Emerson • Hillsdale • Montvale • Park Ridge • River Vale • Township of Washington • Westwood • Woodcliff Lake
T H E PA S C AC K VA L L E Y ’ S H O M E TO W N N E W S PA P E R
VOLUME 30 ISSUE 19
Freedom OWLS CHASE THIRD Fest STRAIGHT TITLE Park Ridge 3/4 girls knock down Wyckoff, Ramsey Rumble (again); ones to watch
MONTVALE
A
CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING
RAMSEY RUMBLE CHAMPIONS ANEW: Players are Haleigh O’Connell, Ellie O’Connell, Avery Totaro, Sophie del Rosario, Ashlyn McPartland, Cassandra Grammatas, Olivia Anastos, Ryleigh Wenning, Sydney Komeshok, Lizzie Gil, Gia Pierotti, Olivia Ribando and Melanie Brisco. Coaches are Tim O’Connell, Joe Ribando, Vin del Rosario, Micky McPartland, and Kevin Komeshok. Courtesy photo
BY JOHN SNYDER EDITOR@THEPRESSGROUP.NET
Continued on page 6
Offers free CO detectors; mayor laments ʻunimaginable lossʼ in seniorsʼ deaths The borough is offering free carbon monoxide detectors and replacement batteries to Montvale residents following the deaths of two elderly residents from carbon monoxide poisoning. The detectors and batteries, provided through the Montvale
See LOSS on page 224
MONTVALE
COLLA SAVING LIVES VS. ADDICTION STIGMA
Local scoutʼs ʻSpray Safeʼ has distributed more than 380 Narcan kits through community BY JOHN SNYDER EDITOR@THEPRESSGROUP.NET
The Township of Washington takes to Memorial Field for a USA 250 party marked by burgers, beer, music, and drones. PAGE 20
BOROUGH AIDS RESIDENTS VS.
JULY 20, 2026
ONE-RUN championship loss in early June became the launching point for a memorable summer run by the Park Ridge Owls. The youth travel softball team heads into tournament play this weekend seeking its third consecutive title after winning
championships at the Wyckoff Girls of Summer and Ramsey Rumble. Park Ridgeʼs run began with disappointment June 7, when Washington Township edged the Owls 8-7 in the championship game of the Park Ridge Rumble.
The Owls responded at the Wyckoff Girls of Summer tournament, held June 26–28. Competing in the 9U division, Park Ridge allowed only three runs across four games and defeated the Wyckoff Raiders Grey in the
By the time she graduates from Pascack Hills High School next spring, Allison Colla hopes one of her most important contributions to the school will already have become routine. Through Spray Safe, the Girl Scout Gold Award project she launched in 2025, Colla has distributed more than 380 naloxone (Narcan) kits, trained students and community members to recognize opioid overdoses, and created educational materials that will continue to be used in Pascack Hills health classes after she leaves. The project has become one of the most far-reaching student-led public health initiatives in the Pascack Valley. “Inspired by overdose prevention efforts, I created the initiative to address gaps in opioid education and reduce the stigma surrounding addiction,” Colla tells Pascack Press. A rising senior and Montvale
See FIGHT on page 244
SETS STATE RECORD
B ck in time...
Chase Miller, a 2024 graduate of Pascack Hills High School, has set a New Jersey state powerlifting record after winning his division at the USPA Summer Showdown in Latham, N.Y. PAGE 12
We go back to this week in 1894, in the new Borough of Park Ridge. There was an ideological divide here, fueled by the population shift that followed the arrival of the railroad in 1871. PAGE 4