Evening News - Scotland back issues from December 2008:
Quick News: Chambers' Aids ribbon
Dec 01, 2008 ... A GIANT ribbon was set to be projected on to the north side ofthe City Chambers tonight to mark World Aids Day. Organisers hope the symbol will be visible as far away ...
'Stop-gap' DJ marks 30 years
Dec 01, 2008 ... A DJ who was scheduled to be a "stop-gap" employment solution forthree weeks is now celebrating 30 years at the same radio station. Dick Barrie, 66, has worked on Forth 2 since 1978 - even thoughsomeone more experienced was meant to fill his shoes after he hadbeen in the job for ...
Bankruptcies on the rise as crunch bites
Dec 01, 2008; ... MORE than 1000 businesses have collapsed in the last year andexperts predict more will follow due to poor Christmas trading. Business research company Experian has recorded a 17 percentincrease - totalling 1087 companies - in the number of non-foodretailers going to the wall in ...
Chancellor to address Chamber
Dec 01, 2008 ... CHANCELLOR Alistair Darling MP is expected to discuss his pre-Budget report when he gives a keynote speech to the EdinburghChamber of Commerce on Thursday. The MP for Edinburgh South West will be the guest speaker at aChamber of Commerce dinner and is expected to discuss the ...
Outlet bucks credit crisis trend
Dec 01, 2008 ... THE Livingston Designer Outlet has reported a healthy increase insales, despite national concerns about a consumer slowdown. The Office of National Statistics reported that non-food retailsales fell by 1.1 per cent between August and October, but theDesigner Outlet saw sales rise ...
Good VIBES for Lothian firms
Dec 01, 2008 ... A NUMBER of local companies have been nominated for awardsrecognising their environmental credentials. The 2008 Vision in Business for the Environment of Scotland(VIBES) Awards are being held in the Sheraton Grand Hotel inEdinburgh ...
AAM enjoys rise in profit
Dec 01, 2008 ... INVESTMENT firm Aberdeen Asset Management has recorded a rise inprofits, despite "unprecedented market difficulty". The company, which has an office at 40 Princes Street, saw pre-tax profits before exceptional items rise to GBP 95.1 million in theyear to the end ...
Thieves target harbour cars
Dec 01, 2008 ... THIEVES are targeting cars in the Western Harbour area of thecity, prompting a security campaign by police in the neighbourhood. Officers described the area as a "hot spot", with six of 17thefts from vehicles in the Newhaven area last month happening atthe location. They are now ...
Music Review: Jarvis Cocker: Cocker does his research ahead of this 'new form' of gig
Dec 01, 2008; ... Jarvis Cocker *** The Picture House TWO reasons to like Jarvis Cocker: 1. He wiggled his bum in theface of Michael Jackson's egomania at the Brit Awards in 1996, and2. Actually, one is enough. But there are many more reasons to like the stick-thin,bespectacled former Pulp ...
Concerns as long-serving city pub calls its last orders
Dec 01, 2008; ... A LONG-ESTABLISHED Edinburgh pub has suddenly closed its doors,leaving neighbours and customers baffled. The Festival Tavern, on Morrison Street, shut earlier this month,with owners Punch Taverns refusing to explain the reason. The operator instead said it was committed to ...
Leader: Hogmanay
Dec 01, 2008; ... DESPITE both the council and organisers of Edinburgh's Hogmanaycelebrations putting a brave face on it, there must be considerableconcern at the level of ticket sales for this year's event. A handful of headline acts for the traditional concert in PrincesStreet Gardens have been ...
Holyrood hit by parking bill
Dec 01, 2008 ... SCOTTISH Parliament bosses have been left with a bill of morethan GBP 800 because of scrapes and scratches to staff cars in theparliament's underground car park. The bill for re-spraying damaged cars was revealed in a new listof "losses and special payments" for the last year ....
