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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

News
Key Question One Week After Metro-North Crash: Why Was SUV On Tracks? Key Question One Week After Metro-North Crash: Why Was SUV On Tracks?
Key Question One Week After Metro-North Crash: Why Was SUV On Tracks? VALHALLA, N.Y. -- A week after the deadliest train accident in Metro-North's history, one key question may never be answered. Why was Ellen Brody's Mercedes sport utility vehicle inside the Commerce Street crossing gates as an express train approached at 58 mph on Tuesday, Feb. 3? The 49-year-old from Edgemont was killed in the 6:30 p.m. collision, which triggered a fire in the front railcar that killed five commuters. Two of those killed were Bedford Hills residents: Eric Vandercar, 53, and Walter Liedtke, 69. Two victims were New Castle residents: Robert Dirks, 36, and Joseph Nadol, 4…

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by Jon Craig
News
'Game On 365' Asks Greenburgh To Approve Sports Fieldhouse On Golf Range 'Game On 365' Asks Greenburgh To Approve Sports Fieldhouse On Golf Range
'Game On 365' Asks Greenburgh To Approve Sports Fieldhouse On Golf Range GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Developers hoping to build a sports fieldhouse at a golf range along Dobbs Ferry Road returned to Greenburgh Town Hall this week to detail new plans. This time, they have eliminated a controversial "sports bubble" -- which some neighbors feared might be huge, unsightly and drive down property values. Game On 365 Sports is now proposing a year-round facility that looks more like a traditional building. They also would keep the golf driving range open. Developers submitted their latest plans to the Town Board on Jan. 15, and will appear before board members at a Tuesda…

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Hawthorne Man Charged During Second Burglary Try At Elmsford Gas Station Hawthorne Man Charged During Second Burglary Try At Elmsford Gas Station
Hawthorne Man Charged During Second Burglary Try At Elmsford Gas Station GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- A 29-year-old man from Hawthorne was arrested by Greenburgh police in connection with Saturday's attempted break-in at a gas station in Elmsford, police said on Monday. About 9:15 p.m. on Saturday, a caller reported observing a male attempting to break into the Hilltop Citgo at 607 Saw Mill River Road, through the front door. Responding police officers quickly located a man fitting the description provided by the caller and apprehended the suspect without incident.  Greenburgh detectives responded and a hammer and glove were recovered, police said. Further investigat…

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by Daily Voice
News
Deal Frees $5M In Housing Grants For Westchester, Cuomo, Lowey Announce Deal Frees $5M In Housing Grants For Westchester, Cuomo, Lowey Announce
Deal Frees $5M In Housing Grants For Westchester, Cuomo, Lowey Announce WESTCHESTER, N.Y. -- As a partial solution to the ongoing housing dispute between the federal government and Westchester County, Gov, Andrew Cuomo and Congresswoman Nita Lowey announced Monday that local governments and non-profits will resume receiving affordable housing, community development and emergency shelter grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. As a result of their efforts, approximately $5 million in HUD funding will go to local communities this year. During a conference call, Lowey, D-Harrison, said, “The governor and I have found a creative soluti…

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Man, 27, Surrenders In Greenburgh In New Year's Day Assault Man, 27, Surrenders In Greenburgh In New Year's Day Assault
Man, 27, Surrenders In Greenburgh In New Year's Day Assault GREENBURGH, NY. -- A 27-year-old from Redding, Conn., surrendered to Greenburgh police on Friday on a felony assault charge related to a beating that took place on New Year's Day, police said. Elwood Nesser of 108 Sport Hill Road in Redding appeared at Greenburgh Police Headquarters with his attorney.  Nesser was charged with one count of second-degree assault, a Class D felony. He was arraigned in Greenburgh Town Court before Judge Delores Braithwaite and released on $25,000 bond. He is due for another Town Court appearance on Friday Feb. 13. The arrest stems from an incident at 1:1…

