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

Metro-North's Failure To Fix Crossing Safety Key In Suit, Brody Lawyer Says Metro-North's Failure To Fix Crossing Safety Key In Suit, Brody Lawyer Says
Metro-North's Failure To Fix Crossing Safety Key In Suit, Brody Lawyer Says MOUNT PLEASANT, N.Y. -- The lawyer for Alan Brody of Edgemont, whose wife Ellen was killed Feb. 3 when her SUV was struck by a commuter train in Valhalla, said poor visibility is a key factor in proving liability. Attached to Brody's notice of claim, which was filed Monday, are exhibits citing federal regulations that required Metro-North to ensure safety at its Commerce Street crossing.  At least 34 parties filed notices of claim, the first step to initiate a lawsuit, by Monday's deadline, according to LoHud.com.  The wife of Eric Vandecar of Bedford Hills -- one of the five passeng…
Lowey, Lt. Gov. Hochul Call For Crackdown On College Campus Assaults Lowey, Lt. Gov. Hochul Call For Crackdown On College Campus Assaults
Lowey, Lt. Gov. Hochul Call For Crackdown On College Campus Assaults PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. -- Congresswoman Nita Lowey and Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul met with Pace University students and administrators on Tuesday to discuss proposed federal legislation that would toughen punishments when sexual assaults occur on college campuses. Lowey detailed legislation that she will co~sponsor  in Washington, D.C., to bolster Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s "Enough is Enough" campaign. "As a mother of three and grandmother of eight, I worry about this,'' Lowey said during Tuesday's round-table discussion at Pace. "And I have my first grandchild going off to college."  "Freedom and …
Rough Rides Abound After Brutal Winter Takes Toll On Westchester Roads Rough Rides Abound After Brutal Winter Takes Toll On Westchester Roads
Rough Rides Abound After Brutal Winter Takes Toll On Westchester Roads WESTCHESTER, N.Y. -- From Pound Ridge to Mount Vernon, and Pleasantville to Harrison, motorists do not have to travel far to find tire-damaging potholes. Daily Voice cruised local roadways throughout the county last week, and easily found many obvious culprits. Elected officials blame a harsh winter, and depleted public works budgets, for the slower-than-normal response to filling potholes. And sometimes, they blame the state for not fixing perpetually bumpy roads such as Route 120. Route 120 remains rough throughout the town of Harrison near Westchester County Airport. It's also pep…
Brody Family Sues Metro-North After Mother's Fatal Collision With Train Brody Family Sues Metro-North After Mother's Fatal Collision With Train
Brody Family Sues Metro-North After Mother's Fatal Collision With Train EDGEMONT, N.Y. -- The family of Ellen Brody, the 49-year-old woman whose collision with a commuter train on Feb. 3 resulted in the deadliest crash in Metro-North's history, filed a notice of claim to sue on Monday. The notice is the first step in initiating the lawsuit.  Philip Russotti, a Manhattan attorney  representing the Brody family from Edgemont, said in a statement, "This horrific accident was not the fault of Ellen Brody." It is at least the third lawsuit initiated after the crash between Brody's Mercedes SUV and the train, killing Brody and five male passengers. Brody's …
Taconic State Parkway Stretch In Putnam County Is A Very Rough Ride Taconic State Parkway Stretch In Putnam County Is A Very Rough Ride
Taconic State Parkway Stretch In Putnam County Is A Very Rough Ride CARMEL, N.Y. -- Putnam County roadways, for the most part, are relatively pothole-free.  But brace yourself for a very rough ride on the Taconic State Parkway when crossing through Putnam County -- in either direction. The surface of the parkway is pitted, uneven and has degraded significantly during the past month between Route 6 near the Shrub Oak/Mahopac exit all the way north past Fahnestock State Park in Carmel, right up to Putnam's border with Dutchess County near Interstate 84. State Department of Transportation crews weren't working on the Taconic's bumpy pavement on Friday a…
Voters Say Purchase Free Library Should Not Be Evicted From Community House Voters Say Purchase Free Library Should Not Be Evicted From Community House
Voters Say Purchase Free Library Should Not Be Evicted From Community House This story has been updated. PURCHASE, N.Y. -- Purchase Free Library will remain within its "home" of nearly 90 years following a vote of residents verified on Friday.. The vote of adults living within the Purchase Elementary School District was completed Wednesday during a meeting at Purchase Community House, 3095 Purchase St. Purchase Community Inc. (PCI) owns the building occupied by the library and serves as its landlord.  "It was a long night for everyone and the Inspector did not finish counting the ballots until (Friday) afternoon,'' according to James Kelly, director of Purch…
Park Experts, Police Discuss Deer Management During White Plains Forum Park Experts, Police Discuss Deer Management During White Plains Forum
Park Experts, Police Discuss Deer Management During White Plains Forum WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Public officials and residents heard a wide range of strategies for deer management on Thursday during a conference at the Westchester County Center. Options ranged from darts carrying contraceptives, as being tested in Hastings-on-Hudson, to bow hunters in county parks and in Pound Ridge, to sharpshooters hired by Vassar College in Poughkeepsie. Teatown Lake Reservation tried sharpshooters in the winter of 2014, killing 11 deer, and archers this past fall, when 35 deer were killed on the reserve's 800 acres in Ossining. Wildlife experts agreed it takes many yea…
Celebratory Reception For Rye Scholar-Athletes Set To Play College Sports Celebratory Reception For Rye Scholar-Athletes Set To Play College Sports
Celebratory Reception For Rye Scholar-Athletes Set To Play College Sports RYE, N.Y. -- Twenty-three Rye High School seniors who have committed to playing sports in college were recognized during an after-school reception on Wednesday. The graduating Garnets strolled out in their prospective college t-shirts and caps, thanking parents, teachers and coaches for their challenges and fond memories in Rye. The high school stars talked about their daily regimen, which included daily runs, swimming for five hours and waking to row at 4:45 a.m. -- well before sunrise. Rye Athletic Director Rob Castagna said, "The parent support is paramount." Hannah Krapes, who…
Developer Unveils Plan For Transformed United Hospital Site In Port Chester Developer Unveils Plan For Transformed United Hospital Site In Port Chester
Developer Unveils Plan For Transformed United Hospital Site In Port Chester PORT CHESTER, N.Y. -- A Greenwich, Conn., developer detailed plans Tuesday for the 15-acre site that has been idle for a decade after the closure of United Hospital. The first artists' renderings of a vision to transform the site were released late Tuesday by the Boston Post Road property owner and affiliates of Starwood Capital Group, a global real estate investment firm based in Greenwich. The renderings reveal a pedestrian-friendly rebirth of part of the village of Port Chester now dominated by traffic to/from Interstates 287 and 95 and local shopping plazas. Last week, Starwood r…
Westchester Business Developers, Officials Gather In Tarrytown Conference Westchester Business Developers, Officials Gather In Tarrytown Conference
Westchester Business Developers, Officials Gather In Tarrytown Conference TARRYTOWN, N.Y. -- At an economic conference on Tuesday, commercial developers and local officials agreed that Westchester must attract younger residents to remain vital 20 years from now. About 200 business leaders and elected officials heard survey results indicating that most young professionals aspire to own a home with a yard someday. While the county population is more diverse than 20 years ago, workers between the ages of 20 and 30 cannot afford to live here.  The discussion, sponsored by the Business Council of Westchester, was titled "Navigating Westchester: Threading the Needl…
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