Latest news with #Poconos
Yahoo
03-08-2025
- Yahoo
Raw sewage leaking into Lake Harmony
KIDDER TOWNSHIP, CARBON COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — For the past few months, raw sewage has been leaking into Lake Harmony. 'Every flush, every shower just overflows and fills it into the back of the building,' homeowner Victoria Mann said. An unknown amount of raw sewage is leaking into a lagoon that connects to Lake Harmony in the Poconos. In a notice obtained by 28/22 News, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection issued a violation to Split Rock Resort in May for pollution and unpermitted discharge at three pump stations around the resort, including the lagoon. The leak violates section 201 of Pennsylvania's Clean Streams Law, which states, 'No person or municipality shall place or permit to be placed, or discharge or permit to flow, or continue to discharge or permit to flow, into any of the waters of the commonwealth any sewage, except as hereinafter provided in this act.' Victoria Mann is a homeowner in the area and is deeply concerned. Man accused of murder, burning woman's body has court appearance 'Even though I don't physically live in the Split Rock community, their wildlife is our wildlife. Their ground is our ground. Water, the sewage could possibly be going into aquifer, could be getting into a stream, could be being sent anywhere. It just doesn't seem fair to have it happen to our beautiful community that we all love here,' said Mann. Mann says she just wants the pumps fixed, and if they aren't fixed, the building should be shut down until they are. 'There was an excessive amount of raw sewage that was pouring into the area behind the pump. We just want to have some kind of future moving forward and some security from Split Rock, knowing that this will not continue to happen,' said Mann. 28/22 News reached out to Split Rock Resort for comment on this sewage leak, but have not heard back. 28/22 News also reached out to the Department of Environmental Protection and Kidder Township for comment, but did not hear back. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Daily Mail
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Why disgraced George Santos is pleading for solitary confinement as he desperately seeks last-minute Trump pardon
Former Republican Rep. George Santos reports to jail on Friday - where he'll be serving a seven-year sentence for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. The fabulist gay ex-New York lawmaker sat down in the Poconos for an episode of the new podcast Sources Say with Juliegrace Brufke where he claimed a group of Republican members - mostly from New York - have pushed House Speaker Mike Johnson to tell President Donald Trump not to pardon him, an assertion several of them have denied. He also insisted in excerpts shared exclusively with the Daily Mail that he still wants to serve his time in protective custody instead of being forced to spend time with the general prison population. 'I'd rather be seven years alone then risk rape, gang-banged, shivved, killed, strangled, bullied,' he told Brufke, a Capitol Hill reporter with 24Sight News. 'It's a death sentence most likely for a gay man, look at the statistics. It's the truth,' he later added. During his first six months in office for the second time, Trump has embraced his role as pardoner-in-chief, doling out pardons to some controversial convicts including Virginia Sheriff Scott Jenkins, who was handing out deputy sheriff badges in exchange for cash. Trump also pardoned reality TV star couple Todd and Julie Chrisley, but Santos complained, 'I can't get past the gatekeepers,' to make the plea to the Republican president for himself. 'And I've tried relentlessly, but unfortunately I hit a wall when, you know - he denies it, he denies it, he denied it to me in text but I don't believe him unfortunately, Mike Johnson, a lot of people have said he's being, I guess, coerced by Nick LaLota, Andrew Garbarino, Mike Lawler and Nick Langworthy and Nicole Malliotakis, along with Max Miller, to not pardon me or else they would vote down the agenda,' Santos claimed. LaLota, Garbarino, Lawler, Langworthy and Malliotakis all represent New York, like Santos did during his short tenure in Congress, while Miller, who served in the president's first administration, is a congressman from Ohio. 'This accusation by George Santos is categorically false. Santos is a convicted fraudster whose credibility ranks somewhere between Pinocchio and Bernie Madoff. Congressman Lawler has never engaged in such discussions, period,' Lawler's communications director Ciro Riccardi told the Daily Mail. Langworthy's spokesperson added, 'No, he did not do that.' Johnson's office also denied Santos' bold claim. 