Archive

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Man charged with Dixon murders

A man in his 60s has tonight been charged with murdering a Witney couple almost 20 years ago. Dyfed-Powys Police said John Cooper, 64, would appear before magistrates on Friday accused of killing Peter and Gwenda Dixon in Pembrokeshire in 1989

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Police renew appeal after fatal crash

Police have renewed their appeal for witnesses following a fatal collision in Bix, near Henley. At 1pm on Sunday, two Suzuki motorbikes were being ridden along the A4130 from Benson towards Henley. As they left Bix, one of the motorcyclists lost control

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Dignitaries pay their respects to Fallen heroes

Nearly 50 people gathered on the A420 Folly Hill layby to pay their respects to four soldiers killed in Afghanistan who returned to the UK yesterday. Members of the Faringdon branch of the Royal British Legion, town mayor John Gillman and Vale of White

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IVF protestors confront health chief

FERTILITY campaigners last night staged a protest at Oxfordshire PCT headquarters after suffering a blow to their campaign to get IVF on the NHS. Richard Mackenzie, who is leading a group claiming they are being discriminated against for IVF funding

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Oxfordshire on severe weather alert

A severe weather warning has been issued for Oxfordshire tonight. The Met Office has advised motorists to take care on the roads tomorrow morning as heavy downpours are expected between 3am and 8am. Heavy rain is expected tonight, with and storm clouds

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Half of children in care get no GCSEs

COUNTY Hall promised to continue supporting vulnerable children in Oxfordshire after figures revealed just 56 per cent of Year 11 pupils in care gained one or more GCSEs. Statistics relating to the school year ending in September 2008 were

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Ministry makes probation centre pledge

RESIDENTS welcomed a pledge by a justice minister to look at alternative sites for a new probation centre before it signs a lease on a property in west Oxford. Evan Harris, Oxford West and Abingdon MP, took campaigners to meet David Hanson to seek assurances

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New Lord Mayor takes over

LORD Mayor of Oxford Susanna Pressel handed over the chains of office to fellow city councillor Mary Clarkson today. The ceremony was held in the Assembly Room at the Town Hall, St Aldate’s. City councillor John Goddard was elected the

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Tyre firm fights £12k fire bill

OXFORDSHIRE County Council is fighting a legal battle to claim £12,000 from the owners of a garage destroyed in an explosion, it was revealed last night. Legal documents obtained by the Oxford Mail show the council is billing Leda Properties, which trades

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CRICKET: Harrison urges focus

Serious Cricket Home Counties Premier League - Division 1 Oxford face what could be one of their easier matches on Saturday – at home to a newly-promoted Farnham Royal side deprived of their star man. But even though Farnham are without star Jamaican

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CRICKET: Thame confidence high

Serious Cricket Home Counties Premier League - Division 2 West Batsmen Ed Barnett and Adam McBrien replace spinner Ryan Murray and the unavailable Daniel West as Thame Town visit Burnham on Saturday. Having opened up with a convincing win over Wokingham

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CRICKET: League deny East's move

The Oxford Times Cherwell League have pointed out that East Oxford CC have not officially applied to join them (Oxford Mail May 13). East Oxford are keen to join, but according to league rules, they will be unable to apply until they win the OCA Division

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Police given more time to question suspect

DETECTIVES were today given extra time to question a man over the shooting of an Oxfordshire couple. Peter and Gwenda Dixon, of Moorlands Road, in Witney, were found shot dead at a coastal path beauty spot while camping in Pembrokeshire, Wales, in 1989

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RUGBY UNION: Oxon target last four

County Championship Plate Pool 3 Martin Nutt and Stan McKeen head a series of call-ups as Oxfordshire bid to reach the semi-finals with victory over Essex at Eton Manor on Saturday (3). Winger Nutt, who has rejoined Oxford Harlequins from Newbury

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TENNIS: Rivals stay unbeaten

Bicester B and North Oxford D went into their Oxfordshire LTA Inter-Club League Mixed Division 3 clash boasting 100 per cent records – and are both still unbeaten after playing out a 2-2 draw. The Bicester B first pair of Ashley Prior and Sue Wakelin

