Sunday Mercury (Birmingham, England) back issues from June 2008:
HEARTACHE OF HOLIDAY CRASH SCHOOLGIRL; EXCLUSIVE Doctor tells 11 year-old her father was killed.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... Byline: BY BEN GOLDBY & JONNY GREATREX A YOUNG Birmingham girl was devastated last night after doctors revealed that her father was killed in the horrific M5 motorway smash which claimed three lives. The 11 year-old, from Edgbaston, was given the tragic news by ...
Golden Mile to GHOST TOWN? BRUM'S BROAD STREET NIGHTSPOTS HIT BY STRING OF CLOSURES.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... Byline: BY ANUJI VARMA IT'S billed as the nightlife hotspot for the Midlands. But bars, pubs and clubs on Birmingham's Broad Street are disappearing one by one. Nearly 40 per cent of venues on the Golden Mile have shut - and there are fears it could ...
'Postcode lottery' on fuel prices.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... MIDLAND motorists, struggling to fill their tanks as fuel prices rocket, are facing the extra burden of a petrol postcode lottery. Drivers in rural areas in the south of the region are paying up to 10p more for a litre of unleaded and 7p extra for diesel. Sunday ...
CRAZY WORLD.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... MICHIGAN, USA: Police investigating an apparent break-in at a business nabbed a 10-pound turkey. Officer Paula Hensell checked out the scene when she noticed that the business's ...
'Bomb hoax' man in court.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... A BUS passenger has appeared in court following a bomb scare in a Midland city centre. Satnam Singh Nagra, from Stocking Farm, Leicester, appeared at Leicester Magistrates Court yesterday, accused of making false allegations about a bomb, causing harassment, alarm ...
FLINN'S ON SONG THANKS TO BAND.(Sport)
Jun 01, 2008 ... Byline: By MATT BOZEAT JAMES Flinn says chart-toppers The Enemy are inspiring him to be a smash hit in the boxing ring. Flinn has turned professional after a top-class amateur career and the 26 year-old from Coventry aims to make it two wins out of two on the ...
Rethink for Norton.(Sport)
Jun 01, 2008 ... STOURBRIDGE cruiserweight Robert Norton has had to revise his plans to win the British title - after being handed a new opponent and a new date for the fight. Norton was originally scheduled to face Huddersfield's Mark Hobson, who beat him in his first British title challenge in ...
Rossi seals pole return.(Sport)
Jun 01, 2008 ... VALENTINO Rossi's resurgence continued as the five-time MotoGP champion took pole position at his home race in Mugello. The 29-year-old has struggled since winning his last title in 2005 but is back at the head of the field this season on his Fiat Yamaha and has won the last two ...
FINALISTS ENJOY THEIR FIVE MINUTES OF FAME; GOING TO THE DOGS.(Sport)
Jun 01, 2008 ... Byline: Stephen Rea ALL eyes were on Wimbledon last night, and the final of this year's Blue Square Greyhound Derby, although sadly my selections failed to make it, with Barnfield on Air exiting at the semi final stage last Saturday. Whoever managed to win through ...
FAMILY AFFAIR; Father & son BTCC team are driving mum crazy..(Sport)
Jun 01, 2008 ... Byline: By ANDY WALKER ANDREW Jordan admits that him and his dad live and breathe the British Touring Car Championship - but the motor mouths are ordered to shut it at the dinner table. The teenage race ace and dad Mike are two of the most recognisable faces on the ...
TURNER POWERS TO POLE.(Sport)
Jun 01, 2008 ... DARREN Turner claimed pole position for the first of today's HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship rounds at Croft. Turner set a time of one minute 25.823 seconds to achieve the first pole for a diesel-powered car in the BTCC in his SEAT Leon TDI. And it could have ...
2-0 to Fab boys looks a good bet; BET RESCUE.(Sport)
Jun 01, 2008 ... Byline: By CHRIS HUTCHEON HAVING comfortably accounted for the USA on Wednesday, England have to be fancied to record a second consecutive friendly success against Trinidad and Tobago tonight. Admittedly, Fabio Capello will field a more experimental line-up for the ...
