Kenney on the Scene

The newspaper business is all hands on deck for getting out on the streets and finding stories in our community. This week, we want to introduce our intern Aidan Kenney, who has been on our Courts & Crime beat helping us get stories to you.

How long have you been interning at the Independent? What got you interested in journalism? 

I’m currently in my seventh week at the Independent and it sure has gone by fast. While I study political science at UC Santa Barbara, I’ve always been drawn to journalism; maybe it’s because of my mom, who got her 15 minutes of fame as a news anchor in Omaha, Nebraska.

What has been your favorite Courts & Crime story you’ve worked on? What’s the most interesting part about this niche of coverage for you? 

Covering Courts & Crime has been an eye-opening experience and has really allowed me to feel closer with the Santa Barbara community, even if it’s through a screen. Reporting on crime has allowed me to feel like the middleman between law enforcement, those affected by crimes, and the readers of the Independent. Following the trial of Cora Vides has been especially impactful, as I have had the opportunity to attend the trial in person. Taking frantic notes while sitting in a courtroom and then turning my smeared ink into a story for people to read has been really cool.

What else have you written about? Are you looking to branch out, or do you prefer the Courts & Crime scene? 

Crime is certainly not always the most uplifting topic to write about, so branching out to other topics, whether it be business related or regarding homelessness, has been a refreshing expansion of my role. Yet no matter the topic, I’ve found that the biggest question is always “how is this going to affect people?”

Where are you from originally and what brought you to Santa Barbara? 

While I’m not originally from California, I’ve been lucky enough to call Santa Barbara home for the past 3 years as a student at UCSB. I was born and raised in Denver, and left the Colorado Rockies behind for the smaller (yet still beautiful) Santa Ynez mountains here in S.B. I’m so grateful to have gone to school here and cherish my time in this central coast town.

What do you like to do outside of journalism? What are some things you like to do for fun? 

When I’m not being asked by Ryan Cruz to investigate a shady Santa Barbara character, I can be found hiking in the mountains, kayaking in the ocean, or simply just sitting at South Coast Deli. For those who are fans of Mediterranean food, I can also be found serving food at Zaytoon.