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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.
Traffic + Accidents

Ramp to I-80 From Routes 94 and 46 in Knowlton Detoured for Six Weeks

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
The DOT giveth, the DOT taketh away. The New Jersey Department of Transportation announced Monday that all three lanes of westbound Interstate 80 in Wharton...
Sports

Softball Patriots Close Out Season on High Note

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
The Patriots finished their season on an even note with a 7-1 victory over High Point on Monday, ending their 2025 softball campaign at...
Public Safety + Services

Smoke from Canadian Wildfires Triggers Air Quality Alert in North Warren

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
Smoke from Canadian wildfires is spreading over much of the northern United States  — including our neighborhoods right here in North Warren — prompting...
News

Hardwick Urges State to Reboot I-80 Water Gap Plans

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
That’s the message Hardwick Township wants the New Jersey Department of Transportation to hear. Put the rockfall mitigation proposal on ice and go straight...
Phalon's File

A Degree of Success

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
High school graduations are coming up. Time to go out into the real world and all its challenges. And to the graduates of 2025,...
Community

Roxbury High School Aviation Club Soars Over Blairstown

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
Members of the Roxbury Township High School Aviation Club had the opportunity for hands-on flight instruction, soaring in gliders over North Warren on Sunday. Sponsored...
News

Latest Round of Rite Aid Closures Claims Blairstown Store

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
After dodging earlier rounds of chain-wide store closures, the Blairstown Rite Aid is scheduled to close by June 11. Rite Aid filed for Chapter 11...
Community

Sunny Skies Draw Crowds to Memorial Day Parade

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
If you could order up a perfect day for a parade, this past Sunday would certainly be in the Top 10. With mostly sunny skies...
Featured1

Hardwick Man Killed in Blairstown Crash

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
A Hardwick Township man died early Monday morning after the SUV he was driving veered off a roadway, struck a utility pole and overturned...
Transportation

Amtrak Service Gets Major Boost From Pennsylvania Congressman

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
The proposed Amtrak service that would link Blairstown with New York City to the east and Scranton to the west by reopening the Lackawanna...
Transportation

Eastbound Lanes of I-80 to Reopen Wednesday

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
It’s Official: Interstate 80 Eastbound Will Be Reopening Tomorrow Night This should come as music to the ears of anybody who has tried to travel...
Community

Catherine Hofman Dickson Library Opens Its Doors Saturday

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
Blairstown’s Catherine Dickson Hofman Library will turn the page to its third chapter Saturday when it reopens to the public Saturday. This newest iteration of...
Phalon's File

Getting Sassed by a Kitchen Appliance

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
While most people are preparing for the impending Dark Ages by stocking up on stuff like toilet paper, ammo, bacon and flour — we...
Art

Blair Students Learn to Display Their Art as Well as Create It

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
There’s more to art than just creating it. That’s the lesson Blair Academy students are taking away from their Advanced Spring Student Art Exhibit,...
Blairstown

Warren County Celebrates Ribbon-Cutting for Renovated Blairstown Library

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
When Polonius asked Hamlet what he was reading, Hamlet replied, “Words, words, words.” There was no shortage of words Saturday afternoon at the soon-to-reopen Catherine...
News

Snake-Friendly Spring Valley Road to Reopen May 5

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
Cinco de Mayo this year will be particularly sweet for people who drive — or for the past six months haven’t driven — on...
Transportation

Repairs to I-80 Westbound Delayed as Sonic Drilling Takes Longer Than Expected

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
I-80 Traffic Disruptions Across the Country It’s been a busy week along Interstate 80. On Thursday two tractor-trailers crashed in Centre County, Pennsylvania, closing both directions...
News

School Bus Driver Charged with DWI After Crash on Interstate 80 in Knowlton

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
The driver of a school bus carrying more than two dozen children was charged with driving while intoxicated and other offenses on Interstate 80...
Hardwick

Hardwick Named Lightning Capital of New Jersey

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
You might be shocked to learn that Hardwick Township has been named the lightning capital of New Jersey for 2024. The designation was awarded by...
News

Video from 2024 Knowlton Shooting Arrest Is Released

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer -
Video and audio recordings related to the death of a man in police custody who was wanted for an earlier shooting death in Knowlton...
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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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