Evening News - Scotland back issues from July 2009:
Free sports sessions in store for kids
Jul 01, 2009 ... SUPERMARKET giant Asda's Edinburgh stores have launched a searchfor sites to host free sports sessions for children. The Asda Sporting Chance scheme is part of a commitment toencourage sport and activities for families on a tight budget. Itintends to organise at least five free ...
Thieving home help stole GBP 1,300 from OAPs in her care
Jul 01, 2009; ... Pensioner caught woman rifling through belongings A DISABLED pensioner has told how she caught her thieving homehelp red-handed stealing GBP 5, only to discover that she'd alreadytaken more than GBP 1,300 from her and another vulnerable victim. Margaret Hardie, 83, who has ...
Park revamp boost as bank stumps up missing GBP 200,000
Jul 01, 2009; ... PLANS to create a new community hall as part of a revamp ofColinton Mains Park have been given a boost. Luxury housebuilder Applecross had agreed to put GBP 200,000towards the revamp of the park and pavilion as part of thecontroversial deal to build 170 homes on the Meggetland ...
Gareth aims for a hit with Les Mis as show heads for Playhouse
Jul 01, 2009; ... THE last time I Dreamed A Dream was belted out round these partsit went on to become a worldwide sensation. But this time the songsof the smash hit musical Les Miserables will be sung by a moreseasoned Pop Idol. Gareth Gates, runner-up in one of the first phone-in TV ...
Around town: George Grubb tucks into strawberry tea to help raise funds for Breast Cancer Care
Jul 01, 2009 ... LORD Provost George Grubb tucks into a strawberry tea at the CityChambers to ...
Around town: Barrie answers heroic calling
Jul 01, 2009 ... A CALL centre worker from the Capital has won a national award. Barrie Wilkins, who works for Sykes Global Services, was ...
Woman killed in car park tragedy
Jul 01, 2009 ... Accident in store disabled parking bay also injures 3-year-oldgirl A WOMAN has been killed after being knocked down in a supermarketcar park while carrying a three-year-old girl. Both the 42-year-old woman and the toddler were trapped under thevehicle's wheels and ...
Cash-strapped visitors set out to 'bag' castle
Jul 01, 2009 ... TOURISM chiefs say hard-up visitors are visiting Edinburgh Castleas part of a new sport of "castle bagging". Historic Scotland said tourists are attempting to "bag" as manycastles in as short a time as possible, a pastime usually reservedfor Scotland's Munros. Barbara ...
Apprentice building a bright future after awards success
Jul 01, 2009 ... A CITY apprentice has been named the best in his year by theNational Construction College. Chris Hamilton, 19, was named top first-year apprentice at theScottish annual awards. Mr Hamilton, who is employed as an apprentice by John Dennis &Co, was recognised alongside his ...
Around town: Courier delivers trams complaint
Jul 01, 2009 ... A COURIER firm has blamed the city's tram works for addingthousands of miles to delivery journeys in the Capital ....
Pirates invade sealife centre
Jul 01, 2009 ... SEALIFE attraction Deep Sea World is being taken over bybuccaneers, brigands and privateers this week as part of itsPirates' Weekend. The ...
Morrice joins race to replace ousted Labour MP at election
Jul 01, 2009; ... Councillor throws hat in the ring for Jim Devine's seat LABOUR councillor Graeme Morrice today threw his hat into thering to replace MP Jim Devine as the party's candidate for theLivingston seat at the next election. Mr Devine's de-selection by the Labour Party has sparked a ...
Sir Tom honoured by Queen
Jul 01, 2009 ... KWIK-Fit founder Sir Tom Farmer has been made a Commander of theRoyal Victorian Order. The Queen presented the Leith-born entrepreneur with the honourat Holyrood Palace yesterday for his work with the Duke of EdinburghAward. Around 75 key figures from Scotland's businesses, ...