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Acting up

THE WORST mis-representation of Oxford ever, was an edition of Lewis, featuring Simon Callow as a rock band manager. It had terrible acting, casting, script and editing. Simon Callow (Oxford Mail, May 7) sees Oxford as a retreat where he can write his

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Council value

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Major parties are all the same

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Good debate

I GREATLY enjoyed the debate between the four county council group leaders at Blenheim for the Politics Show, earlier this month. All of them explained themselves very well in the brief time allotted, though I thought Green leader Larry Sanders was easily

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Let amateurs off

IN LIGHT of the MPs’ expenses scandal, involving thousands of pounds, can we now bury the talk of reducing the old people’s concessionary bus pass? The obvious answer to any deficit concerning the bus passes can now be settled by our caring MPs. DAVID

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Thank you, tolerant Oxford, for helping my brother

THE brother of a “troubled” man who finally found peace in Oxford, has written an open letter of thanks to the city. Bruce Falconer, originally from South Africa, lived in Oxford for almost 20 years before he died of a massive heart attack in his care

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Arrest after airgun offences

A teenage boy has been arrested after a city centre shooting and a gunpoint robbery. A 16-year-old boy suffered minor injuries when he was shot with an airgun during a mass brawl between around 10 people in Bonn Square, Oxford, at 5.30pm on Saturday

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Boy held on Jericho robbery

A teenager was arrested on suspicion of robbery and assault yesterday after a fight in Bonn Square and a robbery in Jericho on Saturday. The 17-year-old has been released on police bail, pending further enquiries, until June 18.

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Local share prices (PM)

AEA Technology 17.5 BMW 2162 Electrocomponents 147.25 Nationwide Accident Repair 92.5 Oxford Biomedica 10.1 Oxford Catalysts 29.5 Oxford Instruments 145 Reed Elsevier 517.25 RM 151 RPS Group 180.75 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

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Bicester crash victim wins £340,000 payout

A MAN who survived a car crash that left him on a life support machine for five days has won a five-year battle to secure his future. Michael Hankins won a £340,000 compensation payout after a crash that nearly killed him in October 2003.

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Organisers get set for Wood eco-festival

THE final touches are being put in place for an environmentally-friendly music festival in a tiny Oxfordshire village. Wood Festival, which was created by the team behind Steventon rock festival Truck, will be held at Braziers Park, Ipsden, near Wallingford

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5,000 expected at churches' Love Oxford event

MORE than 5,000 people are expected to gather together in an Oxford park this weekend for a day of Christian worship. For the past three years, churches in the city have united to stage Love Oxford in Broad Street – with 4,000 people attending

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FIXTURES May 15

SATURDAY. CRICKET. SERIOUS CRICKET HOME COUNTIES PREMIER LEAGUE. Div 1: Oxford v Farnham Royal, Potters Bar v Henley, Radlett v Banbury. Div 2 West: Beaconsfield v Aston Rowant, Thame Tn v Wokingham. THE OXFORD TIMES CHERWELL LEAGUE. Div 1: Buckingham

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Wallet snatched from man in wheelchair

A thief snatched a wallet from a man in a wheelchair. Police are appealing for help to find the thief who approached a 52-year-old disabled man outside the Abbey National bank, in London Road, Headington, at about 3pm yesterday. The thief was on a bike

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Too many still on shared wards, says NHS trust chief

THE number of patients on mixed sex wards at hospitals in Oxfordshire is still too high, according to the chief executive of Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals. Trevor Campbell Davis spoke out after a patient survey revealed the number of patients

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Wantage school's new garden has sweet smell of success

VISITORS to the annual May fair of Charlton Primary School, in Wantage, enjoyed fine weather and saw town mayor Patrick O’Leary open a new sensory garden, above. The garden was designed by pupils at the school with help from parents, teachers and local

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Churches in Abingdon and Didcot set up food banks

EMERGENCY food banks have been set up in two south Oxfordshire towns as a lifeline for families in crisis. Church groups in Abingdon and Didcot set up the initiatives to provide food parcels for people struggling to make ends meet, either through problems

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Thief targeted man in wheelchair

Police are appealing for witnesses after a man in a wheelchair had his wallet stolen outside the Abbey National bank in London Road, Headington. The 52-year-old disabled man was approached by a man on a bicycle who tried to start a conversation