New star to be born to Battle of Bands finalist
Dec 01, 2008 ... A SINGER and songwriter will miss out on a long-awaitedopportunity to play at the Picture House - because his baby is dueto be born that day. Alex Cornish said he was "gutted" he had to pull out ofSaturday's gig, after he reached the finals of the Evening NewsBattle of the Bands ...
Victory for allotment holders as they avoid losing the plot
Dec 01, 2008; ... DIG for Victory allotments, created to feed the Capital duringthe Second World War, have been saved under revised plans to createa new waterfront park. The council has approved plans to turn a large part of Leith'sindustrial heartland into a green corridor stretching from ...
Shop hunts for Potter wizard
Dec 01, 2008 ... A BOOKSHOP is seeking the ultimate Harry Potter fan with thelaunch of the eagerly awaited Tales of Beedle the Bard. Borders at Fort Kinnaird will be opening late on Wednesday night,with a quiz on the boy wizard from 9pm. Fans will then have thechance to buy the first copies of the ...
Rosita blossoming at Botanics
Dec 01, 2008 ... BLIND artist Rosita McKenzie is displaying her latest work at theRoyal Botanic Garden. Her colour images are accompanied by "raised images" drawn by theartist Camilla Adams, which can be appreciated by blind people viathe sense of touch. The display, Two Voices III, is ...
Zoo's new chimp enclosure is champ
Dec 01, 2008 ... A NEW chimpanzee enclosure at Edinburgh Zoo has scooped twoprestigious awards. The state-of-the-art Budongo Trail, which opened this year, wasnamed Best New Zoo Enclosure and Best Education Project. It was honoured by the British and Irish Association of Zoos andAquaria, ...
MSP speaks up for bus route
Dec 01, 2008 ... CAMPAIGNERS want the city council and Lothian Buses to secure thelong-term future of the only service linking Ratho with the city. The Ingliston to Ratho part of the X48's route is only secure forthe rest of the ...
Cyclist raises GBP 10,000 with 218-mile trip
Dec 01, 2008 ... A CHARITY worker has raised GBP 10,000 by cycling 218 miles fromEdinburgh to Liverpool. Stewart Campbell, 37, from Musselburgh, who works for the autismcharity Number 6, took on the challenge with his friend KennethKnowles. The pair completed their ride last week, raising ...
Around Town
Dec 01, 2008 ... Castle rocks to the sound of swing Santas MUSICIANS, comics and Father Christmases will be entertainingfamilies in free events at Edinburgh Castle. Christmas at the Castle, next Sunday afternoon, features magicshows and The Swingin' Santas group. And on Sunday, ...
Police take dim view of lecturer after row over bicycle's lights
Dec 01, 2008; ... A UNIVERSITY lecturer spent three hours locked in a police cellafter being stopped for cycling without proper bike lights. Nicholas Cimini was approached by police as he made the shortjourney from his flat in Dalry to Brougham Place. Officers told the 30-year-old they had ...
Quick News: Fancy an Indian dance?
Dec 01, 2008 ... THE South Asian Arts Collective, formerly the Indian Music &Dance Collective, meets at Tollcross Community School on ...
Quick News: Festival a matter of fact
Dec 01, 2008 ... A FESTIVAL of documentaries at the Filmhouse aims to show thattruth can be stranger than fiction. The ...
Homeless bid for World Cup
Dec 01, 2008 ... SCOTLAND'S homeless footballers begin their attempt to defendtheir world title in Melbourne today. They are kicking off the week-long Homeless World Cup ...
Hoy escapes airport chaos in Thailand
Dec 01, 2008 ... CYCLING champion Chris Hoy has been caught up in the chaos atBangkok's international airport, which has been taken over by anti-government protesters. The four-time gold medal winner was meant to flying home fromThailand with his girlfriend, Sarah Kemp. However, he was ...
Church sale plan revived
Dec 01, 2008 ... A DERELICT city church is back up for sale despite plans to turnit into a community centre. Lauriston United Presbyterian Church on Lauriston Place hasfallen into disrepair since it was bought by the Arab Social Leagueof Edinburgh in 1982. Last month it ...
