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

Healthcare Has An Exciting Future In Westchester, Montefiore CEO Says Healthcare Has An Exciting Future In Westchester, Montefiore CEO Says
Healthcare Has An Exciting Future In Westchester, Montefiore CEO Says This story has been updated. PURCHASE, N.Y. -- Montefiore Health System has had a strong presence in Westchester County for 25 years but is developing new partnerships that will continue to enhance healthcare locally, according to Dr. Steven M. Safyer. Safyer, president and chief executive officer at Montefiore, was the featured speaker Monday at Manhattanville College during The Business Council of Westchester's Leadership Conversations Series. Safyer said Montefiore has been successfully using about 2,000 specially trained staff to "manage care" by checking on 350,000 patients -- r…
Rye's Silver Among Westchester Trio Of Pro Sports Leaders Rye's Silver Among Westchester Trio Of Pro Sports Leaders
Rye's Silver Among Westchester Trio Of Pro Sports Leaders WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. -- Westchester County garners the fame, and sometimes the disdain, of being home to head honchos. In the world of athletics, that also means witnessing the storms of professional sports commissioners. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, 55, of Bronxville is expected to be grilled under oath during federal hearings next week (Nov. 5-6) about his indefinite suspension of Baltimore Raven Ray Rice. The New Rochelle High School running back was arrested in February after being captured on security cameras dragging his fiancee, Janay Palmer of Mount Vernon, out of an Atla…
Dillon, Latimer Square Off In Lively LWV Of White Plains Forum Dillon, Latimer Square Off In Lively LWV Of White Plains Forum
Dillon, Latimer Square Off In Lively LWV Of White Plains Forum This story has been updated. WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- State Sen. George Latimer, a Democrat from Rye, and Republican challenger Joseph Dillon of Yonkers spelled out their differences Wednesday Oct. 22 during a candidates' forum at the White Plains Public Library. For instance: Dillon favors term limits; Latimer no longer opposes them. "We need to clear out Albany,'' DIllon said. Latimer instead said he supports reforming the redistricting process and adopting "early voting" to give more voters a chance to participate in the process. Dillon is a strong opponent of Common Core curricul…
Comedian Judy Gold Entertains At Mamaroneck's Emelin Theater Friday Comedian Judy Gold Entertains At Mamaroneck's Emelin Theater Friday
Comedian Judy Gold Entertains At Mamaroneck's Emelin Theater Friday MAMARONECK, N.Y. -- If you love to laugh about food, being Jewish, being a lesbian, having a controlling mother, bringing your kids on a Cape Cod vacation -- or a combination of all these scenarios -- Friday night's comedy show at the Emelin Theatre is a must. Judy Gold, an Emmy-award winning actress and comedian, considers the late Joan Rivers a mentor. In fact, Gold hung out with Rivers on July 5, between shows at the Town Hall in Provincetown, Mass. In an interview with Daily Voice, Gold said Rivers "died at the top of her game,'' while using a few curse words to decry the fact forme…
Rye Gets In Halloween Spirit Rye Gets In Halloween Spirit
Rye Gets In Halloween Spirit This story has been updated. WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. -- Is your street the scariest in Westchester County? Here are a few more spooky decorations. If these images didn't frighten you, can you give us a tip where we might find creepier ones? "My husband Don Frankmano loves Halloween," said Nancy Battaglia of the Chester Heights section of Mount Vernon.  "Each year our house is decorated to the max.  It's a different theme each year and he does everything himself. This year's theme is 'Kissing Booth.' Do you have a photo of Halloween decorations you'd like to see on Daily Voice? Send to M…
20-Year-Old Indicted In 'Cold Case' Murder Of Port Chester Plumber 20-Year-Old Indicted In 'Cold Case' Murder Of Port Chester Plumber
20-Year-Old Indicted In 'Cold Case' Murder Of Port Chester Plumber This story has been updated. PORT CHESTER, N.Y. -- A former neighbor of a 54-year-old plumber -- brutally stabbed to death in 2011 -- was indicted Thursday in connection with the home-invasion murder. Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore announced that a four-count indictment was unsealed Oct. 23 against Jahkim McGhee, 20, of 544 Locust Ave., Port Chester. He was charged with two counts of second-degree murder, both class A-1 felonies; one count of first-degree burglary, a class B felony; and  one count of fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a class A  misdem…
White Plains Common Council Candidates Differ On Parking, FASNY White Plains Common Council Candidates Differ On Parking, FASNY
White Plains Common Council Candidates Differ On Parking, Fasny WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- A pair of candidates for White Plains Common Council agree on many topics, but differ on two: parking and whether the French American School of New York should be allowed to develop the Ridgeway Country Club site. Democratic incumbent Nadine Hunt-Robinson and Republican challenger Terence Guerriere squared off Wednesday Oct. 22 during a forum sponsored  by the League of Women Voters of White Plains. More than 100 residents attended at the White Plains Public Library. Hunt-Robinson, appointed to the Common Council in February after Ben Boykin took a county legislatu…
Rye Playland Presentation Is Now Playing Rye Playland Presentation Is Now Playing
Rye Playland Presentation Is Now Playing RYE, N.Y. -- If you missed Monday night's discussion of the future of Playland Amusement Park, you can watch a video of it here.  The Oct. 20 public meeting at the Rye Free Reading Room was hosted by Westchester County Legislator Catherine Parker, a Rye Democrat. Representatives from Central Amusements, Inc. (CAI), presented their plan for re-inventing Playland. Parker said she expects to host another discussion in the near future with Standard Amusements, the other company being considered to manage Playland.  The video was produced by Craig Meyerson and Andrew Dapolite for the F…
Good Holiday News For Westchester's Hungry: Gobble, Gooble, 5,000 Times Good Holiday News For Westchester's Hungry: Gobble, Gooble, 5,000 Times
Good Holiday News For Westchester's Hungry: Gobble, Gooble, 5,000 Times ELMSFORD, N.Y. -- If you or your family may go hungry during the holidays -- Thanksgiving is just five weeks away -- help is on the way. The Food Bank for Westchester kicked off its second annual Turkey Drive Wednesday at its distribution center off of Route 9A. This year’s goal is to raise enough money for 5,000 turkeys for families in need.  Arlene Putterman, public relations manager for Stop & Shop brought two frozen turkeys, pledged 500 more and said her supermarkets will soon collect shopper donations for nine "trimmings" to go along with the turkeys. "We have a lot on our plat…
Latest Rye Brook Celeb Sighting: Michael Shannon Of 'Boardwalk Empire'
Latest Rye Brook Celeb Sighting: Michael Shannon Of 'Boardwalk Empire'
Latest Rye Brook Celeb Sighting: Michael Shannon Of 'Boardwalk Empire' RYE BROOK -- Film crews were in full force Wednesday at 30 Brook Lane.  "Freeheld,'' a movie about a lesbian couple who fought for domestic partner benefits, rolled some more footage a stone's throw from Blind Brook.  Tuesday, passersby caught glimpses of Julianne Moore and Ellen Page. Steve Carell also stars in the film.  Wednesday afternoon takes featured Michael Shannon, a regular on the HBO series "Boardwalk Empire,'' who was nominated for an Oscar as best supporting actor in "Revolutionary Road." Shannon, 40, was filmed picking up a newspaper and entering the home on Brook La…
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