Articles

My writing for print and digital publications can be found here. 

Special tags include: investigations, interviews, and multimedia.

An unshakeable feeling of dread: the view from Americans in Scotland

While I am 3,000 miles away from my home state of New Jersey, the state of American politics is on my mind more than ever. My friends, family, and fellow Americans are all gearing up to cast their vote tomorrow in a historic election marked by a couple of assassination attempts and the latest-ever withdrawal by a candidate from a presidential race.

The ocean-sized gap is much appreciated. But there’s also an unshakable feeling of dread that Scottish friends and colleagues don’t seem to share. This election feels existential in its power to snap the fraying thread of democracy holding the United States together. No pressure.

Terrified residents 'afraid to walk home at night' over cruel firework attacks

Residents of a UK city have said they are 'terrified' after they were targeted by gangs of youths launching fireworks on Halloween. The attacks took place at Hay Avenue in the Niddrie area of Edinburgh on October 31, forcing the area to be "locked down". Local people have since said they fear further attacks in the lead-up to Bonfire Night, and have told how ongoing violence has led them to "want to move away" from the area. One man living nearby described the disturbance as "horrendous", and to...

Quick-thinking hero daughter, 9, saves mum’s life after she collapsed at home

Lexi Kennedy, from Edinburgh, was "amazing" when she saved her mum's life by picking up the phone and calling for an ambulance and telling a 999 operator that she was "not responding"A nine-year-old girl saved her mum's life by calling an ambulance and telling an operator she was a diabetic and "not responding". Lexi Kennedy, from Edinburgh, leapt into action when her mum Laura Mapplebeck, 45, fell unconscious as she struggled with a stomach bug. Laura has type 1 diabetes which renders her immun...

'Scots people should care who US president is' says American in Scotland

American citizens across Scotland are gearing up to vote in this year's rapidly approaching United States presidential election. This year's presidential contest between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris comes at a particularly volatile moment in American politics. Recent months have witnessed two assassination attempts on Trump's life, and Joe Biden's sudden resignation from the campaign. Edinburgh Live spoke to Americans who are on a mission to mobilise US voters in Scotland's capital, with some...

The passionate artists behind Edinburgh’s thriving grassroots music scene

Edinburgh may be world-famous for the arts but music lovers might not think of the Scottish capital as one of the UK’s sonic hubs. The capital seems to live in the shadow of its bigger, grittier neighbour in Glasgow which boasts a massive scene and countless homegrown success stories - including Belle & Sebastian, Franz Ferdinand, and The Fratellis, to name just a few. In recent years, Edinburgh’s live music landscape has faced challenges - including widespread venue closures. Locals will fon...

Edinburgh pub workers first in city to unionise - gaining living wage and paid breaks

Staff at an Edinburgh pub became the first in the city to unionise - winning the right to 100 per cent of their tips, as well as paid breaks for staff. Workers at the Joker & the Thief in Leith secured a contract with Unite the Union on September 2, giving them new rights including guaranteed hours and the real living wage. Unite Hospitality announced the unionisation on X, formerly Twitter, saying: “Workers at The Joker & The Thief bar in Edinburgh have won recognition and contracts which will...

Petrified Edinburgh flatmates find five-foot snake slivering across kitchen floor

Three Edinburgh undergraduates were horrified to find a five-foot-long snake in their Newington flat on South Clerk Street. Art students Alula Brooke, Asha Sylvester, and Iona May Durbin were sitting around their kitchen table when Alula felt something cool touch her hand. She glanced down and to her horror it was an enormous black and white reptile. The students immediately called the SSPCA, only to find that the organisation was closed for the night. After posting about the situation on a Fa...
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