Archive

  • Steam-hauled service to see Olympic Torch in Blaenavon

    BLAENAVON’S Heritage Railway will be operating a special steam-hauled Park and Ride service on May 25 to mark the Olympic Torch coming to Torfaen. The torch will be commencing its journey at Big Pit and will then travel through Blaenavon. Access

  • Gwent tots invited to do a super toddle

    CHILDREN under five in Gwent are being invited to be super-heroes for a day and help other children. Barnardo’s Big Toddle 2012 is launching in June and this year’s theme is super-heroes. The event is a short sponsored walk for under-fives.

  • County end season with silverware

    NEWPORT County swapped Wembley for Risca United’s Ty Isaf Park as they wrapped up their season by lifting the Gwent Senior Cup for the 28th time. The win over MacWhirter Welsh League Division Two side Aberbargoed Buds was scant consolation

  • Newport man’s threat with a stick

    A NEWPORT man appeared at Caerphilly Magistrates Court yesterday after being arrested on a warrant. Nathaniel Poole, 20, of Commercial Street, pleaded guilty to using threatening or abusive behaviour on March 24 in Newport and to using threatening

  • Nantyglo burglar ordered to carry out 150 hours’ work

    A NANTYGLO man appeared at Caerphilly Magistrates Court yesterday after failing to surrender to the courts on May 10. David Glasson, 36, of Beacon View, was due to appear at court on May 10 to be sentenced for a burglary. Glasson had stolen tools

  • Crews fight Newport grass fire

    FIREFIGHTERS are currently dealing with a grass fire alongside the SDR in Newport. Crews from Duffryn and Maindee were called to the blaze at 17.39pm, which started in a large hedgerow by the carriageway. A spokeswoman for South Wales

  • Your chance to row in Monmouth dragon boat race

    THE popular dragon boat race returns to Monmouth next month in aid of a local hospice. St David’s Foundation Hospice Care is raising money through the annual dragon boat race which takes place on June 16 this year. Up to 25 teams can take part

  • Risca man defies spine disease to get back to work

    A RISCA man who was unemployed for 20 years due to a disease of the spine has won an award after getting back into work. Raymond James, 41, was diagnosed with Shoreman’s disease at the age of 19, which hits the spine and affects movement

  • Fire crews stay at Llanhilleth blaze site

    FIRE crews spent a second day at the scene of a large scale fire in the Valleys today. Firefighters remained at the Glandwr Industrial Estate in Aberbeeg today damping down the remains of the industrial unit, shared by carpet warehouse Abingdon Flooring

  • Thank you for your support

    IN SEPTEMBER of last year Beechwood branch of the Labour Party was given the opportunity to select the candidates whom they felt would best represent the ward. Paul Hannon, Mark Spencer and I felt privileged that we were nominated. We each have

  • Free speech is only for some

    I am writing to express an opinion about freedom of speech. It is said that in the UK we have freedom of speech. I agree that this is so, but to exercise it can be costly. For example, if I say that I think that homosexuality is not natural

  • Dead Guilty, Dolman Theatre

    Newport Playgoers production of Richard Harris’ Dead Guilty follows the ensuing events of a car crash in which John Haddrell dies of a heart attack leaving the woman travelling with him, his lover Julia Darrow with severe leg injuries and in a depressed

  • Working hard to fulfil pledges

    I, COUNCILLOR Diana Ellis and my colleagues Councillor Pat Cook and Councillor Nigel Dix, would like to thank all our constituents for taking the time to vote us into office at the recent local elections. We are humbled and grateful for your generosity

  • Disgusting way to treat staff

    I WOULDN’T attempt to deny my working class origins. In fact, I’m rather proud of them. As a result, I often have some rough- tongued reactions to people like Ian Duncan Smith, who claims to be making working for a living a worthwhile proposition

  • Take advantage of free courses

    SOME months ago I wrote a letter to the South Wales Argus’ letters page, searching for a photograph of Bassaleg Grammar School taken in 1952, and asking if anyone could assist me in obtaining a copy. I have, since that time, had replies from former

  • Infection rate falling in Gwent hospitals

    THEnumber of patients in Welsh hospitals found to have an infection related to their healthcare has fallen significantly in the last five years, a survey has revealed. And Gwent hospitals, according to the findings of the 2011 study, have among

  • Jubilee silver coin warning

    MAY I give warning of the dealings of the Royal Mint’s Jubilee department at Pontyclun in Wales. In early March, responding to their literature received by post, I ordered a silver Diamond Jubilee £5 coin priced at £39.50, as a welcome gift to

  • Euro discontent could infect us

    THE recent elections in France, together with Greece’s desire to opt out of the IMF austerity package, threatens to throw Europe into political and economic meltdown. Add these events to the obdurate response from the German leadership, insisting

