Monday, Oct. 19, 2026

Thanks to all of you, Monroe Unfiltered has grown to over 1,500 followers including 1,296 followers on Facebook, 207 email subscribers on Substack, and 52 faves on Nextdoor. To celebrate, we are launching our new website, localunfiltered.com, with every edition, our weekly features, a list of local meetings and the Election Guide all in one place. Take a look and tell us what you think! Special shout out to my friend Chris Barbour who has a much better eye for design than I do! And if you are reading it here, you found us! Welcome.

Today (Monday, Oct. 19) is the deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 3 general election, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State. We do our best to use artificial intelligence to highlight genuine stupidity in our government. Election Day is your chance. You can register online at vote.pa.gov, or in person or by mail at the Monroe County Office of Elections and Voter Registration, One Quaker Plaza, Room 105, Stroudsburg (570-517-3165), open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Already registered? You only need to file again to change your name, address or party. The deadline to apply for a mail ballot is Tuesday, Oct. 27.

Regular in East Stroudsburg averages $4.37, down about 4 cents from a week ago and up $1.25 from a year ago, according to AAA. That is about 10 cents below the Pennsylvania average of $4.47, and this is the last time we will compare Monroe County to the rest of the state. Here is why.

Here is the truth about that gap: when you are paying $1.25 more a gallon than you were a year ago, when regular here averaged $3.13, nobody cares that it is ten cents below the rest of the state. Nobody has ever driven away from the pump feeling richer because of a statewide average.

So why is it almost always lower? Not because local stations are feeling generous. The reasons are structural, and mostly plumbing and geography. Pittsburgh has no refinery and gets its gas from Ohio, as AAA East Central's Jim Garrity has put it, so it pays for the trip. The east gets Gulf Coast fuel by pipeline, through Paulsboro, N.J., to terminals in Macungie and Malvern that can feed places like Scranton and Harrisburg. Taxes do not explain it either. Pennsylvania charges a flat 57.6 cents a gallon, whether you fill up in Stroudsburg or Erie.

So ranking us against a map is not news. Prices moving is. From here on, we will tell you how today compares with last week, last month and last year. It will not make the fill-up cheaper, but it will at least be honest about the pain.

Demonstrators were out in Stroudsburg over the weekend. Saturday (Oct. 17) was also the date of the nationwide "No Kings: Vote Early" day of action, which organizers billed as nonpartisan and focused on voter participation, according to NPR. We drove through and saw a variety of signs ranging from “Save Our Democracy” to the more cerebral sign, “We are sick of this s***!” Several protesters took direct aim at the data centers as well.

A follow-up to Friday: Pleasant Valley beat Pocono Mountain East 35-11 in Swiftwater to take the Old Oaken Bucket back after two years away, according to the Pocono Record. Senior Chris Ward accounted for all five Bears touchdowns, four rushing and a 74-yard pass to Sean Cobb, and topped 1,000 yards for the season. The defense held East to a touchdown and two safeties, with two interceptions, a fumble recovery and a late goal-line stand. Elsewhere Friday, East Stroudsburg South beat Pocono Mountain West 49-30 and Stroudsburg beat East Stroudsburg North 66-7. South and Stroudsburg are both in a four-way tie atop the division with two games left, so their Little Brown Jug meeting matters.

Barrett supervisors heard the Barrett Shooting Sports Center's conditional use application Thursday (Oct. 15) and recessed without a decision. Owner Jeffrey Siglin wants to build a 20,010-square-foot indoor facility at 1071 Route 390 with 12 firearm lanes, 12 archery lanes, six axe-throwing lanes, a pro shop, classrooms and a snack bar and lounge, open noon to 8 p.m. seven days a week, according to the applicant's presentation at the hearing. The plan calls for 56 parking spaces and about 195 vehicle trips a day. Two neighbors asked about the distance to their homes, tree buffers and noise. The board asked for written information by Friday (Oct. 23) on how much sound the building's walls would be designed to block, and the hearing resumes Wednesday (Oct. 28) at 5:30 p.m., when the board is expected to deliberate and decide. This step covers only whether the use fits the zoning. A land development review would follow if it is approved.

Highlights only. Monroe County has dozens of township, borough, school board and county meetings every week, and a daily newsletter that tried to list them all would read like a phone book. So we pick the ones most likely to affect your taxes, your neighborhood or your kids, and send the rest to the meetings calendar we are launching with the new website. It puts the full list of local government meetings in one place at localunfiltered.com, so you can see what is coming up and decide what is worth your evening.

Last day to register to vote in Pennsylvania.

The Monroe County Commissioners meet at 9:30 a.m., according to the county calendar.

Tuesday, Oct. 27, is the deadline to apply for a mail ballot. On Wednesday, Oct. 28, Barrett Township supervisors resume the shooting range hearing at 5:30 p.m., before their regular meeting. Tuesday, Nov. 3, is Election Day, the same day as Metallica Harrison's tentative preliminary hearing.