|
    QUICK LINKS TO THE SITE NEWS
ENTERTAINMENT
MOTORS
ARCHIVE ARTICLES AND REFERENCE
WHERE TO STAY
PROPERTY TO RENT
INFORMATION
BUSINESS
FEATURES
DETAILS OF OUR ADVERTISING & DESIGN PACKAGES 101 EVENT
& SPORTING PACKAGES
We've
got some great images to choose from and it's all COMPLETELY FREE !!!
NEW INTER-ACTIVE ZONE Click here to subscribe to our RE-VAMPED FREE NEWSLETTER to find out what's new and what's happening NEW...NEW...NEW...NEW Is there something you want to know about Birmingham
and the Midlands, but don't know who to ask ? Are you trying to trace
long-lost family members or friends?
Jobs at Birmingham101.com We are looking for sales people to work for us selling to businesses and individuals in the West Midlands on a casual, hours to suit basis. For details click here to e-mail us.
|
WOMAN DIES IN VINTAGE CAR CRASH A woman in her 50s has died after the vintage car she was travelling in crashed near Lichfield. The victim's husband, also thought to be in his 50s, escaped with serious but non life-threatening injuries when the Reilly Tourer left the A38 at Weeford. A police spokesman said it is unclear why the car crashed, but it is thought no other vehicle was involved. THOUSANDS HEAD FOR ROYAL SHOW
Tens of thousands of visitors are due at the first day of the 2002 Royal Show in Warwickshire after a two-year gap caused by the foot-and-mouth outbreak. Police said more than 200,000 are due at the four-day show at the National Agricultural Centre, Stoneleigh. Visitors should take simple safety measures against theft and traffic delays are inevitable, police said. MINISTER OPENS CARDIAC CENTRE Health Minister John Hutton is visiting Birmingham to officially open Europe's largest cardiac critical care centre. The £4.3m centre, at the city's Queen Elizabeth Hospital, can accommodate up to 33 seriously ill coronary patients. The new cardiac critical care centre and two new cardiac theatres have enabled 26 heart operations in the city per week. 'LEAKING PIT' ALERT BY MP An urgent inquiry into suggestions that one of Britain's biggest foot-and-mouth burial pits may be leaking has been demanded by a Worcestershire MP. Tory Peter Luff said a contractor who helped build the Throckmorton pit in his Mid-Worcestershire constituency told him it was not prepared properly. People living nearby have been struck down by sore throats, he added. MURDER PROBE INTO GUN DEATH A murder inquiry has been launched into the death of a man who is thought to have suffered gunshot wounds at a house in Birmingham, police have revealed. The victim, yet to be identified, was found with chest injuries at a house in Simmons Drive, Quinton. A police spokesman said: "At this early stage there's no clear motive and we are appealing for witnesses." MISSING BOLT 'NO SAFETY DANGER' Railtrack has insisted safety was not compromised after claims a missing track bolt was not replaced for three days in Staffs despite concerns raised. The fault was spotted on the Chase Line between Birmingham and Rugeley in Cannock by ex-rail engineer Anthony Ryczek, who reported it to Railtrack. Railtrack said the missing bolt would not have rendered the track unsafe. NEW DRIVE FOR CANCER SCREENING Health chiefs are launching a £200,000 campaign in Birmingham to encourage more Asian women to be screened for cervical and breast cancers. The initiative, targeted mainly at Pakistani and Bangladeshi women, is being set up in nine wards in the city. A spokesman said early detection and treatment of the diseases would make a big impact on survival rates. MEP FIGHTS ASSEMBLY PLANS West Midlands MEP Philip Bradbourn has vowed to tour the region to express his opposition to plans for regional assemblies in England. The Tory Euro MP said the proposed new bodies would destroy hundreds of years of history and tradition by taking powers away from county councils. He said: "There will be no empowering of the West Midlands by an assembly". BRAVE POLICEMEN ARE RECOGNISED Two West Mercia police officers are being recognised for their bravery by a newspaper after arresting a gunman who opened fire in a busy street. PCs Shaun Lewis and Matt Dyson disarmed gunman James Matthews and restrained him, following the incident in Barnt Green, Worcestershire, in April 2001. Matthews, serving a five-year prison term, was armed with four rifles. TRANSPORT AUTHORITY COMMENDED The West Midlands Passenger Transport Authority has been commended in finishing as a runner-up at this year's National Transport Awards. The award recognised excellence in design, implementation and management of transport projects. An authority spokesman said it proved the body has succeeded in developing a system to deliver economic benefit.
