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RIDGE VIEW ECHO WRITER

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer

471 ARTICLES
Joe brings decades of journalism experience to the Ridge View Echo, covering everything from local school boards to the U.S. Supreme Court. A former National Law Journal editor and Columbia Law School press officer, he now enjoys telling community stories in Blairstown, where he lives with his wife, Rose, and their two dachshunds.
Municipal Actions

Police Quell Scuffles After Frelinghuysen Committee Meeting

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
Hard feelings and tempers spilled out to the parking lot after last week’s Frelinghuysen Township Committee meeting, where state troopers had to physically intervene...
Community

Mecca Strength Team Scores Strong Finish in Blairstown Bed Race

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
Once again, a competition where if you snooze you win. Mecca Strength Club repeated as champions of the Blairstown Enhancement Committee Fall Festival Bed Races...
Sports

Pats Carry Belvidere for Three Quarters but Fall 21-8

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
The North Warren Patriots kept it tight until the closing minutes against Belvidere on Friday before dropping to 2-6 in their 21-8 loss to...
Family Fun

No Wet Blankets Here: Bed Races and Fall Fest on Tap for Saturday

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
They’re going to the mattresses again this Saturday at Footbridge Park in Blairstown. Bedlam in Blairstown is part of the annual Fall Festival, organized by...
Sports

Patriots End Skid With Win Over Sussex Tech

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
The North Warren Patriots snapped a four-game losing streak Friday 10/2 with a decisive 36-20 victory over Sussex Tech. The Pats avoided the miscues that...
Phalon's File

Two Sides of Daylight Saving Time

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
Daylight savings time will end soon, and we may soon experience as a nation Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity: Doing the same thing over...
Places

Smoother Ride and Other Changes Coming to Tunnel Field

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
There are a few less craters in Knowlton’s Tunnel Field as paving of the entry roadway began last week. Other changes are coming as well,...
Utilities

Some Streetlights Could Be Doused in Knowlton

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
Town officials in Knowlton want to shine a light on lights that are not shining. Specifically, streetlights that don’t work and those that are not...
Municipal Actions

John Stockton Sworn in as Knowlton Committee Member

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
John Stockton was sworn in as a member of the Knowlton Township Committee at its September meeting, filling a vacancy on the governing body. Stockton...
Places

Oktoberfest Coming to Hardwick Sunday

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
Oktoberfest is coming to Hardwick this Sunday at the Vass Homestead on Stillwater Road. “The event is being made possible as a result of the...
Frelinghuysen

Frelinghuysen Recognized for Warren Bicentennial Commemoration

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
Frelinghuysen Township was recognized for its contributions to Warren County’s bicentennial celebration and the United States’ semiquincentenial. Lori Ciesla, director of the Warren County Board...
Sports

Hopatcong Defeats North Warren Despite Pats’ Strong Second Half

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
For the second week in a row, the Patriots brought their A-game out of the halftime locker room and outscored their opponents, but like...
Sports

Pats Half-Time Regroup Softens Blow of Loss to Wallkill Valley

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
A half-time reminder about playing as a team helped the North Warren Patriots outscore Wallkill Valley 8-6 in the second half, but unfortunately the...
Municipal Actions

Knowlton Township Committee Declines to Fill Vacancy

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
A previous version of this article incorrectly referenced John Stock. The nominee's name is John Stockton. The article has been updated to reflect this...
Phalon's File

Has It Really Been 25 Years?

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
It’s been 25 years, two forever wars (with another in progress) and a lot of inconvenience at airports since a mid-September day in 2001....
Crime

Blairstown Man Charged With Sexual Assault of Child

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
A 56-year-old Blairstown Township man has been arrested and charged with aggravated sexual assault and other offenses following an investigation into the alleged sexual...
Municipal Actions

Knowlton to Hold Special Meeting Tuesday to Fill Township Committee Vacancy

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
The Knowlton Township Committee will be looking to fill an empty seat on the governing body at a special meeting Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. At...
Sports

North Warren Thumps Bound Brook in Opener

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
The North Warren Patriots began their season Friday in a similar manner as last year’s opening game by scoring 32 points to defeat Bound...
Municipal Actions

Frelinghuysen Recall Fizzles

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
The campaign to recall Frelinghuysen Committeeman Kirk Perez has come to an end as proponents of the effort fell short of the required petition...
Phalon's File

Mr. Knowlton Goes to Washington

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
The name Knowlton will be joining the pantheon of public buildings in Washington, D.C., named after notable government and patriotic figures. That’s not to say...
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About us

Ridge View Echo is your local independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan news source. We provide local news serving the Blairstown, Frelinghuysen, Hardwick, Knowlton and surrounding communities in northern Warren County, New Jersey.

Ridge View Echo is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit news organization.

Articles

The latest

Knowlton Elementary School Sees Strong ELA Scores; For Math, It’s Complicated

Knowlton
It’s test score presentation season, that time of year...

Beech Blight Aphids: The Bugs That “Boogie Woogie”

Notes From the Fallen Tree
Beech blight aphids are a type of woolly aphid...

After Second ICE Operation in Hackettstown, Local Groups Unite in Protest

Community Issues
About 50 protesters marched through downtown Hackettstown on Sunday,...
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