Archive

  • Yule be amazed by Christmas in the city

    THE Ghost Of Christmas Past visited York's Shambles and helped the city's tourism chief, Gillian Cruddas, launch the seasonal festivities. The pair met to kick-off the York Yuletide celebrations which, they claim, will be the best yet. Festivities will

  • York's winter wonderland

    YORK Minster will change colour when the city's festive season is launched next week. For the first time in the ancient building's history, and for one night only, Thursday, November 28, it will be covered in multi-coloured light as the switch is thrown

  • Nailgun horror

    A man was taken to York District Hospital today after nailing his hand to a wooden board in an horrific accident. A spokeswoman for the ambulance service said three large nails were driven into his right hand by a nail gun while he carried out woodwork

  • York pair plan Kilimanjaro expedition to aid charity

    A YORK couple who overcame the hurdle of cancer are now tackling another challenge in aid of a cerebral palsy charity. Hilary Minford, 41, has been clear of cancer for four years after undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy for Hodgkins disease, or

  • What's this, for Pete's sake?

    THE secret is out! But Pete Waterman looked as though he wished the recipe for the famous British Rail sandwich had never been revealed. The hit music-maker was at York's National Railway Museum (NRM) to launch the new exhibition British Rail - A Moving

  • Jingle bells at tills

    A new survey reveals that dads are doing without at Christmas even though we're all spending more. STEPHEN LEWIS reports WE ARE in the middle of a terrorist alert, the firefighters are set to go on strike again, and there is gloomy talk of a recession

  • Learning consumer rights with help of CEDRIC

    An exciting new website has been launched aimed at teaching younger members of the community about their consumer rights and responsibilities. The website, set up and run by Cambridgeshire County Council trading standards, is the first of its kind in

  • Rick's Red Devil dream

    Former York City favourite Rick Sbragia has joined Premiership titans Manchester United as their new reserve team coach. Sbragia, who spent five years as a player with the Minstermen before heading up youth development at Bootham Crescent in 1987 until

  • McCarthy exit tops hat-trick blow

    YORK City boss Terry Dolan has been hit by a massive triple blow ahead of Saturday's Division Three clash at Rochdale, writes Dave Stanford. The Evening Press can reveal winger Jon McCarthy is currently in talks with Division Three rivals Carlisle United

  • Clubs have cap in hand

    THE thorny issue of wage-capping in football was set to be discussed in earnest for the first time today by the game's top brass. The outcome of the discussions could have far-reaching ramifications for all clubs, but particularly at cash-strapped outfits

  • French star hurdler gets back into action - 21/11/02

    There's a treat in store for jumping fans at Ascot tomorrow when the French-trained brilliant hurdler Baracouda returns to action. This prolific winner makes his seasonal debut in the £30,000 PricewaterhouseCoopers Ascot Hurdle, as he did last year when

  • Shaggy, Lucky Day (MCA) ****

    THE self-proclaimed bombastic Mr Fantastic's back - and modest as ever. "They don't call me Mr Lover because I like ice-cream," he croons on the album's title track. "I am Mr Lover because I fulfil dreams." Yes, er, thanks for that, Shaggy. You wouldn't

  • Frankly, he's talking sense

    FRANK Dobson, that doughty son of York, is doing the city proud right now. The owner of the most famous beard in the Labour Party has started speaking a lot of sense through that greying scrub of facial hair. The former Health Secretary was bundled out

  • College update project

    HAWKHILLS Emergency Planning College, near Easingwold, could receive a long-awaited facelift if plans to build new accommodation blocks are approved. Plans for new accommodation blocks and a number of small lecture theatres have been submitted by the

  • Appeal restarts for pool

    A CAMPAIGN to build a swimming pool for Easingwold is to be re-launched four years after being shelved. The campaign, abandoned after it failed to gain approval from Hambleton District Council, has been revived, with nearly 2,000 residents saying "Yes

  • Pop penpals make Selby website a hit

    A WEBSITE for pop music fans masterminded by a Selby woman has been nominated for a top national award. Robbie Williams-mad Judith Harris, 30 of Sandway Avenue, Thorpe Willoughby, launched the website, www.popmusicpenpals.co.uk, in January 2001. Since

  • Parish system 'is close to collapse'

    THE Archbishop of York will warn tonight that the Church of England's parish system is close to collapse. Dr David Hope will tell a national radio audience that vicars cannot be expected to take on more and more parishes. "Will a vicar, who's already