Quick News: Pupils hold eco festival
Jul 01, 2009 ... PUPILS at a city high school were today set to celebrate their"eco festival". The event ...
It must be something in my water
Jul 01, 2009; ... NO royal flush. An example to us all. Prince Charles and his goodlady, fanatical recyclists, don't let their bathwater gurgle downthe plughole. Rather, they have their flunkies salvage it to water theflowerbeds at Highgrove. I've just tried this with my bathwater on our ...
Queen Margaret campus lands green gong
Jul 01, 2009 ... QUEEN Margaret University has received international recognitionof its environmentally sustainable campus. The institution was presented with a prestigious Green AppleAward, an annual accolade in recognition of building projects whichenhance the built environment. Queen ...
Leader: Compensation culture: 'Don't we teach our kids about responsibility?'
Jul 01, 2009 ... THE compensation culture which has been out of hand for manyyears in America seems to be getting an unfortunate grip this sideof the Atlantic. We knew things were getting bad when inmates of HM prisons - someguilty of terrible crimes - were able to get legal aid to sue ...
Gallery nets seaside show
Jul 01, 2009 ... PEOPLE can enjoy the sights and atmosphere of the seaside - whilesitting at their desk. The Leith Gallery has launched its Marine Exhibition on itswebsite, featuring seascapes and harbour scenes by new andestablished artists. These include ...
Around town: Little to receive university honour
Jul 01, 2009 ... BROADCASTER and journalist Allan Little was due to receive anhonorary degree from Edinburgh University today. Mr Little, a special correspondent ...
Zoo's animal magic to help boost theatre show
Jul 01, 2009 ... CHILDREN'S entertainers The Singing Kettle have teamed up withEdinburgh Zoo to offer cut-price tickets for their Boogie Woogie Zooshow at the Festival Theatre this weekend. The offer is open to 12,000 of the zoo's e-newsletter members andis available for all four shows in ...
Disabled and OAPs benefit from GBP 4.8m lottery award
Jul 01, 2009 ... LOTTERY cash will help improve parenting skills, befriend theelderly and allow people with Down's syndrome take greater controlof their everyday lives. Several Lothians-based projects were among 20 groups to benefitfrom the latest grants totalling GBP 4.8m announced by the ...
City writer lords it over London as Lucky Lucan
Jul 01, 2009; ... Enthusiast to pose as missing peer in Trafalgar Sq artwork IT IS likely to be one of the biggest stories of the century. Lord Lucan is to make his first public appearance in 35 years.But when the grey-haired, pinstripe suit-wearing, moustachioed manreveals himself in London's ...
Quick News: College gets in on act
Jul 01, 2009 ... A CITY college is set to host acts as part of the Fringe. Stevenson College's venue The Music Box will act as a ...
Decorator enjoys a brush with the best at world competition
Jul 01, 2009 ... A YOUNG painter will compete with the best in the world afterbeing selected for the prestigious WorldSkills 2009 final. Mark Nevin, 22, who works for an Edinburgh decorator, has beenchosen for the UK team for the competition in Calgary, Canada, inSeptember. Mr Nevin, of ...
Foreign buyers home in on city
Jul 01, 2009 ... A PROPERTY firm said it had been inundated with inquiries fromforeign investors looking to buy in the city. One Call Home Assist, the property maintenance firm, saidfavourable exchange rates and lower house prices had led to morethan a dozen ...
Pay row to see rubbish pile up on city streets
Jul 01, 2009; ... Council prepares for backlog misery as binmen work to rule RUBBISH is to be left piled high on the Capital's streets untilcouncil chiefs can find a way of breaking a deadlock with the city'sbinmen. Refuse collectors began working to rule last week over plans tocut their pay ...
Hotel plan knock-back 'will cost jobs'
Jul 01, 2009 ... A DECISION to refuse plans for a new hotel in Livingstonfollowing a public inquiry will cost the West Lothian economy much-needed jobs, according to a developer. A Scottish Government reporter upheld West Lothian Council'sdecision to refuse a planning application by Muir Leisure ...
