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

Now It's Really Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas In Harrison Now It's Really Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas In Harrison Now It's Really Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas In Harrison
Now It's Really Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas In Harrison HARRISON, N.Y. -- The holiday spirit is spreading along Parsons Street. What began as a sparse display on Nov. 20 has taken over Roy Aletti's front yard and expanded to an adjoining yard at the corner of Oakland Avenue in the town of Harrison.  
Banner On I-287 Makes Reference To Killing By Police Banner On I-287 Makes Reference To Killing By Police Banner On I-287 Makes Reference To Killing By Police
Banner On I-287 Makes Reference To Killing By Police WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- A banner tied to an overpass of Interstate 287 in White Plains carried a message Monday morning, Dec. 1, to stop police from killing. It was not immediately known who was responsible for the banner. It was an apparent reference to the August shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. A grand jury declined on Monday, Nov. 24, to indict Officer Darren Wilson in Brown's death after he testified he had a reasonable belief he needed to use deadly force to defend himself. Protests continued in Ferguson and cities nationwide despite Wilson's decision to resign…
Village Mercantile Opens In Larchmont, Just In Time For Small Biz Saturday Village Mercantile Opens In Larchmont, Just In Time For Small Biz Saturday Village Mercantile Opens In Larchmont, Just In Time For Small Biz Saturday
Village Mercantile Opens In Larchmont, Just In Time For Small Biz Saturday LARCHMONT, N.Y. -- In the nick of time for "small business Saturday,'' Village Mercantile celebrated its grand opening Tuesday at 28 Chatsworth Ave. It's the first business for Vonnie Sullivan, a resident of Mamaroneck for the past 19 years.  "It's a modern version of an old-fashion general store,'' Sullivan said, while giving Larchmont residents a tour. Tabletop and textile items can be found there, as well as pottery, jewelry, apothecary items and brooms. All the products are made by small merchants and artisans, she said, including local vendors. Most of her inventory was crafted …
White Plains Parking Officer Appears In Court On 'Sex For No Ticket' Charge White Plains Parking Officer Appears In Court On 'Sex For No Ticket' Charge White Plains Parking Officer Appears In Court On 'Sex For No Ticket' Charge
White Plains Parking Officer Appears In Court On 'Sex For No Ticket' Charge WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- A parking enforcement officer appeared in White Plains City Court on Wednesday on charges that he offered to drop a $20 parking ticket in exchange for 10 future acts of oral sex. Mario Carpenito Jr., 61, of Thornwood has been suspended without pay, according to a city police spokesman. He was released on $1,000 bail pending a return court date of Jan. 7.  Carpenito was charged with third-degree bribery, a felony, and official misconduct for the Nov. 19 incident with a 21-year-old woman on East Post Road. She was parked at an expired meter at 9:30 a.m., declined Car…
Teenager Killed In Crash Near Port Chester High School Mourned By Hundreds Teenager Killed In Crash Near Port Chester High School Mourned By Hundreds Teenager Killed In Crash Near Port Chester High School Mourned By Hundreds
Teenager Killed In Crash Near Port Chester High School Mourned By Hundreds PORT CHESTER, N.Y. -- Hundreds gathered Wednesday morning at Our Lady of Mercy Church to celebrate the life and mourn the tragic death of Joseph Touri, 18, of Rye Brook. Joseph Touri died of massive trauma on Friday after his Ford Mustang hit a tree near Port Chester High School. A 16-year-old passenger was admitted to Westchester County Medical Center with critical injuries. Police cited excessive speed as a factor in the crash which is under investigation.  "When a young person dies, no words comfort us,'' said the Rev. Timothy S. Wiggins. "A death of a teenager seems so senseless, so…