DALL'S DAY.(Sport)
Jun 01, 2008 ... LAWRENCE Dallaglio enjoyed a dream Twickenham send-off as Wasps sent him into retirement with another major trophy. But that meant heartache for defending champions Leicester Tigers as they were beaten 26-16 in the Guinness Premiership final. Wasps, who made it four ...
JOY OF BECKS! CARIBBEAN DREAM FOR DAVE 100 caps... now captain marvel will skipper his country again.(Sport)
Jun 01, 2008 ... Byline: JOHN CURTIS in Port of Spain DAVID Beckham's amazing England renaissance was complete last night when he was handed the captaincy for today's clash with Trinidad and Tobago. The Los Angeles Galaxy star will wear the armband for the first time since the 2006 ...
Two Polish workers find pounds 200,000 in air vent; EXCLUSIVE POLICE LAUNCH PROBE AT LUXURY FLATS.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... Byline: BY BEN GOLDBY TWO Polish workers found pounds 200,000 cash in an air vent at a swanky Birmingham skyscraper - and handed it over to the cops. The contractors, who were working on an air conditioning pipeline, came across the fortune on the top oor of the ...
Death threats for Charlie musician.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... A MIDLAND musician who wrote a song for schoolboy Charlie Green to perform on TV show Britain's Got Talent has been sent hate mail. Angry fans have sent threatening letters to Worcestershire songwriter Cedric Whitehouse since little Charlie failed to win a place in the final. ...
The Apprentice BULLIES; EXCLUSIVE School expert says TV show creates thugs.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... Byline: BY ZOE CHAMBERLAIN Lifestyle Editor HIT television series The Apprentice could give birth to a whole new generation of school bullies, a schools watchdog warns today. The antics of pushy contestants such as Claire Young and Michael Sophocles will be copied in ...
ALEX CAN WIN SAYS HIS FORMER TUTOR.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... APPRENTICE wannabe Alex Wotherspoon's strategy on the show has been compared to Machiavelli - by one of his former Midland tutors. Professor David Bennett, from Aston Business School, worked with Alex for four years while he attended the college. And he believes the ...
Bike crash teen killed.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... A TEENAGE motorcyclist was killed when his bike smashed into a car on a Midland street. The man, who has not been named, was travelling on the B4114 Coleshill Road in Nuneaton at around 11pm on Friday night when the accident happened. Police are appealing for ...
crazy world.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... LOS ANGELES, USA: A new website allows ex-girlfriends and wives to sell on unwanted gifts from former lovers. Ex-BoyfriendJewelry.com, which allows women to trade rings, ...
Bin body arrests.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... TWO men have been arrested on suspicion of murder after the discovery of a body in a bin store at a Midland block of flats, detectives said last night. The suspects, aged 20 and 40 and both from Northampton, were detained after a post-mortem examination showed that the victim ...
Hospital kitchen nightmare; EXCLUSIVE Cockroaches next to diners Food past its sell-by date Dirt and contamination risk.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... Byline: BY JONNY GREATREX COCKROACHES have been found just feet away from diners at a Birmingham hospital restaurant, the Sunday Mercury can reveal. And meals are being prepared in dirty kitchens at the Queen Elizabeth hospital, with uncovered food open to ...
Tribute to helicopter pilot.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... MOVING tributes were paid last night to a Midland Army officer killed in a helicopter crash. Lieutenant Mark Reynolds, 24, from Aslockton, near Nottingham, died along with Warrant Officer Vince Hussell, when the helicopter went down in fields near Torrington, North Devon on ...
Wills the DRUGBUSTER.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... Byline: BY ROY BAYLISS PRINCE William tomorrow joins the frontline war on drugs - as an action man Navy officer battling South American druglords smuggling cocaine in the Caribbean. The 25 year-old royal will spend two months on the frigate HMS Iron Duke, joining sea ...
Battle in Caribbean.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... BRITISH Naval forces have made a number of significant drug seizures in the Caribbean in the past 12 months. Notable cases have seen cocaine with a street value of more than pounds 100 million taken from smugglers caught with the illicit contraband. In October last ...
Sea sickness and no privacy.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... SEA sickness, cramped conditions, a lack of privacy and overnight watches on a ship's bridge are all challenges Prince William will face during his Caribbean posting. Before the Prince adapts to life on the waves he will spend three weeks on shore at the Britannia Royal Naval ...
