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12th. May 2003
MAN FACES MURDER BID CHARGE A man has been charged with attempted murder after a mother and her toddler daughter were seriously injured in an alleged hit-and-run in Stoke-on-Trent. Firefighters had to free the pair from underneath a Rover in Richmond Terrace. The woman, in her 30s, is comfortable in hospital and the 18-month-old's injuries are not life-threatening. The man is due to face Stoke magistrates. MP CONDEMNS HOSPITAL UNIT CUTS Mid-Worcestershire MP Peter Luff has condemned the decision to cut the number of staff in the minor injury unit at Evesham Community Hospital. The Tory MP said the idea to halve the two-person team was not included in a recent consultation document. He said extra pressure would be put on Worcestershire Royal Hospital as people with minor injuries would now go there. PROBE AFTER WOMAN HURT IN FALL Detectives investigating the suspected attempted murder of a Redditch woman are appealing for anyone who may have seen her in a pub before the attack. Police say the 36-year-old was drinking with her partner in the Kings Arms pub in Beoley Road. She was later found with injuries consistent with a fall. A 51-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the incident. MEP'S RACE AND SEX EQUALITY BID A West Midlands Labour MEP is to warn fellow EU member states they have just months left to comply with legislation on workplace race and sex equality. Former EastEnders actor Michael Cashman has welcomed the directive banning discrimination against UK Muslims as well as gays and lesbians. Jews, Sikhs and black people are already protected by UK legislation. CITY COMMUTERS URGED TO FOSTER Birmingham's commuters are being targeted in a new campaign to recruit foster parents to care for about 150 city children over the age of 10. Social Services' Fostering and Adoption Team will be distributing hundreds of leaflets in the city centre urging people to consider fostering. The campaign is part of the nationwide Fostering Fortnight recruitment drive. WOMAN ARRESTED AFTER DEATH A woman motorist has been arrested following the death of a pedestrian in Stoke-on-Trent. The 23-year-old man died after he was in collision with a white Peugeot 205 in Victoria Street, Hartshill. The Peugeot driver, who is in her 40s, has been released on police bail pending further inquiries, said Staffordshire Police. HEADSTONE SAFETY WORK TO RESUME Work to make safe ageing memorial stones in Stoke-on-Trent's cemeteries and crematoriums is to recommence later this month. The city council said it is required by law to lay flat or repair any unsafe stones which pose a danger. The authority has written to families affected. The work was halted after complaints they were not informed. POLICE CAR IN COLLISION Staffordshire Police are appealing for witnesses to a crash involving a patrol car and a motorcyclist. The collision happened at the junction of Argyle Road and Westminster Road in Leek. The officer driving the patrol vehicle was not injured, while the motorcyclist was treated for minor leg injuries at the scene. MINING TRIBUTE WILL STAND TALL Plans are under way to create a tribute to North Warwickshire's mining heritage which will be seen by thousands of motorists. The county council is planning a sculpture on the Pooley spoil heap in Polesworth, to be visible from the M42. It is hoped the Lottery-funded artwork will raise the profile of the Pooley Fields Heritage Centre. DRIVERS SHOULD GET DISCOUNT: MP Motorists who live near the M6 Toll should be offered a discount to use the route, according to Tory Lichfield MP Michael Fabricant. He said he is disappointed that all drivers will be charged the full £3 levy to use the 27-mile route through Staffordshire when a £1 discount ends. He said: "Local discounts would put something back into the community".