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Last plots going for a song

Prices have been slashed on the last remaining plots at Ventura Park, Carterton. Plots E, J and L, which are 0.62, 0.54 and 1.102 acres respectively, are on the market at the equivalent of £350,000 per acre, compared with the previously achieved sale

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New rooms for boarders

The boarding accommodation at a Banbury public school has been extended as part of a £3m investment package. Tudor Hall School’s sixth form boarding house now has 97 rooms, and is the first stage of work to take place. It will be followed by the refurbishment

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Stay home if you're ill

A dreadful epidemic is sweeping the land. Workers are powerless before it. It affects everyone, rich and poor, and entire families are inconvenienced as a result. I am not talking directly about swine flu but the culture of ‘presenteeism’.

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Citroen C5

The old adage about building a house on strong foundations rings true with cars, too. There are obvious similarities between the importance of a structurally-sound base for a house and a decent chassis on a road car, but the analogy runs deeper. If

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Welded together

It is refreshing to see a new business starting up, and even more refreshing to hear one of the founders brushing off talk of an economic downturn. Simon Barker, of newly-opened Weldtec Engineering, said: "I don't think there is a recession, really.

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Navigating stormy weather

It is a huge step to give up a steady job and launch your own business, especially in the run-up to a recession. But if you ask Salim Benadel about his experience of setting up an Internet company, he would answer: "What recession?" He said

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Burglars strike twice

Burglars broke into two homes while they were being renovated. Police are warning residents after a burglary in Aston Upthorpe, near Didcot. At about 3am on Tuesday, burglars stole work tools including a jackhammer, a generator, a hedge trimmer, a

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The Nut Tree, Murcott

It has been a long winter with a considerable amount of economic discontent but when the sun shines it is good to forget our collective woes, for an hour or two at least. After the latest battering of statistics and number crunching from the Budget,

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Burglars strike during renovations

Burglars broke into two homes which were being renovated. Police are warning residents after a burglary in Aston Upthorpe, near Didcot, at around 3am on Tuesday. Burglars stole work tools including a jackhammer, a generator, a hedge trimmer, a power

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Green roofs

Forget the recession — the biggest threat to humanity comes from climate change, according to Prince Charles. Urban sprawl and the pressure on the green belt, very topical themes around Oxford, have led to concerns that our own local environment is being

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Barnstormers

The growing demand for green construction is opening up new opportunities for businesses, but in many cases they are returning to the techniques of the past to provide buildings of the future. Green timber building using undried, unseasoned timber has

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Overcoming fear

As we have seen again recently, confidence, that most ephemeral of commodities, is in short supply — a state of affairs which ensures most investors remain reluctant to contemplate a return to equity markets. Nevertheless, an increasing number of analysts

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Search for diagnosis

In today’s economic climate, there are plenty of horror stories of company failures and closures. But you do not have to go too far to find some good news in the bioscience community, at least to the door of Oxford Gene Technology, which has just acquired

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New sculpture marks Oxford's twin town link

A NEW sculpture given to Oxford by its German twin city will be unveiled in Bonn Square during a week-long celebration of the cities’ links. The series of events marking the twinning link with the German city of Bonn will take place from Wednesday

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Following milky way

Running a successful business usually involves working long hours and making huge efforts to ensure customers are satisfied. That could apply to many companies, but when it comes to the dairy industry, it is particularly true of the people who ensure

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Top advice to keep criminals out

FROM the outside, to an untrained eye, an innocuous street could appear to be as safe as houses. But to a burglar your home gives away various tell-tale signs that it is a great place to break into. Ex-police officer Roger Foster now crime reduction

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Get the message across

Despite what you might think, a recession is the best time to incubate an idea if your business is to build a strong foundation for the future. Glen Manchester, chief executive of software company Thunderhead, thought so when he established it in 2001

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Police set up honeytrap house for burglars

POLICE have laid a “honeytrap house” to snare unsuspecting burglars. The number of burglaries in Oxford increased by 15 per cent in the past 12 months — the first rise for four years. Now police have kitted out an empty house designed to entice opportunist

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Dunking in stream didn't deter diamond couple

DESPITE falling in a stream on the first date with her husband-to-be, Barbara Low always knew he was the one. Sixty years on, well-known Benson couple, Don and Barbara Passey, marked their diamond wedding with a dinner and dance for 100 family and friends

