Local News

The state Senate has passed legislation to raise the minimum wage in Pennsylvania from $7.25 per hour to $9.50 per hour by 2022, but the move, which now heads to the state House for consideration, does not have universal support.

Raising the minimum wage “will cut off access to work experience for those trying to enter or re-enter the workforce, such as teenagers and former inmates, halting economic progress in its tracks for many Pennsylvanians,” Commonwealth Foundation Vice President & COO Nathan Benefield charged in a statement.

“Instead of pushing counterproductive wage mandates, policymakers should focus on proven ways to boost economic opportunity for all, including enacting commonsense spending limits to prevent tax hikes, lowering Pennsylvania’s extreme corporate tax rate to promote job growth, and cutting licensing requirements so low-income earners can start their own businesses and control their own futures,” Benefield added.

It may not be a record-breaker, but one lucky hunter in Monroe County bagged a mammoth bear to kick off what could be a landmark hunting season on Saturday.

That bear, which was checked in at the Tobyhanna station, currently tops the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s “Largest Bear” list at 813 pounds live weight, and 689 pounds after gutting.

According to game wardens, the bear was taken by a Bucks County hunter in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.

The closest competitor, a bear harvested in Luzerne County, weighed in at 747 pounds.

Those bruins are both monstrous additions to what could be a record-setting harvest for the state.

“It looks like we’re just about 1,000 away from the highest season, which was 4,350 in 2011,” Pennsylvania Game Commission information and education supervisor Bill Williams said on Tuesday. “We did have the early muzzle loader season for bears this year, so this is a new arena we’re in. We did have the two-week archery season, the muzzle loader season which ran for seven days, and we also had the junior and senior season that week, too.”

Just a year before that peak season, David Price of Barrett Township took down a record-smashing 879-black bear just north of Fernwood Resort in Pike County. That bruin has not been surpassed since Price harvested it in the 2010 season.

(edit 12/2/19: Added PDF attachment - letter from DCNR)

Barrett Township received $40,000 to further develop the Barrett Township Community Park. Work will include construction of a pavilion, comfort station and stormwater management measures, ADA access, landscaping, project sign, and other related site improvements.

In addition, the Nature Conservancy received a combined total of $872,140 which would go toward the acquisition of two parcels of land totaling approximately 700 acres in Barrett Township, Monroe County, for an addition to the Delaware State Forest.

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Classic Properties is collecting monetary donations this holiday season for our local food bank. C.A.M.E. cannot exist without the help it receives from the community, through financial contributions and donations of food. Classic Properties will be accepting checks (or cash) at our Mountainhome location at 1124 Route 390 during the business hours of 9am to 4pm and will accept donations until January 10, 2020.

Make checks payable to C.A.M.E.

C.A.M.E. is located at High Acres Park off of Route 447 North, Canadensis, PA.

Let's help those in need!

HOLIDAY WRITING CONTEST
This holiday season, Pocono Mountain Regional Police Foundation gives Elementary, Middle & High School students a reason to write about “How the Holidays Mean More Than Gifts”

A WINNER FROM EACH GROUP*

Grades: k-6, 7-8 & 9-12

My name is David Nauman, and I'm a furniture maker located in Marshalls Creek. I was recently commissioned to build a pair of reproductions of the rocking chairs that were on the North Porch of the old Buck Hill Inn. My customer had fond memories of visiting the Inn as a child and thought it would be nice to have a pair of the chairs for his home. I thought you might be interested in seeing how they came out.

On Friday, Nov. 15th at 1:00 PM, I will be hosting a REAL ID presentation at the Friendly Community Center, 6683 State Route 191, Mountainhome, PA 18342, in Barrett Township. The discussion will provide background information, the process of obtaining your Real ID and a Q&A session. While the REAL ID is optional for Pennsylvania residents, if you do not get a REAL ID, you must have an alternate form of federally-acceptable identification to board domestic commercial flights and enter certain federal facilities after October 1, 2020. Please feel free to join me if you would like to learn more.

A former Pocono Mountain Regional Police corporal is facing felony sexual assault charges related to a traffic stop conducted last week.

On Wednesday afternoon, District Attorney E. David Christine Jr. and Pocono Mountain Regional Police Chief Chris Wagner held a press conference to announce that former Corporal Steven Mertz, 53, will face first-degree felony charges of rape by threat of forcible compulsion and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse by threat of forcible compulsion.

POCONO TOWNSHIP — Unforeseen water conditions have pushed the Stites Tunnel Bridge replacement project completion date to spring 2020, according to PennDOT officials.

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Engineering District 5 stated that the replacement of the bridge over Paradise Creek in Pocono Township was originally slated to wrap up by December, but complications have pushed that date to May 2020.

“Excessive water infiltration inside the tunnel is causing this project to take longer than anticipated. Colder weather will also limit the amount of work performed over the next several months, so we have extended the work into next year,” Assistant Construction Engineer Darren L. LePage said. “We appreciate everyone’s patience as we complete this challenging bridge project.”

PUBLIC NOTICE SPECIAL MEETING Notice is hereby given that the Barrett Township Board of Supervisors will hold a special meeting/workshop at the Barrett Township Municipal Building, 993 Route 390, Cresco, Pennsylvania 18326, on Wednesday, October 23, 2019 starting at 9 a.m. for the purpose of discussing the proposed budget for FY 2020. If any person with a disability wishes to request that special accommodations be made to allow his or her participation, he or she is asked to contact the Township at 570-595-2602, at least one business day in advance to make arrangements. Weitzmann, Weitzmann & Huffman, LLC By: Todd W. Weitzmann, Esquire 700 Monroe Street Stroudsburg, PA 18360 Barrett Township Solicitors P - Oct. 16

Disclaimer: The ideas expressed below are the personal thoughts and opinions of Nate Covington and do not necessarily reflect the position of Barrett Township or the Board of Auditors.

Background: There are 15 second-class townships in Monroe County. All of them function with 3 elected supervisors except three: Barrett, Tobyhanna, and Coolbaugh.

Editor's Note: My concern about having a "Land Bank" is - what happens when they are the largest landlord in town?
Disclaimer: The ideas expressed above are the personal thoughts and opinions of Nate Covington and do not necessarily reflect the position of Barrett Township or the Board of Auditors.

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Over the past decade, Pennsylvania has expanded the tools available to local governments to fight blight and return vacant or blighted properties to productive use. The state passed the Land Bank Act in 2012.

“Monroe County has been looking into this bringing this Land Bank ordinance to help fight blight for the past four years,” said John Moyer, Chairman of the Monroe County Board of Commissioners. “Just last week, we appointed the Redevelopment Authority as the entity that would be responsible for pulling off this Land Bank.”

The Redevelopment Authority is an arm or entity of the county that currently does housing rehabilitation for elderly people, weatherization, among other things, and now this Land Bank said Moyer.