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

Port Chester Documentary Lands At Yonkers Film Festival Port Chester Documentary Lands At Yonkers Film Festival
Port Chester Documentary Lands At Yonkers Film Festival PORT CHESTER, N.Y. - Bright lights, big city. Well, almost. A 27-year-old lawyer from Hartsdale who dabbles in filmmaking on the side will watch the first public screening of his second documentary this weekend at the Yonkers Film Festival. Anthony Desiato's film, "By Spoon! The Jay Meisel Story," is about a curmudgeonly comic book vendor's final days at the Empire State Flea Market in Port Chester before its closing last year. You can watch the film's trailer here: The three-day YoFi festival starts Friday, Oct. 17. Desiato's film screens at 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 19, in the Gallery Th…
Latimer Calls For Probe Of Senate Challenger Over Petitions Latimer Calls For Probe Of Senate Challenger Over Petitions
Latimer Calls For Probe Of Senate Challenger Over Petitions RYE, N.Y. -- State Sen. George Latimer called for an investigation Wednesday, Oct. 15, into allegations of election fraud involving someone who signed nominating petitions for Republican candidates for two state Senate seats and in the 17th Congressional District.  The Rye Democrat cited a Tuesday report in the New York Daily News that election fraud may have occurred while collecting "StopCommonCore" ballot petitions for Republican candidates Joe Dillon and Terrence Murphy for state Senate and Rob Astorino for governor. Latimer, who is being challenged by Dillon for the 35th District s…
Rye, Harrison Homeowners Get Into Halloween Spirit Rye, Harrison Homeowners Get Into Halloween Spirit
Rye, Harrison Homeowners Get Into Halloween Spirit HARRISON, N.Y. -- With Halloween just two weeks away, residents in neighborhoods throughout Harrison and Rye have gotten into the spirit -- while making their lawns cobwebby and downright spooky. The lawn at the corner of Parsons Street and Oakland Avenue in Harrison, also known for a North Pole display closer to Christmas, also displays the "giant pumpkin" carted through the village during the annual Columbus Day Parade on Monday Oct. 13. 
Lowey Secures $27 Million To Replace Bridges In Pleasantville Lowey Secures $27 Million To Replace Bridges In Pleasantville
Lowey Secures $27 Million To Replace Bridges In Pleasantville This story has been updated. WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. -- Congresswoman Nita Lowey announced Tuesday Oct. 14 that $27 million is being allocated by the federal government to replace and strengthen bridges in Pleasantville and the Town of Cortlandt. Lowey, a Democrat from Harrison, is the ranking member on the House Appropriations Committee. She said the money is part of $60 billion in federal assistance she helped secure for flood-related projects early last year in response to Superstorm Sandy.  The "federal hazard mitigation grants" ensure the bridges are protected against threats f…
Legislators Honor Agencies That Help Westchester Domestic Violence Victims Legislators Honor Agencies That Help Westchester Domestic Violence Victims
Legislators Honor Agencies That Help Westchester Domestic Violence Victims WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Westchester County legislators sponsored a forum Tuesday recognizing community service agencies that for decades have assisted victims of domestic violence. Their work often goes on behind-the-scenes, legislators said, because victims of abuse often need to remain anonymous for their personal safety (and their children's) while trying to start anew in careers or healthy relationships. One victim who shared her story with legislators identified herself only as Susie. She recalled meeting her future husband at a party during the holidays. "He was extremely generous. …
Man Charged With Possession Of Two Pounds Of Pot In Harrison Man Charged With Possession Of Two Pounds Of Pot In Harrison
Man Charged With Possession Of Two Pounds Of Pot In Harrison This story has been updated. HARRISON, N.Y. -- A Bridgeport, Conn., man was arrested Monday on the Hutchinson River Parkway after Westchester County Police found two pounds of marijuana in the car after a traffic stop. Gamel Grant, 32, of Bridgeport was charged with second-degree criminal possession of marijuana, a felony, and second-degree criminal use of drug paraphernalia. The incident began at 12:51 p.m. when County Police Officer Steven Stromberg stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation, while it was traveling north on the Hutch in Harrison near the Interstate 287 interchange. …
Officer Hit By SUV During Eastchester Parade Officer Hit By SUV During Eastchester Parade
Officer Hit By SUV During Eastchester Parade EASTCHESTER, N.Y. – A runaway SUV struck three cars before injuring an auxiliary police officer who was directing traffic Sunday Oct. 12 during a Columbus Day parade, according to LoHud. The driver of the SUV, which was part of the parade and carried a banner promoting Tuckahoe-Eastchester Lions Club, hit three parked cars on Dempsey Place before turning right onto Main Street and barreling into the police officer at 3:59 p.m., LoHud reported. The officer suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a hospital, Eastchester police said. Eastchester Police Chief Timothy Bonci c…
Hundreds Celebrate Life Of Irvington's Peyser, Former Congressman Hundreds Celebrate Life Of Irvington's Peyser, Former Congressman
Hundreds Celebrate Life Of Irvington's Peyser, Former Congressman WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. -- Former U.S. Rep. Peter A. Peyser, 93, was remembered as a caring, loving family man who switched political parties to stand by his convictions. During funeral services Monday at the Church of St. Barnabas in Peyser's hometown of Irvington, Peyser's children shared a lifetime of warm memories from childhood to the present.  Penny Peyser recalled a father-daughter train ride to New York City when she was 6 to see "My Fair Lady." She said the New York City trip changed her life. The Hollywood star, who eventually landed acting roles in the movie "All the Preside…
Hundreds Line Harrison Streets For Columbus Day Parade Hundreds Line Harrison Streets For Columbus Day Parade
Hundreds Line Harrison Streets For Columbus Day Parade HARRISON, N.Y. -- Bagpipes, fire trucks, classic cars, dancers, scouts, twirlers and bands from Yonkers to White Plains entertained hundreds of happy spectators Monday Oct. 13 during Harrison's annual Columbus Day Parade. Musicians included the Westchester Brassmen Drum & Bugle Corps, Archbishop Stepinac High School Band, Harrison High School Band and Yonkers Military Band.  A toy train and a replica of Christopher Columbus' ship the Santa Maria cruised the mile-long parade route along Halstead Avenue. There also were plenty of politicians handing out campaign literature before, …
Rye Police Warn Residents About Phone Scams Rye Police Warn Residents About Phone Scams
Rye Police Warn Residents About Phone Scams RYE, N.Y. -- Rye police issued a warning Thursday similar to ones issued this summer in Greenburgh and elsewhere, that there is a sharp rise in attempted scams via the telephone. Over the last few days, the city of Rye Police Department has received a number of complaints regarding phone scams. Unidentified male and female callers use a variety of tactics to gain both personal information and or money wire transfers from the potential victims, according to Rye Police Lt. Scott Craig, including the following: "IRS Scam" – Caller identifies themselves as an agent of the Internal Revenue S…
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