Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026

The Daily Buzz: Six Races Called, One Seat Still Open

Daily Weather · Wednesday

74°High

Today is the calm after the tsunami. Patchy fog until about 8 a.m., then mostly sunny with a high in the low to mid 70s. Tonight stays mild, around 55°F, with a slight chance of rain after 1 a.m.

Annie Lennox sang about the end of the week: “Here Comes the Rain Again” (and I would say, finally! We need the rain). Thursday, rain is likely, mainly before 1 p.m., with a high near 69°F. Friday stays unsettled, with rain possible to likely and a high near 68°F, and the weekend cools off, with Sunday somewhere in the mid 50s to low 60s.

Top story

Election Night Results: Shapiro, Cognetti and Brooks Win

Illustrations of six election winners across the top of the page, Josh Shapiro, Paige Cognetti, Bob Brooks, Maureen Madden, Jack Rader and Tarah Probst, under the headline Monroe Election Results: Six Races Called, One Still Open

Monroe Unfiltered

As of late, followers of politics have been accustomed to getting results in the early hours following Election Day (and in some cases days later). Not last night….

Governor. The AP called the race for Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) at 8:01 p.m. Statewide, with an estimated 93 percent of votes counted, AP's tally had Shapiro at 60 percent (2,894,256 votes) and Stacy Garrity (R) at 39 percent (1,860,673). In Monroe, Shapiro had 61 percent (36,822 votes) and Garrity at 37 percent (22,729).

Garrity conceded around 9 p.m. She said she called Shapiro to congratulate him, then added a parting shot, saying she hoped her campaign reminded him that Pennsylvania "just doesn't deserve, but needs, a full-time chief executive." Garrity has argued since launching her campaign that Shapiro is more focused on running for president than on the state. In my view, Shapiro's victory speech could have passed for the kickoff of a presidential run. He is widely mentioned as a possible 2028 contender.

U.S. House, 8th District. AP called the race for Paige Cognetti (D), the Scranton mayor, at 10:41 p.m. Rep. Rob Bresnahan Jr. (R) had held the seat since 2024, when he won narrowly. District-wide, the state's unofficial returns show Cognetti at 54 percent (152,583 votes) and Bresnahan at 46 percent (128,081). The district covers Lackawanna, Pike and Wayne counties and parts of Luzerne and Monroe, so Monroe's numbers are only a slice. In Monroe, Cognetti fared even better with 60 percent of the vote.

U.S. House, 7th District. AP called the race for Bob Brooks (D) at 10:27 p.m. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R) was in his first term. The district is all of Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton counties plus a small part of Monroe. District-wide, the state's unofficial returns show Brooks at 56 percent (160,625 votes) and Mackenzie at 44 percent (127,117).

State House. All three races are called, and in all three the incumbent won by double digits, based on unofficial returns.

The 115th: AP called it for Maureen Madden (D) at 11:22 p.m., and she had 63 percent to Rich Szabo's (R) 37 percent.

The 176th: AP called it for Jack Rader (R) at 11:44 p.m., and he had 56 percent to Thomas Kucer's (D) 44 percent.

The 189th, which covers part of Monroe and part of Pike County: AP called it for Tarah Probst (D) at 10:25 p.m., and she had 65 percent to Danica Hartenfels' (R) 35 percent. In the Monroe portion of the 189th alone, the county's tally has Probst at 68 percent.

State Senate, 40th District: not called. One race was still open as of 12:43 a.m.: the 40th District state Senate seat, which covers all of Monroe and parts of Lackawanna and Wayne counties. AP had not called it. Brian Wrightson (D) led Sen. Rosemary Brown (R), the incumbent, by about 3 percentage points, and AP estimated about 96 percent of the vote was counted, so votes remain. The state's unofficial totals for the whole district showed Wrightson at 51 percent (50,072 votes) and Brown at 49 percent (47,283), a gap of 2,789 votes. In Monroe, with all 55 precincts reporting, Wrightson had 53 percent of the vote. We do not know exactly how many votes are outstanding or where they are.

