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Coroner rules death of Barrett Twp. infant a homicide
Brian Myszkowski
Pocono Record
The death of a two-month-old girl in Barrett Township has been ruled a homicide, the Monroe County Office of the District Attorney announced Friday.
3 charged after infant found dead inside Monroe County apartment
BARRETT TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Police are investigating after discovering an infant dead inside of an apartment in Monroe County.
Authorities were called Friday just after 3:30 p.m. to an apartment building in Barrett Township, located in the 5000 block of Route 447, where they found the body of the 2-month-old.
Inside the home at the time were the child's mother, identified as 29-year-old Amanda Green of New Castle, Delaware, and the tenant, identified by police as 29-year-old Tony Kristiansen.
Suspicious death investigation underway in Poconos
MONROE COUNTY
Suspicious death investigation underway in Poconos
Officials were called to the scene around 4 p.m. on Friday.
Author: WNEP Web Staff
Published: 6:46 PM EDT March 19, 2021
Updated: 7:45 PM EDT March 19, 2021
A suspicious death investigation is underway in the Poconos.
According to officials, Pocono Mountain Regional Police and the Monroe County Coroner were called Monday afternoon to Pinehurst Rentals in Barrett Township.
Pinehurst Rentals is an apartment building along Route 447 near Canadensis.
This is a developing story - please check back for updates.
John Blake resigns from Pennsylvania state Senate
Pennsylvania state Sen. John Blake (D) resigned on March 8 to take a position on U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright’s (D) staff. Cartwright represents Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District in Congress. Blake represented District 22 in the state Senate, which includes Lackawanna County and parts of Luzerne and Monroe Counties.
Hospitality Businesses Urged to Apply for Grants
(via Rosemary Brown)
Restaurants and other hospitality-related businesses in our region will soon be able to apply for financial assistance through the COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Program.
Established under Act 1 of 2021, the program allocates $145 million in funding assistance statewide to hospitality industry businesses adversely affected by the pandemic. Businesses can find more information and an application by clicking their respective county below.
PA Budget Hearings Conclude - 2021
(via Rosemary Brown)
Department of Human Services
On Wednesday, we met with officials from the Department of Human Services for a two-part budget hearing focused on health and human services programs as well as budget cost requests. During our exchange, the secretary made a concerning statement – that in order to receive federal dollars, we must keep Pennsylvanians on state government programs. I expressed my strong concerns about this statement in the video below.
House Leaders Launch Investigation into Wolf Administration’s Handling of Nursing Homes During COVID-19 Pandemic
(via Rosemary Brown)
House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff (R-Centre/Mifflin) has announced plans to have the House Government Oversight Committee investigate the Wolf administration’s handling of nursing homes and other senior and long-term care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, roughly half of all COVID-19 deaths in Pennsylvania are attributable to nursing homes. Questions remain about data reporting related to nursing homes and especially about a March 18 order from the Department of Health requiring nursing home readmissions from hospitals of COVID-19-positive patients, among other things. This order was even stronger than the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance regarding this issue.
Citizen of the Year Up for Grabs
There is no doubt this year is full of people going above and beyond to lend a helping hand during the pandemic. If you know an outstanding Barrett Township citizen who's going that extra mile, now is the time to recognize them.
Last year, Shawn and Jeanne Wescott were honored as citizens of the year by the Rotary Club of the Pocono Mountains. It happened during the Reverse Halloween Parade on October 25th. You can nominate who you think the best candidate is by visiting the township's [Rotary] website. Nominations will be accepted through June 5th.
Chainsaw Trick: How to Cut a Stump Without Jamming
If you ever have to cut down a remaining stump of a large tree you will encounter the problem of it pinching and jamming up your saw bar between the wood with its weight. Instead of having to use wedges to keep the pressure off of your saw you can use this awesome trick.
Should the Barrett Township LST (Local Services Tax) be repealed?
My opinion is that the Local Services tax should be repealed because it drives away business and makes it harder to attract workers in Barrett Township:
Background - State Level:
- The Local Tax Enabling Act of 1965 allowed Second Class Townships to collect Occupational Privilege Taxes
- In 2004, the Local Tax Enabling Act was amended to allow for collecting "Emergency and Municipal Services Taxes"
Background - Locally:
- In 2005, ordinance 141 was passed, known as "Emergency and Municipal Services Tax"
- In 2007 it was renamed "Local Services Tax" when ordinance #155 was passed.
Can residents own their internet provider?
Friends and Neighbors - I want to share the following information about a small town near Westfield, Massachusetts that built their own fiber optic internet service. Would something like this benefit the people of Barrett Township?
The City of Westfield has been home to an experiment, of sorts, in which municipal internet has been made available to a majority of the homes in the city. Westfield Gas and Electric (WG&E) has developed its own ISP to give residents a choice for internet service beyond the monopoly of a private ISP.
Concerned Residents of Buck Hill Falls v. Grant, 388 F. Supp. 394 (M.D. Pa. 1975)
Editor's Note:
Did you know, back in 1975, a dam was almost built in Buck Hill Falls? Imagine if it had been a hydro-electric dam!
(see MP3 player below for Paradise Township Historical Society Discussion from June 2013 re: building a hydroelectric dam on Devil's Hole Creek)
US District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania - 388 F. Supp. 394 (M.D. Pa. 1975)
January 24, 1975
388 F. Supp. 394 (1975)
CONCERNED RESIDENTS OF BUCK HILL FALLS, By its trustee ad litem, Edwin Gee, et al., Plaintiffs,
v.
Kenneth GRANT, as Administrator, Soil Conservation Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture, et al., Defendants.
Civ. No. 74-1164.
United States District Court, M. D. Pennsylvania.
January 24, 1975.