Thursday, December 31, 2020 The Commercial Review Portland, Indiana 47371 www.thecr.com $1 Jay shifts back to yellow Other 91 counties remain red or orange By RAY COONEY The Commercial Review Jay County spent four weeks at the highest level of risk for spread of coro - TToopp 1100 navirus. Now, it’s the only coun - ty in the state that has dropped to moderate. Jay County was rated PPaannddeemmiicc ddoommiinnaatteedd tthhee yyeeaarr lliikkee “yellow” (moderate risk) when Indiana State Department of Health nnoo ootthheerr ssttoorryy iinn rreecceenntt mmeemmoorryy updated its county met - rics Wednesday. While the local picture has been improving, the story is different statewide. Forty-five of Indiana’s 92 counties were in the severe risk category this week. The other 46, including Adams, Wells, Blackford, Delaware and Randolph, were labeled orange (high risk). The local rating was bumped up to red (severe risk) on the day before Thanksgiving and remained there for nearly a month. It dropped back By RAY COONEY, CHRIS SCHANZ, RILEY EUBANKS and BAILEY CLINE to orange (high risk) last The Commercial Review week before falling to yel - Each year, The Commercial tion on its multi-million dollar low in the most recent Review’s staff sits down to dis - renovation and expansion proj - update. (The county met - cuss its top 10 stories of the ect rics are based on Sunday year. The process is not so 10. Former NFL player and numbers, with changes much about the rankings, but coach Pete Brewster, a Portland announced weekly on rather an effort to give our native, dies at age 89 Wednesday.) readers an accurate idea of “I’d like to believe that what the year was like in our 1. 20 die of COVID-19 our medical profession - community. The numbers are staggering. als, our community lead - Sometimes, there is debate As of Wednesday’s report, 20 ers, various organiza - about the No. 1 story. This year, Jay County residents had died of tions all working togeth - there was no doubt. COVID-19, the disease caused by er, individuals in this The debate, instead, turned to coronavirus. county all reacted to the how much of the top 10 should The county was one of the last fact that we did get to an be devoted to the ongoing coro - in the state to suffer a COVID-19 elevated status and took navirus pandemic. After all, death, with the first coming Sept. preventative measures this was not just a major story 28. The worst stretch locally was more seriously to get us that was occasionally in the from Nov. 30 through Dec. 3, with out of that category,” said headlines. The pandemic the county experiencing a death Jay County Health encompassed our lives for the each day. Department environmen - better part of 10 months. In addition to the deaths, the talist and administrator For that reason, not only is The Commercial Review/Ray Cooney county has had 1,496 cases of Heath Butz. COVID-19’s impact on our COVID-19 thus far. Of those 1,077 The county metrics are health our selection for the top About 50 members of the public attended a have come in the final two story of the year, but other months of the year. based on weekly cases per socially distanced Jay School Board special meeting July 29 100,000 residents and aspects of the pandemic appear throughout the top 10. in the gym at East Jay Elementary School. The board modified 2. Schools shut down seven-day positivity rate. its reopening plan to comply with Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb’s Jay County’s case num - The remainder of our 2020 Students left school on March ber, which at one point list is as follows: executive order regarding masks and voted to delay the start 13 and never returned for the was near 1,000 per 100,000 2. Coronavirus pandemic of school until after Labor Day to allow staff to adjust to an remainder of the 2019-20 year. residents, dipped to 190. forces schools to close, delay expected increase in demand for the online-only option. Classes were held virtually, with start of 2020-21 year Its positivity rate, once Jay School Corporation taking 3. Jay County residents were advantage of a waiver from the above 20%, was down to murdered in three separate because of COVID-19 impact forces cancellation and modifica - state and holding classes on 9.4%. incidents local businesses tion of annual events alternating days. Jay County Butz expressed opti - 4. Police shooting results in 6. Bitter Ridge Wind Farm con - 8. High school sports spring High School’s prom was canceled mism but also caution Muncie man’s death, protests struction is completed and facili - season, other extracurriculars and Honors Day and graduation now that the county’s by family and friends ty goes online called off because