radioNovo News for Stroudsburg: May 27, 2026

RNN STROUDSBURG 05/27/26          FUNERAL SERVICES WERE HELD TUESDAY FOR FIVE-YEAR-OLD AJANI SAMUELS, A NONVERBAL BOY WITH AUTISM WHO TRAGICALLY DROWNED IN MONROE COUNTY EARLIER THIS MONTH AFTER WANDERING FROM HIS HOME. THE TRAGEDY, ALONG WITH A SIMILAR DEATH IN CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA LAST YEAR, HAS SPARKED STATEWIDE CALLS FOR A NEW "PURPLE ALERT" SYSTEM TO QUICKLY MOBILIZE SEARCH EFFORTS WHENEVER A CHILD WITH COGNITIVE DISABILITIES GOES MISSING.          THE PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE COMMISSION OFFICIALLY CUT THE RIBBON TUESDAY ON THE NEW 88-MILLION-DOLLAR HAWK FALLS BRIDGE. TOWERING NEARLY 200 FEET OVER CARBON COUNTY’S MUD RUN GORGE, THE NEWLY DESIGNED STEEL ARCH BRIDGE EXPANDS THE NORTHEAST EXTENSION TO 2 LANES IN EACH DIRECTION WITH WIDENED SHOULDERS.           BUILT USING OVER 3,000 TONS OF STRUCTURAL STEEL, THE MODERNIZED BRIDGE NOW CARRIES OVER 24-THOUSAND VEHICLES A DAY, WITH DEMOLITION OF THE ORIGINAL 1950S STRUCTURE SET TO BEGIN NEXT MONTH.