Quick News: Judges wild over oats
Dec 01, 2008 ... NAIRN'S Oatcakes has picked up a top industry award at a galaceremony in London. The Edinburgh-based company picked up the honour at the QualityFood Awards. The event, now in ...
Quick News: Planners face review
Dec 01, 2008 ... A REVIEW is being carried out after a soaring number ofcomplaints about East Lothian Council's planning ...
Porridge champ stirs for walk
Dec 01, 2008 ... THE world porridge-making champion will be cooking up a heartybreakfast for participants in the Great Christmas Walk. Ian Bishop, the winner of this year's Golden Spurtle, is thelatest person to support the charity walk on Sunday. Around 1000people are expected to take part in the ...
Army friends reunited after 48-year gap
Dec 01, 2008 ... ARMY friends have celebrated their reunion after an absence of 48years. Ex-national serviceman Roy Pratt, from Edinburgh, formed a closefriendship with John McGinn when they trained with the Royal Corpsof Signals in 1958. But the pair, who are both 71, lost touch whenthey left ...
Quick News: A rubbish Christmas
Dec 01, 2008 ... EDINBURGH City Council has announced its plans for festiverubbish and recycling collections ....
Clothes bill provost has cut her cloth
Dec 01, 2008 ... A PROVOST criticised for being granted a GBP 2000 clothingallowance has only spent GBP 85 of it, it has emerged. East Lothian Council has said reports that its civic leader,Sheena Richardson, has been given the money to spend on clothes are"misleading". The council came ...
Benjamin prepares for the contest of his life
Dec 01, 2008 ... A MIDLOTHIAN teenager is hoping to be picked to representScotland at lifesaving. Benjamin Witz, 17, of Penicuik, is training to be selected forthe Scottish team at the Commonwealth Lifesaving Championships inEdmonton, Canada, in 2009. Trials begin in January, and the former ...
Tree-mendous aid for charity
Dec 01, 2008 ... TREES have been planted to mark a boost in recycling rates, whichhas helped a charity in Malawi. East Lothian Council planted the young trees at KinwegarRecycling Centre in Wallyford. One was donated by the Woodland Trustas thanks for backing a Christmas card ...
Dragon Theo lines up bid for Woolies
Dec 01, 2008 ... STRUGGLING retailer Woolworths is set to be sold within a weekafter a raft of potential buyers lined up bids. Woolworths administrator Neville Kahn, of Deloitte, said heexpected to have a preferred bidder by the end of the week. Dragon's Den entrepreneur Theo Paphitis is ...
Demo to help abuse victims
Dec 01, 2008 ... A DEMONSTRATION outside the Scottish Parliament is set tohighlight the plight of a group of vulnerable women trapped in acycle of abuse and unable to access basic levels of protection andsupport. Scottish Women's Aid and Amnesty International are organising theprotest on ...
Department store goes down in history after being listed
Dec 01, 2008; ... IT is perhaps not as loved as the Scott Monument or EdinburghCastle, but a 1960s department store is to join the list of citybuildings saved for future generations. The Bhs store on Princes Street is to be given a B-listed statusby government agency Historic Scotland. The ...
Frail residents face move as council shuts down care home
Dec 01, 2008; ... AN ageing council-run care home is set to close, with residentsmoved to a new privately run facility across the city. The Liberton Gardens home will shut in February and transfer thebulk of staff and residents to the new home in Merchiston. But while the city council ...
Top service at Chamber
Dec 01, 2008 ... EDINBURGH Chamber of Commerce has been presented with a topindustry award. The Edinburgh Chamber topped the poll for excellence inmembership services for the UK at the National Chamber Awards 2008. The award is ...
Building blocks of life to be used for genetic research lab
Dec 01, 2008; ... WORK is set to start on a landmark genetics research centreshaped to resemble a pair of human chromosomes. The GBP 58 million project at Easter Bush, near Penicuik, was dueto get under way today. The design of the building sees the office and researchlaboratories split into ...