13th. May 2003
ASDA TO CREATE 500 JOBS Supermarket giant Asda is to create 500 jobs at a new distribution centre in Lutterworth, Leicestershire. The move is part of a "revolution" to its distribution network that will see a total of 1,200 new jobs UK-wide. Other jobs will be created in Falkirk, Grangemouth, Wigan and Wakefield. Asda will also move 500 jobs from Wigan to a new Skelmersdale distribution centre. 12-YEAR-OLD KILLED IN CRASH A 12-year-old girl has been killed in a collision with a car as she rode her bike home from school in Rugby. The 42-year-old female driver of a blue Renault Clio car was uninjured in the incident which happened on the B4429 Ashlawn Road. The young cyclist and car were travelling in the same direction and police are appealing for witnesses. MP TO OPEN CRIME STUDY CENTRE Shadow home secretary Oliver Letwin is to visit Birmingham to officially open a new academic centre dedicated to law and order research. The University of Central England hopes the new centre will promote a better understanding of problems with crime, policing, community safety and prisons. The centre aims to provide a bridge between theory and policy creation. VETERANS TO REMEMBER COMRADES Veterans of the Second World War campaign in North Africa are set to remember their comrades at the National Memorial Arboretum near Alrewas. The garden is marking the 60th anniversary of the Allies' victory over the Axis powers, which helped turn the tide of the conflict in their favour. The anniversary will be marked by the planting of a commemorative tree. TYRE FIRM SET TO CUT WORKFORCE Tyre giant Goodyear Dunlop is set to axe up to 122 jobs at its Wolverhampton plant over the next three months. The firm, which plans to reduce tractor tyre output at the plant, said up to 122 associates could be affected. Plant production director Andrew Harper said the farm tyre market has become increasingly dominated by low-cost suppliers from Eastern Europe. MAN CHARGED OVER HIT-AND-RUN A man has been charged in connection with a hit-and-run incident in Stoke-on-Trent which left a mother and toddler seriously injured. A 28-year-old local man will appear before magistrates in Stoke, accused of dangerous driving and other motoring offences, police said. The mother and her son had to be cut free following the crash in Shelton. LONELY HEARTS UP ON BILLBOARDS A Birmingham-based internet dating service is to advertise its eligible men and women on billboards. Passers-by who take a fancy to someone they see on the giant posters, which will be launched on May 26, can then contact Lovers2.com for more details. Managing director Dan Monteith said: "You can be out there on a billboard -or just an online browser." GIRL FIGHTS OFF ATTACKER A 17-year-old girl fought off a man who stalked and then tried to attack her in Oswestry, police have said. She was followed along Welsh Walls before the man chased and pinned her against a wall. She escaped by kneeing him in the groin and kicking his face. The attacker was white, in his early 20s, 6ft 2in, skinny, with short, brown hair which was spiky at the front. APPEAL ON MURDER ANNIVERSARY Detectives investigating the murder of a Walsall man have made a fresh appeal for help a year after he died. A memorial service was also held at Caldmore Church for Simon Medley, 26, who died from multiple stab wounds. Police said they are still looking for Jonathon Everton Bailey, who also goes by the nickname "Famous", in connection with Mr Medley's murder. FANS CHARGED AFTER PLAY-OFF Seventeen football fans have been charged over incidents at the Nationwide Conference play-off final at Stoke City's Britannia Stadium. Staffordshire Police said the men, mainly from the Doncaster area, would appear before magistrates in Fenton. Doncaster Rovers won the match against Dagenham & Redbridge with a golden goal that sparked a pitch invasion. 14th. May 2003
