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.
SCHOOLS
United front
Jay School Board and teachers association stand against vouchers and education savings accounts
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Council hears about quarry proposal
US Aggregates made its first pitch to Portland City Council on Monday.
SPORTS
TOs bury JC in finale
Sitting on the steps next to the locker room Tuesday night at Winchester Fieldhouse, Jerry Bomholt listed the things his team would need to do to succeed in its next game.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
Hospital shifts to new era
This weekend marks the end of another era for Jay County’s hospital.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
Boyd murder trial moved
The trial for a Portland man charged with murder has been pushed back again.
NEWS
Jay stays blue
Make it blue times two. Jay County was rated “blue” (minimal risk for the spread of coronavirus) for the second week in a row in the metrics Indiana State Department of Health updated Wednesday.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
District honors efforts
Farmers are typically honored for their various efforts at the Indiana State Fair each year. With the event canceled because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, that did not happen in 2020.
NEWS
Back on stage
It’s been more than 11 months since anyone has performed live from the stage at Arts Place. That will change Thursday, though the seats in Hall-Moser Theatre will remain empty.
SPORTS
Two-minute drill
WINCHESTER — The Patriots played essentially even with their hosts for 22 minutes. It only took two minutes for the game to get away from them.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
Sweep success
The last time the Patriots had a two-victory weekend was late in the 2018-19 season.
JAY COUNTY
Patriot boys swimmers finish sixth at sectional
The Patriots improved on their preliminary times in just over half of their events. In a meet that saw Delta break three sectional records, that wasn’t nearly enough to compete for a team title or state berths. The host Jay County High School boys swim team’s top finish in any event was fourth as it placed sixth in the 11-team field with 179 points in the sectional meet that concluded Saturday. “For us to come in and swim the way we swam, I’m extremely pleased with how our kids performed to their capabilities,” said JCHS coach Matt Slavik. “They all got in and gave it everything they had.” Delta, led by Brady Samuels’ record swims in the 50-yard freestyle and 100 butterfly and Sam Bennett’s record diving effort, won seven events to take its seventh straight sectional title with 426 points. Norwell was the runner-up with 320. The lone Patriot who will continue his season is senior Justice Murphy, who advanced to tonight’s diving regional at Fishers with a fourth-place finish in the event that was contested Friday. The winner of each swimming event advances to the state finals while the top four divers move on to the regional. Jay County’s Kyle Sanders wasn’t able to repeat his effort from the preliminary round two nights earlier, but still posted the best Saturday finish for the team as he matched Murphy from the night before. He was about a half-second off of his preliminary pace in the 200 freestyle, placing fourth in 1 minute, 55.45 seconds. He was also seventh in the 100 freestyle. The Patriots were able to cut time in all three relays, with Nick Lyons, Griffin Mann, Aaron Funkhouser and Sanders delivering the highest of those finishes with a fifth-place effort in the 200 medley relay in 1:50.05. Sam Crump, Funkhouser, Mann and Sanders were fifth in the 400 freestyle relay in 3:42.93, and Konner Sommers, Ralph Link, Wyatt Kunkler and Lyons came in eighth in the 200 freestyle relay by slicing more than two seconds for a time of 1:43.18. “Our depth is in our relays,” said Slavik. “Our relays are young … When I look at those relay splits and look at where they started the year at to where they ended the year at, it’s been truly positive.” Mann followed Sanders in the individual events by taking fifth place in the 100 breaststroke and seventh in the 50 freestyle. The only individual event that saw multiple Jay County swimmers cut time was the 500 freestyle, in which Kunkler dropped 2.43 seconds for 11th place in 5:48.83 and Josh Monroe sliced 0.44 seconds for 13th place in 5:52.95. “Wyatt Kunkler and Josh Monroe both swam lights out,” said Slavik. “They swam to the maximum of their abilities. That’s what we like to see …” Also scoring for the Patriots in consolation races Saturday were Monroe (ninth – 100 breaststroke), Ralph Link (12th – 100 breaststroke), Kunkler (13th – 200 freestyle), Lyons (13th – 100 backstroke), Sommers (13th – 100 butterfly) and Funkhouser (16th – 50 freestyle).The Patriots improved on their preliminary times in just over half of their events. In a meet that saw Delta break three sectional records, that wasn’t nearly enough to compete for a team title or state berths.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Quarry queries
The local stone quarry is hoping to expand its operation north of its current site. Some local residents would prefer that it not be allowed to do so.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
And then there were ...
FRHS production shifts away from comedy with classic Agatha Christie murder mystery
LOCAL CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE
Jay moves to blue
For the first time in months, the state department of health considers Jay County to be at minimal risk for the spread of coronavirus.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
Nearing normal
Jay County was close to being back to normal, though a frigid normal, this morning. But more snow may be on the way.
NEWS
STAY HOME
Stay home. That was the advice from local emergency officials this morning after more than a foot of snow was dumped on Jay County beginning Monday afternoon and continuing through the night.
SCHOOLS
Loy hired to sell properties
Jay School Corporation has a broker for the sale of three of its properties.
SPORTS
#4PEAT!
The Patriots walked onto the deck Saturday with “#4PEAT” written on the inside of their biceps.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
Jay stays yellow
For the second straight week, the county’s risk is “moderate.”
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
Back to yellow
Jay continues to hover on the line between moderate and high risk of coronavirus spread.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
Ring gets senior night win
Patriots’ lone senior is first in Jay’s only home meet.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
Depot is done
Dunkirk holds open house to highlight completed upgrades to former Pennsylvania Railroad facility
LOCAL CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE
Jay is orange again
Red, orange, yellow. Orange, orange, yellow. And now orange again.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
Seeking spirit
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has limited income for many. The Jay County High School band program is no different.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
JCDC preps to advertise role of director
Jay County has been without a director of community development for more than two months. Jay County Development Corporation’s executive committee is getting ready to fill that vacancy.
SCHOOLS
School properties available
Board takes first steps on administrative offices, former Judge Haynes Elementary and wooded parcel in Portland. Jay School Corporation is looking to offload three properties.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
Knapke trial is set for the fall
A new trial date has been set for one of the three women charged with the January 2020 murder of a Portland man.
NEWS
New trial dates slated
Most of the high-profile trials slated in Jay Circuit Court have been rescheduled.
LOCAL CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE
Orange again
Jay County is orange again. In Indiana State Department of Health’s update Wednesday, the county was rated “orange” (high risk of the spread of coronavirus) for the second consecutive week.
NEWS
First vaccines
Jay County Health Department administered 50 doses during opening day of clinic Tuesday.
NEWS
Clinics are set
Coronavirus vaccines will be available to some Jay County residents beginning Tuesday.
NEWS
County moves back to orange
We’re orange again. Indiana State Department of Health’s updated county metrics today moved Jay County back to “orange” (high risk for the spread of coronavirus).
NEWS
Vaccine coming
Health department expects to get doses this week; they will likely be targeted for first responders.
NEWS
Complimentary, and critical
There were a lot of compliments Monday for local efforts to improve school finances. The same could not be said for the state legislature.
HOMEPAGE ROTATING ARTICLES
Top 10 stories of 2020
Pandemic dominated the year like no other story in recent memory.
Top Stories
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