Whipple Foundation Buys Two Putnam Papers

Putnam County Press dates to 1858, Times to 1949 The Whipple Foundation for the Preservation of Putnam County purchased The Putnam County Press and the Putnam County Times earlier this year, their editor wrote in the newspapers' Wednesday (Sept. 30) issues. Editor Holly Crocco has run the Mahopac-based weeklies since 2011. The Press is mailed to subscribers, while The Times is distributed free, including in Cold Spring and Garrison. When longtime owner Don Hall died in January 2022 at age 91, Crocco said she and a coworker kept the papers running for his estate until the Whipple Foundation, led by George Whipple, purchased them for an undisclosed amount. Whipple is a lawyer, TV journalist and preservationist who lives in Garrison and is one of three directors of the foundation. In her column, Crocco wrote that "whether I've been under Don's thumb, acting as my own boss or getting acquainted with new leadership, I am confident my reporting style and coverage hasn't wavered. I pride myself on being fair and balanced, and — most importantly — humble." In a front-page story in the same issue about a lawsuit claiming that the campaign of incumbent Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne accepted more than allowed under state law from 10 contributors, the paper included a disclosure noting it was owned by Putnam County Press & Times LLC, a subsidiary of the Whipple Foundation, because Whipple was one of the contributors. The legal limit for the election cycle, which began in 2022, is $3,639, and Whipple donated $7,805. (In a filing on Tuesday, the treasurer for Byrnes' campaign said Whipple and the other nine contributors received refunds.) According to its most recent tax filing, as of December 2024, the Whipple Foundation had $1.57 million in assets. The papers are soliciting donations through a newly created Putnam County Press & Times Fund at the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley. (The Current, published since 2010, is also owned by a nonprofit, Highlands Current Inc.) Hall purchased The Press and The Times, plus two other papers that no longer exist, in 1959 from D. Mallory Stephens, a former Republican member of the state Assembly. The Press was founded in 1858 and The Times in 1949. The Press is the official paper for public notices for Putnam County, Nelsonville, Putnam Valley, Philipstown and five other municipalities, as well as the school districts in Garrison, Putnam Valley, Brewster and Carmel.