CR earns nine awards

After a year without contests because of the coronavirus pandemic, The Commercial Review is an award-winning newspaper once again.

The CR earned nine awards, the third-most in its division, as the Hoosier State Press Association released its list of Better Newspaper Contest honorees with a virtual announcement at noon Friday. And no one in the division was more decorated than its sports editor.

Chris Schanz not only led The Commercial Review in awards, but his total of seven was the most of any journalist in Division III (daily newspapers with a circulation of 6,000 or less).

Schanz had The CR’s only first-place award this year, winning for best headline writing.

He added three second-place awards — one each for best sports event coverage, best sports commentary and best sports feature photo. He also took third place for best sports action photo and best portrait.

He and editor/publisher Ray Cooney also earned a third-place award for best sports section. (Cooney filled in as sports editor from Nov. 1, 2019, through Feb. 7, 2020, while Schanz was working for The Evening Leader in St. Marys, Ohio.)

Bailey Cline earned a third-place award for best general commentary for her column “On the Line.”

Cooney was also third for best headline writing.

The only Division III newspapers with more awards than The Commercial Review were the Daily Journal (Franklin) and the Daily Reporter (Greenfield), both of which are owned by AIM Media Indiana.

Also Friday, former CR county reporter Steve Garbacz, who is now editor of The News Sun in Kendallville and executive editor of KPC Media’s north newspapers, took second place in Division III for best general commentary for his column, “The Garbacz Dump.” (The News Sun followed The CR with eight awards.)

The last HSPA awards ceremony was held in September 2019, with the 2020 awards canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. The awards announced Friday cover the time period from May 1, 2019, through Dec. 31, 2020.