MONROE UNFILTERED: THE DAILY BUZZ | July 28
Flood Watch Rolls In, Fetterman Flips on the Filibuster, and a Sewer Line for the Neighbors
Tuesday, July 28, 2026
DAILY WEATHER: THE SOGGY STRETCH CONTINUES
Keep the umbrella by the door. Today brings a 97 percent chance of thunderstorms and a high of just 72°F, with a low of 64°F overnight. Wednesday backs off slightly to a 61 percent chance of afternoon thunderstorms and a high of 77°F. Thursday clears out somewhat with a mix of morning clouds and afternoon sun, high of 77°F and only a 24 percent rain chance. Friday holds that same 24 percent chance under partly cloudy skies, with a high near 83°F. If your basement has flooded before, today and tomorrow are the days to check on it.
FLOOD WATCH THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON
Monroe County is under a Flood Watch starting at 8:00 a.m. today and running until 2:00 p.m. Wednesday as a slow-moving band of thunderstorms sets up over the region. Rain chances climb through the morning and peak between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., when hourly forecasts show the heaviest bursts - some hours carrying a quarter-inch of rain or more. A second, wetter round is expected after sundown tonight before the system finally eases off Wednesday morning.
A Flood Watch means conditions are favorable for flooding. Low-lying roads, streams that run near their banks after a wet stretch, and storm drains clogged with midsummer debris are the usual trouble spots in Monroe County. If you have a commute through any of the county's flood-prone stretches, plan for standing water and do not drive through it.
THE VIEW FROM THE 8TH
Fetterman Flips on the Filibuster. Senator John Fetterman used a Washington Post op-ed this week to reverse his 2022 position, writing that he now believes the Senate's 60-vote threshold is a needed check rather than an obstacle. Fetterman credited the rule with blocking sweeping one-party legislation under the current Republican trifecta, and pointed to former Senators Sinema and Manchin, both of whom took heat from their own party for defending it. He argued Democrats will need the same rule to work if they retake the Senate this fall, since a narrow majority would not be enough to govern by simple majority either.
A Sewer Line Grows in Pike County. Rep. Rob Bresnahan announced $1.25 million in federal funding to extend the Eastern Pike County Sewer system into Matamoras and Milford Boroughs. It is not a Monroe County project, but Pike County is next door and shares the same congressional seat, so it’s worth a mention.
House Votes to Ban Congressional Stock Trading. The House passed the Stop Insider Trading Act 231-198 this week, barring members of Congress and their immediate families from buying individual stocks, requiring advance disclosure of stock sales, and stiffening penalties for violations. Bresnahan was an original cosponsor and voted yes. Worth noting: Bresnahan himself has a history of active stock trading. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, by August 2025, Bresnahan had engaged in 617 stock trades worth $7.24 million. However, financial disclosures reviewed by Spotlight PA show he has since largely stopped trading individual stocks in 2026, making only a handful of bond purchases this year.
A Water Infrastructure Win for NEPA. Bresnahan and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed the Water Resources Development Act of 2026 this week, bipartisan legislation the congressman's office says opens up new water infrastructure opportunities for Northeastern Pennsylvania. His office has not yet detailed a specific Monroe County project tied to the bill; we will follow up if one materializes.
Fetterman Rejoins the Push to Legalize Marijuana Federally. Senator Fetterman signed back on with Senate Democratic colleagues to reintroduce the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, which would remove cannabis from the federal controlled substances list and let states set their own rules. Fetterman has been consistently vocal on this position; the bill faces the same long odds federal legalization efforts have faced in prior sessions.