MONROE UNFILTERED: THE DAILY BUZZ | July 13
Another Scorcher Ahead, Main Street Strat Plan Released, Harrisburg Finally Passes a Budget, and the Wall Says Its Goodbyes
Monday, July 13, 2026
THE WEEK'S WEATHER
Enjoy today’s weather because we’re in for another scorcher this week. Monday opens on the mild side: partly cloudy, a low near 65°F and a high near 86°F, with just a 5% chance of rain. A perfectly lovely Poconos summer day.
The mercury climbs for the rest of the week, though we should mostly be dry. Tuesday we’ll be mostly sunny and dry with a high of 94°F and a low of 74°F, only a 3% shot at rain. Wednesday holds the heat, mostly sunny at 95°F with a 14% rain chance. Thursday eases back (but just slightly), partly cloudy at 90°F with just a 2% chance of rain.
Friday stays warm and sunny at 88°F with a 24% shot at showers. The weekend then brings a one-in-three chance of PM thunderstorms, with highs settling into the mid-80s.
THE LEAD STORY: STROUDSBURG MAIN STREET GETS A PLAN
The Borough of Stroudsburg released its Downtown Strategic Plan last week after a planning process that kicked off last October. Philadelphia firm Pelham Advisors developed the document leaning on the national Main Street America framework and drawing on stakeholder interviews, focus groups with council members and business owners, a 670-response community survey, and a review of more than a year of council meeting minutes.
The plan sets four goals for the next five years: build an organizational foundation for the new Stroudsburg Main Street Program, position downtown as the Poconos' cultural hub, strengthen downtown as a community connector, and make the Borough more business ready. On the wish list: a facade improvement grant, a rotary at Main and Broad Streets, expanded wayfinding signage and maps, and eventually a Business Improvement District or similar funding model to keep it all running long term.
This is one of the first major products of Downtown Main Street Manager Michael Moreno's tenure, a newly created post that became a full-blown controversy back in January, when Moreno resigned as mayor, taking the Main Street job instead. The move left business owners questioning the process and left the Borough without a mayor for nearly a month, until Ellen Currie was appointed to fill the vacancy in February. Matt Abell continues as council president.
Steve Ertle, one of the chief opponents of Moreno's appointment and himself a one-time applicant for the Main Street Manager job, was quick to respond on Facebook. Ertle argues the new plan closely resembles a seven-point Main Street revitalization plan he says he presented more than a year ago with backing from 75 local businesses, and argues is lacks concrete action steps. He is calling on the Borough and business community to stop holding what he calls endless, unproductive meetings and start acting, pointing to last year's Main Street planter project as proof that small, executed ideas work. He closed with his familiar refrain, “Pocono People First.”
The plan is available for download on the Stroudsburg Borough website.
THE DAILY RUNDOWN
Harrisburg Finally Writes the Check. Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a $50.8 billion state budget into law Sunday evening, closing out the fifth straight late budget in Pennsylvania but landing far short of last year's nearly five-month impasse. The deal includes more than $920 million in new public education funding and new transparency rules for data centers, without a broad tax increase. We will cover the details, as well as the impact on Monroe County, in Thursday's State of the Keystone State.
Fuel Gauge: Gas Prices Creep Up. The AAA average for East Stroudsburg is $3.92 per gallon, up 2.9% from $3.81 this time last week, but still below the Pennsylvania state average of $3.97. Let’s hope we don’t see any further increases because of continued tensions in Iran.
THE WEEK AHEAD
Live Music at Momento: Vonya Jayne Galunic is back at Momento Restaurant (1159 N 9th St, Stroudsburg) Tuesday, July 14, from 6 to 9 p.m., for another evening of live music. Reservations are recommended, so call ahead.
SILVER LININGS: THE WALL SAYS GOODBYE
The Moving Wall comes to a close today. The half-size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial has stood outside Stroudsburg High School, open around the clock since Thursday through this morning, staffed by volunteers throughout. A closing ceremony was held at sunset last night, and the wall itself comes down around 1 p.m. today, so there is still a window this morning to see it before the panels are taken apart and the 58,000 names that traveled through our county head to the next host town.