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

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-montclair-pod-7145507/the-making-of-the-montclair-girl-book-buzz-a-church-street-mystery
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-montclair-pod-7145507/the-making-of-the-montclair-girl-book-buzz-a-church-street-mystery.md
Podcast: [The Montclair Pod](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-montclair-pod-7145507)
Published: 2026-04-23T09:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://shows.acast.com/the-montclair-pod/episodes/the-making-of-the-montclair-girl-book-buzz-a-church-street-m
Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/6753786ea8461f164e67bf3a/e/69e971e3c8a506316df8cbf0/media.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-montclair-pod-7145507/episodes/the-making-of-the-montclair-girl-book-buzz-a-church-street-mystery
Duration seconds: 4063

## Resource

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 it—the five-story building near Park Street that’s been sitting half-finished for years. We dig into the 35-year history of development limbo at the old Hahne’s parking lot, from the failed hotel plans to the recent foreclosure. We look at where the building stands now. Guest: Jennifer Tripucka (Founder, The Local Girl Media Group) How do you build a hyperlocal news empire with 4 million readers and no outside investors? Jennifer Tripucka shares her journey from being a school counselor in Bloomfield to running six regional outlets. We discuss the demise of traditional print media like the Jersey…

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