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

Center For Health Care Training To Open In White Plains Center For Health Care Training To Open In White Plains
Center For Health Care Training To Open In White Plains WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. -- Leaders from dozens of regional hospitals, universities and business groups announced a strategic plan Tuesday for training thousands of biotech and health care workers. Westchester County Association Chairman William P. Harrington said WCA will compete for a $10 million federal Ready to Work Partnership grant while launching a pilot course next month on health care analytics. The five-week course, aimed at filling vacancies in skilled medical care, will be at a new Hudson Valley Workforce Academy, 1133 Westchester Ave., White Plains, starting Tuesday, Feb. 2…
Coyote Conflicts With Pets, Police, People On Rise In Westchester Coyote Conflicts With Pets, Police, People On Rise In Westchester
Coyote Conflicts With Pets, Police, People On Rise In Westchester WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. --  Police and wildlife experts in Westchester and Putnam counties say sightings of coyotes -- and increasingly aggressive conflicts -- are on the rise. Dean Renzi, a bow hunter from Yonkers, said, "The population has definitely grown. I've seen them in just about every location I've hunted. Both Westchester and Putnam counties have large populations." Renzi, who hunts deer for food in the area, said, "I've heard (coyote) packs howling while on (deer) stand, which is a strong indicator that numbers are flourishing. I think the population has grown, because not m…
Rye Mayor Fields Questions From Residents Over Morning Coffee Rye Mayor Fields Questions From Residents Over Morning Coffee
Rye Mayor Fields Questions From Residents Over Morning Coffee RYE, N.Y. -- Rye Mayor Joseph Sack decided to start 2015 off fresh by hosting an informal coffee meeting Saturday with citizens and the news media. Sack called it the first of what he hopes will be a continuing series of informal gatherings to hear city residents' concerns. Sack was joined by Councilwoman Julie Killian at Ruby's Oyster Bar & Bistro, fielding dozens of questions small and large, from potholes to bomb scares and dangerous intersections. At a minimum, Sack said he hopes to open the lines of communication, saying residents and reporters are welcome to contact him dir…
Police ID Off-Duty Officer Who Was Struck By Car In Hawthorne Police ID Off-Duty Officer Who Was Struck By Car In Hawthorne
Police ID Off-Duty Officer Who Was Struck By Car In Hawthorne This story has been updated. HAWTHORNE, N.Y. -- An Elmsford police officer is in critical but stable condition after being struck by a car Sunday night. Kenneth Gumbs, 45, of Hawthorne was the injured off-duty officer, according to Mount Pleasant Police Chief Paul Oliva. Police said they continue to investigate the incident in which Gumbs was struck by a car while crossing Bradhurst Avenue near Chateau Lane about 8:20 p.m. Oliva said Gumbs was undergoing surgery at Westchester County Medical Center in Valhalla on Monday, where he was listed in "critical but stable condition." G…
Edgemont Runaway Teen Found Safe In Manhattan Church Edgemont Runaway Teen Found Safe In Manhattan Church
Edgemont Runaway Teen Found Safe In Manhattan Church This story has been updated. GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Christine Ji Woo Kang, the 16-year-old who ran away from home on Jan. 2, has been found safe in a midtown-Manhattan church, according to an Edgemont group searching for her. Edgemont Community Cares posted the good news on its web site on Sunday night. Greenburgh Police Chief Chris McNerney confirmed the news about 8:40 p.m. In a press statement, McNerney wrote: "Christine is safe and in the custody of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department. Greenburgh Detectives are on their way to pick up Christine at this time."…
Volunteers Search For Missing Edgemont Teen At Grand Central Station Volunteers Search For Missing Edgemont Teen At Grand Central Station
Volunteers Search For Missing Edgemont Teen At Grand Central Station This story has been updated. GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Edgemont Cares, a volunteer community group formed after Hurricane Sandy, mobilized in Manhattan Saturday to search for Christine (Ji Woo) Kang, the 16-year-old who ran away from home a week ago. Late Saturday, Christine's parents, Min-Jong Kang and Hyeeun Rose Kwon, gave their thanks to everyone searching for their daughter. It can be read online here: More than 200 volunteers, including Edgemont High School students, met beginning at 12:15 p.m. Saturday near the big clock and information booth in the main hall of Grand Central Ter…
Port Chester Eatery Provides Soup For The Soul Port Chester Eatery Provides Soup For The Soul
Port Chester Eatery Provides Soup For The Soul PORT CHESTER, N.Y. -- Tired of sub-freezing, snowy weather? Think soup. Coyote Flaco, located at 115 Midland Ave., just over the Village of Port Chester's border with Rye, offers one such reprieve. The Mexican eatery has two rooms, plenty of privacy and daily "happy hour" specials. Even better: The prices. Soups, large enough for meals, sell for $6 apiece. Popular sellers include black bean, chicken tortilla and shrimp chowder and come with salsa and chips.  For the full menu go to www.mycoyoteflaco.com or call (914) 937-6969.    
Rye District Explains Delay In Evacuating Students After Bomb Threat Rye District Explains Delay In Evacuating Students After Bomb Threat
Rye District Explains Delay In Evacuating Students After Bomb Threat This story has been updated. RYE, N.Y. -- There was a 90-minute delay in evacuating Rye students after a bomb threat Friday morning because an administrator had not checked his/her email, a Rye City School District spokeswoman said. Rye police said a bomb threat was made by email at 7:33 a.m.  The email was sent to three administrators, according to Rye City School District spokeswoman Sarah Derman. "Two of the email addresses were incorrect and therefore were never received. The one administrator to receive the email did not see it until approximately 9:00 a.m.  The administrator…
Astorino Expresses Optimistic Outlook At Tarrytown Business Event Astorino Expresses Optimistic Outlook At Tarrytown Business Event
Astorino Expresses Optimistic Outlook At Tarrytown Business Event WESTCHESTER, N.Y. -- Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino released a report Thursday detailing ways to upgrade government services while attracting and retaining skilled young workers. Astorino's report complemented a keynote speech by an investment strategist who predicted better economic years ahead, bolstered by spending by the children of baby boomers. Their optimistic outlooks for 2015 came during an annual breakfast sponsored by the Westchester County Association at the Westchester Marriott in Tarrytown  The oldest of the so-called "millennials" turns 35 this year, according …
National Missing Children Center Sends Team In Search For Edgemont Teen National Missing Children Center Sends Team In Search For Edgemont Teen
National Missing Children Center Sends Team In Search For Edgemont Teen This story has been updated. GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children has sent a case management team to Westchester County to help find Christine Ji Woo Kang, the 16-year-old who ran away from her Edgemont home on Friday. Robert Lowery Jr., vice president for the national center's Missing Children Division, said the team includes NCMEC's most experienced case manager. The non-profit organization is based in Alexandria, Va., and maintains a website at www.missingkids.com that publicizes Christine's and other cases. Lowery said the center's experts …
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