NEWPORT Gwent Dragons' four-match winning run came to an end at Ravenhill last night but they put up a terrific battle against Magners League champions Ulster. The Dragons were under heavy pressure in the first half, but they defended heroically to
A FORMER teacher of Liz Tranter, who died in the latest Swffryd quarry tragedy, hpaid tribute to the "lovely" girl. Allan Thomas, a woodwork teacher at Cwmcarn High School, taught the mother-of-two during the 1980s and was deeply upset to hear about
A GWENT hospice which wants to open a £1 million new site is asking people giving up smoking to help them raise funds for cancer patients. The Hospice of the Valleys hopes people considering quitting ahead of the ban on lighting up in public places,
A GWENT man who gave his ex-lover a pedigree puppy for Christmas after threatening to "cave her head in" with a hammer was ordered to stay away from her today. Abergavenny magistrates banned Jonathan Reece, 39, from contacting Linda Kemp after imposing
Spencer Youth and Boys football club, members of the Welsh Autoparts Gwent County League, has lost one of its most fervent supporters following the death of Desmond (Dennis) Henry who lived in Ringland, no more than a good clearance from the club's ground
DEAF patients in Gwent who require sign language support are set to benefit from Sam Elson's interpreting skills. She is among a group of British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters being introduced into public sector bodies in Wales in a drive to improve
A TOWER crane operator who was found to be in possession of a large quantity of Class A drugs was warned by a judge: "Prepare yourself for a custodial sentence." A jury at Cardiff crown court found 34-year-old Jason Brooks, of Greenland Road, Brynmawr
BLAENAVON TOWN BAND: Blaenavon Town Band go from strength to strength, and last week added more trophies to their growing collection. Recently, they travelled to Coleford, Gloucestershire, and had a most enjoyable and successful trip. Band chairman,
SET sail with the notorious Captain Jayne and her crew for a swashbuckling adventure for all the family. The Last Pirate features real life sword fights, battles at sea, and lots more fun for youngsters to enjoy - and treasure to find! Set in a small
POLICE are appealing for information after a girl of 15 went missing from her Cwmbran home. Michelle Smith from Croesyceiliog was last seen at her home address at approximately 6pm yesterday. She is described as white, five feet nine inches tall
RRW COMRADES ASSOCIATION: The Pontypool branch has had a very busy and successful year, culminating in the AGM and dinner at the Chapman House, TA Centre, on Monday, February 26. New members have been attracted to attend the various functions and events
PONTHIR WI: Mrs Jean Wiltshire, president, welcomed all to the meeting at Ponthir Village Hall. She asked if members had received the first WI Life, a new magazine which will be posted to every WI member as part of their subscription. The usual business
HISTORY GROUP ANNUAL JOURNAL: Once again the Abersychan and Garndiffaith Local History Group have produced a wonderful journal, absolutely packed with articles about the past days of the district. In the foreword, Ken Clark, their chairman, sets out
ROYAL Mail bosses are investigating after important letters including a medical test sample were wrongly delivered to the South Wales Argus offices. Four letters for various Newport addresses arrived at the Argus on Wednesday. One was addressed to the
CELEBRATING ACHIEVEMENT: One of my most pleasant duties as mayor is to help celebrate achievements in Torfaen. and a few days ago I was very pleased to be able to recognise the achievement of one of Torfaen County Borough Council's young officers, Christina
A WHITER SHADE OF VALE: THE recent heavy snow wreaked havoc with South Wales, with many people confined to indoors. Even in Cardiff, shops, businesses and offices were closed early because no one wanted to be snowed in at work. Trains stopped running
PROBUS CLUB OF PONTYPOOL: The Rev Alexander Temple-Williams told us of a A Gift to Kosovo". He and two other clergymen took a Land-Rover to Kosovo, so that Christian communities could reach mountain villages with food, medicine and little luxuries.
