Archive

  • Pay gap narrows between lower and average earners

    THE pay gap between York's lowest earners and the city's average wage is narrowing after hitting a ten year high. The latest figures, recorded for 2013, show pay packets among both the lowest quarter of earners in York, and the lowest ten per cent

  • Collier buy out plans shelved

    PLANS for an employee buy-out aimed at saving more than 700 jobs at Kellingley Colliery have been withdrawn. Site owners UK coal announced an 18 month closure of the colliery, near Selby, in April. In response 720 workers each pledged £2,000

  • John Fullbright, Songs (Blue Dirt Records) *****

    FULLBRIGHT’S assured debut, From The Ground Up, marked him out as a musician to look out for. The follow-up cements such hopes, although it does so by taking a different direction. While his debut album was full-blown Americana, with huge Dylanesque

  • Manic Street Preachers, Futurology (Sony Music) ***

    “WE’LL COME back one day, we never really went away”, sings James Dean Bradfield on the Manics’ new title track. Given it’s been less than a year since their last album, there’s some truth to that. Remember when Manic Street Preachers were angry

  • Gramercy Arms, The Season Of Love (Reveal Records) ***

    FIVE years in the making, these 36 minutes have clearly been painstakingly put together by this New York collective. Centred around the power pop flair of Dave Derby (sometime foil for Lloyd Cole), there is a host of minor stars (with Cole glowering

  • The Felice Brothers, Favorite Waitress (Dualtone) **

    YOU can’t practise spontaneity, but that is The Felice Brothers’ forlorn aspiration on their fifth studio album. They used to be informal, ramshackle, limbo-loose and rowdy as Friday night, recording in high schools or rustic haunts, then they

  • La Roux, Trouble In Paradise (Polydor) ****

    TROUBLE In Paradise appears an appropriate title for the second album by La Roux. For despite winning the award for the best electronic/dance album at the Grammy Awards, and scoring a number two UK album with the debut self-titled collection in 2008

  • Tony Bennett, York Barbican, September 7

    AMERICAN crooner Tony Bennett, who turns 88 on August 3, will play York Barbican on September 7. The New York swing singer will perform seven decades of hits in his 8pm show, the only Yorkshire date of a mini-tour that will take him to London’s

  • Artist in residence Alfred Huckett takes notes

    CAN you capture music in paint? Artist and choir member Alfred Huckett set himself this challenge in his record third residency at the York Early Music Festival, where he has spent the past fortnight painting and drawing at rehearsals and performances

  • Milkshake! Live Party Party, Grand Opera House, York, August 22

    THE Milkshake! Live Party Party show will be shaking up the Grand Opera House in York on August 22. We have teamed up with Channel 5 and the York theatre for a competition to win a family ticket – for two adults and two children – for the 1pm performance

  • Shrek The Musical, Leeds Grand Theatre, until August 17

    SHREK The Musical begins its first British run outside London this week when it opens at Leeds Grand Theatre direct from Drury Lane. Based on the story and characters from William Steig’s book Shrek! and the Oscar-winning DreamWorks Animations

  • Fruity romantic sparks police scare

    A MISGUIDED fruity gesture led to police being called to a quiet York street. Officers were called to reports of a suspicious object left under the car of a resident in a street off Carr Lane, Acomb, last night. A North Yorkshire Police spokesman

  • It’s cutting edge stuff

    The York-made film The Knife That Killed me calls on a lot of high-tech trickery. Charles Hutchinson reports on the film, talks to those who made it and offers his verdict SUNDAY'S York premiere of The Knife That Killed Me heralds the dawn of a

  • Sheesham & Lotus & Son, Selby Town Hall, September 6

    CANADIAN old-time Americana band Sheesham & Lotus & Son will make their first visit to Britain in August and September on the back of their Spiegeltent residency at next month's Tonder Festival in Denmark. Selby Town Hall awaits on September

  • Stornoway, Deer Shed Festival, near Thirsk, July 25 to 27

    STORNOWAY'S headline set on Sunday at the Deer Shed Festival must have seemed a million miles away when the phone rang at Brian Briggs's house. "I'm at home on the Gower Peninsula, a big surfer's spot on the Welsh coast," he said. Brian, the

