Thank You Phyllis and Dan for Saving the Triplicate!

Last Wednesday, I was notified by Dan Schmidt that he and his wife Phyllis had “given away” the Del Norte Triplicate to another publisher. I have been aware for some time that producing a weekly newspaper was wearing on them both. I want to thank Phyllis and Dan for saving the Triplicate.

It has been over a year since they scooped the Triplicate from the ashes to keep alive our only local newspaper after the prior owner abruptly sold it. Without missing a week, they have reliably continued to produce a newspaper. I only write one column per week, so I have just a small taste of their weekly grind.

I first met Dan when he was the Triplicate Editor. He recruited me to write a dueling banjos column alongside Roger Gitlin. I wrote 117 columns from April 2022 to June 2024 before I took a break. After Dan and Phyllis bought the newspaper, Dan again asked me to contribute to their effort. It was the least I could do.

I’m not sure what the future holds for the Del Norte Triplicate or my ongoing column. If you are reading this, then the new owners have agreed to have me continue writing for now.

I also want to thank others who have contributed to the newspaper. After reading stories on a variety of topics, I have a new respect for Linda Sutter. She is a good writer and I appreciate her effort. I also love reading Deborah Holloway’s stories about plants and flowers. We need more of this.

Then there is Mike Greer ’s Blowing in the Wind. I have never responded to any of his musings, though people have asked me to challenge his misinformation. However, he crossed the line last week when he mentioned me by name and smeared the local Democratic Party with partial truths and innuendo.

Mike contradicts himself in the same column. At the beginning, he cites information he got from our financial disclosure reports. Then he concludes with the accusation of “a hidden slush fund, keeping members in the dark and hiding financial disclosures from the public.” This is hog wash.

We meticulously follow all campaign finance reporting requirements and have a professional political bookkeeper to file all our forms. This is public information. We have disclosed all our revenue and expenditures to the letter of the law. We are in full compliance and it’s a lie to suggest otherwise. Mike is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.

Mike always seems angry with California and blames the Democrats for everything that is wrong. Yet he has a blind spot when it comes to the impact federal policies have on us, such as budget cuts and price increases resulting from tariffs and the Iran War.

I hope to continue writing a column for the Triplicate if the new owners agree to my terms. My conditions since I first started writing my column are simple; 1) I will work for free, and 2) They can’t edit what I write. They can print it as is or not print it. If my column disappears you will know why.

I appreciate everyone who reads my column and I encourage you to continue to support our local paper.

Kevin Hendrick is a 33-year-old resident of Del Norte County.