Property sector 'tough going'
Jul 01, 2009 ... THE property market in Edinburgh remains "tough going", a leadingreal estate expert said today. Don Young, senior director of BNP Paribas Real Estate inEdinburgh, said although house prices remain higher in the Capitalthan in the rest of Scotland, ...
Pupils win GBP 125,000 in claims for school accidents
Jul 01, 2009; ... Councils count cost of ripped trousers and playground injuries A TOTAL of GBP 125,000 has been paid out to school pupils in theLothians in compensation claims ranging from ripped trousers toserious playground accidents. Children have received as much as GBP 10,765 in injury ...
One tenant a week evicted as number not paying rent soars
Jul 01, 2009; ... THE number of council house tenants failing to pay their rent hasincreased as the recession continues to bite, leaving city leaderschasing more than GBP 1.3 million of debt. New figures from the city council show that 4,703 of its tenantsfell behind with their rent repayments in ...
Quick News: Fiscal report rate down
Jul 01, 2009 ... ONE out of five reports compiled by Lothian and Borders Policefor the procurator fiscal failed to be submitted within the 28-daytarget period. Officers submitted a total of 31,578 reports to the ...
Around town: Rutland raises a glass after clinching bar award
Jul 01, 2009 ... EDINBURGH'S Rutland Bar has been named Morgan's SpicedContemporary Bar of the Year in the Dram awards. The accolade comes after a GBP 4 million transformation of thevenue. The judges praised its contemporary feel, wide appeal, rangeof drinks and service ....
Around town: Steinway all the way for school
Jul 01, 2009 ... EDINBURGH'S specialist music school at Broughton High todaybecame an "all Steinway" school, with all its piano designed ...
Search on for Capital talent
Jul 01, 2009 ... PRESENTERS Ant and Dec will host a Britain's Got Talent-stylecontest at this year's Edinburgh International Television Festival. Top TV executives will take part in ...
Around town: All the world is a stage for the Southsiders
Jul 01, 2009 ... YOUNGSTERS on the Southside can look forward to a summer ofdrama. Southside Community Centre on Nicolson Street will hold thesummer 2009 Youth Theatre Project from 6-17 July. Classes cover movement and voice work, ...
Russia's 'Michael Palin' plugs Capital on TV
Jul 01, 2009 ... A TELEVISION programme presented by "Russia's answer to MichaelPalin" is to promote Edinburgh to more than 20 million viewers. Celebrity presenter Dmitry Krylov visited the Capital last weekand his hit show Neputivue Zametki, translated as Travel Notes, willsell the best of the ...
Fringe shows can draw on poster contest
Jul 01, 2009 ... COMEDIANS, actors and children's entertainers can win an award atthe Fringe - before it even starts. Cash-strapped productions are being invited to submit posters forthe chance to win GBP 500 towards printing costs to promote theirshow. There are just nine days left to enter the ...
Appeal after robber makes off with bike
Jul 01, 2009 ... A MOUNTAIN bike worth GBP 1,560 was stolen from the Volvo tradestand at the Royal Highland Show. Police have appealed for help in tracing the thief who stole thebike overnight between Thursday and Friday last week. It was taken from a Portakabin at the Volvo stand, located ...
Suites draw on students for wall work
Jul 01, 2009 ... A GROUP of student artists have supplied 60 works for the wallsof a new development of luxury suites. The second and third years from the drawing and paintingdepartment at Edinburgh College of Art were approached by FrasersProperty UK to produce pieces for the rooms and public ...
BA and unions continue talks
Jul 01, 2009 ... TALKS between British Airways and unions aiming to avert a summerstrike over cost savings at the airline are continuing. BA reportedly wants staff to accept a two-year pay freeze and thecompany is looking for 3,000 redundancies among crew andadministrative staff. The ...
