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.
NEWS
County moves back to yellow
Jay County has dropped back to the second-lowest rating in the state’s coronavirus risk metrics.
SPORTS
Two to state
INDIANAPOLIS — Elisa Parazzi missed on her first attempt at three heights in a row. Kinsey Shannon was slower out of the blocks than she would have liked. At the regional level, misses and milliseconds can be season-ending. For the pair of Patriots, they served simply as motivation to make sure they would see another week.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
Jay is ranked seventh lowest
Local unemployment had already returned to pre-pandemic levels. Now Jay County has one of the lowest rates in the state.
NEWS
Airport projects approved
Runway extension work is slated to begin June 1. There will be some taxiway, hangar and striping improvements to go along with it.
NEWS
Jay remains orange in state COVID-19 metrics
The number of new cases of COVID-19 has come down since a spike during the first half of the month, but the positivity rate continued to rise.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
Elite, repeat
MUNCIE — Elisa Parazzi somersaulted, threw her arms in the air and ran to celebrate with her teammates. Kinsey Shannon looked questioningly at her coach while bending over, hands on knees, to catch her breath. The reactions were different, the results the same. Both had won sectional championships.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
Homan named POY
Brenna Homan anchored the Indian offense from the top of the order.
NEWS
Staff to get extra-duty stipend
School staffers who were forced into extra work during the coronavirus pandemic will receive compensation.
NEWS
FCC tax abatement approved
One business will get tax abatement. Another request will be reviewed. And the way has been cleared for a local business to make the move to its new headquarters.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
Final stages
Arts Place renovation and expansion work is expected to be completed by the end of June
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
FAA funding
It’s official, the city’s cost for construction of its runway extension will be zero.
NEWS
Jay back to orange
Two weeks ago, Jay County was at the lowest risk level for the spread of coronavirus.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
Back in the ‘Game’
After “Les Misérables” one year and a cancellation because of COVID-19 the next, it was time to have a little fun.
NEWS
Honoring Jay County’s own
Indiana’s Run for the Fallen will return to its full form this year, concluding its first day in Portland.
FORT RECOVERY
FR earns second chance
FORT RECOVERY — The Indians hit the ball well in their first trip through the order, but ended up with nothing to show for it.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
Franchise family
After decades in Little Rock, Arkansas, and St. Louis, Dean DiMichele has returned to Indiana.
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Building sale contract terminated
Goodhew exercises option because of environmental complications
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Trending up
The county’s COVID-19 numbers are trending in the wrong direction.
NEWS
Back to the stage
A local group is looking to provide some harmonious, and sometimes hilarious, entertainment for Mother’s Day weekend.
NEWS
Former Dunkirk mayor dies at age 77
Grant Fager, former mayor, council member and firefighter, died Monday.
NEWS
FCC plans to add again
One local industry is ready to grow again and many will be working with Jay County High School to offer opportunities to soon-to-be-graduates.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
Designer job
LeeAnn Miller's dream job didn’t exist in Jay County. So, she created it for herself.
BUSINESS
Riding high
It’s been seven years since soybean prices have hit the numbers that have come in this week. For corn, it’s been eight years.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
$$ for sewer project OK’d
A chunk of funding has been committed for a proposed downtown flood mitigation project.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
Project to start June 1
A tentative timeline is in place for the first phase of the Portland Municipal Airport runway extension project.
NEWS
Jay County stays blue, positivity increases
Jay County is blue again. It’s positivity rate nearly pushed it to yellow.
NEWS
City to apply for an OCRA grant
The City of Portland will seek a state grant for its proposed downtown flooding mitigation project.
NEWS
Walt Rodgers dies at age 100
Walt Rodgers, farmer, veteran, one-time deputy sheriff, two-term Jay County Commissioner and longtime community leader, died Friday at Miller’s Merry Manor in Dunkirk. He was 100.
NEWS
JCDC backs quarry expansion
A proposal to land allowing for the expansion of the local stone quarry has the support of Jay County Development Corporation.
NEWS
Cases are up, but Jay remains at blue
The county’s rating stayed the same, but its numbers were up.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
Request pulled
Portland City Council won’t be deciding on US Aggregates’ rezoning request, at least not for now.
SCHOOLS
Prom is on
Buy the dresses and rent the tuxedos. Make the appointments to get your hair done. Get ready to dance.
NEWS
Young trial moved to July
The trial for a Portland woman who faces charges related to her son’s death has been moved.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
JCDC may weigh in on quarry
A local economic development organization will be taking its own look at the proposed rezoning of land for stone quarry expansion.
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Brigade to buy school office
Brigade Electronics is poised to have a new U.S. headquarters.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
Jones murder trial moved
A Redkey man’s murder trial has been rescheduled.
BUSINESS
Beers are on tap
It took longer than they’d hoped, but the beers are now flying in the building alongside the long-abandoned Penn Central Railroad tracks in Portland.
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