The Montclair Pod

Watch the show on YouTube Following last week’s episode on the origins of the magnet system, we pick up the conversation at a critical crossroads—one where values, finances, and state oversight collide. We attend the latest school budget town hall, where Superintendent Ruth B. Turner and district leaders lay out the long road ahead, explain the district’s structural deficit, and address growing an...

Watch the show on YouTube Montclair has long defined itself by its district-wide magnet system—a model built on choice, diversity, and integration by design. But today, that system is under unprecedented strain. Facing a $20 million budget deficit and rising transportation costs, Mike and Farnoosh go back in time to explore the system's roots in activism and legal battles, while asking hard questi...

Happy New Year, Montclair! This week, we replay one of our hottest shows from 2025 that may inspire new connections in 2026 -- our field guide on modern love in Montclair. Featuring insights from: Junie Moon , relationship expert and Montclair’s own love coach Elizabeth and Jason , single parents share their experiences dating in Montclair Grace L. Williams , journalist and Montclair Pod special a...

This week on The Montclair Pod , we revisit one of the most consequential and talked-about episodes of the year: a deeply reported look at homelessness in Montclair and the growing tension between compassion, public safety, and limited resources. As rents rise and safety-net funding faces new pressures, this episode asks a hard but necessary question: what kind of town do we want to be—and what ki...

It’s the season of giving, and this week on The Montclair Pod we step away from school budgets and deficits to focus on something just as important: how we show up for each other. From financial support to time, attention, and presence, this episode explores what meaningful giving looks like in Montclair and why generosity doesn’t have to feel heavy, performative, or transactional. We’re joined by...

Why is Montclair nearly 20 million dollars in the red, and how did no one stop it? This week, we peel back the curtain on one of the most consequential crises the town has ever faced, examining how years of rising costs, missed warning signs, and avoided hard decisions brought the school district to this moment. We also break down: • The Superior Court ruling that invalidated the December 9 specia...

Why doesn’t Montclair have any legal weed stores? This week on The Montclair Pod, we tackle a question that has floated around town for years, with a deep look at Montclair’s cannabis landscape , tracing how a town that once hosted New Jersey’s first medical dispensary now has zero open shops. Farnoosh and Mike walk through the long, complicated road to legalization in New Jersey, the zoning bottl...

This week on The Montclair Pod , we drop the episode a little early because Montclair’s school deficit story is moving at warp speed, and because some of us need something to listen to while hiding from relatives in the bathroom. In our r oundtable , we bring in Matt Kadosh and Asad Jung , two Montclair Local reporters who’ve been working around the clock to cover the town’s $19.6 million school d...

Subscribe, leave a review below, and please share your thoughts at MontclairPod.com . Follow on Instagram and send us a tip: hello@montclairpod.com. Governor-Elect Mikie Sherrill sits down with The Montclair Pod for one of her first interviews since the election. She delivers a candid, forceful take on Montclair’s deepening school budget crisis. Sherrill, a longtime Montclair resident and parent o...

In her most candid interview yet, Superintendent Ruth B. Turner discusses accountability, fiscal discipline, and the tough choices facing Montclair schools, as the district faces a $19.6 million deficit and a pivotal special election on December 9. In the interview, Turner explains: Why Question 1 leaves out mention of the state loan and monitor Why Question 2 makes the tax hike permanent What a f...

Subscribe, leave a review below, and please share your thoughts at MontclairPod.com . Follow on Instagram and send us a tip: hello@montclairpod.com. This week on The Montclair Pod , Farnoosh and Mike put two of Montclair’s favorite topics under the microscope: schools and real estate . With a nearly 20 million dollar school deficit, a December 9 referendum, and talk of a possible state monitor, th...

Subscribe, leave a review below, and please share your thoughts at MontclairPod.com . Follow on Instagram and send us a tip: hello@montclairpod.com . This week on The Montclair Pod , Farnoosh and Mike head straight into Montclair’s creative heart, from film to storytelling to live theater, before zooming out to the pressing issue shaping our town right now: the future of our schools. Montclair Fil...

Subscribe, leave a review below, and please share your thoughts at MontclairPod.com . Follow on Instagram and send us a tip: hello@montclairpod.com . This episode dives into how residents are navigating modern relationships in all their forms: gay, straight, open, and swinging. The hosts examine how political views, community culture, and midlife realities shape connection and commitment in town....