'This allegation is unequivocally false. At no time has the Speaker had any conversations with the Trump Administration or anyone else regarding any potential pardon of Mr. Santos. Nor has he expressed any opinion on the matter one way or another to anyone, because the Speaker had no knowledge of the matter whatsoever,' a spokesperson told the Daily Mail. Johnson had also voted against expelling Santos from Congress in 2023 because of the precedent it would set, arguing the decision was for the congressman's constituents to decide. The other GOP lawmakers' offices had yet to respond to the Daily Mail's requests for comment. 'I think it's so political and some people have true, true hatred for me, I don't think it's likely at this point,' Santos said of a Trump pardon. Even before Santos was sworn-in in January 2023, The New York Times had revealed that he had fabricated parts of his resume - including working for Citigroup and Goldman Sachs. He also never attended Baruch College, where he claimed he had graduated from in 2010. A federal investigation uncovered that Santos had falsified reports to the Federal Election Commission and stolen the personal identity and financial information of contributors to his campaign, among other crimes. He was expelled from Congress in December 2023 - and sentenced to 87 months in April of this year. 'I'm not handling it well,' Santos admitted. 'As the days approach and I don't hear anything ... I've said, don't pardon me, commute my sentence, if restitution is what they want, I'll pay the restitution, but seven years is a political sentence.' Santos said 'of course' he's remorseful for the actions that will put him behind bars, adding, 'I hate people telling me that they know how I feel. That's just insane. It's arrogant, it's preposterous.' 'Look what I did to my own life? You'd think that I'm not remorseful?' he asked. 'Only those who are with me in my intimate setting on a day to day know how much I sit back and I cry sometimes myself to sleep of not just remorse but of - like I repent like everything.' 'If I could do it all over again it would be so different, not because I got caught, because I was blinded by ambition and I did so much stupid, right? In the name of what? Becoming a congressman. It's not even that cool,' he added. It has yet to be made public where Santos will be serving time - and won't be until he arrives, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons - but he described it as 'not the type of facility you would expect someone like me to go.' 'You'd expect to see me go to a place a lot more chill, right? They're putting me in somewhere the opposite,' he revealed. He said he's going into prison 'kind of blind.' 'I have spoken to other people who have gone to prison who are not former members of Congress,' he said. 'I don't want to make friends in there. Do I strike you like I want to make friends in prison?' Santos said he even stopped his Botox regimen ahead of Friday. 'Who am I going to freeze my face for, f***ing inmates?' he said.
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Yahoo
Don't have a pool? Here's where to rent one near you in the Poconos
As the summer heat continues, a refreshing dip in the pool might be just what you need. But if you don't have access to a pool, don't sweat it: Swimply lets you rent private backyard pools by the hour. Here are seven local outdoor pool options you can look into renting for the day. Prices marked with an asterisk offer a 20% discount Monday through Thursday. Prices may change, and increase with more guests. Cresco Unique and custom in-ground pool Price: Starts at $70 per hour for up to five guests Chlorine pool, 3 to 15 feet deep. Accommodates up to eight guests. Features a diving board, night lighting, lounge chairs, and umbrellas. The pool is not heated. Listing: More: Luxury in the Poconos: These are some of the most expensive Airbnbs in Monroe County East Stroudsburg Private pool with water slide Price: Starts at $75 per hour for up to five guests Saltwater pool, 3 to 6 feet deep, with water slide and lots of curves. Great for fun group gatherings. Owner offers pizza at an additional cost upon request. No pets allowed. Up to 20 guests. Listing: Private retreat space Price: Weekday rate starts at $40 per hour for up to five guests* Up to 100 guests. No pets in the pool. Includes a heated pool, 2 acres of landscaped grounds and space for events, parties or showers. Listing: Private heated pool Price: Weekday rate starts at $80 per hour for up to five guests* Heated 16-by-40 saltwater pool for up to 20 guests, plus a hot tub. Listing: Pocono Oasis Price: Starts at $48 per hour for up to 10 guests while grand opening discount lasts Chlorine pool, 3 to 6 feet deep. Up to 50 guests are allowed. Perfect for small events or just a relaxing pool day. Listing: Stroudsburg Private pool on