EXCLUSIVE: Joe Fagan told the Record Labour had to “reach out beyond the Holyrood bubble” and become rooted in communities.

A new MSP has promised to “shake up” politics as he announced his bid for the Scottish Labour leadership.

Joe Fagan, a former leader of South Lanarkshire council, said his party will only be trusted when it is “rooted in communities”.

In a statement to the Record, he declared: “Continuity won’t cut it.”

Scottish Labour’s summer leadership contest was triggered by the abrupt resignation of Anas Sarwar, who was given a peerage and a job in the UK Government.

MSP Michael Marra has said he intends to run while Monica Lennon, who will become an MSP again within days, is another contender.

Fagan, who was elected in May to serve the South Scotland region, said Scottish Labour must learn from the localism of new Prime Minister Andy Burnham: “Scottish Labour needs to learn lessons from where we have won, not just where we have lost.

“Andy Burnham’s by-election victory in Makerfield and our own successes in South Lanarkshire show that Labour can win back trust when we are rooted in communities and serious about changing people’s lives.

“The lesson is simple: people will listen to Scottish Labour again when we stop sounding like a party talking to itself and start proving that we are on their side.

The 38 year-old said of his time running a local authority with a budget of around £1billion:

“As a local council leader I worked across party lines to make swimming free for South Lanarkshire’s under-16s, to cut the cost of living and deliver the best paid home care workforce in the country.

“I am not here to wait around. As my track record shows, I am here to get things done. That means more money in people’s pockets, better services on their doorstep and a politics that puts practical change ahead of excuses.”

Fagan, who grew up in East Kilbride, said: “I am standing to unite our party and seize this municipal moment. I want us to back the workers and the wealth builders who hold the key to our future shared prosperity.

“I want to build local wealth and local power and renew Labour as a force for change within the Scottish Parliament and without. That means trusting people, backing communities and putting power closer to the people who know their places best.

He concluded: “I know my campaign is bold, but continuity won’t cut it. It’s time to reach out beyond the Holyrood bubble and shake up Scottish politics.”

Contenders need the support of three Scottish Labour MSPs, three MPs and support from affiliated trade unions and local parties to get on the ballot.

It is understood Fagan’s supporters are confident he will meet the threshold to become a candidate.

A friend of Fagan said he was not tarnished by previous defeats and would amount to a break from the past.

A father shot his wife and six children before killing himself in their burning home, police said.

Kristopher Karolkiewicz, 47, his wife, Amanda Karolkiewicz, 39, and their six children, ages five to 15, were all found dead in Grand Haven Township next to Lake Michigan on Friday morning. 

All eight deaths were caused by gunshot wounds in a suspected murder-suicide, the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office said Monday.

Kristopher Karolkiewicz, who worked for the American Heart Association had his ’employment ended’ days before the killings. He is believed to have shot them all before setting their home on fire and committing suicide.

The family’s pets also perished in the fire and smoke.

It has since emerged Amanda had exposed her husband’s affair with an intern at work on the ‘As One After Infidelity’ section on Reddit.

She described her life in the beach town of Grand Haven as ‘like living in a Hallmark movie,’ before it was wrecked by the revelation.

Describing how she met Kristopher, she said: ‘He was divorced and older than me … fast forward ten years and five kids, he was cheating with the intern again – the same age I was when I was the intern.

‘After about a year of self-loathing, I remember crying and looking at myself in the mirror and realising how f***ed up it was that I was the one who was living so miserably because of what he did. I finally realised that I had been the only person who has ever showed up for myself my whole entire life.’

Even so, she told how she found the idea of leaving her husband ‘insanely terrifying’ and strained to hold the family together.

‘I kept telling myself, “I love my kids more than I hate my husband right now.” They have no idea – faked it ’till we made it,’ she wrote in the 2024 post. 

‘We’re in a much better place 4.5 years out, but it’s still a fight to stay in a healthy place.

‘He’s always had major red flags that I ignored due to my own trauma and anxious attachment. He was raised in a toxic family dynamic that encouraged lying about everything.’

In posts verified by Detroit News, she explained: ‘After the most recent incident of catching him being sneaky, I insisted he go back to (independent counseling) and we attempt (marriage counseling) for the first time.

‘It’s all so confusing, because our day-to-day lives and dynamics are truly good, until every so often now when he pulls sneaky (expletive).’

She said she had pulled her children away from his side of the family and things had got physical between the couple in furious rows.