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Free Wii sessions for OAPs

A COUNCIL has introduced a scheme to give pensioners free sessions on a Nintendo Wii computer games console. Cherwell District Council bought the console to give older people the chance to try sports such as tennis, bowling, baseball, golf and boxing

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Horsey catch

Out of misfortune can come the potential to make a fortune — at least that is what Phil Evans is hoping, thanks to his new invention. Faringdon-based Mr Evans found himself in a wheelchair after breaking two legs and an arm while climbing a ladder

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Golden era of film

Lots of teenage boys spend all day watching old movies, but very few of them end up setting up their own film businesses at the age of 19. Malcolm Ellison's love affair with film reached its peak last year, when one of his short films was shown at the

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Eagles to fly the nest

Ann and David Eagles are moving from their pretty stone cottage in Taynton, near Burford, because they need more space to work, live and entertain their 16 grandchildren. The couple have reluctantly put 2 Manor Farm Cottages in Church Lane,

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Losing the plot

The owners of a three-quarters-of-an-acre plot of land halfway up the Cowley Road in Oxford have lost count of all the offers they have received from developers over the years — there have been so many. But Clive and Joan Smith have no regrets. They

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Local share prices (AM)

AEA Technology 17.5 BMW 2165 Electrocomponents 144.25 Nationwide Accident Repair 92.5 Oxford Biomedica 9.9 Oxford Catalyst 28.5 Oxford Instruments 144.75 Reed Elsevier 513.75 RM 151.25 RPS Group 178.75 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

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Gardening magic for kids

As a natural gardener I’ve seen a terrific pendulum swing in gardening since I started writing 15 years ago. Then I was considered very odd. A woman who gardened without chemical props (like slug bait and insecticides) just had to be weird. But it wasn

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Wolvercote watches wildlife

Bats, badgers, beetles and owls are some of the creatures which the young members of Wolvercote Wildlife Watch Group have been able to learn about, and also observe, during this year’s programme of activities. This thriving group, one of a number of

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Bramley apple and ginger filo parcels with rhubarb (serves four)

Bramley apples mix well with so many fruits, particularly rhubarb, which is now fattening up beautifully. Buy it from the shops if you must, but first ask friends who keep allotments or grow it in their gardens, if they have any to spare. Most

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Singing praises of Bramley apple

The wonders of nature never cease to amaze me. How can it be that the delicate pale pink blossom of an apple tree can be the beginnings of large succulent apples which, if stored correctly, are still available when the blossom returns the following year

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Angels & Demons

In various religious texts and works of art, angels and demons are regarded as the messengers to the afterlife in either Heaven or Hell. Ron Howard’s action-packed film, Angels & Demons (12A) adapted from the best-seller by Dan Brown, hovers somewhere

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Abingdon Music Festival

Following two days of adjudication involving over 300 entries, the 12th Abingdon Music Festival, which is held at the School of St Helen and St Katharine in Abingdon, culminated in an outstanding festival concert. It featured highlights of the festival

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Fighting

Strutting down similar avenues to David Fincher’s Fight Club, albeit without that film’s biting wit and directorial pizzazz, Fighting (15) is a no-holds-barred tale of one young man’s introduction to the bare-knuckle brawl scene in present day New York

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Ross Noble: Hexagon, Reading

For the uninitiated, this is the template for a Ross Noble stand-up show. Noble, an energetic and dishevelled Geordie, bounds on stage in front of an imaginative inflatable set piece, chats with people in the front row who provide a jumping-off point

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Maggini String Quartet

For the Maggini String Quartet, playing at the Holywell Music Room is almost like a homecoming, as I discovered when I caught up with second violinist and co-founder David Angel – whose violin, incidentally, made by the 16th-century Italian maker Giovanni

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The Oxford Revue: Oxford Playhouse

I learnt a vital lesson from my old boss, Sir Basil Blackwell: if you want to live happily into old age, continue to take an interest in the young, and never feel “things were better 20 years ago”. Thus it was that I banished all thoughts of Peter Cook

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School prints: Dadbrook Gallery

Would you consider going to an exhibition of school prints? If you are tempted to rule it out, perhaps you may think again when I mention artists involved: John Nash, Eric Ravilious, John Piper Felixs Topolski, L.S. Lowry, Henry Moore, George Braque

