Archive
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Oxford gears up for elections
OXFORD City Council is due to begin sending out polling cards to voters this weekend ahead of May’s local elections. And it has reassured the public it has learned from the blunders of last year. Last August, the Electoral Commission
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Fuel prices head for record high
Families and businesses across Oxfordshire are counting the cost of rising pump prices as motoring experts warn a litre of unleaded could hit a record high in a fortnight. The average across the county of 116.6p is slightly above the national
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Baldry question leads PM to clarify Iraq evidence
PRIME Minister Gordon Brown is to clarify his evidence to the Iraq Inquiry after a House of Commons question from Banbury MP Tony Baldry. Mr Brown told Sir John Chilcot’s panel when he appeared before it earlier this month that the defence budget
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Actor's poetry reading helps Oxford Oratory appeal
ACTOR Robert Hardy proved he can speak to audiences great and small when he gave an evening of poetry readings to help raise money towards the £5m needed to restore the Oxford Oratory to its former glory. The famous actor read six poems to
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MP catches out Premier over Forces spending
PRIME Minister Gordon Brown is to clarify his evidence to the Iraq Inquiry after a House of Commons question from Banbury MP Tony Baldry yesterday. Mr Brown told Sir John Chilcot’s panel when he appeared before it earlier this month that the defence
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What will go?
he police must be really fed up with being used and abused by the county council which, yet again, is introducing speed restrictions, while ignoring the contrary advice of both the police and motoring organisations. They are behaving like badly run companies
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Use your sense
WRITE regarding the article about Hayley Townsend, the lady who blamed her sat nav system for sending her the wrong way down a street in London (Oxford Mail, March 4). I have to say I have used one for years and have never got into this position. These
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Toilets U-turn
What a strange world Labour councillor John Tanner inhabits. After proposing to close public toilets across the city, he then tries to claim credit for keeping them open (letters, March 11). In reality, the u-turn came after a campaign mounted by Liberal
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GOLF: Bayliss bags an albatross
Keith Bayliss pulled off the shot of a lifetime by bagging an albatross – after fearing his ball was lost. Bayliss, who lives in Cowley, bagged the rare feat, whose odds could be as high as six million to one, in the Fairview Inn, Headington Society’
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Observe Lent
In reply to Alan Bourne’s letter in Tuesday’s Oxford Mail, I, like him, am not a theologian, nor a historian, but I do know enough about Lent and Easter to tell him that what he wrote is not accurate. Lent is a season of preparation for Easter. We
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Use your sense
Please allow me to say a big thank you to the people of Oxfordshire and all the schoolchildren who came to see the Children of Gaza under Fire exhibition recently shown in the Town Hall. Thanks, too, to the Oxford Mail for its excellent coverage of
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Two new stations would benefit city
Colin Smith (Oxford Mail letters, March 8) is right: even if Water Eaton Parkway station opens in 2013, Kidlington still deserves a new railway station on the Cherwell Valley line. The county council wanted it built down Lyne Road. However, this might
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GOLF: Results round-up
SHAW GIBBS OXFORDSHIRE FOURSOMES LEAGUE Section 4: Kirtlington 1½ (2pts), Hadden Hill 1½ (2) (Kirtlington first): L Kennedy & S Chick bt M Partridge & J Roper 5 & 3, L Fraser & M Cross lost to P Chana & J Williams 6 & 5, P Slade & D Thomas halved with
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RACING: Calgary Bay joins the party for Knight
Calgary Bay represents Henrietta Knight’s West Lockinge stables, near Wantage, in the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup on Friday following a late change of heart. Knight, who famously saddled Best Mate to complete a Gold Cup treble from 2002-4
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ICE HOCKEY: Raff at the double
Oxford City Stars Under 16s bounced back from a 7-0 home defeat to the Isle of Wight with a 6-3 win at Solent and Gosport on Sunday. Stars quickly forgot Saturday’s loss by scoring three goals in five minutes. Michael Raff (2) and Rob Angeleri-Rand
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AUNT SALLY: Veterans claim title
Veterans sealed the New Club Wheatley John Smith’s Indoor League title with a 6-0 thrashing of Black Horse. Elmfield are the Yarnton RBL League champions, wh-ile General Foods captured the Banbury Indoor League’s Handicap Cup. RESULTS
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Whisky sale ban shocks soldier
A SOLDIER who had just arrived home from a tour of duty in Afghanistan was not allowed to buy a bottle of whisky in a supermarket because his step-daughter was with him. Sergeant Keith Cotton, who is on leave before returning to his Royal Logistic Corps
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ICE HOCKEY: Edwards fires treble
English National League Joe Edwards scored a hat-tr-rick as Oxford City Stars hammered Milton Keynes Thunder 9-3. This was despite Stars already having secured their place in the Division 1 South play-offs. Stars, who were without inspirational captain
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County jobseeker claim count falls
