Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Never Let a Self-Produced Horror Show Go to Waste


20140706-immigration-rally-sl-1826_4555d0a6fd32061f04a5480101fa44bd “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste,” President Barack Obama’s former chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, once infamously stated. He never bothered to spell out the unspoken corollary to that appalling statement: And if there is no serious crisis available, manufacture one.


The American left has followed that pattern for generations. The left destroyed the nuclear family by incentivizing women to give birth out of wedlock. When out-of-wedlock births exploded, they used that as an excuse to elevate federal spending, elevate taxes and disestablish marriage between a man and a woman as a moral standard. The left crafted a health care crisis by instituting price and wage controls that led to employer-sponsored insurance, and then undercut that insurance with excessive regulation and easy lawsuits. They used elevating costs as an excuse to push Obamacare and elevate taxes.


Now, the left, under Obama, has crafted the mother of all crises: an influx of tens of thousands of unaccompanied minors crossing America’s southern border. Some of these minors carry disease. Virtually all carry wounds, either physical or psychological, from their criminal coyote guides. That crisis is not Obama’s Hurricane Katrina, as some have speculated. Katrina was an act of God, and its botched handling the act of men. This entire situation is an act of Obama. And he couldn’t be happier as he watches frustrated Americans take to the streets in Murrieta, California, to protest his lawlessness.


Obama created this situation, and he certainly knows how to exploit it. Obama wants to campaign based on the suffering of these children. He wants to push for higher taxes based on their unequal economic status. He wants their eventual votes for the left. He wants the federal government to punish American citizens tired of watching their government abandon them.


It’s all part of the agenda.


Obama and the media maintain the absurd fiction that Obama was thunderstruck by this crisis.


Obama himself has assured the public that he wants all of the new arrivals sent home forthwith and that they were foolish to believe they could stay.

Foolish?


Four years ago, the Obama Justice Department sued the state of Arizona for daring to enforce federal immigration law, and sanctuary cities across the country remained unscathed. Two years ago, Obama declared that all illegal immigrants between the ages of 16 and 30 who had not committed criminal felonies — the so-called Dreamers — would remain in the country. This week, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Arizona would have to hand out driver’s licenses to the Dreamers, and the city of Los Angeles announced it would no longer cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in holding requested illegals for 48 hours after their jail terms expired.


Those desperate to come to America would be fools not to jump at the chance. And their dangerous decisions to send their own children across thousands of miles of desert in the company of likely drug cartel associates underscores their certainty: They’re willing to risk the lives of their children, knowing that so long as the children get to the border, Obama will legitimize them, and then, by extension, their entire families.


This, of course, is precisely what Obama wanted them to think. Now he has his crisis. And he’ll exploit it for everything it’s worth, no matter how much blood is spilled in the deserts of Mexico or the streets of Murrieta.


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Video: Jamie Glazov on the Unholy Alliance’s Blame Game


Blame [Subscribe to The Glazov Gang and LIKE it on Facebook.]


In this special episode of The Glazov Gang, Ann-Marie Murrell interviews Frontpage Editor Jamie Glazov about The Unholy Alliance’s Blame Game, in which Jamie dissects Islam’s and the Left’s sociopathic tactic of inflicting wounds — and then making the victims apologize.


The dialogue occurred within the context of Jamie’s discussion about his recent battle on Hannity against Jihad-Deniers, in which he called out progressives’ willful blindness in the face of the Islamic threat:


To watch previous Glazov Gang episodes, Click Here .


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Thackeray turned to Hindutva in 1985 to win elections


Former Shiv Sena MP and journalist Bharat Kumar Raut today said the late supremo of the party, Bal Thackeray, embraced Hindutva as a strategy because the politics on the issues of Marathi-speakers was not paying off.


“In 1985, Bal Thackeray realised that Marathi is a good cause for popularity, but it does not have elective merit. On the plank of Marathi you cannot win elections. Then he realised that the bigger plank would be Hindutva. So it was a well-calculated move and he embraced Hindutva…And won the subsequent elections,” said Raut, a former Rajya Sabha member.


He was speaking at a panel discussion at the release of ‘Samrat-How the Shiv Sena Changed Mumbai Forever’, a book written by veteran journalist Sujata Anandan.


Speaking on this occasion, Anandan said Sena did not encourage its young foot-soldiers to study and fobbed them off with low-kill jobs in return for lending muscle to its activities.


“One generation of Maharashtrians did turn out to be very mediocre and very un-learned because of this policy of Thackeray,” she said.



Celebrations as outstanding Teesside schools and their staff are recognised


Outstanding schools and their staff were celebrating today after their hard work and dedication was recognised at this year’s Gazette and Journal School Awards.


From inspirational teachers and dedicated school staff to the hard-working pupils themselves, the region’s schools were honoured with prizes during a glittering ceremony yesterday.


The awards, now in their eighth year, include recognition for five outstanding individuals as well as offering four whole-school project awards.