Subscribe, leave a review below, and please share your thoughts at MontclairPod.com . Follow on Instagram and send us a tip: hello@montclairpod.com . This week, Montclair’s financial story gets real. We sit down with Town Manager Stephen Marks to talk candidly about the township’s budget, his first six months on the job, and why he believes a state fiscal monitor might be “warranted” for Montclair...

Subscribe, leave a review below, and please share your thoughts at MontclairPod.com . Follow on Instagram and send us a tip: hello@montclairpod.com . In this episode, we dig into the cost of living in Montclair and ask, is it worth it? We start at the Farmers Market, where residents share how rising prices are changing their day-to-day lives. Then, we meet a renter who dreams of buying in town but...

This week on The Montclair Pod , it’s a jam-packed episode: Montclair Schools Budget Town Hall . We take you inside last Friday night’s meeting at Buzz Aldrin Middle School, where Superintendent Ruth B. Turner and Interim Business Administrator Dana Sullivan laid out the reality: the district is facing nearly $20 million in debt . Parents pressed for answers, students spoke out, and hard choices a...

Subscribe, leave a review below, and please share your thoughts at MontclairPod.com . Follow on Instagram and send us a tip: hello@montclairpod.com . In our Season 3 debut, we are talking all-things schools. First, as we reported, Montclair Public Schools’ deficit is closer to $18M than $11M. We replay part of our conversation with Superintendent Ruth B. Turner , unpack what’s fact vs. speculation...

This week on The Montclair Pod News : Councilor-at-Large Carmel Loughman has resigned just over a year into her term. We break down what happened, what it means for the council, and hear directly from Deputy Mayor Susan Shin Andersen on what comes next. The Montclair school deficit grows to $18 million. We revisit our conversation with Superintendent Ruth B. Turner and the state’s response to the...

In a frank and revealing interview on The Montclair Pod, Montclair's new schools superintendent, Ruth B. Turner, announced that the district’s financial deficit has swelled to approximately $18 million . The startling figure combines inherited debts with a newly discovered $4 to $5 million shortfall in the current budget. Compounding the crisis, Turner revealed that after a direct appeal for...

On the September 11, 2025, edition of The Montclair Pod News , Mike and Farnoosh open with reflections on 9/11 and how it shaped their early journalism careers. Then it’s: A fast tour through first-week-of-school headaches (and why better district communication is an equity issue) A sneak peek inside the revived Bellevue Theater A tense car-theft chase on Porter Place Paper Plane Coffee’s expansio...

In this episode of The Montclair Pod , Mike and Farnoosh dive into the first week of September in town, with plenty of local updates and a few personal confessions. Highlights include: Back to School Drama – Montclair renews its $1.5M contract with food service provider Southwest Food Service Excellence. Will new “healthier” options and salad bars outweigh student complaints? Gas Below $3? – Price...

This week on The Montclair Pod News , we’re covering a packed lineup of local stories and some irresistible neighborhood gossip. Montclair High School slipped in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings , falling from #55 to #95 in the state — sparking debates about test scores, funding, and what really defines success in our schools. We also take a peek inside a jaw-dropping $7.5 million...

This week on The Montclair Pod , Farnoosh, Mike, and political correspondent Terrence McDonald from the New Jersey Monitor break down the stories making waves in Montclair and beyond: Lead Pipe Replacements Coming : Homes built before 1940 may still have lead service lines. Montclair will begin replacing them in 2026 under a statewide mandate to eliminate all lead pipes by 2031. The Montclair Wate...

Award-winning journalist Terrence McDonald, editor at the New Jersey Monitor , joins Mike and Farnoosh for a deep dive into state politics, local news, and Montclair's ever-evolving dining scene. We kick off with a look at the New Jersey governor’s race and why polls might not tell the whole story. Terrence breaks down the latest political flashpoints, including the tragic Lakewood DUI case that’s...

As summer winds down and Montclair empties out, The Montclair Pod is here with a jam-packed Season 2 finale to help you make the most of August, whether you’re staying put or sneaking in one last getaway. Co-hosts Farnoosh and Mike share their personal plans ( pork shoulder rotisserie, anyone ?), surprising listener hotspots, and clever ways to spend your August locally, including music, comedy, b...