MONROE UNFILTERED: THE DAILY BUZZ | August 25
Pocono Manor's Fate Delayed, New Council Seat Filled, DC Eyes Your Ballot
Tuesday, August 25, 2026
DAILY WEATHER
The good weather streak continues for the next couple of days. Today will be partly cloudy, a high near 76°F, a low around 55°F tonight, and just a 7 percent chance of rain. Wednesday holds similar, a high near 80°F and an 8 percent rain chance.
Creedence Clearwater Revival asked, “Have you ever seen the rain?” The answer is yes, Thursday. We will have a high near 77°F and an 85 percent chance of rain, the wettest day of the week. Friday climbs back to a high near 81°F, still with a 41 percent chance of rain.
POCONO MANOR'S FATE STAYS UP IN THE AIR
Pocono Township commissioners punted again on what to do with the fire-damaged Pocono Manor Resort, postponing a vote at their Aug. 17 meeting on an ordinance that would force the owner to either repair the building or tear it down. The resort has sat gutted since a 2019 fire.
Zoning Administrator Paul Morgan's own report concluded the structure is “not in imminent danger to collapse” and recommended repair over demolition, but the owner's managing partner, Jim Cahill, asked for a copy of that report before the board takes any action, pushing the decision further out. No new vote date has been set.
Morgan also noted that the property's owner had been “investing in solar fields rather than investing in maintaining the property.” On the other hand, we have previously discussed the need for more energy supply, so is that really a bad thing?
THE VIEW FROM THE 8TH
What the Supreme Court's Decision Means for the Keystone State: The Supreme Court just let part of Trump's mail voting Executive Order move forward. Here's what it means for you.
Let's start with what the Executive Order said. States have to submit a list of who is receiving a mail-in ballot at least 60 days before an election. That list has to line up with a federal citizenship list DHS is building. USPS would only send or receive ballots for voters on the state's list, nobody else.
Sounds good on the surface (we all agree only citizens should vote, right?), but there are two problems. First, that 60-day deadline hits before a lot of states' normal registration cutoffs, so someone who registers or requests a ballot later than that could get shut out. Second, the federal list has a track record of wrongly flagging actual citizens as noncitizens. So, an eligible voter could be left off the list through no fault of their own.
Here in Pennsylvania, we may of course be thinking about our neighbor, New Jersey. A software glitch there let 6,600 noncitizens register to vote, and about 400 actually cast a ballot. Is Pennsylvania in the same position? Not really. A 2026 state audit checked over 200,000 PennDOT applications and found exactly one noncitizen who even got that far, and that application was caught and corrected on the spot.
Now back to the decision. The Supreme Court allowed DHS to start building its citizenship lists, but it did not free the Post Office to use them. That's like giving them the castle but withholding the keys.
Pennsylvania is one of several states suing to stop the Executive Order, calling it “unprecedented” and “legally indefensible.” Philly's Republican City Commissioner, Seth Bluestein, added that counties statewide already bought thousands of envelopes for mail ballots, and PA already checks voter identity before counting one, so it's not clear what problem the Executive Order actually solves.
Bottom line: nothing has changed yet for your mail ballot. The judge in the Postal Service case could rule any day, and expect this back at the Supreme Court within weeks.
THE DAILY RUNDOWN
Volunteer Firefighter Fills Empty Council Seat. Stroudsburg Borough Council appointed Robert Llopis (D), a three-year Stroudsburg Fire Company volunteer and the borough's 3rd Ward constable, to fill the seat vacated by the resignation of Joseph Shay (I). The Aug. 18 vote passed 4-2, with council Vice President Erica McCabe and President Pro Tem J. Zac Christman voting no. Llopis serves out the remainder of the two-year term, through Dec. 31, 2027.
WHAT WERE YA THINKIN'
Road Rage Cover-Up. William M. Miller, 27, of Middle Smithfield, was sentenced to 54 days to two years by Judge Stephen Higgins after pleading guilty to weapon possession, reckless endangerment, and evidence tampering for firing a gunshot into a woman's car door during a 2025 road rage incident near the Price Chopper on Milford Road. Miller initially told troopers it was a warning shot, then admitted to hiding the gun, removing his truck's license plate, and melting down the shell casing. I think I saw this on an episode of Law & Order: VSU (Very Stupid Unit).