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

White Plains Juneteenth Heritage Committee Holds Awards Gala In Tarrytown White Plains Juneteenth Heritage Committee Holds Awards Gala In Tarrytown White Plains Juneteenth Heritage Committee Holds Awards Gala In Tarrytown
White Plains Juneteenth Heritage Committee Holds Awards Gala In Tarrytown WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- The White Plains Juneteenth Heritage Committee holds its Third Annual Awards Gala Thursday night, honoring outstanding individuals and a prominent business in the African-American community. The Juneteenth Awards Gala will begin at 6 p.m at the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel in Tarrytown, and tickets are still available, organizers said on Wednesday. Distinguished honorees include Eon S. Nichols, Rosa Boone-Morgan, the Rev. Earlene Davis, William Brown, Jr., James Bason, Jr., Bishop Wilbur Preston, Abdul Tubman, and Lee’s Funeral Home, which will receive a "Legacy Awa…
Rye Neck High's Spedafino Is Winningest Coach In Section 1 Sports History Rye Neck High's Spedafino Is Winningest Coach In Section 1 Sports History Rye Neck High's Spedafino Is Winningest Coach In Section 1 Sports History
Rye Neck High's Spedafino Is Winningest Coach In Section 1 Sports History This story has been updated. MAMARONECK, N.Y. -- Joan Spedafino, who has coached at Rye Neck High School for 30 years, became the winningest coach in Section 1 softball history this month. Spedafino earned her 447th career win with the Panthers' 11-1 victory over Hastings on May 1, surpassing former Eastchester High School varsity coach Thomas "Skip" Walsh as the softball coach with the most career wins in Section 1 history. Walsh coached at EHS from 1978-2008. Spedafino is a fourth-grade teacher at Bellows Elementary School in Mamaroneck. "I love it,'' she said of teaching younger p…
Rye's Jake Meyerson Burns Up The Bases During Rochester's Baseball Season Rye's Jake Meyerson Burns Up The Bases During Rochester's Baseball Season Rye's Jake Meyerson Burns Up The Bases During Rochester's Baseball Season
Rye's Jake Meyerson Burns Up The Bases During Rochester's Baseball Season RYE, N.Y. -- Former Rye High School baseball star Jake Meyerson is leading his team in hits this season as a junior at the University of Rochester. Going into the playoffs, Meyerson was named a first-team All-University Athletic Association (UAA) player as well as a first-team All-Liberty League player. Through early May, Meyerson led Rochester with a .361 batting average (43 hits during 119 at-bats), bringing in 29 runs. The Rye High graduate hit 10 doubles, two triples and three home runs for 14 runs batted in. Meyerson slammed his home runs during three consecutive games at Union …
Common Core Panelists In Rye Share Views On State Testing Common Core Panelists In Rye Share Views On State Testing Common Core Panelists In Rye Share Views On State Testing
Common Core Panelists In Rye Share Views On State Testing RYE, N.Y. -- Two school superintendents, a college professor and two local school teachers who are parents shared their views of state-testing trends on Thursday night. Despite mostly tempered, politically-correct remarks, four of the five said New York state is regressing -- not progressing -- in getting the most out of its students, teachers and taxpayer dollars. During a forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Rye, Rye Brook & Port Chester at Rye Middle School, all five agreed that education reform is a decades-old concept and that some public schools began using standar…
North Street Neighbors Awakened By Bulldozers, Treecutting In White Plains North Street Neighbors Awakened By Bulldozers, Treecutting In White Plains North Street Neighbors Awakened By Bulldozers, Treecutting In White Plains
North Street Neighbors Awakened By Bulldozers, Treecutting In White Plains This story has been updated. WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- For years, residents near White Plains High School have succeeded in delaying plans by the French American School of New York to build a new campus near Route 127. But in less than a week, a half-mile stretch of the route, also known as North Street, looked like a construction battle zone to clear way for a new parking lot and four homes near the German International School, which has no ties to the FASNY school proposal. Bulldozers are leveling nearly five acres of once tree-bordered land for an entrance and 38-car parking lot near the…
