Author: Nicole Hallman

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420 articles

About Nicole Hallman

I studied law before I started writing, and it left me with a habit I can't shake: I don't take an official's word for something just because they said it with confidence. I want the filing, the transcript, the paper trail. That training is the backbone of how I report — not opinion first, documentation first.

I live here in the Poconos, raising my kids in the same towns I write about. That's not incidental. When a school board makes a decision, or a county office mishandles funds, or a nonprofit doesn't file what it's legally required to file, it doesn't stay abstract to me. It affects the place my family lives.

I believe accountability reporting has largely disappeared from local coverage here, and that absence has consequences — officials and institutions get used to nobody checking. I also don't pretend my values stop at the county line. What's happening in Palestine is a moral and legal failure I won't stay quiet about, even when it has nothing to do with the Poconos, because I don't believe good journalism requires pretending you don't have a conscience.

I write about what the record shows, not what people want it to show. If you have documents, tips, or something worth looking into, use the form below.

The Kistle Homicide: Update

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.

Wayne County Certified $7.8 Million in Child Welfare Spending While Failing State Inspections

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.

Clinton Data Center: Linde’s Wayne County Connections

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.

Linde Data Center In Clinton Township: Full Conflict Report

Linde Data Center In Clinton Township: Full Conflict Report

Pocono Review's full primary-source investigation into the Linde Corporation data center proposal in Clinton Township, Wayne County, Pennsylvania. Documents undisclosed conflicts involving solicitor Ronald Bugaj, chairman Mark Lopatofsky, county planning director Craig Rickard, WEDCO, PPL Electric, UGI Utilities, Tom Shepstone, Kiley Associates, and power plant partner Forest City Energy Center LLC. Built from Pennsylvania Superior Court records, Clinton Township board meeting minutes, Wayne County government publications, WEDCO membership rolls, and five state business registries. Free to read and use.

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