WHAT WAS TAKEN...(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... WEST MIDLANDS LATEST figures available for West Midlands Police show that between 2004 and 2007, more than 300 items have been stolen, damaged or recovered. The biggest theft came when a joyrider pinched a pounds 40,000 Range Rover, and the crime spree also involved ...
You're nicked; AMAZING LIST OF PROPERTY STOLEN FROM MIDLAND POLICE STATIONS.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... Byline: BY BEN GOLDBY CRAFTY crooks have embarked on the cheekiest crimewave of them all, stealing thousands of pounds worth of equipment - ranging from a pounds 40,000 cop car to a fingerprint kit - from Midland POLICE stations. They have walked out of cop shops with ...
HOODIE BURGLARS STAB LECTURER.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... A COLLEGE lecturer was recovering in hospital last night after being attacked by hoodie burglars he confronted in his home. Detectives said the victim, named by neighbours as 47 year-old father-of-three James Napier, was subjected to a "shocking level of violence". Police ...
Tearful doctors tell girl her dad is dead.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... Byline: BY BEN GOLDBY & JONNY GREATREX IT was supposed to be a happy half-term holiday on the coast - but it ended in tragedy when the horrific M5 motorway accident claimed the life of a Birmingham dad. Last night, a mother and daughter from Edgbaston were recovering ...
It's boom time for BOND.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... Byline: BY LORNE JACKSON WHILST researching his latest academic treatise, Professor James Chapman worked long, hard hours. That didn't mean blowing the dust from the leather-bound covers of ancient Latin volumes. Or cracking open an imposing text on ...
Drink role model fear.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... A THIRD of children think adults who drink a bottle of wine in one night are normal, a survey by a leading kids' charity has revealed. Statistics by Life Education also show that 27 per cent of children think that people who drink beer would normally drink four pints, or six ...
crazy world.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... HUAINAN CITY, China: A taxi driver unwittingly became the getaway driver for a thief who burgled his home. The cab driver picked up his passenger from a bus stop near his house ....
Man shot at party.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... A GUNSHOT victim was in a serious condition last night after he was shot during a party. Detectives in Derby have launched an inquiry after the man was dumped at hospital yesterday morning with a gunshot wound to the top of his leg. The ...
Newsagent body find.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... A MURDER investigation was launched last night after a man's body was found in a newsagent's shop. Police were called by a member of the public at 7.30am yesterday to the ...
You blew it Mary.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... Byline: GEORGE TYNDALE ANYONE who watched the BBC drama about the life of Mary Whitehouse could not escape pondering whether the old clean-up TV campaigner was right after all. And of course she was. The unrestrained use of foul language, the graphic ...
PM is so lame he's no use to anyone.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... Byline: GEORGE TYNDALE HAVING a lame duck Prime Minister is a great boon - it means you can get what you want. If you don't like his new tax rules then you just get a few New Labour backbenchers to lean on him and - in a flash - Gordon changes his mind. ...
We need good old fashioned policing not pointless advertising.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... Byline: GEORGE TYNDALE AFTER a week of bloody carnage on our streets the Government has reacted - with an advertising campaign. It's spending pounds 3 million to warn teenagers that it is dangerous to carry a knife. As if there's a youngster in Britain who ...
No right to have kids.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... Byline: GEORGE TYNDALE The fertility industry becomes more farcical by the day. One of the latest deep frozen controversies centres on a woman from Stockport in Manchester who has had her eggs stored for the use of her daughter. This is because the ...
Real England.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... Byline: GEORGE TYNDALE THERE are just a few days left to make up your mind who you are going to support in Euro 2008. But for those who want to create those unique emotions associated with following England in a major ...
WANNABE MODEL IS SICK SEX PERVERT; EXCLUSIVE.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... Byline: BY BEN GOLDBY A BISEXUAL wannabe model has confessed to making sick sex images of children. Guy Vann, 19, from Evesham, Worcestershire, boasts on his social networking sites about his modelling dreams and says he is "more gay" than bisexual. But ...