‘Perfect’ family life portrayed on blog

Amanda regularly wrote a blog detailing her family life. Their first child was born on April 25, 2011, which she hailed as ‘the best day of my life (so far).’

Two more sons followed over the next four years, as she shifted from a banking job to a part-time position at a local insurance agency and later stopped working outside the home. The couple later adopted two daughters and had another biological son.

The blog frequently expressed her Christian faith, her joy in the family and her love and appreciation for her husband and his parenting.

Kris Karolkiewicz, too, hailed their life together: ‘I’m a very lucky guy,’ he wrote in a 2019 Facebook post ahead of their 10th anniversary.

Although her blog ended in 2016, Mandy Karolkiewicz continued sharing updates on her family and activities in TikTok videos, including clips of a trip to China earlier this month with two of her children.

Then officials got calls about a smoky smell in the area around the Karolkiewicz home Friday morning, checked it out but found nothing.

After getting more calls about three hours later, they returned, saw smoke coming from the home and found the bodies, at least some of them in bedrooms, Sparks said. Also found were the family’s dogs and at least one cat, which had perished in the blaze.

Her friends have launched a fundraiser to set up a scholarship in the children’s name.

Mandy’s parents shared a statement with The Detroit News, remembering her as ‘a kind and devoted soul who loved her family and her students.’

‘We treasured every moment we had with her and her six children, and words cannot adequately express our devastation.’

In an earlier social media post, Grand Haven Public Schools recognised Mandy Karolkiewicz as a substitute teacher at Peach Plains Elementary, describing her as someone who ‘goes above and beyond for students,’ responding with ’empathy, patience, and care.’

Samaritans are here to listen, day or night, 365 days a year. You can call them for free on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org or visit samaritans.org for more information.

MORE: Influencer Sara Gilson shot dead after accusing husband of being a paedophile in TikTok trend

MORE: M&S brings back ’10/10′ dine-in deal that feeds four for just £3 each

MORE: This ‘magical’ forest trail is the best walk in the UK

The blaze began almost three weeks ago

Around 60 people have been battling the Tintwistle Moor fires today (July 28) more than three weeks on from the start of the blaze.

A major incident was declared in the area on July 12 after the blaze broke out on July 9 – following an earlier fire which crews tackled from June 24 to July 2.

Today Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service said they were ‘continuing to make progress’ on the blaze but that it remained a ‘complex’ and ‘challenging’ incident, asking the public to not ignore road closures and continue to take precautions to prevent further fires.

Click here to get the biggest stories straight to your inbox in our Daily Newsletter

They also said that Woodhead Pass (A628) remained closed and would do until at least tomorrow (July 29).

The road between Hollingworth and Flouch has been closed since July 16 after a dramatic car fire broke out and spread to the nearby moors.

“Before the road can fully reopen, a detailed assessment of fire-damaged trees within the Didsbury sector will need to be carried out to ensure the area is safe for road users,” the fire service said, thanking local communities and businesses for their ‘continued patience’.

Photos taken by South Wales Fire and Rescue Service who have been assisting at the scene show swathes of blackened and smoking moorland as fire fighters from across the UK continue to assist DFRS’ operations.

In a full statement, the service said: “Firefighters and partner agencies continue to make progress at the major wildfire incident at Tintwistle Moor, with operations continuing across all four sectors of the fireground.

“A total of 60 personnel have been deployed throughout today, with activity focused on containing the fire perimeter, extinguishing remaining hotspots, tackling deep-seated peat fires and reducing the risk of re-ignition.

“While significant progress has been made, the incident remains complex. Peat fires can remain active underground for prolonged periods and may reignite if not completely extinguished, which is why firefighting activity continues despite the recent rainfall.

“Partner organisations, members of the Fire Operations Group (FOG), and firefighters from across the UK deployed through National Resilience arrangements remain on scene supporting the response.

“This remains a major incident due to the scale of the affected area, the challenging terrain and the complexity of the firefighting operation. Work will continue until the fire has been fully contained and extinguished.

“We would like to thank everyone involved in the response, as well as local communities, businesses and road users, for their continued support, patience and cooperation while this complex incident remains ongoing.”

Victims of the approximately 1 million violent crimes committed in England and Wales every year may experience physical, emotional and financial harm, and feel more fearful and less trusting. But our new research shows the harmful effects of violent crime also reach beyond their victims, and can affect the wellbeing of whole neighbourhoods.

