Jon Craig

Reporter

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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, NY
Your Community
Backyard Sports Cares Serves White Plains Youths Backyard Sports Cares Serves White Plains Youths Backyard Sports Cares Serves White Plains Youths
Backyard Sports Cares Serves White Plains Youths WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Backyard Sports Cares is based in White Plains, but its impact is felt by children and teenagers throughout the region. The nonprofit organization brings the joy of team sports to children in underserved communities as well as to kids with special needs, according to its founder, Danny Bernstein. On Sunday at SUNY Purchase, Backyard Sports Cares is hosting its third annual fundraising tournament from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. There's still time to register here. Teams of three, including many parents of the children involved with Backyard Sports Cares, compete to raise fund…

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by Jon Craig
Rye, NY
Breaking News
Astorino Details $25M Deal With New Manager Of Rye Playland Astorino Details $25M Deal With New Manager Of Rye Playland Astorino Details $25M Deal With New Manager Of Rye Playland
Astorino Details $25M Deal With New Manager Of Rye Playland RYE, N.Y. -- Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino announced a tentative deal with Standard Amusements LLC to operate Rye Playland for the next 15 to 30 years. The new manager promised nearly $23 million in upgrades to the park in the next five years, a $2 million payment to the county and $300,000 annually. The county also would receive 7.5 percent of operating profits. Astorino said the deal was signed Monday night with Harrison native Nicholas Singer, partner and co-founder of Standard Amusements, who spent his youth visiting the park and skating at the ice rink. Astorino said…

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by Jon Craig
White Plains, NY
Your Community
Westchester Politicians React To Hillary Clinton Candidacy For President Westchester Politicians React To Hillary Clinton Candidacy For President Westchester Politicians React To Hillary Clinton Candidacy For President
Westchester Politicians React To Hillary Clinton Candidacy For President WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Elected officials from both sides of the political aisle offered praise for Hillary Clinton of Chappaqua, who formally announced her candidacy for president on Sunday.  It's the former U.S. senator and secretary of state's second bid for the presidency after she lost the Democratic Party nomination to Barack Obama in 2008. "Westchester is proud to have Secretary Clinton as a leading candidate for president," County Executive Rob Astorino said. "Mrs. Clinton and I may come from different political parties, but I admire her service and we have always enjoyed a friend…

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by Jon Craig
Port Chester, NY
Your Community
Port Chester High School Seniors Display Artwork At First-Time Exhibition Port Chester High School Seniors Display Artwork At First-Time Exhibition Port Chester High School Seniors Display Artwork At First-Time Exhibition
Port Chester High School Seniors Display Artwork At First-Time Exhibition PORT CHESTER, N.Y.-- International Baccalaureate visual arts students, all seniors, held their first-ever art show at Port Chester High School on Thursday evening. Each of the 20 Port Chester students taking IB Visual Arts exhibited eight pieces in the show, done both in and out of class over the past two school years.   The subject of the students’ art included the skeleton, water, Caravaggio, Goya's "Disasters of War, Pirinesi, family members, short story illustration, illustrated envelopes and crushed cans.  The art utilized various media including pencil, ink, watercolor, papier …

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by Jon Craig
Rye, NY
Breaking News
Rye Officials Report Suspicious Incident Outside Osborn Elementary School Rye Officials Report Suspicious Incident Outside Osborn Elementary School Rye Officials Report Suspicious Incident Outside Osborn Elementary School
Rye Officials Report Suspicious Incident Outside Osborn Elementary School RYE, N.Y. -- Rye officials reported a suspicious incident Thursday afternoon in the front parking lot of Osborn Elementary School. An adult male with an apparent foot fetish approached a female school district employee and asked to see her feet and her shoes. The unidentified man left after the woman declined his request in a dark blue Volkswagen sedan with New York plates. In an email sent about 5 p.m. Thursday, Rye Schools Superintendent Frank Alvarez wrote: "I wanted to make Rye City School District parents aware of a suspicious incident that occurred today on Osborn School grounds. …