This year, Middlesbrough’s Pallister Park Primary School appeared on the shortlist twice with Rachel Baxter being named this year’s most Inspirational Primary Teacher sponsored by the Education Network.


Rachel, who has worked at Pallister Park for 18 years, has been teaching gymnastics and dance at the school since she started and has guided the children to success in both regional and national competitions.


She said: “I’m over the moon with this award.


“Working with such talented children is what makes my job so special. A lot of the dances that we perform come from the children themselves. They are full of ideas and the ability to express themselves. They are full of imagination and winning their appreciation means a lot to me.”


Rachel was herself taught by now-headteacher at the school, Chris Wain, who was also nominated this year - and won the award last year - for Headteacher of the Year, sponsored by Teesside University.


The school also narrowly missed out on the Healthy School Award.



Beth Atkinson of Oak Tree Academy, Stockton, was named as a Headteacher of the Year. Beth had been nominated by the parent of a pupil, who said: “The school has gone from being placed in special measures to being successful with her at the helm. She has created a positive and warm environment where my daughter can learn and grow.


“Although she may be the last to look for praise for the work she has done, she deserves it so much.”


Another big winner this year was North Shore Academy, in Stockton, which picked up the Northumbrian Water Best School in the Community Award for their Be Brilliant Campaign, which encourages pupils to get involved voluntarily in community work.


Just missing out on a top spot was Caretaker of the Year finalist Kevin Robinson, from Corpus Christi Primary School, Middlesbrough.


Kevin’s heartwarming nomination came from one of the pupils at his school, Lee Moore, who named him simply “Kevin the caretaker”, adding: “I think Kev has worked at my school for lots of years. He is very nice he makes me smile and is very kind. He also works in the rain and the snow and he sometimes works even after school.”


Also reaching the finals was Karen Allinson, a support teacher from Redcar’s Ings Farm School, who was up for Support Staff of the Year after being nominated by the parent of a pupil, Susan Cook.


Susan said: “Karen I know works above and beyond her role of teaching assistant; she gets involved in all aspects of school life. She always puts 100% into everything she does at Ings Farm.


“My girls both adore Karen as does every child in the school.”


The awards ceremony, at Ramside Hall, in County Durham, included entertaining presentations by pupils from across the region; from raps to jaw-dropping dance routines to showcase the childrens’ talents.



Tycoon Duncan Bannatyne says "I'm out" of Dragon's Den


Dragons’ Den star Duncan Bannatyne is stepping down from the BBC2 show after 12 series - telling producers: “I’m out.”


The Teesside-based health club boss was one of the original team of business experts when the programme launched nine years ago and his departure leaves just Peter Jones from the starting line-up of Dragons.


He announced today that the forthcoming series - beginning on July 20 - will be his last as he leaves the programme “due to other business commitments”.


In the programme Bannatyne, 65, who lives in Wynyard, and the other judges invest their own cash in ideas pitched by budding entrepreneurs.


He said: “I have had the time of my life as a Dragon, I have made numerous investments and taken part in a landmark TV programme that has promoted entrepreneurship to an entire generation of Britons.


“However, after the 2014 recordings I do not plan to make any further investments on the programme so I thought it fair to ask producers to offer my seat to somebody else. There are only so many times I can say ‘I’m out’.


“The series that is about to be transmitted is my final season and I’m delighted that it is full of exciting, high quality pitches. I have made a number of investments and it really is must-see business TV.”


Bannatyne, who had a health scare two years ago, built up his fortune with nursing homes and nurseries before founding his health club and spa chain in 1997. He was awarded an OBE for his support of charities.


Mark Linsey, the BBC’s controller for entertainment commissioning, said: “Duncan has been the most formidable Dragon and we are going to miss him enormously. He has inspired many entrepreneurs to come on the show and helped make Dragon’s Den a huge success for BBC2.


“His seat is going to be a difficult one to fill, but he leaves the show on a high, with this next series being the best yet.”


Bannatyne, who has earned a reputation as a no-nonsense and tough negotiator on the show, is expected to remain on screen until early next year.



Man charged with sexual touching after Redcar incident


A man has been charged in connection with an alleged sex assault in a Teesside park.


Cleveland Police said a 38-year-old man will appear at Teesside Magistrates’ Court later this month accused of sexual touching.


The charge is linked to an incident in Redcar’s Locke Park at around 9.20pm on Thursday, June 26.


It was alleged a man spoke to two young girls for a short time before sexually assaulting one of them.



Former top judge named as chairman of national review of historical abuse


The judge that led the 1980s Cleveland child abuse inquiry has been named as the chairman of a national review into historical child sex abuse.


Retired senior judge Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, 80, has been named as the chairman of a review into historical child sex abuse.


Her report on child sex abuse in Cleveland during the late 1980s resulted in more than 100 children being removed from their families and the formation of the Children’s Act 1989.


