So long, Ken, and thanks

Ken Rossignol, Founder, Editor & Publisher of www.stmarystoday.com/ from 1989 to 2010, is the kind of newspaper publisher this country needs. I've never met Ken, but we began corresponding in the early part of this century, after I shared my traffic views with him.

I must have found Ken's publication on the internet, and I got close to meeting Ken two years ago on a motorcycle trip from South Carolina to Annapolis. I should have called ahead, but I bought one of his papers at a stand in a rest area and hoped to just drop by to shake hands and ask him to autograph the paper. We weren't able to connect on short notice.

Ken has been on a tireless mission in his area (St. Mary's County, Maryland) to clean up corruption in law enforcement and government. That must be why I like Ken's publication so much.

On the morning of one election day several years ago, Ken published a truckload of dirt about the sheriff who was running for re-election. Papers were delivered early to newsboxes, but they had disappeared by the time readers got to the boxes. Apparently, deputies had followed the trucks on their routes and removed all the papers. Ken proved the sheriff, a state's attorney and deputies had been involved in a scheme to pick up the papers from the newsboxes, and a judge decided it was worth over $400,000 to Ken. See? The good guy does win.

Ken is turning over the reins now to Terry Clarke. Best wishes to Ken and to Terry. Separately, I'll publish Ken's message to his readers. Read about the battles he has fought.

This is the kind of newspaper journalism we need in McHenry County! Ya hear, Northwest Herald?

Pick up a copy of Ken's new book, The Privateer Clause, at Read Between the Lynes, on Amazon in paperback or Kindle.