HOW good it was to see that other people feel the way I do about the old Odeon Theatre. Many thanks to S Dunn and P Williams for writing in with their views, but, come on, people of Bolton, I am sure there must be lots of you out there who would, given
WE at Help the Aged were appalled to read in the article, 'Pensioner Robbed By Two Conmen In Her Own Home', that an older woman in Edgworth was targeted by bogus gas men. Stories like this can raise the fear of crime so we would like to offer useful advice
THE admission by Government minister Kim Howells that he cleared registered sex offender Paul Reeve to work in a school will aid Education Secretary Ruth Kelly's case. It will not, however, let the Bolton West MP completely off the hook. Too many people
CLLR Ball's support for the proposed development on the site of the former Atlantis night club (Letters, December 29) has prompted me to wonder how much time he has spent in the offices of Bolton at Home, listening to the steady procession of people trying
STANDIANS managed to hold out for their win at Ringley Road on Saturday, but not before demonstrating that they are only consistent at being inconsistent! Time and time again this season they have thrown away leads through no fault but their own, and
DEFIANT Ruth Kelly insisted today that she would not resign as Education Secretary. As the row continued over the employment of sex offenders in schools, Ms Kelly vowed to make sure mistakes did not happen again. And in an exclusive interview with the
AMIR Khan faces his first overseas opponent since turning professional when he meets Vitali Martynov later this month. The Bolton teenager will take on the Belarus boxer at Nottingham, on Saturday, January 28, in his first fight over six rounds. Martynov
DETECTIVES have launched an appeal for witnesses to an armed attack which led to three youths suffering head injuries. They were set upon by a group of men brandishing weapons, including baseball bats, outside the Avasarnie sandwich shop, at the junction
Bolton Wanderers fended off competition from a number of Premiership rivals on Friday, when they signed former Blackbrun striker, Matt Jansen, on a contract until the end of the season. The 28-year-old, who was released by Rovers on Wednesday, could go
STELIOS shakes his head in bewilderment at the injustice of it. Robbie Savage, a player who plays as if it is his duty to live up to his name and his reputation every time he steps on to a football field, has never been shown a red card in club football
WHITEFIELD-based rugby league outfit Swinton Lions have added two more faces to their 2006 squad. In come stand off/loose forward Martin Moana, the Lions' first Antipodean for two years, who moves to Park Lane from Doncaster, while former Swinton Academy
RESIDENTS are being warned against being tricked by bogus council tax valuation officers. A pensioner from Radcliffe has already been robbed by a smartly-dressed duo, and others have also made complaints. Police are urging residents in the borough to
BLACKPOOL chairman Karl Oyston has named Latvian businessman Valeri Belokon as the 'most credible' candidate to spearhead a takeover at the League One club. Oyston, who took joint control at Bloomfield Road in March 1999, met with Belokon earlier this
A BOLTON father is to thank two charities which have supported his daughter - by organising a race night. Erin Gregson, aged two, is almost blind and has cerebral palsy. She has been helped by Bolton-based Vision Aid and Chorley-based Rainbow House for
AN AMBULANCE worth £100,000 could be written off after it was involved in a smash with a car while on an emergency call. The accident happened on Thursday at 2.45am as crews travelled to help a woman in labour. But the ambulance, which had its blue lights
A SCOTTISH property company is hoping to breathe new life into Farnworth town centre. Edinburgh-based Ediston Properties has bought the lease on Farnworth precinct from the Halladale Group for an undisclosed sum and hopes to start work on the second phase
ONE of Ruth Kelly's closest political allies has come to her defence. The leader of Bolton's Labour group on Bolton Council, Cllr Cliff Morris, defended the Education Secretary as she came under increasing pressure to quit over the row about sex offenders
MORE than 60 Sudanese refugees are heading to Bolton after being offered the chance of a new life. The group - considered by the United Nations to be among the most vulnerable refugees in the world - will arrive in the borough from camps in Uganda after
WHEN Ruth Kelly sat down in the House of Commons on Thursday lunchtime after fielding searching questions about sex offenders in schools she must have heaved a sigh of relief. She survived probably the most determined assault on her position as Secretary
NOBODY could accuse Bolton's small traders of learning from experience. ('Car ban will drivers away customers' January 1). I had only just come to live in Bolton in 1967, when the original Shankland Cox proposals to pedestrianise Newport Street were being
THE article in the Bolton Evening News (January 5, 'Drivers in the dark over road signs') made interesting reading but, although the statistics did not surprise me they did disappoint me. In fact, the results would be much the same if the survey had been
THE football resumed after the Christmas break and the lack of games showed, as Prestwich put in a dismal first half performance in this first round President's Cup game. The impressive AFC United were first to almost every ball, but there were few chances
MORE of the same, very occasional bright spells but otherwise dull, grey and uninspiring. Manchesters winter, Stands season. Like the weather, it has deteriorated since August, and, like the weather, it shows few signs of improving in the next four months
TIGER Tim Fourie takes his charges to Robin Hood country on Saturday in search of a win at Ireland Avenue. Nottingham, who beat Sedgley 12-29 at Park Lane in just the second game of the season, currently sit comfortably in mid-table, with a Powergen National
A WOMAN has been charged with murder after a man was stabbed to death. Police were called to a house in Priory Avenue, in the Westleigh area of Leigh, on Saturday afternoon after paramedics found the man slumped in a pool of blood. Mark Kenyon, aged 27
TWO men have appeared before magistrates charged with murder. Dale Jones, aged 21, of Walker Street, Bury, and Babar Hussain, aged 27, of Cornwall Drive, Bury, appeared before Bury Magistrates Court on Thursday following their arrest on Tuesday. Martin