But the inquiry attracted controversy when cases involving 96 of 121 children alleged to be victims of sexual abuse were dismissed by the courts and 26 cases were found by judges to have been incorrectly diagnosed.


Despite this, Baroness Butler-Sloss’s inquiry contradicted decisions that had been previously made by judges and found that paediatricians had acted properly.


Now, Baroness Butler-Sloss’s independent inquiry will look at how public bodies and other institutions have acted to protect children from sexual abuse.



Police issue appeal for missing Thorntree man David Bell


Police are trying to trace a man who has been reported as missing from his Middlesbrough home.


David Bell, 41, from Thorntree, has been missing since Sunday.


David is described as white, 6’ tall with grey hair and hazel eyes. He has a devil tattoo on his right forearm and a heart on his right arm.


He was wearing blue tracksuit bottoms and a Nike top.


Officers say it is out of character for David not to return home and police are concerned for his welfare.


Anyone who knows of his whereabouts is asked to contact Cleveland Police on 101.



'You're not a Lakes boy. We are the Lakes': What drunken Redcar thugs told victim before 'cowardly' attack


Two teenage bullies who attacked a younger boy in the street for no reason have been told they came very close to being locked up.


Drunken Connor Lewis, 19, and Kieran Williams, 17, went up to their 14-year-old victim and said: “You’re not a Lakes boy. We are the Lakes.”


Prosecutor David Crook said what happened next was a “sustained and repeated assault”.


Lewis hit the boy to the left eye knocking him to the floor, Teesside Crown Court heard today.


When he got up he was punched to the face again, this time knocking him out.


The young victim had been walking to a friend’s home on Langthwaite Walk, Redcar when he was assaulted on the night of February 1.


He regained consciousness to see the attackers arguing with his female friend.


Concerned for her safety, he knocked on a door to seek help and Williams shouted at him to “get out of the garden”.


When the boy told the pair to leave his friend alone, Williams replied “What are you going to do? You are not Lakes", in reference to Redcar's Lakes estate.


He was punched again by Lewis then he and his friend ran off in opposite directions, chased by the two older boys.


Williams caught the boy in a cul-de-sac, put his arm around him, said sorry and walked with him, only to throw back this supposed offer of friendship with a punch to the face.


When they realised the police were coming the attackers fled, not before one of them asked whether they should “bang him again”.


Mr Crook told the court: “There seems to be no point to the offence at all.


“I’m not sure what the intention was. It just seems to be bullying and thuggery.”


The terrified victim was taken to hospital. He had a fractured eye socket and a cut to his left cheek.


Now 15, he said he’d have a scar under his eye for the rest of his life, the attack affected his confidence and he wouldn’t go out on his own.


Detectives arrested Lewis and Williams at their homes and they were picked out at an identification procedure.


Lewis denied any involvement while Williams confessed he punched the boy once and said he was sorry.


Lewis, of Coral Street, Saltburn, and Williams, of Cropton Close, Redcar, admitted inflicting bodily harm. Both had previous convictions.


Williams had an offence of assault causing actual bodily harm on his record. His barrister Kieran Rainey said the prospect of custody terrified him.


Rachel Dyson, defending Lewis, said he had limited memory of the events because of his drinking.


She said Lewis had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and a possible diagnosis of social autism.


But he didn’t want to play down his first crime in four years, blame it on his emotional issues or use them as an excuse.


He showed remorse and regret, understood the effect on his victim, saw the offence as “a rather large wake-up call” and since reduced his alcohol use.


The judge, Recorder Sophie Drake, told the pair in the dock: “What you did that night was cowardly.


“That 14-year-old boy was just minding his own business and you set on him.


“You should be thoroughly ashamed of yourselves.


“I accept you’re both genuinely remorseful for what you did that night, no doubt fuelled by drink.”


She said they could be polite young men, they were changing their lives and the Probation Service felt they could be helped.


In view of this, and their youth and early guilty pleas, she did not send them away.


Lewis was given a nine-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months with alcohol activity, Williams an 18-month youth rehabilitation order with 240 hours’ unpaid work.


Each will be a prisoner in his own home at nights under a six-month curfew between 8pm and 7am, and each must pay the victim £100 compensation.


The judge told them: “You’ve both come very, very close to being sent to custody. This is a direct alternative to that.”



Biggest strike 'in a generation' set to hit Teesside with public sector workers walking out over pay



The biggest strike “in a generation” is set to hit Teesside - and the rest of the country - on Thursday.


Teachers, firefighters and civil servants are striking over pay. These include members of public sector unions Unison, Unite, GMB, PCS, FBU and NUT.


The strike - which sees 1.5 million people join the dispute - is the biggest since the pensions row which saw the first joint union walkout on June 30, 2011 and led to the mass strike on November 30 of that year.


The NUT (National Union of Teachers) said the strike is part of a long-running dispute over pay, pensions and working conditions and follows the publication of the statistic that 40% of teachers leave the profession within their first five years.