Raining champ; TEEN IS BRITAIN'S GOT TALENT WINNER.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... Byline: BY JONNY GREATREX STREET dancer George Sampson splashed his way to glory - and pounds 100,000 - on ITV show Britain's Got Talent last night. The 14 year-old, from Warrington, sank to his knees and cried when he heard the result. His dance act, ...
When my son leaves home with the cash I save I"ll probably bath in ass"s milk.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... Byline: MIKE LOCKLY Look at this calculator! That, believe it or not, is how much our teenage son costs a month. And to think before we had him I wouldn't buy a golden retriever because I was worried about the vet bills. When he Xies the nest - ...
Night the lights went out in Chateau Lockley.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... Byline: MIKE LOCKLY DAD, can we flush the toilet?" We can, but it's one of the few household items that still function as Chateau Lockley is plunged into darkness, courtesy of a power cut. It came with a warning splutter before the electricity died completely during ...
Clowning around for real.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... Byline: MIKE LOCKLY MY cousin has ditched his job to pursue a new career as a clown. He's been on an intensive six weeks course at clown college where's he's learnt to chuck custard pies properly and make animal shapes out of balloons. He's paid a small ...
WHISPER It.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... Byline: MIKE LOCKLY WHISPER it, but but I've struggled to cope with household chores while the wife has been away. Cleaning and cooking I can do, but ironing has pushed me to the very brink of mental meltdown. There's been something of a heated set-to over ...
Brummies aim to get season back on track.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... Byline: By MIKE BERRY BIRMINGHAM bid to overcome both a stopstart opening to the season - and an omnipresent injury hoodoo - when they face Sheffield in the first leg of the Premier Trophy semi-final at Perry Barr on Wednesday night. The BRC Roofing Brummies have lost ...
SEE BRUMMIES FOR FREE.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... MERCURY Sport has teamed up with the BRC Roofing Brummies to offer ten fans the chance to see their heroes in action for free. The Brummies entertain the top-rated Sheffield Tigers in the Premier Trophy semifinal, first leg on Wednesday. The crunch match takes place ...
Weed thriller! STOUTE EYES EVEN MORE SUCCESS ON DERBY DAY.(Features)
Jun 01, 2008 ... Byline: By BOB DOWNING AT least one horse came out of the Derby equation for champion jockey in waiting Ryan Moore. But Sir Michael Stoute's No.1 rider still had the unenviable task of picking between two raiders from Fitzwarren Lodge and knowing that the same fate ...
Win tickets to see top women in action; BRITISH TENNIS LTA.(Competition/Offers)
Jun 01, 2008 ... SOME of the world's top women tennis stars will be warming up for Wimbledon with an outing at the DFS Classic tournament in Birmingham this month - and you could be watching. Mercury Sport has teamed up with the Lawn Tennis Association to offer three lucky readers tickets to the ...
I CAN TAKE THE HEAT; Wimbledon pressure no problem for Andy.(Sport)
Jun 01, 2008 ... Byline: FRANK MALLEY in Paris ANDY Murray raised his eyebrows and fixed the questioner with one of the most piercing glares in sport. The subject was Wimbledon and how he would cope with the pressure and expectation of a nation who for the first time in more than a ...
Fired-up Fed hits top gear.(Sport)
Jun 01, 2008 ... TOP seed Roger Federer was in irresistible mood as he sailed effortlessly into the fourth round of the French Open at Roland Garros with a 6-3 6-4 6-2 win over Mario Ancic. The 95-minute masterclass was a step up from his displays against Sam Querrey and Albert Montanes in the ...
CAP'N KELLY; Sotherton: I'd love to be Beijing skipper Beijing 2008.(Sport)
Jun 01, 2008 ... Byline: By NICK CLOWES NOT content with simply challenging for Olympic gold later this summer in Beijing - heptathlete Kelly Sotherton is now gunning for the top job of British team captain. The 31-year-old is convinced her outspoken manner will inspire Team GB to ...
BOBBY'S BRAIN TEASERS.(Sport)
Jun 01, 2008 ... Byline: Compiled by BOB BROWN AS the dust finally settles on the 2007-08 soccer season just how much can you remember? 1) Derby set a new record low for a Premier League relegated side by gaining how many points? 2) Who was named PFA Young Player of the ...
