 In addition to "hard news," the paper was also well known for its extensive and in-depth articles on local history.A series on the history and operations of the New York City Fire Department in the 1980s, for instance, was packaged by the Fire Department's own press office into a sort of handbook for covering the Fire service, and long series on Staten Island's role in the Civil War and in the American Revolution won praise from local historians.Few months went by without some major historical piece in the paper during the 1980s and 1990s.