GRAPPLE AND STRIKE: For the Ultimate Fight Night, why not go along to Nantyglo Leisure Centre, on Saturday, March 3? Tickets cost £15 in advance and £18 on the door, which are open at 5pm for ticket holders and 5.30pm for non-ticket holders. Bar opens
A YOB smashed the window of a Newport Bus with a stone as it drove through the Bettws area of the city on Tuesday night. No one was hurt in the attack which happened in Monnow Way at around 7.30pm. Police are appealing for witnesses or anyone with
A GWENT rugby player was cleared of causing grievous bodily harm to an opponent by breaking his jaw in two places during a match. Robin Davies, 34, was cleared of assaulting Mark Andrew Berry whilst playing for Trefil Rugby Football Club, near Tredegar
THE NME got it right when they described Howling Bells as "the sound of PJ Harvey hitching a ride with The Velvet Underground through Twin Peaks". Australian-born but London-bred, the band deal in brooding, darkly inflected pop that draws on decades of
ADMISSIONS and discharges are being limited on four wards at Abergavenny's Nevill Hall Hospital because of an outbreak of sickness and diarrhoea - and people are being asked not to come in unless their visit is absolutely necessary. Seasonal D&V (diarrhoea
A CASH-STRAPPED social services department is being criticised for overspending by more than a half a million pounds. The social services department in Blaenau Gwent came under fire during a presentation into the budget pressures in social care at the
IF you're partial to a bit of full-blooded rock n' roll mayhem - and let's face it, who isn't? - head down to TJs in Newport for the return of The Vincent Razorbacks. Haven't heard of them? Well, take a hefty pinch of good old 1950s pop, season with
WORK on Newport's multi-million school building project could begin within weeks. The city council has accelerated plans to demolish a vandalised lodge house and boundary wall at Bettws Comprehensive School -the first visible step towards creating a
SPEED checks outside a Gwent primary school recorded 30 out of 300 cars breaking the 30mph limit. Children from Libanus Primary School, Blackwood, borrowed a speed-activated sign in a bid to highlight the speed of traffic around the building. The pupils
THE trial of an Abergavenny pensioner accused of harassing her neighbours will begin at Cardiff crown court on Monday. Dorothy Evans, 81, of Park Crescent, denies charges of harassment and a breach of an Anti-Social Behaviour Order. She was released
THIS is one of Newport's hidden gems. Nestled on Caxton Place, the Taste of Asia is a blink and you'll miss it restaurant. As well as the usual Indian menu choices, there were the specials - which all looked delicious. It was a close call between
TWO more blocks of crumbling maisonettes on a Newport estate are to be demolished. Residents said last year that chunks of the building were dropping off and there were holes and cracks in walls. Now a council survey of maisonettes in Monnow Way and
A DEVOTED Gwent wife is to donate one of her kidneys to save the life of her husband. Mike Edmunds, 62, from Trinant, said his wife Jean, 57, was "one in a million" after she agreed to be a donor following tests that showed she was a match. Mr Edmunds
THERE is renewed hope for the future of a Monmouthshire village hall threatened with closure. Villagers in Llanelly Hill were battling to keep the facility open after budget cuts by the county council meant it faced the axe. And at the cabinet meeting
A GWENT pilot who survived a horrific 100mph plane crash says he is determined to return to the skies. Brian Vaux, 61, of Queen Street, Pontypool, was flying the Cessna light aircraft which crashed 2,000 feet up a mountain in North Wales. His friend
Cwmbran Town are looking for a hat-trick of successive away wins over Airbus UK in the Principality Building Society Welsh Premier League and that would go a long way towards securing their league status. Airbus were beaten 1-0 at home by the Crows in
POLICE in Monmouthshire and Torfaen are appealing to residents to take precautions to help prevent car crime. Although the number of thefts from vehicles has dropped in the area from 87 in December to 77 in January, there is still a national problem
Training is the main thing in my schedule at the moment, seven weeks to go until the Manfredo fight and I am feeling fine. No problems with the hand that reporters are always so keen to ask me about, so much so that I am actually doing a bit of sparring
A FANTASTIC day of workshops and top-class performances of acoustic guitar has been lined up at Blackwood Miners' Institute next month. The evening will feature a concert by two of the biggest names on the guitar scene, John Renbourn and Clive Carroll
THE Welsh Open is devoid of Welshmen and the Scots are looking a little thin on the ground as world number one Stephen Hendry and world champion Graeme Dott crashed out last night. Steve Davis rolled back the years in Newport to grind out a 5-3 win over
Abergavenny jockey Sam Thomas enjoyed a profitable afternoon at Chepstow as he recorded his 50th and 51st winners of the campaign with victories aboard Fast Forward and Nozic. The majority of the young rider's successes have come from Venetia Williams
Well done to both Llanelly Community Council and Monmouthshire County Council who between them have saved Gilwern Library and book stop service. It was feared that the service, which has been operating since 1955, would go under as part of the county
HUNDREDS of users of a Gwent library and mobile book service are celebrating after they were saved. Gilwern Library and the Book Stop service, which delivers to residential homes and the bed-ridden in Monmouthshire, were facing the axe after a budget
Auris is a new name for an all-new Toyota, a family hatchback designed, developed and engineered for the European market. The best selling models will be built in Europe too, with the most popular models coming from Toyota's Burnaston factory near Derby