In a recent study, we looked at the impact of violent crime – every violent incident against a person that the police were aware of – on the mental wellbeing of those living nearby. Our study looked at incidents of violent crime in neighbourhoods served by Thames Valley Police, one of the UK’s largest forces, as well as self-reported mental wellbeing in those neighbourhoods.

Using nearly a decade of data from 2010 to 2017, we linked each reported incident of violent crime to self-reports of mental wellbeing from a smartphone app in the immediate neighbourhood, with data on over 90,000 self-reports in total during the study period.

Because multiple self-reports were available for each person, we could remove the influence of individual characteristics, such as some people living more or less stressful lives.

We also controlled for day-to-day factors that might affect both crime and stress levels, such as weather, daylight and day of the week. And we controlled for each month of each year, which effectively enabled us to take account of any special events, such as elections or major sporting contests, that might affect crime and stress.

This approach allowed us to focus specifically on how a recent incident of violence changes a person’s stress compared to their usual levels.

We found that when a violent crime took place in a neighbourhood, it led to significant increases in stress levels among many of the residents. Raised stress levels were worst in the first few days following the incident, but stress remained heightened for around a week.

We cannot be certain that every resident was aware of the given crime. However, research suggests people tend to have a high awareness of violent crime in their local area. This happens for a number of reasons, including directly observing the incident, seeing greater police presence or remnants of the incident (such as police tape), as well as local word of mouth and media coverage.

Every small neighbourhood in our setting experienced two violent crimes per year, on average (with higher rates in some neighbourhoods and lower in others). Given the frequency of these incidents, we concluded that the average Briton experiences around two weeks of heightened stress each year due to violence in their area.

This is largely on top of the harmful effects of violent crime on each direct victim and their friends and family. Our study was not about looking at the impact of crime on these people. Instead, we examined how violent crime in a person’s immediate neighbourhood affected the stress levels of local residents more generally.

To better understand who was most affected in neighbourhoods with violent crime incidents, we split our sample to look at effects for women and men, and for those living in urban and rural areas.

We found a big gender gap, with women experiencing nearly twice as much stress as men after violent offences took place near their home. This may point to the wider psychological impacts of violence on women’s sense of safety and wellbeing. Similarly, urban residents experienced much larger stress effects than their rural counterparts after an incident of violent crime.

Explaining the stress

Why might violent crime increase local people’s stress levels? We speculate that violent crimes close to someone’s home may affect them more because it feels closer to their everyday life.

Our study found that violent incidents had the largest mental health effect on people who were at home when they reported their stress levels. For those far away from home at the time, the effects on stress were diminished. This might be explained by the fact that those away on work or vacation were less aware of an incident having taken place, or felt it didn’t affect their daily life.

We also found no impact from non-violent crimes on stress. This could be because people were less disturbed by these crimes, or because they were less aware of non-violent crimes.

Other studies have found that local violence leads to negative outcomes in many areas of people’s lives, including work and schooling. Researchers often argue these negative effects are due to violence leading to worse mental health, which then translates to lower achievement in school, for example. But it is difficult to test this causally, largely because of limited access to multiple data sources on the same people over time.

As such, our study fills an important evidence gap, directly showing that local violent crime worsens mental health.

Although violent crime has fallen substantially over the past few decades in the UK, it remains highly concentrated, with some neighbourhoods experiencing much higher levels of violence than others.

The costs to society are immense and go well beyond the victim. Our findings suggest that reducing violent crime throughout the country would have substantial benefits for society, including the potential to improve mental wellbeing across communities.

In the weeks after killing two students and two teachers at Apalachee High School in Georgia, the jailed teenage gunman had frequent phone conversations about his online notoriety with his mother, who at one point promised to make him a shrine to him.

Prosecutors played clips of the recorded conversations between Colt Gray and his mother during the teenager’s sentencing hearing Tuesday. Gray, 16, pleaded guilty Friday to 55 counts, including murder, in the Sept. 4, 2024, shooting at the school about 45 miles (73 kilometers) northeast of Atlanta. The conversations so alarmed officials that Gray’s mother was later barred from talking to him.

Murder carries a minimum sentence of life in prison in Georgia. Barrow County Superior Court Judge Nicholas Primm has to decide whether Gray should have the possibility of parole after hearing testimony and evidence presented by the defense and the prosecution. Tuesday was the third day of a sentencing hearing that began Friday.

Teachers Richard “Ricky” Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53, and students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, died in the shooting. Another teacher and eight more students were wounded, seven of them hit by gunfire.

