Senate Resolution No. 4896

BY: Senator BONACIC

COMMEMORATING the 35th Anniversary of the Wallkill
Valley Times

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to pay tribute to
those illustrious journalistic entities which have diligently and
consistently, year after year, recorded the history of their communities
and brought local news and news of the larger world to their readers;
and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
commemorate the 35th Anniversary of the Wallkill Valley Times; and

WHEREAS, The Wallkill Valley Times was established in 1983 by Carl
Aiello, the newspaper's current and only editor; and

WHEREAS, With its humble beginnings in rented office space in the
Walden Mini Mall, the Wallkill Valley Times began as a tabloid-sized
paper with modern typefaces and a three-column format; for the first
three months, all of its typesetting was done outside of the office; and

WHEREAS, In June of 1983, the Itek was purchased and each and every
story was typed on its keyboard; furthermore, every line of every ad was
set on the machine which produced copy on a photo process paper; and

WHEREAS, MacIntosh computers and Desktop Publishing brought a
revolution to the newspaper industry, enabling a better use of graphics
and a more intricate design; and

WHEREAS, After purchasing its first Mac in 1987, the Wallkill Valley
Times became the first weekly newspaper in the area to electronically
paginate, using techniques that, during that time, were more commonly
found at USA Today and Time-Life; and

WHEREAS, The Wallkill Valley Times currently has more than 20
computers with an entire range of functions from writing stories, to ad
composition, photo editing and page design; and

WHEREAS, The photography process has also changed dramatically; for
much of the newspaper's existence, Carl Aiello's father worked in the
darkroom, developing all black and white film and producing screened
prints which could be pasted directly onto a page; this process was
simplified in 1990, with the arrival of its first flatbed scanner; and

WHEREAS, The Wallkill Valley Times continued to grow, and in the
spring of 1986, Carl Aiello purchased the former Windmill Farm Market, a
cement block shell of a building adjoining the mall property; three
years later, an additional 700 square feet was added to the building;
and

WHEREAS, Wallkill Valley Publications became a two-paper company in
1989, with the launching of the Mid-Hudson Times, which was designated

an official newspaper for the City of Newburgh in 1999; although the two
newspapers looked alike in design and format, its content differed; and

WHEREAS, The third member of the Times Community Newspaper group was
established in 2003 with the Southern Ulster Times, serving the Towns of
Lloyd, Marlborough and Plattekill, and the Highland and Marlboro School
Districts; and

WHEREAS, One year later, the search was once again underway for a
larger office space, and in August of 2006, the company moved to Stony
Brook Court where today, it occupies 3,000 square feet and employs more
than 25 people; and

WHEREAS, For more than a century, the Wallkill Valley Times has
remained steadfast to its mission, delivering to its readers significant
news affecting their daily lives and featuring in-depth news reports of
key local and regional issues; stories on regional business trends;
complete sports coverage; specialty reports on schools, health and
higher education; and lifestyle reports chronicling area entertainment
events and local social events; and

WHEREAS, Furthermore, the Wallkill Valley Times reports on aspects
of hometown life important to its readers while providing merchants
large and small with an efficient vehicle to promote their goods and
services; and

WHEREAS, Our newspapers provide a tremendous service to citizens
across the State of New York by keeping them informed about current
events; the democracy of our State and Nation is strengthened by a
responsible citizenry which is actively engaged in reading and kept
abreast of news affecting their lives; and

WHEREAS, As the Wallkill Valley Times moves into the future, it
carries with it the legacy of a distinguished journalistic history and
an outstanding record of growth and achievement; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 35th Anniversary of the Wallkill Valley Times; and be it
further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to Carl Aiello, Editor, Wallkill Valley Times.