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English Music festival

It doesn’t seem long since the English Music Festival was being launched, but incredibly it is now in its third season, and this year’s programme looks as exciting, varied and innovative as ever. Familiar composers jostle alongside an array of little-known

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Playboy of the Western World: Oxford Playhouse

Patricide is the order of the day in this classic turn of the century dark comedy. Performed by the legendary Irish theatre company Druid Ireland, it arrived last week in Oxford as part of a national tour, promising to be one of 2009’s theatrical highlights

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Peter Grimes: London Coliseum

David Alden’s new production of Peter Grimes for English National Opera is a great theatrical experience. So much so as to raise in an acute form what I regard as “the Britten opera problem” — why, after hearing a score repeat with the most dazzling effects

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Newbury Spring Festival

“It’s the crack of dawn for us,” explained Piccadilly Dance Orchestra founder and bandleader Michael Law mid-afternoon on Sunday. And indeed, it did seem odd to be stepping into the Newbury Corn Exchange to listen to music once played in grand hotel ballrooms

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Fatal Attraction: Diana and Actaeon — The Forbidden Gaze

A leafy glade in a wood. Naked beauties relax and bathe. Feather white clouds anoint the sky. It’s a peaceful scene. Or so it was an instant ago. Titian’s celebrated painting of Diana and Actaeon freezes a terrible moment of realisation: the split second

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Alphabetical Order: Oxford Playhouse

Our story begins in a newspaper library containing cuttings of people going to a newspaper library to look at newspaper library cuttings. The library in question is none other than that of The Oxford Times. I’ve never been there — but I was sent

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Fresh plea over woman's death

Police are continuing to appeal for witnesses to a fatal collision that occurred on Sunday in Bix, near Henley. At about 1pm, two Suzuki motorcycles were being ridden along the A4130 from Benson towards Henley. As they left the village of Bix, one

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MP denies wrongdoing

Conservative deputy chairman John Maples, who has a second home near Banbury, has denied any wrong-doing in the continuing investigation into MPs’ expenses. The Stratford-on-Avon MP claimed his home in Lower Brailes, near Banbury, where his

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Zebrafish move

THIRTEEN scientists and several tanks of zebra fish have transferred to a new company in a £500,000 deal. Oxford University spin-out company Summit has sold the zebrafish technology to Evotec, its neighbour at Milton Park. Mario Polywka, chief operating

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Witney Lakes is looking good

In the depths of a recession one of the areas where people cut corners is leisure. Gym memberships have fallen rapidly as the current economic crisis has deepened — at least that might be the case in most of the country, but there is an exception in West

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Should council buy toll bridge?

The beautiful bridge across the River Thames that so many of us love to hate is up for sale. With up to four million cars crossing every year, paying 5p each, could it be a snip of an investment at an asking price of £1.65m? “Beat the Budget

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Questioning continues on 1989 murders

A MAN was this morning still being quizzed by detectives over the murder of an Oxfordshire couple 20 years ago. The 64-year-old man was arrested in Letterstone, Wales, yesterday, on suspicion of the murder of Peter and Gwenda Dixon, of Moorland

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Fiction turns to fact

Writers are often accused of plundering their own lives for inspiration, but in the case of novelist Sophie King, it was fiction that turned into fact. Her fifth book The Wedding Party concerns the impending marriage of Geoff and Monique, who are both

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Oxfordshire place names

If you thought that the names Charlbury and Chalgrove were related, think again. Oxfordshire Place Names (Amberley, £25), by Anthony Poulton-Smith, will put you right. It explains that Chalgrove comes from the Old English cealc-graef, meaning

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Man still held over double murder

A man was this morning still being quizzed by detectives over the murder of an Oxfordshire couple 20 years ago. The 64-year-old man was arrested in Letterstone, Wales, yesterday, on suspicion of the murder of Peter and Gwenda Dixon, of Moorlands Road

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Growth of a superpower

So many books are now pouring out on the Islamic collision with the West that it takes a very good narrative to become an icon. A World of Trouble (Portobello, £25) by Patrick Tyler can lay claim to this. As a high-ranking journalist, Tyler has been

