Archive
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Making Waves at the Green Room
MAKING WAVES is the evocative title of Watford printmaker, Frances Garaghty's new show, which opens at the Palace Theatre Watford Green Room next week. The stir starts with an art evening and preview with the artist and members of the Watford Area Arts
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The Wise Men and a PC
AARGH! I have just wasted hours trying to find an important document on my computer, only to get the dreaded message: "File not found". But, with over 9,000 files sitting on my hard disk it's hardly surprising that some get lost. I can't remember where
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Evans above!
THOSE who thought comedy genius Lee Evans was fading from the limelight can think again because he will be bringing his hilarious one man show to Watford in the spring. The comedian, who has committed a lot of his time to acting of late, is now returning
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Epic tale relived on stage
THE spring season at the Maltings Arts Theatre opens with a version of The Odyssey, one of the first great adventure yarns (writes Steve Murray). Two of Britain's leading storytellers, Hugh Lupton and Daniel Morden, tell the story of Odysseus on his epic
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A prophecy is fulfilled
IT was while attending a concert at St Albans Abbey last November that I was invited by the young maestro Peter Wadl to review the St Albans' debut of his Watford-based orchestra The Chiltern Philharmonia (writes Jill Barlow). This confident young man
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West End beckons stars of Palace's bright new season
WATFORD will make a dramatic claim to fame nationwide this spring and summer. No less than five Palace Theatre productions are set to tour theatres all over the country with the award-winning Elton John's Glasses, which is also based on Watford, scheduled
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New CD reveals one of city's best-kept secrets
UR cathedral city of St Albans has been recognised as a centre of musical excellence since medieval times, but not solely for music at the Abbey (writes Jill Barlow). The well-known St Peter's Church, in the heart of the city, put on a concert recently
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Hinge and Bracket breeze in for the evening
AN evening of musical sophistication is promised, as Hinge and Bracket come to Rickmansworth. These two delectable ladies first came to light at the Edinburgh Festival in 1974. Since then they have had seasons in London's West End, numerous radio appearances
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View from the dressing room
ALEC CHAMBERLAIN was happy to talk about Preston's remarkable goal. "I did not see a lot of the free kick. He hit it very well. He put a two-man wall, central, on the edge of the box. He was so far out, I did not bother having a full wall," said the keeper
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Saracens fire at Dwyer over Eagles criticism
A WAR of words has been launched by Saracens in the build-up to tomorrow's (Saturday) Tetley's Bitter Cup clash with Leicester. Still smarting from Boxing Day defeat at the hands of the Tigers, Sarries have attacked coach Bob Dwyer for comments he made
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Police face shortfall to meet budget cap
HERTFORDSHIRE may not maintain its status as the safest county in the country if a £1.6 million shortfall in police funding is approved, say councillors. Members of Hertfordshire Police Authority agreed a budget of £98 million despite calculating it needs
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Company pleads guilty to waste charge
A WASTE company in St Albans has been fined for failing to give the Environment Agency details of how it disposes of trade waste. SL Food Limited, of Abbots Road West, pleaded guilty at Stevenage Magistrates Court last week and was fined £150 and ordered
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Crash claims schoolgirl's life
A CHORLEYWOOD school flew its flag at half mast this week in tribute to a popular, ambitious pupil who was killed in a car accident. Pupils kept a candle alight in St Clement Danes School all week as a mark of respect for Livia Galli-Atkinson who died
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Inspectors' vote of confidence for school
PARK STREET JMI School provides a "sound standard of education" for its pupils, Government inspectors have reported. The school's recent OFSTED inspection found the quality of teaching is good and "pupils are supported in their development by a committed
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Shopkeepers fear for trade as drivers ignore parking limit
SHOPKEEPERS in Bushey village are claiming their trade is being killed off by drivers parking outside their shops for long periods. They say people are ignoring the signs which limit the stay to half-an-hour and are parking on the High Street for an hour
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Police launch hunt after hit-and-runs
POLICE are looking for witnesses after two hit-and-runs in St Albans last week. The first incident happened in St Peter's Street, St Albans, at lunchtime on Thursday when a woman was hit by a car reversing into the taxi rank at 2.15pm. The woman fell
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Dream start for new boss Goldney
Herts County League: Colney Heath 2 Sandridge 3 A LAST minute penalty gave Rovers new manager Ted Goldney a dream start in this exciting local derby. This game was straight out of a "Roy of the Rovers" annual as Goldney began his mission to save struggling
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Third consecutive title moves closer
Rugby Union: Harpenden 18 Hertford 6 HARPENDEN took a gigantic stride towards their third consecutive league championship with a crucial victory against their number one rivals for the London Three North West title. The win means that only a disasterous
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Store's expansion plan begins
A MULTI-million pound programme to expand Marks & Spencer's store in Watford will begin next month. The development, which starts on February 2, will see the store expand into the the old Littlewoods building. The move is part of Marks & Spencer's
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Golden great ready to take a final bow
A CURTAIN is being drawn on one of the most illustrious and successful rugby union careers in the history of the sport. Michael Lynagh has decided to call it a day. The great Australian will see out the rest of the season with Saracens, then finally hang
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Studio boss plans Leavesden's future
DESIGNERS are slowly beginning to piece together the futuristic theme park that will change the landscape of Leavesden forever. Come the millennium construction should be well underway on a £200 million film studios and related entertainment complex at
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Saints fall to Hendon again.
