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

Mamaroneck, NY
Your Community
Chabad Of Larchmont & Mamaroneck Sponsor Children's Hanukkah Workshop Chabad Of Larchmont & Mamaroneck Sponsor Children's Hanukkah Workshop Chabad Of Larchmont & Mamaroneck Sponsor Children's Hanukkah Workshop
Chabad Of Larchmont & Mamaroneck Sponsor Children's Hanukkah Workshop LARCHMONT, N.Y. -- Dozens of local children got into the Hanukkah spirit on Sunday, Dec. 14, by making homemade menorahs from wood using supplies and advice donated by The Home Depot's store in New Rochelle. The menorah-making event was organized by several Chabad centers in Westchester. Parents joined children in designing and crafting colorful wooden menorahs. A Facebook photo album of Sunday's Hanukkah workshop can be viewed here: In addition to Home Depot, the event was sponsored by Alef Bet Preschool, Chabad of Larchmont & Mamaroneck, Chabad of Pelham, Chabad of Scarsdale and C…

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by Jon Craig
Rye, NY
Your Community
Soccer Goal Safety Bill Rooted In Rye Brook Signed Into State Law Soccer Goal Safety Bill Rooted In Rye Brook Signed Into State Law Soccer Goal Safety Bill Rooted In Rye Brook Signed Into State Law
Soccer Goal Safety Bill Rooted In Rye Brook Signed Into State Law RYE, N.Y. -- Legislation that got kick-started by a serious soccer accident in Rye Brook has become state law. Assemblyman Steve Otis, D-Rye, announced Monday that his bill mandating new safety guidelines for movable soccer goals was signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday. This lurking danger was all too real for a Rye Brook family whose 8-year-old daughter suffered a crushed femur when a portable soccer goal was blown over in June 2002.  “The surgeon said it was as if a sledgehammer came down on my daughter’s leg with full force,” John Parisi recalled. “If the soccer goal had hit her…

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by Jon Craig
Rye, NY
Your Community
Rye Parents Seek Safety Improvements Near Osborn Elementary School Rye Parents Seek Safety Improvements Near Osborn Elementary School Rye Parents Seek Safety Improvements Near Osborn Elementary School
Rye Parents Seek Safety Improvements Near Osborn Elementary School This story has been updated. RYE, N.Y. -- Parents whose children attend Osborn Elementary School say it's time to revisit plans to upgrade intersections near the school on Boston Post Road (Route 1). They say an already busy road with inadequate road markings and chaotic intersections only gets more dangerous in foul weather and during early dismissals, which coincided on Tuesday. To make matters worse, adults sometimes cross Boston Post Road, with children in tow, between parked and moving cars, as observed by the Daily Voice on Thursday. About 3 p.m., at least six adults crossed…

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by Jon Craig
White Plains, NY
Breaking News
County Legislators Move To Ban Toxic Toys, Children's Clothing, Jewelry County Legislators Move To Ban Toxic Toys, Children's Clothing, Jewelry County Legislators Move To Ban Toxic Toys, Children's Clothing, Jewelry
County Legislators Move To Ban Toxic Toys, Children's Clothing, Jewelry This story has been updated. WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. -- Antimony, cadmium, cobalt, lead and mercury. These were some of the toxins found recently during a test on children's toys, jewelry and clothing, prompting county legislators to propose a ban to be enforced by the Westchester County Health Department. At a Wednesday news conference, a dozen popular products typically manufactured overseas were displayed by legislators. They included a Hot Wheels gift set, Lego Legends of Chima keychain, Fisher Price Thomas & Friends train and Superman penlight. Jackets from The Children's Plac…

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by Jon Craig
Port Chester, NY
Breaking News
Port Chester Family Grieves Father, Son Who Died Two Weeks Apart Port Chester Family Grieves Father, Son Who Died Two Weeks Apart Port Chester Family Grieves Father, Son Who Died Two Weeks Apart
Port Chester Family Grieves Father, Son Who Died Two Weeks Apart PORT CHESTER, N.Y. -- A Port Chester family is grieving the loss of a father and son who died within two weeks of one another. An education fund has been set up for the 2-year-old daughter of Roberto Presta, 36, who died Sunday, Dec. 7, after many months battling gastric cancer.  Presta's 70-year-old father, Luigi, died of complications from surgery on Nov. 21. Robert Presta of Valhalla grew up in Port Chester. He is survived by his wife, Danielle DiBello Presta, and a daughter, Emily, both of Valhalla. Presta worked for Broadview Networks in Rye Brook as director of pricing and s…