A jury in March convicted Gray’s father, Colin Gray, on charges including second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. He is scheduled to be sentenced Thursday. Prosecutors said he gave his son the assault-style rifle used to open fire at the school.

Colt Gray wanted to know if people were talking about him

Ashley Gilleland, an investigator with the district attorney’s office, testified that Gray idolized other mass shooters, talking about them online with other members of the “true crime community,” a group of young people online who are fascinated with such attacks. He chatted with other people online about gaining notoriety through a school shooting and his admiration for previous mass shooters.

There were aspects of his preparation and behavior before and after the Apalachee High School shooting that mimicked other mass shooters, Gilleland testified.

He spoke frequently with his mother, Marcee Gray, by phone from a youth detention center in the months after the shooting. During those phone calls, portions of which were played in court, he would direct her to look up what people were saying about him online. When she described “fan art” drawings depicting him or comments people made about him, he asked her how much engagement those posts were getting and seemed excited when they were getting a lot.

Marcee Gray repeatedly told her son she would print some of the images and bring them to him, and during at least one conversation said she was also going to print some photos for herself.

“Have you made the shrine?” Colt Gray asked his mother, indicating that he wanted her to make a shrine to him. His mother responded that she needed to go get some photos printed. “Then I’ll make my Colty shrine,” she said.

Naga Munchetty quitting BBC Breakfast for another highly paid role at the corporation allows her to give ‘two fingers’ to TV bosses who had spent more than a year investigating allegations of bullying and misconduct against her. 

The experienced broadcaster, 51, is leaving BBC Breakfast in December and will front the 5 Live Breakfast show, taking over from Rachel Burden and Rick Edwards in January 2027.

Munchetty was reportedly placed under review last summer amid complaints about alleged bullying and off-colour jokes over a three-year period – but always remained defiant and on air.

She was alleged to have been unkind when fellow presenter Sally Nugent unveiled a glam new look and was also said to have remarked that weather presenter Carol Kirkwood had ‘aged a bit’.

There was also said to be a frosty relationship with co-host Charlie Stayt, despite them being all smiles on screen. 

The claims emerged after BBC Breakfast editor Richard Frediani took an extended period of leave following separate allegations of bullying and misconduct. At the time, Munchetty was reported to be among those who raised concerns. Frediani has since been cleared of wrongdoing and returned to work.

The outcome of the investigation into Munchetty’s conduct has not been made public. 

However, some BBC insiders see her appointment to the 5 Live Breakfast role as a sign she retains the corporation’s backing. Just weeks ago it was revealed she had received another pay rise, meaning her annual salary is now between £360,000 and £364,999 per year.

A BBC 5 Live insider told the Daily Mail: ‘It’s brilliant for Naga and she’s giving Frediani two fingers.

‘It’s a big promotion for her and a massive coup for us.’

Munchetty was reportedly questioned by bosses over an alleged sex joke, claims she was unkind to co-presenters and allegations she upset Geri Halliwell-Horner.

There were complaints that she made sexual comments during an ad break and was even alleged to have asked a female colleague whether she had ever carried out a certain sex act.

She was accused of telling off an intern over the quality of her Marmite on toast.

When Sally Nugent unveiled a new look, Munchetty allegedly said: ‘We’re meant to be serious journalists, not trying to look like we’re presenting This Morning.’

There were also allegations that she described Carol Kirkwood as ‘really stern’ and said she had ‘aged a bit’.

Before Kirkwood retired from BBC Breakfast, viewers complained when Munchetty said on air: ‘I’m just waiting for the countdown for you to go.’

Another on-air row came when Geri Halliwell-Horner appeared as a guest and later vowed never to return.

Munchetty asked her: ‘Do you not like being interviewed?’, reportedly prompting an apology from BBC bosses.

She will disappear from TV screens and take over the slot from the new year, having already hosted the weekday mid-morning programme since January 2021.

Her shuffling towards a full-time radio job comes after a series of controversies involving the presenter.

Her future at BBC Breakfast was thrown into doubt last year due to a formal probe being launched over allegations she had bullied a junior staffer.

It was also reported the broadcaster was called into a meeting over a sex jibe made during an ad break on her radio programme.

The probe into Munchetty was launched after an internal review of bullying and misconduct allegations was opened into the beleaguered flagship breakfast programme last year.

This followed BBC Breakfast editor Richard Frediani taking an extended period of leave after facing his own allegations of bullying and misconduct. 

