Jon Craig

Reporter

[email protected]

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

Tiger Fever Ramps Up As Mamaroneck Beats Ramapo In Class AA Hoops Playoff Tiger Fever Ramps Up As Mamaroneck Beats Ramapo In Class AA Hoops Playoff Tiger Fever Ramps Up As Mamaroneck Beats Ramapo In Class AA Hoops Playoff
Tiger Fever Ramps Up As Mamaroneck Beats Ramapo In Class AA Hoops Playoff This story has been updated. MAMARONECK, N.Y. -- The Mamaroneck High School boys basketball team defeated Ramapo High School, 58-53, in a Class AA playoff game Thursday on their Palmer Gym home court. The win means the Tigers advance to the second round of playoffs -- Sectional quarterfinals -- for the first time in 38 years. Mamaroneck faces top seed Arlington on Wednesday at a time to be announced. In other Tiger news, head basketball coach Ty Carver was named League Coach of the Year by the Lower Hudson Basketball Coaches Association. His varsity hoops squad finished its regular s…
Mamaroneck Girls Field Hockey Team Snags Slew Of Awards Mamaroneck Girls Field Hockey Team Snags Slew Of Awards Mamaroneck Girls Field Hockey Team Snags Slew Of Awards
Mamaroneck Girls Field Hockey Team Snags Slew Of Awards MAMARONECK, N.Y. -- Unprecedented All-America honors were awarded this week to twin field hockey stars at Mamaroneck High School. The Ivy League-bound Seid sisters, Ellie and Karen, were honored Wednesday during a ceremony with athletic director Bari Suman and head coach John Savage, who said MHS had never won first team All-America honors. The Mamaroneck Tigers won the state field hockey championship in November Ellie Seid was named first team All-America, ranking her among the top 11 best field hockey players in the nation. Karen Seid was named third team All-America, ranking her amon…
Handmade Valentines From Westchester Kids Warm Hearts Of Harrison Veterans Handmade Valentines From Westchester Kids Warm Hearts Of Harrison Veterans Handmade Valentines From Westchester Kids Warm Hearts Of Harrison Veterans
Handmade Valentines From Westchester Kids Warm Hearts Of Harrison Veterans HARRISON, N.Y. -- "How am I going to explain to my wife that I got two Valentine's cards this year?" Korean War veteran Rayot DiFate of West Harrison asked Caroline Kelly, a Byram Hills seventh-grader, as she handed him a card with hearts on it Wednesday. Kelly, president of the H.C. Crittenden Middle School VIP/Leo Service Club in Armonk, got the joke and smiled. More than 4,000 handmade Valentine's Day cards were delivered this week by Westchester school children as part of state Assemblyman David Buchwald's second annual “Valentines for Vets” program. “Last year’s program was such…
Latimer Favors Capping Outside Income As Legislators Discuss Albany Reforms Latimer Favors Capping Outside Income As Legislators Discuss Albany Reforms Latimer Favors Capping Outside Income As Legislators Discuss Albany Reforms
Latimer Favors Capping Outside Income As Legislators Discuss Albany Reforms This story has been updated. RYE, N.Y. -- The arrest of former State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver last month has renewed talk about making the state legislature a full-time job or restricting legislators' outside income. Details on the latest discussion can be found here: State Sen. George Latimer, D-Rye, said he supports a cap of 15 percent of gross salary for outside income with full reporting of clients and interests represented to ensure transparency. State Assemblyman David Buchwald, D-White Plains, favors the concept of a full-time legislature. "I treat my job as full-…
Rye's Osborn School Shares New Arrival/Dismissal Procedures With Parents Rye's Osborn School Shares New Arrival/Dismissal Procedures With Parents Rye's Osborn School Shares New Arrival/Dismissal Procedures With Parents
Rye's Osborn School Shares New Arrival/Dismissal Procedures With Parents This story has been updated. RYE, N.Y. -- Parents of Osborn Elementary School children received a list of new arrival and dismissal procedures Tuesday aimed at improving safety in the congested Rye neighborhood. The recommendations were made by a 16-member Osborn School Dismissal Committee, according to Principal Angela Garcia, who asked parents to "abide by the documented procedures and courtesies." Committee Member Carolyn Chapman, who has two children at Osborn, called it "a good faith effort" that continues to improve and evolve."There's no easy answer,'' she said. "The snow o…
HUD Deal Is 'A Double Victory,' Says Astorino Spokesman HUD Deal Is 'A Double Victory,' Says Astorino Spokesman HUD Deal Is 'A Double Victory,' Says Astorino Spokesman
HUD Deal Is 'A Double Victory,' Says Astorino Spokesman WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- The announcement Monday that the state is setting aside $5 million in community development money for Westchester is "a double victory,'' a spokesman for County Executive Rob Astorino said Tuesday. Federal money for communities unfairly punished by an ongoing legal dispute over housing is being freed up, according to Ned McCormack, a spokesman for Astorino. And it removes a club that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development continued to hold over county government as it appeals parts of the settlement agreement in federal court, he said. "There was an i…
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?
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…
'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
'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…
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
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…
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
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…
10,821 - 10,830 of 11,056 articles