a hilltop Price: Starts at $22.50 per hour for up to five guests (10% weekday discount) Chlorine water pool with a private entrance. Up to 15 guests. Comes with lounge chairs and table. No glass allowed. Set among pine trees; water shoes are recommended. Listing: Backyard pool Price: Starts at $80 per hour for first five guests Chlorine water pool for up to 60 guests. Pets are welcome outside of the pool area. Includes 10 parking spaces. Listing: To find more pools in your area, visit Emmanuella Pierre is the trending and breaking news reporter at the Pocono Record. Reach her at epierre@ This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Pool rentals in the Poconos: 7 options for private swimming Solve the daily Crossword
Daily Mail
05-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Bryan Kohberger's childhood friend reveals she's haunted by nightmares after killer's guilty plea
A childhood friend of Bryan Kohberger claims she's haunted in nightmares after discovering he brutally murdered four University of Idaho students. Casey Arntz, 32, said she used to play with Kohberger when they were children in the Poconos in Pennsylvania, and admitted that she initially didn't believe he was the true killer. She said she 'spiraled' when Kohberger admitted in a surprise guilty plea this week that he carried out the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20 in their off-campus home in November 2022. As she looked back on their childhoods together to the Idaho Statesman, Arntz questioned: 'Did he ever have thoughts like that before? Did he ever think that he wanted to kill me or my friends? Were we spared because we were friends with him? 'I'm disgusted that he could actually do something so heinous,' she continued. Arntz said while she was stunned by the plea deal, she felt that taking the deal 'was better for everyone', because 'He's locked up for life. Let the inside deal with him.' 'I understand why the families are so upset, they were starved for justice, and I would 100% be too,' she added. Arntz's brother, who also recalled spending time with the future killer while they were children, added to the Statesman that he was particularly thinking about Kohberger's parents. 'I am deeply sorry that Bryan's parents have to live with this as well,' he said. 'I've always thought they were kind people, and they didn't deserve this. And for Bryan, God have mercy on his soul.' Another former friend, Jack Baylis, 31, said he was also only convinced of Kohberger's innocence after his guilty plea, because if he was innocent he would 'be fighting tooth and nail' to clear his name. Baylis said he was still in shock at the senseless slayings, and theorized that Kohberger carried out the murders because he wanted to understand the criminal mind for his criminology PhD. 'I think he did it to see what it felt like, to experience it,' he said. 'If he wanted to write a paper about what killers feel and why they kill, to be accurate, you have to experience it yourself to truly understand it. 'To get into the mind of a killer, you have to be a killer, would be my guess.' Donna Yozwiak, a guidance counselor at Kohberger's school, echoed the Arntz siblings' thoughts as she looked back on her time with the killer. 'I hope that his family will survive this horrendous ordeal and be able to get on with their lives,' Yozwiak said. 'I also hope that the victims' relatives gain much needed closure and heal after this tragedy.' It comes as Kohberger's plea deal sparked fury among some of the families of his victims, with the family of Kaylee Goncalves condemning how his life behind bars will still mean 'he would still get to speak, form relationships, and engage with the world.' 'Meanwhile, our loved ones have been silenced forever. That reality stings more deeply when it feels like the system is protecting his future more than honoring the victims' pasts,' Goncalves' teenage sister Aubrie, 18, said. 'This last-minute plea deal feels less like an act of justice and more like an afterthought. We are not asking for vengeance. We are asking for accountability. 'We are asking for dignity for our loved ones. And we are asking - pleading - for a justice system that truly lives up to its name.' Goncalves' father also branded Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson, who handed Kohberger the plea deal, a 'gutless coward' for the move. 