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From Saturday 17th
- Friday 23rd April 2004
(days
in reverse order)
Friday 23rd April 2004
Boy died after being restrained Police have promised a thorough inquiry
into how 15-year-old Gareth Myatt from Stoke-on-Trent died - three days after
arriving at Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre near Daventry, Northamptonshire.
See
full story from BBC News
RAF Stafford axed in defence review The Ministry Of Defence effectively
closed RAF Stafford with the announcement that the base's 450 staff are to be
relocated to a camp in Cambridgeshire. See
full story from BBC News
NFC
question-mark It's been revealed that there's a possibility the National Football
Centre in East Staffordshire might never be completed. The planned £70m
facility at Rangemore, near Burton, was to become the training centre for all
England teams and referee training. The FA now says it's reviewing it's plans
for the centre.
Textile era over What's thought to be the last clothing
factory in Leek is closing down today. Masons is shutting after eighty years -
only twenty people work there now. Leek was once known the world over for its
textile industry.
Leisure man's new leisure After more than four
decades of service at the Alton Towers leisure park, one of its longest serving
workers is finally calling it a day. John Simcox has been at the East Staffordshire
site in one capacity or another for 41 years, ever since it was a small family
run fairground. His last day is today - and tonight his colleagues will give him
a leaving party to remember.
Patriotic boss sends staff home
Workers at the Sandmaster Ltd factory, in Hixon, near Stafford were told by their
patriotic boss - Director, Mike Hughes - that they were being given the day off
to celebrate St George's Day. See
full story from BBC News
Assault on university student Staffordshire Police say that a 19-year-old
woman was assaulted at the Hawthorns university accommodation of Keele University
shortly before midnight on Wednesday 21st April. See
full story from BBC News
Thursday
22nd April 2004
Fake CDs seized at car boot sale A record amount of fake DVDs and CDs are
seized by trading standards officers at a car boot sale in Dark Lane. See
full story from BBC News
MPs put Doulton under spotlight Newcastle's Labour MP Paul Farrelly
is supporting the need for a debate about the problems at china maker Royal Doulton
in Parliament. See
full story from BBC News
'Drunk' man attacked schoolgirl Police appeal for information after
a 14-year-old girl is attacked by a man with a knife in Heath Hayes. See
full story from BBC News
School
saved A Tamworth school has been given a last-minute reprieve today. A report
to Staffordshire county councillors had recommended Torc High school for closure
because it has less than half it's capacity of pupils and numbers are falling,
but the plan was rejected.
Wednesday
21st April 2004
Theme park criticised Alton Towers
is accused by a business group of encouraging people to lie to have time off work
to visit. See
full story from BBC News
Boy's detention death is unclear Further tests are needed to find
out how 15-year-old Gareth Paul Myatt died just days after being sent to a detention
centre. See
full story from BBC News
Grant to help cancer research A scientist from Staffordshire has been
given £100,000 to assist his research into cancer. The Association for International
Cancer Research has awarded the money to Keele University's Dr Tony Fryer for
his work into the causes of cancer. Dr Fryer and his colleagues will be studying
the effect a certain gene has on preventing particular chemicals from causing
cancer. He is one of 40 scientists around the world to have been given funding.
Full fingered People living in an East Staffordshire village have teamed
up to pay for renovation to a 1930's signpost. The cast iron fingerpost in Barton
under Needwood has had two of its fingers missing for decades. Adrian Wedgewood,
from the East Staffordshire Heritage Trust, said it's thought they were removed
as part of a wartime security initiative in case of invasion. The post is being
restored in Cumbria by a specialist firm and will be back in place next month.
