Archive
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Public must be told why so many die
AN urgent review is needed to discover why so many patients are dying at St Albans and Hemel Hempstead hospitals. The shocking figures need an explanation. Patients and their families deserve to know why they have a one in six chance of dying at St Albans
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Ron's a man of many parts whose versatility crosses all musical barriers SINCE I started writing this column a few weeks ago I've been encountering a lot of interesting people and hearing about some exciting musical projects. I've just been listening
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Friday 21/7
Water Gardens at Fishpools all proceeds to Watford Peace Hospice; Hartspring Lane, Aldenham; 11am to 4.30pm; admission £1.50 per adult; groups are welcome to visit at other times. Tel: 01923 855824. Saturday 22/7 Water Gardens at Fishpools all proceeds
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Mothers of South Oxhey assault victims speak out
GANG rape and kidnap are just two of the crimes men involved in the alleged South Oxhey assaults have inflicted on their young victims, according to one mother who has spoken this week to The Watford Observer.- The woman, who cannot be identified, said
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Veteran campaigner Jean Brett steps in to help save Harefield A RICKMANSWORTH woman who was heavily involved in the fight to save Watford General Hospital from closure is now leading a campaign to fend off a similar threat to Harefield Hospital. Last
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Celebrated author visits a Rickmansworth school
CELEBRATED author Yvonne Coppard entertained pupils in Rickmansworth with anecdotes and advice, as part of St Joan of Arc School's Book Week. Designed to encourage reading among students, the event, held last week, involved a host of activities, including
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Streets of pleasure
A SENSE of history filled the streets of Abbots Langley as more than 50 residents gathered together for an old-fashioned street party on Saturday. Villagers from Breakspeare Road, Langley Road and Marlin Square organised the party to celebrate the new
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Boycott for The Gate pub if name changed
A STORM of protest greeted the news that The Gate public house in Chorleywood would be re-opened under a new name. Members of Chorleywood Parish Council threatened to boycott the 200-year-old pub in Rickmansworth Road if its name was changed to the Jenny
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Chief constable predicts major police shortage
HERTFORDSHIRE'S police could be facing a major shortage of officers within the next two years, according to the force's own predictions. The county's Chief Constable, Paul Acres, told the meeting of the Hertfordshire Police Authority last Thursday, he
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Appeal for Asian donors
THE Asian community in Watford is being targeted by a campaign to find more bone marrow donors. The Friends of Life organisation was set up earlier this year by Mr Ajay Kumar, from Slough, when his four-year-old niece Darpan Kumar was diagnosed with leukaemia
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Bright spark
An electrician from St Albans has won an award for being one of the top electrical apprentices in the eastern region of England and Wales. Mr Darren Russell, 22, was named electrical training company JTL's top apprentice at a recent awards ceremony at
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Heads welcome schools' windfall
CHANCELLOR Gordon Brown unveiled his pre-election present to schools this week, pledging to give them £11.4 billion over the next three years. And to avoid cash being swallowed up by bureaucratic red tape, Mr Brown plans to bypass local education authorities
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Bid to tackle Caribbean's poverty and other problems
THE threat of hurricanes and abject poverty are just two of the hidden problems facing the sun-drenched Caribbean that has become the new focus of a major appeal. The Bishop of St Albans, the Right Rev Christopher Herbert, officially launched the Millennium
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Single mother scoops award
SINGLE mum Paula Lee has won a magazine award for her achievements as a parent. Ms Lee, 41, from Radlett, was named South East regional winner of the Single Mum of the Year 2000 competition in That's Life! magazine after being nominated by her parents
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Replica gun threat man's jail term cut
A BURGLARY victim who threatened a man with a toy gun has had his sentence cut by six months by the Criminal Appeal Court. Stephen Marshall, 30, of High Street, Colney Heath, was jailed for two years after admitting possession of an imitation firearm
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Quest for the best of the best
CALLING all sporting, business, environmental and artistic leaders in St Albans - the search for the best of the best in the district is now on. After the success of last year's inaugural Excellence Awards, the St Albans Observer has again teamed up with
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Students jet off on challenge trip
WHILE their friends bask in the freedom of holidays at the end of term, a group of students from St Albans High School for Girls have decided to shun their summer fun and jet off to Asia for a World Challenge Expedition. After 18 months of planning, fundraising
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Young engineers compete
THE spotlight fell on youngsters from Redbourn Junior School when they joined some of the brightest young inventors in the region to compete for the coveted title of Young Engineer for Britain 2000. Pupils Lauren Thomas, ten, and Charlotte Baynes, 11,
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Battle on to save historic footpath
PROTESTERS are fighting to save an ancient footpath from being destroyed by a housing development. Campaigners say the footpath, known as Cock Alley, is used by children and should be preserved. It is under threat from plans to build six houses with 14
