Dear Readers,

Hello, BSP community! We are updating our distribution methods to bring the full suite of everything BSP offers to all our subscribers. The goal is to maximize the value for our readers when our kind of community journalism has become a rare product.

Here’s the good news.

We have gained approval for “exceptional dispatch.” This program allows direct delivery to local post offices that will quicken delivery to your mailbox. Previously the newspapers went from Stone Ridge to Albany and then back to Ulster County. The newspapers will no longer be making that trip and will hopefully be in your mailbox sooner.

We updated our website to offer the digital edition of the BSP for no additional cost to all our subscribers. This access is for subscribers only and is available on our homepage!

That said, we will always be a print-focused publication. The newspaper's digital edition is the same as the one on newsstands every first and third Friday of the month. The same ads and articles from our hardworking reporters and local businesses will be in the digital edition. The digital edition will be the same newspaper but deliver our quality coverage to people quicker. Link to our e-edition here.

Our mission, as our long-time BSP readers know, is to deliver hyperlocal news that elevates local voices in Marbletown, Rosendale, and Rochester. This intimate approach has kept the BSP relevant to our readership. The paper has never been about our staff. It’s always been about the community. Your engagement is what has made this newspaper successful for nearly 30 years. It has been a community-wide effort, and it’s unique. We’re excited to continue this engagement with the distribution upgrades.

The website will give an accessible portal for engaging with the community. You can provide leads on important stories with a simple new message box. The editorial staff values this input and will evaluate the story leads and hand them off to reporters as appropriate. Our community continues to help us provide coverage that makes the paper closer to our community.

Classified ads will also be easier to place on this website with a streamlined process where you submit the ad on the website, and we will make sure it goes live and gets included in our print edition. We will also make it easier to post calendar items. With help from our fantastic community, we will have a full calendar for our readers and people visiting.

In addition, we will continue to connect readers to our many advertisers to keep our business operating by selling this valuable advertising space in the BSP. Learn more about advertising here.

We always appreciate additional support and contributions to assist staff in producing high-quality content that digs deep into topics. A support tab on the home page with unique subscription options provides additional support and some fun BSP swag. In addition, a contribution to the reporter’s fund is available as an option with each subscription. Know these additional funds get put to good use. Thank you. But really, our goal is to function as a newspaper on our own merits through ad sales and newspaper subscriptions. So really, it’s most helpful to let our advertisers know you “saw them in the BlueStone!” That’s the best thing our readers can do to keep this model successful.

Thank you from everyone at the BlueStone Press