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by Jon Craig
Harrison, NY
Breaking News
Purchase Fire Commissioner Is Re-Elected To Five-Year Term Purchase Fire Commissioner Is Re-Elected To Five-Year Term Purchase Fire Commissioner Is Re-Elected To Five-Year Term
Purchase Fire Commissioner Is Re-Elected To Five-Year Term This story has been updated. HARRISON, N.Y. -- There was one candidate for fire commissioner at the Purchase Fire Department on Tuesday. He ran unopposed. Commissioner Albert Mignone was re-elected to a five-year term beginning Jan. 1. The annual election took place from 6-9 p.m. at the firehouse at 614 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase. All residents of the Purchase Fire District who are registered to vote with the Westchester County Board of Elections on or before Nov. 17, 2014, were eligible to vote at this election.  

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by Jon Craig
Mamaroneck, NY
Breaking News
Mamaroneck Village Residents Approve $2.8 Million Library Budget Mamaroneck Village Residents Approve $2.8 Million Library Budget Mamaroneck Village Residents Approve $2.8 Million Library Budget
Mamaroneck Village Residents Approve $2.8 Million Library Budget This story has been updated. MAMARONECK, N.Y. -- By a vote of 146 to 42 on Wednesday, Mamaroneck residents approved the public library budget for next year. They also elected these six library trustees beginning June 1, 2015: Martha Sokol McCarty, Clayton Otto, Susan Feitler, Leonard Tallevi, Patty Wolff and Jane Herzog. Details on the $2,884,956 spending plan can be found online here: After revenues and aid, about $2.66 million must be raised by a property tax levy to balance the budget, an increase of 2.5 percent over this year's library budget. That works out to a tax rate of $…

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by Jon Craig
Rye, NY
Breaking News
Rye Leaders Celebrate 50th Anniversary Of City Hall Rye Leaders Celebrate 50th Anniversary Of City Hall Rye Leaders Celebrate 50th Anniversary Of City Hall
Rye Leaders Celebrate 50th Anniversary Of City Hall RYE, N.Y. -- Two former mayors who attended the 1964 dedication of a new City Hall in Rye are expected to join Wednesday's celebration of its Golden Anniversary. Ed Grainger and John Carey, who were serving as Rye City Council members 50 years ago, and have since served as mayors, were set to speak at the Dec. 10 event, which starts at 7 p.m. Student government representatives from the Osborn, Milton and Midland schools were invited to recite excerpts from the dedication speeches. Construction of City Hall was financed by money donated by former Mayor John Motley Morehead, who died i…

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by Jon Craig
Harrison, NY
Breaking News
It's Raining, It's Pouring, The Geese Are In Their Glory On Sound Shore It's Raining, It's Pouring, The Geese Are In Their Glory On Sound Shore It's Raining, It's Pouring, The Geese Are In Their Glory On Sound Shore
It's Raining, It's Pouring, The Geese Are In Their Glory On Sound Shore This story has been updated. WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. -- As heavy rain fell steadily along the Sound Shore on Tuesday, more than a dozen geese were enjoying the muddy waters along Oakland Avenue and Beaver Swamp Brook in Harrison. Rye residents were not so happy a quarter-mile away, where excess water was beginning to flood onto yards and roadways along Park Avenue and near Coolidge Avenue. Beaver Swamp Brook runs from Westchester Country Club through Rye and Harrison to the Long Island Sound in Mamaroneck. The brook's watershed spans nearly 2,000 acres. Officials downstream in Ma…

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by Jon Craig
White Plains, NY
Breaking News
White Plains Sets Deadline For Comments On Proposed French-American School White Plains Sets Deadline For Comments On Proposed French-American School White Plains Sets Deadline For Comments On Proposed French-American School
White Plains Sets Deadline For Comments On Proposed French-American School WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- After more than three years of discussion and debate, the City of White Plains is accepting its last public comments on the proposed French-American School of New York through Dec. 18. It's unclear when the Common Council will decide the fate of FASNY's proposal to build a $60 million campus on the former Ridgeway Country Club, merging its schools now operating in Larchmont, Mamaroneck and Scarsdale. But in recent months, and at the "final" public hearing Wednesday, Dec. 3, at City Hall, questioning from Common Council members about the project's impact on traffic …

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by Jon Craig
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