BARMAID Vicky Flannery is celebrating after winning a new North of England pub 'pop idol' contest. Vicky, 20, beat seven other wannabe pop stars in the Carling-sponsored competition based on the smash-hit TV programme. Vicky - nominated for the Pubmaster
ONE of the York area's most historic private schools has closed because of dwindling numbers, the Evening Press has learned. Red House Preparatory School, in Moor Monkton, which was set to celebrate its centenary next year, said goodbye to its last pupil
A YOUNG man was left terrified after being hounded by two robbers who attacked him as he walked home in York. The muggers dragged their victim off the street and into allotments, and chased him as he tried to escape their clutches. It was only when the
YORK'S most famous festive face today gave his support to Jamie's Have A Heart Appeal. Theatre Royal pantomime dame Berwick Kaler described the appeal as "something that really could help change people's lives". He said: "I am very pleased to give my
York and District Indoor Bowls Club ladies team continued their good form of last year in the Vivienne Trophy with a 105-67 victory over Hartlepool. Three of York's rinks won and one of the rinks drew. Playing at Hartlepool, York's Betty Richardson, Cath
York City Baths Club collected five speeding tickets, eight gold medals, three silvers, one bronze and a fourth place, plus 22 personal best times, at the Christmas Cracker at Leeds International Pool. Rachel Stotten collected two gold medals in the 15
One of the north's most popular ten-kilometre road races, the Leeds Abbey Dash, attracted a near 2,500-strong entry. The cold conditions and the mainly flat route out to Kirkstall Abbey and back to Leeds Town Hall produced some fast times led by winner
YORK lecturer Gaye Ortiz met Pope John Paul II at a private audience in the Vatican. Gaye, who is head of cultural studies and senior lecturer in theology and religious studies at York St John College, was attending the world assembly of SIGNIS, the World
Scarborough chairman Malcolm Reynolds was today seeking a winding-up order against Boston United in the High Court in Leeds over the outstanding payments for Paul Ellender. Boston still owe £20,000 for the player who left Boro in August. Said Reynolds
A TEENAGER whose name has literally been dragged through the mud over an act of vandalism, wants to clear himself of any involvement. Tim Brown, 15, from Skelton, near York, found himself framed for criminal damage to a local golf course, when the words
YORK City Reserves might have failed to tame the Shrews last night, but the club are taking the positives from a spirited display. With virtually a full youth team out, City were always going to have to battle and in the end perhaps deserved more than
York RSPCA animal care assistant Marie Sandall, with Willy the doberman, who is looking for a new home this Christmas. The eight-year-old dog is appealing for animal lovers to help him and his friends who have been rescued by the RSPCA and are staying
URGENT bridge repairs to protect against a repeat of the Great Heck rail disaster are set to go ahead in the New Year. North Yorkshire County Council says that of the 33 road-over-rail bridges in the county, nearly a third have been identified as needing
STRIKE action at a troubled rail company is a foregone conclusion, it has been claimed today. Sources in a leading rail union have confirmed that conductors at Arriva Trains Northern will almost certainly walk out in protest at pay and conditions. The
Fathers and sons traditionally are the competitive ones in the family, but not in the Kraemer household. Dad Rick now has to watch out for his daughter Jo. Not only is she about to follow in his footsteps into motor racing, but also will race against
HOUSEHOLDERS in York were warned today to beware Christmas tree lights which could give them an electric shock. City of York Council's trading standards officers have suspended the supply of any further sets of 100 "Classic Christmas Fairy Lights" to
AS parents of four children, three of whom have a collection of 96 trophies won in snooker competitions, I must congratulate both York Barbican Centre and World Snooker in general. Our children had a fantastic time. Kevin, 13, Steven, 12, and Lee spent
ALONG others in the area I have tried to get a reaction to complaints about a most unpleasant smell from the drains at the bottom of Aldwark. Once upon a time there was a Medical Officer of Health to contact, then we had Public Health officers but now
I REFER to Chris Titley's article 'Ancient learning' (December 10) about the work of Alcuin, that great scholar of the eighth century. It was most timely when so much attention is now being paid to the future of education in this country. As in so many
IT was interesting to read that First York has buses which can lower themselves at kerbs. The company's commercial manager is reported to be "pleased when these new buses hit the road". Won't this damage buses and roads? Harry Hayes, Chatsworth Drive,
NOW that the French ban on British beef imports has been ruled illegal by the European Court of Justice, there is a call for compensation. MEP Robert Goodwill, who farms at Terrington, says: "The French have been acting illegally for over two years and
THE recently-appointed chairman of the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group in North Yorkshire, Pauline Nicholson, is out to persuade farmers of the benefits of looking to changing their outlook. Mrs Nicholson - the first woman to hold the post - said:
NORTH Yorkshire farmers, who are still recovering from the foot and mouth crisis, were given a morale boost - and a string of new ideas - from Prince Charles, who visited them on Monday. The Prince of Wales met a small group of farmers and rural business
HUNDREDS of farmers and their families enjoyed a free Christmas party on December 15 at Laycock's Animal Health in Showfield Lane, Malton. The firm organised the event to give a lift to the farming community after the very tough year they have been weathering
THE Young Farmers held their ploughing match on December 9, on land west of Kirkbymoorside on the A170 by kind permission of Mrs J Bargh. Fifty-three competitors took part. The judges for the vintage classes were Mr W Duck and Mr B Lunn, and for the reversible
