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

Veteran Radio DJ Jay Michaels Returns To WFAS Weekday Morning Show Veteran Radio DJ Jay Michaels Returns To WFAS Weekday Morning Show Veteran Radio DJ Jay Michaels Returns To WFAS Weekday Morning Show
Veteran Radio DJ Jay Michaels Returns To Wfas Weekday Morning Show HARTSDALE, N.Y. -- If the voice of that "new" morning radio DJ sounds familiar, he is.  Jay Michaels, one of radio station WFAS's morning show DJs, returned to the Westchester-based broadcast company on Monday. Michaels had worked at 103.9 WFAS for 20 years before leaving in 2013. He returned to 94.3 WFAS FM this week as morning show DJ, weekdays from 5:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Michaels was very much involved with the community while he was with 103.9 WFAS, according to Dana Riccardi, the station's marketing and promotions director. "I know people really loved his great positive e…
County Executive Astorino Organizes Safer Sports Conference On Concussions County Executive Astorino Organizes Safer Sports Conference On Concussions County Executive Astorino Organizes Safer Sports Conference On Concussions
County Executive Astorino Organizes Safer Sports Conference On Concussions WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Remember when the quarterback's knee slammed into your chin? That aerial head-to-head collision on your daughter's soccer team? Or memory lapses after falls while cheerleading, wrestling, horseback riding or playing hockey? You are not alone. About 80 percent of sports concussions go unreported, experts said Thursday during a "Safer Communities" conference at Westchester County Center. "That's a pretty scary number,'' said Yorktown High School athletic trainer Dave Byrnes. "Most will not show physical signs."  That's why proper training and quick attention are v…
Rye Scientist Is Expert Commentator On First Live 'PBS' Nature Series Rye Scientist Is Expert Commentator On First Live 'PBS' Nature Series Rye Scientist Is Expert Commentator On First Live 'PBS' Nature Series
Rye Scientist Is Expert Commentator On First Live 'PBS' Nature Series RYE, N.Y. -- A scientist from Rye lends her expertise on PBS's very first live nature series, "Big Blue Live," which airs starting Aug. 31. Joy Reidenberg, a marine mammal expert, will help narrate the live series, broadcast on three consecutive nights, from 8 to 9 p.m. "We don't have to go far to see all those cool animals out there,'' Redeinberg, a professor in Manhattan, says in a promotional trailer. The PBS series, co-produced with the BBC, can be watched live online at PBS.org/BigBlueLive. If star aquatic "actors" show up as predicted, high-tech documentary crews will capture a…
Port Chester Proposes $63 Million In School Additions, Renovation Projects Port Chester Proposes $63 Million In School Additions, Renovation Projects Port Chester Proposes $63 Million In School Additions, Renovation Projects
Port Chester Proposes $63 Million In School Additions, Renovation Projects This story has been updated. PORT CHESTER, N.Y. -- Residents of the Port Chester-Rye Union Free School District will be asked to approve $63 million in major renovation projects including additions to Port Chester High School and Middle School. New construction throughout the district, discussed by the Port Chester Board of Education during meetings this summer, would start in April 2017 and conclude by December 2018. Because Port Chester has seen a dramatic, steady rise in enrollment, state aid for the project is expected to total at least $34 million, according to Port Chester Schools…
Mamaroneck Businesses Warned About Water Bill Collection Scam Mamaroneck Businesses Warned About Water Bill Collection Scam Mamaroneck Businesses Warned About Water Bill Collection Scam
Mamaroneck Businesses Warned About Water Bill Collection Scam MAMARONECK, N.Y. -- At least two Village of Mamaroneck businesses were called recently demanding payment for water bills over the phone under the threat of water service being shut off, according to Mamaroneck Village Manager Richard Slingerland. The collection calls are part of a scam, Slingerland said on Tuesday. Complaints were filed with the village police department by the businesses involved, Slingerland. The Westchester Joint Water Works also posted a warning on its website titled "Unauthorized Solicitations for Payment of Water Bills." "If you receive such a call, do not p…
Four Harrison Teens Sent To Hospital After ATV Crash Four Harrison Teens Sent To Hospital After ATV Crash Four Harrison Teens Sent To Hospital After ATV Crash
Four Harrison Teens Sent To Hospital After ATV Crash WEST HARRISON -- Four teenagers were taken to Westchester Medical Center on Sunday after their all-terrain vehicle crashed about 8 p.m. on High Street, according to LoHud.com The teens were riding on the ATV when it rolled down a steep hill, causing it to roll over, LoHud reported here. Harrison police were unable to release any more details on Monday.