  • Daniel Pearson, Fibbers, Toft Green, York, July 21

    YORKSHIRE troubadour Daniel Pearson will play at Fibbers, Toft Green, York, on Monday night. The Beverley-born singer-songwriter, who now lives in Leeds, blends elements of indie rock, country and classic rock'n’roll in his soulful songs, such

  • BBC Radio 3 broadcasts York Early Music Festival concerts

    BBC Radio 3 has broadcast two concerts at the 2014 York Early Music Festival live across Britain and Europe to an estimated audience of more than two million people. Hesperion XXI's opening concert, featuring rebab lira player Jordi Savall at the

  • Scarborough Seafest 2014, July 25 to 27

    RISING York band The Buffalo Skinners are not only a late addition to Scarborough Seafest 2014, but they also will be the headliners, topping Saturday night's music bill at 10.10pm after the ten o'clock fireworks. The free three-day festival on

  • Wilby makes waves at Commonwealth Games

    STRENSALL swimmer James Wilby swept into the final of the 200 metres breaststroke at the Commonwealth Games today. The City of York Baths Club star made his international debut this morning at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre, in Glasgow

  • Six of the best to ignite Lokos title challenge

    SIX games, six wins. That is what York Lokomotive head coach Simon Moat wants as his men go all out for championship glory in Yorkshire Men's League Group 2. After a setback against Scarborough Pirates 'A' last weekend, when they fell to a 10-6

  • Plain sailing for Yorkshire Ouse Club pair

    PETE LEE and Steve Bingham, of Team Enterprise, got their timing just right to sail to a clear win in the Yorkshire Ouse Sailing Club’s annual Roundabout Race on the River Ouse at Naburn, writes Matthew Graves. The race started with virtually no

  • Yorkshire skipper Andrew Gale chasing One-day Cup dream

    ANDREW GALE says Yorkshire success in the forthcoming Royal London One-day Cup will help him achieve a long-term career goal. The third competition on the county calendar kicks off on Saturday when the Vikings cross the Pennines to take on old

  • Bowls: Super 7 ready to swing into summer action

    ENTRIES are now being taken for York's annual Super 7 bowls competition. Teams will be drawn into groups and play three or four round robin matches to determine qualifiers for the knockout stages, which will include four or eight teams depending

  • Doncaster chance for Goldie’s oldie, Nanton

    NANTON, in the autumn of his career, can show his junior rivals a clean pair of heels at Doncaster this evening. Trained near Glasgow by Jim Goldie, the 12-year-old gelding has proved to be a wonderful money-spinner down the years over a variety

  • Success for young dancing star Lucas Wells

    A MANOR CE Academy pupil has been awarded a place on one of the UK’s most prestigious dance schemes. Lucas Wells, 14, has been accepted into the Northern School of Contemporary Dance (NSCD) Yorkshire Young Dancers course and will start in September

  • Complaints about Tasers increase

    A REVIEW into the use of Tasers by police has shown an increase in complaints about the devices. A report by the Independent Police Complaints Commission released today said Tasers present a lower risk than CS spray, physical restraint or a baton

  • Art awards presented in memory of Caroline Stuttle

    YORK artist Alan Stuttle has presented cheques for £500 to Huntington School pupils Mathilda Mancey-Jones, Emily Roberts, Kezia Hulse and Beth Jakeman this week. Mr Stuttle presents bursaries each year to students at the school to help them with

  • Tory condemns ‘personal attacks’ by council leader

    A SENIOR Tory councillor has accused York council leader James Alexander of ‘lashing out with personal attacks’ on other councillors when urged to resign over the Lendal Bridge saga. Cllr Chris Steward, leader of York Conservatives, said it was

  • Children to design Civic Crest

    PRIMARY school pupils will design a new Civic Crest for the Lord Mayor of York’s official Christmas cards this year, in a competition. Two finalists from each school will receive afternoon tea at the Mansion House, then Cllr Ian Gillies will name

  • York author Meriel Bowers dies aged 90

    AN author whose work touched the lives of many aspiring journalists and secretaries has died in York aged 90. Meriel Bowers, came to live in sheltered housing at Fairfax Court in Acomb in 2000 to be closer to her daughter, Gill Myers who lives

  • The Wind In The Willows, York Theatre Royal, 31 to August 30

    THE wind of change at York Theatre Royal was set in motion by the in-the-round production of The Wind In The Willows five summers ago. That show now has its second wind from July 31, this time with the stalls taking on the raised configuration

