A THUG pointed a gun at a terrified teenager and threatened to pull the trigger during a robbery at a Bromley Cross newsagent last night. The raider held the gun at the 18-year-old girl's head and ordered her to hand over the cash. The robber, and an
A BRAVE Bolton bachelor is set to celebrate his birthday tonight - shopping in his birthday suit. Stephen Sutcliffe, who turns 33 today, is set to stun fellow shoppers at the Costcutter supermarket in Boothstown when he goes starkers through the aisles
A NORTH-WEST hospital which pioneered joint replacement surgery is still leading the field. A Government report praises the role played by the Centre of Excellence at Wrightington Hospital, which treats many patients from the Bolton area. Hip replacement
BRAVE relatives of a dad who died from the human form of mad cow disease want to help stop others contracting the killer. Graham Wood, 39, lost his long fight for life in October, after developing the brain-wasting illness CJD. The Kearsley father-of-two
MORE than 100 MPs have called for a tighter controls on nurseries to prevent tragedies - similar to the drowning of a local toddler in Belmont 20 months ago. Chorley MP Lindsay Hoyle has put down the Commons motion which criticises the owners of the Belmont
THE Oldham Coliseum is proof positive of the maxim that nothing succeeds like success. At a time when Bolton's Octagon Theatre is fighting for its life, the Coliseum is pulling in the punters. Reports that average ticket sales last season hit 77pc is
LEISURE giant Butlins has more than 2,200 job vacancies in its Family Entertainment Resorts. There has been a £139m investment and redevelopment programme at locations in Minehead, Bognor Regis and Skegness. During the next month Butlins will be touring
Sticky There was a bloke called Sticky, Who would sit and moan all day. If anybody mentioned work, He'd cry and faint away. A whinge about no money, Or the rising cost of food. But if his wallet had to open, It would put him in a mood. He lived just like
ANGRY traders fear a major facelift of their market could put them out of business before it is even finished. The £500,000 programme at Farnworth Market is being carried out in a bid to boost trade. But stallholders claim that the work is putting off
CRIME conscious car owners are backing an Evening News sponsored scheme to put the brake on car thieves. An incredible 185 motorists have joined a crime prevention initiative in just six days since the BEN revealed details of the scheme's re-launch. Readers
BEEF could soon be back on the menu in Bolton schools. Councillors will today consider lifting the beef ban imposed over four years ago. Beef was taken off the menu in December 1995 at the height of fears over humans contracting mad cow disease through
25 YEARS AGO A PUBLIC house at Lostock was in danger of having to close tonight because flooding in the cellars has ruined more than 150 gallons of beer. Trouble began at the Junction Hotel, Lostock Junction Lane, two days ago, when the recent heavy rains
Runs until February 6. THE menace of AIDS was never far away in a play focusing on the lives of a group of homosexuals in Toronto, Canada. Matt (Ben Daniels) and Rachel (Ruth Lass) are two thirty-something cartoonists, searching for a fulfilling relationship
BOLTON headteachers have given Bolton council top marks for services such as school dinners, which they rate amongst the best in the country. The accolade for the education department came during a detailed survey of council services. And councillors
A LARGE turnout is expected for the funeral of the man who served as parish priest at St Mary's RC Church, Radcliffe, for 30 years. Father John Curran, of Stainton Road, Radcliffe, died suddenly on Sunday in North Manchester General Hospital at the age
BOLTON'S accident and emergency unit needs at least eight more doctors and 13 more nurses to cope with a rising tide of patients. An independent external audit report into the funding and staffing levels of Royal Bolton Hospital unit reveals a chronic
A FRANTIC eight-hour search for an intensive care bed for a Bolton grandmother went from Chorley to Sheffield, to Pontefract, to Newcastle, and finally on to Huddersfield. A helicopter was even chartered during the desperate hunt to take the critically
DEAN Holdsworth has given Colin Todd a selection headache as the Wanderers boss continues to plot a course back to the Premiership . . . and no-one is happier than the manager himself. A double strike in Saturday's 2-1 win at Sheffield United vindicated
BRYAN Griffith has made a new start after leaving Bolton Council through ill-health. Mr Griffith, aged 42, who lives with his family in Springfield Road, Bolton, has established 'B' Clean Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning - with advice, help and training
HOBBYCRAFT - the national chain which has an outlet on the Bolton Gate Retail Park - has reported a successful Christmas trading period. The company, which opened its first superstore in Bournemouth in 1995, says sales for the seven-week Christmas period
DEAN Holdsworth has given Colin Todd a selection headache as the Wanderers boss continues to plot a course back to the Premiership . . . and no-one is happier than the manager himself. A double strike in Saturday's 2-1 win at Sheffield United vindicated
SOMETHING must be done. Today's story about how a grandmother waited in a recovery room of an operating theatre at the Royal Bolton Hospital until a bed was found for her in Huddersfield, highlights once again the parlous state of the Health Service.
