Jon Craig

Reporter

jon.craig@dailyvoice.com

Pleasantville native Jon Craig is special editor for the Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, Orange and Dutchess Daily Voice sites. He is also the primary reporter for Daily Voice Plus Politics in Westchester and Fairfield.

Jon graduated from Cornell University and received his master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University. Across a 35-year career, he's worked as a reporter for daily newspapers in Chicago, New York, Ohio & Washington, D.C and as managing editor for weekly newspapers in Rye, White Plains and Harrison.

Jon also writes periodically for the Cornell Chronicle.

Career Highlights:

  • Covered Metro-North train wreck that killed a motorist and five commuters, 2015
  • Researched state investigative project for PublicIntegrity.org, 2011-12
  • National MADD award for database analysis of repeat drunk drivers in Ohio, 2008.
  • Henry F. Guggenheim Fellow, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, 2010.
  • Sentenced to jail for protecting confidential sources (won on appeal), 1999.
  • Broke 30th anniversary story about Kent State shootings — using FBI records, resurrecting theory a student informant triggered fatal National Guard volley, May 2000.
  • Covered Ground Zero after Sept. 11, 2001, terrorism attacks.
  • Uncovered voting problems before & during presidential recount in Ohio, 2004.
  • Witnessed botched Death Row execution of Romell Broom in 2009, one of more than a dozen I covered; Wrote about three inmates whose death sentences were commuted to life without parole.
  • Won IRE, SDX and multiple national & state awards for series led by Erik Kriss investigating New York General Assembly. 1994.
  • Guest lecturer at universities in NY & Ohio. Taught Syracuse high school journalism class.
  • Co-authored IRE-award winning series on illegal restraints/beatings at juvenile detention centers. Gov. Mario Cuomo had NY inspector general confirm what Hart Seely and I found at Division for Youth & fired top directors, 1993.
  • Survived Air Force Kool School training at North Pole, 1996.
  • Covered Persian Gulf wars, including 2002 bomb missions from Turkey and stateside Army/Air Guard training. 1991.
  • Supervised overnight coverage of Pan Am Flight 103 after Libyan bomb killed 35 Syracuse University students over Lockerbie, Scotland, 1988.
  • Covered aftermath of John F. Kennedy Jr.'s fatal plane crash from Cape Cod, 1999.
  • Greeted Kurt Vonnegut Jr. as Cornell Sun sports editor during daily's 100th anniversary dinner in May 1980. 