  • Only One Direction, York Barbican, July 31

    ONLY One Direction join the tribute bandwagon with their Midnight Memories Tour, whose sense of direction sends them to York Barbican on July 31. Expect songs from all three One Direction albums, such as the hits What Makes You Beautiful, Story

  • Jazz notes

    THIS week’s bombshell news that jazz at Middleton’s Hotel will end with a final session on July 31 has come as a big blow to York jazz. Since the hotel began booking regular jazz in the Chaplin’s Bar Restaurant in June last year, fans have had

  • Huntington couple celebrate 60 years of marriage

    A WELL-known retired York football referee is today celebrating 60 years of wedding bliss. Donald and Joan Thorpe were married on July 24, 1954, at St Luke's Church in her native Grimethorpe near Barnsley, and set up life together in Yearsley Grove

  • ...And The Hangnails launch CD

    YORK punk garage rock duo ...And The Hangnails launch their third album, Rut, at The Duchess, York, tomorrow night. Guitarist and singer Martyn Fillingham and drummer Steven Reid are promising to “stir up trouble” on a record that delivers a grown-up

  • Warehouse revival

    YORK’S historic Bonding Warehouse stood empty and neglected for far too long after the floods of 2000. It is wonderful, therefore, to see it coming back to life. The former warehouse has been converted into office units on the ground and first

  • Beach Boys to shine at York Racecourse music event

    RACEGOERS are gearing up to have some fun fun fun with a weekend of live music at York Racecourse. The Beach Boys and Wet Wet Wet will perform over the coming weekend which promises to be anything but wet if forecast predictions are correct.

  • Differing views on Stonebow House

    PRINCE Charles once said at least the Luftwaffe, when it knocked down our buildings, didn’t replace them with anything more offensive than rubble. He was referring to 1960s architects; the designers of Brutalism, otherwise known as concrete monstrosities

  • MP shows a lack of understanding

    HOW disheartening that Hugh Bayley praises employers paying the living wage rather than expounding on the need for a living income. This lack of understanding of the hardships facing many working-class people is highlighted by Mr Bayley’s support

  • Heard it all before

    ED MILIBAND promises there will be no return to the tax-and-spend policies of past Labour governments. The Labour leader says such a move would not solve the UK’s economic problems. He also says Labour would be more radical than in the past: freezing

  • Right procedures

    I WOULD like to inform readers of council procedures, as they have not been accurately portrayed by Mr Jones and Mr Wardell (Letters, July 22). The council’s constitution allows residents to address council for three minutes, and a number did in

  • Poppies praise

    SINCE reading in The Press earlier in the year that poppy seeds were being planted on certain stretches of grass area along Poppleton Road, I have watched the progress with interest. For many weeks as I have driven by, I have wondered if this experiment

  • Left unresolved

    LAST week Labour councillors voted as one to defeat my motion on Lendal Bridge and save the jobs of Cllr Alexander and Cllr Merrett. The result means that a number of things which should have happened have still not happened. No Labour councillor

  • Litter problem

    RECENTLY many letters have addressed litter on the streets of York. This is a problem everywhere in our country and a problem that is getting worse. This litter is unsightly and causes problems to the environment as most litter that isn’t picked

  • Crumbling city

    NOW that the bike race has gone, can I suggest to James Alexander that he has a walk round his own ward, Holgate, and see where the money spent on the bike race should have been spent on long-term benefits and not on a ride-past lasting a few seconds

  • Blaming Putin

    IS THIS “We hate Putin” month? I am probably out of step with the mob, but it seems to me that in the beginning all the Russian-speaking folk living in Ukraine (through no fault of their own) asked for was more autonomy over their own affairs.

  • Keys missing from Bridlington murder hotel

    A set of room keys used by a man being hunted over the fatal stabbing of a guest house landlady in East Yorkshire are being sought as part of the murder inquiry. Bei Carter, 49, was found dead at the guest house she ran in Bridlington on Friday

  • Behind the times

    NOW that the Grand Départ has departed, when is some bright spark going to remove the banner from the railings of West Offices advertising “ A Grand Soiree” on July 2? Like the occupants of that fine building, they appear to be behind the times

  • Where’s the money?