  • Flood victims to get rebate on tax

    FLOOD victims in North Yorkshire who are left unable to live in their homes will save money on their council tax bills, the Government has announced. Housing Minister Nick Raynsford said he was awarding councils across North Yorkshire discretionary powers

  • Going underground to look at medieval York

    THOUSANDS of fascinating medieval objects excavated from sites across York are the subject of a new book launched by the city's archaeological trust. The book, titled Craft, Industry and Everyday Life: Finds From Medieval York, is the latest in York Archaeological

  • Club night will be a gas

    Laughing Gas Comedy promotes its second show at Oak House, Pocklington, tonight. North Eastern comedy promoter and master of ceremonies Neil Magee launched the monthly Pocklington comedy night last month when Comedy Store regular Anvil Springstien took

  • Players' animal magic

    THE Easingwold Players' autumn production of Wind In The Willows has drawn on the talents of the local high school. Adapted for the stage by Yorkshire writer Alan Bennett, Wind In The Willows will be performed by 30 musicians, dancers, young actors and

  • Heworth aim to wipe their Brow opponents

    THE biggest game of the National Conference League division two season comes to York on Saturday when Heworth entertain Wath Brow Hornets. The Villagers, second in the table, are the only team to have beaten the Cumbrian big-guns in the league this season

  • Girl badly hurt

    A TEENAGE girl suffered serious neck and head injuries following a collision with a blue Ford Fiesta after stepping off a bus with four other students. Police said the 17-year-old, from Ripon, was taken to Leeds General Infirmary following the incident

  • City cameras to keep watch round the clock

    YORK'S eye-in-the-sky CCTV system is set to go round the clock after senior city councillors voted in favour of live 24-hour monitoring. At the moment, the system is watched between 9am and 9pm, with recordings made on some cameras outside those hours

  • Fine run goes on

    YORK RUFC Under-11s maintained their unbeaten record as they cruised through the opening group stage of the Yorkshire Cup at Harrogate. York opened up with a 7-7 draw against the hosts, having led 7-0 for a long spell through a converted penalty try.

  • Strike union protests at staff 'treatment'

    UNION bosses are threatening Arriva Trains Northern (ATN) with legal action over the way they have allegedly treated striking staff. Stan Herschel, York organiser at the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) has warned ATN that the union is taking

  • Suicide verdicts on two men in thirties

    A DEPRESSED York man took his own life after being diagnosed with a chronic bowel illness, an inquest heard. York Coroner's Court was told how Mark Edward Thurbin, who was 30, and of Broad Oak Lane, Wigginton, sank into a depression after being diagnosed

  • Extra tickets up for grabs

    DEMAND for UK Snooker Championship tickets in York next month is so big that an extra 1,200 are going on sale from tomorrow morning. They are for the semi-finals and the final at the Barbican Centre, with 200 up for grabs for each of the four sessions

  • Caf for bikers bids to open all hours

    A MECCA for thousands of Yorkshire motorcyclists is to spend about £100,000 so that bikers can camp overnight. The new scheme planned for Squire's Milk Bar at Newthorpe, near Sherburn-in-Elmet, also includes doubling parking space so it can accommodate

  • Stormy protest at North York Moors base

    PROTESTERS braved torrential rain to stage a day-long demonstration outside a North Yorkshire defence base. About 50 people gathered at the entrance to RAF Fylingdales on the North York Moors as U.S. missile defence chief, Lt General Ronald Kadish, paid

  • Warrior Warters weaves way in

    BOXER Jamie Warters is banking on some world-class backing to ensure his ring return ends in victory tonight. The Jorvik Warrior will end almost two years of inactivity when he takes on the vastly experienced Tony Booth in Hull. It promises to be a stiff

  • McCarthy exit tops hat-trick blow

    YORK City boss Terry Dolan has been hit by a massive triple blow ahead of Saturday's Division Three clash at Rochdale, writes Dave Stanford. The Evening Press can reveal winger Jon McCarthy is currently in talks with Division Three rivals Carlisle United

  • Council leader will get £20k assistant

    YORK'S council leader David Merrett WILL get a personal assistant after all - and the move was approved on his own casting vote. Councillor Merrett (Lab) shelved the plans a month ago after Liberal Democrat leader Steve Galloway pulled out of an arrangement

  • Clubs have cap in hand

    THE thorny issue of wage-capping in football was set to be discussed in earnest for the first time today by the game's top brass. The outcome of the discussions could have far-reaching ramifications for all clubs, but particularly at cash-strapped outfits

