnam veterans" in the traditional sense, but as he said, "we all worked together." Worth a visit, whether you knew someone whose name is on that wall or you're just teaching your kids what 58,000 names actually look like.
THE PSA: CLEANUP SEASON HAZARDS
With chainsaws, generators, and downed lines still part of the daily backdrop around the county, a quick safety word. Treat every downed power line as live, no exceptions, and keep kids and pets well clear. If you're running a generator, keep it outside and away from windows and doors; carbon monoxide doesn't announce itself. And if you're handling a chainsaw for the first time this week, take it slow, wear the eye and ear protection, and don't work alone on anything bigger than you can lift by yourself. The cleanup will get done. No story is worth an ER visit to get there faster.