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Todd and his talking dog

Patrick Ness, who is American by birth, spent just a year in Oxford, teaching creative writing at the university’s Department of Continuing Education. Perhaps he would have spent more time here if he hadn’t begun working on his novel for young adults,

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Expenses row hits Oxfordshire-based MP

Conservative deputy chairman John Maples, who has a second home in Oxfordshire, has denied any wrong-doing in the continuing investigation into MPs’ expenses. The Stratford-on-Avon MP claimed his home in Banbury, where his family lived, as his second

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Yemi in Stevenage switch

FORMER Oxford United winger Yemi Odubade has signed for Blue Square Premier rivals Stevenage Borough, according to the Hertfordshire club's official website. Odubade, 24, was released at the end of the season by United, where he made 141 appearances,

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Probation centre 'promise' by minister

A justice minister has agreed to search for alternative sites for a new probation centre before it signs any deals for a property in West Oxford, according to Liberal Democrat MP Evan Harris. Dr Harris, the Oxford West and Abingdon MP, took campaigners

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Business awards shortlist

THE shortlist of finalists has been drawn up for the Oxfordshire Business Awards. More than 160 companies and individuals entered the competition, one of the highest levels seen in recent years. Paul Lowe, chairman of the judging committee, said

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RM defies recession

EDUCATIONAL software company RM is defying the recession after reporting a sharp rise in revenues The firm, which employs 1,000 people at its Abingdon headquarters and another 1,500 worldwide, has seen its turnover grow by 21 per cent to £141.9m

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Jail threat for Burma democracy leader

Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi was charged today with violating terms of her house arrest and could face a prison term of up to five years. Lawyer Hla Myo Myint said her trial was due to start on Monday. The lawyer said

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Crisis help hit by 999 'delays'

Emergency planning in Oxfordshire needs to be urgently improved following a catalogue of slow responses to crisis situations, it was claimed last night. The stark warning came from John Kelly, who retired last year as Oxfordshire’s emergency planning

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Wilder keeps one jump ahead

Chris Wilder is determined to steal a march on Oxford United’s Blue Square Premier rivals – by capturing his transfer targets as early as possible. The U’s boss said this week’s signing of centre half Mark Creighton was just the first of what he hopes

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'I repaid money' says county MP

An Oxfordshire MP who spent taxpayers’ money furnishing his constituency home, last night said he had repaid the cash because of the outcry over Parliamentary expenses. Wantage MP Ed Vaizey, who revealed that he had claimed £2,000 – all within

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Fair move

ED Vaizey’s decision to pay back £2,000 he claimed to partly furnish his constituency home is to be applauded. His claims were within the rules, but the Wantage MP has decided to repay the money following the outcry over some MP’s scandalous claims.

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What’s going on?

Sir – Anyone remember the 1997 controversy over the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies new building? It was supposed to be open a few years later. When Prince Charles viewed the construction site it was due for completion in March 2005. If The Oxford

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Nice idea in Wonderland

Sir – Much as I should like it to be true that the door from the University Museum into the Pitt Rivers Museum ‘was the inspiration for John Tenniel’s drawing of a door in Through the Looking Glass, surmounted by the words “Queen Alice”’, I’m afraid

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Objections rejected

Sir – The enthusiasm of town planners for squeezing blocks of flats into unsuitable spaces is getting out of hand. The planners seem to be welcoming anyone who can make “more efficient” use of land and so help councils win brownie points from

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Valuable lesson

Sir – I was delighted to read in the letter from Pierre Marshall (Letters, May 8) that a police constable has been seen enforcing the law on riding bicycles across pedestrian crossings in Summertown. The crossing by the Co-op and Lloyds TSB is a busy

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Public mark of respect

Sir – One of my last duties as Lord Mayor was to represent the city of Oxford at the remembrance day ceremony in Leiden, our twin town in the Netherlands. It is celebrated each year on May 4, the date on which Hitler’s forces surrendered to the allies

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Plenty of objections

Sir – I write with regard to your article entitled An objectionable plan (April 23). In his rebuttal, Rex Knight, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Oxford Brookes, states ‘the university had consulted widely, but had not received complaints from any other

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Important body

Sir – I would like to draw your readers’ attention to the European elections coming up on June 4. Whilst we may think of the European Parliament as bit distant from our day-to-day lives, it makes decisions which affect all of us and which directly