Cricket: IT'S GREEN FOR GO FOR BROWN; ROUND-UP Birmingham & District Premier Cricket League.(Sport)
Jun 01, 2008 ... BARNT Green maintained their place at the top of the table with a slender 16-run victory over visitors Moseley. And once again it was skipper Dougie Brown who took the man-of-the-match honours with a fine all-round display in a low-scoring contest. Batting first, ...
Ackerman leads the onslaught; LEICESTERSHIRE v GLAMORGAN.(Sport)
Jun 01, 2008 ... EXCELLENT contributions from four of Leicestershire's South African imports gave them a firm grip on their County Championship fixture against Glamorgan at Grace Road. By the close of the second day Leicestershire had the Welshmen on the back foot at a precarious 99 for six, ...
BEARS IN FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL; Duo dig in to hold off Gloucs GLOUCS v WARKS.(Sport)
Jun 01, 2008 ... Byline: GEORGE DOBELL at King's School WARWICKSHIRE'S top-order batting failed once again as Gloucestershire seized the initiative on the second day of the championship match at Archdeacon Meadow. A stubborn partnership between Jim Troughton and Ian Westwood gave the ...
PAIR PUT PEARS IN HUNT FOR FIRST WIN; WORCESTERSHIRE v ESSEX.(Sport)
Jun 01, 2008 ... Byline: CHRIS OLDNALL at New Road WORCESTERSHIRE will today continue their bid to win their first County Championship match of the season after Daryl Mitchell and Ben Smith put Essex under the cosh at New Road yesterday. Smith led the way with 71 - his second ...
Bellamy's keen to end on a high.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... AFTER missing virtually the last seven months recovering from a stomach operation, Craig Bellamy is aiming to end a depressing season with a bang in Rotterdam today. Bellamy made his comeback for Wales as a second-half substitute in the 1-0 win in Iceland on Wednesday. ...
NOTHING BUT THE LAST 8 IS ENOUGH; SAYS EX-VILLA AND WOLVES STAR DARIUSZ KUBICKI KTO WYGRA MECZ? POLSKA! (THAT'S WHO'S GOING TO WIN THE MATCH? POLAND!).(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... Byline: By ANDY WALKER England might not be there, but thousands of Midlanders from the burgeoning Polish community will be cheering on their team at Euro 2008. And the SUNDAY MERCURY will be following the Poles' progress as our adopted team for the tournament FORMER ...
REVIVAL SPARKS HOPES OF GOLDEN ERA; POLAND FACTFILE.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... ALTHOUGH they've twice finished third in the World Cup, Poland are in the finals of the European Championships for the first time. Under head coach Leo Beenhakker they could be on course for a return to the heady days of the Seventies and early Eighties when they were a force to ...
All aboard for a Euro adventure; OUR EXPERT EURO 2008.(Sport)
Jun 01, 2008 ... JAROSLAW Kaczynski will combine bus-driving for Tividale-based travel firm Diamond with steering the Sunday Mercury's Euro 2008 Poland bandwagon. The 31-year-old is from the town of Piekary Slaskie in southern Poland but has lived in Great Barr with wife Magolalena and son Jakub ...
Scolari: No Chelsea call.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... PORTUGAL boss Luiz Felipe Scolari claims Chelsea have made no contact with him over their managerial vacancy. The Brazilian has been heavily linked with the Stamford Bridge club since the departure of Avram Grant last weekend. Scolari is out of contract at the end of ...
Injury boost for Eduardo.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... ARSENAL striker Eduardo hopes he could be playing again as early as July after reporting excellent progress in his recovery from a broken leg. It was feared the Croatia international could be out for more than a year after suffering a double compound fracture of the left leg in ...
McLEISH NEEDS LIKE-LEE LADS! EXCLUSIVE: EX-BLUES SKIPPER ON BID FOR PROMOTION O'Connor: Carsley's a step in the right direction.(News)
Jun 01, 2008 ... Byline: By ANDY WALKER EX-BLUES skipper Martin O'Connor believes Alex McLeish's current squad aren't yet ready for the 'hustle and bustle' of the Championship. O'Connor, who played for Blues more than 200 times between 1996 and 2002, has pinpointed the spine of the ...