A formal investigation was then launched into Munchetty – who was said to be ‘barely speaking’ to Richard Frediani – over bullying claims in November. 

The BBC has repeatedly declined to comment on the allegations, saying: ‘We do not comment on individual HR matters.’

Munchetty was reportedly spoken to by executives after a junior staffer accused the journalist of bullying them.

The presenter was allowed to remain on-air at the channel as the probe takes place, but is said to only be working with certain producers. 

She was also reportedly hauled into a meeting after she was accused of making a sex jibe during an ad break while hosting her radio show.

The presenter is believed to have used a crude slang term for a sex act and reportedly asked a colleague if they had ever done it.

Naga is now number eight on the list of the BBC’s highest paid employees – although this applies only to those paid directly by the corporation, excluding stars who are instead salaried through production firms or other third-party companies.

Munchetty also came under fire in recent weeks after it emerged she was raking in thousands of pounds in extra cash in addition to her substantial salary. 

Latest documents released by the BBC – which have a three-month lag – show that Naga was involved in three glam events in January and February. 

In January, she hosted a panel discussion about ‘access to the creative industries’ at Soho House in Manchester, which the likes of Noel Gallagher attended for The BRIT Awards after-party in February.

The star was joined by New Order legend Peter Hook and Soho House CEO Andrew Carnie and was paid up to £5,000 for the event.

The previous week, she travelled to the Middle East to attend the Emirates Festival of Literature in Dubai.

There, she gave a talk on her book ‘It’s Probably Nothing’, which discusses her own experiences with the country’s healthcare and the bias against women in the medical profession.

Punters paid £15-a-ticket for the one-hour show while Naga was handed up to £1,000 – although it’s not known if her travel and accommodation were on top of this.

The following month, she headed up a debate on The PR Network podcast ‘Just Curious’ series talking about interviewing techniques.

Last year, it was revealed that Naga had raked in up to an extra £56,000 on top of her bumper BBC salary in 2024, which included up to £10,000 for work with a charity.

According to the BBC website, presenters are allowed to work elsewhere, but they face strict guidelines.

They must seek management approval and strictly abide by the corporation’s rules on conflicts of interest, commercial endorsements, and impartiality.

It was previously reported that Munchetty was in talks with other media organisations, including LBC and Sky News, over possible plans to quit the BBC for good.

But the talks reportedly broke down, with the broadcaster now swapping TV for radio instead. 

Current 5 Live host Burden will instead move to the mid-morning slot from Monday to Wednesday after 15 years in the breakfast slot, while Edwards will front Fighting Talk on Saturday mornings and contribute to other programmes.

Munchetty will front the show alongside a co-host, who is yet to be recruited, from Monday to Friday, broadcasting live from Salford for three days a week and London for the remaining two.

On the move to 5 Live, Munchetty said: ‘I’m thrilled to be joining 5 Live Breakfast in January. Live news, great conversations and connecting with audiences are what I love most about broadcasting, and 5 Live does all of that brilliantly.

‘It has been a privilege to be part of the BBC Breakfast TV team for the past 17 years, working alongside an incredibly talented and hard-working group of journalists who are not only outstanding colleagues but also great friends.

‘Presenting a flagship programme on 5 Live is an opportunity that was simply too good to pass up. It will take a huge amount of work and require 100% of my focus and energy, and I’m really looking forward to throwing myself into the role.

‘Over the last five years, I’ve been privileged to build a relationship with 5 Live listeners on the mid-morning programme and help shine a light on the issues that matter most to them. I’m excited to build on that in the Breakfast slot and to start each day with our listeners every morning.

‘Between now and January, I’ll continue presenting the two programmes I love. I’m sure there will be plenty of news to cover, and it will very much be business as usual.’

Controller Heidi Dawson described Munchetty as ‘one of the UK’s most accomplished broadcasters and a hugely valued member of the 5 Live family’.

Rachel Burden said: ‘After 15 years hosting 5 Live Breakfast, I’ve decided it’s time for a change – and I’m really excited about launching my new show on the station. It’s been an absolute joy and privilege to be part of our listeners’ mornings for all these years. We have been through life-changing events together – from the pandemic to huge political moments, and great sporting journeys.

‘They are my extended family, and we’ll carry on doing what we do best – telling stories, sharing experiences and working out the world together. Just this time, on a little bit more sleep.’

Rick Edwards said: ‘The annoying part for me is that five years on a breakfast show is a decent stint, but next to Rachel’s 15-year marathon, it does look inconsequential.