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Developer attacked in housing cash row
THE actions of a developer wanting to redevelop the Youth Hostel Association's national headquarters in St Albans have been branded as 'shameful'. Developer Nicholas King Homes wants to convert Trevelyan House into new homes, but refused to increase its
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Health bosses set out merger proposals
HEALTH chiefs who want to merge the St Albans and Harpenden primary care groups (PCGs), barely a year after doctors pressed for separate bodies, set out their proposals last Friday. Representatives from both PCGs launched their plans to merge the grassroots
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Police women to pound charity beat
WOMEN from police stations in St Albans, Harpenden and London Colney will be swapping Panda cars for trainers to raise money for cancer relief. About 30 serving officers and civilian staff will be joining forces with female runners on Sunday, July 30,
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Traffic scheme set to give buses priority
BUSES will be given the green light through St Albans under a new traffic priority scheme. The Scoot project is part of a £600m local transport plan for Hertfordshire that was approved by county councillors last week. The local transport plan sets out
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SHOCK new figures show the death rate for patients admitted to St Albans and Hemel Hempstead hospitals for hip operations is almost twice the national average. One in six people admitted to the hospitals suffering from a broken hip die within 30 days,
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IN scenes more reminiscent of a London premire than St Peter's Street on a Wednesday afternoon, more than 1,200 Harry Potter fans queued for up to two hours to catch a glimpse of author J.K. Rowling. The woman behind the most popular wizard in history
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'It's not over yet' vow new homes protesters
RESIDENTS battling to stop a controversial 50-home development in Bricket Wood are vowing to continue their fight, even though their hopes were further rocked on Wednesday night. Angry campaigners are maintaining that plans to build the houses on Green
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What's on at the cinema
Warner Village, Woodside Leisure Park (01923 682222) High Fidelity (15); Stuart Little (U); The Patriot (15); Thomas and the Magic Railroad (U); Mission Impossible 2 (15); Final Destination (15); Chicken Run (U); Gladiator (15); Essex Boys (18); ; Special
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Friday 21
Saturday 22 Bushey Festival Gala Concert International University, The Avenue, Bushey; tomorrow (Saturday), 7.30pm. Grimsdyke Brass present an open-air brass concert; Harrow Museum and Heritage Centre, Headstone Manor, Pinner View; Sunday, 7.30pm.
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Stage
Y3K presented by Millfield Youth Theatre; Millfield House and Theatre, Silver Street, Edmonton, London; runs until tomorrow (Saturday), 7.30pm; tickets £5/£8.50. Tel: box office 020 8807 6680. Rip 'Em Off 'Direct from Lost Vegas!' presented by Blag Theatre
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Lead pic: SA Rifle Club (in SA New nostalgia pics):
This photo, which has been lent to us by readers Len and Dorreen Swain, shows a St Albans shooting club. Can anyone name these people in the picture, or tell us about the club? 2nd pic: SA Junk (in SA new nostalgia pics): Reader Sylvia Reeves knows the
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Right turn over roads
ONE of the most valued areas of green space in Oxhey was saved this week. A plan to drive a road through the middle of Oxhey Park has been giving residents and environmental campaigners sleepless nights, but on Monday Watford Council's policy and resources
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True peace comes from the heart
ONCE again, the media is full of news about the stand-off in Northern Ireland between Orangemen and Unionists and the police and British armed forces. All this is over the Orange Order marches which, as a way of remembering Protestant victory over Roman
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Quick response from school workers stops oil spill polluting the Chess AN investigation has been launched by police into an oil spillage at the Royal Masonic School in Rickmansworth last Friday, believed to be the work of vandals. A week after the Chorleywood
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Fifteen weeks of disruption expected in bushey
MOTORISTS travelling through Bushey Heath can expect delays from Monday, as work starts on the second phase of the Bushey Green Route. The three-phase initiative was introduced last year as a result of a consultation between local authorities during the
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Apprentice who resigned due to salary returns as manager
DID you hear the one about the Watford bodyshop apprentice who asked his manager for a 50p hourly increase? The manager refused, the apprentice opened his own workshop down the road and, ten years later, bought the company for himself. Mr Mark Woodward
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Wedding day to go out with a Chitty bang
WEDDING guests invited to a church in Bushey are set for a truly scrumptious day, thanks to the special appearance of a four-wheeled guest. The original car from the children's classic film, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, will bring Ms Melanie Perry, 28, of
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Park saved from link road blight
RESIDENTS in the Oxhey area and Watford's Friends of the Earth are delighted at Watford Council's decision to abandon the development of the Wiggenhall Road link. The decision was taken at a meeting of the council's policy and resources committee on Monday
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Bricket Wood battlers vow to fight on against houses
RESIDENTS battling to stop a controversial 50-home development in Bricket Wood are vowing to continue their fight, despite hopes being further rocked on Wednesday night. Angry campaigners are maintaining that plans to build the houses in Green Belt land