ROYAL VISIT
PRINCE OPENS ROYAL SHOW The Prince of Wales has opened the UK's premier agricultural show at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire. Thousands of people are expected at the Royal Show for four days of exhibitions proving UK farming is recovering after last year's foot-and-mouth crisis. In his speech opening the show Charles paid tribute to the work of those involved in the "horrors" of 2001.
'GOOD LIFE' COUPLE WIN AWARD A couple who abandoned suburbia to live off the land in a protected woodland are among winners of a wildlife award at the Royal Show in Warwickshire. Hugh Ross and Carolyn Church, who live in Rawhaw Wood, Kettering, are among 14 regional winners to pick up awards from the Food and Farming Commission. The English Nature-sponsored awards are now in their sixth year. £3.25m AWARD FOR OVERDOSE ERROR A £3.25m settlement on behalf of a Bromsgrove teenager who was given a drug overdose four weeks after his birth has been approved by a court. The High Court in Birmingham approved the award against the Birmingham and Black Country Health Authority. Wayne Heathcote, 13, was left with serious brain damage after the error at Sutton Coldfield's Good Hope Hospital. BABY SNATCH GIRL FACES PRISON A West Midlands teenager who abducted a twin baby from the foot of her mother's bed in a hospital maternity unit has been warned that she could face prison. Wolverhampton Crown Court Judge Robin Onions adjourned sentence on Kelly Oldnall while further psychiatric and psychological tests are carried out. The 18-year-old pleaded guilty at a previous hearing to taking the baby. PRINCESS ROYAL AT CONFERENCE A national bereavement conference at the University of Warwick is to hear testimonies of how September 11 has affected the lives of Americans. The Princess Royal is due to address delegates at the Victim Support national conference. Delegates are due to hear from US-based support organisations of how survivors coped with the terror attack aftermath. £2m TO FUND WAR ON DRUGS The country's most drug-afflicted communities, including those in the West Midlands, have received cash from the Government to fight street crime. The 10 worst affected police forces, which are responsible for dealing with 82% of street crime, will share a £20m handout, the Home Office has announced. The West Midlands force is set to receive a total of £2,112,612. BLITZ ON FARM ACCIDENT RISKS Health and Safety Executive officials have begun a blitz on Shropshire farms in a bid to cut the toll of fatal accidents in the agricultural sector. The HSE said its inspectors are to hold a week-long operation comprising of field checks and yard inspections after a rise in farming-related injuries. Areas being visited include Bridgnorth, Much Wenlock, Ludlow and Craven Arms. MISSING TEENAGER FOUND A 15-year-old Kidderminster girl who ran off with a divorced man nearly twice her age has been found after a tip-off from a member of the public. Police said Stacey Dixon was discovered "safe and well" at an address in her home town. She had been missing from her home for 12 days. A man has been arrested and is helping police with their inquiries. WOMAN FOUND BY ROAD IDENTIFIED A woman whose body was found on a dual carriageway has been identified as that of an 18-year-old. Warwickshire Police said the body was discovered on the southbound A444 near Bedworth, but are not releasing her identity until relatives are informed. A spokeswoman said post-mortem tests showed the woman died from injuries consistent with being hit by a truck. MAN DIES AFTER STAG NIGHT FALL A 21-year-old Dudley man who fell through a roof while on a stag night last month has died in hospital. Tom Wilkes plunged through a roof into Worcester's wholesale fruit market in Cromwell Street, where he was found by a member of staff two days later. A West Mercia Police spokesman confirmed Mr Wilkes had died at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. TRIBUTE TO INDUSTRIAL HEARTLAND The Queen has turned back the clock to the time of her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria and spoken of the industrial West Midlands. On her Golden Jubilee visit to Birmingham, the Queen referred to Victoria's diary of a trip to the region in 1832 when she was young. "This region was central to Britain's industrial revolution," the Queen said. During her visit, The Queen officially opened Millennium Point and then crossed Millennium Square to plant a rose tree outside Curzon Street Station, the historic building soon to be home to the Royal College of Organists. The Royal Party later went to Centenary Square and the visit concluded with a special concert in Symphony Hall.