Chambers appoints new chair
Jul 01, 2009 ... THE Scottish Chambers of Commerce has appointed Aberdeen-basedbusinessman Mike Salter as its new chairman at its annual generalmeeting. Mr Salter replaces Norman Quirk, who has completed his two-yearterm of office and steps down after a successful period at the ...
Council's tax collection rate hits record high
Jul 01, 2009 ... COUNCIL tax collections in Edinburgh have increased to theirhighest ever level - but are still among the lowest in Scotland. The Scottish Government's council tax collection statistics 2008-9 showed that the council collected 93.2 per cent of council taxover the year, up from 92.9 ...
Demand for action as 40 per cent of on-the-spot fines go unpaid
Jul 01, 2009; ... FOUR out of ten offenders given an on-the-spot fine forantisocial behaviour by police failed to pay the GBP 40 notice, newfigures revealed today. A total of 3,497 fixed penalty notices were issued for offencesincluding vandalism, road rage, urinating in public, being drunk ...
Long road ahead to have us all driving green machines
Jul 01, 2009; ... The idea of motorists zipping around town in clean, emission-free electric cars would be dismissed by many as a futuristicfantasy. But ambitious new Scottish Government targets could mean wemust all take a closer look at the options for going green on theroad, as Hazel Mollison ...
Deputy chief quits police to take up role with offenders
Jul 01, 2009; ... Top officer leaves force to work with former prisoners DEPUTY Chief Constable Tom Halpin is retiring from the force totake on a new role as chief executive of a group working with formerprisoners. Mr Halpin is set to leave his post in the next few weeks beforetaking over the ...
150 city jobs at risk in latest Lloyds cuts
Jul 01, 2009; ... AROUND 150 jobs in Edinburgh are understood to be at riskfollowing the latest cuts announced by the Lloyds Banking Group. The company yesterday revealed it planned to change 2,100 rolesin commercial and group operations across the UK. Many of the positions are being merged to ...
Around town: Band bringing Shee-r magic to the Capital
Jul 01, 2009 ... ALL-FEMALE folk band The Shee are set for a gig on home turf asthey gear up for a performance at the Edinburgh Folk Club. The band will bring their mixture of traditional material andoriginal compositions to the ...
Small sales drop for M&S
Jul 01, 2009 ... HIGH-STREET giant Marks and Spencer today reported a smaller thanexpected drop in its first-quarter underlying sales. The retail chain said sales at its UK stores open for more than ayear fell by 1.4 per cent in the 13 weeks to 27 June, after a fourth-quarter drop of 4.2 per cent ....
Drivers in the Lothians hit by fines hike
Jul 01, 2009 ... POLICE have warned drivers in the Lothians that they faceincreased penalties for a number of motoring offences from today. From midnight, new legislation came into force which meansdrivers can be hit with greater fines if they are committingoffences such as not wearing a seatbelt ...
National Express off the rails as line franchise hits buffers
Jul 01, 2009; ... Transport firm fails to renegotiate deal on loss-making route STRUGGLING transport group National Express is set to walk awayfrom its loss-making East Coast rail franchise by the end of theyear, the firm said today. The company has failed to agree a renegotiation of the deal ...
Zoo celebrates baby's arrival
Jul 01, 2009 ... A BABY marsupial is the latest addition to Edinburgh Zoo, withthe arrival of a new long-nosed potoroo. The infant is already bouncing around outside its mum's pouch atthe animals' enclosure inside the Rainbow Landings exhibit, whichzoo staff say means it ...
Thieves hit the jackpot again
Jul 01, 2009 ... THIEVES hit the jackpot when they came back for a second roundafter breaking into a pub. The Grapes pub in Main Street in East Calder, West Lothian, wasraided between 11:.30pm on Sunday and 9:30am on Monday morning. Police said that ...
