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Jon Craig

Reporter

jon.craig@dailyvoice.com

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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

Politics
Legislators Narrowly Approve Westchester County Budget Legislators Narrowly Approve Westchester County Budget
Legislators Narrowly Approve Westchester County Budget WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- For a sixth straight year, the Westchester County Board of Legislators approved County Executive Rob Astorino's annual budget without raising property taxes. By a 10-7 vote on Monday, county legislators passed the $1.8 billion budget for 2016.  All eight Republican legislators were joined by two Democrats to OK Astorino's spending plan.  Astorino, a Republican, proposed laying 25 county employees off. Under a compromise with the county executive, legislators reduced the number of layoffs to six. In a prepared statement, Astorino said, "We worked out our differen…

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by Jon Craig
News
State Finds No Violation After Dog Caught In Beaver Trap Along Hudson River State Finds No Violation After Dog Caught In Beaver Trap Along Hudson River
State Finds No Violation After Dog Caught In Beaver Trap Along Hudson River POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. -- The state Department of Environmental Conservation has recovered the beaver trap that snagged a dog near a Hudson River trail. But after an investigation, no tickets were issued or violations identified, a DEC spokeswoman said on Thursday. Locust Grove Estate, which operates a non-profit museum off Route 9 in the Town of Poughkeepsie, has reportedly ceased trapping near popular walking trails after the Nov. 26 incident reported here by Daily Voice. A 4-year-old Siberian husky named Neve got stuck in a spring-loaded trap, but recovered after suffering a minor bruise to…

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by Jon Craig
Events
Scotch Tasting Fundraiser For Friends Of Parks At Kensico Dam Festival Scotch Tasting Fundraiser For Friends Of Parks At Kensico Dam Festival
Scotch Tasting Fundraiser For Friends Of Parks At Kensico Dam Festival VALHALLA, N.Y. -- It may not feel like winter, but Westchester County's Winter Wonderland is open at Kensico Dam Plaza. A Scotch tasting fundraiser is being offered on Friday and Saturday evenings as part of this weekend's festivities. The Scotch Tasting is co-hosted by Family Financial NY and Friends of Westchester County Parks on Friday and Saturday, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Held in a VIP tent on the plaza, attendees can learn the unique differences and tastes of single malt Scotches including a Scotch Brand Ambassador, Glenfiddich and a Balvenie. (more details listed below.) Snacks of as…

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Dutchess County Man Charged With Burglary Dutchess County Man Charged With Burglary
Dutchess County Man Charged With Burglary POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. -- A 37-year-old Hyde Park man has been arrested in connection with a recent burglary in the Town of Poughkeepsie, according to the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office. Brian L. Decker was charged with breaking into a home on or about Dec. 1, according to the county sheriff. The burglary was reported to the sheriff’s office by the victim, and after a week-long investigation by its Detective Bureau, Decker was taken into custody on Thursday. He was charged with one count of second-degree burglary, a felony, according to a press release. Decker is accused of burglarizing the…

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by Jon Craig
Real Estate
The Waterfront At Port Chester Retains Toronto Firm As Retail Leasing Agent The Waterfront At Port Chester Retains Toronto Firm As Retail Leasing Agent
The Waterfront At Port Chester Retains Toronto Firm As Retail Leasing Agent PORT CHESTER, N.Y. -- Avison Young, the world’s fastest-growing commercial real estate services firm, has been retained by G&S Investors to serve as exclusive leasing agent and property manager for The Waterfront at Port Chester. The 500,000-square-foot shopping center is located on 20 acres of land near New York's border with Greenwich, Conn.  With more than 2,200 on-site parking spaces, it offers a wide range of national tenants including Stop & Shop, Marshalls, Walgreens, Costco and Bed Bath & Beyond. A 14-screen Loews Cinema also is located on the property adjacent to the en…

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by Daily Voice
Police & Fire
Hudson Valley Receives More Than $1.2 Million In Homeland Security Grants Hudson Valley Receives More Than $1.2 Million In Homeland Security Grants
Hudson Valley Receives More Than $1.2 Million In Homeland Security Grants Gov. Andrew Cuomo, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and members of New York's congressional delegation announced on Wednesday that $4.5 million in federal grants have been awarded to municipalities to support homeland security efforts. The grants are aimed at strengthening anti-terrorism programs, emergency preparedness and critical infrastructure protections. More than $1.2 million in grants were awarded in the Hudson Valley region including communities in Dutchess, Putnam, Orange, Rockland and Westchester counties. "We know all too well the threat posed by terrorism and recent events ha…

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Westchester Water Works Employees Exposed To Chemicals, Hospitalized Westchester Water Works Employees Exposed To Chemicals, Hospitalized
Westchester Water Works Employees Exposed To Chemicals, Hospitalized This story has been updated. LARCHMONT, N.Y. -- Two Westchester Joint Water Works employees were taken to the hospital on Wednesday morning after they complained of chemical irritation to their eyes. Town of Mamaroneck police said the workers were transported to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla about 10:30 a.m. after a chemical leaked from equipment at a Joint Water Works substation at 687 Weaver St. in Larchmont. David Birdsall, business director for Westchester Joint Water Works, said a small amount of sodium hydroxide -- commonly used to adjust pH while treating drinking water -- …

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by Jon Craig
Schools
White Plains High Seniors Receive 'Youth Of The Year' Awards White Plains High Seniors Receive 'Youth Of The Year' Awards
White Plains High Seniors Receive 'Youth Of The Year' Awards WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Mayor Tom Roach presented two "youth of the year" awards at Monday night's Common Council meeting. This year's recipients are White Plains High School seniors Brian Gomez and Jacqueline Rayo. Gomez is an outstanding young man who is driven to excellence, according to his nomination. Rayo, also known as Jackie, "is ambitious to help change the world we live in," according to her nomination. "Brian came into my office at White Plains High School as a sophomore looking for employment and some community service projects," Janet Spencer, a yo…

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by Jon Craig
Events
YWCA's 'State Of Women Of Color' Conference Standing Room Only YWCA's 'State Of Women Of Color' Conference Standing Room Only
YWCA's 'State Of Women Of Color' Conference Standing Room Only WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- If you were planning to show up at Thursday's "State of Women of Color" event without an RSVP, it's too late. All seats are taken for the annual Human Rights event sponsored by the YWCA of White Plains and Central Westchester. The panel discussion at 515 North Street will focus on the accomplishments and challenges of women of color primarily in areas of education, economics, and health.  By the year 2050, women of color will constitute 53 percent of all women in the United States, yet they continue to be marginalized, according to a YWCA USA 2015 report on …

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by Jon Craig
Sports
Holy Child Kicks Off Basketball Season In New Gymnasium Holy Child Kicks Off Basketball Season In New Gymnasium
Holy Child Kicks Off Basketball Season In New Gymnasium HARRISON, N.Y. -- School of the Holy Child kicked off its 2015 basketball season in a new, state-of-the-art Kelly Gymnasium with a win for the varsity team.  The Gryphons played a very exciting, hard fought contest against last season's state finalist Poly Prep School and walked away with a 36-34 victory. Festivities in The Kelly Gymnasium began with an Upper School pep rally, including the first, official shot in the gym taken by Hannah Cleary '18.  Harrison Supervisor/Mayor Ronald Belmont and Julian Killian, a City of Rye councilwoman, former school trustee and parent of a Holy Child gra…

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by Jon Craig
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