Jack Ronald

Jack Ronald

Jack Ronald (1948-2002) served as president and chairman of the Graphic Printing Company from 1985 until the time of his death April 23, 2022. He was publisher of The Commercial Review for 38 years and editor for 32 years.

He is a member of the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame.

Ronald earned a litany of journalism awards from Hoosier State Press Association, Indiana Associated Press Media Editors and Inland Press. He received the Charlie Biggs Community Commitment Award from the Hoosier State Press Association in 2014.

A 1970 graduate of Earlham College, he became a Fulbright Scholar in 1998 and a Fulbright Senior Specialist in 2012. He won the Indiana Journalism Award from Ball State University in 2004.

The Portland High School graduate is a strong supporter of community journalism and has also used his skills to teach journalists around the world. He has served as a trainer in Moldova, Kyrgyzstan and most-recently Myanmar.


JAY COUNTY

When there were eight

Once upon a time, there were eight.

BACK IN THE SADDLE

Question came out of nowhere

The question came out of the blue.

OPINION

Decision was a gift

Thirty-one years ago, my wife and I made one of the scariest decisions of our lives.It was 1983.

NEWS

Board makes staffing moves

Parents and teachers concerned about the shuffling of staff for the next school year went home unhappy Monday.

NEWS

Bidding soars for Woodbury's pig

The bids just kept on coming.

BACK IN THE SADDLE

Event brings nothing but smiles

“So,” a friend asked, “how was the wedding?”

NEWS

A big rock and a walk in the woods

Alumni of Jay County’s historic high schools — Gov. I.P. Gray, Redkey, Poling, Dunkirk, Bryant, Madison, Pennville and Portland — have done their best to memorialize their sites.

BACK IN THE SADDLE

Fifty years is a marriage milestone

Fifty years.That’s a milestone for any marriage.

BACK IN THE SADDLE

Internet can be a pot of gold

Who are those two babies? And why are they in that cooking pot?

OPINION

Friend wished a happy retirement

Okay, let me stipulate from the get-go, that this column is anything but impartial.

SENIOR CITIZENS

Pastor's life has had twists

Bill Knight has:•Dropped out of high school — twice.•Been a sailor aboard a destroyer torpedoed in the English Channel.•Walked through the ruins of Hiroshima.•Clashed with South African authorities over apartheid.•Worked as an engineer, a caregiver, the head of a custodial crew and a maintenance man.•And served as pastor for half a dozen Indiana churches.

BACK IN THE SADDLE

Daughter will be beautiful

Shades of gray I had heard of.

NEWS

Tiananmen diary

It is sun-up in Tiananmen Square. The day is May 30, 1989.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Chicken CAFO planned

Jay County’s livestock population continues to grow.

BACK IN THE SADDLE

Show won't include heavy lifting

Think of it as both a Mother’s Day present and a Father’s Day present.

NEWS

Imel visits hometown

One of Portland’s favorite sons came home Tuesday night.

NEWS

Schools will have new leaders

Three schools will see a change in leadership this fall because of administrative retirements.

NEWS

SA students share mission

It’s a story Michael Baer never gets tired of telling, the story behind Dots in Blue Water.

NEWS

Bennett earns honors

Catherine Bennett didn’t slow down in retirement. She went to work on her sewing machine.

NEWS

Board discusses future

Parents of students at Pennville and Redkey elementary schools urged Jay School Board to explore “every possible avenue” in cost cutting Monday before deciding to close any school in the corporation.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Group asks for EDIT funds

Dunkirk Industrial Development Corporation is committing $100,000 in Economic Development Income Tax funds toward securing the former Stewart Brothers furniture building.

OPINION

Computers are not cooperating

As every computer user knows, there is a special place that’s known as Computer Hell.

NEWS

Tech committee changing course

The committee charged with recommending the next step for technology in Jay Schools wants to pause and re-think its direction.

OPINION

Table transport was a bit wobbly

It was about 2:45 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.

NEWS

Booming tourism?

How can Jay County capitalize on its rich Gas Boom history?

OPINION

City making the best of situation

Think of it as making the best of a bad situation.

BACK IN THE SADDLE

Game delivers smiles despite cold

When we bought the tickets, it felt like a way of thumbing our nose at winter.

BACK IN THE SADDLE

Explorers avoided lightning

I was 10 that summer.My cousin John was 11, and my cousin from Illinois was 12.

NEWS

School board looks at cuts

The future of Pennville Elementary School is cloudy beyond next year, and Pennville may not be the only facility Jay Schools could close in the years ahead because of declining enrollment.

NEWS

Verallia sale now complete

Ardagh Group completed its acquisition of Verallia North America on Friday, thanks to approval of a consent order from the Federal Trade Commission.

BACK IN THE SADDLE

Door to Afghanistan is still open

The words were not the ones you expect to hear from your wife over lunch on an April day.

BACK IN THE SADDLE

Life is more fun if you participate

The venues are different, but the problem is the same.

NEWS

Impact is minimal

The rollout of the Pence administration’s proposals on the business personal property tax could have been smoother, but Rep. Greg Beumer (R-District 33) believes the version passed by the Indiana General Assembly is acceptable.

OPINION

Songs aren't meant for translation

Have you ever heard a bird say, “Widawayk”?

OPINION

Ukraine situation requires flexibility

Simmer down.That’s our advice to those in Congress and the chattering classes when it comes to Ukraine.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Rules leave questions unanswered

For decades, Indiana has competed with other states by offering incentives to attract new industry.

NEWS

Sisters stand by Kya

She’ll get there with a little help from her sisters.

OPINION

The naming tradition is ongoing

Maybe this will be the year we get to Glen Morris.

BACK IN THE SADDLE

Animosity in line went overboard

At least the lady from Group 5 didn’t hijack the plane.

NEWS

Board encourages discussion

Pennville wants to be part of the discussion.

BACK IN THE SADDLE

Avoiding temptation is often best

Sometimes you read a sale bill and know instantly that you should — under no circumstances — go to that sale.

EDITORIALS

School approach is flexible, smart

Let’s start with a simple fact of life: There is absolutely no way Jay School Board could make everyone happy in the face of this winter’s school days lost to snow.

NEWS

JCTA challenges board ruling

The contract dispute isn’t over. It’s just moved to a new arena.

NEWS

JCTA calls for cooperation

Let’s work together.That was the message Monday from Jay Classroom Teachers Association to the Jay School Board.

OPINION

Decorations could brighten winter

At long last, things are a little less festive at our house.

OPINION

Weather prompts memories

There’s something about extreme weather that prompts memories of extreme weather.

NEWS

Jay extending school day

Jay Schools will try a longer day in hopes of avoiding a longer year.

NEWS

Verallia sale moved to April

The final closing date for the acquisition of Verallia North America by Ardagh Group has been extended to April 30.

SCHOOLS

Year extended to June 9

Jay County students will be in the classroom through June 9 as a result of days lost to snow and bad weather.

OPINION

A break on bills would bring relief

Everyone knows by now — or should know — that it makes sense to keep a trickle of water running when the mercury drops into the sub-zero range.
PORTLAND WEATHER

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