    HERE they go again! I think it’s time that City of York Council started working with its citizens instead of against them. The CCTV school van was brought in for a specific purpose – to allegedly protect children arriving and departing at school

  • Cost of ADHD in York

    TWENTY-TWO adults were assessed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the York area last year - at a cost of £17,473. Responding to a Freedom of Information request made by a member of the public, the Vale of York Clinical Commissioning

  • A significant party in Rowntree Park

    SORRY, but the note in the paper on Tuesday, July 22, about the Rowntree Park birthday party is not quite right. The note beneath the picture on page 11 says there has been a party in the park every year since it was given to the city 93 years ago, to

  • iPhone stolen in Foxwood

    BURGLARS broke into a house in St Stephen’s Road, Foxwood, at about 10.15pm on Wednesday, July 16, and stole an iPhone. A 27-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of burglary in a car in Askham Lane in connection with the incident.

  • Railway chaplain becomes York Carers Forum patron

    York’s railway chaplain the Rev Dr Stephen Sorby will join York Carers Forum (YCF) as their new patron on August 1. Dr Sorby, who is based at York Railway Station, is a family carer himself and will join the forum’s existing patrons June Nelsey

  • Invalid vehicle

    FOLLOWING your Yesterday Once More pictures in The Press of July 21, I believe the small vehicle in the corner of the car park may be a motorised invalid car, which were in use at the time. They were introduced following the war, as many returning

  • Christmas Market bookings soar

    TEMPERATURES may be soaring during a sizzling summer but thoughts are turning to colder climates as places fill up for the third annual Christmas Market. The event is set to be fully booked in record time this year, with more than three quarters

  • High price of ‘foreign’ wars

    FOREIGN news is what you step round while approaching something familiar. Sometimes such news is hard to grasp; sometimes it is too depressing for words. And sometimes ‘foreign news’ reaches up from the hard ground many thousands of feet below and

  • Two motorcyclists injured in crash near Tadcaster

    TWO motorcyclists were taken to hospital - one by air ambulance - after a crash near Tadcaster. North Yorkshire Police said the accident happened at about 10am yesterday in Wighill Lane, between Tadcaster and Wighill. A spokesman said one casualty

  • July 24

    100 years ago IN view of the scepticism displayed towards the ancient art of “water divining” it was interesting to hear of a successful experiment carried to a conclusion near Malton. The district around Marishes being badly watered, Mr E

  • York-born MP Frank Dobson to step down

    YORK born veteran MP Frank Dobson has announced he will retire from politics before the next election. Mr Dobson's father was a railwayman in the city, and he was educated at Dunnington County Church of England Primary School and the Archbishop

  • Battle for the future of Stonebow

    The future of York's Stonebow House will be debated on Saturday. MATT CLARK looks at the options FEW architectural styles divide opinion like Brutalism, the term coined by Swedish architect Hans Asplund to describe post war buildings where function

  • 70mph tailgater caused crash that put 3 people in hospital

    A DRIVER “tormented” another motorist with his aggressive high-speed tailgating and then crashed and put himself and two other people in hospital, York Crown Court heard. Ashley Douthwaite’s Honda Civic somersaulted three or four times before stopping

  • 'Inspirational' charity up for Community Pride award

    A CHARITY which helps people with mental health problems, and a nursery school for young children have both been praised for the service they give people in York. York Mind and Little Rascals Organic Nursery in Elvington have both been put forward

  • York firm building for the future with seventh generation

    WITH a name like J H Shouksmith and Sons the York-based building services engineers is obviously a family venture.However the business has gone beyond a father and son operation after appointing its seventh generation family members to managerial roles.Based

  • Helping councils keep an eye trouble hotspots

    A THIRSK-based firm specialising in wireless live video is helping local authorities tackle anti social behaviour. Vemotion has deployed its mobile CCTV recording technology after winning orders from both Wakefield Metropolitan District Council

  • Simon Williams

    SEVENTEEN years as a member of the Federation of Small Businesses has seen Simon Williams hold five senior positions within the organisation. In his currently role as North Yorkshire regional chairman, Mr Williams has been nominated as Business

  • Shepherd Group

    WITH its own cycling club, sustainable travel is more of a way of life than an initiative at York-based Shepherd Group. The famiy run firm based in Huntington, which is made up of three divisions including Portakabin, promotes sustainable travel