Jon Craig's Contributions

Railroad Lawsuits Cite Many Culprits A Year After Fatal Westchester Crash Railroad Lawsuits Cite Many Culprits A Year After Fatal Westchester Crash
Railroad Lawsuits Cite Many Culprits A Year After Fatal Westchester Crash VALHALLA, N.Y. -- About three dozen legal actions were initiated in the year following the deadliest train crash in Metro-North history. They may never conclude who was to blame for the Feb. 3, 2015, accident that killed a motorist from Edgemont and five commuters. But the litigation shares a common theme: That the accident was preventable and that it should not be allowed to happen again. Two public agencies sharing the bulk of the blame for failing to make physical and safety equipment changes at Commerce Street in Valhalla are the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs Metro-No…
Widower Of Metro-North Crash Victim Says She Gave Family Strength, Courage Widower Of Metro-North Crash Victim Says She Gave Family Strength, Courage
Widower Of Metro-North Crash Victim Says She Gave Family Strength, Courage EDGEMONT, N.Y. -- The husband of Edgemont resident Ellen Brody, who was killed a year ago when her Mercedes SUV collided with a Metro-North train, told Daily Voice he and their daughters have been able to move forward because of her larger-than-life presence. "We can live as if she's among us,'' Alan Brody said. "Not without pain, that's for sure, but we can go forward. "My wife was a wonderful person,'' Brody said. "My wife was a joy to anyone who knew her." "My wife was heroic,'' Brody added, noting that she would have helped rescue commuters from the train …
Metro-North Details Actions Taken To Improve Safety At Railroad Crossings Metro-North Details Actions Taken To Improve Safety At Railroad Crossings
Metro-North Details Actions Taken To Improve Safety At Railroad Crossings This story has been updated. VALHALLA, N.Y. -- With the one-year anniversary of the deadliest train crash in Metro-North history on Wednesday, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Monday released a detailed list of plans for improving safety at its railroad crossings. Aaron Donovan, a spokesman for Metro-North, said, "Railroad crossing safety is often discussed in terms of the three "E"s: Education, Enforcement and Engineering. We are focusing on all three." In June, Metro-North announced a new partnership with Operation Lifesaver to better achieve public educat…
Rail Safety On Metro-North Commuter Lines, One Year After Fatal Crash Rail Safety On Metro-North Commuter Lines, One Year After Fatal Crash
Rail Safety On Metro-North Commuter Lines, One Year After Fatal Crash VALHALLA, N.Y. -- A year after the deadliest railroad crash in Metro-North history, local congressmen and the head of the Federal Railroad Administration promised life-saving changes at crossings in the Hudson Valley. During a conference call with reporters on Monday, U.S. Reps. Nita Lowey and Sean Patrick Maloney said federal aid and loans were approved to physically improve grade crossings as well as upgrade technology. Lowey, D-Harrison, said: "We absolutely must improve the safety of rail crossings in our communities. . . . This is just the beginning of our work." On Feb. 3, …
Deadliest Metro-North Crash Claimed, Changed Lives, But Crossing Unchanged Deadliest Metro-North Crash Claimed, Changed Lives, But Crossing Unchanged
Deadliest Metro-North Crash Claimed, Changed Lives, But Crossing Unchanged VALHALLA, N.Y. -- A year ago on Wednesday at a Westchester railroad crossing, a few fateful minutes changed the lives of hundreds of Metro-North commuters and ended with six people dead. Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino called it "a day we never want to deal with."  Ellen Brody, 49, of Edgemont had left her job in Chappaqua before encountering a traffic jam along the Taconic State Parkway in Mount Pleasant that followed a head-on collision. Brody was unfamiliar with the dark, narrow roads that crisscross the Taconic and railroad tracks in Valhalla. As bumper-to-bumper tr…
Police Make Arrest In Westchester In Telephone 'Phishing' Scam Police Make Arrest In Westchester In Telephone 'Phishing' Scam
Police Make Arrest In Westchester In Telephone 'Phishing' Scam RYE, N.Y. -- A 52-year-old Bronx man was arrested by City of Rye police on Wednesday while attempting to withdraw money from someone else's account at a Wells Fargo Ban Raul L. Coballes was charged by Rye police with: second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, second-degree criminal impersonation and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. Rye police said that ab about 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Coballes presented fraudulent ID pretending to be another individual at Wells Fargo Bank in the City of Rye. According to police, Coballes attempted to withdraw mon…
Dutchess County Accountant Claims $5 Million State Lottery Prize Dutchess County Accountant Claims $5 Million State Lottery Prize
Dutchess County Accountant Claims $5 Million State Lottery Prize SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – Dutchess County has a new multimillionaire, thanks to a scratch-off state Lottery ticket purchased in Rhinebeck earlier this month. According to the New York Lottery, Catherine Sakal, an accountant, became the state Lottery's first millionaire of 2016. Sakal won the $5 million top prize on the Cash X100 scratch-off ticket which she purchased in Rhinebeck. Sakal chose to receive her prize as a one-time lump sum payment totaling $3,309,000 after required withholdings. She was presented her ceremonial prize check by Yolanda Vega on the stage that made the Lottery personali…
Rye Firefighters Respond To Gas Leak At Elementary School Rye Firefighters Respond To Gas Leak At Elementary School
Rye Firefighters Respond To Gas Leak At Elementary School RYE, N.Y. -- Firefighters responded to Milton Elementary School in Rye on Wednesday morning after a report of a gas odor. Sarah Derman, a school district spokeswoman, said a minor leak from an oven in school's cafeteria was suspected. The school is located off of Milton Avenue. Derman said Milton students were evacuated outside for about 20 minutes along Hewlett Avenue. No one was hurt and classes resumed by 11 a.m., officials said. Rye City Schools Superintendent Frank Alvarez sent this notice to parents on Wednesday: "As you know, Milton School has been evacuated briefly twice in …
No Trace Of Richard Gere During Hudson River Movie Shoot No Trace Of Richard Gere During Hudson River Movie Shoot
No Trace Of Richard Gere During Hudson River Movie Shoot DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. -- There were plenty of rubberneckers and passersby during Tuesday's Hollywood film shoot along Cedar Street.  But there was no sign of Richard Gere -- who is starring in the "The Dinner"-- during Tuesday's afternoon takes in downtown Dobbs Ferry. Studio trucks lined the street that overlooks the Hudson River, and most of the action was taking place inside a tobacco store. Gere, who resides in Pound Ridge, may turn up yet. Crew members said additional filming is planned on Rochambeau Avenue, also in the village of Dobbs Ferry. In addition to Gere, the film star…
Police Investigate Robbery Attempt At Chase Bank In Thornwood Police Investigate Robbery Attempt At Chase Bank In Thornwood
Police Investigate Robbery Attempt At Chase Bank In Thornwood THORNWOOD, N.Y. -- Mount Pleasant police are investigating an attempted robbery at the Chase Bank at 10 Marble Ave. in Thornwood. No money was taken in the attempt that occurred late Tuesday afternoon. The same bank branch was robbed on Dec. 18 by someone who fled on foot. After Tuesday's attempted robbery, police were looking for a gray Chevy. New Castle Police announced that a robbery was reported on Friday at the Chase bank branch in Millwood, the second to have occurred at the branch in less than two months. For more, click here. Return to Daily Voice for updates.
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