Brittany Miller

Brittany Miller

Brittany is a reporter based in New York City. After graduating from the Newhouse School of Public Communications, she has covered various news and sports events such as March Madness and the New York Liberty mascot. Her work is featured online. 

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My Latest Work

The Independent •

Meet the Americans trading brick-and-mortar homes for converted buses and the road

Forget the RV. Young people are trading in traditional homes for the yellow school buses many remember from childhood as a way to live both a minimalist lifestyle and avoid the rising cost of owning a home.Known as “skoolies,” the growing trend involves converting decommissioned school buses into full-time living spaces, blending DIY renovation with the flexibility of life on the road. What began as a niche project has gained traction online, with thousands documenting their builds on TikTok, Yo...
The Independent •

Jodi Hildebrandt’s niece recalls ‘full body terror’ after speaking out on Ruby Franke

Netflix has released a new documentary examining the rise and influence of Jodi Hildebrandt, a therapist in Utah who was arrested for child abuse in 2023.In a September interview with The Independent, Hidebrandt’s niece, Jessi, shared how difficult it was to speak publicly about the mistreatment they endured from their aunt amid the disgraced YouTuber Ruby Franke and Jodi’s child abuse scandal.Franke, a Utah mother of six and former parenting YouTuber known for her channel 8 Passengers, and her...
The Independent •

Four acclaimed chefs share Christmas dishes they cook for their own families

The holidays have a way of pulling cooks back to themselves. No matter how many services they’ve run or awards they’ve collected, this is the time of year when even the most accomplished chefs reach for dishes that feel personal.For some, that means baking something sweet and deliberately unfussy; for others, it’s slow, deeply savoury cooking that rewards patience and memory. These are not restaurant showpieces or trend-driven plates, but the dishes chefs return to when they’re feeding family an...
The Independent •

Dance Moms star Nia Sioux says Lifetime censored Abby Lee Miller’s racist moments

Nia Sioux of Dance Moms fame has told The Independent how the reality show’s network, Lifetime, allegedly chose not to air some of her former dance teacher’s more egregious comments.Sioux, whose real name is Nia Sioux Frazier, appeared on all seven seasons of the reality series from 2011 to 2017 while she was nine to 15 years old alongside her mother, Holly Frazier. The show followed Sioux and other cast members, sisters Maddie and Mackenzie Ziegler, Kendall Vertes, Chloe Lukasiak, JoJo Siwa, si...
The Independent •

Jodi Hildebrandt’s niece says new doc will clear up confusion over Ruby Franke abuse

Jodi Hildebrandt’s niece, Jessi, tells The Independent that understanding their aunt is imperative to understanding disgraced YouTuber Ruby Franke ahead of the release of a new documentary about the pair's child abuse scandal.Franke, a Utah mother of six and former parenting YouTuber known for her channel 8 Passengers, and her business partner, therapist Hildebrandt, were arrested in August 2023 after Franke’s 12-year-old son escaped from Hildebrandt’s home and asked a neighbor for food and wate...
The Independent •

I went to a women-only adult summer camp — and it’s worth the $900 price tag

Four hours out of New York City, the bus pulled into a campground on the edge of the Pocono Mountains in Equinunk, Pennsylvania. At first glance, it could have been any traditional summer camp: rustic log cabins tucked among tall pines, a sweeping green lawn wrapped around a glittering lake, and a flagpole standing proudly at its center. But the illusion didn’t last long. A Dunkin’ Donuts truck was parked by the water, handing out caramel iced coffees, pickleball courts replaced open fields, and...
The Independent •

The app for businesses to promote ‘freebies’. But you’ll need thousands of followers

Ever wondered why all the hot people hang out at the same shops and restaurants? That’s because they don’t have to pay for it.Content creator Lauren Karwoski posted a TikTok in May of everything she was able to get through clicking freebie offers on Neon Coat, an app which connects influencers to businesses. During one day in New York City, she received a green juice from a gourmet eatery ($9), took a fancy workout class ($40), got her eyebrows laminated ($100), and met a friend for dinner at a...
The Independent •

I watched Joey Chestnut win Nathan’s hot dog contest and saw why no one will beat him

At 9 a.m. in Coney Island on the Fourth of July, a crowd was already snaking around the block of Nathan’s Famous original restaurant.They were, of course, waiting for the annual hot dog eating contest — a frenzied, ketchup-stained tradition where competitive eaters from around the world battle it out for glory, the Mustard Belt, and a place in food history.Although there were 13 women and 15 men competing this year, only one name was shouted repeatedly over and over again: Joey Chestnut.The now...
The Independent •

Joey Chestnut’s back: Here’s what to expect from the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest

Nothing screams Fourth of July more than fireworks, American flags — and hot dogs.Every year, people crowd around the original Nathan’s restaurant on New York’s Coney Island boardwalk to watch competitive eaters scarf down as many hot dogs as they can in just 10 minutes. And I, for one, am more ready than ever to watch what’s sure to be a tight race. This year will see the return of crowd-favorite and hot dog contest record-holder Joey Chestnut after he was unable to participate in 2024 due to a...
The Independent •

Venice locals speak out ahead of Jeff Bezos’ billionaire fantasy wedding

Come Tuesday, Venetians will have a new spectacle on the horizon. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is sailing into the city on his $500 million superyacht to marry his fiancée, former journalist Lauren Sanchez, in what is expected to be a spectacular display of wealth and pomp. Over three days (from June 24 to 26), Bezos and Sanchez’s guest list of Hollywood A-listers are set to invade the historic city, filling its waterways and luxury hotels. In a city that constantly strains against the swell of overtou...
The Independent •