Body Cameras Gaining Popularity After White Plains Police Pilot Program Body Cameras Gaining Popularity After White Plains Police Pilot Program Body Cameras Gaining Popularity After White Plains Police Pilot Program
Body Cameras Gaining Popularity After White Plains Police Pilot Program WESTCHESTER, N.Y. -- After successful pilot programs in Ossining and White Plains, a half dozen Westchester County police departments are now using body cameras or plan to buy them for their patrol officers this year. The Westchester County Public Safety Department, which has coverage areas throughout the county, is among the local agencies planning to equip its officers with cameras.  Advocates including the U.S. Justice Department believe the cameras can help in reducing threats to police, as well as keep rogue officers from using excessive force on suspects. The New York State Pol…
Metro-North's Failure To Fix Crossing Safety Key In Suit, Brody Lawyer Says Metro-North's Failure To Fix Crossing Safety Key In Suit, Brody Lawyer Says Metro-North's Failure To Fix Crossing Safety Key In Suit, Brody Lawyer Says
Metro-North's Failure To Fix Crossing Safety Key In Suit, Brody Lawyer Says MOUNT PLEASANT, N.Y. -- The lawyer for Alan Brody of Edgemont, whose wife Ellen was killed Feb. 3 when her SUV was struck by a commuter train in Valhalla, said poor visibility is a key factor in proving liability. Attached to Brody's notice of claim, which was filed Monday, are exhibits citing federal regulations that required Metro-North to ensure safety at its Commerce Street crossing.  At least 34 parties filed notices of claim, the first step to initiate a lawsuit, by Monday's deadline, according to LoHud.com.  The wife of Eric Vandecar of Bedford Hills -- one of the five passeng…
Lowey, Lt. Gov. Hochul Call For Crackdown On College Campus Assaults Lowey, Lt. Gov. Hochul Call For Crackdown On College Campus Assaults Lowey, Lt. Gov. Hochul Call For Crackdown On College Campus Assaults
Lowey, Lt. Gov. Hochul Call For Crackdown On College Campus Assaults PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. -- Congresswoman Nita Lowey and Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul met with Pace University students and administrators on Tuesday to discuss proposed federal legislation that would toughen punishments when sexual assaults occur on college campuses. Lowey detailed legislation that she will co~sponsor  in Washington, D.C., to bolster Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s "Enough is Enough" campaign. "As a mother of three and grandmother of eight, I worry about this,'' Lowey said during Tuesday's round-table discussion at Pace. "And I have my first grandchild going off to college."  "Freedom and …
Rough Rides Abound After Brutal Winter Takes Toll On Westchester Roads Rough Rides Abound After Brutal Winter Takes Toll On Westchester Roads Rough Rides Abound After Brutal Winter Takes Toll On Westchester Roads
Rough Rides Abound After Brutal Winter Takes Toll On Westchester Roads WESTCHESTER, N.Y. -- From Pound Ridge to Mount Vernon, and Pleasantville to Harrison, motorists do not have to travel far to find tire-damaging potholes. Daily Voice cruised local roadways throughout the county last week, and easily found many obvious culprits. Elected officials blame a harsh winter, and depleted public works budgets, for the slower-than-normal response to filling potholes. And sometimes, they blame the state for not fixing perpetually bumpy roads such as Route 120. Route 120 remains rough throughout the town of Harrison near Westchester County Airport. It's also pep…
Brody Family Sues Metro-North After Mother's Fatal Collision With Train Brody Family Sues Metro-North After Mother's Fatal Collision With Train Brody Family Sues Metro-North After Mother's Fatal Collision With Train
Brody Family Sues Metro-North After Mother's Fatal Collision With Train EDGEMONT, N.Y. -- The family of Ellen Brody, the 49-year-old woman whose collision with a commuter train on Feb. 3 resulted in the deadliest crash in Metro-North's history, filed a notice of claim to sue on Monday. The notice is the first step in initiating the lawsuit.  Philip Russotti, a Manhattan attorney  representing the Brody family from Edgemont, said in a statement, "This horrific accident was not the fault of Ellen Brody." It is at least the third lawsuit initiated after the crash between Brody's Mercedes SUV and the train, killing Brody and five male passengers. Brody's …
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