NUT regional secretary Mike McDonald said: “Teachers are extremely reluctant to strike because of the impact on children’s education. However they feel that this current Government’s attacks on education will cause far more damage.”


PCS regional secretary Simon Elliott said: “Our members have decided to take this action as they have had enough of low pay, job cuts and office closures. This will be the biggest strike in a generation - the Government needs to take notice of our members’ concerns or it is likely more massive strikes will be called.”


Nicky Ramanandi, Unison’s deputy regional convenor and a local government employee, said: “The pay offer from the local government employer is derisory in the extreme...and nowhere near enough.”


Firefighters will strike tomorrow between 10am and 7pm in addition to the strikes announced for next week. Cleveland Fire Brigade has contingency arrangements in place to provide emergency cover during periods of disruption.


• Unison members will be at several picket points across Teesside from 7am to 11am before heading to Newcastle rally: Middlesbrough Town Hall, Stockton’s Municipal Buildings, outside council office at 16 Church Road in Stockton, Redcar and Cleveland House, Fairview House in Dormanstown.


• Schools will contact parents direct regarding the strike. Click here for a full list of Stockton borough’s schools that are open, closed or partially open.


Redcar and Cleveland Council says some services won’t operate tomorrow and others may be severely affected.


Currently due to be closed are: learning disability day services at High Hills, Brotton, North Skelton and Redcar Satellite; older people’s day services at St Gemains Grange, Marske and Wheatacres, Redcar; Dunsdale household waste recycling site; the welfare rights service; Grangetown, Marske, Ormesby and Roseberry libraries.


Bins due for collection on Thursday, July 10 may will not now get emptied until Thursday, July 24, with residents in parts of Guisborough, Yearby, Newton under Roseberry, Pinchinthorpe, New Marske, Mickledales and Dunsdale affected. All recycling collections will be suspended tomorrow, with residents in Marske and Saltburn advised to put their recycling bins out at the next scheduled collection on Thursday, July 24. Additional recycling can be placed in bags next to recycling bins and they will be collected. Bags of recycling and household waste can also be taken to the Dunsdale waste recycling centre after tomorrow’s closure.


Councillor Norman Pickthall, Cabinet member for corporate resources said: “It is not yet known how many staff will take part in the industrial action, making it difficult to predict exactly what effect it will have. However, the council must plan as best it can to deliver services and is asking residents for patience while it deals with any disruption.”


For updates, check http://ift.tt/1qRKbup or call 01642 774774 or contactus@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk.



Pictures: Redcar kids rock at Newcomen Primary School musical fun day



Musical youths enjoyed a tuneful trip back through time on a day which proved - Newcomen Rocks!


Fifties rockers, sixties hippies and seventies punks were among those represented as Redcar's Newcomen Primary School resounded to all manner of music styles.


With performances from Key Stage 1 and 2 youngsters, and the school choir performing, there was something for everyone.


Children and staff also dressed up in garb from over the years for added authenticity.


And with professional input from visitors Funk Collective and Apollo Arts, it proved a particularly joyous musical occasion.



Genk say they have rejected a Boro approach for Jelle Vossen


Belgian club Genk have admitted Boro are keen on Jelle Vossen - but say they won’t let the striker leave on the cheap.


As revealed yesterday on Gazettelive, Boro are monitoring the situation of the Belgium international who has told his club he wants to leave.


Boro made a £4m bid on deadline day last August and have kept a close eye on him since.


Club sources say that they are currently working hard to bring in two other targets identified by Aitor Karanka first but that Vossen remains an option.


Genk now say they have received an inquiry from Boro as to the availability of Vossen who value him at Euro 4m (£3.1m) which they have rejected out of hand.


Genk knocked back a £6m move from Russian side Rubin Kazan in the January window and also turned down an inquiry from West Ham.


Since then the unhappy hitman has told the club he wants out - and asked them to revive the mooted move to Boro from last summer if possible.


Genk chiefs have agreed to let him leave - but they want the market rate.


“A bid of Euro 4m is not enough for a player of this calibre”, Genk chairman Herbert Houben told Het Nieuwsblad.


Genk promised Vossen they would listen to offers for him but won’t let him go for a knockdown price.


“We want to fulfil our promise to Jelle,” he said. “But that does not mean we have to let him go for anything.


“There was a more lucrative offer from Russia in January at which point we agreed with Jelle to cooperate, but only at that level or similar. There has been no bid like that yet.


“I firmly believe in the next few weeks or months, better offers will come.


“I understand the less a club gets the more the player gets and perhaps he is being hunted and promised heaven, but things have a come a long way if it is a player that determines where he will play.”


Vossen’s father Rudi, his agent, says he hopes he hopes a resolution will be found quickly.


“We wait, we hope for common sense from Genk and that it will not just brush off clubs and Jelle will be able to leave in a nice way.”


Vossen, has one year left on his deal. He scored 12 goals for Genk last season but the side struggled and flopped in the play-offs while Vossen missed out on a place in the Belgian World Cup squad.