 CLICK
HERE FOR VIDEO OF THE QUEEN IN BIRMINGHAM
MAN ARRESTED OVER PAEDOPHILIA A 58-year-old man from Northamptonshire who runs an electronic security company has been arrested in raids designed to smash an international paedophile ring. Officers from the National Hi-tech Crime Unit spent a year investigating the internet-based ring that called itself the Shadowz Brotherhood. Officers raided homes in six countries, seizing dozens of computers. BEST FOOT FORWARD FOR DEBATE Experts on sustainable transport are at Staffordshire University to discuss how to convince policy makers of the benefits of walking. The fifth annual walking conference is organised by the Centre for Alternative and Sustainable Transport. It will look at the advantages of walking for economic, health, transport and environmental reasons. PUB MEETING FOR BISHOPS The Bishops of Worcester and Hereford are due to launch a new rural tourism initiative in a pub. The Go West scheme is to be announced at a Knightwick pub by Rt Rev John Oliver, Bishop of Hereford, and Rt Rev Dr Peter Selby, Bishop of Worcester. As part of the scheme, a new series of leaflets is designed to boost tourism and business in the Teme Valley. LEGION IN BID FOR MEMORIAL The Royal British Legion has entered negotiations to buy Staffordshire's National Memorial Arboretum. The arboretum, near Alrewas, is a tribute to those affected by wars from the First World War to modern wars. A British Legion spokesman said it will reinforce the connection between the legion, work for ex-service people, the two-minute silence and the poppy. CALL FOR END TO 'OBSCENE' VAT A Tory MP has called for an end to "obscene" VAT charges on tributes for Britain's war dead at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. Michael Fabricant, MP for Lichfield, said Customs and Excise is "taxing" those honoured at the site near Alrewas to the tune of £25,000 per year. He called a VAT exemption on donations to fund memorials at the site. ROYAL PRAISE FOR VOLUNTEERS The Princess Royal has given a speech in Warwickshire thanking the volunteers who counselled those who lost loved ones in the September 11 attacks. Princess Anne was addressing delegates at the national conference of Victim Support, of which she is president. Those assembled at the University of Warwick also heard personal testimonies from counsellors directly involved. CAR CRASH QUIZ DRIVER BAILED A motorist being quizzed about a crash in Shropshire in which three people died has been freed on bail by police. The man was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving after the accident near Bridgnorth. All those killed were passengers in a red BMW which left the A458 and struck a tree. The driver and two other occupants escaped with minor injuries. CRACKDOWN ON DANGEROUS RIDERS High-speed motorcyclists who put themselves and other road users in danger are being targeted in a new crackdown by Warwickshire Police. The force, along with colleagues from seven other constabularies, has a team of 30 motorcycle officers who will work to improve safety. The action is in respose to a rising number of accidents involving bikes. GREYHOUNDS' KENNELS GET REVAMP A group of 30 ex-racing greyhounds are moving out of their Warwickshire rescue home as building work begins to transform it into a flagship centre. The National Canine Defence League's Kenilworth centre is undergoing a facelift to provide facilities such as a training barn and surgical suite. The dogs will be moved to the charity's other homes while work is carried out. ROYAL VISIT
