MONROE UNFILTERED: THE DAILY BUZZ | Sept. 10
Paradise Lost?
Thursday, September 10, 2026
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DAILY WEATHER
This short work week closes out on a positive note. Today clears out to mostly sunny skies and a high near 85°F. Friday also looks great: sunny and around 78°F.
The weekend holds up pretty well too: Saturday reaches the high 70s with showers moving in after 2 p.m. Sunday warms to the low 80s, with showers likely again in the morning before clearing out.
THE LEAD: PARADISE LOST?
Several folks, including yours truly, have driven down Paradise Trail between Mill Creek Rd. and Brushy Mountains and were surprised to see the trees and brush cleared out, stumps and brush piles dotting newly cleared ground.
The site sits right next door to Hayward Laboratories, the Palmer's hair and skin care manufacturer that's operated out of 1921 Paradise Trail for years, filling, packaging, and distributing the brand's creams, gels, and tubes. The clearing lines up with Hayward's own plans. Hayward Business Park LLC won conditional use approval from Stroud Township's Board of Supervisors in March 2025 to build a 200,000 square foot warehouse in two phases on the parcel. This spring, they returned to the township's Zoning Hearing Board (case #26-02) for a variance nudging ground coverage from 60% to about 62%, plus relief on buffer and landscaping rules, to fit in a pedestrian walkway along Route 447.
Shoutout to two readers on this one: Frank S., who first asked us what was going on out there, and Amy S., who called the Hayward Labs connection before we'd confirmed it ourselves.
While we're on this stretch of road, it's worth knowing that Hayward isn't the only project planned along Paradise Trail. Stroud Township has spent years lining up funding to fix chronic stormwater flooding at Route 447 and Brushy Mountain Road, an intersection that I can personally attest has flooded for years.
State Rep. Maureen Madden announced in October 2024 that the Commonwealth Financing Authority approved a $500,000 grant for the project, adding to a $938,609 grant and a $250,000 PennDOT multimodal grant already secured in 2022, putting roughly $1.69 million in state money toward the $3.05 million job. The plan calls for bigger box culverts to fix the flooding, a wider swale buffer, a relocated utility pole and power line, and a new traffic signal at the intersection. No sign of that moving forward but we will let you know if we hear or see anything.
STATE OF THE KEYSTONE STATE
Pennsylvania Now Requires Daily Recess for K-5 Students. Gov. Shapiro signed Act 20 of 2026 this week, officially writing 30 minutes of daily recess into law for every Pennsylvania kindergarten-through-5th-grade student, with 15 minutes for half-day kindergarten programs; elementary schools are also expected to extend it to 6th graders in the building. It doesn't take effect until the 2027-28 school year, so no Monroe County classroom sees a change this fall, but it's now locked into law rather than a district-by-district choice. Shapiro signed the bill at an elementary school in Montgomery County, saying kids “learn better when they have had time to move and reset.” Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, framing it as a parent himself, said kids “need dedicated time to exercise, play, and connect with friends” to counteract screen time.
I remember running on a similar platform (longer recess) when I ran for class council as a fifth grader. Amazing that the leadership in Pennsylvania has caught up to my platform in 1982.
Property Tax Rebate Program Tops $1.1 Billion Under Shapiro. Pennsylvania's Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program has delivered more than $1.1 billion in rebates and 1.9 million total payments since Gov. Shapiro took office, the state announced this week, including a 64% jump last year alone: $315 million paid out across more than 513,000 rebates for the 2024 claim year, compared to 2022. The program serves older adults, widows and widowers, and people with disabilities, covering rebates on property taxes or rent paid the prior year. As a reminder (we told you this back in June), the maximum standard rebate is still $1,000, income eligibility tops out at $48,110, and the application deadline for this cycle is Dec. 31. Rep. Probst's office at 18 S. 9th Street in Stroudsburg can help with applications: (570) 420-2850.
WHAT WERE YA THINKIN'
Home Depot Theft Suspect Identified in Stroud Township. Stroud Area Regional Police say they've identified the man suspected of stealing merchandise from the Home Depot at 150 Pocono Commons Dr. on Sept. 7, thanking the public for tips that helped crack the case. The case remains listed as open on CrimeWatch; the department hasn't released his name publicly, and it's not clear whether charges have been filed. Not exactly intrigue, but these merchandise thefts increase costs for all of us.