• by Ray Schultz , March 16, 2025

The Cortland (New York) Standard -- a 157-year-old newspaper and one of the oldest in the U.S. -- published its last issue on Thursday. 

In a front-page editorial titled “Goodbye Cortland. And Godspeed,” the newspaper said it suffered from “declining readership and increasing costs, including an expected 25% tariff on newsprint.”

The company plans to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection. 

The closure affected 17 employees. 

“I hoped this day would never come,” said Evan C. Geibel, publisher and editor, who took control of the Standard in 2017 and is the fifth-generation family member to run it. “I’m so very grateful to my colleagues and the community for what they’ve done for me, my family and each other.”

The first edition of the Standard appeared in 1867, featuring a profile of Civil War generals, recipes for spring peas and an anti-smoking call. The newspaper was acquired by William H. Clark in 1876, and it has remained in the family ever since.