Slow news; Sad news

It may not move the market, as they say on Wall Street, or make the world safe from terrorism, but the story of the little “History Detective” flub chronicled on this site does have the whiff of news.

That’s why I contacted four reporters – three at The Oregonian and one at a local TV station — and referred them to the story — local angle and all. Local typewriter owner, local typewriter repair guy featured.

One Oregonian reporter looked at it and passed it on to another who has yet to call me.

It would seem that no one is exactly scrambling on this.

Another reason the surging Internet beats Old Media is the former's "exclusives" about the “little” things in life.

In the meantime, the yarn about the could-be Ernie Pyle Corona has turned up some sad news for typewriter lovers in Portland.

I called Matt McCormack at Ace Typewriter to tell him the latest fall-out from the story. The master typewriter repairman was featured on the “History Detectives” episode. He rarely checks the Internet, which is a step up (or down?) from his old vow never to touch a computer.

Anyway, in his own low-key way he hit me with the news that his landlord, who has blessed Ace with low rent for years, has announced that the storefront building will be demolished soon.

Ace and its dozens of typewriters and adding machines (to say nothing of bins of typewriter bits and pieces) will have to be moved to the basement of the big house owned by Matt and his dad, Dennis. Mercifully the house is nearby.

The loss on North Lombard will be huge. Ace Typewriter has been at 7433 since Dennis started it 46 years ago.

Demolish the place? They should turn it into a living monument.

In Japan, they would declare Matt, Dennis and Ace to be national treasures. Priceless.

Here, in our wisdom, everything has a price.