ART OR SCIENCE - which one do you prefer? Is it the minutiae of facts that appeal, or the freedom of expression? Should you find yourself with enough money that a supercar can appear on your shopping list, then you have to ask yourself that very question
Sometimes the toughest part of buying a new car is figuring out what to do with your present one, particularly if it's a 1935 Daimler Lanchester. Mrs Margaret Hackett from Fenay Bridge, Nr Huddersfield, faced this tough decision when the car her late
What could become the most expensive car ever to be sold in the history of the prestigious auction house Christie's is due to go under the hammer at the international vintage car fair Rétromobile in Paris later this month (February 17th). Christie's
AS a former player at Stradey Park, Ian Hembrow is all too aware of Llanelli's links with the cup but the Newport head coach is urging his players to treat tomorrow's round six game like any other. Llanelli have lifted the trophy 13 times and the meeting
EBBW Vale may have beaten tomorrow's Konica Minolta Cup opponents Swansea home and away in the league this season but that doesn't mean they will underestimate the Premiership strugglers. The Steelmen were victorious at both Eugene Cross Park and St
CROSS Keys have the first leg of the double-header with Aberavon in the Konica Minolta Cup tomorrow afternoon and hope to leave the Wizards free to concentrate on the league. Aberavon will travel east to Pandy Park again next weekend for the rearranged
IN 1946 Piaggio created the iconic Vespa as a post-war transport solution, 60 years on and the company has just re-invented the wheel, or to be precise it's added an extra one. The amazing Piaggio MP3 is already proving a hit across Europe; in fact the
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service have restored back to its original condition a vehicle from its historical fleet, a Dennis F7 Pump Escape Fire Appliance. The vehicle, dating back to 1949, has undergone a complete makeover after many years of service
THE continuing poor state of the Welsh NHS is graphically illustrated by the story we feature today of 86-year-old Dorothy Walkley, who collapsed in a store. Although staff of TK Maxx in Newport called an ambulance there was no sign of one after 30 minutes
Citroën is strengthening the appeal of its exciting supermini range this February with a new collection of great value C1, C2 and C3 Airplay+ special editions, designed to provide more music, more colour and more kit for younger buyers. The fun Airplay
Joining a 1929 Grand Prix Alfa Romeo on the front of the grid for H&H's classic car sale on March 1 sale at Cheltenham is an ex-Jim Clark Lotus 25. Clark drove the 1962 single-seater, Chassis No.R5, to victory in the Pau and Imola Grands Prix of 1963,
A small British engineering company has launched a new axle differential locking system and a range of driveline componentry upgrade products, designed to improve the traction, mobility and off-road performance of 4x4 vehicles. KAM Differentials
SOMETHING unusual happened to Ulster last month - they lost at their Ravenhill fortress when Llanelli Scarlets downed them convincingly in the Heineken Cup. But the last time they lost in front of their own passionate fans in the league was over 15 months
Nissan has just added a couple of new items to the already extensive list of accessories available for the Navara. The Armadillo Sports Bar and Roll Top are available now and ordering them both before the end of March with a Nissan Navara Loadliner
With their debut, 2004's By The Time You Hear This Well Be Gone the utterly charming Redlands Palomino Co. quickly established themselves as one of the most exciting bands on the UKs blossoming Alt. Country scene. Mixing sublime male/female harmonies
AN AMBULANCE failed to respond to a 999 call after an 86-year-woman collapsed in a Newport store. Widow Dorothy Walkley began sweating profusely and her legs gave way while shopping with her daughter Avril Haywood in TK Maxx on the Maesglas Retail Estate
NEWPORT County new-boy Charlie Griffin says it was manager Peter Beadle who convinced him to turn his back on a move to the Conference and join the Exiles. Griffin, 27, signed on the dotted line for County yesterday but has been trailed by boss Beadle
THE MP for Blaenau Gwent is demanding that a safety barrier be put up along the stretch of road where a 33-year-old mother died. Liz Tranter died when her Land Rover crashed on the B4471 and fell 100ft into Monk's Quarry, Swffryd. It was close to where
MICHAEL Owen, pictured, could be in line for a shock return to the Wales fold after initially being left out of the 32-man squad for the Six Nations Championship. Wales coach Gareth Jenkins, who is under huge pressure after the abysmal performance in
THE Welsh legend is back to entertain you with a selection of much-loved songs and stories at shows in Blackwood and Cardiff. Max Boyce returns to the Miners' Institute and Wales Millennium Centre for performances of his own inimitable brand of comedy
FIRE crews battled for two hours to put out a blaze in Newport last night after hay on the back of a lorry caught fire. Police said the vehicle was travelling on the M4 at around 7.45pm when the fire started. It was moved off the motorway onto the Malpas
THE Sugababes come to Cardiff next month - and you could be there to see them. Fresh from their one-off London show at The Dominion, Sugababes have announced they are taking their "Overloaded: The Singles Collection" show on the road. With 2 million
I was sent this yesterday: enjoy! Proof of what can happen if a wife or girlfriend drags her Husband orboyfriend along shopping . This letter was recently sent by Tesco's Head Office to a Customer inOxford area: Dear Mrs. (Name omitted to protect
THE owner of a Gwent tanning centre has spoke of her utter shock at the tragic death of a member of staff. Liz Tranter, who died when her Land Rover plunged 100ft into Monk's Quarry, Swffryd, worked at the Sun Shack specialist tanning centre, Abertillery
