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

White Plains Council Vote On French-American School Expected On Wednesday White Plains Council Vote On French-American School Expected On Wednesday
White Plains Council Vote On French-American School Expected On Wednesday This story has been updated. WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- After more than four years of public debate, White Plains Common Council plans to vote Wednesday on proposed construction of a private school on the former Ridgeway Country Club. The French-American School of New York, also known as FASNY, has revised its project several times since its original 2011 plan to persuade neighboring residents and the Common Council that a new school is preferable over alternative development options at the golf course. A "supermajority" of five yes votes is required by the seven-member council to approve…
Greenburgh Board Approves $1.5 Million Water Storage Tank Overhaul Greenburgh Board Approves $1.5 Million Water Storage Tank Overhaul
Greenburgh Board Approves $1.5 Million Water Storage Tank Overhaul GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- The Greenburgh Town Board held a special meeting Friday and unanimously approved a $1.5 million plan to rehabilitate the Glenville Water District storage tank. In the near future, Greenburgh Supervisor Paul Feiner said, "We will rehabilitate additional water tanks located around the town." "We're reviewing another contract to address other tanks,'' Feiner said on Friday."I anticipate extensive infrastructure work to take place in the coming years. . . .but don't have costs yet." A citizens advisory committee has been reviewing short-term and long-term water distri…
Kensico Dam Plaza India Festival Adds Star Pitcher To Sunday Lineup Kensico Dam Plaza India Festival Adds Star Pitcher To Sunday Lineup
Kensico Dam Plaza India Festival Adds Star Pitcher To Sunday Lineup VALHALLA, N.Y. -- A rising star pitcher from Westchester County will be honored on Sunday during the 16th annual Heritage of India Festival at Kensico Dam Plaza. Kumar Nambiar, a 2015 graduate of Mamaroneck High School, is the first Indian-American student athlete named Class AA State Player of the Year by the New York State Sports Writers Association. The Indian American Cultural Association of Westchester (IACAW) is holding Sunday's festival from 12:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. as reported here by Daily Voice. Nambiar was a key player who helped the Tigers' win the Class AA State Champions…
White Plains, Greenburgh Pools Will Stay Open Longer Throughout Heat Wave White Plains, Greenburgh Pools Will Stay Open Longer Throughout Heat Wave
White Plains, Greenburgh Pools Will Stay Open Longer Throughout Heat Wave This story has been updated. WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- White Plains residents can enjoy the cool of two city pools an extra hour this weekend when temperatures are expected to hover in the 90s. The Town of Greenburgh also announced extended hours during the heat wave at Massaro Pool in North Elmsford. White Plains' newly-renovated Kittrell Pool will stay open an extra hour, to 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Kittrell Pool is located at the corner of Fisher Avenue and Irving Place. Its entrance is on Fisher Avenue. Gardella Pool will stay open an extra hour, to 7:30 p.m., on Saturday. Gardella Po…
White Plains Police Investigating Assault That Left Man Unconscious White Plains Police Investigating Assault That Left Man Unconscious
White Plains Police Investigating Assault That Left Man Unconscious WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Police are investigating an assault on a 36-year-old White Plains man Friday night that sent him to the hospital. Martin Corona Garcia of Van Wart Avenue was found by passersby lying unconscious on the sidewalk at 92 West Post Road, White Plains.  Garcia told White Plains police that he was approached from behind by two males who began punching and kicking him, knocking him to the ground.  Garcia was taken to Westchester Medical Center where he was treated for a broken nose and bruises to his face and eyes, police said.  The suspects ran east on Post Road tow…
Three White Plains Businesses Fined By State Liquor Authority Three White Plains Businesses Fined By State Liquor Authority
Three White Plains Businesses Fined By State Liquor Authority WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. -- Ten businesses in Westchester County were fined $46,500 this month for alleged violations of their state liquor licenses. The largest local fine levied by the State Liquor Authority (SLA) this month was for $10,000 against Executive Billiards Inc. at 109 Mamaroneck Ave. in White Plains following a fight on Jan. 18 and selling alcohol to minors on Feb. 7. Last year, Executive Billiards was fined $7,500, also for selling to minors, according to the SLA. Black Bear Saloon at 166 Mamaroneck Ave., also in White Plains, was fined $9,500 for several violations inclu…
'Go Set A Watchman' Breaks Westchester Library System 'Holds' Record 'Go Set A Watchman' Breaks Westchester Library System 'Holds' Record
'Go Set A Watchman' Breaks Westchester Library System 'Holds' Record This story has been updated. WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- "Go Set A Watchman,'' Harper Lee's original version of her bestselling book "To Kill A Mockingbird" has broken all-time records for most holds by public readers, according to the Westchester Library System. On Tuesday, the county's system, which includes 38 member libraries, reported 602 holds on its 238 hardcover and paperback copies of "Watchman."  There were 136 holds on 40 large print copies of "Go Set A Watchman."   There were 49 holds on 27 CD versions of "Watchman," and 80 holds on 14 eAudiobook formats for MP3 players and …
'Herb' From Hawthorne Reflects On Transition To Teaching As 'Kerri' In N.J. 'Herb' From Hawthorne Reflects On Transition To Teaching As 'Kerri' In N.J.
'Herb' From Hawthorne Reflects On Transition To Teaching As 'Kerri' In N.J. HAWTHORNE, N.Y. -- For Kerri Nicole McCaffrey, media attention to Bruce Jenner's transition to Caitlyn has been a blessing and a curse. McCaffrey, 51, grew up in Hawthorne, not far from Jenner's early stomping grounds in Sleepy Hollow. As a former assistant high school track and swim team coach while teaching at a New Jersey high school, "Herb" McCaffrey made waves when his sex change to "Kerri" became public a decade ago. Westchester's historic sites and literature made it a wonderful place to grow up despite getting bullied for wearing nail polish and bracelets at Hawthorne Elementary…
Rye Police Report Rise In Thefts From Parked Vehicles Rye Police Report Rise In Thefts From Parked Vehicles
Rye Police Report Rise In Thefts From Parked Vehicles RYE, N.Y. -- There has been an increased number of reports of larcenies from vehicles during the past week in the City of Rye, police said on Monday. Lt. Scott Craig, a spokesman for the Rye Police Department, advised residents and shoppers not to leave valuables in parked cars and to make sure to lock them.  
White Plains Little League Baseball Teams Advance To State Playoffs White Plains Little League Baseball Teams Advance To State Playoffs
White Plains Little League Baseball Teams Advance To State Playoffs This story has been updated. WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- A pair of White Plains Little League baseball teams advanced to State Tournament playoff games this week. Three White Plains boys' baseball teams and a girls' softball team had a great summer run this season. They took home Division 20 Championship titles in the 9- and 10-year-old softball division, 11 and under baseball division, 12 and under baseball division and the Junior Division. On Monday, the 11U baseball team went on to win the Section 3 North Championship title with a 7-1 victory over Pine Bush at Piccoli Field in Elmsford.…
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