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by Jon Craig
News
Edgemont High Holds Community Meeting, Bereavement Help Edgemont High Holds Community Meeting, Bereavement Help
Edgemont High Holds Community Meeting, Bereavement Help GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- School officials held an informal community meeting Friday at 4 p.m. at Edgemont High School to discuss the Metro-North tragedy in which six people were killed, including Ellen Brody, an Edgemont mother of three. Brody's oldest daughters, Danielle and Julia, graduated from Edgemont High in 2010 and 2013, respectively. A third daughter, Alexa, is a junior at EHS. Patty Donovan-Duff, director of The Bereavement Center of Westchester, led Friday's meeting. Counselors, school psychologists and administrators will also be available for support. Superintendent Victoria …

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by Jon Craig
News
Edgemont 'Mommy' Of Three Gave Smiles, Laughter Before Tragic Train Wreck Edgemont 'Mommy' Of Three Gave Smiles, Laughter Before Tragic Train Wreck
Edgemont 'Mommy' Of Three Gave Smiles, Laughter Before Tragic Train Wreck DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. -- Through tears, hugging and laughter, Ellen Brody's three daughters, husband, brother, mother, uncle, rabbi and closest friends shared countless happy memories of their lives together Friday. Brody, 49, was killed Tuesday when her Mercedes SUV was struck by a Metro-North train at a Valhalla railroad crossing, triggering a fire that killed five commuters. During funeral services at Chabad of the Rivertowns, the Chappaqua jeweler from Edgemont was described as a consummate networker, matchmaker, social worker and storyteller.  Rabbi Benjy Silverman said that Brody d…

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by Jon Craig
News
NTSB Focuses On Train Wreck Damage, Calling Passenger Fatalities Very Rare NTSB Focuses On Train Wreck Damage, Calling Passenger Fatalities Very Rare
NTSB Focuses On Train Wreck Damage, Calling Passenger Fatalities Very Rare TARRYTOWN, N.Y. -- Federal National Transportation Safety Board officials spent Wednesday examining the wreckage of Tuesday's Metro-North train-car collision to determine why it resulted in six fatalities. NTSB Board member Robert Sumwalt said that during the next five to seven days, its railroad safety experts will try to determine: * Why was Ellen Brody's Mercedes-Benz SUV on the track when the express train passed through at about 60 mph. * Why did the accident result in train passenger fatalities?  Leading the search for those answers is Sumwalt. "We are examining the stren…

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by Jon Craig
News
Driver Of SUV Worked At Chappaqua Jewelry Store For 15 Years Driver Of SUV Worked At Chappaqua Jewelry Store For 15 Years
Driver Of SUV Worked At Chappaqua Jewelry Store For 15 Years This story has been updated. CHAPPAQUA, N.Y. -- Co-workers at ICD Contemporary Jewelers in Chappaqua described Ellen Brody, 49, of Edgemont -- the driver of the Mercedes Benz SUV that triggered Tuesday's fatal Metro-North train wreck -- as loving, responsible, a rule follower. She was "the life of the jewelry store" at 75 S. Greeley Ave., where she worked faithfully for 15 years. Store owner Varda Singer and co-worker Virginia Shasha called Brody "warm, kind, a great mom, a great worker, very responsible, very reliable. We can't believe she is gone." Brody would have turned 50 on …

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by Jon Craig
News
Some Metro-North Passengers Walked Aimlessly Until Help Arrived Some Metro-North Passengers Walked Aimlessly Until Help Arrived
Some Metro-North Passengers Walked Aimlessly Until Help Arrived MOUNT PLEASANT, N.Y. -- For some passengers, the minutes seemed like hours, but help was on the way. Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino described the scene Tuesday of the Metro-North wreck north of Commerce Street in Hawthorne that claimed six lives. "Walking through Gate of Heaven Cemetery, walking on the Taconic (Parkway). Trying to find a way home,'' Astorino said. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, at an impromptu news conference at the crash scene about 11 p.m., said, "This is a truly ugly and brutal night." Flames shot from the first railcar and black smoke billowed from its windows.…

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by Jon Craig
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