JUSSI Jaaskelainen will not be joining the transfer merry-go-round this month. Wanderers' keeper, who is in a contract stand-off with his Reebok bosses, has been linked with Arsenal and Middlesbrough in recent weeks. But Sam Allardyce, who has added the
KNOWING the value Sam Allardyce places on commitment, is it any surprise that he admires Robbie Savage? He knows Mark Hughes' midfield enforcer is likely to cause Wanderers problems at Ewood Park on Saturday afternoon. Chances are he will be on the touchline
SAM Allardyce is hoping Wanderers' enduring ability to triumph over adversity will take him to his 'ton' at Blackburn on Saturday. The Whites are chasing their 100th league win under Allardyce's management and a third successive Ewood Park victory with
MORE than 80 firefighters tackled a huge blaze which ripped through three units at a Prestwich industrial estate and sent smoke billowing hundreds of feet into the air. Worried local residents were today reassured that there are no health risks posed
The body of a 33-year-old woman was found near the tramline at Radcliffe station on Friday morning, causing disruptions to Metrolink services. Trams were suspended between Whitefield and Bury until 2pm on Friday and a replacement bus service was put into
A BUSINESSMAN has been jailed for ten weeks after stopping his car and punching another motorist during a road rage incident. Kieron Johnson (51) of Eight Acre, Whitefield, punched Craig Marshall in the face after the pair confronted each other in Manchester
THE Prestwich actress who won a legion of Coronation Street fans as Fred Elliott's Thai bride returns this month as a battered and bruised conwoman. Casey Lee Jolleys is enjoying being with the nation's famous soap once more. "It was great to come back
FIRE officers who had been called to the scene of a burning car on a lovers' lane discovered the dead body of a Whitefield man dumped in the boot, a murder trial was told. They were alerted after a motorist spotted the blazing vehicle in Griffe Lane,
A WOMAN suffering from depression took her own life by walking in front of a Metrolink tram, an inquest heard. Linda Kaminsky (49), of Rectory Gardens, Prestwich, died from multiple injuries after she stepped in front of the tram leaving Prestwich tram
THE letters on the review of secondary schools from Coun Andrew Garner ('Support growing to keep both schools', Guide, December 29) and Helen Rogerson ('Local schools, where children make friends', Guide January 5) offer an interesting comparison between
THE final decision on the future of Fairfield Hospital's maternity department, including its special care baby unit, moves one step closer with the launch of the formal public consultation. For the next three months, thousands of people and NHS staff
LUTON manager Mike Newell claims to have evidence the director of a rival club offered him a bribe. Newell has alleged that underhand payments are regularly being offered to managers by agents or club officials as 'sweeteners' to hasten transfer moves
HARRY Redknapp has bought Sean Davis, Pedro Mendes and Noe Pamarot from Tottenham to boost Portsmouth's Premiership survival bid. Pompey boss Redknapp, who took over at Fratton Park last month, is understood to have paid £7million for the out-of-favour
LIFELONG City fan Stephen Jordan is happy to put his body on the line for his boyhood heroes. The 23-year-old full back, whose entire family is Blue through and through, is relishing an opportunity to impress in Saturday's derby. In true derby passion
BLACKBURN chairman John Williams is targeting a place in Europe as reward for the club's progress this season. With Rovers riding high in eighth place in the Barclays Premiership, and potentially 90 minutes away from the Carling Cup final, Williams believes
MANCHESTER'S rival bosses, Stuart Pearce and Alex Ferguson admit they would have no qualms about throwing their new signings into Saturday's heated derby. That means the Blues' new left winger Albert Riera could start against United who may have Patrice
DEPRESSED and lonely children and teenagers can now text the Samaritans for help under a new trial scheme. The Samaritans say the service is aimed at those people who prefer not to speak to someone and they are guaranteed a reply within one hour. The
IT'S the time of year for making resolutions, but there's one habit that John Coleman is not prepared to kick. The Accrington Stanley manager has grown accustomed to seeing his side go unbeaten in recent months, and he doesn't want that winning feeling
POLICE blocked a road with squad cars to stop a drug user escaping mobile patrols which were chasing him, a court heard. Jamie Hopkins, aged 30, of Broadoak, Bury, admitted driving without due care, driving without documents and being in possession of
THE driver of a car which killed a mother of two after mounting a pavement in Kearsley has been interviewed by traffic officers. The 20-year-old man was questioned while he was in hospital being treated for minor injuries. He is now recovering at home
A 15-YEAR-OLD has been jailed for six years for the rape of a 22-year-old woman at knifepoint in Golborne, near Leigh. The boy, who was 14 at the time of the offence, was found guilty of rape at Liverpool Crown Court on September 9. The case was adjourned
PUPILS in Bolton are paying above average for their school dinners - even though they are subsidised by the council. And prices are set to rise by 5p this September. An average primary school meal nationally now costs £1.48 a day. In Bolton, parents of
MANCHESTER Airport has been voted the best in Britain. The airport beat off competition from Gatwick, Liverpool John Lennon and Birmingham to win the title of Best UK Airport at the Travel Weekly Globe Awards 2006. The awards are voted for by travel agents
BOLTON'S award-winning Octagon Theatre is on the look-out for new youth talent. The Youth Group is currently recruiting new members aged between five and 18 to join its critically acclaimed group at the end of January. Past members of the long-running
PRESTWICH Heys got the New Year off to the perfect start with a game that had, among other things, outstanding goals and two sendings off, but more importantly three points to keep them firmly in the hunt to retain their league title. Dukinfield arrived
A FORMER soldier who was protecting workers helping to rebuild Iraq has been killed in a road accident near Baghdad. Darren Birch, from Bury, suffered severe head injuries and died in Baghdad Central Hospital after the armoured vehicle he was travelling
