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

Former County Exec Al DelBello Will Be Remembered In Thursday Service Former County Exec Al DelBello Will Be Remembered In Thursday Service Former County Exec Al DelBello Will Be Remembered In Thursday Service
Former County Exec Al DelBello Will Be Remembered In Thursday Service TARRYTOWN, N.Y. -- A memorial service for former Westchester County Executive Alfred DelBello is set for 9:30 a.m. Thursday at Tappan Hill Mansion in Tarrytown. The Lewisboro resident died on May 15 at the age of 80. DelBello's wife, Dee, told The New York Times that he died from injuries suffered in a fall last month.  DelBello was Westchester's first Democrat to hold the office of county executive in 1973 and he was re-elected twice. DelBello began his political career in the 1960s as a Yonkers City Council member and then its mayor. DelBello returned to the private sector as a par…
Peekskill Native George Pataki To Enter Presidential Race In New Hampshire Peekskill Native George Pataki To Enter Presidential Race In New Hampshire Peekskill Native George Pataki To Enter Presidential Race In New Hampshire
Peekskill Native George Pataki To Enter Presidential Race In New Hampshire This story has been updated. GARRISON, N.Y. -- Political pundits ruled George Pataki out as a contender when he challenged Mario Cuomo for governor in 1994 -- and won. The Garrison resident and former mayor from Peekskill is used to running as an underdog. He's already considered a long shot in a crowded field of Republican candidates for president.  The lanky, soft-spoken former three-term governor plans to launch his first presidential campaign on Thursday in Exeter, N.H. Now living in the Putnam County hamlet of Garrison, Pataki has visited New Hampshire nine times during the past…
Odell Backs Proposal To Toughen State Law Against Sexual Assaults On Campus Odell Backs Proposal To Toughen State Law Against Sexual Assaults On Campus Odell Backs Proposal To Toughen State Law Against Sexual Assaults On Campus
Odell Backs Proposal To Toughen State Law Against Sexual Assaults On Campus PURCHASE, N.Y. -- Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell made a special trip to Manhattanville College on Tuesday to endorse a plan to strengthen state law related to sex crimes, especially those on college campuses. While there are no colleges or universities in Putnam County, Odell said changes in the law proposed by Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino would help victims of all sexual assaults. "Sexual assaults and rapes are violent crimes,'' Odell said during a news conference at the college in Purchase. Sarah Tubbs of Montrose, who reported she was raped at Stony Brook Uni…
Manhattanville College Hosts Press Conference On Combating Sexual Assaults Manhattanville College Hosts Press Conference On Combating Sexual Assaults Manhattanville College Hosts Press Conference On Combating Sexual Assaults
Manhattanville College Hosts Press Conference On Combating Sexual Assaults PURCHASE, N.Y. -- Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino detailed his proposal for toughening New York state's enforcement against sexual assault -- especially on college campuses. During a news conference at Manhattanville College on Tuesday, Astorino was joined by Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell, several victims' advocates and a woman from Montrose who was raped at Stony Brook College. Astorino said his four-point plan would improve upon Gov. Andrew Cuomo's campus assault bill, which awaits approval by the State Legislature.  “Colleges are good at educating young adults,…
Unexpected Fireworks Prompt Greenburgh Residents To Fear Attack Unexpected Fireworks Prompt Greenburgh Residents To Fear Attack Unexpected Fireworks Prompt Greenburgh Residents To Fear Attack
Unexpected Fireworks Prompt Greenburgh Residents To Fear Attack GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Residents who live near Metropolis Country Club called Town of Greenburgh police Sunday night concerned they were under some kind of attack. It turns out that the country club, located at 289 Dobbs Ferry Road (Route 100B), was exploding fireworks for its private club members. The golf club had the proper permits, according to Greenburgh Supervisor Paul Feiner, but neither he nor other Town Board members were notified or they would have alerted residents in advance of the loud fireworks display. Feiner said he will require all future fireworks permit holders to pos…