Port Chester Boxer Is Ranked Among Top 20 Pros Worldwide Port Chester Boxer Is Ranked Among Top 20 Pros Worldwide Port Chester Boxer Is Ranked Among Top 20 Pros Worldwide
Port Chester Boxer Is Ranked Among Top 20 Pros Worldwide PORT CHESTER, N.Y. -- A 24-year-old from Port Chester is now ranked in the top 20 internationally after landing his seventh professional knockout Friday, Nov. 21, at Resorts World Casino in Queens. Bryant "Pee Wee" Cruz defeated Engelberto "Guarura" Valenzuela of Mexico in the superfeatherweight class on a technical knockout in the second round of the eight-round bout. Cruz is now 13-0 and is expected to box again in January. The fight was called, according to his coach, Ryan O'Leary, "because he was overwhelming him. It was exciting." O'Leary, who owns Champs Boxing Club in New Roch…
Professor, 63, Charged With Public Lewdness By Harrison Police Professor, 63, Charged With Public Lewdness By Harrison Police Professor, 63, Charged With Public Lewdness By Harrison Police
Professor, 63, Charged With Public Lewdness By Harrison Police HARRISON, N.Y. -- A 63-year-old professor from Teaneck, N.J., was charged with public lewdness Nov. 12 in Silver Lake, according to Harrison police. Aziz Akmese was found by police at 10:37 a.m. along Westchester Avenue at Knights Bridge Manor Road "with his penis exposed and urinating on the shoulder,'' according to the police report. "Akmese was standing in a position where his penis was readily visible by the public and passing motorists," the police report said. Akmese's 2000 Honda Accord was occupied by two elder females, police said. His occupation was listed as professor, b…
Wake, Funeral Service Scheduled For Port Chester Crash Victim Wake, Funeral Service Scheduled For Port Chester Crash Victim Wake, Funeral Service Scheduled For Port Chester Crash Victim
Wake, Funeral Service Scheduled For Port Chester Crash Victim PORT CHESTER, N.Y. -- Calling hours are Tuesday for Joseph M. Touri, the 18-year-old from Rye Brook killed in a tragic single-car crash Friday afternoon near Port Chester High School, where he was a senior. Visitation will be from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday at Craft Memorial Home, 40 Leicester St., Port Chester. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday at Our Lady of Mercy Church, 260 Westchester Ave., Port Chester. Burial will follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Rye Brook. Touri was born April 5, 1996, in Port Chester to Mary  and John Touri, Sr. He was a bel…
Mamaroneck Swimmers Compete At State Championships Mamaroneck Swimmers Compete At State Championships Mamaroneck Swimmers Compete At State Championships
Mamaroneck Swimmers Compete At State Championships ITHACA, N.Y. -- Section 1 team enjoyed a strong fourth-place finish at the New York State Championships on Saturday at Ithaca College. Kate Douglass, an eighth-grader from Pelham, placed third in the 100 breaststroke. Pelham (sixth) and Horace Greeley (10th) finished in the Top 10 in team scoring. Greeley's Emma Hadley, a sophomore, took third in the 100 backstroke in 55.85. Teammate and classmate Kasia Malendowicz took third in the 500 freestyle in 5:01.19. Four swimmers from Mamaroneck competed at the event, contributing 30 points. The 200-yard medley relay foursome placed 23…
Police Identify Teenagers Involved In Fatal Accident Near Port Chester HS Police Identify Teenagers Involved In Fatal Accident Near Port Chester HS Police Identify Teenagers Involved In Fatal Accident Near Port Chester HS
Police Identify Teenagers Involved In Fatal Accident Near Port Chester HS PORT CHESTER, N.Y. -- Police released the names Saturday of the teenagers involved in a fatal car accident near Port Chester High School on Friday afternoon. The driver of the blue Ford Mustang died at the scene and was identified as Joseph M. Touri, 18, of Rye Brook, police said. His cause of death was massive trauma.   A front-seat passenger was identified as Diana Pineda, 16, of Port Chester. She suffered extensive injuries resulting from partial ejection from the rear window of the vehicle. She was transported by Port Chester Emergency Medical Services to the Westchester County M…
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