  • New occupant for Business Park

    YORK Business Park has secured a new five year lease from car repair firm Direct Finish. The deal on the 3,819 sq ft premises was completed by Leeds-based Holder & Co, which was formed in February this year. DTZ acted for the landlords

  • Free cycle of IVF offered to couples

    PEOPLE living in Scarborough and Ryedale will be eligible for a free cycle of IVF. As previously proposed, NHS Scarborough and Ryedale CCG Governing Body yesterday officially confirmed the reintroduction of In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) treatment

  • Cawood Park

    BEING named Caravan Park of the Year 2014 by Visit York has given Cawood Park a taste of award success. The business, which employs a team of 12 staff, has entered Tourism and Hospitality Business of the Year and Family Business of the Year in

  • Extra £15m to repair roads in North Yorkshire

    MILLIONS more pounds have been committed to road repairs in North Yorkshire. North Yorkshire County Council is to boost funding for essential road repairs by a further £15 million - bringing the total of new money committed to highways maintenance

  • Village’s unique floral tribute to Great War anniversary

    A VILLAGE in York is commemorating the centenary of the First World War in a colourful way. Mike Walker, who prepares the village for Poppleton in Bloom as part of Yorkshire in Bloom, has designed a special World War One flower bed to mark the

  • Claudia Lawrence: searches end at York pub

    POLICE have concluded their search of a York pub following a day of activity yesterday. The Acomb pub in Kingsway West is shut up this morning and a North Yorkshire Police spokesman said they will not be back there today. Yesterday a 46-year-old

  • Community wins funding for swimming pool

     A LOCAL swimming pool has been given a generous grant towards a new boiler. Stamford Bridge Community Swimming Pool had an ageing oil tank which desperately needed replacing, but volunteers at the pool are now celebrating after being awarded a

  • Council report opposes A64 service station plans

    AN AMBITIOUS scheme to put a new service station on an A64 roundabout east of the York looks set to be halted by councillors today. A planning application by Enita Europe to build a petrol filling station, restaurant and hotel at the Hopgrove roundabout

  • British Library to host First World War family roadshow

    DESCENDANTS of First World War soldiers are being invited to an Antiques Roadshow-style event at the British Library near Boston Spa next month. The World War One Family History Roadshow in the Library's newly-refurbished Reading Room will give

  • Picnic in the park at pioneering woodland near York

    MORE than 70 guests from across the county attended a special picnic at a pioneering community woodland near York. They saw how arable land at Escrick Park Estate is being turned into the 25-acre Three Hagges Jubilee Wood, the district’s largest

  • Community groups get fundraising extension

    COMMUNITY groups in York and North Yorkshire have been given more time to get their hands on their share of £25,000. Localgiving.com, an online fundraising platform for charities, is extending its North Yorkshire campaign, which has already raised

  • Son took father's car while on bail for drink driving

    A SON on bail for drink driving took his father’s car keys from his pocket and drove his car without insurance, York magistrates heard. Kathryn Reeves, prosecuting, said Dean Richard Edwards, 26, was drinking from a can of cider when he knocked

  • Drivers needed to help ferry GPs’ patients

    VOLUNTEERS are needed in Selby to help transport elderly and isolated people around the district. The Selby District Community Transport scheme is provided by Selby District AVS from the centre of the town, and arranges journeys for more than 70

  • Mobile signal boost project

    RURAL communities in North Yorkshire can apply to take part in a special technology project to boost mobile signal in their area. Vodafone UK has launched a national programme giving 100 rural communities the chance to bring Vodafone 3G to their

  • Teacher retires with This is Your Life red book treatment

    A TEACHER was given the 'This is Your Life' treatment when he retired after working for 32 years at a York primary school. Dave Reed, 59, was presented with a 'big red book' full of pictures and a commentary covering his childhood and through his

  • Barlby community will miss retiring postmistress

    A BARLBY councillor has praised a retiring area postmistress who has served her community for more than 30 years. Sue Hope is giving up the role of sub postmistress in the village at the end of this month, 31 years after she and her late husband

  • Event helps region's businesses to export

    THE first in a new series of mini-export networking events which aim to boost the region's overseas sales is being held next week. The event, on Wednesday 30, is being held at Deloittes in City Square, Leeds as part of the We Are International