'Thompson robbed us of our day in court. No negotiations, no jury of our peers, not even the pretense of cooperation and fairness,' he wrote in a blistering statement. At the hearing on Wednesday where Kohberger pleaded guilty, Thompson broke down and grew emotional as he detailed the brutal slayings in 2022. Thompson came under scrutiny after the deal with Kohberger was announced this week, with critics of his decision calling for him to step down after the Kohberger case is closed. The prosecutor said in remarks at Kohberger's plea deal hearing that if the case had gone to trial, he would have argued that Kohberger stalked the Idaho victims' home in the months before the murders. Thompson said the state would have argued in court that Kohberger slipped in through a side door, before killing Mogen and Goncalves on the third floor. He said Kohberger then encountered Kernodle as she came down the stairs to pick up a Doordash order, and killed her with the same Ka-Bar knife he used on her roommates. He then entered Kernodle's bedroom and stabbed her boyfriend Chapin to death as he slept, Thompson said. Kohberger's vehicle, a white Hyundai Elantra, was also seen circling the home on 1122 King Road, before surveillance cameras caught it fleeing the scene shortly after the murders at a high rate of speed. Thompson said that after Kohberger murdered the four students, he then returned to the home at around 9am the next morning and lurked outside for around 10 minutes. He then returned to his home, and took a selfie of himself in his bathroom, where he looked menacingly into the camera with his thumbs up.
Daily Mail
30-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Bryan Kohberger faces key Idaho murders trial hearing on witnesses with intimate personal details testifying
A key hearing is set to play out in a courtroom in Pennsylvania today to determine whether several major figures from Bryan Kohberger 's past life will be ordered to testify in his capital murder trial. The accused killer's former boxing coach, a man who worked at a local auto shop he used, and a fellow student at a school the suspect once attended are among a group of five Pennsylvanians summoned to appear in Monroe County Court Monday morning. All five have been called as witnesses for the defense when Kohberger goes on trial for the murders of Xana Kernodle, Ethan Chapin, Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen. The 30-year-old criminology PhD graduate is accused of breaking into an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, in the early hours of November 13, 2022, and killing the four victims in a stabbing rampage. Two other roommates were inside the home at the time of the attack but survived, calling 911 after finding one of their friend's bodies hours later. Following six weeks of terror in the close-knit college town, Kohberger was arrested on December 30, 2022 at his parents' home in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania - where he had returned for the holidays. Kohberger grew up in the Poconos region of Pennsylvania, before moving to Washington state - just over the border from Moscow - in June 2022. Now, more than two years on from his arrest, his trial is finally set to begin in August. The motive for the murders remains a mystery and the suspect has no known connection to any of the victims. But, the defense looks to be delving into his upbringing and life prior to the murders to try to save him from the death penalty - and potentially the firing squad. According to court documents, seven known individuals living in Monroe County have been issued with subpoenas to appear as witnesses in Kohberger's trial in Idaho. Five of these individuals have been ordered to appear at Monday's hearing to show why they should not be called to testify in the high-profile trial. Among the five individuals is Jesse Harris who works at a boxing gym where the suspect used to train. The 30-year-old suspect used to box every day at the gym, according to a 2015 job application previously reported by Fox News. Ralph Vecchio, who worked at the auto shop Kohberger often used, and a man named Brandon Andreola have also been summoned to appear. Also on the list is William Searfoss, who works as a prison guard at the Pennsylvania jail where Kohberger was taken in the immediate aftermath of his arrest. Kohberger was held at Monroe County Correctional Facility for five days from his December 30, 2022, arrest before he was extradited to Idaho on January 4, 2023. It is not clear if Searfoss - a corrections officer at the facility - had interactions with Kohberger during his time behind bars at the jail. The fifth witness is Anthony Somma who, based on a Facebook profile, appears to have attended the Monroe Career & Technical Institute. Kohberger also attended the school on its youth law enforcement program. But he was kicked out of the program following complaints from a group of female students, former high school administrator Tanya Carmella-Beers has previously revealed. Carmella-Beers told The Idaho Massacre podcast in 2023 that Kohberger took the law enforcement program 'extremely seriously' and that he 'wanted law enforcement more than anything else in the world.' Carmella-Beers would not divulge the exact details of the complaints made by the female students, saying only: 'A complaint was made, and the teacher reported it to me, and said, 'You know, this is not something we can have. 