‘I’ll really miss our wonderful audience, I’ll miss the fantastic team, I’ll miss regularly eating cake before dawn, but most of all I’ll miss Rach – a colleague who has become a friend, and also a mentor, because she’s so much older than me.

‘Two things I am of course looking forward to are not waking up at 3.45am, and vaping without fear of violent recrimination.

‘I’m so grateful to 5 Live for all the opportunities they’ve afforded me – from going to World Cups in far flung locations, to vox pops in covered markets in the Greater Manchester area. Who knows what they have in store for me next? That’s not a rhetorical question. Who do I need to speak to?’

Mary Jo Campbell’s cause of death has been revealed, nearly two weeks after the mother of Kris Jenner died at 91. 

The beloved Kardashian family member died on July 16, and her immediate cause of death was acute cardiopulmonary arrest, per a death certificate obtained by USWeekly.

Other conditions leading to her death included acute respiratory failure and metastatic lung cancer, which Campbell had for months before her death, according to the certificate.

Campbell died at a Los Angeles hospital on July 16 and was cremated on July 23, the death certificate revealed. No autopsy was performed after her death.

Campbell became a celebrity in her own right as a frequent guest on her family’s reality show, Keeping Up With The Kardashians. 

The show starred her daughter Jenner and her grandchildren Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian, Rob Kardashian, Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner.

The mother of businesswoman Kris Jenner, Campbell became a celebrity in her own right as a frequent guest on her family’s reality show, Keeping Up With The Kardashians

A devastated Jenner announced the loss with her Instagram followers earlier this month with a touching tribute to the ‘heart’ of their family. 

‘Today, we said goodbye to my beautiful Mommy MJ,’ she posted. ‘There are no words that could ever capture what she has meant to me or the heartbreak of having to say goodbye. 

‘My mom was the heart of our family. She taught me everything that truly matters… to love your family fiercely, to be kind, to show up for the people you love, and to never take a single moment together for granted. 

‘She taught us that family is everything. She showed us how to love unconditionally and how to find joy in the little moments. She showed me how to face life’s challenges with resilience and faith. 

‘Mom, thank you for every sacrifice you made, every piece of wisdom you shared, and every moment you loved us so completely. I will miss our daily talks, your smile, your laughter… 

‘Our hearts are broken, but we find comfort knowing that love like yours never truly leaves us. Your love will live on in our family, in our traditions, in every moment we are together, and in every life you touched. When I look at my kids and my grandkids, I will forever see pieces of you in all of us. 

‘There is not a part of me that isn’t shaped by you. And if I have done anything right in this world, it’s because I spent my life trying to live in a way that would make you proud. 

‘Every memory, every moment, every blessing, it was all because of you, and I will forever thank God every single day for making you my mommy. My heart is broken into a million pieces… thank you for giving me the greatest childhood and oh what a beautiful blessed life… I love you forever Mommy. Thank you for giving us everything.’

MJ made frequent appearances on her family’s reality show over the years

Other conditions leading to her death included acute respiratory failure and metastatic lung cancer , which Campbell had for months before her death, according to the certificate – pictured with granddaughter Kim Kardashian in the 90s 

Kim Kardashian also paid tribute to her ‘forever twin’ with a touching message and photos taken of them over the years.  

‘My sweet Grandma MJ, my best friend, my gossip buddy, my forever twin… You taught all of us the importance of family, and those values are something we’ll carry with us forever!!!!! 

‘You were the woman who showed me what it meant to be a hardworking businesswoman. You gave me my very first job at your store in San Diego and taught me lessons about work ethic, strength, and confidence that I’ve carried with me ever since. 

‘You always believed in me, championed me, and were my safe place. You truly were the matriarch of our family, and your love is woven into all of us. I know you’re at peace now. Give Papa Harry, Aunt Karen, and my dad a hug for me. You will always be a part of me, I love you soooooo much and I will miss you forever and ever. (white heart emoji). YOU ARE THE BEST OF US!!!

‘I know you are up in heaven, looking at all of our Instagram posts of you from your sneaky finsta account you would always use lol.’

Campbell’s family shot to worldwide fame with their eponymous reality show, Keeping Up With The Kardashians – a program which also propelled her into the spotlight.

As a member of the family, she made frequent appearances on the show, was a guest at their exclusive parties, was photographed by the paparazzi, competed on Celebrity Family Feud with them, appeared in a KKW Beauty shoot, and of course made multiple cameos on her family’s Instagram accounts. 

