Kenneth Hale Fortenberry (born 1951) is an author, journalist, and former newspaper publisher residing in Georgia. He was the owner and publisher of news@norman, an weekly newspaper serving the

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

and the West

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area of North Carolina. He sought the Republican nomination for North Carolina's 10th congressional district in

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

, losing to incumbent Patrick McHenry in the primary. He ran for

Governor of North Carolina The governor of North Carolina is the head of government of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The governor directs the executive branch of the government and is the commander in chief of the military forces of the state. The current governor, ...

as a

Libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...

in the 2016 election, but withdrew in August 2015.

Early life

Born in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, Florida, Fortenberry grew up in

Spartanburg, South Carolina Spartanburg is a city in and the county seat, seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city of Spartanburg has a municipal population of 38,732 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the 11th-largest c ...

. His father was a Pan American World Airways pilot, and his mother was a housewife.

Newspaper career

As a journalist, Fortenberry has won several awards. While serving as executive editor of the Winter Haven News Chief, the newspaper landed the coveted Sigma Delta Chi Bronze Medallion in Public Service for a series about teachers with past felonies and other criminal records who were working in the state of Florida. The investigative reports led to legislation requiring better screening for those being considered for hiring.

Author

He gained international recognition in 1987 when his house was rocked by two explosions because of stories he published in the McCormick (S.C.) ''Messenger''. His coverage of corruption in local law enforcement led to a federal prison term for the sheriff, the bribery conviction of the sheriff's replacement, the exposure of the chief deputy as an ex-convict, and changes in state law enforcement certification. Fortenberry was featured on the CBS News program ''60 Minutes'', the NBC ''Today'' show, and his story was reported in dozens of publications including ''

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'' and ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. A book he wrote about the experience, ''Kill the Messenger'', was published in 1989 by Peachtree Publishers LTD of Atlanta and has been under option for a TV movie. In "The Mystery of the Lost Clipper", an article co-written by Fortenberry and Dr. Greg Herken, evidence is offered of possible causes of the 1957 fatal crash of Pan American Airlines Flight 7, en route from

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, California, to

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, Hawaii. Fortenberry's father, William, was the second officer and navigator of this flight. The article was featured in the September 2004 issue of ''Air and Space'' magazine. Fortenberry and Herken authored a follow-up article "What Happened to Pan Am Flight 7" in the January edition of "Air and Space." His latest book, "Flight 7 is Missing: The Search for My Father's Killer," is the result of his lifelong search for the probable cause of the 1957 Pan American plane crash that killed his father and 43 others aboard. It was published on May 19, 2020 by Fayetteville Mafia Press of New York City.

Politics

Fortenberry ran against incumbent U.S. Representative Patrick McHenry in the Republican primary for North Carolina's 10th congressional district in

. McHenry defeated him by 58,844 votes (72.5%) to 15,936 (19.6%).http://www.gastongazette.com/articles/town-65954-mchenry-meeting.html

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fortenberry, Ken 1951 births Living people People from Denver, North Carolina Writers from Miami People from Spartanburg, South Carolina Businesspeople from Miami Businesspeople from North Carolina Businesspeople from South Carolina United States Army soldiers