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Dominated by profits

Sir – I use my old person’s bus card often and regard it as some small ‘thank you’ for the taxes that I paid, and still pay, having been in paid employment from just after my 18th birthday until just before my 75th. In many places, such as London and

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Swamped punts

Sir – Rick Taylor (Letters, April 30) suggests that punts should be moored below Magdalen Bridge to deter bridge jumpers. Until at least the 1960s it was the custom for boat-loads of revellers to gather above and below the bridge, complete with overnight

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Quiet effective energy

Sir – I am deeply indebted to Michael Tyce of CPRE for his contribution to the “massive subsidies” apparently required to keep wind farms operational (Letters, May 7). Indeed, I hope I remember to raise a glass to him when I receive my next dividend

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Cheaper technologies

Sir – In Reg Little’s recent article on the wisdom of Oxfordshire County Council’s one-way street to incineration (Feature, May 7) he cites health as being the campaigners’ strongest card. Health fears are important, but equally important is the OCC

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Parking neurosis

Sir – I am sure I am not the only person in Grandpont, or indeed other parts of Oxford, to have become increasingly frustrated by the enforcement of residential parking in the city. It is bad enough to be paying for the “privilege” of parking in the

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Stepping backwards

Sir – David Cameron has said “We have to think globally and act locally . . . Conservative councils are bringing innovation and imagination to the challenges of tackling climate change at local government level . . . and I’m encouraging our councillors

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Impact on landscape

Sir – I do not live in Oxfordshire but I am a frequent visitor. I have been following the debate on the proposed waste incinerator at Sutton Courtenay and read Reg Little’s article on May 7. However, what immediately struck me about this was the picture

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Rational swine flu response

Sir – As a parent of two children at Sandhills Community Primary School, I wish to challenge the ‘allegations of secrecy’ surrounding the timing of and manner in which information was released by the school and the health authority. In the letter given

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Time to nominate Oxfordshire's young unsung heroes

The public are being urged to nominate their unsung young hero for the Annual Oxfordshire Youth Awards this July. The awards, a cross between the Pride of Britain and the Oscars, are an opportunity to celebrate the many achievements of the county

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Handing back a piece of history

In the heart of Oxford’s transformed Ashmolean Museum money was exchanging hands. The foreign cash involved hardly represented a vast sum when set against £61m, the hefty bill for what has become the largest museum development in the country. But

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Rosé mixed case, £71

Rosé continues to grow in popularity in this country. When the sun comes out it seems that more and more people reach for the rosé. Rosé can be made from a huge variety of red grape varieties, the grape skins staining the clear juice varying degrees

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'Accept defeat on town green'

CAMPIGNERS behind the successful attempt to win town green status for Warneford Meadow have called on a local health trust to accept defeat. The Warneford Meadow campaigners say Oxford-shire and Buckinghamshire Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust should

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Roads toll

There is a quirkiness about Swinford Toll Bridge. Paying 5p to get across a bridge in your car is not something most of us have to do. Those of us who do it once in a while may get a faint glow, and a feeling that we are undertaking something that

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Stark results

The director of Oxfordshire Racial Equality Council Patrick Tolani is right to raise the poor performance of ethnic minority pupils in Oxfordshire schools. We have reported in previous years how this issue has been acknowledged by Oxfordshire County

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Poetry and sex smears

A LURID sex dossier sent to women across Oxford has resulted in the withdrawal of the Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott from the race to become Oxford University’s new professor of poetry. The dossier, containing details of sexual harassment allegations

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Delays are worrying

WHEN someone as well respected as John Kelly feels the need to publicly voice his concerns, we should all be worried. For 14 years, Mr Kelly headed Oxfordshire’s emergency planning department, but his stinging criticism of a catalogue of delayed responses

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Failings in crisis plans highlighted

Emergency planning in Oxfordshire needs to be urgently improved following a catalogue of delayed responses and mistakes to crisis situations, the county has been told. The warning came from John Kelly, who retired as emergency planning officer

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Toll bridge for sale

The beautiful bridge across the River Thames that so many of us love to hate is up for sale. With up to four million cars crossing every year, paying 5p each, could it be a snip of an investment at an asking price of £1.65m? “Beat the Budget! Beat the