Commonwealth Games medal hopefuls Aimee Willmott and Karina Le Fevre fine-tuning preparations at Teesside University


Commonwealth Games medal hopefuls Aimee Willmott and Karina Le Fevre are fine-tuning their preparations for this summer’s global event at Teesside University.


The Tees duo will both be competing in Glasgow 2014, which gets underway on July 23.


They are both members of Teesside University’s Elite Athlete Scheme and, before heading off to their respective holding camps, are working hard to ensure they will be in peak fitness by the time their respective events get underway in Scotland.


The Elite Athlete Scheme is a support network that enables students to fulfil their sporting potential.


Le Fevre, from Thornaby, is a member of Ormesby Table Tennis Club and, in the Scotstoun Sports Campus, will compete for England in the team event, mixed double and ladies’ doubles.


Explaining how she’s benefiting from the university’s support, she said: “I am doing a law degree at Teesside, which I started in September.


“Since then I’ve been a part of the university’s Elite Athlete Scheme.


“They have given me funding, physio help, strength and conditioning help and it has been really useful for me, they have been really supportive.


“Since I came here I have improved a lot and it has shown in my game.


It’s going to be a busy build-up to Glasgow for Le Fevre, who celebrates her 21st birthday on July 17.


“We will go to Glasgow for three days to train and get used to the facilities and athletes’ village,” she said.


“After that I come home for my birthday and then go back to Glasgow again for the Commonwealth Games.”


Both Le Fevre and Middlesbrough SC member Willmott competed in the 2010 Commonwealth Games as promising teenagers.


The former, who narrowly missed out on a team medal in Delhi, believes she’s a better table tennis player now than she was four year ago.


“My style is different, I am a lot more aggressive now on the table in the way I play.


“Tactically, I’m a lot more mature, I’ve got more experience and that will hopefully help.”


Tees swim queen Willmott, from Ormesby, is competing in the 400m and 200m individual medley and the 200m butterfly in the Tollcross International Swimming Centre.


She is also grateful for the help and support she’s received from Teesside University.


“I’ve been doing a sports coaching degree for the last couple of years and I’ve really enjoyed it,” said the 21-year-old.


“There is a nice atmosphere in the gym with the Elite Scheme guys, it’s not just swimmers, there’s boxers, there’s Karina, so there’s a lot of variety there so I can get away from swimming and just enjoy training in the gym.


“Everybody there is brilliant and the support that I have had from the uni has been amazing so it would be nice to come away with a medal as a thank you.”



Ormesby dancers hope to score new music with Wish Sport campaign


Dancers are hoping to score new music with the help of Gazette readers.


Dancewise Performing Arts, based in High Street, Ormesby, has signed up to the Wish Sport campaign.


Its students have just performed their annual show, Alice in Wonderland, at Billingham Forum helped by money raised by last year’s Wish campaign which went towards costumes.


Now they are hoping readers will send them their tokens to raise cash to buy both new music and costumes for new troupes and to help with future performances.


The Gazette has teamed up with Middlesbrough and Teesside Philanthropic Foundation, which is providing £30,000 to share between groups across Teesside.


Tokens will be printed in the Gazette every day from Monday. The more collected, the greater the share of the prize pot.


This year the tokens collected will be worth a share of £25,000, with the remaining £5,000 up for grabs during two special online bonus days.


All groups will be in with a chance during the bonus days to win a share of the additional money pot – the four that receive the most votes on http://ift.tt/1md60Qe will get the cash.


Paul Davison, commercial director of of Erimus Insurance Brokers, corporate patrons of the Middlesbrough and Teesside Philanthropic Foundation, said: “Erimus are delighted to back this great campaign, joining other businesses to help make Teesside an ever better place where sport and teamwork thrive.


“Support for initiatives like this that make a real difference for Teesside is exactly why we’re proud to be patrons of the Foundation.”


Dancewise has been in its’ current studio for 10 years and take students from aged three upwards offering a range of various dance styles.


To help them send your tokens to Dancewise, 18-20 High Street, Ormesby, Middlesbrough, TS7 9AG.



Petition launched to introduce limited free parking on Redcar high street


A petition has been launched to introduce limited free parking on Redcar’s high street.


The petition, begun by Redcar MP Ian Swales and Redcar constituency Liberal Democrats, calls for free, limited stay parking on Redcar high street “to encourage support for local businesses, as in other local towns, high streets and shopping centres.”


Mr Swales says it follows calls last month for Redcar and Cleveland Council to take action on high street parking charges, only for a £20,000 parking consultation to make no recommendations.


Last year, he said, the council sold 20% fewer tickets on Redcar high street but made more than a 20% increase in revenue.


Mr Swales said: “I am disappointed in the lack of action from the council. The parking consultation has cost the taxpayer £20,000 and has made no positive recommendations for change.


“Parking is free in Saltburn, Marske, and Guisborough and out of town locations such as supermarkets and shopping centres. It is simply not fair that Redcar takes the brunt of the charges to support a better deal elsewhere.”