Thornwood, Valhalla Memorial Day Parades Include American Legion Ceremonies Thornwood, Valhalla Memorial Day Parades Include American Legion Ceremonies Thornwood, Valhalla Memorial Day Parades Include American Legion Ceremonies
Thornwood, Valhalla Memorial Day Parades Include American Legion Ceremonies MOUNT PLEASANT, N.Y. -- Town of Mount Pleasant residents get their pick of Memorial Day commemorations on Monday. There's a 9:30 a.m. parade in Valhalla and another one across town in Thornwood at 10:30 a.m. Both parades conclude with ceremonies and refreshments sponsored by American Legion posts. Valhalla's parade begins at Westlake Drive behind the Valhalla Methodist Church and proceeds south on Columbus Avenue. Its ceremony begins at 10 a.m. at Village Green. Hot dogs, ice cream and refreshments will be served by American Legion Post 1038 after the parade and ceremony. Thornwood's…
Hastings Holds Special Tribute For Vietnam Veterans At Memorial Day Parade Hastings Holds Special Tribute For Vietnam Veterans At Memorial Day Parade Hastings Holds Special Tribute For Vietnam Veterans At Memorial Day Parade
Hastings Holds Special Tribute For Vietnam Veterans At Memorial Day Parade This story has been updated. HASTINGS, N.Y. -- Hastings-on-Hudson marches to a different drummer by holding its annual Memorial Day parade on a Sunday afternoon. The parade begins at Reynolds Field and continues along Main Street, Warburton Avenue, North Street and Maple Avenue. Westchester County military veteran of the Vietnam era were invited to participate in Hastings' parade this year. The village, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Defense, honored those veterans who served in the Vietnam War during the 1960s and early '70s. The parade and ceremony was sponsored by t…
Bear Mountain Bridge Serenity On Display On Busy Getaway Holiday Travel Day Bear Mountain Bridge Serenity On Display On Busy Getaway Holiday Travel Day Bear Mountain Bridge Serenity On Display On Busy Getaway Holiday Travel Day
Bear Mountain Bridge Serenity On Display On Busy Getaway Holiday Travel Day PEEKSKILL, N.Y. -- Motorists heading out of town for the Memorial Day weekend were treated to a marvelous sunset and other scenic views along the Hudson River on Friday. Visitors who stopped at the overlook along Route 6 -- just southeast of the Bear Mountain Bridge watched the sun fall beyond the mountaintops. A flat barge was being pushed south past Charles Point andD Indian Point toward the Tappan Zee Bridge. 
Lowey, Shimsky Push For Federal Money To Repair Ashford Avenue Bridge Lowey, Shimsky Push For Federal Money To Repair Ashford Avenue Bridge Lowey, Shimsky Push For Federal Money To Repair Ashford Avenue Bridge
Lowey, Shimsky Push For Federal Money To Repair Ashford Avenue Bridge DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. -- Local elected officials joined U.S. Rep. Nita Lowey at the Ashford Avenue Bridge this week to highlight the need for federal money to repair Westchester County's highway infrastructure. The bridge was the site of a fatal crash last summer, and Congress has not approved a long-term Highway Trust Fund that would help pay for planned repairs. Reauthorization of short-term funding, set to expire on May 31, awaits a vote in the U.S. Senate. “Jobs, economic growth, and public safety are at stake, but, unfortunately, there’s no plan to permanently reauthorize the Highway T…
Deer Defense Group Sues Westchester, Rye, Mamaroneck To Halt Hunting Plans Deer Defense Group Sues Westchester, Rye, Mamaroneck To Halt Hunting Plans Deer Defense Group Sues Westchester, Rye, Mamaroneck To Halt Hunting Plans
Deer Defense Group Sues Westchester, Rye, Mamaroneck To Halt Hunting Plans WESTCHESTER, N.Y. -- A local animal defense group has notified the City of Rye, Village of Mamaroneck, Westchester County and state officials that it will take legal action to stop hunters from killing deer in area parks and other public property. A "notice of dangerous condition" was served on Mamaroneck Mayor Norman Rosenblum, Rye Mayor Joseph Sack and state and county officials by an Ulster County law firm, according to Kiley Blackman of Tuckahoe, founder of Animal Defenders of Westchester, also known as ADOW. The amended notice of claim, dated May 15, says hunting within a municipal…
10,651 - 10,660 of 11,056 articles