As a member of the family, she made frequent appearances on the show, was a guest at their exclusive parties, was photographed by the paparazzi, competed on Celebrity Family Feud with them, appeared in a KKW Beauty shoot, and of course made multiple cameos on her family’s Instagram accounts. 

MJ was a frequent guest at her family’s exclusive parties

Advertisement

She also was one of two witnesses present for Kourtney’s wedding to Travis Barker at the Santa Barbara courthouse in 2022, a marriage that was documented on the couple’s special, Til Death Do Us Part Kourtney & Travis. 

The spotlight was not something Campbell completely shied away from earlier in her life. 

Years before the Kardashians became household names, Campbell also pursued a career that put her in the spotlight, working as a model in her early years, according to People. 

As an adult, however, she embraced a quieter life hundreds of miles away from glamorous Hollywood.

In 1980, she opened Shannon & Company, a children’s clothing boutique in the San Diego neighborhood of La Jolla – a store she ran for years before it eventually closed. 

It was a store that was frequented by the Kardashian siblings when they were children and a place where Jenner even worked at when she was a teenager, according to People. 

‘They grew up playing in the store,’ Campbell told The Daily Beast in 2012. ‘I recall Kim sitting on this very floor and counting money. She would sing, “Counting is the game, and money is my name,” or “Money is my name and counting is the game.” Something like that.’

The beloved grandmother appeared in a photo shoot for Kim’s beauty range KKW Beauty back in 2018

Advertisement

MJ with her grandchildren, Kendall and Kylie

A star in her own right, MJ was photographed by the paparazzi

The store is what ‘keeps me going. If I didn’t have the store, I would probably spend more time up [in Calabasas with family]. I want to keep my little house as my haven, because then you have some place to run to,’ she said. 

It is a life that has not been without upheaval. 

Campbell overcame two battles with cancer during her life, surviving both breast and colon cancer.

 In 2024, her daughter Karen  passed ‘unexpectedly’ – with a death certificate stating she passed from cardiac arrest and sudden cardiac arrhythmia with Type 2 diabetes listed as a secondary underlying cause.

Campbell was also married three times during her life.  A marriage she had with her high school sweetheart ended after just two months.

She then wed Robert Houghton, whom she had daughters Kris Jenner and Karen Houghton with. 

Campbell and Houghton ultimately split when Jenner was seven-years-old.

She walked down the aisle again with Harry Shannon, a marriage which lasted 40 years until his death in 2003. 

It is a love life that bears a striking similarity to her granddaughter Kim – who has also been married three times.

‘We have so much in common. History repeats itself,’ Campbell said back in 2017 on her granddaughter’s website. ‘I can’t believe it because I was married for two months at 18. Right out of high school I was given an engagement ring, a guy I had been going with for four years.

‘And then I just thought, ‘You know what? This isn’t really that much fun,’ so I got out of it.’ 

‘Once you got married you realized it. ‘What did I do?’ And you try to stay in there for a month or so and really try hard and you just can’t,’ she added.  ‘You think, ‘I shouldn’t waste his time.’

The front page of the Times on July 25 carried a photograph of three people sitting under a striped parasol on the sand near Lacanau in southwest France, looking out to sea. Beyond them, the sky was rust-orange as a wall of wildfire smoke climbed above the treeline. The caption described it as a “dramatic view”.

Above the photo, the lead news story was on how the UK’s net zero policy risks blackouts. It reported a whistleblower’s claim that the expansion of wind and solar had left officials struggling to gauge supply and demand.

The rest of the front page offered barbecuing tips and 25 of the best summer wines. The full story of the fire that has displaced more than 110,000 people in southwest France didn’t appear until page five.

This was met with cries of hypocrisy on social media. But exploring how these contradictions can sit on the same front page tells us a lot about how climate change is narrated in the UK, and why climate reporting differs so much from country to country.

Over the same weekend, other UK newspapers reported on the fires gripping Europe. The Mirror led with the headline “Summer of chaos”, reporting that wildfires were forcing Britons to flee holiday resorts. While the i’s headlines were more nuanced online, its print lead was “Tourists flee France inferno”. The Financial Times led with “Europe ablaze”, while in Scotland, the Herald newspaper led on the evacuation of a village in the Cairngorms.

Europe’s fires were written up as a combination of holidays spoiled, energy policy rows, domestic civil protection issues and continental emergencies. All the articles were true, but what separates them is how far back each story begins. A fire can be explained by today’s barbecue, yesterday’s wind direction, by a dry spring, by four decades of land use change, or by a century of emissions.