TESTING programmes for BSE and scrapie are being extended. All fallen stock and casualty cattle aged 24-30 months will now be tested for BSE in addition to over-30-month cattle (which have been tested since July). In addition, a sample of 3,00 fallen
HEAVY traffic was expected around York's Foss Islands Road this evening (Thursday) after a gas leak led to a major road being sealed off. The busy Layerthorpe Road was closed to traffic after a burst pipe was discovered on wasteland next to the Frog Hall
FOR your average supporter there has never been more to talk about in football at the moment, with Newcastle United's victory on Tuesday night at Arsenal showing how wide open the Premiership is this season. We talk about our own form at York City being
THE long-term consequences of the Selby train crash are now becoming clear. After Gary Hart was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving last week, relatives of the people who lost their lives began a campaign to make driving while tired as
WHO would have thought it? John Greenway, Tory MP for Ryedale, serious-minded scourge of the Government, is also one of the glitterati, bopping the night away with the rock'n'rollers at the Brit Awards. What's more, he fitted in nicely, unlike Deputy
THE Students won the battle of the University when they beat the Staff 8-1 in ladies division one of the York Badminton League. Ros Ellis and Sue Cooper starred for the Students with three wins for 102-52, while Sally Locker and Lynn Terry picked up the
LANDLORDS at city centre pubs are preparing for potential trouble from football thugs when York City play host to Hull City on Boxing Day. More than 3,500 Hull supporters are set to descend on the city for the match on the afternoon of December 26. Pubs
YORK'S amateur rugby league clubs put their feet up for a deserved festive break, starting this weekend. The big two, Heworth and York Acorn, have both enjoyed success in the first half of the season, with the Villagers through to meet a professional
CHILDREN from a York dance school have successfully auditioned for the Yorkshire Youth Dance Theatre. Jennifer Smith, 16, Georgia Haystead, 13, Louise Feather, 13, Nicola Hannam, 13, Hannah Fitzpatrick, 13, and Jessica Fitzpatrick, ten, all from Lets
THE seasonal home life of York's first citizen was being glimpsed for the first time today as the city's historic Mansion House was opened to the public. The Lord Mayor of York, Coun Irene Waudby, and the civic party were welcoming visitors to the building
York defeated Lancaster in the annual Battle of the Roses chess clash. The twice-postponed match, played over 11 boards, yielded a 7-4 York success. There were wins from Jon Griffith, Richard Palliser, Richard Hardy, Neville Pearce and Paul Brookes and
FESTIVE fundraiser Rocking Rudolph is gearing up for his final outings of the year. The colourful reindeer helps raise vital funds for the Minster Lions, which then distributes the money among good causes in and around York. More than £3,400 has been
DEMAND for low-cost homes is rapidly outstripping supply, according to a task force set up by the York-based Joseph Rowntree Foundation. A report published today, Swamps And Alligators: The Future For Low-Cost Home Ownership, said subsidised schemes that
York Wasps have rubbished rumours that former player of the year Fata Sini has re-signed for the club. The Samoan, the Evening Press player of the season in 1999, was at Doncaster last term with Wasps' new duo Peter Edwards and Carl Hall. There was speculation
LEEDS United fans have made it crystal clear that they want transfer-listed Lee Bowyer to stay. They constantly chanted his name during United's 3-2 home win over Everton last night. Some supporters unfurled a banner reading: "If you lose Lee Bowyer,
A HUGE council tax increase looks inevitable in North Yorkshire after county councillors sealed a provisional agreement. But political leaders promised to launch their biggest public consultation to discover where residents wanted their limited funds
YORK'S most famous festive face today gave his support to Jamie's Have A Heart Appeal. Theatre Royal pantomime dame Berwick Kaler described the appeal as "something that really could help change people's lives". He said: "I am very pleased to give my
A SECOND World War plane has taken pride of place at Yorkshire Air Museum. The Douglas C47 Dakota is only the second aircraft of its kind on view in the North of England and is expected to attract the crowds to the Elvington-based museum. The Dakota was
THE body found in a suitcase near York was that of an Oriental woman in her late 20s, it was revealed today. Those are the conclusions of consultant forensic anthropologist Dr Sue Black, who has been brought in to assist North Yorkshire police in their
STEPHEN LEWIS reports on how to avoid euro chaos if you're travelling to Europe over the New Year HOLIDAYMAKERS planning a New Year getaway to Europe are being urged to buy euro travellers cheques early - and to lay in a supply of francs, pesetas or lire
Christmas Day is almost upon us and hopefully all the presents are bought and wrapped. However, when the big day arrives, what can you do if your presents aren't perfect or you don't like that jumper your aunty bought you? Here are six tips from City
FOLLOWING my outbursts in the last two Gazette & Herald issues, Tom sent me this latest edict from our beloved Department of Extremely Foolish & Ridiculous Activities (DEFRA). "Due to the 20 day restrictions on livestock movements and a shortage
Want to see a horse with class by the bucketful? Then switch on to BBC2 tomorrow afternoon and watch Baracouda in the feature race at Ascot. The French raider, trained by the peerless Francois Doumen, goes for the £55,000 Cantor Sport Long Distance Hurdle
IT'S not every Sunday you see an angel sitting next to Faery Pan, both heartily tucking into a plate of tapas. I had been drawn towards the loud music in Little Stonegate and it was here that I spotted these two well costumed figures. It should have come
LANDOWNERS and farmers in Yorkshire have been asked to look at creating "toll" schemes to improve horse riding opportunities in the countryside - and boost their income stream in the aftermath of the foot and mouth outbreak. The Country Land and Business
THE man who can fix these things considers ordering matters differently this year. Man isn't really the word for him, because being a deity - the ultimate deity, so long as you ignore all the others - lifts him a few thousand feet above the mortal. And
