AOL-owned hyper-local firm Patch Media is making a big push into New York state, with the launch of 11 sites in Long Island and Westchester County over the next three months; the expansion will nearly double the size of the hyper-local network, which already is the largest network of its kind online. New sites are planned for a long list of communities, including Scarsdale and Rye (See the full list here). And Patch says it will also launch six additional sites in New Jersey and Connecticut. In a release, Patch President Warren Webster emphasizes that Patch makes its coverage available for free, “at a time when more and more outlets are charging for online content.” That’s likely a commentary on Long Island newspaper giant Newsday, which said this week that it would put most of its content behind a paywall starting Wednesday.