St Albans 1 Hendon...2 OTHER than for a change of occupant in the chairman's seat and the Saints making laboured progress in the FA Umbro Trophy, little seems to have changed at Clarence Park over the past few weeks. Certainly on Saturday, Hendon discovered
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Much-needed victory eases fans' worries as Jason Lee-ds the way
LIKE a welcome ant-acid for an upset stomach, Saturday's victory was embraced by fans and players alike as placatory reassurance after an increasingly uneasy period of indegestion. Yet Alon Hazan's long-awaited appearance at Vicarage Road was upstaged
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Councillor bows out of committee
A MAN whose concern for housing issues inspired him to enter local politics has resigned from St Albans District Council's housing committee, claiming it is no longer able to work effectively. Councillor Paul Riley took the decision to step down during
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Moldovan causes Reserve free-for-all
HUNDREDS of Watford fans trooped down to Chestnut Avenue, Northwood, on Wednesday to get their first look at Moldovan trialist Serghei Clescenco. The short striker, whose running almost mirrored that of Andrei Kanchelskis, had a tough introduction to
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Sign future is not bright or orange
A GLARING orange neon shop sign which has been lighting up Hatfield Road in recent months will have to be removed after councillors ruled it is too bright. The sign, which reads The Motorists Centre and Leisure Superstore and Cut Price Car Parts and Accessories
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Nurse rapped over patients' missing £2,000
IA NURSE in charge of patients with learning difficulties at a St Albans hospital has been struck off the national nursing register after being found guilty of misconduct relating to their money. Staff nurse Glenda Walls, who was in charge of a ward of
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Ryder plea nets a huge response
FRIENDS on both sides of the Atlantic are looking forward to a once-in-a-lifetime reunion this summer thanks to readers of the St Albans and Harpenden Observer. Last week Denise Sabotta, 73, of Illinois, appealed through our columns for information about
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Mway service station inquiry hit snag
CONFUSION reigned as the public inquiry into the proposed motorway service station near Redbourn opened yesterday. Counsel for the developers Hallam Land Management (HLM) told the inquiry they had made last-minute alterations to their plans. These, HLM
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SAS-style raid saves family
A YOUNG family were saved in an SAS-style night rescue after potentially lethal levels of gas seeped into their home as they slept. Derick and Tracey Kelly, both 27, and their 19-month-old daughter, Emma, were woken at 1.30am on Tuesday when firefighters
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Safety plan for danger road
MEASURES to reduce the risk of accidents in Uxbridge Road, Mill End, will be on display at Three Rivers House. The proposals includes extending the 30 m.p.h. speed limit at the western end of the road, introducing coloured road surfaces, improving existing
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Traders blow a fuse over power failures
TRADERS in Chorleywood are threatening to sue Eastern Electricity for loss of earnings after frequent power cuts have forced their shops to shut. Shopkeepers on one side of Main Parade, Whitelands Avenue, said they had lost thousands of pounds because
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Croquet with the in crowd
THE scene at Watford Leisure Centre on Mondays is like one from Alice in Wonderland, writes Grele White. For here, on a huge, soft, green carpet, complete with hoops, the game we all associate with fairy tale-like lazy summer Sundays on the lawn is in
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Wilde about Oscar
FILM fans who missed Wilde the first time around - maybe because they bought tickets for Bean by mistake - get a second chance to see one of the best films of 1997 at the Alban Arena next week. Wilde and its title role star Stephen Fry courted acclaim
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Sounds of the deep South at The Horn
STEEL guitar, double bass, piano... it must be blues night at The Horn. Get down to St Albans' premier live venue tomorrow night (Thursday), close your eyes, open your ears, and for all the world you could be in the Mississippi delta, wrestling a crocodile
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Gerry's sounds of the 60's promise ferry good show
THE magic of the 1960's will be revived in Hemel Hempstead when Gerry Marsden brings his action-packed show Ferry Cross The Mersey to the Dacorum Pavilion next month. The show started life in 1996 as a musical focusing on the rise to fame of Gerry and
