MONROE UNFILTERED: THE DAILY BUZZ | Oct. 8
Governor candidates debate data centers, $1.2M for Monroe conservation, and what if Cornell happened in PA?
Thursday, October 8, 2026
DAILY WEATHER
Thursday is the pick of the week: sunny with a high near 72°F and just a 7 percent chance of rain. It cools off fast after sunset, so bring a jacket if you are headed to tonight’s Coolbaugh Township work session at 6:30 p.m. or the Mount Pocono Municipal Authority at 7. Expect the mid 60s at 6 p.m. and the low 60s by 7.
Friday stays sunny at about 69°F, with a chilly morning low near 43°F. Saturday is partly cloudy and the best day of the weekend, with highs from the upper 60s to low 70s and only a 5 percent chance of rain. Sunday is the washout: an 85 percent chance of rain and a high only in the low to mid 60s. More showers follow Monday morning (47 percent) and Tuesday afternoon (39 percent).
STROUDSBURG MAN SENTENCED FOR SENDING SEXUAL MATERIAL IN BIKER STING
A Stroudsburg man caught sending sexual material to a fake teen in a Bikers Against Predators sting has been sentenced to as much as 23 months and 29 days, and the 271 days he has already spent behind bars count toward it.
James H. Harden, 58, of Stroudsburg was sentenced Sept. 23 by Judge Stephen Higgins, according to his Monroe County court docket. The sentence is 271 days to 23 months and 29 days in confinement, followed by up to three years of probation. He gets credit for 271 days already served, the same as his minimum. The docket says he was arrested Dec. 27, 2025, by Pocono Mountain Regional Police in Tobyhanna Township, and that bail was denied.
As we reported in our June 29 edition, Harden pleaded guilty in June to a third-degree felony count of disseminating sexually explicit material to a minor. The docket shows two other charges, a felony count of unlawful use of a communication facility and a misdemeanor count of attempted corruption of minors, but it does not show how they were resolved.
The conditions are spelled out in the docket: a sexual offender evaluation and treatment, no unsupervised contact with minors, a drug and alcohol evaluation, and a DNA sample and fingerprints. He serves the confinement first, then the probation. The docket still lists him as in custody, so we cannot say whether he has been released.
The Pocono Record, which reported on the sentencing Oct. 7, adds the sting’s backstory: Detective Donald Scarfo handled the case, and Robert Bloom of Bikers Against Predators said the group was in contact with Harden for about a year and a half while posing as a 13-year-old. The Record also reports that a Kalahari Resorts spokesperson said in January that Harden no longer works there and had been evicted from employee housing.
THE DAILY RUNDOWN
$1.18 Million Awarded to Preserve Land and Parks Around Stroud. State Rep. Tarah Probst (D-189) announced Wednesday that Monroe County will receive $1,183,200 in state conservation grants through the Community Conservation Partnerships Program. The Pocono Heritage Land Trust gets $948,600 to preserve the Schmitt Cherry Valley property as critical habitat and open space. Stroud Township gets $156,500 for improvements at Jay Albertson Park. And the Stroud Region Open Space and Recreation Commission gets $78,100 to fund a plan for the future of local parks, recreation and open space.
$1.8 Million Water Tank on the Commissioners’ Agenda. The Monroe County Commissioners’ Wednesday morning agenda asked the board to accept a proposal from Mid Atlantic Storage Systems, Inc., to be purchased through the state’s COSTARS purchasing program, for a new water tank and installation at a cost of $1,843,047. The agenda does not say where the tank would go. It also asked the board to authorize a $1.25 million grant application for the new county wastewater treatment plant, which, as we reported Aug. 13, is projected to cost $7 million. We have not seen minutes or video of the meeting, so we cannot say what the board approved. We will update when the record is posted.
Two More Townships Tighten Data Center Rules. Paradise and Middle Smithfield townships have sent data center amendments to the Monroe County Planning Commission, which has them on its agenda Tuesday, Oct. 13. Paradise would set its first data center standards, covering setbacks, buffers, emergency management, water, power and environmental impact, and allow data centers as a conditional use in its B-2 Business District. Middle Smithfield’s omnibus amendment would move data centers out of its commercial districts and allow them only as a conditional use in Industrial zones. The Commission reviews; the townships decide. As we noted in July, Paradise was one of five municipalities with no data center ordinance in place or planned. We do not yet have hearing dates for either township.
Tonight’s Meetings. Coolbaugh Township holds a 2027 budget work session at 6:30 p.m. at the Municipal Center, 5520 Municipal Drive in Tobyhanna, with parks, sewer and event planning on the agenda and time for public comment. The Mount Pocono Municipal Authority meets at 7 p.m.
THE THURSDAY DEEP DIVE: IF THE CORNELL CASE HAPPENED HERE
New York’s governor just pulled the Cornell fraternity rape case away from the local DA, and Albany is talking about rewriting its rape laws. We have a university in East Stroudsburg and thousands of college-age residents, so we asked: would Pennsylvania law have handled it any differently?