  • Appeal to take part in Chepstow carnival

    THE ORGANISERS of Chepstow Carnival are inviting locals to get involved with this year’s event. Run by Chepstow Round Table, the town council and the Severn Bridge Social Club, it will light up the town on July 7 with an array of colourful

  • Caldicot pupils get glimpse of their new school

    KITTED out in hard hats and hi-visibility jackets, Caldicot pupils had a glimpse this week of what their new school will look like. The children were given a tour of Dewstow Primary School on Monday, which they will move into on September 1

  • Firm plans to take on Llandegfedd watersports project

    A LONG-AWAITED watersports centre could finally be built on the largest lake in South East Wales. The facility, at Llandegfedd Reservoir in Coed y Paen, was first proposed in around 2004. A charity, Llandegfedd Watersports Centre (LWSC, put

  • Ex-Newport cop will be a keeper of Olympic flame

    A FORMER Newport police officer will accompany the Olympic flame around the UK to ensure it reaches the opening ceremony safely on July 27. Sergeant Rhys Peters served with Gwent Police for seven years before transferring to Metropolitan Police

  • CHEPSTOW ROAD MURDER TRIAL: Pair jailed for 66 years

    TWO men were jailed today for a total of 66 years for the murder of a man who they set fire to on a Newport street. Kamil Semrau, 28, of Chepstow Road, Newport must serve a minimum of 30 years while Pawel Lysonik, 22, of Capel Crescent, Newport

  • Newport pupil eyes Miss Teen Great Britain crown

    A NEWPORT teenager is hoping to be crowned Miss Teen Great Britain. Alicia Redman, 17, of Bettws, has gained a place in the semi-finals of the pageant. The Newport High School pupil, named Newport’s Next Top Model in 2010, said: “I am

  • Newport woman stole chocolate

    A NEWPORT woman appeared at Caerphilly Magistrates Court yesterday after stealing chocolate from a newsagents. Jenniene Davies, 35, of Howe Circle, stole £17- worth of chocolate from Martin’s Newsagents on January 11. She pleaded guilty at

  • The Christians come to Cardiff

    EVER wonder what happened to The Christians? There's a chance to catch them in South Wales this month because they are back with a greatest hits album. They will also be releasing a brand new album and single in August and they visit Cardiff's

  • Chepstow man celebrates £100,000 scratchcard win

    A MAN from Chepstow is now £100,000 better off after a win on a scratchcard. The lucky player puts his win on the £4 Million Blue Scratchcard down to a piece of luck after he kept seeing the numbers one to four as he went about his day.

  • UK jobless figure falls by 45,000

    THE Government has been given some welcome good news on the jobs front when unemployment fell by 45,000 and the number of dole claimants dipped for the second month in a row. The jobless total was 2.6 million in the quarter to March,

  • Banks warns of 'storm from Europe'

    Bank of England governor Sir Mervyn King warned today of the 'risk of a storm heading our way from the Continent' as he flagged the eurozone as the greatest threat to the UK's recovery. Sir Mervyn's warning came as the Bank said the UK economy will not

  • EDITORIAL COMMENT: We are not guilty ones

    THE scandal engulfing Rupert Murdoch’s News International newspapers and other parts of the national press continues unabated. Charges laid against Rebekah Brooks, the former chief executive of News International, her husband and others, will

  • Fears for historic Griffithstown club as licence suspended

    MEMBERS of an historic Pontypool club fear it will close, after its licence was suspended by the local council. The GWRSA (Great Western Railway Staff Association) club in Griffithstown, known as the Oily Rag, was built in 1873 as a mechanics

  • Blackwood boy set for pioneering US op

    A SECOND Gwent youngster hopes to undergo pioneering treatment in the USA to enable him to walk. Last week we reported that Blackwood boy Bayli Lippiett, three, will have surgery at St Louis Children’s Hospital, Missouri, on June 21 to treat

  • Tredegar set for £1.6m heritage boost

    A VALLEYS town looks set to get a £1.6 million regeneration boost from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The money, which has been given first-stage approval, could see 17 at-risk residential and commercial buildings restored in Tredegar. This

  • Pengam boxing gym invests in local kids

    HE helped coach Nathan Cleverly in his last amateur fight, now like the world champion he is becoming a role model to others. For Karl Jones, 47, has built up his own boxing gym to give disadvantaged kids in the Valleys a chance to shine. He and son

  • Usk teacher finds new career with rock school

    WHEN redundancy beckoned, schoolteacher Kevin Webb swapped the whiteboard for the fretboard, to set up his own school of rock. Two years later, Mr Webb's music tuition business All About Guitars is on the up and he feels he is now doing something

  • Exiles exodus gets under way

    NEWPORT County manager Justin Edinburgh started the summer clearout of his squad yesterday, informing three players that they are no longer in his plans. Goalkeeper Glyn Thompson, left-back Lee Baker and striker Elliott Buchanan have all been released