  • Yule be amazed by Christmas in the city

    THE Ghost Of Christmas Past visited York's Shambles and helped the city's tourism chief, Gillian Cruddas, launch the seasonal festivities. The pair met to kick-off the York Yuletide celebrations which, they claim, will be the best yet. Festivities will

  • Eliza Carthy, Anglicana (Topic Records) ****

    AFTER the nouvelle cuisine of her flashy but insubstantial major label debut Angels And Cigarettes, folk punk sprite Eliza Carthy has gone back to English basics on her return to Topic. She may have re-located to Edinburgh from the Waterson:Carthy family

  • Nickel Creek, This Side (Sugar Hill Records) ***

    AMERICAN acoustic trio Nickel Creek are young, talented and hot - their latest album, This Side, debuted at number two in the Country Album charts. Multi-instrumentalist Chris Thile and siblings Sean (guitar) and Sara Watkins (fiddle) spice up their bluegrass

  • Rats on the run

    AS the Prime Minister is now aware, Operation Ratcatcher is two-thirds of the way to being a tremendous success. As we reported yesterday, the anti-crime campaign backed by the Evening Press has led to a flood of tip-offs from residents. Police have already

  • Shop Santa a tall order

    FLORIST Sue Dodsworth has put a little something extra into her Christmas flower display - a life-sized Santa Claus. The jolly 6ft 2in character is catching the eye of shoppers in Front Street, Acomb, with its distinct range of dance moves. Sue, 46, who

  • Tell us a Christmas story, Santa

    SANTA is coming to York early this year - and inviting all his younger friends to join him so they can enjoy a story together. The event, for those aged six and under, is at the Friends' Meeting House, Friargate, on Saturday, December 7. Children are

  • Bonfire safety call after York man dies from burns

    YORK coroner Donald Coverdale has warned of the dangers of lighting bonfires with petrol after an inquest heard how a York man died when his garden fire went horrifically wrong. Mr Coverdale was speaking at the inquest of 43-year-old Acomb man John Barry

  • PM told of York crime success

    PRIME Minister Tony Blair has been told about the early success of the winter crime crackdown, Operation Ratcatcher. York MP Hugh Bayley praised the initiative during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons. Mr Bayley told the PM that the campaign

  • Staffing 'solution' angers York bus drivers

    BUS drivers shipped in from across Yorkshire to help First manage its York staffing crisis are being paid £25 a day in travel expenses, the Evening Press has learned. The payments mean that drivers who travel into the city to run routes six days a week

  • Social clubs under attack

    SOCIAL clubs across York are being targeted by property developers as they struggle to survive in the 21st century. One club steward said construction firms were "circling like sharks" in the quest to build more houses, and another club revealed it had

  • Decision 'may help save City ground'

    YORK City supporters fighting redevelopment plans for Bootham Crescent have been buoyed after council chiefs threw out a plan to strip a community of its local hall. Campaigners are now looking to see if Bootham Crescent can be identified as a community

  • Knights capture former GB player

    YORK City Knights have pulled off another major coup with the signing of former Great Britain tourist Graeme Hallas. The 31-year-old will combine playing duties at Huntington Stadium with a coaching role, working under head player-coach Paul Broadbent

  • Bar Est, Blossom Street - Reviewed 12/10/02

    BAR EST looks like it was built straight out of an IKEA catalogue, but appearances can often be deceptive. And so it proved when I ventured into Premier Lodge's trendy lunch eaterie. At first the vision of garish colours and a room full of MDF was hardly

  • From shin-pad to pen and pad

    York City defender Tom Cowan is presently studying to be a journalist as a career for when he eventually retires from the professional game. Here he gives an insight into life as a player... FIVE years ago I spent a year on the sidelines after rupturing

  • Stormy protest at North York Moors base

    PROTESTERS braved torrential rain to stage a day-long demonstration outside a North Yorkshire defence base. About 50 people gathered at the entrance to RAF Fylingdales on the North York Moors as U.S. missile defence chief, Lt General Ronald Kadish, paid

  • Groove Armada, Lovebox (Pepper Records) *****

    PREPARE to be thrilled and chilled in equal measure. Lovebox is a timely return to form for Groove Armada, who were simply to cool for their own good on the hip-hop inspired last album, Goodbye Country, Hello Nightclub. Reverting back to a winning formula

