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From Saturday 3rd
- Friday 9th April 2004
(days
in reverse order)
Friday 9th April 2004
£15m development
planned for town A project planned for Uttoxeter would create jobs
and provide a new home for a cricket club, say developers. See
full story from BBC News
Peak farmers face income warning The
Peak District National Park Authority estimates around 1,000 farms there would
lose 75% of their income over the next eight years under a new system.
See full story from BBC News
Warnings over speed hump delays Ambulance crews in east Staffordshire
warn that speed humps are putting lives at risk by slowing them down. Crews in
Burton-on-Trent have estimated that three speed humps can delay an ambulance by
as much as a minute.
Lost teenagers rescued from field
Two teenagers from Staffordshire had to be rescued by firefighters after they
got lost on route to Stafford. Firefighters said they were lucky they did not
develop hypothermia.
Delivery
man robbed at gunpoint A pizza delivery man was threatened with a gun by three
teenagers in a robbery in Staffordshire. The 29-year-old from Birmingham was forced
to hand over his pizzas in Lomax Road, Hednesford, at 1130 BST. A Staffordshire
police spokesman said the three men, aged in their late teens to early 20s, threatened
the man with what is believed to be a handgun.
Thursday 8th April 2004
Severe virus outbreak at hospital A severe virus causing sickness and
diarrhoea is affecting patients and staff at the
University Hospital of North Staffordshire. Patients on a
quarter of the wards at have been affected by the 48-hour virus. See
full story from BBC News
Pet tortoise granted island
move The Handley family from Nantwich in south Cheshire have finally been
granted permission to take their pet tortoise - named Blitzen - with them when
they emigrate to St Helena. See
full story from BBC News
Power cut affects 900 customers
A
power cut in Hanley left more than 900 customers without power. The power was
off for almost two hours on Thursday morning. Engineers say it was because of
an underground cable fault.
Ovens saved Three quarters of a million
pounds is going to be spent preserving some of Stoke-on-Trent's last remaining
bottle ovens. The Potteries Preservation Society says it's going to spend the
money restoring ten of the city's fifty ovens on four sites across the city. It's
been given the main part of the money by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Lichfield
a good place Lichfield District Council is celebrating after the Audit Commission
rated it as "good". The Government watchdog has delivered its verdict in the assessment
it carries out on all local authorities' services. Its report says Lichfield is
"on a journey from a position of unsatisfactory performance to one of high quality".
Wednesday
7th April 2004
'Disgraceful' hooligans jailed A group of Port Vale fans are banned from
attending future matches after being convicted of football-related violence. See
full story from BBC News
Jailed care home boss struck
off A Staffordshire care home manager 41 year old Susan Rushton from Berry
Hill, who took as much as £25,000 from residents at the Guernsey Drive Residence
in Newcastle, is barred for life from practising as a nurse. See
full story from BBC News
Bogus builders
steal pub's cash Two conmen steal hundreds of pounds from a Stafford pub,
the Tap and Spile, undergoing renovation after posing as builders. See
full story from BBC News
Fewer
asylum seekers The government says the number of people seeking asylum in
North Staffordshire has dropped slightly. There's been no change in the number
of applications in Stoke-on-Trent at one thousand - but numbers in Newcastle have
dropped by about a third to 35.
Tuesday
6th April 2004
Ghost hunters to investigate pub A public house in Staffordshire has called
in ghost hunters after an unwelcome spirit was apparently spotted in the building.
Alan Brown, who runs The Shrew in Rugeley, says he has been sensing a presence
in the pub since he took over in 2000. The pub is where the Rugeley Poisoner carried
out his last murder. Mr Brown wants to know if he, or his victim, is haunting
the place and hopes ghost hunters can help.
Burton flood trouble The
Environment Agency has admitted that thousands of homes covered by new flood defences
along the River Trent could still be susceptible to the problem. Around half of
all properties behind flood banks could be affected - especially around the Burton
area. The news comes after a two year study by the Agency. Today they're publishing
their new flood strategy for the river.
Schools merged Two schools
in Burton are to be merged despite protests from governors. The decision's been
taken because pupil numbers have been falling steadily over the last few years.
Winshill Infant School and Bend Oak Junior School are just half a mile apart and
share the problem of dwindling numbers. In 1998 130 pupils attended Winshill Infants,
five years later there were just 75.
The decision has now been made to close
it and sell the site. With the money from the sale a new primary school will be
built on the large and more modern grounds of Bend Oak.
£1.75m
bus fleet to cut vandalism Staffordshire County Council
says it now has the largest council-provided school bus fleet in the country.
See
full story from BBC News
Museum
"passport" scheme begins A "passport" scheme has been launched in Stoke-on-Trent
to try to encourage more people to visit the city's museums. For an annual fee,
adults or families can visit Ford Green Hall, Gladstone Pottery Museum and Etruria
Industrial Museum as many times as they like. The passport also offers discounts
at the Potteries Museum.
Monday
5th April 2004
Woman
found dead in prison cell An armed robber, Sheena Kotecha from Belgrave, is
found hanged in her cell the day after she was jailed for nine years. See
full story from BBC News
Public
frozen out of rink inquiry An inquiry into why an ice
rink in Stoke-on-Trent closed after two weeks is to be held in private. See
full story from BBC News
A
river on the mend BBC News Online starts a four-part series looking at the
River Trent by asking questions about water quality. See
full story from BBC News
Foundations
laid for 'cow' bricks Akristos Ltd, of Newcastle, is helping develop a scheme
to turn ash from cattle carcasses into house bricks. See
full story from BBC News
Sunday
4th April 2004
Headstones
undergo safety checks Headstones in a Staffordshire cemetery are tested for
safety. See
full story from BBC News
Dr Who characters
go on display Visitors to a model show are being given the chance to come
face-to-face with 'Dr Who' Daleks on Sunday. The famous machines will be on display
at the RAF Cosford museum, along with aircraft, ships and military vehicles. Nearly
70 exhibitors from all over the country are expected to attend the event - with
a total of more than 2,000 models on display. Organisers say they are expecting
a record number of visitors.
Decorating
course hopes to appeal to women Stoke-on-Trent college is hoping to get more
women into the building trade by offering a training course in decorating. The
response to the course will be used in research to find out women's attitude to
the construction industry. The course will start on the 21 April and run for seven
weeks. It is hoped it will attract a number of students.
Milkmen
targeted in knife attacks Police are hunting a man believed to be responsible
for a series of knife attacks on milkmen including one in Burton. See
full story from BBC News
Saturday 3rd April 2004
Curfew
imposed to fight vandalism Children aged 16 and under living on an estate
in Kidsgrove near Newcastle face arrest if they do not go home after nine o' clock
at night. See
full story from BBC News
National winner
for South Cheshire man Amberleigh House won the 2004 Grand National to give
Red Rum trainer Ginger McCain, who is based near Nantwich, a fairytale fourth
victory in the world's most famous steeplechase.
See National
result from BBC Sport
See Ginger's
Story
Town in FA final Hednesford Town
defied the odds to win through against Aldershot and book a place in the FA Trophy
Final. See our
Non-League Football pages
FULL
ARCHIVE OF 2002, 2003 & 2004 STORIES - CLICK
HERE
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