news story / By Meghannraye Sutton

Stop the Press

Durham puts McKinleyville’s hometown paper on the block

(July 31, 2008)  Local news merchant Jack Durham sits in his sunny, cozy office behind his office phone, keyboard and a ’90s desktop Mac computer. Hundreds of issues of faded McKinleyville Press newspapers are strewn haphazardly on the bookshelves that line the sidewall. A wooden pachinko machine leans against the back wall. He says he’s taking that with him when he leaves. That’s not for sale.

Suddenly, one of his buddies from the chiropractor’s office downstairs barrels through the doorway. “Everyone knows it’s for sale!” he yells. “Four people asked me about it today! I’m not telling you who.” Then the guy does an about-face and walks out. Durham sits there at his desk with this big cheesy grin on his face.

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The rumors are true. Jack Durham, the editor-and-chief, publisher, copy editor, writer, photojournalist, advertising rep, layout artist and king of McKinleyville’s only newspaper — the McKinleyville Press— is selling his ship. 30 Gs. That’s what it costs to become the Mack of Newspapers in Mack Town.

The big news broke out of the cage a couple weeks ago, and word travels fast, said Durham. Because everywhere he goes now, especially up in McKinleyville, people stop to ask him if the shocking gossip is true. It is.

He didn’t advertise the sale in his own paper, he said, that would just be weird. Right now, the Press is listed among $600,000 homes as a piece of property through Azalea Realty. “It’s the cheapest listing on there,” said Durham.

On a warm, blue-skied McKinleyville day last Thursday, Durham and SheriLynn Silvernail (co-publisher) sat beneath the world’s tallest totem pole. Together they sounded as happy and giddy as can be. “It’s our baby,” said Silvernail. “Now we are giving it up for adoption. We’re selling our baby. First come, first serve.” They laughed hysterically.

Durham and Silvernail started up the McKinleyville Press back in ’96. They’ve been trucking along for 13 years, and as of last week, they were on issue numero 625. “That’s 625 deadlines,” Durham said. “That’s a lot of deadlines.”

Durham says it’s not like he hates the newspaper realm, but he just needs to do something else for right now. A life change, so to speak. “It’s our 13th year, and we’re kind of tired,” he said.

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