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Police tackling rise in county's crime
HERTFORDSHIRE remains the third safest county in the country, despite a rise in crime during the past year, according to figures released on Tuesday. The Home Office figures show that reported crime rose by seven per cent in the 12 month period from April
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Health plans prompt fears
THE chief executive of Watford's Peace Hospice fears proposals to disband the trust which runs West Hertfordshire's community health services could damage the way the treatment of the terminally ill and those with life-threatening diseases is run. West
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Influencing health services made easier
A PUBLIC consultation was launched by West Hertfordshire Health Authority last week on proposed changes to the health service structure in the county. These proposals comprise of the creation of seven Primary Care Trusts, the merger of West Hertfordshire
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Young leaders take on world
FIVE pupils from a school in Chorleywood are set to give Prime Minister Tony Blair and other world leaders a run for their money on a 12-day Global Young Leaders Conference (GYLC) in America. The 17-year-old pupils, of St Clement Danes School, Chenies
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Community unites to offer hope
COMMUNITY leaders and residents have joined forces to offer hope in the wake of disturbing allegations of sexual abuse of young girls from South Oxhey. At a meeting in The Centre, Gosforth Lane, on Wednesday, they vowed to work together to create a safer
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Woman, 79, fights off conmen
A PENSIONER bravely fought off two men who tried to force their way into her St Albans home last Thursday. The courageous 79-year-old woman thwarted would-be burglars who tried to force their way into her Verulam Road home at about 3pm by blocking the
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Special meeting is tabled to discuss sex assaults in South Oxhey A SPECIAL meeting of Hertfordshire County Council's social services committee is being held on Friday to discuss the South Oxhey assaults. It was called by the Labour group, which is concerned
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Former social worker spells out the unpalatable truth
THE South Oxhey community has been struggling to come to terms with the revelation a gang of sex attackers have been carrying out a reign of terror over families living there. But, while Mr John Horsfield, chief executive of Hertfordshire charity SACCAA
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Rose crown marks royal birthday
A GIANT crown made of roses was the stunning centrepiece of the float sent by St Albans' Gardens of the Rose to the Queen Mother's birthday pageant on Wednesday. More than 1,000 red and white roses were picked in the preparation of the crown that took
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Children unveil dome
A NEW Millennium Dome was unveiled in Harpenden last week when schoolchildren designed their own scale model of the London landmark. Pupils from Grove JM School in Dark Lane set about copying the dome as part of a hands-on architecture workshop designed
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Walk aids Ugandan hostel
STUDENTS from Townsend School in St Albans put their best foot forward on a sponsored walk to raise money for a Ugandan hostel. The whole school took part in the ten kilometre walk through Childwickbury and along the River Ver recently, led by religious
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New victory for bank fight campaigner
A CAMPAIGNER from Harpenden who is leading the battle to stop the rash of bank closures in rural areas is claiming a crucial victory. Director of the Campaign for Community Banking Services Derek French, who lives in Roundwood Park, says this week's revelation
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MP urges caution over law change
HARPENDEN MP Peter Lilley says emergency measures targeting travelling football hooligans would be a 'thuggish law'. In the Commons debate on the Football (Disorder) Bill, Mr Lilley accused the Government of bowing to public pressure in trying to rush
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Police face staffing crisis as crime rises
THE dramatic rise in crime figures comes in a week when Hertfordshire's chief constable is warning that the force faces a recruitment crisis that could leave it 200 officers short. Chief Constable Paul Acres told the Hertfordshire Police Authority that
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Two honoured as city aldermen
DESPITE a two-month delay and some political wrangling two ex-Conservative councillors have been made honorary aldermen of the city. Mr David Coe and Mrs Margaret Corley were awarded the the title at a meeting of the full council last week. Mr Coe, formerly
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School to get crossing
CHILDREN from a St Albans school look one step closer to getting a much-needed zebra crossing after the district council approved £20,000-worth of funding. After six months of lobbying by anxious parents and St Albans MP Kerry Pollard, St Albans district
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Bravery award for policeman
POLICE officers based in St Albans took centre stage at a special awards ceremony at police headquarters in Welwyn Garden City. Four officers were honoured, including PC Harry Kerby, who was presented with a Chief Constable's Commendation for his heroic
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Teenager stole from 'good Samaritans'
A TEENAGER who stole from a family that took him in when he was homeless has been sentenced to 15 months in youth custody. Christopher Dicker, 18, also burgled a five-bedroomed house in Maple Road, Harpenden, St Albans Crown Court heard yesterday (Thursday
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Road closed as fire rages out of control
A MASSIVE fire that started on Wednesday raged out of control until yesterday (Thursday) morning, bringing traffic chaos on the A4147 St Albans to Hemel Hempstead road. Smoke brought traffic to a halt and one lane of the road was closed as the fire at
