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
Nasal Spray Recall Affects Poconos CVS, Walmart Stores: FDA Warns of Mold, Bacterial Contamination
FDA recalls ReBoost and ClearLife nasal sprays sold at Poconos CVS and Walmart locations in Monroe, Wayne, Pike, and Lackawanna counties due to mold and bacterial contamination. Return products for refund.
How Did PSP Honesdale Get It So Wrong? Questions Mount Over Botched Antisemitic Email Investigation
PSP Honesdale charged Hawley woman Korin Carl with felony hate crimes based on a fake email. Two days later the real culprit confessed. How did Wayne County investigators get it so wrong?
Stroudsburg Man Jailed on Terroristic Threats Charges After Week of Threatening Text Messages to Victim
East Stroudsburg man William Rittenhouse, 51, arrested by Stroud Area Regional Police on terroristic threats, simple assault, and harassment charges after sending threatening text messages to a victim over eight days. Held at Monroe County Correctional Facility on $5,000 bail. Court records reveal criminal history spanning Monroe, Northampton, and Pike counties.
Rick Geis: “Continue Exposing the Fraud.” Just Not This Story.
Richard "Rick" Geis, a Honesdale Borough appointee, demanded Pocono Review retract its Wayne County Bar Association story — and offered corruption tips if we did. We said no.
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 —...
Wayne County Heroin Taskforce: One Filing, No Legal Names, $154,910, No Answers
The Wayne County Heroin Prevention Task Force took in $154,910 and filed one tax return. CPA Alfred Beck listed every officer under a nickname. Vice president Andrew Rusich had a felony drug conviction. No payees were named. No books were closed. The IRS revoked its tax-exempt status.
Multi-Vehicle Crash Shuts Down I-80 at Delaware Water Gap — Again
Multi-vehicle crash shut down I-80 eastbound at Delaware Water Gap Thursday. With Route 611 still closed, drivers had no detour — a recurring problem in this dangerous corridor.
Which Faith Groups Got Security Grants in the Poconos? Inside the $10M Distribution Across NEPA’s Religious Communities
Deep Dive: Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu and Other Houses of Worship Share $1.1M in Monroe, Pike, Wayne, Carbon, Lackawanna and...
Wayne County Opens First Mental Health Crisis Center in Honesdale as Suicide Rates Hit Double State Average
Wayne County opens first 24/7 mental health crisis center in Honesdale as region battles suicide rates double Pennsylvania's average. Free walk-in services, 8-bed residential program now available.
Jackson Township Bomb Lab Suspect Faces Sentencing After Quietly Pleading Guilty to Weapons of Mass Destruction — The Same Explosive Used in the NYC Terror Attack Nobody Will Shut Up About
James Niedosik quietly pleaded guilty to manufacturing TATP explosives in his Jackson Township basement — the same compound used in the Gracie Mansion bombing 12 days later. The FBI was involved in both cases. Only one got federal charges.
“You’re Stupid.” That’s What the Book on His Bed Says.
Honesdale Mayor Derek Williams responded to Pocono Review's investigative reporting by posting a staged bedroom photo with Propaganda by Edward Bernays propped spine-out for the camera. Here's what that book says — and what it says about him.
Vinny’s Bagels Theft Suspect Paid Court Fines While Allegedly Stealing $25K in Wayne County
Lake Ariel woman Jennifer Villani made 11 court payments while PSP Honesdale says she stole $25,236 from Vinny's Bagels locations in Hawley, Honesdale, and Lake Ariel. She has four prior theft convictions in Monroe and Lehigh counties.
Core5 – What’s Really At Stake
Opinion & Analysis I wrote that Charles Keppler and Matt Long closed the door on data centers in Pocono Township....
Honesdale Central Park & The People Behind PPP – Part 2
The mayor's domestic partner has been working on Central Park since 2020. Her board member produced the soil report that took the playground out. She designed the replacement — funded through her partner's employer.
Clinton Data Center: Linde’s Wayne County Connections
Linde Corporation data center, Clinton Township, Wayne County PA — WVIA got the resignation, the River Reporter got the bridge offer, the Center Square got the conflict waiver. But nobody pulled the Superior Court docket on solicitor Ronald Bugaj, checked whether WEDCO board member and county planning director Craig Rickard's own wife worked for the commissioner sitting next to him, ran Forest City Energy Center LLC through a single state business registry, or asked why a fossil fuel lobbyist named Tom Shepstone was listed as Clinton Township's planning consultant while the board decided whether to regulate any of this.
The Silence of Honesdale: What 10,000 Views and Two Loud Voices Tell Us About Fear in a Small Town
Opinion & Analysis · Honesdale, PA The Silence of Honesdale What 10,000 Views and Two Loud Voices Tell Us About...
The SPLC Paid an Operative Who Helped Plan Charlottesville. Biden’s DOJ Buried It. The Trail Goes Back to Oklahoma City.
A federal indictment reveals the SPLC paid an operative in the Unite the Right leadership chat. Biden's DOJ investigated and walked away. Declassified FBI docs show the same informant program was at Elohim City before Oklahoma City. The SPLC's $800M endowment and Cayman Islands accounts expose what the hate-fighting nonprofit was really built for. Pocono Review connects what no one else will.
Little Creek Foundation Spent $96,000 on a Building Its Founders Personally Owned
A Wayne County addiction nonprofit, Little Creek Foundation, spent $96,000 on its founders' property and tens of thousands on unnamed "scholarships" and "treatment costs."
Scranton 2026 Budget: No Tax Hike, Ends 112-Year Split Millage
Scranton's $115.5M budget holds taxes flat for fourth time in six years while ending century-old split tax system amid Lackawanna County's first reassessment since 1968.
Wayne County Man Facing 17 Sex Charges Including Incest, Rape of Child Was on Probation for Prior Abuse of Same Victim
Matthew Tucci, 36, of White Mills faces 17 charges including rape of a child and incest. Court records show he was on active probation for abusing the same victim when arrested.
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.