Turnout. The county's page put turnout at 51 percent, with 61,025 ballots tabulated out of 118,818 registered voters. At the Stroud Municipal Building, where I voted, I arrived in a lull, with eight people ahead. A poll worker told me turnout had been heavy, especially at 7 a.m. When a voter asked for a sticker, the worker said, "We ran out. Apparently, nobody thought this many people were going to show!" That is one polling place and one worker, not a countywide count.

What happens next. All results here are unofficial. Monroe's numbers are from the county's results page as of 11:04 p.m. Tuesday, when it showed all 55 of 55 precincts reporting. AP's calls and the district and statewide totals are as of 12:15 to 12:43 a.m. Wednesday. The county says provisional ballots are reviewed later and counted only if they are verified, and calls can still change until the count is final. We will update the Senate race as soon as AP calls it or the counties report more.

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📋 The Daily Rundown

Let’s Get This (Gateway) Party Started

More than two dozen residents who live near the Smithfield Gateway data center site were granted party status at the Oct. 28 hearing, most with no objection from the applicant. Party status is the formal role that lets someone question witnesses and present evidence. As we reported Oct. 30, the Brodhead Watershed Association also got party status that night, and resident David Allen Bower was turned down.

According to our beta transcription and an AI-assisted summary of the township's video of the meeting, attorney Michael Fiorentino, who represents several residents, gave distances for his clients of roughly 190 to 600 feet from the developer's property, and some other residents said they live closer, as near as about 30 feet. Marc Kaplin, the attorney for the data center, told the board he would not fight standing for anyone living within three-quarters of a mile (that’s about 4,000 feet). Two other residents, who live about 1.1 miles and 1.9 miles away, were turned down because they are outside that radius.

The next session is not set. Dec. 2 and Dec. 9 at 6 p.m. are under discussion, Dec. 3 is out because of a school winter choir concert, and the final date depends on whether the school venue is free. The township solicitor also said on the record that the Planning Commission, which only advises the supervisors, failed to advance a motion to recommend approval with 25 conditions at its Oct. 21 meeting. A later motion to recommend denial with conditions is disputed.

This account is based on our beta transcription and an AI-assisted summary of the township's video of the Oct. 28 meeting. Minutes have not been posted, and names and figures will be checked against them once they are.

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Amazon Wants a Say in the PPL Rate Fight

The state Consumer Advocate’s complaint against PPL Electric Utilities says PPL’s rates leave existing customers carrying the cost and reliability risks of data center growth, as we reported Nov. 3. It asks for a separate rate class for data centers and for data centers to pay for the grid upgrades they cause. Amazon Data Services has now asked to join the case. Its petition to intervene was received Nov. 2 and posted Nov. 3, as was one from the Data Center Coalition.

Amazon’s petition does not say whether it supports or opposes the complaint. It says Amazon owns and operates several cloud computing data centers in Pennsylvania, including in PPL territory, and that the case will directly affect the rates it pays PPL. It wants full party status. The docket shows no ruling on either petition yet.

PPL serves part of Monroe County, but the Smithfield Gateway site would draw its power through FirstEnergy, not PPL.

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Great Wolf Lodge Case Moves to Common Pleas

Metallica Rose Harrison, 27, of Towanda, waived her preliminary hearing Tuesday (Nov. 3), according to 28/22 News (WBRE/WYOU), sending the criminal homicide case to the Monroe County Court of Common Pleas. As we previewed Oct. 26, that hearing was set for Nov. 3. Her formal arraignment is set for Jan. 7, 2027, per 28/22 News. Waiving the hearing is not a plea. She is charged in the Oct. 12 deaths of her husband and their 3-year-old son at the resort in Scotrun and is presumed innocent. District Attorney Michael Mancuso said police are still reviewing evidence.

