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Friday 6th February 2004
Residents defeated over post office Campaigning Staffordshire residents have failed in a bid to save their estate's post office. Read the full story from BBC News

Thursday 5th February 2004
Sick days cost Staffordshire County Council £15m The amount of sick days taken by employees at Staffordshire County Council equates to 801 years over the last 12 months. Read the full story from BBC News

Ambulance charity scam in Staffordshire exposed A scam that exploited people's willingness to help raise money for an air ambulance charity has been ended, trading standards officers say. Read the full story from BBC News

Church helped to beat arsonists Churches in the Diocese of Lichfield are being given a helping hand in the fight against arsonists. Read the full story from BBC News

Bat attack A security guard on a housing estate in Burton has been beaten with a baseball bat and robbed. The 50 year old Securicor guard was leaving the offices of Trent and Dove Housing Association in Cornwall Road in Stapenhill at about half past four and as he walked to his vehicle two men attacked him with a baseball bat. He suffered injuries to his arms and body and was taken to Queen's Hospital; the men stole a dark blue cash box. The police believe the robbers drove off in a dark hatchback which was parked in nearby Sussex Road heading towards Somerset Road. Securicor's offering a reward of £1,000 for information leading to conviction.

Wednesday 4th February 2004
Power surge explodes 'superloo' An electrical fault creates a powerful jet of water which blows the roof off a Hanley town centre public convenience (see picture right). Read the full story from BBC News

Clothing seized in charity scam Trading Standards Officers have seized more than 200 bags of clothing which were being collected as part of a charity scam. People have been leafleting homes in Stafford and Stone claiming for every ton of clothes they collect the County Air Ambulance will be given £100.
Trading Standards officers believe the clothes - which will now be donated to local charity shops - were going to be sold at Car Boot Sales or ragged at the cost of £10 a bag. The bogus charity workers could now face criminal charges.

Tuesday 3rd February 2004
Protest could close university Lecturers will vote on whether to join student action at a Staffordshire University over top-up fees and pay proposals. Read the full story from BBC News

School praised for improvement The Grove Primary School and Nursery Unit, in Stafford, is singled out as one of the most improved schools in England by education inspectors. Read the full story from BBC News

Baby offer 'was not serious' The manager of Dr Anand Singh, who is accused of offering to buy a baby from her parents, says the GP was not serious. Read the full story from BBC News

National award for transformed farm A farm in Staffordshire has won a national award after it was transformed into an environmentally-friendly wetland. Aston Hall Farm in Stone has been changed over the past four years to become a floodplain, a grazing marsh and a big attraction for birds.
It also hosts a model scheme for sustainable farming methods and remains a working farm. Ruth Davis, from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds who awarded the Living Wetlands Award - said she hoped it would raise the profile of wetland projects in general.

Council tax rise on the cards People living in Staffordshire face an average increase of nearly £50 a year in the council tax they pay to the county. The council's Cabinet has recommended a rise of 6.2%. That would result in a tax at Band D of £823 - an annual increase of about £48. The proposal goes to the full council for approval on Thursday week (12th).

Monday 2nd February 2004
Church starts online devotion High-tech worshipping is launched by the Diocese of Lichfield with congregations being able to pray online. Read the full story from BBC News

GP 'offered to buy baby' An investigation is under way after by Adrian and Kelly Love from Newcastle complain that a doctor offered to buy their seven-week-old baby. Read the full story from BBC News

Huge grants payout Charities and voluntary organisations across Staffordshire and the West Midlands have been awarded more than £2 million in National Lottery's Community Fund payouts.
The area benefiting most is Cannock where two organisations are sharing in grants in excess of £500,000. The town's Citizen's Advice Bureau has received £270,083, while The Chase Council for Voluntary Services has been given £288,181.The largest single award is £299,100 to the Stafford-based Community Council Of Staffordshire.

Meanwhile a support group for Kurdish people in North Staffordshire has been given more than sixty thousand pounds of lottery money to expand its operation. Since it started last summer the group has dealt with more than two-hundred and fifty enquiries from Kurds who've come to the area. It'll now take on a member of staff and open new offices.

Nearly 400 job losses in Cannock Union leaders say workers are in complete shock after being told all 370 jobs at a factory in Cannock are to go when the plant closes at the end of the year. Automotive Lighting has been operating since 1954 and specialises in lighting products. The company says it can't compete on the international market.

Pensioners protest to save post offices Pensioners from across north Staffordshire say they will fight to try and save 28 post offices from closure. Around 150 members of the North Staffordshire Pensioners' Convention protested inside Hanley's main post office. They claim the Post Office is "ripping the heart out of communities". The Labour MP for Stoke south George Stevenson joined Monday's rally and said the battle was not over.

Work on £6m jail starts Work starts on a £6m specialist police custody centre in Stoke, which aims to free up "bobbies" for the beat. Read the full story from BBC News

Sunday 1st February 2004
No guarantees for RAF station Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon says he can do nothing to help save the Stafford RAF station from closure. Read the full story from BBC News

Tough love The annual "Tough Guy" race in Perton in Staffordshire take swplace today as four thousand people will brave the elements in an eight-mile cross country challenge. The event's in its eighteenth year and competitors raise thousands for charity.

Saturday 31st January 2004
Council tax cap could mean cutbacks Stoke-on-Trent's elected mayor Mike Wolfe has warned there will be cuts to local services if Westminster imposes a cap on council tax. Read the full story from BBC News

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