Detectives 'buoyed' by rape response
Jul 01, 2009 ... DETECTIVES today said they were "buoyed" by the public responseto an appeal for information over the rape of a teenage girl in aportable toilet at the Royal Highland Show. Officers had appealed for visitors to the show to send in photoscaptured on their cameras and phones in the ...
Real Lives: Dr David Cottrell: Veterinary school teacher was an inspiration to all
Jul 01, 2009 ... TRIBUTES have been paid to Dr David Cottrell, beloved teacher,colleague and friend of students and staff not only of the Royal(Dick) School of Veterinary Studies but also of other veterinaryschools, particularly his alma mater Liverpool University VeterinarySchool (1970), for whom he was ...
Quick News: Round Table recruiting
Jul 01, 2009 ... THE only Round Table group in Edinburgh is recruiting members. Corstorphine Round Table runs social events ...
ScotRail's on the right track say customers
Jul 01, 2009 ... TRAIN operator ScotRail has scored well in the latest customersatisfaction survey by independent watchdog Passenger Focus. According to the poll, 89 per cent of customers were satisfied bythe service offered by ScotRail, up one percentage point year-on-year. The results saw ...
Police hail fresh appeal over shooting
Jul 01, 2009 ... POLICE today said a fresh appeal for witnesses to the shooting offather-of-two Douglas Downing had opened up fresh lines of inquiry. Officers mounted a special late-night operation, stoppingvehicles and speaking to passers-by in the Paisley Drive area ofWillowbrae where the ...
Police taking less sick days
Jul 01, 2009 ... THE number of sick days taken by police officers in Lothian andBorders fell by 4,700 during the last year. A total of 26,131 sick days were taken by officers between Aprillast year and March, or 3.9 per cent of the 668,578 days ...
Film studios to merge DVD operations
Jul 01, 2009 ... VIACOM'S Paramount Pictures is in talks with Sony Pictures on adeal to merge their behind-the-scenes DVD operations to cut costs. After an industry-wide slump of up to 20 per cent in DVD saleslast year, the firms are understood to be considering combiningtheir DVD ...
Steps death victim named
Jul 01, 2009 ... POLICE have named a man found injured on the Scotsman Steps aftersuffering a serious head injury. John McDonald, 30, from the Polwarth area, was found injured onthe city centre steps in the early hours of Saturday morning. Mr McDonald died later that day in Edinburgh Royal ...
Tools stolen from church
Jul 01, 2009 ... GREENFINGERED thieves have made off with gardening equipmentworth GBP 270 after targeting a church shed. They broke into the hut at the Elim Pentecostal Church in FellsRigg, Livingston, between Friday, 19 June and Tuesday, 23 June. A lawn mower, ...
Bar access bid wins support
Jul 01, 2009 ... A CAMPAIGNER who wants to see improved disabled access inEdinburgh bars has won the backing of Capability Scotland to takehis mission nationwide. Mark Cooper, 24, of Gracemount, was inspired to act after a nightout at 56 North in West Crosscauseway. The Evening News told ...
Expanding vaccine firm takes on staff
Jul 01, 2009 ... A VACCINE development company based in the Lothians has announcedit is to take on four new staff as it continues to grow. Big DNA is to take on the four new staff at its headquarters atRoslin BioCentre. Fermentation specialist Gemma Harlow, former Heriot-WattUniversity ...
ProStrakan targets France
Jul 01, 2009 ... PHARMACEUTICAL firm Pro-Strakan has announced it is to launch itsbreakthrough cancer pain drug Abstral in France next month. The Galashiels-based group has been able to bring the product tomarket ahead of schedule after completing an agreement on pricingwith the French government ....
Yell shouts a profit warning
Jul 01, 2009 ... YELLOW Pages firm Yell has warned earnings for the next quarterare expected to be down 30 per cent as it continues to feel the painof the economic slump. The update came as Yell said talks were under way to"comprehensively refinance" the group, ...