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by Jon Craig
Harrison, NY
On Your Side
Harrison Experiencing A Shuffling Of Restaurants Along Halstead Avenue Harrison Experiencing A Shuffling Of Restaurants Along Halstead Avenue Harrison Experiencing A Shuffling Of Restaurants Along Halstead Avenue
Harrison Experiencing A Shuffling Of Restaurants Along Halstead Avenue HARRISON, N.Y. -- Just when one popular eatery closes along Halstead Avenue in the village of Harrison, another one opens. Halstead Ave Taqueria had its "soft opening" on Monday at 261 Halstead Ave. Owner Luis Aguilera, a graduate of White Plains High School who now lives in Harrison, said he's planning a grand opening soon, "once our sauces and everything are exactly how I want them." Aguilera offers traditional Mexican cooking, handmade tortillas, made-to order guacamole, freshly-squeezed juices as well as southern and coastal dishes using local seasonal vegetables, fruits and herb…

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by Jon Craig
White Plains, NY
On Your Side
Owners Of The Westchester Pledge Millions To Renovate Shopping Center Owners Of The Westchester Pledge Millions To Renovate Shopping Center Owners Of The Westchester Pledge Millions To Renovate Shopping Center
Owners Of The Westchester Pledge Millions To Renovate Shopping Center WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- During a "tile breaking" ceremony at The Westchester on Thursday, owners of the 20-year-old shopping center announced a major facelift welcomed by city and county leaders. Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino and Whtie Plains Mayor Thomas Roach joined Robert Guerra, Simon Northeast regional vice president, in smashing tiles with hammers to kick off an eight-month renovation expected to cost the global real estate company millions. Roach proclaimed Thursday "The Westchester Day in White Plains," noting, "When I walk in here, I say, 'What do you need to fix?' I …

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by Jon Craig
Mahopac, NY
Your Community
Educators Give Governor, Legislature 'F' For New Teacher Evaluation Rules Educators Give Governor, Legislature 'F' For New Teacher Evaluation Rules Educators Give Governor, Legislature 'F' For New Teacher Evaluation Rules
Educators Give Governor, Legislature 'F' For New Teacher Evaluation Rules PUTNAM COUNTY, N.Y. -- School superintendents and teachers in Putnam and Westchester counties agree new job evaluation standards folded into the state budget are even worse than the current set mandated four years ago. "I'm very opposed to this type of measurement process for teachers," said Frances Willis, superintendent of schools in Putnam Valley, "Where is the evidence that this is a valid way of evaluating a teacher's assessment? The governor has a fixed position. It does not seem to be right. I'm very saddened by it. It's very disheartening for teachers." Willis said measuring gro…

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by Jon Craig
Greenburgh, NY
Your Community
Educators Give Governor, Legislature 'F' For New Teacher Evaluation Rules Educators Give Governor, Legislature 'F' For New Teacher Evaluation Rules Educators Give Governor, Legislature 'F' For New Teacher Evaluation Rules
Educators Give Governor, Legislature 'F' For New Teacher Evaluation Rules This story has been updated. WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. -- School superintendents and teachers in Westchester and Putnam counties agree that new job evaluation standards folded into the state budget are even worse than the current set mandated four years ago. Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed 50 percent of a public school teacher's annual evaluation be measured by students' progress on test scores. The plan was passed by state legislators as part of the state budget April 1, but requires details to be ironed out by the state Education Department and Board of Regents by mid-June. "That's a pre…

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by Jon Craig
Port Chester, NY
Your Community
Pilla Is Sworn In Again As Mayor During Port Chester Village Hall Ceremony Pilla Is Sworn In Again As Mayor During Port Chester Village Hall Ceremony Pilla Is Sworn In Again As Mayor During Port Chester Village Hall Ceremony
Pilla Is Sworn In Again As Mayor During Port Chester Village Hall Ceremony  PORT CHESTER, N.Y. -- Former Mayor Dennis Pilla was sworn in Tuesday to the post he lost in 2013. Judge Anthony Provenzano administered the oath of office to Pilla, a Democrat elected on March 18. Pilla was joined by his wife, Margoth, at the ceremony in Port Chester Village Hall. Election Day returns from the Port Chester Village Clerk's Office put Pilla ahead of village Trustee Gene Ceccarelli, a Republican, by 1,213 votes to 1,115 votes. Pilla was first elected village mayor in 2007 but was defeated in 2013 by Neil Pagano, a Republican who decided not to seek re-election this yea…

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by Jon Craig
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