Ray Cooney
Ray Cooney was elected president of The Graphic Printing Company in December 2023. He became publisher of The Commercial Review on July 1, 2020, while retaining the title of editor he has held since Dec. 1, 2014. He served managing editor from July 2013 through November 2014, assistant managing editor from November 2005 through July 2013 and sports editor from March 2001 through July 2013.
He earned the most awards of any journalist in Division III in the Hoosier State Press Association Better Newspaper Contest for four consecutive years from 2013 through 2016. His first-place honors this year were for in-depth feature, sports feature, general news photo and video.
In his career he has also won HSPA awards for sports commentary, editorial writing, use of graphics, community service, news writing under deadline pressure, sports action photo, sports feature photo, headline writing, editorial page, profile feature and multiple picture group. He had picked up nine Indiana Associated Press Media Editors awards earlier in the year, including first place for business writing, non-deadline sports story and headline writing.
Cooney was honored with the Indiana High School Athletic Association Distinguished Media Service Award in 2012, and also received the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Outstanding Baseball Media Award in 2009.
A native of Avon, Ohio, Cooney graduated from St. Edward High School (Lakewood, Ohio) in 1996 and Cleveland State University in 2000. He was the inaugural editor of The Cleveland Stater at CSU, and also worked for The Morning Journal (Lorain, Ohio) and The Chronicle-Telegram (Elyria, Ohio) before moving to Jay County.
Cooney lives in Portland with his dog, Scooter.
FORT RECOVERY
Project expected to move forward
FORT RECOVERY — A project to construct a new baseball/softball facility is expected to move forward.
JAY COUNTY
Faster times cap swim season
Jay County High School’s top effort was fourth place in a pair of races as the host school placed fifth out of 11 teams in Saturday’s sectional meet.
NEWS
Flip the script
The bond bank is seeking “innovators” for its second Flipping Finance Challenge, an “18-hour design sprint” scheduled for Feb. 28 and 29 at VisionLoft and Market Tower Collaboratory in Indianapolis.
SPORTS
Kenney drops first UFC bout
Jay County High School graduate Casey Kenney suffered his first UFC defeat Saturday, falling by unanimous decision to Merab “The Machine” Dvalishvili in UFC Fight Night 167 at Santa Ana Star Center.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
Delta’s defense stifles Jay County
Delta takes the D in its name seriously.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
Kenney drops first UFC bout
RIO RANCHO, New Mexico — He entered his first two UFC fights as the underdog and came away victorious. He couldn’t extend the streak to three.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Forum will be held on Thursday
It’s not just another meeting. At least, that’s the hope.
NEWS
Rezoning approved
An effort to construct a new cell phone tower in Jay County has cleared its first hurdle.
NEWS
Moving out
Portland’s branch of Indiana Department of Child Services will need to find a new location.
SPORTS
Patriots pushed, place second
With the sectional meet less than three weeks away, it was time for the Patriots to see some top-level competition.
JAY COUNTY
Patriots leave no doubt in blowout
Eliza Bader swam out to a one-second lead on the first leg of the first race.
NEWS
Late flurry
When election filing opened Jan. 8, eight candidates turned in paperwork to run for county offices. In the last 24 hours of filing, six more joined them.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
Patriots outpaced
Winchester averages 72.3 points per game, fourth-highest in the state. Its average margin of victory is nearly 29 points. And it won the regular-season meeting by 21.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
One win away
Kierra Wendel, Val Muhlenkamp and Brooke Kahlig all delivered on foul shots late to help the Fort Recovery High School girls basketball team preserve a 44-36 victory over the St. Henry Redskins.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
FRHS farce
A hero on the run. A woman with a gun. And an ending with a twist.
SPORTS
Bruins run away
The Patriots tallied the first four points. They had a two-point lead at the end of the opening quarter. After falling behind by double figures at halftime, they went on a 12-1 run to close the deficit to four. But, over the course of 32 minutes, they simply couldn’t keep up with one of the highest-scoring teams in the state.
SPORTS
Three win titles
Ethan Reiley fell behind in his championship match. So did Zakk Atkins. Both had the right mindset to mount a comeback.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
Relaxed finale
With a pair of small Giant teams joining them in the pool, the results were never in doubt.
NEWS
Former teacher donates $1.52 million
At a basketball game Jan. 10, Greg LeFevre asked everyone in the gym who had been taught by Ron Shoemaker to stand.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
Short-handed title
The Patriots were without Erica Hathaway, seeded second in two events, to illness. Emma James had to sit out because of an injury. Those absences put a significant dent in their team score. But they still had enough.
NEWS
Coaching contracts terminated
Two women who are facing murder charges have been officially relieved of their duties as softball coaches.
NEWS
Behavioral health unit closing
The inpatient behavioral health unit at IU Health Jay will close — temporarily — at the end of the month.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
Third charged
A third woman is in custody for the murder of a Portland man.
NEWS
Inaugural impression
It wasn’t perfect. The weather took care of that. But overall the reviews were positive Saturday for the inaugural Jay County Show Choir Spectacular.
SPORTS
D sparks Recovery
Baskets off of turnovers were key in a 23-point third quarter for the Fort Recovery High School boys basketball team Saturday, and size inside helped seal a 48-39 victory over the Arcanum Trojans.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
FR cutting ties with coaches
Fort Recovery Local Schools will move next week to officially cut ties with its two softball coaches who have been charged with murder.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
Knoxville knock out
NEW KNOXVILLE, Ohio — The Rangers threw the first punch in the opening quarter. The Indians’ haymaker in the second put the game out of reach.
SPORTS
Indians run away
Fort Recovery closed the opening half on an 11-2 run, then scored the first dozen points of the third quarter as it cruised to a 50-28 victory Thursday over the Rangers to stay in contention for the conference title.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
Love above Indy
Devin Nelson wasn’t looking at anything from the 33rd floor of JW Marriott. He intended to. But once he saw Alli Campbell, he couldn’t take his eyes off of her.
NEWS
Spectacular hosts
Jay County High School is seeking to draw more attention, both locally and throughout the state, to its growing program as it plays host to a show choir competition for the first time this weekend.
NEWS
Documents detail alleged murder plot
Investigators believe a dispute over child custody sparked a murder plot that led to the death of a Portland man.
SPORTS
Ousted in opener: Boys are unable to sustain success
Since joining the Allen County Athletic Conference in 2014-15, at least one Patriot squad had played for a tournament title every season.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
Ousted in opener: Girls fade in 3rd
The Patriot girls gave away their chance at advancing in the tournament in the form of turnovers, struggling to hold onto the ball in the third quarter.
SCHOOLS
FR working to offer certifications
FORT RECOVERY — There are different pathways available to graduation. Fort Recovery High School is working toward offering another option for one of them.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
Patriots drop ninth straight
When it rains, it pours. That’s been the case with the weather over the last few days. It’s been true for the Patriots for about six weeks.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
Second by one
Anyone who needed proof that every race and ever place matters got it Saturday.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
Out of sync
On one hand, the Patriots didn’t play very well this week. On the other, they still came away with two wins.
NEWS
County needs to adjust salary ordinance
The county’s salary ordinance will need a slight adjustment.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Incumbents in
One incumbent commissioner had already announced his intention not to seek another term in office. The other wasted no time signing up for another round.
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September 17, 2024 7:36 a.m.