SON CONVICTED OF MURDER ATTEMPT A Shropshire man who blamed his mother for an unhappy childhood has been convicted of attempting to kill her. John Latus, of Wroxeter, attacked his mother, Christine Artiss, with an axe at her home in Denbighshire, Wales. Latus, 31, will be sentenced when the Chester Crown Court jury returns its verdict on whether he also decapitated Julian Sanders, a 20-year-old friend. TWO-YEAR-OLD DIES IN ACCIDENT A two-year-boy has been killed in a road accident in Birmingham after he wandered out between parked cars. The boy suffered fatal injuries when he was in collision with a Nissan Micra in Winson Green. He was pronounced dead when taken to City Hospital. The 20-year-old motorist involved is a local woman who was uninjured but is suffering from shock. FRESH APPEAL OVER CANAL DEATH Police have made a fresh appeal to trace the last movements of a man whose body was found in a Birmingham canal. Reza Eshagi, who went missing from his home in Handsworth on June 24, was last seen in the city's Centenary Square at about 1pm the following day. The 22-year-old's body was found in the Birmingham and Worcester Canal. The cause of his death was drowning. HOSPITAL TO GET CANCER CASH A Coventry hospital is to benefit from a £70m national package to improve the treatment of cancer patients. Walsgrave Hospital will receive a new linear accelerator, which utilises high energy radiation beams to destroy cancerous tumours. The accelerator provides more reliable and effective treatment than older machines, health experts have said. BEER AND MARMITE FOR ROYAL PAIR Beer and Marmite were on the menu for the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh as they continued their two-day Golden Jubilee tour of the West Midlands. At Burton-on-Trent, home of Bass National Museum of Brewing, the Royal couple were presented with two special brews to mark their visit. They also visited the Marmite factory and the National Arboretum at Alrewas. MP'S WARNING OVER NEW ID CARDS Walsall North MP David Winnick has warned Home Secretary David Blunkett's proposed entitlement cards will later become compulsory ID cards for all. "My fear is that it will escalate into a compulsory card," Mr Winnick said. The cards will contain a computer chip, capable of recording a photograph and fingerprints along with information on home address and date of birth. TWO INJURED IN STREET ATTACK Two men required hospital treatment for facial injuries after they were assaulted on a Blaby street. The two men, aged 36 and 30, were attacked on the junction of Sycamore Street and Cross Street in the town. Leicestershire police are appealing for information and want to hear from anyone who saw their two attackers running off. STRIKE 'WILL NOT HIT AIRPORT' Passengers travelling through Birmingham Airport are expected to escape disruption caused by an expected baggage handlers' strike over pay. GMB union members at the UK's busiest airports are expected to walk out at the end of the month. But Birmingham Airport said it does not expect to be hit by the dispute as its workers are not GMB members. MP CALLS FOR SIKH IDENTITY Birmingham Perry Barr MP Khalid Mahmood has demanded full recognition for Sikhs as a distinct racial group with a separate cultural identity. "What we need... is that recognition in terms of national government and local government," Mr Mahmood said. In the Commission for Racial Equality's code, Sikhs have the same status as other ethnic and racial groups. COMMITTEES FACE CASH AXE A crisis-hit West Midlands council is in talks with residents' committees over their future without £14m in Government regeneration grants. Walsall Council was slammed in recent Government inspections and told to take drastic action to avoid being taken over by the private sector. Seven committees will be affected by the grant losses. BODY DISCOVERED IN COPSE Detectives have launched a murder inquiry after a man's body was found in a copse in Warwickshire. The discovery was made in woodland off Grafton Lane, near Bidford-on-Avon, by a local man working in the area. A post-mortem examination of the body of the man, who was white and aged about 30, is due to be carried out, a police spokesman said. SEVEN-HOUR WAIT FOR TRAIN USERS Passengers were stranded for seven hours on a train in Staffordshire after the brakes jammed, it has emerged. At least 100 people on the Manchester to Birmingham service were left with no working toilets as power failed during the stoppage near Penkridge. A Virgin Trains spokeswoman apologised for the delay, and said an inquiry into the incident is under way. MURDER JURY TO