Councillor Josh Mason, Liberal Democrat council group spokesman for leisure and tourism, said: “In light of Marks and Spencer’s recent announcement, it is more important than ever for the council to ensure the high street is encouraged to thrive.


“This is yet another example of the Labour council making selfish decisions that are having a devastating effect on the town.”


But Councillor Steven Goldswain, the council’s cabinet member for community safety, said recommendations WILL be forthcoming.


He said: “The council is currently consulting on the findings of the parking review before drawing up recommendations.


“To that end, the findings were presented to the scrutiny and improvement committee for consideration on Wednesday. Discussions will now take place with ward members, parish councils, local business associations and disability groups.


“The comments received from these wider discussions, and from the scrutiny and improvement committee itself, will be included in a report outlining recommendations. This approach was made clear in the scrutiny and improvement committee report.


“No final decisions have been made and we want to take in as many views as possible, including those of Mr Swales and Cllr Mason.”


* The petition is available to sign in a number of high street shops and online at www.ianswales.com



Easterside youngsters take part in 'Race for Life' event to raise money for charity



Youngsters at a Teesside school raised money for cancer sufferers by staging a special race around the grounds.


St Thomas More School in Easterside, Middlesbrough, held its own Race For Life style event to raise money for Cancer Research.


Staff and parents also took part in the event.


Each participant ran the race for a family member or friend who has been touched by cancer.


Headeacher Jane Apolloni said: “We wanted to do our own bit for raising the profile and awareness of Cancer Research. This event was the pupils’ idea. A few of us in school and some of the children have seen people who have been affected by cancer.


“We had about 170 children taking part in the Race for Life and there was about 50 parents and staff members.


“The children were running for people they know who have been affected by cancer.


“All the staff members wore pink for the race.


“We were very lucky with the weather and it was a lovely atmosphere.”


At the end of the race the children ran through a pink balloon arch which was provided by Balloon Attics in Coulby Newham.


Mrs Apolloni added: “This event meant a lot to the children.


“We have a display in the hall and each child has written a dedication to someone they know who has been affected by cancer.”


The event was organised by teaching assistant Joanna Wyke and school secretary Angela Bennett. It was the second year the school had held the event and Mrs Apolloni said they hope to do it again next year.


She said: “Last year we raised £1,000 which was fantastic and hopefully we have raised about the same this year.”



Thackeray turned to Hindutva in 1985 to win elections


Former Shiv Sena MP and journalist Bharat Kumar Raut today said the late supremo of the party, Bal Thackeray, embraced Hindutva as a strategy because the politics on the issues of Marathi-speakers was not paying off.


“In 1985, Bal Thackeray realised that Marathi is a good cause for popularity, but it does not have elective merit. On the plank of Marathi you cannot win elections. Then he realised that the bigger plank would be Hindutva. So it was a well-calculated move and he embraced Hindutva…And won the subsequent elections,” said Raut, a former Rajya Sabha member.


He was speaking at a panel discussion at the release of ‘Samrat-How the Shiv Sena Changed Mumbai Forever’, a book written by veteran journalist Sujata Anandan.


Speaking on this occasion, Anandan said Sena did not encourage its young foot-soldiers to study and fobbed them off with low-kill jobs in return for lending muscle to its activities.


“One generation of Maharashtrians did turn out to be very mediocre and very un-learned because of this policy of Thackeray,” she said.



Maliki pounds fallujah, death toll raises to 500


ISIS Rebels


Iraqi government troops positioned on the eastern outskirts of the city of Fallujah in Anbar province in western Iraq bombed the city yesterday with artillery, air strikes and armoured vehicles, bringing the death toll in the city to more than five hundred people, with nearly a thousand injured, since the beginning of the year, As-Sabeel newspaper reported.


The bombing concentrated on the neighbourhoods of Golan Heights, Andalusia, Aljughaifi, Alshuhada and Byblos.


As-Sabeel cites the chief resident at Fallujah General Hospital as saying that “the hospital received nine injured, including three children,” which brings the number of victims of the bombing by government forces on the city since the beginning of military operations began to 507 dead and 1,806 injured.


Medical sources in Fallujah said that two civilians were killed on Friday and ten others were wounded including a child and three women after the Iraqi army bombed the city with artillery and mortars. The bombing was focused on the area of Nuaimiya, Alshuhada, Alaskari, Aldubbat and Nazzal, damaging houses and shops. People in the city said the Iraqi Air Force flew over the Nuaimiya area and south of Fallujah.


The majority of Fallujah’s residents were displaced following the Iraqi army military operation earlier this year, which led to the killing and wounding of hundreds of civilians. Some residents returned to the city after the government troops withdrew the siege they had imposed on the city.


