In 1961 the founder, Tom Pinard, quietly celebrated the first edition sitting in a backroom in the village of Wrightwood.  Supporters plunked down a nickel that evening for the first paper, four pages filled with 20 columns of news and a few ads.  This was the start that formed Wrightwood's first newspaper. The Mountaineer was a success.
Tom added the Progress edition in 1965, creating the Mountaineer Progress and connecting links between the three communities of Pinon Hills, Phelan, and Wrightwood. He combined the two newspapers with the Mountaineer on the front page, and then flipping the paper, you would find the Progress Newspaper on the reverse front page.
The support of the newspaper by the community grew, and subscriptions continued to increase. The newspaper was published every week and delivered through the mail, sold at local retail and street racks. Mostly hometown news, the Mountaineer Progress embraced the rural life.  In the early days, the Village of Wrightwood consisted of mostly vacation cabins. Park Drive had a few shops, a small market, and a couple of small restaurants.
Phelan and Pinon Hills rural areas had many homestead properties. There were two schools locally. Phelan Elementary and Wrightwood Elementary.
Tom covered all the news of the Tri-community. He could be found at the local cafe patio talking to neighbors for news items. But even then the newspaper needed advertisement to cover costs. He was known to have accepted payment for advertising in pies.  The subscriptions continued to grow as the community realized the Mountaineer Progress was going to be around for some time. Tom did various jobs on the side while building the legacy of the Mountaineer Progress.
He worked with a small staff collecting stories and interviewing locals. The personal touch is what made the Mountaineer Progress work. As the Tri-community grew and new businesses moved in, Tom found more advertising revenue. The surrounding cities in the High Desert were advertising in the Mountaineer Progress as the population of the Tri-Community grew.
Tom saw a need for the Tri-Community to have its school district. Children had to bus into Victorville for the high school education. With the support of the Mountaineer Progress, the idea of their district got its start. The Snowline Unified School District was created with Tom in the background and the Mountaineer Progress getting the word out to its readers.
The Mountaineer Progress was a newspaper worth of outside investors. The Tri-Community was growing leaps and bounds, and so was its newspaper. The Brehms Communication purchased the Mountaineer Progress from Tom. Tom retired and remained in Wrightwood.
The Brehms Communication published 40 daily newspapers in four states.  Brahms published the Mountaineer Progress for eight years.
 In 1997 the Mountaineer Progress was sold to Steve and Vicky Rinek. The husband and wife team has been publishing the newspaper for 25 years. Together they have carried on the tradition of a hometown newspaper as Tom Pinard had visioned. The newspaper's relationship with the communities is a special one. The paper is the first choice with residents, making it the most read newspaper in the area.
The Rinks look to maintain an ongoing channel of communication with community members and regional leaders, forging an open and honest relationship. They deeply respect and appreciate the contributing writers and value their embodied work. It's through their work that makes up the essence of the Mountaineer Progress Newspaper. Our contributing writings make the Mountaineer Progress the best-circulated newspaper in the Tri-Community.
The Mountaineer Progress receives support from many sources: Community leaders assist the newspaper by collecting details on community events. Amateur photographers submit work on interesting subjects.  We appreciate their support and encourage their contributions to the Mountaineer Progress.


The Mountaineer Progress’ new slogan is:

Seven days of news in one paper. 
There’s nothing more valuable than knowledge.

Are you missing what’s important? 
Join the community & subscribe to your local newspaper.

We look forward to many years of providing the community with an excellent, interesting and essential source of local news.

STEVEN W. RINEK, PUBLISHER:
Steve has been the publisher and owner of the Mountaineer Progress since 1998. Steve has over 35 years of newspaper experience. His expertise comes from marketing director with the Los Angeles Times, Orange County Register and the Brehm Communications.

You can reach Steve through his  email: steve@mtprogress.net

VICTORIA RINEK, MANAGING EDITOR: 
Vicky has been the managing editor at the Mountaineer Progress since 1998.

She writes local feature stories and manages the website. 

You can reach Vicky through her email: vickyr@mtprogress.net

Terri McCawley Hill

Terri has lived, worked, and raised her family in Wrightwood since 1992. As the Mountaineer’s factotum (since 2013), Terri wears many hats. She writes the Food for Thought recipe column, reports on local community activities and events, is the copy editor, and handles legal and classified ads. Submit story ideas and photos to Terri at: t.hill@mtprogress.net

AL MORRISSETTE, CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST: 
Al's columns appears in The Mountaineer Progress opinion 
page and his news correspondence covering the Tri-Community area. 
He has been a Mountaineer Progress columnist since 1998. 
Al serves as a director for the Phelan/Pinon Hills Community Service District.

You can reach Al at his email: almset@yahoo.com

MICHAEL PALECKI, CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST: 
Michael's columns appears in The Mountaineer Progress opinion 
page and his news correspondence on Thursdays. 
He has been a Mountaineer Progress columnist since 2000.
Michael was the 2008 honorary mayor of Pinon Hills. He is an accomplished artist and sculptor.

You can reach Michael through his email:  mpalecki@mtprogress.net

Chris Rinek
Chris' columns appears in The Mountaineer Progress opinion 
page and his news correspondence on Thursdays covering musical events and concerts in Wrightwood CA.
He has been a Mountaineer Progress columnist since 2010.
He is an accomplished music composer and artist

JOHN CROMSHOW, CONTRIBUTING COLUMINST: 
John has been an opinion columnist with the Mountaineer Progress since 1996.
He is also a retired teacher for the Los Angeles Unified School District.

You can reach John through his email: jcromshow@yahoo.com