CONSIDER VERDICT The jury in the case of a Wolverhampton prostitute accused of murdering her 75-year-old client is expected to begin considering its verdict. Birmingham Crown Court has heard that Faye Thorneycroft, 20, killed Anthony Shelley at his Stafford home so she could steal his life savings, Thorneycroft has admitted manslaughter but denies murder. MURDER TRIAL JURY DISCHARGED A Shropshire man accused of murdering a trainee welder before dumping his decapitated body is to face a retrial after a jury failed to reach a verdict. John Latus, 31, of Wroxeter,is accused of murdering Julian Sanders, whose head and body was found in a park. The jury at Chester Crown Court was discharged and Latus was remanded in custody until the retrial. MAN JAILED OVER VAT SCAM A Birmingham man has been jailed for seven years for masterminding a massive scam to swindle £39m in VAT. David Withers, 46, of Sutton Coldfield, was one of four men who carried out a scam to dodge VAT payments on computer chips, Birmingham Crown Court heard. Withers got seven years, co-defendant Paul Burke, 38, of Walsall, got three years and two others were also jailed. SKYDIVE FOR NETWORK FUNDS The co-ordinator of the County Rural Stress Network in Worcestershire is due to take a giant leap for the group. Diana Need, of Malvern, will be joined by her daughter Amanda and her friend Heather Joyce when she undertakes a 10,000ft skydive over Shropshire. The Rural Stress Network offers free and confidential support. For more details contact 01905 381818. YACHT TRAGEDY INQUEST OPENS An inquest into the death of a West Midlands student killed while sailing has heard another trip across the same stretch of water had no difficulties. Carol Smith, 26, of Tamworth, James Chew, 22, and Chris McMenemy, 26, drowned while crossing the North Sea. The three students and Adam Clackson, 58, perished after the 28-foot Tuila vanished during the trip in July 2000. SPECIAL STATUS FOR 26 SCHOOLS School Standards Minister David Miliband has announced that 26 more schools in the West Midlands are to be granted specialist status. Announcing the new specialist schools, Mr Miliband said: "We have reached a real milestone with more than one million pupils in specialist schools." The Specialist Schools Programme began with Technology Colleges in 1994. CONCERN GROWS FOR MISSING MAN Police are growing increasingly concerned for the health and safety of a 29-year-old Bromsgrove man who has been missing from home for six days. Daniel Pugh, whose wife is six months pregnant, was last seen leaving the Turks Head pub in Bromsgrove. Mr Pugh was wearing a black leather jacket, a blue and white checked shirt, blue jeans and black shoes. LORD MAYOR BACKS GUIDE DOG DAY The Lord Mayor of Coventry Ken Taylor will support a fundraising day
for the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association. Mr Taylor is backing the
Shades For A Day initiative by opening the All Souls Primary School fete
in Chapelfields. The parents, helpers, teachers and pupils will wearing
sunglasses all day to highlight the forthcoming national initiative on
July 16.
We are Members of the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce If you wish to contact us either : PHONE 0121 444
4723
or E-Mail us on :
Do you want to link to our site ? Feel free to use the Image below , let us know and we'll give a return link.
BACK TO BIRMINGHAM101 HOME PAGE
|
We
can now offer a whole range of top quality ticket / hospitality packages
to
many of the most prestigious sports events such as Twickenham, Rockingham,
major golfing tournaments, as well as some superb sporting holidays. Ideal
for individuals or businesses.....
The royal party will be
arriving at Millennium Square at 11.45am and departing at 2.30pm. The
Queen will cross Millennium Square to plant a rose tree outside Curzon
Street Station, the historic building soon to be home to the Royal College
of Organists. From 4pm, there will be entertainment in Centenary Square
with the opportunity to see The Queen at 6pm. The evening will be spent
at a special concert in Symphony Hall.