Mount Pleasant Town Council Faces First Democratic Challenge In A Decade Mount Pleasant Town Council Faces First Democratic Challenge In A Decade Mount Pleasant Town Council Faces First Democratic Challenge In A Decade
Mount Pleasant Town Council Faces First Democratic Challenge In A Decade MOUNT PLEASANT, N.Y. -- After beating a challenge to his candidacy petitions, Wayne McPartland, a retired New York Fire Department battalion chief, is the first Democrat seeking a seat on the Mount Pleasant Town Council in 10 years. In fact, the five-member town council has been represented entirely by Republicans for decades.  McPartland told Daily Voice that he hopes to change that. "After 20 years of Republican rule, they don't want my opposition,'' McPartland, 64, of Pleasantville said on Friday. Last week, the Westchester County Board of Elections rejected a complaint from a tow…
PetSmart Offers Free Cat Adoptions During National 'Clear The Shelters' Day PetSmart Offers Free Cat Adoptions During National 'Clear The Shelters' Day PetSmart Offers Free Cat Adoptions During National 'Clear The Shelters' Day
PetSmart Offers Free Cat Adoptions During National 'Clear The Shelters' Day GREENBURGH, NY -- Posh Pets Rescue, a group of local volunteers, is teaming up with the PetSmart store at Crossroads Shopping Center on Saturday to give away three dozen vaccinated cats. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., cats and kittens will be waiting for prospective owners during a free adoption day at PetSmart, 369 Tarrytown Road in Greenburgh. It's part of a national "Clear The Shelters" effort, according to Courtney Massena of Hartsdale, a volunteer with Posh Pets Rescue. Massena said all of the cats/kittens have been spayed/neutered, FLV and FIV negative, have received FVRCP vaccination…
Rye High Pitcher Shines During West Coast Classic Rye High Pitcher Shines During West Coast Classic Rye High Pitcher Shines During West Coast Classic
Rye High Pitcher Shines During West Coast Classic RYE, N.Y. -- Rye High School pitcher George Kirby shined on Saturday during a nationally-televised baseball tournament featuring some of the nation's best high school players. Daily Voice previously reported about Kirby's appearance as starting pitcher in the Area Code Baseball game here. Because it's a so-called "scouting combine" players only got an opportunity to pitch three innings per game.  Kirby, who will be a senior at RHS this fall, allowed no hits while striking out two batters and walking three. Kirby's pitches were measured at traveling between 87 and 92 mph.  The tour…
Men Charged With Stealing Cars From Hartsdale Men Charged With Stealing Cars From Hartsdale Men Charged With Stealing Cars From Hartsdale
Men Charged With Stealing Cars From Hartsdale GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Surveillance of cars parked in the Bronx led to the arrest of two men in connection with cars reported stolen from Hartsdale and Yonkers, according to Greenburgh police. The Bronx men are now suspects in a wider investigation of larcenies from vehicles and cars stolen throughout Westchester County, police said on Thursday. Naquan Johnson, 19, and Jose Canales, 20, both of 658 East 234st St. in the Bronx, were charged with third-degree criminal possession of stolen property, a felony, and held pending arraignment in the Bronx, police said.  Members of the Greenburg…
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