The Staten Island Advance was founded in 1886 by printer John J. Crawford and businessman James C. Kennedy as the Richmond County Advance. The idea behind the newspaper was to create a dedicated platform to cover news and events on Staten Island, which at the time had nine competing daily newspapers. In 1922, Samuel Irving Newhouse Sr. purchased the Staten Island Advance with his mentor Hyman Lazarus, marking the beginning of the Newhouse family's involvement in the newspaper industry. Today, the Staten Island Advance is owned by Advance Publications, a media company controlled by the Newhouse family. The Staten Island Advance covers a wide range of news topics relevant to the Staten Island, New York area, including local politics, community events, sports, and entertainment. The newspaper serves as an important source of information for residents of the borough. The Advance presents its content in both print and online formats, allowing local readers the ability to access the news they need in a way that is convenient for them. **One interesting fact**: The Staten Island Advance has a unique connection to local history preservation. In 1986, to commemorate its centennial, the newspaper published a special edition that was the largest weekday paper ever published in New York City at the time. This massive edition, released on March 27, 1986, served as a comprehensive chronicle of Staten Island's history and development over the previous 100 years, demonstrating the newspaper's commitment to documenting and preserving local history.