School head's PA is top class
Dec 01, 2008 ... AN Edinburgh headteacher's PA has been named as one of the bestin the country. Sharon Dow, who works at Merchiston Castle School, has beenawarded for the work she does for the school, headteacher AndrewHunter and for the local community. Ms Dow, 47, from West Calder, has ...
Traders pipe up in protest as water leaks into basements
Dec 01, 2008; ... A BURST water pipe has brought fresh misery to traders in theGrassmarket just weeks after work finished on laying a new roadsurface. Local businesses have endured months of disruption as a result ofwork to revamp the historic area. But they are now facing anotherheadache after ...
Five treated for smoke inhalation after blaze
Dec 01, 2008 ... TWO adults and three children suffered smoke inhalation after afire broke out in a kitchen. The blaze started in the cooker of the home in Parkside Terracein St Leonards at around 7.30pm on Saturday. A man and a woman were taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary afterbeing ...
Explanation call over crime reports 'filter'
Dec 01, 2008 ... DEPUTY Chief Constable Tom Halpin was today urged to give anexplanation over fears that the force suffers from "potentiallyserious systemic failure" in its crime reports. The call followed an accusation by the police watchdog that theforce had "filtered" information it passed to ...
Family of heart op Nathan in GBP 800 'thank-you' to charity
Dec 01, 2008 ... THE family of a baby boy recovering from a life-saving heartoperation have raised money for the charity which supported themthrough their ordeal. Nathan McCormack, from Gorebridge, needed open heart surgery atGlasgow's Yorkhill Hospital at seven months old. He had beendiagnosed ...
Has The Fizz Gone Out Of Edinburgh's New Year?
Dec 01, 2008; ... IT is Edinburgh's biggest night of the year, a spectacular partythat has become the envy of cities around the world. The Hogmanaycelebrations on Princes Street this year boast a line-up of actsthat Unique Events, the company charged with organising the annualshindig, insists is the ...
Estate agents raise roof over debut of single seller surveys
Dec 01, 2008; ... EDINBURGH property experts are urging the Government to carry outan early review of the controversial new home report system, amidfears of its impact on the already struggling housing market. Ron Smith, chief executive of the Edinburgh Solicitors PropertyCentre, issued his warning ...
Quick News: Give the Most you can
Dec 01, 2008 ... A LITTLE piece of Leith will be turned into the Bosnian city ofMostar for the day as campaigners aim to raise money for anorphanage in the Balkan country. The Out of the ...
Parents' fury as bacteria found in school's water
Dec 01, 2008; ... Bacteria has been discovered in the water supply at the crumblingPortobello High. The city council insisted last week that the school's fountainswere out of action simply because they were not working. But it has now emerged that they were shut off because of a"persistent ...
Freedom up for debate
Dec 01, 2008 ... LOTHIAN'S assistant chief constable Bill Skelly and Newscolumnist Helen Martin will take part in a Question Time-style eventat the National Library of Scotland. The "Freedom v Safety" debate on Wednesday will ...
RBS gives six-month break to struggling homeowners
Dec 01, 2008; ... HOMEOWNERS struggling with mortgage payments are to be given sixmonths breathing space by Royal Bank of Scotland, it was revealedtoday. The Edinburgh-based bank is to allow double the three monthsrecommended by the Government before starting to push forrepossession orders ....
Rents fastest growing in UK
Dec 01, 2008 ... RENTAL values in Edinburgh are growing faster than anywhere elsein the UK, new figures claim. The Gumtree.com website said rents for Capital properties havegrown by more than three per cent since the start of the year. The firm's ...
Real Lives: The anniversary waltz started in 1941 for Isobel and George
Dec 01, 2008 ... Livingston couple George and Isabel Glassbrook have celebratedtheir blue sapphire wedding anniversary - almost seven decades aftermeeting at a student dance. The future Mr and Mrs Glassbrook, now both 85, met at a studentdance when they were both studying at college in 1941 in ...
