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

D'Agostino Supermarket, Anchor At Rye Ridge Shopping Center, Closes D'Agostino Supermarket, Anchor At Rye Ridge Shopping Center, Closes
D'Agostino Supermarket, Anchor At Rye Ridge Shopping Center, Closes RYE BROOK, N.Y. -- D’Agostino Supermarket, an anchor at the popular Rye Ridge Shopping Center, abruptly closed its only Westchester store this past weekend without notifying the property management company. On Monday, signs outside the store declared "Closed For Remodel."  An employee answering the phone at D'Agostino's corporate headquarters in Larchmont said the closing is not permanent. She would not elaborate or answer other questions. As D'Agostino employees showed up for work at the Rye Brook Market on Monday afternoon, they also were caught by surprise. "I'm just finding ou…
Rye High School Lip Dubs 'Uptown Funk,' Annual Senior Tradition Rye High School Lip Dubs 'Uptown Funk,' Annual Senior Tradition
Rye High School Lip Dubs 'Uptown Funk,' Annual Senior Tradition RYE, N.Y. -- More than 200 students and staff from the Rye City School District got together for producer Judd Rothstein's final Rye High School Lip Dub.   It's become an annual tradition for graduating seniors at RHS. This year, a big dance number is on tap to start the video and stalwarts Connor Dowling and John Murolo are nervous that they won't get the call. With a little help from a legendary coach, they do just fine and start off this year's senior send-off video: Bruno Mars' "Uptown Funk." Watch all the way through for a great finale, a final goodbye and some bloopers. R…
Dobbs Ferry Has High Hopes For Its 119 High School Grads Dobbs Ferry Has High Hopes For Its 119 High School Grads
Dobbs Ferry Has High Hopes For Its 119 High School Grads DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. -- Class of 2015 graduates of Dobbs Ferry High School heard about success and happiness on Saturday before stepping forward for 119 diplomas. High School Principal John Falino said, "I'm so proud of all of you and what you have accomplished as students and citizens. . . . This class will always hold a special place for me." Falino noted that 36 of Saturday's 119 graduates received full International Baccalaureate diplomas -- an all-time high for Dobbs Ferry -- and 50 graduates received Advanced Regents diplomas. Falino said every single senior took at least one IB clas…
Three Harrison Police Officers Among 53 Newest Graduates Of County Academy Three Harrison Police Officers Among 53 Newest Graduates Of County Academy
Three Harrison Police Officers Among 53 Newest Graduates Of County Academy PURCHASE, N.Y. -- Fifty-three proud officers strutted across the stage on Friday as the newest graduates of the Westchester County Police Academy. Hundreds of family members, many of them active or retired from law enforcement careers, stood and cheered as their loved ones' names were called during a ceremony at SUNY Purchase. "You can hoot and holler all you want,'' Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino told the audience.  The 139th graduating class involved 13 Westchester County police departments, as well as recruits destined for the Putnam County Sheriff's Department and Rock…
Putnam County Sheriff's Deputy Among 53 Newest Graduates At Police Academy Putnam County Sheriff's Deputy Among 53 Newest Graduates At Police Academy
Putnam County Sheriff's Deputy Among 53 Newest Graduates At Police Academy PURCHASE, N.Y. -- A new Putnam County sheriff's deputy was among the 53 proud law enforcement officers to strut across the stage on Friday as a graduate of the Westchester County Police Academy. Hundreds of family members, many of them active or retired from law enforcement careers, stood and cheered as their loved ones' names were called during a ceremony at SUNY Purchase. "You can hoot and holler all you want,'' Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino told the audience.  Joseph Sadowski received a training certificate as the latest officer hired by the Putnam County Sheriff's Dep…
Funeral Service On Friday In Larchmont For Elizabeth 'Dibby' Purves, 83 Funeral Service On Friday In Larchmont For Elizabeth 'Dibby' Purves, 83
Funeral Service On Friday In Larchmont For Elizabeth 'Dibby' Purves, 83 LARCHMONT, N.Y. -- Funeral services are set for Friday for Elizabeth "Dibby" Purves, 83, a former longtime resident of Larchmont. Mrs. Purves died peacefully on Tuesday at her home in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. Friday's service begins at noon at St. John's Episcopal Church, 4 Fountain Square in Larchmont. Dibby Purves, originally from Grand Rapids, Mich., moved to Larchmont with her husband, Ned, in 1962 where they lived until 2005. Mrs. Purves was a graduate of the University of Michigan and a talented artist. She worked for many year as a sculptor, then later as a lands…
Mamaroneck Baseball Team, Tennis Players Honored As State Champions Mamaroneck Baseball Team, Tennis Players Honored As State Champions
Mamaroneck Baseball Team, Tennis Players Honored As State Champions This story has been updated. MAMARONECK, N.Y. -- The Mamaroneck Board of Education recognized the Mamaroneck High School varsity baseball team and a pair of tennis doubles players on Tuesday night for winning state championships. The baseball team won its third Class AA state title in eight years on Saturday with a 9-2 win over Saratoga Springs. Hope and Courage Crawford became State doubles champions in tennis on May 30. On Thursday, Tiger baseball team captains -- pitcher Kumar Nambiar, Andrew Sommer, Anthony Pecora and Jason Kreinces -- have been invited to appear on the next c…
Rye City School District Appoints Rod Mergardt Interim Athletic Director Rye City School District Appoints Rod Mergardt Interim Athletic Director
Rye City School District Appoints Rod Mergardt Interim Athletic Director RYE, N.Y. -- The Rye City School District has hired Gerard “Rod” Mergardt as its interim director of physical education, health and athletics while searching for a permanent director.   Mergardt was appointed on Tuesday night by the Rye Board of Education and will begin work on July 1. Mergardt has served as an interim athletic director for four school districts in Westchester County as well as one in Connecticut since retiring in 1996 after 26 years working as athletic director for the Bedford Central School District. Mergardt succeeds Rob Castagna of Ridgefield, Conn., who is leavi…
Harrison Police Arrest Georgia Suspect In Elaborate Phone Scam Harrison Police Arrest Georgia Suspect In Elaborate Phone Scam
Harrison Police Arrest Georgia Suspect In Elaborate Phone Scam HARRISON, N.Y. -- Harrison police investigators arrested a telephone scam suspect in Georgia, a department spokeswoman said Tuesday. A two-month investigation resulted in the arrest of Enoch Sarkodie, 29, of Marietta, Ga., according to police. The investigation began when a police officer was dispatched to the home of a Harrison senior citizen on a larceny complaint.  The victim, a 90-year-old female, reported receiving several phone calls from a male caller who said his name was Mark Freedman. The caller said he was a lawyer representing the victim’s granddaughter, who had just been…
Legislators, Astorino Pleased With Playland Management Deal Legislators, Astorino Pleased With Playland Management Deal
Legislators, Astorino Pleased With Playland Management Deal RYE, N.Y. -- Monday's vote to approve a private management contract to operate Playland Amusement Park through 2030 attracted near unanimous praise from Westchester County legislators. By a 17-0 vote, the Board of Legislators OK'd County Executive Rob Astorino’s agreement with Standard Amusements for the management of Playland. Standard Amusements will invest $25 million into Playland's revitalization over the next five years, shoring up the future of the county-owned park in Rye. “This deal meets our three goals for preserving Playland by reversing the losses for taxpayers, putting the…
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