  • We can find land for affordable homes

    NO land for some affordable homes? Of course there is and it could be at the right price. As a local businessman in York for more than 40 years, I am aware as well as everyone that everything is negotiable. If the powers-that-be spent more of their resources

  • Plight of Ethiopia

    TWO failed rainy seasons have left Ethiopia on the brink of a humanitarian disaster which could see up to 14 million people in desperate need of food. Drought is the main cause of the crisis, but rain is not the only answer. The solutions lie in Washington

  • Robbie Williams, Escapology (Chrysalis/EMI) ***

    NEWS that Robbie Williams had signed the biggest recording contract in British history - £80m for EMI to get his autograph - was met with some head-shaking round these parts about the heads-in-the-sand stupidity of record labels. The same marketing geniuses

  • Asda made my day

    I HAD the privilege of opening the expanded Asda store by cutting the ribbon for them - I was chosen as being a local hero! A competition was printed in the press and people had to write to Asda telling them why they wanted to be chosen. I was treated

  • Listen to our pleas

    As a member of the Tadcaster Chamber of Trade, the lorry ban mentioned in the Evening Press ("Tadcaster truck ban row flares up again", November 14) will not affect my business directly, but the comments made by Coun Roy Wilson, that we will only lose

  • Pay them their dues

    WHY didn't you print the picture of the firefighter's funeral on the same page as the men who are going to strike? Because that is what they face every time they go out "on a shout". My son has been a fireman for 24 years yet earns £4,000 to £5,000 less

  • Fare do's and dont's

    IN a car park one buys a ticket from a machine. To stop traffic jams caused by buses at bus stops why not have ticket machines at bus stops with an automatic punch machine on the bus? The driver would not have to collect fares. This would reduce the time

  • Recycling brings comfort to horses

    NORTH YORKSHIRE racehorses now have some of the most comfortable beds in the country - thanks to Hambleton residents. Over the last six months more than 550 tonnes of waste paper has been collected throughout the district, much of it being recycled as

  • York's clubs in battle to survive

    IT has been a terrible year for York's once-thriving social club scene. Hundreds of sports people will have to find an alternative site for their leisure time when the Civil Service Sports Club, in Boroughbridge Road, closes next year. The worrying thing

  • Artist John is back at the easel

    A SELBY man is exhibiting some of his abstract work in a York book shop after catching the painting bug again. John Scott, 57, of Abbots Road, Selby, has 19 acrylic oil paintings on display at Blakes Book Shop, in Micklegate, York. Mr Scott - whose wife

  • Village players ready for drama

    THE Wombleton Players will be treading the boards of their new home with the appropriately festive play - Murder Under The Mistletoe. Part pantomime, part whodunit, the interactive show set in the Santa's Grotto in a department store will be performed

  • Tell us a Christmas story, Santa

    SANTA is coming to York early this year - and inviting all his younger friends to join him so they can enjoy a story together. The event, for those aged six and under, is at the Friends' Meeting House, Friargate, on Saturday, December 7. Children are

  • Mums on the Run raise £700

    TWO Selby mothers have raised more than £700 for charity after completing the Great North Run. Gail Pearson, of White Street, and Phyllis Wright, of Wistow Road, handed over cheques for £371 to Selby Diabetic Society and Sherburn-in-Elmet's Peter Pan

  • Still time to boost the coffers

    THIS year's Children In Need appeal has so far raised more than £13.5m...and counting. The final sum might fall short of last year's record-breaking £25m, but it will still be massive. Evening Press readers can help the national drive to keep things moving

  • Independence day for city's elderly people

    A SCHEME to help York's elderly people stay in their own homes has been unveiled by City of York Council. Adaptations to city flats could mean residents with care needs could continue living independently instead of having to move into residential homes

  • Security firm's anger at police 'snub' to course

    THE boss of a North Yorkshire-based security firm claims his private training course for pub and club door-staff is being snubbed by the police. Graham Watson, managing director of Harrogate-based Stag Security Services Ltd, has complained that people

  • Coroner 'charged huge fees to clients'

    A NORTH Yorkshire coroner charged "grossly extortionate" fees when dealing with the estates of ten people from North Yorkshire and County Durham, a jury heard today. Opening the prosecution against Jeremy David Cave, Andrew Wheeler alleged that the 53

  • Instrumental invention

    MUSICIANS give back your guitars and put down your piano lids - electronic engineers at the University of York have created a sound of the future. Members of the Musical Engineering Group have invented an instrument for the 21st century, which they have

