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

Port Chester Police Charge Two During Alleged Heroin Deal Port Chester Police Charge Two During Alleged Heroin Deal Port Chester Police Charge Two During Alleged Heroin Deal
Port Chester Police Charge Two During Alleged Heroin Deal PORT CHESTER, N.Y. -- A pair of out-of-town men were arrested Wednesday during a suspected heroin deal, Port Chester police said Friday. Village police disrupted a drug transaction in progress on North Main Street about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. Members of the department's Narcotics Squad were conducting surveillance in the area when they observed one man seated in a car hand a second man who was walking on foot, 30 small bags containing what was later determined to be heroin.   With assistance from Port Chester's Patrol Division, police stopped and detained both men.   Subsequent inve…
Twelfth Night Won't Go On Tonight; Snow Turns Play Into Saturday Matinee Twelfth Night Won't Go On Tonight; Snow Turns Play Into Saturday Matinee Twelfth Night Won't Go On Tonight; Snow Turns Play Into Saturday Matinee
Twelfth Night Won't Go On Tonight; Snow Turns Play Into Saturday Matinee This story has been updated. MAMARONECK, N.Y. -- Despite Friday's predicted snowfall and early dismissal, the Mamaroneck Shakespeare show must go on. Due to anticipated inclement weather, Friday evening’s Shakespeare Festival performance of Twelfth Night has been rescheduled for Saturday, March 21 at noon, according to Mamaroneck High School officials. ORIGINAL STORY: Beware the ides of March.  Whether or not you recall the origin of that famous phrase, it's time to head over to Hommocks Middle School where Mamaroneck High's Shakespeare Festival opened on Tuesday March 17. T…
Larchmont Selects Winning Logo For Village's 125th Anniversary Celebration Larchmont Selects Winning Logo For Village's 125th Anniversary Celebration Larchmont Selects Winning Logo For Village's 125th Anniversary Celebration
Larchmont Selects Winning Logo For Village's 125th Anniversary Celebration LARCHMONT, N.Y. -- A colorful design depicting Larchmont's waterfront gazebo was selected as the winner from more than 30 entries in a 125th anniversary village logo contest. "Today is a fantastic start to what will be a fantastic celebration of Larchmont's 125th birthday,'' said Mayor Anne McAndrews. "This is so pleasant to have a cheerful group in this room." In January, village officials detailed plans for a yearlong celebration of Larchmont's 125th anniversary of incorporation -- which is officially on Sept. 22, 2016. The winning logo was designed by Sue Girardi-Sweeney, a villag…
Mamaroneck Middle School Cafeteria Worker Contracts Hepatitis A Mamaroneck Middle School Cafeteria Worker Contracts Hepatitis A Mamaroneck Middle School Cafeteria Worker Contracts Hepatitis A
Mamaroneck Middle School Cafeteria Worker Contracts Hepatitis A MAMARONECK, N.Y. -- Mamaroneck school officials warned parents on Wednesday that a Hommocks Middle School cafeteria worker has been diagnosed with Hepatitis A and is recovering. According to a letter posted on the school district website by Superintendent Robert Shaps, the Westchester County Department of Health informed the Mamaroneck Union Free School District on Wednesday that the cafeteria worker, employed by Aramark Food Service,  had Hepatitis A. "Westchester County Health Commissioner Sherlita Amler, MD, has assured us that it is unlikely that anyone at the school would become il…
Pilla Regains Seat As Port Chester Mayor In Close Win Over Ceccarelli Pilla Regains Seat As Port Chester Mayor In Close Win Over Ceccarelli Pilla Regains Seat As Port Chester Mayor In Close Win Over Ceccarelli
Pilla Regains Seat As Port Chester Mayor In Close Win Over Ceccarelli PORT CHESTER, N.Y. -- Former Mayor Dennis Pilla regained a seat he lost in 2013 on Wednesday, in a narrow victory over village Trustee Gene Ceccarelli. Unofficial returns from the Port Chester Village Clerk's Office put Pilla ahead of Ceccarelli by 1,213 votes to 1,115. "I can hit the ground running,'' Pilla said after his apparent win, saying he wants to develop a 100-day plan of action with the Port Chester Board of Trustees. "I'm going to load up the bases with some quick hits in the first 100 days to have an immediate impact." Port Chester's two mayoral candidates differed the mo…