JOBLESS FIGURE RISES BY 10,000 The jobless figure for the West Midlands rose by 10,000 in the three months January to March, compared with the previous quarter. The number of people out of work stood at 156,000, according to the latest official figures. The unemployment rate was 6%. The number of people out of work nationally stood at 1.5 million. TRUSTS BID FOR FLAGSHIP STATUS Two health trusts in the West Midlands are among the first 29 being considered to run flagship foundation hospitals. University Hospital Birmingham NHS Trust and Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust have both been named as candidates for the scheme. They now face further Government tests, after being successful in their preliminary applications. BODY MAY BE BOMB SUSPECT Israeli authorities are examining a badly decomposed body of a man washed up on the shore at Tel Aviv to see if it is Derby man Omar Khan Sharif. The 27-year-old is believed to be the accomplice of a suicide bomber who killed three people at a Tel Aviv bar. Asif Hanif, 21, from Hounslow, west London, set off explosives, killing himself, a waitress and two musicians. POLICE HOLD 14 AFTER RAIDS West Mercia Police have arrested 14 people during an operation targeting violent offenders and those involved in auto-crime and drug-dealing. The suspects were held after more than 50 officers launched several raids in Bromsgrove, Redditch and Wyre Forest. The initiative, dubbed Operation Acorn, was the culmination of several weeks of intelligence-gathering. MAN FOUND WITH SERIOUS INJURIES A man is critically ill in hospital after he was discovered lying in a pool of blood on a street in Walsall. The 35-year-old was found collapsed with a serious head injury on the Springfield estate and was taken to the Russells Hall Hospital. He was last seen at the Boat House pub in Daw End Lane. Witnesses are asked to contact Walsall police on 0845 1135000. SHORT TO WRITE CABINET MEMOIRS Clare Short, Labour MP for Birmingham Ladywood, plans to write a book about her experiences as a Cabinet minister, her son has revealed. Toby Graham said the memoirs would expose "major deficiencies in our country's checks and balances". Ms Short resigned from the Cabinet on Monday, attacking PM Tony Blair's "presidential" style of Government. MAN HIT BY GLASS IN NIGHTCLUB A man may lose the sight in one eye after being hit by a glass thrown in a nightclub in Rugby, police have said. The 27-year-old local man was with friends in the Walkabout nightclub when he was hit by the glass, causing serious injuries to his face and eye. He needed a total of 50 stitches for a cut to his eyeball, a broken bone in his face and various other injuries. TEXT MESSAGE COURSE 'AN INSULT' A course teaching adults how to send text messages has been condemned as a waste of taxpayers' money by Sutton Coldfield Tory MP Andrew Mitchell. The Learning and Skills Council is running the course as part of its initiative to get adults into learning. Mr Mitchell described the idea "an insult" to taxpayers and schools battling education cuts. EXAM STRESS RESEARCH CONDUCTED Research conducted by Coventry University has found 8% of young people have entertained suicidal thoughts brought on by the stress of exams. The study found more than half of the A-level students interviewed found exams very or extremely stressful. The small number of suicidal teenagers also reported heavy drinking, drug taking and argumentative behaviour. CCTV INCREASE SEES CRIME FALL Increased CCTV camera coverage has had an "instant and highly positive" effect on crime reduction in Leamington Spa, a council spokesman said. Non-stop monitoring of 150 cameras in Leamington, Kenilworth and Warwick has seen a 5% drop in reported incidents. Warwickshire Police also reported a 60% increase in their awareness of major incidents, such as violent attacks.
15th. May 2003 TRUST TOPS 999 RESPONSE TIMES Staffordshire Ambulance Trust has the country's best emergency response times, according to a new report. Paramedics reached 86% of calls to people with life-threatening injuries within eight minutes. Shropshire and Staffordshire Strategic Health Authority found that hospitals in both counties ensured 90% of A&E patients were seen within four hours. FIRMS FINED OVER WASTE EXCESS Two Worcester firms have been fined a total of more than £20,000 after they were caught flouting waste regulations. Floor manufacturer Tarkett Sommer and Rigidal, which makes metal roofs, failed to comply with laws calling on firms to recycle more of their rubbish. Both pleaded guilty to charges under the Producer Responsibility Regulations before Worcester magistrates. FORCE WELCOMES SCHEME EXTENSION West Midlands Police has welcomed news that the on-the-spot fine scheme it piloted is to be extended nationally. Home Secretary David Blunkett has agreed to give every force the power to punish yobbish behaviour and minor offences to the tune of £80. West Midlands Police says that since the pilot started in August last year, 1,854 such notices have been issued. TRUSTS BID FOR FLAGSHIP STATUS Two health trusts in the West Midlands are among the first 29 being considered to run flagship foundation hospitals. University Hospital Birmingham NHS Trust and Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust have both been named as candidates for the scheme. They now face further Government tests, after being successful in their preliminary applications. MINISTER PRAISES SOFTWARE FIRMS E-Commerce Minister Stephen Timms has praised two West Midlands software firms during a visit to the world's largest computer games fair. Mr Timms said he was delighted that 36 UK firms - including Blitz Games of Leamington and Halesowen's All Star Gaming - attended the E3 event in LA. "British developers are renowned for creativity and innovation," he said. 16th. May 2003