The Iraqi authorities accused militants of the Islamic State, or ISIS, of taking over some of the city’s neighbourhoods and hiding inside them. Local tribes militants and elements of the Islamic state took control of Mosul, Tikrit and other cities and towns in the provinces of Nineveh, Salahuddin, Tamim, Diyala and Anbar, north and west of Baghdad, following an attack which began on 10 June, leading the Iraqi forces to almost entirely collapse in those areas.


The government of Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki began a military operation earlier this year after its forces dispersed a sit-in in Anbar and local tribes formed military councils to defend themselves. The Iraqi government insists that it is waging a war on “terrorism” aimed at the Islamic state.


Meanwhile, As-Sabeel also reported that the Islamic State announced that it had seized control of the towers at the Speicher base in Tikrit where the Iraqi government forces have been stationed for some time. In a separate incident, the organisation said that many fell dead and others were wounded in two cars bombings in Basra.


The organisation announced through its Twitter account that its fighters took control of the building where Iraqi Special Forces have been stationed. It added that its elements managed to kill dozens of government troops that were stationed at the base.


Media sources confirmed that ISIS militants began on Saturday evening a large-scale attack on Speicher base in Tikrit in Salahuddin province north of Baghdad, a city partly controlled by insurgents. An ISIS spokesperson pointed out that the armed attack on the Speicher base is regarded as a final step to eliminate what he called “Iranian elements hiding there”.


Sources confirmed earlier that government forces had failed to implement airdrops using two helicopters four kilometres south of the city of Tikrit, in an attempt to regain control of the old headquarters of the Iraqi army’s fourth brigade, but they were met with heavy fire from anti-aircraft automatic weapons forcing the helicopters to withdraw. The witnesses said that Tikrit and the town of Ouja are still under the control of militants, but government forces are currently stationed in two locations close to the city of Tikrit; the first is Speicher base, which lies ten kilometres northwest of the city, and the second is the University of Tikrit, which lies three kilometres north east of the city.



Murders of the 60s: Scarfaced killer was guilty of sordid Norton murder

Young Norton mum Betty Stott was killed after trying to take money from scarfaced Yorkshireman John Green in 1966




In the second of our Murders of the Sixties series, Crime Reporter Sophie Barley looks at the 1966 murder of Betty Stott by a man known as the 'scarface killer'


When young mum Betty Stott was found murdered in Norton a nationwide manhunt to kind a “scarfaced” killer was launched.


Mrs Stott’s body was found in a meter cupboard at her home in Alverston Road on January 27, 1966.


Police launched a murder investigation and a man with scars on both checks was being hunted.


He was 22-year-old John Green, from Yorkshire.


Following a 12-day manhunt, Green was arrested in London. He was charged with murder and went on trial.


Mrs Stott, a divorced mother of two young children, was found dead in a cupboard by her friend Nancy Wilson.


A post mortem examination found that she had been strangled.


Green had spent the previous night with Mrs Stott and it was believed that he killed her after finding her trying to take money from his pocket.


Green then set off to London. He was arrested in Highbury Hill on February 7 by Flying Squad detectives.


At first he gave a false name but when told he answered the description of the man wanted in connection with the death of Mrs Stott, he said: “Yes I know all about that. I done it.”


He was held by police in London while Stockton officers travelled down to the capital.


He then made a statement explaining what happened on the night Mrs Stott died.


He said he had been introduced to her by two friends. He said they told him that she would have sex with him if he gave her a “bob or two”.


In the statement he told police that while they were having sex, he saw Mrs Stott try to get some money out of his jacket pocket.


He said: “I grabbed her by either the arm or hand and I think I called her a few names.


“She then hit me in the face and then said something, that I had had what I wanted and I would have to pay for it.


“From then on I am not quite sure what happened. I know I got hold of her by the neck. I don’t know if it was the drink or what, but I blacked out.


“When I came round I was on the floor with my head under the table. I then saw the girl laid on the floor. I went over to her to see what had happened. I just could not believe she was dead.


“I then realised the trouble I was in.”


He said he hid her body in the cupboard so that her children wouldn’t see her in the morning. “I knew what a horrible shock that would have been”, he said.


Green was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.


The prosecutor in the trial described the killing as a “sordid murder”.


Nine years later police were hunting Green again after he failed to return to a pre-release hostel run by Wakefield Prison.


He had been on one of the prison’s rehabilitation schemes.


He was arrested and taken back to Wakefield Prison.


Murders f the 60s


Unsolved murder of Redcar doctor's receptionist Linda Cook



Government's £90m Teesside deal will 'only create 150 jobs a year', MP claims


Labour MPs claim a £90m Government cash boost for Teesside will have “limited impact on unemployment” and needs to be “put into perspective”.


The Tees Valley LEP (Local Enterprise Partnership) has secured £90.3m from the Government’s Local Growth Fund.


As reported, the deal will bring forward at least £100m of additional investment from local partners and the private sector.


The combined investment package could create up to 1,000 jobs, up to 1,500 additional training places and allow 1,500 homes to be built. It will see major investments in key transport, infrastructure, skills, innovation and business support projects.