Village Mayor Reelected With Three Trustees From 'Unite Sleepy Hollow' Line Village Mayor Reelected With Three Trustees From 'Unite Sleepy Hollow' Line Village Mayor Reelected With Three Trustees From 'Unite Sleepy Hollow' Line
Village Mayor Reelected With Three Trustees From 'Unite Sleepy Hollow' Line SLEEPY HOLLOW, N.Y. -- Incumbent Mayor Ken Wray outran seven-year village Trustee Karin Wompa on Wednesday, taking about 68 percent of the unofficial votes, according to the Westchester County Board of Elections. Wray's unofficial lead was 882 to 418 votes late Wednesday. Wompa ran with the Democratic Party endorsement, but lost. Wray, previously backed by Democrats, created a new party called Unite Sleepy Hollow and ran with a ticket that included Republicans.  All three Unite Sleepy Hollow candidates for village trustee led the other three Democratic opponents, according to unof…
Tarrytown Re-elects Its Mayor, Three Village Trustees Tarrytown Re-elects Its Mayor, Three Village Trustees Tarrytown Re-elects Its Mayor, Three Village Trustees
Tarrytown Re-elects Its Mayor, Three Village Trustees TARRYTOWN, N.Y. -- Mayor Drew Fixell was re-elected to a sixth term Wednesday despite a challenge from former Mayor Paul Janos. According to unofficial results from the Westchester County Board of Elections, Fixell led with 885 votes, about 62 percent of total votes cast. Janos received 554 votes, about 39 percent of the total count, according to the unofficial county results. Fixell ran on the Democratic and Tarrytown United Party lines. Janos ran on a third-party line called Our Village Party. Village Trustees Thomas D. Butler, Becky McGovern and Doug Zollo all ran unopposed …
Rye Brook Reelects Two Unopposed Village Trustees Rye Brook Reelects Two Unopposed Village Trustees Rye Brook Reelects Two Unopposed Village Trustees
Rye Brook Reelects Two Unopposed Village Trustees RYE BROOK, N.Y. -- Village trustees David Heiser and Susan Epstein -- both independents running on the Rye Brook Together line -- were reelected on Wednesday to two-year terms. Their races were uncontested.  Heiser, a labor lawyer, has served on the Rye Brook Board of Trustees since March 2012. Epstein, a former financial underwriter and insurance executive, has served on the village board since March 2013 when she was appointed to fill Mayor-elect Paul Rosenberg's vacated trustee seat.  
Three Unopposed Democrats Re-Elected In Larchmont Village Elections Three Unopposed Democrats Re-Elected In Larchmont Village Elections Three Unopposed Democrats Re-Elected In Larchmont Village Elections
Three Unopposed Democrats Re-Elected In Larchmont Village Elections LARCHMONT, N.Y. -- Village residents re-elected three Democratic candidates on Wednesday in uncontested races for village justice and the Board of Trustees. It marked the ninth consecutive election in Larchmont in which village candidates ran unopposed. Lorraine Walsh, 51, and John Komar, 57, both were re-elected to a third two-year term. The public job is unpaid. Village Justice Jerry Bernstein was re-elected to a sixth term. He is a senior partner with the New York law firm Blank Rome, and previously worked as a federal prosecutor. Walsh, a Larchmont resident for 17 years, owns …
Business Expo At Hilton Westchester Attracts 2,000 Business Expo At Hilton Westchester Attracts 2,000 Business Expo At Hilton Westchester Attracts 2,000
Business Expo At Hilton Westchester Attracts 2,000 RYE BROOK, N.Y. -- More than 2,000 businesspeople from across Westchester, the Hudson Valley and Long Island attended Wednesday's Business Expo at the Hilton Westchester in Rye Brook. More than 180 companies and nonprofit groups offered sales pitches and gave away plenty of promotional merchandise, from pens and water bottles to keychains and back scratchers. It marks the 13th year the expo was sponsored by the Business Council of Westchester.  Exhibitors included banks, law firms, tax accountants, nursing homes, marketing and design firms, contractors, restaurants, security companie…
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