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Owners under fire for listed building's decline
BRITISH GAS has come under fire for failing to protect a listed building in the centre of the town. Watford Council has been calling on the owners of Grade Two* listed Frogmore House, in Lower High Street, to carry out a structural survey of the building
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Two towns' hospitals to get one boss
A NEW chief executive, who has pioneered controversial merger proposals in Essex, has been appointed to lead both Watford and Hemel Hempstead hospitals. Mr Stephen Eames, who is the chief executive of Havering Hospitals NHS Trust in Essex, will take over
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Hardship fear over review
A REVIEW of Hertfordshire's day centres will result in severe hardship for the county's most vulnerable people. That is the view of Conservative county councillors who have consistently attacked the Lab/Lib Dem administration which agreed savings of £800,000
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Ladies' wated journey
WATFORD LADIES made a 330-mile round trip lasting eight hours on Sunday - and did not get to kick a ball. For the second time in a week, their Fourth Round FA Cup tie with Sheffield Wednesday was postponed, but this time Watford travelled all the way
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Stags stuff 10 past Manchester in Trophy
WEST HERTS continued in their quest for a hat-trick of HA Trophy wins with a thumping 10-1 win over Manchester on Sunday. The 16-man squad stayed in a hotel overnight but it took them 20 minutes to break the deadlock and Neil Appleton's opener was the
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There's no fork in folk music
WE don't normally cover folk on Pop Pourri, primarily because it boring old tripe that's usually enjoyed by corn-chewers. However (deep breath) new folk act Windward deserve a mention because they are...new. Well not that new, because the press information
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It's decision time with Clescenco
GRAHAM TAYLOR has to make a decision on the £325,000 Modovan striker Serghei Clescenco, who has been on a three-week trial at Watford and played in the Reserves on Wednesday. The nippy striker goes back to Moldova with his wife on Monday. "He is a busy
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Drugs gang foiled by insider, jury told
A MAN from Rickmansworth is accused of being a member of a gang which smuggled £4 million worth of cannabis into Britain. Phillip Harvey, 39, of Oakhill Road, Rickmansworth, is alleged to have been involved in a plot to supply a tonne of cannabis which
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Protesters descend on college
CAMPAIGNERS protested against plans to extract gravel from land at Oaklands College, St Albans, on Monday. A group of around 60 people waved placards and urged passing motorists to toot their horns to support their opposition to St Albans Sand and Gravel's
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Council allays fears over school places
PARENTS in Redbourn are unlikely be forced to send their children to Astley Cooper School in Hemel Hempstead, despite rumours flying around the village. Many parents have heard that new rules for secondary school admissions next year will see all primary
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Couple celebrate big bingo win
WHEN her numbers came up, 37-year-old housewife Maggie Cassidy from Abbots Langley did not hesitate to share her £94,000 jackpot win with her bingo partner. Maggie, who has been playing bingo since she was 18, scooped the National Bingo Game's top prize
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Tack on to an adventure on the high seas
THE ultimate sailing adventure beckons for 13 intrepid young Hertfordshire people with the chance to take part in this summer's Tall Ships' Race. The Chiltern branch of the Sail Training Association (STA) has commandeered 13 places for two Atlantic legs
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Bears must be beaten - and only real men need apply
ONLY real men need get on the coach - that is the message from Watford Royals' Vince Macaulay-Razaq as they head for a crunch Budweiser League game with Worthing Bears. If Royals are to end their 21-game winless streak in the league, then it must surely
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Barrow boys await Saints
ST ALBANS CITY will be running supporters coaches for the FA Umbro Trophy second round tie with Unibond League leaders Barrow at Holker Street on Saturday, January 31. Coaches will depart from St Albans at 6.30am at a cost of £16 for adults and £14 for
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Titanic crusiing to the Oscars?
