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

Robber Walks Off With $90,000 From White Plains Gas Station, Police Say Robber Walks Off With $90,000 From White Plains Gas Station, Police Say
Robber Walks Off With $90,000 From White Plains Gas Station, Police Say WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Police released a security video of a suspect in a theft of $90,000 from an unlocked safe at USA gas station in White Plains on Wednesday, March 18. Lt. Eric Fischer, a spokesman for the White Plains Police Department, said the theft occurred about 9:13 a.m. at 578 Mamaroneck Ave. Fischer said the safe was located in the gas station's office. Anyone with information is asked to call White Plains detectives at 914-422-6200 or 914-422-6223. All calls will be kept confidential.     
Rye Police Make Arrest In High School Bomb Threats Rye Police Make Arrest In High School Bomb Threats
Rye Police Make Arrest In High School Bomb Threats RYE, N.Y. -- Rye police made an arrest on Monday of a suspect in a series of bomb threats at Rye High School and Middle School. The first threat came Oct. 21, 2014, with a message scribbled on a bathroom wall.  A phone threat evacuated the school on Dec. 19, 2014, and canceled a basketball game in the high school gymnasium. A third threat was made on Jan. 9 by email and a fourth on March 9, again by a message on a second floor boys' bathroom wall.  The Westchester County District Attorney's office confirmed Monday's arrest by Rye police and said they will prosecute the case.The FB…
Wearing Of The Green Brought Smiles, Cheers On Sunday In Mamaroneck Wearing Of The Green Brought Smiles, Cheers On Sunday In Mamaroneck
Wearing Of The Green Brought Smiles, Cheers On Sunday In Mamaroneck MAMARONECK, N.Y. -- Sunday's 22nd annual St. Patrick's Day Parade was a smashing success in Mamaroneck, as captured by these photographs courtesy of Megan McCarthy. The cover photo shows the Mamaroneck High School baseball team with head coach Michael Chiapperelli.  For more Daily Voice coverage including photos of the parade along Mamaroneck Avenue, go here:  
Performance Of Port Chester HS's 'Rent' Postponed Due To Snow Performance Of Port Chester HS's 'Rent' Postponed Due To Snow
Performance Of Port Chester HS's 'Rent' Postponed Due To Snow PORT CHESTER, N.Y. -- An additional performance of "Rent,'' a three-night musical production by the Port Chester High School Drama Club, has been rescheduled for Sunday at 7 p.m. after Friday night's show was canceled due to snow. There also is a Saturday performance at 7:30 p.m. The Tony Award-winning musical had its debut at Port Chester High School on Thursday evening. The show is directed by Devon James and produced by Josh Tenzer, drama coach and special education mathematics teacher at Port Chester High. Twenty-six Port Chester students have key roles in the production, whic…
Port Chester Police Charge Two During Alleged Heroin Deal Port Chester Police Charge Two During Alleged Heroin Deal
Port Chester Police Charge Two During Alleged Heroin Deal PORT CHESTER, N.Y. -- A pair of out-of-town men were arrested Wednesday during a suspected heroin deal, Port Chester police said Friday. Village police disrupted a drug transaction in progress on North Main Street about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. Members of the department's Narcotics Squad were conducting surveillance in the area when they observed one man seated in a car hand a second man who was walking on foot, 30 small bags containing what was later determined to be heroin.   With assistance from Port Chester's Patrol Division, police stopped and detained both men.   Subsequent inve…
Twelfth Night Won't Go On Tonight; Snow Turns Play Into Saturday Matinee Twelfth Night Won't Go On Tonight; Snow Turns Play Into Saturday Matinee
Twelfth Night Won't Go On Tonight; Snow Turns Play Into Saturday Matinee This story has been updated. MAMARONECK, N.Y. -- Despite Friday's predicted snowfall and early dismissal, the Mamaroneck Shakespeare show must go on. Due to anticipated inclement weather, Friday evening’s Shakespeare Festival performance of Twelfth Night has been rescheduled for Saturday, March 21 at noon, according to Mamaroneck High School officials. ORIGINAL STORY: Beware the ides of March.  Whether or not you recall the origin of that famous phrase, it's time to head over to Hommocks Middle School where Mamaroneck High's Shakespeare Festival opened on Tuesday March 17. T…
Larchmont Selects Winning Logo For Village's 125th Anniversary Celebration Larchmont Selects Winning Logo For Village's 125th Anniversary Celebration
Larchmont Selects Winning Logo For Village's 125th Anniversary Celebration LARCHMONT, N.Y. -- A colorful design depicting Larchmont's waterfront gazebo was selected as the winner from more than 30 entries in a 125th anniversary village logo contest. "Today is a fantastic start to what will be a fantastic celebration of Larchmont's 125th birthday,'' said Mayor Anne McAndrews. "This is so pleasant to have a cheerful group in this room." In January, village officials detailed plans for a yearlong celebration of Larchmont's 125th anniversary of incorporation -- which is officially on Sept. 22, 2016. The winning logo was designed by Sue Girardi-Sweeney, a villag…
Mamaroneck Middle School Cafeteria Worker Contracts Hepatitis A Mamaroneck Middle School Cafeteria Worker Contracts Hepatitis A
Mamaroneck Middle School Cafeteria Worker Contracts Hepatitis A MAMARONECK, N.Y. -- Mamaroneck school officials warned parents on Wednesday that a Hommocks Middle School cafeteria worker has been diagnosed with Hepatitis A and is recovering. According to a letter posted on the school district website by Superintendent Robert Shaps, the Westchester County Department of Health informed the Mamaroneck Union Free School District on Wednesday that the cafeteria worker, employed by Aramark Food Service,  had Hepatitis A. "Westchester County Health Commissioner Sherlita Amler, MD, has assured us that it is unlikely that anyone at the school would become il…
Pilla Regains Seat As Port Chester Mayor In Close Win Over Ceccarelli Pilla Regains Seat As Port Chester Mayor In Close Win Over Ceccarelli
Pilla Regains Seat As Port Chester Mayor In Close Win Over Ceccarelli PORT CHESTER, N.Y. -- Former Mayor Dennis Pilla regained a seat he lost in 2013 on Wednesday, in a narrow victory over village Trustee Gene Ceccarelli. Unofficial returns from the Port Chester Village Clerk's Office put Pilla ahead of Ceccarelli by 1,213 votes to 1,115. "I can hit the ground running,'' Pilla said after his apparent win, saying he wants to develop a 100-day plan of action with the Port Chester Board of Trustees. "I'm going to load up the bases with some quick hits in the first 100 days to have an immediate impact." Port Chester's two mayoral candidates differed the mo…
Village Mayor Reelected With Three Trustees From 'Unite Sleepy Hollow' Line Village Mayor Reelected With Three Trustees From 'Unite Sleepy Hollow' Line
Village Mayor Reelected With Three Trustees From 'Unite Sleepy Hollow' Line SLEEPY HOLLOW, N.Y. -- Incumbent Mayor Ken Wray outran seven-year village Trustee Karin Wompa on Wednesday, taking about 68 percent of the unofficial votes, according to the Westchester County Board of Elections. Wray's unofficial lead was 882 to 418 votes late Wednesday. Wompa ran with the Democratic Party endorsement, but lost. Wray, previously backed by Democrats, created a new party called Unite Sleepy Hollow and ran with a ticket that included Republicans.  All three Unite Sleepy Hollow candidates for village trustee led the other three Democratic opponents, according to unof…
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