Uwa Ede-Osifo
Uwa Ede-Osifo covers fast-moving stories at the intersection of public safety, extreme events and everyday life for the Guardian US, with a particular focus on the western US. Her work tracks how sudden shocks - from heatwaves and flash floods to shootings and legal disputes - disrupt communities and test institutions. She reports in a straightforward breaking-news style that keeps detail close to the event while foregrounding human impact.
Extreme weather, natural hazards and public safety
Much of Ede-Osifo’s recent reporting follows severe weather and natural hazards across the US, especially in the west. She has covered a heatwave scorching the western US and the heightened risk of hazardous fire conditions, drawing out both the meteorological drivers and the implications for firefighting resources and local residents. In Arizona, she has reported on human remains found after deadly Grand Canyon flash floods, documenting the toll of the disaster and the search and recovery effort. Her coverage of a series of powerful earthquakes explains why experts say the events are not connected, translating geophysical analysis into clear language for general readers while situating the quakes within broader concerns about seismic risk. Across these pieces, she links extreme events to questions of preparedness, infrastructure and safety, rather than treating them as isolated curiosities.
Health threats, outbreaks and maritime incidents
Ede-Osifo frequently reports on incidents that blur the line between public health and consumer experience, often involving travel and leisure. She has covered norovirus outbreaks on US cruise ships, detailing how more than 100 passengers fell ill, what symptoms they faced, and how crew and health authorities responded.
In another piece, she tracked the search for a man who reportedly jumped overboard from a cruise ship, following the US coast guard’s response and its eventual decision to suspend the search. These stories share a focus on the systems that are supposed to keep people safe - ship operators, regulators and emergency services - and how they perform when something goes wrong.
Her attention to timelines, official statements and the practical consequences for those on board shows a consistent method: establish the facts of the incident, then connect them to wider patterns of risk and oversight.
Crime, courts and institutional accountability
Beyond environmental and safety stories, Ede-Osifo covers breaking crime and legal cases that raise questions about institutional conduct and individual rights.
She has written on a Florida couple given the wrong embryo in fertility treatment and their permanent custody arrangements, outlining the procedural errors, the emotional stakes, and the legal resolution. Her coverage of a California petition worker arrested over alleged identity fraud describes accusations that people were paid to forge voter registrations, situating the case within broader concerns about election integrity. She has reported on a suspect and two victims found dead in an apartment shooting in downtown Minneapolis, mapping what is known about the incident, the police response and community impact without speculation. In the entertainment world, she has covered US rapper Lil Durk being found not guilty in an alleged murder-for-hire scheme, explaining the charges, the outcome and what it means for a high-profile defendant.
Across these pieces, she concentrates on clear chronologies, official records and the consequences for those directly affected, rather than commentary on broader political debates.
Politics, public life and the American west
Ede-Osifo’s breaking-news remit also extends into politics and public life, often through concrete events rather than long-form analysis. She has reported on Donald Trump kicking off America’s 250th celebration with a campaign-style rally, capturing the staging of the event and its role in the political calendar. She has written about Gavin Newsom putting a Spanish-style California mansion up for sale, using the story to note how public figures manage their personal assets amid ongoing scrutiny.
Her piece on eight USS Lincoln personnel attempting suicide brings military life and mental health into sharp relief, summarizing navy disclosures and raising the issue of support systems within the armed forces. Alongside science and environment pieces - such as her coverage of a fossilized 10,000-year-old mastodon tooth found by a California scientist - these stories show a consistent geographic and thematic thread: the institutions, landscapes and people of the American west under pressure or change.
Her work gives communications teams a clear signal of which moments in politics, science and public life are likely to be treated as newsworthy events rather than background trends.
4 more environment journalists.
Alan Halaly
Alan Halaly is a water reporter at the Las Vegas Review-Journal who treats the Colorado River as a working system, not a backdrop, making its governance, infrastructure and risks central to his beat. He covers how policy decisions and infrastructure projects shape the region’s water future, linking high-level choices on the Colorado River, dams, mining and data centers to everyday consequences under mounting heat and growth pressures. He reports deeply on new laws, lawsuits and regulatory shifts, focusing on on-the-ground impacts. His coverage spans Colorado River cuts, Hoover Dam operations, extreme weather, heat and parks, septic system rules, workplace and public health risks, lithium and gold mines, protected landscapes, data centers, AI infrastructure and public funding. Previously he reported for metropolitan dailies, digital outlets and public media, including the Miami Herald, WUFT, The Daily Beast and Miami New Times, with work recognized by Hearst, ONA and the Society of Environmental Journalists.
Alejandra Borunda
Alejandra Borunda reports on how climate change affects human health for NPR. Her work treats global warming as a direct cause of physical and mental health risks. She covers extreme heat, including undercounted deaths, lost sleep and local efforts to track heat-related fatalities. She also reports on wildfire smoke, hurricanes, disease spread such as dengue fever, trauma, stress and unequal health impacts. Her stories examine how communities protect themselves and recover, as well as practical solutions involving climate-resilient crops, agriculture and diet. Before NPR, she wrote about climate science and environmental issues for National Geographic, including glacier retreat, shade and heat inequity, and shrinking ice-fishing seasons. A former climate scientist, she combines field reporting with scientific data to connect atmospheric research to everyday risks, choices and people’s lived experiences.
Alex Lubben
Alex Lubben is an environment reporter at The Times-Picayune/The Advocate who connects climate risk to policy, industry and community change. He covers Gulf warming, flood protection, coastal restoration, wetlands litigation, industrial projects such as SpaceX’s possible expansion, invasive species and local ecosystems. His reporting tracks how law, politics and corporate decisions shape levees, drainage, marshes and long-term resilience. He also examines climate relocation, housing and labor, showing how hurricanes, floods and wildfires displace vulnerable communities and expose gaps in government systems. He works on a small environment team and brings an investigative background to document work, data analysis, legal and policy research, and field reporting. His work has appeared in VICE News, The Center for Public Integrity, The Nation, Jewish Currents and NBC News.
Alex Wigglesworth
Alex Wigglesworth reports on how climate, land use and public policy shape California communities. She covers the Inland Empire and Mojave Desert for the Los Angeles Times and is part of its environment team. Her beat includes wildfires, megadrought, extreme weather, desert development, conservation, wildlife, industrial hazards, aging infrastructure and regulatory enforcement. She has covered Western Joshua trees, desert tortoises, beaver-led restoration, toxic lead pipes, air-quality concerns after industrial fires and the effects of nuclear war on food systems. Earlier, she was a general assignment reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News and Philly.com. She combines breaking news with detailed reporting grounded in scientific studies, modeling and expert interviews. Her work connects fires, drought and other hazards to climate change, while examining how agencies, companies and land-use decisions affect people and ecosystems.