MONROE UNFILTERED: THE DAILY BUZZ | July 20
Storms Roll Into Town Tuesday (and Thursday), Stupid Games and Stupid Prizes, Alleged Pocono Predator Caught
Monday, July 20, 2026
THE WEEK'S WEATHER
Like Whitney Houston in her heyday, this week starts on a high note. Monday will have sunny skies, a high near 81°F, a low around 62°F, and a light breeze. No smoke, no rain, minimal sweat. It doesn’t get better.
If Whitney leads Monday, Jim Morrison leads Tuesday. We’ve got Riders on the Storm with a 90% chance of thunderstorms and a high of just 77°F. Wednesday eases up a little with morning thunderstorms likely (41% chance) before clearing to a high near 81°F.
The real storm rolls in Thursday; no, the weather is fine, but my mother is visiting. Luckily Thursday and Friday both look clean and sunny, highs near 79° and 82°F. If you see me out with my mom, tell her it was my doing.
ROAD RAGE: MIRACLES DO HAPPEN
Tatiana D. Peterson was sentenced on July 16 to seven and a half to 15 years in state prison after pleading guilty in May to a first-degree felony count of attempted homicide. On June 10, 2025, she pulled alongside another vehicle on I-380 North in Coolbaugh Township and fired a .380-caliber handgun into it, hitting the driver, Michael Stewart of Middle Smithfield Township, in the forehead. Stewart pulled himself over, called 911, and survived. Dash-cam footage from his truck showed Peterson's Hyundai Tucson pursuing him, appearing to exit the highway at Exit 8, then getting back on and catching up to him again before firing and continuing north. Peterson later admitted to police she was the shooter.
In a civil lawsuit filed against Peterson, her sister Bianca, and their insurer, USAA, Stewart says Peterson “began to aggressively tailgate, pass, slow down, and engage in road rage activity” with him before the shooting. In plain terms: a stretch of aggressive highway jockeying — the kind that happens on I-380 most mornings and usually ends with someone flipping someone else off — escalated to the point that Peterson got off the highway, got back on, caught up to a total stranger, and shot him in the face. Court records also show the same SUV, with Peterson driving, was tied to a similar road rage incident back in January 2024. Whatever this was on paper, it doesn’t appear to be a first offense (at least in spirit).
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
THE DAILY RUNDOWN
Local Fuel Index. The average for East Stroudsburg is $4.15 per gallon, up about 6% from $3.92 this time last week. That's still a few cents below the Pennsylvania state average of $4.19. Prices have been climbing steadily for a month in the wake of increasing tensions in the Middle East. Could be worse--we were up over $5.00 per gallon in June 2022. The bad news? Last year we hit $3.10 per gallon.
TO CATCH A PREDATOR: POCONOS EDITION
John Keen, 33, of Blakeslee, was arrested July 15 after members of a group called Predator Poachers said he arranged to meet someone he believed was a 13-year-old girl. According to Pocono Mountain Regional Police, officers responded to Ryans Road in Blakeslee around 9:13 p.m. Wednesday after the group confronted Keen and called 911. Keen faces four felony charges, including criminal attempt to commit statutory sexual assault and unlawful contact with a minor. He was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Kresge, who set bail at $25,000. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 28.
THE WEEK AHEAD
Stroudsburg Borough Council meets Tuesday, July 21, its regular third-Tuesday session, 7 p.m. at the Municipal Building, 700 Sarah Street.
Two fundraisers land on the calendar Thursday, July 23. A concert featuring the Pocono Summer Chorus benefits Monroe County Meals on Wheels, and a separate event that day supports the Friends of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.