Wayne County paid a youth shelter $135,000 in one month for one child. The facility failed its only inspection, lost its license, and lists DJ training among its services. No contract has ever been found.
Poconos [MuckRaker] News
🔥Check out our Top 10 Most Read Articles or browse every investigation by county in our Investigative Index📰

The American Nightmare: The Phil Lather Story (Part 1 of 3)
Opinion and Analysis HONESDALE, WAYNE COUNTY — In late July, Phil Lather posted a video to Facebook that has been viewed more than 707,000 times. He is standing in his bar at the Moonshadow Inn and Resort in Beach Lake, a historic hotel and restaurant he calls “absolutely beautiful.” He is holding a copy of the Constitution. He brought it...

James Allen Stalter Says Brendan Ellis Is His Attorney
A convicted felon with a record spanning two states faces criminal charges for directing a child to commit an assault. His attorney field is blank. His email tells a different story. James Allen Stalter, 40, of Texas Township, Wayne County, has been charged with corruption of minors, criminal solicitation to commit simple assault, and aiding consummation of crime. Pennsylvania State...

There Was Never a Reason To Remove Central Park
Opinion | Analysis. Statements marked [FACT] are supported by documented records, emails obtained via Right-to-Know request, or PA DEP correspondence. Statements marked [SPECULATION] are the author’s interpretation. On November 18, 2025, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection sent Honesdale Borough its verdict on the Central Park soil. Here is the key passage: “While it appears the areas near where the...

The Kistle Homicide: Update
Anthony Kistle charged with criminal homicide in wife Karen's 2024 death. His cousin, Trooper Jeffrey Kistle Jr., was stationed at the Blooming Grove barracks that handled the case. Jeffrey's wife, Lt. Lori Kistle, is listed on LinkedIn as the barracks commander. PSP hasn't said when she took command or whether the conflict was disclosed.

First Palestine, Now Scranton: Organized Intelligence Collection Might Be Coming To Your Town Next
The surveillance system Scranton wants to build next to City Hall was designed for the occupied West Bank, refined on Palestinians, and is maintained today by engineers in Tel Aviv. Axon is the storefront. Israel is the back office. The Pocono Review reported in July that the old Fidelity Bank branch at 334-346 N. Washington Ave. is the future home...

Missing Playground FOUND! It’s in a Junk Pile.
A PPP supporter posted a photo to shut us up. Instead she handed us Exhibit A. Now ask yourself: why would a borough promise a playground to another park, then leave it rotting behind a maintenance building? Opinion | Analysis This article contains clearly labeled opinion and speculation alongside documented facts. Facts are sourced from River Reporter coverage, Honesdale Borough...

Get the Flock Out: America Has Turned on Flock Safety, and the Cancellations Aren’t Stopping
One hundred and seventy-three. That’s the number of American public entities, including cities, counties, universities, and special districts, that have canceled, declined to renew, paused, rejected, or deactivated contracts with Flock Safety. Flock is the Atlanta-based company that operates the largest private automated license plate reader network in U.S. history. But the number isn’t the story. The slope is. Between...