THE most expensive film ever made, the most elaborate special effects in the world, one of the most eagerly-awaited movies for years - and yet we all know the ending to Titanic, writes Simon Ricketts. For those of you who don't know the ending; firstly
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St Albans' fun as they score ton
Rugby Union: St Albans 100 Old Grammarians 10 A DOMINANT display by a team which contained eight changes saw St Albans run up a century of points against Old Grammarians on Saturday. Returning Dave Graham at fly half helped himself to an incredible 35
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Neighbours at war
LIVING next door to the neighbour from hell is one of the most horrifying experiences a person can go though. An Englishman's home, they say, is his castle, and when the drawbridge is up the last thing he wants is for his private space to be invaded by
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I'm not resigning, says parish boss in flood row
CHAIRMAN of Chorleywood Parish Council Jane Weitzmann has said she will not resign, despite calls from some residents to quit over her handling of the flood scheme. She has received 100 per cent support from her fellow parish councillors who have signed
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Health bosses lay cards on the table
EVER since West Hertfordshire Health Authority announced its plans to review health services it has tried to allay fears about the closure of hospitals, consistently arguing that the options proposed are merely suggestions. But we all know this is nonsense
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Robbers trike at travel company
KNIFE-WEILDING raiders threatened staff at a Chorleywood travel agents during a robbery on Tuesday. Two men wearing full-face balaclavas and armed with what appeared to be bread knives burst into Chorleywood Travel, Lower Road, just before 5.30pm. Staff
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Take care of the mind and spirit
IT hardly seems possible that with the campaign barely over to stop the main accident and emergency and many other hospital facilities at St Albans being transferred to Hemel Hempstead, it now seems likely that even more drastic cut-backs are to be made
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Standing up for our rights
PEOPLE power is in the news this week as three residents' groups fight to save their local environment from unwanted development. The much anticipated public inquiry into plans to build a motorway service station near Redbourn opened yesterday (Tuesday
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Salesman jailed for £30,000 theft
A CAR salesman who stole £30,000 from his St Albans employer was jailed for 15 months on Friday. St Albans Crown Court heard David Groves, 46, who worked for Mann Egerton in the city, sold a Land Rover Discovery for £30,000 and pocketed the cash. Mr Groves
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Humphrey's big date
THE ever-popular Humphrey Lyttelton celebrates 50 years as a band leader with a special concert at The Bull, High Street, Barnet. With a seven-piece band, regarded as the very best of his career, he is once again set to delight Bull audiences with his
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In The Net by Oliver Phillips
THE Internet, the Press and football. They may be strange even unlikely menage a trois at first glance but integrate they must. So how can this be achieved? The other week a fan found himself in the same company as a club director and, in anticipation
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High Court fight looms as council tip writ is served
A HIGH COURT battle to stop the restoration of Blackbridge Tip is on the cards after St Albans District Council decided to serve a writ on Redland Aggregates last week. Councillors on the policy and resources committee agreed to the move in a bid to uphold
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Chipps have three chances to cross Palmer with silver
DESPITE their growing fixture problems, Chipperfield Corinthians still have three trophies in their sights. A 3-0 win at Bedmond on Saturday saw Simon Palmer and his men progress in the Aubrey Cup. They face Colney Heath in the Herts Senior Trophy tomorrow
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Care home plan meets with fierce opposition
A PLAN to turn a playing field next to High Beeches School in Harpenden into a residential care home has met with strong opposition from local residents. Hertfordshire County Council wants to build a 60-bed care home as well as 18 houses on the Piggotshill
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Family facing barn eviction wins reprieve
A FAMILY, who packed their bags as they faced being thrown out of their Colney Heath home, won an 11th hour reprieve this week. A bizarre consequence of planning regulations means the Clarke family are not supposed to live at White Barn on Tollgate Road
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New school entry rules unveiled
PARENTS of Watford primary school children will be asked for their views on a proposed new secondary transfer system in the biggest-ever consultation exercise of its kind. More than 70,000 parents throughout Hertfordshire will be sent a consultation document
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Drugs factory man awaits sentence
A MAN from Watford has been exposed as the financial mastermind behind a sophisticated drugs factory. Lemuel Haynes, 38, of Gladstone Road, Watford, sunk thousands of pounds into an illegal cannabis factory, then tried to cover his tracks when detectives
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The death of Mr John Charles Gillett
A MAN who was honoured for his work with the youth of Bushey died on Tuesday. Mr John Charles Gillett, 48, who helped hundreds of youngsters at St James' Open Youth Club and Bushey Rangers Boys Club, leaves a wife, Yvonne, a son, Stuart, and two daughters