of COVID-19 were held in a drive-in format. numbers have declined 5. State-mandated closures 7. Coronavirus pandemic 9. Arts Place begins construc - See Top page 5 for consecutive weeks. See Yellow page 8 Leonhard leaving By BAILEY CLINE The Commercial Review After two decades of county business, Mike Leonhard is leaving office. Long-time commissioner and From the landfill expansion to wind farm development, he’s council member has completed been there for it all. The 73-year-old previously his final term in public office served two terms as a Jay Coun - ty Commissioner from 1997 to 2004 and two-plus terms as a Jay County Council member Portland High School in 1966 Forge before starting as a con - from 2007 to 2016. Following a and served for two years over - tractor. The Commercial Review/Bailey Cline commissioners executive ses - seas in the Vietnam War. He In his roles in county govern - sion Wednesday, his final four- worked on a dairy farm, for ment, he liked to be present for Mike Leonhard, 73, is leaving public service after year term is over. Elkhart Products Corporation ongoing work. spending most of the last 25 years in elected office. Leonard graduated from in Geneva and at Portland See Leonhard page 8 Deaths Weather In review Correction Jay County had a high tem - Wednesday’s edition of perature of 46 degrees There will be no paper Fri - Back in the Saddle mentioned Wednesday. It was rainy day because of the New Year’s several Jay County residents Francis Shaw , 82, Win - throughout the day before Day holiday. who turned 100 this year. It chester shifting to snow, with up to a Saturday’s newspaper will noted that we lost Capi Bubp Jan Ingle , 69, rural Port - half-inch of accumulation as be printed as an afternoon edi - later in the year. land of 9 p.m. tion, with delivery no later We did not. Details on page 2. Today’s high will be 33 than 4 p.m. Capi is currently a resident under mostly cloudy skies. We will resume our regular at Miller’s Merry Manor in See page 2 for an extended publishing scheduled Tuesday. Dunkirk. She will celebrate outlook. her 101st birthday Jan. 27. The Commercial Review Page 2 Local Thursday, December 31, 2020 Obituaries Francis Shaw mond, Indiana, for 38½ years, brother-in-law, Annabelle and Jan Ingle There will be no funeral serv - retiring in 1995. Tom LaBoyteaux. ices. Sept. 23, 1938-Dec. 28, 2020 Sept. 19, 1951-Dec. 29, 2020 Francis enjoyed flying model There will be private family Baird-Freeman Funeral Francis James Shaw, 82, of Jan Ingle, age 69, of rural Winchester, passed away on airplanes, bowling in his services for Francis at 2 p.m., on Portland passed away Tuesday Home is in charge of arrange - Monday, Dec. 28, 2020. younger years, watching and Jan. 2, 2021, at Walker Funeral morning, Dec. 29, 2020, in ments. He was born on Sept. 23, attending NASCAR races Home, with Pastor Mark Hin - Albany Healthcare and Rehabil - Memorials may be given to 1938, in Carthage, Indiana, to cheering on his favorite Jeff shaw officiating. Burial with itation. the Humane Society of the Otis and Dorothy Gordon. He had a strong love military services will follow at Jan was born in Union City, donor's choice. (Duncan) Shaw. for airplanes and flying, taking Spartanburg Cemetery. Indiana, on Sept. 19, 1951, the Condolences may be Francis was a flying lessons and flying small The family would like to son of Donald W. and Doris M. expressed at bairdfreeman.com. 1956 graduate of planes. thank for their excellent care (Hawley) Ingle. He was married •••••••••• Greensfork High Francis is survived by his and compassion, State of the in 1983 to Julie Ayers, who sur - The Commercial Review pub - School. On Sept. wife, Shirley Kay Shaw; two Heart Hospice, Help at Home vives. lishes death notices for those 1, 1962, he mar - daughters, Amy Leann Shaw and Ascension St. Vincent Ran - He was owner of Ingle Realty with a connection to our cover - ried Shirley Kay of Winchester and Annette dolph Hospital, as well as Dr. Group in Portland and a 1969 age area free of charge. They Stuckey. From Renee Alexander (Jarrod) of Alison Syme. Portland High School graduate. include the name, city of resi - 1962 to 1964, he Shaw Portland; and several brothers Walker Funeral Home in Win - Surviving are his wife Julie; dence, birth/death date and served in the and sisters-in-law, nieces and chester is entrusted with the daughter Jessica Ingle, San time/date/location of services. United States Army where he nephews. arrangements. Jose, California; two sisters, There is a charge for obituar - was stationed in Regensburg, Francis was preceded in Condolences may be shared Kathy Garlinger of Portland ies, which are accepted only from Germany.