DAUGHTERS APPEAL FOR HELP The daughters of a Walsall licensee who was murdered during a burglary to steal the safe at his pub have made a public appeal to catch his killers. Michael Hughes, 59, was found dead on April 27 in the Royal Oak, Pelsall, after suffering severe head injuries. Lisa Hadgcraft, 37, and her sister Sharon, 40, said the death of their father had devastated the family. JURY CONSIDERING DRIVER VERDICT The jury in the trial of a Birmingham drink-driver accused of ramming and killing two policemen in Leicestershire is resuming its deliberations. Stafford Crown Court heard Leayon Dudley ploughed into their patrol car after a 50-mile chase to Worthington. Dudley, 39, pleads not guilty to the murder or manslaughter of Pcs Andrew Munn and Bryan Moore. NHS TRUST FACES PROSECUTION A hospital trust is facing prosecution over the deaths of two patients at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. Pensioner Edmund White died during an operation and Rita Langley, 72, died after falling from an insecure window, both in April 2002. The University Hospital Birmingham NHS Trust is to face Birmingham magistrates on May 23 on health and safety charges. MAN DIES AFTER DIGGER ACCIDENT A 40-year-old man from Sutton Coldfield has died after being struck by an industrial digger. The victim was airlifted to hospital after the accident which happened while he was working at commercial premises in Water Orton, Warwickshire. The man, who has not been named, is understood to have suffered fatal head and chest injuries. WOMAN DIES AFTER TV FIRE An elderly Birmingham woman has died of suspected smoke inhalation after her television caught fire. West Midlands Fire Service said the victim had been unable to escape from her house in The Oaks, Buckland End. A spokesman said televisions had been known to catch fire while on standby and should be unplugged before owners go to bed at night. TWO ARRESTED AFTER BANK RAIDS Police have arrested two men as part of inquiries into bank raids committed across Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Shropshire and the North West. The men, aged 29 and 40, were detained by officers involved in Operation Robust, a probe into 11 robberies. The younger suspect was detained on Merseyside while the older man was arrested in Milton Keynes, said police. NURSE STRUCK OFF REGISTER A 53-year-old Worcestershire nurse who assaulted elderly patients has been removed from the professional register. Siew Kim Franks, of Eardisley, was found guilty of misconduct by the Nursing and Midwifery Council. A committee heard how Mrs Franks slapped a patient in 1991 or 1992 and in 1997 and was convicted in 1999 of assaulting two patients by beating. BLAIR URGED TO PICK CITY West Midlands Labour MEP Michael Cashman has urged the Government to nominate Birmingham as the 2008 European Capital of Culture. His call came after a meeting with PM Tony Blair to put the city's case. "After the disappointment of losing the Millennium and the National Stadium, Birmingham deserves to be the European Capital of Culture," he said. WARNING OVER TRAVELLING TRADERS Trading standards chiefs in Coventry are warning members of the public not to buy potentially dangerous furniture being sold by travelling traders. Consumer protection officers said the suites, which are being sold from the backs of vans by door-to-door callers, are falsely described as leather. The suites do not comply with fire regulations and could be dangerous. PILOT CRASHES INTO POWER LINES A pilot was airlifted to hospital after his aircraft crashed into overhead power lines serving the West Coast Main Line in Staffordshire. The man, in his 60s, suffered serious burns after the motorised handglider burst into flames near Yarnfield. Network Rail said the line was closed temporarily while engineers carried out emergency repairs.
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