AS councils begin to count the votes tonight, Labour is looking to make gains in Wales following its disappointing results in 2008. The party currently has the highest outright control over the 21 local authorities. Carwyn Jones's party
THE coalition is braced for a rough ride as counting gets under way in key local elections. Polls closed at 10pm tonight amid speculation that a drizzly day across much of the country could result in a low turnout.The Tories and Liberal Democrats are
LOW fare carrier bmibaby is set to close later this year, threatening the loss of hundreds of jobs and the ending of its flights.The carrier, which was based at Cardiff and still flies to the Welsh airport, transferred to International Airlines Group,
A UNIQUE initiative to help residents in an Abergavenny village save money on their fuel bills has been officially launched by Monmouth MP David Davies. The Bryn and District Fuel Club is a purchasing group that aims to provide the community with a better
FOUR friends are celebrating a win of more than £100,000 in last Saturday’s Lotto draw. Rob Bailey, 40, his brother Dean, 46, both from Cwm, Steve Stinton, 59, from Blackwood and Alan Dodd, 57 from Pontllanfraith, won £101, 269 as a quartet, after
A GWENT playgroup under threat of closure had a funding lifeline after members of the community rallied round. Ponthir Playgroup has served the area for more than 50 years in the village hall, but in the last two years the number of children attending
THE long awaited gardening project in Chepstow has finally been completed by a band of volunteers from Wilkinson's. A spokesman from Severn View Residental Home, Chepstow, said that the volunteers have done a fantastic job which will provide
A GWENT youngster read out his poem to some of Wales' top sporting stars after winning a competition. Woodlands Community Primary School pupil Jack Skinner was given prizes including a signed Welsh football shirt, tickets to see Wales' football team
THE garden at High Glanau Manor has thrilled visitors since opening to the public for the first National Gardens Scheme (NGS). Eighty-five years later, it is one of just four gardens in Wales to have maintained an unbroken link with the UK-wide scheme
LYNNE Featherstone, the British government’s Equalities Minister who is leading the government’s campaign for same sex marriage, told Parliament recently that: “Religious people may continue to believe that marriage can be only between a man
RE THE letter of Mr Brian Hayes, I recall seeing a painting in our art gallery called Vandalism. It was of the Town Hall, the Lyceum Theatre and another building that I cannot recall. Is it owned by the gallery and could we see it sometime? I
A 30-STRONG group of family and friends will cycle 40 miles in aid of a Newport hospice which cared for their loved one. Keen cyclist Dave Rees decided to take on the challenge in memory of his father-in-law John Dixon, 80, who was cared for at St
I READ with great uneasiness, the letters in which the ‘faithful’ are wringing their hands with glee, when they hear that there are ‘scientists’ that are lobbying together against evolution. ‘Some’ scientists attack the overwhelming ‘good’ evidence
Due to the prearranged meeting that my wife and I needed to attend in Newport City Centre, we decided that we would go home via bus. As we waited for the bus, I was as usual being nosy and watching some of the riff-raff that the station seems to
I FAIL to see why Helen Aesa is so shocked at the proposal of adding two more tunnels to those already piercing the Brynglas area of Newport. Some form of relief to the mayhem that is the daily congestion suffered on the main artery into and out
MY LETTER concerning teachers’ holidays inspired debate and so served its purpose. However, at school I was always taught to answer the question, the question being why do teachers have so many holidays whilst teaching standards are appalling. This
WHEN I started driving in Newport in 1957, all roads into the town were constantly blocked with the sheer volume of traffic. Fifty-five years later, after millions of spent on road and traffic improvements the town is still gridlocked. So much
POLICE are satisfied that Chepstow man Rikki Baldwin, 24, killed himself by jumping into the River Wye - even though his body has not yet been found, a judge was told yesterday. Baldwin, of Beachley Road, Sedbury, was to have stood trial with
POLICE are investigating a claim that campaign leaflets distributed by Labour candidates in Blaina contain "untruths" about former council leader Des Hillman. The sitting independent councillor for Blaina says information endorsed by Labour
VOTERS across Britain are beginning to vote in this year's local government elections.Polling stations opened at 7am for the ballot covering some 5,000 seats at stake on 181 local councils across England, Scotland and Wales.Mayors will also be chosen
THE Newport Gwent Dragons squad will soon be enjoying a well-earned rest – and they’d better make the most of it. This season has largely been a forgettable one and in truth there’s little to convince that much will be different when making
EMERGENCY ambulance response times were down in all five council areas in Gwent in March, compared with the same month last year. Direct comparison is difficult as the criteria for emergency calls has changed - but the biggest falls in performance
CEFN Fforest fighter Nathan Cleverly is set to make his return in early July, but his next opponent is a contentious issue. The undefeated world WBO light heavyweight champion is keen to get a shot at one of the other world champions in a unification
HUNDREDS of people turned out yesterday to pay their final respects to one of Britain's most sought after jazz musicians who hailed from Newport. Norman Thatcher, of Bath Road, touched the hearts of thousands across the world with his musical
FORMER Wales star John Hartson has called on the Welsh public to get behind the Team GB football sides at this summer’s Olympics. The Football Association of Wales, along with their counterparts in Scotland and Northern Ireland, do not want their players
A FORMER Newport university student and artist who ran a bar in London graced by the likes of Pete Doherty and Kate Nash has headed to Africa to catch a glimpse of life on the continent through a special art project. Tracey Moberly, who graduated with
A BOY who was left seriously injured after being hit by a car has been chosen to be an Olympic torchbearer. In November 2005 Daniel Johnsey, had just started Chepstow Comprehensive School, when he was knocked down near his home in Wilcrick
As you can imagine it has been a reasonably quiet week for us cricketers. The weather has been horrendous which has meant not one ball being bowled for 10 days. A friend of mine was telling me that even his son's rugby was called off due to a waterlogged
MONMOUTHSHIRE police are warning residents to beware bogus callers after a elderly woman was defrauded in Usk. Police were called to the home of a 91-year-old woman on April 23 after receiving reports that workmen carrying out improvements at
NEWPORT Gwent Dragons are looking to recruit experience rather than potential this summer. After Saturday’s final Rabo-Direct Pro12 encounter against Leinster, lock Luke Charteris, wing Aled Brew, full-back Martyn Thomas and fly-half Jason Tovey will