Pedro Pascal lookalike contest: Hosters said it was ‘better than Hinge’

After hearing Pedro Pascal claim there is “no good Mexican food” in New York City, one restaurant was determined to fight back. On Sunday (June 15), Orchard Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan was essentially blocked off as a crowd of people gathered in the rain to witness a Pedro Pascal lookalike contest in honor of the Mexican restaurant Son Del North’s first anniversary. Given the success of prior lookalike contests, such as the viral Timothée Chalamet contest back in October 2024, che...
The Independent •

FDA stops sale of generic versions of Ozempic and Wegovy: What it means for patients

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has stopped the sale of copycat versions of Ozempic and Wegovy, the Type 2 diabetes drugs used for weight loss.In 2022, the FDA announced there was a shortage of the brand-name medications, which allowed compounding pharmacies to make generic semaglutide, the main active ingredient in the weight-loss drugs.Compounding pharmacies create custom medications through mixing varying ingredients and dosages to better fit a patient’s needs. Traditiona...
The Independent •

March Madness: The perfect bracket is over— why it’s a nearly impossible feat

As someone painfully oblivious to the world of college sports, my first March Madness bracket at age 18 was chosen with little thought.I mostly just copied whatever my friends in the sports analytics department were doing and steered clear of any Syracuse University enemies advancing just out of spite. Despite watching college basketball and March Madness for five straight years now, my bracket hasn’t improved at all.Every year the NCCA selects 68 Division 1 College basketball teams to participa...
The Independent •

Why you shouldn’t bother budgeting in 2025

You might think that creating a budget is the best way to look after your finances — but one money expert says it is setting people up for failure.Dana Miranda, author of You Don’t Need a Budget: Stop Worrying about Debt, Spend without Shame, and Manage Money with Ease, compared budgeting to dieting, where the focus is overly on what needs to be cut, whether that’s spending or carbs.“The research shows that budgeting looks a lot like dieting and that it’s not really effective for helping people...
The Independent •

Timothée Chalamet look-alike contest organizer reacts to $500 police fine

Washington Square Park in Lower Manhattan is usually a popular spot for New York University students to smoke cigarettes, read books and hang out between classes.However, on Sunday (October 27), the typically quiet 10-acre city park fell into chaos as huge crowds gathered to witness a viral Timothée Chalamet look-alike contest, which saw the star himself make a cameo appearance.Last week, a post circulated on X advertising the competition to find the Call Me By Your Name star’s doppelganger with...
The Independent •

The greatest mascot in sports is a twerking elephant in Brooklyn

The New York Liberty has scored their first-ever WNBA championship title, but all eyes weren’t on the likes of power forward Breanna Stewart or Sabrina Ionescu. Instead, packed-out crowds at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn have been captivated all season by a five-foot-10 anthropomorphic elephant in the stands.Meet Ellie the Elephant, the New York Liberty’s official mascot. She’s often seen strutting the arena, swinging her one single braid, and asking a security guard to hold her Telfar purse....
The Independent •

Is Wordle ruining our mental health?

Six tries to guess five letters that make up one word. The simple premise that became a global sensation first emerged as a way of taking our minds off any stress happening around us when we were confined to our homes during the pandemic. But while Wordle, and countless other phone and internet games, offered a respite for some, not everyone found the games as comforting or as simple as they seemed.In the years since, games have become part of a daily routine for many, whether it’s attempting to...
The Independent •

I tried TikTok’s viral Sleepy Girl Mocktail

Sleepy Girl Mocktails are the newest bedtime beverage to take over TikTok. Mocktails were a major trend throughout Dry January, as people chose to abstain from alcohol after the post-holidays frenzy. People were inspired to improve themselves with a “new year, new me” mentality, and transition to a drink with some beneficial purpose. Enter: the Sleepy Girl Mocktail.The Sleepy Girl Mocktail isn’t just a fun little treat to top off your night; it’s supposed to help you fall asleep easier. Wellness...
syracuse •

Syracuse is taking steps to jumpstart effort to build dozens of discounted starter homes

Syracuse N.Y. –– LaChelle Green rented a single-family home in Syracuse for 10 years, but she really wanted to buy her own home.But, she said, she was consistently being outbid on homes. “It was a really stressful process,” she said.Then her real estate agent mentioned homes that are available through the city’s Resurgent Neighborhoods Initiative.That program helped Green buy a newly built home on the city’s South Side at a discount. As of January she’s living there with her three kids.“Without...
syracuse •

NY lawmaker pushes 70 mph speed limit for all vehicles

Albany N.Y. –– New York state’s speed limit would increase for the first time since 1995 under a proposal before the state Legislature.Sen. Tom O’Mara, R-Big Flats, has introduced a bill that would raise speed limits along parts of the New York Thruway Authority and other highways from 65 mph to 70 mph for all vehicles.O’Mara said the thought came to him while traveling when he noticed multiple states had consistent speed limits.According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 43 states...
Page Six •

Queen Elizabeth II dead at 96 following 70-year reign

Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in British history, died Thursday at age 96.


“The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon,” the royal family tweeted. “The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”


King Charles III — formerly known as Prince Charles — said in a statement that his mother’s passing was a “moment of great sadness.”


Early Thursday, the royal family announced doctors were “concerned” about t...

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