  • Shop Santa a tall order

    FLORIST Sue Dodsworth has put a little something extra into her Christmas flower display - a life-sized Santa Claus. The jolly 6ft 2in character is catching the eye of shoppers in Front Street, Acomb, with its distinct range of dance moves. Sue, 46, who

  • Inquiry is called into York seats shake-up

    WIDESPREAD protests against plans to divide York and wipe out the Vale of York parliamentary seat have forced the Electoral Boundary Commission to call a public inquiry. The Commission has announced that objections to the plans had triggered a legal mechanism

  • York take Metro to victory

    YORK kept up their challenge for the Top Ten finals with an excellent 103-51 win against Metrodome picking up the maximum 15 points. At home, David Stroughair, Phil Emmerson, Dudley Williams and Philip Scott won 11 of the last 14 ends in the fours to

  • Duo fire Knaves of ace starts

    Lisa Metcalfe and Chiara Secchi starred for Knavesmire Ladies as their team beat St John's 6-3 in division two of the York Badminton League. Metcalfe and Secchi scored three wins for a return of 90-33, including an 11 and six over Rhia Williams and Lucy

  • Golden haul of medals

    HARROGATE'S national karate champion Matthew Price, 4th Dan, has brought his karate club back from the North of England Championships with five golds, three silvers and seven bronze medals. The annual championship, held at Barnsley Metrodome, is the toughest

  • Net gains

    New Earswick All Blacks ARLFC have secured a sponsorship and adoption link with London-based rugby league on-line retailer "Forty-twenty.co.uk". The company is a new internet-based rugby league kit, equipment and leisurewear company and have have sponsored

  • Rock hero who beat the blues

    CHARLES HUTCHINSON finds out how Bob Geldof, former Boomtown Rat and Ethiopia famine-aid star, regained his drive to do what he does best... make music BOB Geldof must be weary of talking about Paula's death and the starving millions in Ethiopia. So weary

  • Panto dame urged to honour Queen

    THE King of York panto is being urged to honour the Queen after each of his seasonal performances. Theatre Royal stalwart Berwick Kaler, the star and writer of the venue's festive highlight, has been asked to end each show with the National Anthem. The

  • Knights capture former GB player

    YORK City Knights have pulled off another major coup with the signing of former Great Britain tourist Graeme Hallas. The 31-year-old will combine playing duties at Huntington Stadium with a coaching role, working under head player-coach Paul Broadbent

  • Police plan could cost taxpayers

    COUNCIL tax payers in North Yorkshire could be set to bear the brunt of Home Secretary David Blunkett's newly-announced priorities for the county's police force. Jane Kenyon, chairman of North Yorkshire Police Authority, warned today that, unless Mr Blunkett's

  • Rick's Red Devil dream

    Former York City favourite Rick Sbragia has joined Premiership titans Manchester United as their new reserve team coach. Sbragia, who spent five years as a player with the Minstermen before heading up youth development at Bootham Crescent in 1987 until

  • Verging on controversy

    VILLAGERS who could be forced to pay to drive into their own homes have met to plan their next move. About 50 homeowners in Main Street, Sutton-on-the-Forest, held a meeting last night after they learned they may be charged to cross grass verges outside

  • Decision 'may help save City ground'

    YORK City supporters fighting redevelopment plans for Bootham Crescent have been buoyed after council chiefs threw out a plan to strip a community of its local hall. Campaigners are now looking to see if Bootham Crescent can be identified as a community

  • Christine Collister, Into The Light (Topic ) * * * *

    CHRISTINE Collister has one of the greatest, sweetest voices, yet she remains a minority interest. True, she can fill the Royal Albert Hall, so someone must be taking notice. It's just that for such a fine singer, Collister isn't known as she should be

  • Fight off the land 'sharks'

    THE social club scene in York and North Yorkshire is undergoing an upheaval. That much is clear from our survey tonight. Some positive stories have emerged. Certain clubs are defying the trend and recruiting new members. But other clubs face a twin threat

  • Pearl Jam, Riot Act (Epic) *****

    PEARL James are a Nineties' Seattle grunge act, somewhere towards the lighter end. This new album has echoes of that style, alongside quieter, more melodic moments as the band has matured, balanced by some of the energy of the newer alt rock. This is

  • Los Lobos, Good Morning Aztlan (Mammoth) ****

    THE veteran Mexican-Americans return to roots-rock after the experimentation of the Nineties. While the content may not surprise, this band has gone back to what it knows best. The title track, which refers to the mysterious birthplace of the Aztecs,