It's A Jail With All Mod Cons
Dec 01, 2008; ... PRISONERS at the Lothians' new maximum-security prison will betreated to en-suite cells with flatscreen TVs, it emerged today. Inmates at the privately run HMP Addiewell in West Lothian willhave access to multi-channel Freeview television and be able toorder their meals in ...
It's a whole new ball game for Spartans as pupils help
Dec 01, 2008; ... THEY are renowned for their cup exploits, have more than 600players on their books, and even employ a former Arsenal coach. But now Spartans FC are putting team tactics in the hands of agroup of school pupils in a bid to sharpen up their game. Teenagers at the Royal High ...
Thousands enjoy a bit of a DO
Dec 01, 2008; ... THOUSANDS of revellers braved the winter chill over the weekendto celebrate St Andrew's Day at a host of special events across theCapital. The heart of the festivities was West Princes Street Gardenswhere a giant tented arena had been erected to welcome guests. Hibs players ...
Pub cigarette machines set to be banned
Dec 01, 2008 ... CIGARETTE vending machines could be banned from pubs, clubs andhotels in Scotland. Backbench SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson proposed the move as part of thelatest crackdown on smoking. And Ministers have signalled that they are willing to include themeasure in next year's Health ...
Campaigners cancel talks with health chiefs
Dec 01, 2008 ... HEALTH campaigners in West Lothian have cancelled two recentmeetings with NHS bosses as relations between the two crumble. It emerged at a recent NHS Lothian board meeting that councillorsfrom the Action To Save St John's organisation have twice pulled outof talks, including one ...
The man is still full of beans but . .
Dec 01, 2008; ... SEVEN years come December 21 it's been since Graham Kenny sethimself in the Canongate with Has Beans, billed as a "specialitycoffees and tea house" but he'll rustle up a substantial repastbefore you can swing yer kilt. He's good at it. So he should be, he's been cheffing in ...
Sweet taste of success for record champ
Dec 01, 2008 ... GUINNESS Book of World Records legend Ashrita Furman was in theCapital at the weekend to see how many sweets he could catch in hismouth. The 54-year-old New Yorker, who holds 88 records, secured twomore at the Meadowbank Stadium by catching 51 Maltesers in a minute -beating ...
Paterson puts Edinburgh in good shape for Wasps test - Cross
Dec 01, 2008; ... EDINBURGH try hero Geoff Cross has hailed the contribution ofpoints machine Chris Paterson to a Celtic League win that gives aspringboard into Friday's vital Heineken European Cup clash againstformer champions London Wasps at Murrayfield, writes BILL LOTHIAN. Edinburgh must win to ...
No spy fears for Burnett
Dec 01, 2008; ... Heriot's 20 Watsonians 18 Star Heriot's hooker helps see off rivals 'Sonians before playingdown Houston's role with County John is a good pro who'll be lookingto help Stirling but I don't think that will mean giving our codes STAR hooker Scott Burnett has played down the ...
Hibs glad to get through testing time
Dec 01, 2008; ... Falkirk 1 Hibs 1 Traditionally tricky month of November ends with four points fromtwo away games as Mixu continues rebuilding process HIBS will be glad to see the back of November, a month which,traditionally, has brought little joy for the Easter Road club. This year ...
Heroic Hearts force the issue
Dec 01, 2008; ... Hearts 2 Rangers 1 Laszlo's discipline, pressing game and in-the-face attitude proveto much for visiting Rangers as Tynecastle bounces to the thrill ofwinning NO Michael Stewart, no Janos Balogh, not even any wages. Heartsdidn't have their problems to seek ahead of Rangers' ...
Young gun Griffiths back in frame after speedy recovery
Dec 01, 2008; ... LIVINGSTON striker Leigh Griffiths has given his manager a boostby making a quick recovery from his second knee operation thisseason and could be available against Dundee on Saturday. However, boss Roberto Landi, although short on players, is waryof rushing the 18-year-old ...