The case: A former Cornell student, 20 at the time, says she was gang raped at the Chi Phi house in October 2024. The Tompkins County DA declined to charge, citing her early sworn statement describing the drug use and sex as “voluntary, conscious and consensual.” She says she was “completely and totally incapacitated.” No one has been charged, and all seven men named in her lawsuit are presumed innocent.
The New York problem: New York only counts you as legally incapacitated if someone drugged you without your consent. If you drank or took something yourself, it doesn’t count, no matter how impaired you were. Advocates call it the voluntary intoxication loophole.
Why it matters here: Pennsylvania already closed that gap. Under state law, a “yes” isn’t consent if intoxication left the person manifestly unable to make a reasonable judgment, no matter who supplied the drugs. Pair that with Pennsylvania’s sexual assault charge, which requires no force, and Monroe County DA Mike Mancuso puts it plainly: “Pa law permits prosecution for sexual assault upon a lack of legally effective consent due to voluntary intoxication.”
A victim’s word is enough: Pennsylvania doesn’t require corroborating evidence in sexual assault cases. Mancuso says his office “successfully prosecuted three rape cases to jury verdict where the evidence was largely based on the testimony of the victim alone” in just the last couple of months.
But: Once a Pennsylvania DA says no, that call is hard to overturn. Governor Shapiro has no power to do what Hochul did. The attorney general can step in only in narrow cases. And while a person whose private complaint is rejected can ask a judge to review it, Mancuso notes that review “is not about second guessing the DA’s decision.”
The bottom line: Pennsylvania’s law is stronger on the front end. The safety net behind the DA is thinner. And no statute fixes an evidence problem: a Pennsylvania DA would still have to reckon with that same early statement.
(Mancuso spoke only about Pennsylvania law. He declined to comment on the Cornell case or compare the two states.)
Go deeper: The full Special Report on Substack covers how Pennsylvania’s consent law actually works, the narrow path for overruling a DA, how long prosecutors have to file charges, what Pennsylvania requires of colleges, and more from Mancuso. Read the full Special Report: monroeunfiltered.substack.com/p/special-report-what-if-cornell-happened
If you need help: Safe Monroe offers free, confidential support 24/7 at 570-421-4200.
STATE OF THE KEYSTONE STATE
Governor Candidates Debate Data Centers. The first Pennsylvania gubernatorial debate in eight years opened Wednesday night on data centers, according to TribLive. Gov. Josh Shapiro pointed to the executive order he issued in August, which requires developers to supply their own power, pay the costs tied to their electricity use, protect air and water, and win local support before the state will consider permits. Republican challenger Stacy Garrity, the state treasurer, wants a pause so communities can update their zoning, but she did not say how long. Both answers put local zoning at the center, which is where Monroe’s data center fights have played out: Paradise and Middle Smithfield townships are due before the County Planning Commission Tuesday, and Smithfield Township’s Gateway data center hearings are Oct. 21 and Oct. 28.
The candidates also took on skill games ahead of the Oct. 13 deadline (Shapiro wants a 52 percent tax, Garrity a flat $500 a month per machine), Medicaid cuts, school choice and the new federal tax credit, measles, the state budget and the death penalty. Read our full debate recap, topic by topic: monroeunfiltered.substack.com/p/special-report-the-shapiro-garrity
Aimee’s Law Heads to the House. The state Senate voted 33 to 17 on Tuesday (Oct. 6) to pass Senate Bill 1311, which would create a public animal abuser registry modeled on Megan’s Law. The Pennsylvania State Police would keep the registry, with photos and identifying information for people convicted of serious animal abuse. The bill is named for Aimee, a husky puppy abandoned under a bridge in Erie. It was referred to the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.
Sen. Dan Laughlin (R-49) is the lead sponsor, and Sen. Rosemary Brown (R-40), whose district includes Monroe County, is a cosponsor. Brown credited the Animal Welfare Society of Monroe and Camp Papillon in her release. As we reported Sept. 23, the Animal Welfare Society of Monroe got the green light to expand its Godfrey Ridge Drive shelter after Stroud Township’s Zoning Hearing Board approved a variance and a special exception on Sept. 16.
Lawmakers are scheduled to return to Harrisburg Oct. 19 to 21. Next stop for the bill is a committee vote in the House Judiciary Committee.
WHAT WERE YA THINKIN’?
Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material. Possessing child sexual abuse material, which the state statute still calls child pornography, is a third-degree felony in Pennsylvania. Edward T. Bommarito, 69, of East Stroudsburg pleaded guilty June 8 to that charge. According to his court docket, Judge Stephen Higgins sentenced him Sept. 24 to 9 days to 2 months and 29 days, with credit for 9 days served and parole immediately, followed by two years of probation. The docket classifies him as a Tier 1 sexual offender under Pennsylvania’s registration law and bars unsupervised contact with minors, with his internet use limited to essential purposes until treatment providers or probation approve more.