We can be reached by writing
PO Box 472,
Budd Lake, NJ 07828

or by e-mailing
richard.johnston@verizon.net

or by fax (973) 347-6145

Richard Johnston, Publisher/Managing Editor
Dick has been a news reporter/bureau manager/publisher for more than 40 years. He started his newspaper career covering local and county governments for the Newark News as a general assignment reporter. He also covered Northern New Jersey for the New York Herald Tribune. He covered political and police news in Bergen, Hudson, Passaic and Morris Counties for 10 years and was a bureau manager in the Newark News West Hudson Office. He also covered the Union County Courthouse for the Elizabeth Journal. He founded and was president of the Meadowlands Chamber of Commerce and founded and published the chamber’s full color news magazine, Meadowlands, USA.
He was a member of the task force that established the NJ Department of Community Affairs and served as the department’s spokesman to the media. He also was the Commissioner’s representative to mayors throughout the state as well as assisting cities write plans for federal “Model Cities” grants. He also was the editor of the NJ Division of State and Regional Planning newsletter, “Jersey Plans.”
As a transportation consultant in his own business, he was certified by the state to write “trip reduction” plans for employers regulated by the Federal Clean Air Act and was the public information officer for the Hackensack Meadowlands Municipal Committee, a committee of 14 mayors of communities in the Hackensack Meadowlands region.
In another venture he obtained more than $30 million in state deposits for the state’s only minority bank as and was a founder and president of SHARE-New Jersey, a highly successful food subsidy program now administered by the Catholic Archdiocese of Newark
He has a BA degree in Urban Transportation Planning from the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers University.

William Colucci Ph.D., IT Director
His experience includes 20 years information systems support for a wide range of organizations - from multi-nationals to small business. Various roles include IT Manager, Network Administrator, Chair of the Computer Technogy Dept. at Gibbs College, Rutgers University instructor and independent consultant (www.DigiNav.net). Education includes a BA from the University of Maryland, Masters in Political Science from Rutgers University and a Ph.D. in Communication from Rutgers as well. Doctoral studies and dissertation concentrated on organizational communication, leadership and implementation of information systems in organizations.

Al Rasmussen, Webmaster and Programmer
After spending 30 years in a technical industrial field he attended the Chubb Institute where he studied Web Technologies, Problem Analysis, Programming Design and Techniques. Participated in the Honors Program while at Chubb as a classroom assistant and student tutor. Currently an independent web developer, programmer and computer troubleshooter associated with Digital Navigations (www.DigiNav.net).

The Highlands News Service of New Jersey
HNSNJ.COM Is the first on line, local news service in New Jersey and is believed to be the first one like it in the country. It is committed to reporting news and improving the quality of life in the communities being covered, in this case: Mount Olive, Byram, Netcong, Roxbury, Rockaway Borough, Rockaway Township, Mt. Arlington and Hopatcong.

There will be in depth reporting of school classroom activities, school sports and arts, town sports and recreation leagues, police and courts news, editorials and letters to the editor. Special attention will be given social news including engagements, weddings, anniversaries, retirements, recognition of individuals' special achievements, family reunions, holy communion, bar and bas mitzvah celebratons etc.

There also will be church and religious news, personalized obituaries, feature articles and national and state news that have a local interest.There will be reports and articles from hundreds of local and regional organizations with links to many of their web sites such as the Morris and Sussex Land Conservancies, the NJ Canal Society etc.

It will contain provocative editorial columns and relevant op-ed columns. Local elected and appointed officials will have the option to respond immediately with their own comments about reported articles.

The NJ Highlands News home page will highlight one or two main articles and list headlines of the most important ones in the towns by date. In the left column there will be links to the towns and major organizations. The page also will contain notes of extraordinary interest, notable events, alerts and advertisements.

Every town will have its own edition and home page. A link will take the reader to the complete articles. Every two weeks articles will be archived by date and subject and still available to readers.

It also will have links to the web sites of state and county representatives and the Morris and Sussex County governments as well as the US Senate, Congress and White House.

There also will be special links to each town's own web site, which generally has information about its history, politics, sites to see, entertainment, movie programs, shopping centers, places of interest, restaurants, schools and local activities An appointed "board of advisors" made up of residents in the communities will meet regularly to evaluate objectivity of news coverage and comment on the web site.