But Stockton North Labour MP Alex Cunningham said: “The announcement boasts these measures will create 1,000 jobs by 2021 - that is fewer than 150 jobs a year for seven years, which will have very limited impact on unemployment levels in our area.


“I would have felt the Government was serious about helping our area if it had been making major funds available now to allow projects like the new road for the airport, the improvements to ease access to Wynyard Park and the offshore wind research and validation centre to go ahead without delay.


"Sadly, today’s announcement is about very limited jam tomorrow.”


Middlesbrough Labour MP Andy McDonald said: “We have to get this into perspective. Compare what is being announced with the £30bn that Labour will devolve to the regions. We are talking billions of pounds for our region.


"On that scale we will have a genuine impetus to reconstruct and renew our economy, create sustainable jobs, build hope and confidence.”


Elsewhere the deal, announced by the Prime Minister yesterday, was widely welcomed.


Ian Swales, Lib Dem MP for Redcar, said a multi-million pound specialist oil and gas academy at Redcar and Cleveland College was “fantastic news for our area”.


“The academy will bring international business people into the town and will lead to further investment,” he said. “Teesside is on the up.”


A new road, which will open up access to 150 acres of land to the south of Durham Tees Valley Airport’s runway was also among 10 schemes included in the Growth Deal.


The airport’s strategic planning director Peter Nears said: “We have been working hard for some time to make the case for the funding needed to ‘pump prime’ the Southside development and bring in tens of millions of further investment - and very significant numbers of jobs.


"This announcement is a significant step forward.”


Stockton Council leader Councillor Bob Cook said of the £90m boost: “This is further endorsement that the five Tees Valley local authorities, private sector as well as the universities and colleges are working well together with the joint ambition of creating business opportunities and jobs for our residents.”



Oscar Pistorius trial adjourned after defence finishes case - verdict expected within six weeks


Oscar Pistorius's defence team have concluded their case in his murder trial - and the athlete could learn his fate within 6 weeks.


The Olympic and Paralympic athlete will now have to wait a month before his next appearance in court when the legal teams will submit their closing arguments.


He is facing a possible 25-year prison sentence if he is found guilty of murdering girlfriend model Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year.


The prosecution team has until July 30 to submit its 'heads of argument' to the court and the defence team has until August 4.


The two parties will then go before Judge Thokozile Masipa on August 7 and 8 when she will hear their closing arguments.


She is then expected to take around another two weeks to consider her verdict.


If he is found guilty, it is likely that Pistorius will appeal against his conviction and it is likely that he would be released on bail until after another hearing.


The 27-year-old athlete, known as 'Blade Runner' because of the carbon-fibre prosthetics he uses on the track, says he killed Steenkamp in a tragic accident, shooting at what he thought was an intruder hiding behind a locked toilet door.


The state alleges he killed in a fit of rage after an argument.



Two new long-stay car parks set to get green light in Yarm


Two new car parks are set to be approved for Yarm this week to help ease parking problems in the popular market town.


One will be based off Silver Street, behind Barclays Bank and another behind the Blue Bell pub on the Egglescliffe side of Yarm Bridge.


As reported, each will offer about 40 long-stay car parking spaces near Yarm high street.


They will run alongside the controversial short-stay pay-and-display parking arrangements that are now up and running on High Street.


The car park plans have been welcomed by Yarm councillors and the local MP who have campaigned for more long stay parking for the town.


Stockton South Conservative MP James Wharton said: “If it goes through, this is very welcome. I hope it will go some way to improving the parking problems the town has suffered for a long time.”


Two applications by Stockton Council for the car parks will be considered by the authority’s planning committee on Wednesday. Both have been recommended for approval.


Objections have been raised in respect to the both schemes, some of which have led to revised plans being submitted, said a report to the committee.


The main objections to the car park on land to rear Of 661 Yarm Road, behind the Blue Bell pub, relate to: “inaccuracy of plans, that the site development would require use of others’ land which is not agreed, the access would be too narrow, the scheme would result in risk to highway safety, the vehicular access on to Yarm Road would be problematic”.


Cleveland Sea Scouts has also raised concerns about the loss of a building where it stores canoes and equipment and the loss of access to the river.


Eaglescliffe Lib Dem councillor Maureen Rigg said: “Although there is a serious need for long-stay car parking for Yarm I do not believe that this is the correct solution. I have real concerns about pedestrian safety at the access.”


But planning officers said they “consider the revised plans to accurately represent the situation on site”.


The report added that “although the access is narrow and adjacent to an existing footpath, the proposal will achieve an acceptable access”.


Three letters of objection were submitted to the scheme behind Barclays Bank, including from Sainsbury’s.


Objections raise concerns over Silver Street being too narrow, existing traffic movements being problematic and often being blocked by service vehicles and the loss of privacy.”


But planning officers say the narrow carriageway will reduce traffic speeds and that as the proposal is a long-stay car park, traffic increase will be “negligible” along Silver Street.