Deciding how a story of a wildfire is placed in history, and in the climate change narrative, is often determined by one of three things. First, which desk the story lands on: travel and news desks usually seek stories of disruption, while environmental desks look for causes. Second, how far away the fire is, and third, where the news outlet stands on decarbonisation.

Climate change doesn’t fit a news cycle

News runs on novelty – something must have changed since yesterday for it to qualify as a story. That is why the moment of ignition is reportable, but the conditions that led to that ignition are usually not.

A drying trend across successive springs has no single day on which it happens. It generates no announcement, no casualty figure, no photograph. In the newsroom, it lacks what is know as a news peg. Stories without pegs are much harder to get published.

As a result, the fast, visible end of climate change – the flames, evacuations and cancelled flights – is covered heavily and often well. But the slow, cumulative build-up is covered thinly or not at all. Readers get a great deal of incident and very little process, which is close to the opposite of what would help them understand what is happening.

This is compounded because each fire arrives as breaking news, without always having the context of the last one. Coverage regularly restarts from zero.

Wildfires destroyed 2.2 million hectares across the European region in 2025, up from 1.4 million in 2022 – a rise of 57% in four years. No report on a single fire can carry that figure convincingly, and no reader is going to assemble it themselves across months of separate stories. A trend of that scale has to be stated outright, not left as an exercise in mental arithmetic.

When reports do not explain why conditions made a fire more likely, other explanations can move in – including rumours of arson, blame aimed at farmers or land mangers, or simply politics.

Reporting fire as a sudden foreign emergency can also make it harder to recognise slower versions of the same conditions closer to home.

In the UK, drought had already been declared in north Wales and the upper Severn before the Times front page went to press. The Cairngorms fire drew more than 500 personnel to fight it, and forced the evacuation of residents from a village called Nethy Bridge. Yet for many people in the UK, the fires in France are watched at a distance, as if unconnected with these domestic events.

The French perspective

In the UK, there have been calls for improvements to coverage of climate change. Scientists have written to the BBC, ITV and other media about the absence of climate narratives in their heatwave coverage. But change is slow to arrive.

However, France – the country that is currently burning on many UK front pages – offers a glimpse of what might be possible.

Looking at how French media report extreme weather, we can see real change in both language and prominence. Bulletins that once described a canicule exceptionnelle — an exceptional heatwave, an oddity — now routinely call these occurrences symptoms of le dérèglement climatique, climate disruption. This is an important shift: exceptions belong to a day; symptoms imply history and trajectory.

Regional papers such as La Dépêche du Midi and Corse-Matin have managed it best, partly because they are still there after the flames die down, reporting replanting, firebreaks and how to keep older residents safe in the heat. That is where a slow process becomes visible: not in the fire, but in the years either side of it.

This isn’t to suggest that France has everything right. The country has some coverage blind spots, such as rural areas where there is little-to-no reporting at all.

Equally, UK media coverage does sometimes mention these longer-term issues. Scotland’s first minister, for example, was reported linking the growing frequency of these fires to climate change while the Cairngorms burned.

What next for climate journalism?

Journalism, and news, will not abandon “the event”. Fires are news and they should be reported, urgently, vividly and from the scene.

The issue is how to avoid readers assuming that a fire is the whole story, when the event is, in fact, just the moment at which a long process becomes attention grabbing. When reporting stops there, it is accurate about the day but misleading about the decade.

It is not the the reader or viewer’s job to supply the causal context an article leaves out. To place media literacy as the solution would concede to the idea that reporting will not improve. It is editors and correspondents who have the capacity to responsibly tell the climate story as both drawn-out and very fast events.

This means treating the conditions beforehand as part of the story, rather than merely background. So, a fire report should carry the spring rainfall figures as routinely as it carries the acreage burned. It also means keeping a running memory, so that each fire is reported in light of the last, rather than in isolation.

It means paying for journalists’ return visits because recovery, replanting and adaptation are where a slow process becomes visible. And it means recognising that a newspaper’s disasters desk and environment desk are describing one world, and should not be left to describe two.

FIFA said, if the proposal was given the green light, the plan was to “carefully select long-term investors who will purchase minority, non-controlling interests in FFE”. It revealed Thrive Eternal, a company launched in April by Joshua Kushner, the brother of United States President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, would lead the proposed investor group for FFE.