DaVita Controls 37% of the U.S. Dialysis Market and Runs Eight Centers in NEPA. It Has Paid Nearly $1 Billion in Fraud Settlements. Know Your Rights. Spot the Red Flags.
Three times a week, people across Northeast Pennsylvania drive to a dialysis center, sit in a chair, and let a machine clean their blood for hours. They trust the staff. They trust the process. Most of them believe they’re waiting for a kidney transplant that will get them out of that chair for good. What many of them don’t know...
Daily Feed
East Stroudsburg Man Arrested in Meth Investigation Threatened to Kill Mother of His Child During 2022 Police Standoff
East Stroudsburg man facing 8 felony meth counts threatened to kill mother of his child during 2022 police standoff. State prison record, owes $4,700 in fines.
Pro Bono Partnerships: One Filing, Five Names, No Daylight
Brendan Ellis. Oressa Campbell. Carl Oxholm III. Christine Rechner. Five names on one tax filing connecting Pro Bono Partnerships to the WCBA, Wayne County CYS, and the DA's office. PBP's first contract went to "Mike Parley" — a nickname and misspelling for an attorney since convicted in four criminal cases. Then the WCBA deleted the pages that named them.
Wayne County ADA Brendan Ellis Privately Represented County Coroner Howell in a Civil Lawsuit.
Wayne County ADA Brendan Ellis represented Coroner Edward Howell in a private civil lawsuit while serving as one of five prosecutors in the DA's office — an office that relies on Howell's forensic findings to bring criminal charges.
The Treatment Center Wayne County Built Its Pipeline Around Is Owned by a South Florida Investment Firm
Pennsylvania Secretary of State filings show Little Creek Lodge — Wayne County's fastest-growing addiction treatment provider — was acquired by Allerand FS Investco, a Delaware LLC tied to a South Florida investment group. Judge Matthew Meagher served as the registered office for the facility's corporate entities for 13 years. His former law partner prosecutes cases before him. His family collects county rent. No public record shows the county acknowledged the ownership change.
Yung Gravy Brings the Heat to Downtown Stroudsburg as Sherman Theater Enters a New Era
Yung Gravy rocked Stroudsburg's Sherman Theater Friday as the iconic Pocono venue enters a new era under Visitors Bureau management. Full story inside.
Poconos EMS Could See Faster, More Reliable Funding After State Audit
Pocono Mountains, PA — November 20, 2025 Emergency medical services in the Poconos could soon see more reliable funding and...
Extra Space Storage to Auction Contents of 5 Abandoned Units in East Stroudsburg
EAST STROUDSBURG, PA — Extra Space Storage will hold a public auction next week to sell the contents of five...
Monroe County’s EPC All-Stars: Where Three-Way Champions Ended Up
Co-MVPs and Historic Seasons Define 2025 Monroe County Football The Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Monroe County Division crowned three champions in...
Wayne County Certified $7.8 Million in Child Welfare Spending While Failing State Inspections
Wayne County, PA commissioners certified $7.8 million in child welfare spending across two fiscal years while simultaneously submitting corrective action plans to the same state agency — acknowledging the work wasn't getting done. They hired an outside consultant at a rate they won't put in the public record, and their defense is that the violations are old.
Widow of Slain Hideout Officer Demands Answers on Memorial Fund
Tinesha Duran, widow of killed security officer José Duran, publicly accuses Angel Alliance and Hideout board president Andrew Miller of withholding information about memorial fund donations.
The American Nightmare: The Phil Lather Story (Part 1 of 3)
Opinion and Analysis HONESDALE, WAYNE COUNTY — In late July, Phil Lather posted a video to Facebook that has been...
Lackawanna County Launches SilverShield: Revolutionary Anti-Scam Program Protects Seniors in Real-Time
Free Digital Tool Provides Immediate Protection as 30% of Elder Care Referrals Now Involve Financial Exploitation SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY —...
Zoning Hearing Scheduled for Water Gap Wellness Facility in Smithfield Township
SMITHFIELD TOWNSHIP, PA – A contentious zoning dispute involving a substance abuse treatment facility will come before the Smithfield Township...
New York Man Who Led Troopers on High-Speed Chase With Fake EMT Lights Walks With Two Summary Offenses
Joseph Neiger, 50, led Pennsylvania State Police on a high-speed chase with fake EMT lights and siren. Charges of impersonating a public servant and possession of instrument of crime were withdrawn; he pleaded guilty to two summary offenses.
70% of Cognetti’s Campaign Cash Comes From Outside Pennsylvania
Pocono Review analysis of FEC filings reveals Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti's PA-8 congressional campaign raised nearly 70% of individual donations from out-of-state donors in California, New York, and D.C. — while NEPA district donors contributed just 12%. Full breakdown of PAC money, Wall Street donors, and the AIPAC question.
Sinkhole Swallows Car in Blakely Overnight; Is Your Pocono Property at Risk?
A 20-foot sinkhole swallowed a Honda in a Blakely driveway Dec. 27 as mine subsidence strikes Lackawanna County again. Wayne County border communities like Lake Ariel also sit near abandoned mines.
Indiana Man Dies in Overnight I-80 Crash Near Blakeslee
Sarwan Sandhu, 43, of Indiana was pronounced dead at 12:13 AM Thursday after a single-vehicle crash on I-80 in Tunkhannock Township, Monroe County. State police are investigating.
Bus Driver Finds Envelope Stuffed with Cash on Monroe County Road
Pennsylvania State Police Seeking Owner of Money Found in Middle Smithfield Township An East Stroudsburg school bus driver made an...
Incoming Wayne County Judge’s Comments Raise Ex Parte Questions
Jessica Ellis told a reporter she couldn't reach other judges by phone to "resolve cases." Pennsylvania rules prohibit exactly that. What did she mean?
Featured Stories

‘Very Simple’: Cognetti’s Israel Platform Has Everything — Except Palestinians | PA-8 Congressional Race
Pocono Review analysis of Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti's public statements and FEC donor records reveals detailed pro-Israel positions but zero acknowledgment of Palestinian civilian deaths, the Gaza humanitarian crisis, or Palestinian rights. Her donor network includes a former AIPAC employee and $13,015 from J Street PAC, with no identifiable Arab-American or Palestinian-American donors.

15 Days Until Epstein Files Drop: The NEPA Politicians Who Made It Happen
December 19 deadline looms for DOJ Epstein files release. Rep. Rob Bresnahan (PA-8) and Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (PA-7) voted yes. New island photos released this week.

5 Actors and Entertainment Figures with Poconos Connections
While the Pocono Mountains may be better known as a filming location than a birthplace for Hollywood stars, the region...

5 Hilarious Historical Facts About the Poconos (Pennsylvania’s Oddest Vacation Destination)
The Poconos: where honeymoons go to get weird, where heart-shaped tubs reign supreme, and where history is just as quirky...

70% of Cognetti’s Campaign Cash Comes From Outside Pennsylvania
Pocono Review analysis of FEC filings reveals Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti's PA-8 congressional campaign raised nearly 70% of individual donations from out-of-state donors in California, New York, and D.C. — while NEPA district donors contributed just 12%. Full breakdown of PAC money, Wall Street donors, and the AIPAC question.

A Pocono Voter’s Guide to Your Elected Officials
STROUDSBURG, PA – Quick: Who’s your state representative? Your state senator? Your congressman? If you drew a blank, you’re not...

ADL Report Reveals Alarming Surge in Antisemitism Across Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania – A new report from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has revealed a disturbing escalation of antisemitic incidents across Pennsylvania,...

Adrian College Women’s Wrestling Gains Valuable Experience at East Stroudsburg Duals
Comprehensive Monroe County and Poconos sports coverage featuring the latest women’s wrestling results from East Stroudsburg. Get in-depth reporting, standout athlete profiles, and breaking updates from across the Stroudsburg and greater Poconos athletic community.