Ann Street Garage Misses Its Finish Line

Stroudsburg's Ann Street parking garage repair will take longer than planned. Council voted 6 to 0 on Oct. 20 for a $149K change order after the contractor found concrete about an inch thick at the upper deck entrance from Hood Alley where four inches was specified, according to the borough's minutes. Completion is now no later than Dec. 15. The minutes say the partial opening planned for Nov. 2 would not happen. Our May 27 edition had the repairs, which began April 20, finishing around mid-August.

Price Township Data Center Overlay Heads to County Planners

The Monroe County Planning Commission's agenda for Tuesday, Nov. 10 lists a Price Township zoning amendment that would create a Data Center Overlay District on about 100 acres across two parcels on both sides of State Route 447, roughly 1,500 feet south of Snow Road.

Today: Commissioners and School Board

The County Commissioners meet today (Wednesday, Nov. 4) at 9:30 a.m. at One Quaker Plaza, Room 201. The agenda opens with a housing needs assessment from the Pocono Mountains Association of Realtors and asks the board to authorize advertising special meetings for the 2027 budget. The Pocono Mountain School District board meets at 6 p.m. at the administration building in Swiftwater.

🚨 The PSA

Wear the Life Jacket

Pennsylvania's cold-water life jacket rule started Sunday (Nov. 1) and runs through April 30, 2027. The Fish and Boat Commission requires a Coast Guard-approved life jacket to be worn on boats under 16 feet and on any canoe, kayak or paddleboard, on all Pennsylvania waters. Water temperatures are dropping fast even when the afternoon feels mild, and the Commission says nearly 80 percent of boating deaths involve people not wearing a life jacket. We made the case for life jackets on the Delaware River in our Aug. 5 edition, and the water is a lot colder now.

Have a great Wednesday, Monroe County.

Also in today’s Buzz

What Were Ya Thinkin’?Stalk Market Crime: Juvenile Identified

Stroud Area Regional Police say corn stalks tied to a pole at N. 7th and Main streets were set on fire at about 8:24 p.m. Monday (Nov. 2), in front of The Vault restaurant. A caller tried to put it out and the Stroudsburg Fire Department finished the job. No one was hurt. Police say they found a person matching the suspect's description on the Memorial Bridge, identified a juvenile and released the juvenile to a parent. Charges are still under consideration, according to the department's CrimeWatch post.

History with a TwistWhen the Dead Voted: How Stroudsburg Became the County Seat

We’ve got a good story for today as we sit just after both Election Day and Halloween. Monroe County was carved out of Northampton and Pike counties on April 1, 1836, and a special election that July had to pick the county seat, according to the Monroe County Historical Association. The contenders were Dutotsburg (now Delaware Water Gap), Kellersville in Hamilton Township, and Stroudsburg.

History with a TwistThe twist

A July 26 runoff between Kellersville and Stroudsburg tallied 2,194 votes, and Stroudsburg won by 70. That was 402 more votes than there were adult men in the county, the association says, and 14-year-old boys cast ballots. Names on the voting lists were fictitious, and many of the voters lived in the cemetery, their names taken from moss-covered tombstones. Two Middle Smithfield men from the Board of Elections were charged with fraud and malpractice. The case ended when one count was thrown out and a judge quashed the other indictment. Stroudsburg kept the courthouse. Some voters, apparently, never left the cemetery. Read the full article at https://www.monroehistorical.org/articles_files/100105_stroudsburg.html.

Silver LiningsHow to Clean Up in Stroudsburg

The Borough of Stroudsburg invites residents to the Fall Main Street Clean-Up today (Wednesday, Nov. 4) from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., presented by the Stroudsburg Main Street Program's Safe, Clean & Green Committee. The Borough expects more than 40 Stroudsburg High School students and 23 registered volunteers, and anyone can join by showing up at Zone 2 (The Penn Stroud, corner of 7th and Main) or Zone 3 (the KFC at 5th and Main). It happens rain or shine, with supplies provided. Volunteers get a pizza slice and a fountain drink from Stroud Pizza and, while supplies last, a free race gift certificate from S&S Speedways.