The Making of The Montclair Girl, Book Buzz & a Church Street Mystery

About this episode

The episode discusses local media, a memoir, and ongoing issues with the school budget and development in Montclair.

This week, we’re clearing the air on the school budget "heist" rumors and diving into the incredible backstories of two women with ties to Montclair. We sit down with Jennifer Tripucka, the founder of The Local Girl Media Group (and our own The Montclair Girl), to talk about building a local media empire in a shifting landscape. Then, we hear a story that sounds like a movie: Nikki Mammano joins us to discuss her memoir, Breaking Good , which follows her journey from the criminal underworld in Hawaii to finding a new life in Montclair. Plus, we investigate that unfinished eyesore on Church Street and celebrate a major national win for our favorite local bookstore, Watchung Booksellers. The $20M Deficit: Heist or Overspending on Credit? Following our " Supper with the Super " session with Ruth B. Turner, Mike and Farnoosh address the persistent rumors that the school district's $20 million deficit was a "heist." We break down why the "credit card analogy" is the most accurate way to describe years of overspending, uncollected bills, and structural math problems that date back to previous administrations. "What the Hell is Even Happening with That?": 65 Church Street You’ve seen…

People in this episode

Guests: Jennifer Tripucka, Nikki Mammano

Topics covered

• local media
• memoir
• school budget
• development
• Montclair history

Keywords

• Montclair
• local media
• memoir
• school budget
• development
• Jennifer Tripucka
• Nikki Mammano
• Watchung Booksellers
• Church Street
• Breaking Good

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Local Girl Media Group, Watchung Booksellers

Books & works: Breaking Good

Places: Montclair, Hawaii, Church Street

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