Tuesday
20th April 2004
Boy dies four days into sentence Gareth Paul Myatt, a 15-year-old from
Stoke-on-Trent, dies four days after starting 12 months' detention at a secure
youth training centre. See
full story from BBC News
Ten arrested in anti-terror raids Detectives continue to question
10 people, including one arrested in Staffordshire, under the Terrorism Act. See
full story from BBC News
Funeral held for restaurant owner Ray Mo, a Chinese restaurant owner
found stabbed to death outside his Staffordshire business, is laid to rest. See
full story from BBC News
Tests on prisoner found hanged Tests are carried out after Michael
Minshall, 45, a prisoner from SoT, is found hanged at Walton Prison. See
full story from BBC News
Fractious filly captured by vets A horse is captured after spending
more than a week on the run in a country park in Stoke on Trent. See
full story from BBC News
£3m children's centre set up in city A new centre to help vulnerable
children living in deprived areas will be set up in Stoke-on-Trent. The new £3m
unit in the Hanley Hope Centre is the first of nine centres being created in the
city over the next two years. It will provide early education for about 650 children
under five-years-old in Northwood and Birches Head. Parents and children with
special needs will get extra support and adults will have access to vocational
training.
Monday
19th April 2004
Public
asked to debate smoke ban People in Staffordshire are asked if they would
like to see smoking banned in public places. See
full story from BBC News
Marmite repels There are claims that the Burton-made sandwich spread
Marmite is an effective mosquito repellent. Apparently when some people eat the
spread they give off an odour undetectable to humans, but repulsive to the malaria
carrying insects. Public health consultant Dr Martin Schweiger says a jar could
be a valuable addition to any holiday.
Driver
tries to abduct girl An 11-year-old girl manages to escape after a driver
tries to pull her into his car in Perton in south Staffordshire. See
full story from BBC News
Tests on prisoner found hanged Tests are carried out after a prisoner,
Michael Minshall, 45, from Mow Cop in Stoke-on-Trent,is found hanged at Walton
Prison. See
full story from BBC News
Student protest opens post office A post office in Staffordshire is
to re-open after students protested at its closure. The Student's Union at Keele
University mounted a campaign to bring back
the post office based on the campus because it is well used by the students. The
facility is due to reopen on Monday. The Student's Union will be holding a party
later this week to officially celebrate the re-opening.
Sunday
18th April 2004
Worth a bit The Stoke On Trent mobile phone tycoon John Caudwell is the
richest man in the Midlands - according to the Sunday Times Rich List. He is the
region's first billionaire and retains his top place in the list with his wealth
measured at £1,280m. Nationally he's the 21st richest person in the country.
Sir Anthony Bamford, the boss of Rocester based JCB is second with £700m
worth of wealth. He's currently involved in a legal dispute with his late father's
mistress Jayne Ellis, over the terms of the will. She enters the list at 270th
richest.
Stoke's own superstar Robbie Williams has increased his wealth by
£10 million this year, thanks to a European tour and album sales. With a
total wealth of £78 million, he has gone from 28th to 24th in the list of
music millionaires and ranks at number 508 overall.
A new entry is James
Leavesley who has a £60m fortune thanks to having stakes in two property
companies including the developer St Modwen.
Saturday
17th April 2004
Police
report shows increase in violent crime There has been a rise in violent crime
in Stoke-on-Trent according to a report by Staffordshire police. The number of
violent crimes in the city is up by 11 per cent - which means an extra 800 crimes
committed. But police say they have managed to cut the number of violent crimes
in the city centre by five per cent and the overall increase is less than the
national average. The total number of crimes in the city stayed about the same,
but Superintendent John Wood says police are solving more.
They wuz
robbed? A Stafford Rangers' match ended in uproar after a linesman injured
his leg and the opposing side refused to accept a replacement. The match against
Weston-super-Mare was abandoned amid chaotic scenes. Stafford's manager Phil Robinson
has accused his opposite number of gamesmanship, and said his side had been robbed
of an almost certain victory. Rangers were 1-0 up at the time.
Cannock
champions Defending champions and long-time leaders of the English Hockey
Premier Division, Cannock, clinched back-to-back titles with a 5-0 victory at
Old Loughtonians on the last day of the regular season, pipping arch-rivals Reading
by a single point.
Set-piece specialist Simon Ramsden scored a fourth-minute
penalty corner and added a second from the spot eight minutes after half-time
to put Cannock 3-0 up after Martin Jones scored the first of his brace just moments
after the interval.
Great Britain and England forward Jones netted his second
13 minutes from the end and international team-mate Barry Middleton ensured a
second successive championship with the fifth nine minutes from the end.
FULL
ARCHIVE OF 2002, 2003 & 2004 STORIES - CLICK
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