'An investigation needed to be conducted. Other students were interviewed. Bryan was interviewed. And there comes a time when decisions have to be made, whether it's the decision the student wants or not.' After being removed from the program, Kohberger transferred to the heating, ventilation and air conditioning course instead. It is not clear if Somma was also on the law enforcement course - or if his witness testimony relates to the incidents on the program. Two others - Ann Parham, who was an advisor at Kohberger's school, and a mystery witness named Maggie Sanders - had also been summoned for the hearing. But, last week, Parham reached an agreement to testify in the trial, canceling her appearance at the hearing. Sanders, meanwhile, will appear at a hearing on July 7 instead. DeSales University Professor Michelle Bolger - who taught the accused quadruple killer on his criminal justice Masters degree - was also initially summoned before her name was removed on a later filing and replaced with Andreola. Bolger previously revealed her surprise over the allegations against her former student, telling in the days after his arrest she was 'shocked as s**t.' 'I'm shocked as s**t at what he's been accused of. I don't believe it, but I get it,' she said. 'He's a brilliant student,' she added at the time. The individuals will not be required to attend every day of the trial, the subpoenas reveal. The exact purpose and nature of the testimony of the Pennsylvania witnesses is not yet clear. But, Idaho Judge Steven Hippler's rulings ordering them to appear describe each of them as 'a material witness' in the case. A separate court order - denying the defense's motion to delay the trial - also revealed that some of the individuals have been interviewed by the defense as they seek to establish Kohberger's 'life story' ahead of the potential penalty phase. If convicted of the murders, Kohberger's team will present mitigating factors to the jury to argue he should be sentenced to life in prison rather than death. As part of their preparations, Judge Hippler revealed that defense experts had already carried out interviews with two of Kohberger's fourth grade teachers, his former boxing coach, a psychologist who evaluated him in 2005, a former coworker, a family friend and his former professor and advisor at DeSales University. Kohberger's family members have also been interviewed and his education, mental health and medical history have also been explored. Other witnesses expected to testify in the trial are the victims' surviving roommates - Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke. Mortensen came face-to-face with a masked intruder inside the student home moments after the murders took place. The DoorDash driver who delivered food to Kernodle minutes before the murders has also said she is expecting to testify at the trial. Bodycam footage shows the 44-year-old woman telling police during a traffic stop in Pullman, Washington, last year that she 'saw Bryan' outside the house that night and would be appearing at the trial. But, other than these individuals, the witnesses remain a mystery. Judge Hippler has sealed both the prosecution and defense's witness lists, keeping the details of who will be called to testify under wraps. On Thursday, the judge dealt a series of blows to Kohberger's defense, denying both his last-ditch request to delay the trial and his efforts to point the finger at four alternate suspects. In a scathing order, the judge blocked the defense from presenting evidence alleging that four mystery individuals - and not Kohberger - could be the real killer or killers. Judge Hippler said that the evidence against the four alleged alternate suspects was 'entirely irrelevant' and that the attorneys had not shown a 'scintilla of competent evidence connecting them to the crime.' The judge added: 'At best, Defendant's offer of proof can give rise to only wild speculation that it is possible any one of these four individuals could have committed the crimes.' While the order was redacted to conceal the identities of the individuals named as apparent alternate suspects, it was revealed that three of these individuals knew one or more of the victims. The fourth was not known to the victims, but had a 'passing connection' to either Kernodle, Mogen or Goncalves around five weeks before the murders. Now, after more than two years of legal wrangling, delays and the trial being moved, jury selection is scheduled to begin August 4, followed by opening statements August 18. Kohberger stood silent at his arraignment, with a judge entering a not guilty plea on his behalf.