THE number of people signing on the dole in Oxfordshire has fallen. Figures from the Office of National Statistics show 8,819 people claimed jobseeker’s allowance in February, a fall of 337 on the previous month. The January figure had seen a big rise
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Carer to compete in OX5 in full armour
CARER Steve Couchman is planning to be a knight in shining armour for sick children across Oxfordshire. Mr Couchman, 36, of Morton Avenue, Kidlington, will wear a suit of armour for the OX5 Run in aid of Oxford Children’s Hospital on Sunday, April 18
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Teens to get McGCSEs for work experience
TEENAGERS completing work experience at branches of McDonald’s across the county are to be awarded a qualification equivalent to a good GCSE. Mike Heapy, who owns the franchise at restaurants in Didcot, Witney and Benson, is to become the first
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Girls step out for St Patrick
Schoolchildren donned bright costumes to mark St Patrick’s Day with a performance of traditional Irish dancing. The pupils from St Mary’s Primary School, in Queens Avenue, Bicester, stepped out in their dancing shoes at Cherwell Valley Services, at
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Musician's benefit gig after hit-and-run accident
A MUSICIAN has described how he “lost everything” after being left for dead in a hit-and-run crash. John ‘Baby John’ Horgan, 47, who has run Didcot’s only music shop since 1996, was found unconscious on the B4494 after being knocked off his motorbike
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Hunt for Oxford hit-run driver 'will not stop'
Police said they had come close to finding Oxfordshire’s most wanted man on several occasions as they appealed for the public’s help in their search. Officers are hunting 33-year-old Rohan Crooks in connection with an attempted murder, after
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Nominate your top cop
People can nominate their local police officer in a competition to find Oxfordshire’s best local bobby on the beat. Thames Valley Police has launched this year’s Community Policing Awards, which recognise staff who have built relationships
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Residents will fight housing proposals
RESIDENTS have formed a group to fight plans to build hundreds of homes north of Witney. Developers Gleeson Strategic Land (GSL) and Taylor Wimpey propose building 1,400 homes on land off of Hailey Road. Included in the plans are a West
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Family pay tribute to beloved son
THE parents of Paul Howkins have paid tribute to their avid football supporter son. Mr Howkins, 25, of Red Poll Close, Banbury, was found with severe head injuries in the stairwell of flats in Longelandes Way on Monday, March 8, at 11.10pm. He was taken
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Hunt for Leys hit-and-run driver will not stop, say police
POLICE last night admitted they had come close to finding Oxfordshire’s most wanted man on several occasions as they appealed for the public’s help in their search. Officers are hunting 33-year-old Rohan Crooks in connection with an attempted
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Local shares (PM)
AEA Technology 22.75 BMW 2939 Electrocomponents 200.2 Nationwide Accident Repair 91.5 Oxford Biomedica 10.5 Oxford Catalysts 57.5 Oxford Instruments 250 Reed Elsevier 507 RM 169 RPS Group 185 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
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Blackbird Leys: 'Block this path off to druggies'
FAMILIES living near a path in Blackbird Leys want it blocked off to stop drug dealers and anti-social behaviour on their doorstep. People living near Spindleberry Walk – a well known cut-through between Blackbird Leys and Greater Leys – say they are
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Girls in step for St Patrick's Day
SCHOOLchildren donned bright costumes to mark St Patrick’s Day with a performance of traditional Irish dancing yesterday. The pupils from St Mary’s Primary School, in Queens Avenue, Bicester, stepped out in their dancing shoes at Cherwell Valley Services
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Abingdon's historic County Hall musem gets £1.7million grant
ABINGDON’S County Hall Museum has been given £1.7m to complete an ambitious restoration plan. The Heritage Lottery Fund grant means the 17th century market hall has finally got enough money to install a new lift and modernise the museum’
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Bicester gets a spring-clean
BICESTER’S town centre is looking spick and span after a week-long spring clean. Cherwell District Council’s street cleaning team were out in force, collecting litter, removing dog mess, graffiti and sweeping the roads and streets.
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Oxford church debates the smacking of children
IS it acceptable to punish a child by smacking? That was the subject under discussion at an Oxford church. Blackbird Leys’ Church of the Holy Family hosted a day-long roadshow about corporal punishment in the home. Members of the public were welcomed
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Diamond wedding couple recall bumpy start to courtship
IT MAY not have been love at first sight, but Sidney and Joan Horne have been married for six decades. The couple from Springfield Drive, Abingdon, admit that despite celebrating their diamond wedding anniversary yesterday, things did not begin
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POINT-TO-POINT: Hill rattles up a rapid double
ASTON Rowant trainer Alan Hill made a flying start to the first King-ston Blount meeting of the season with a quickfire double in the opening two races courtesy of More Trouble and Ball-adeer. More Trouble made hard work of landing odds of 2-7 in the
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BAR BILLIARDS: Trafford and Sheard lift British title
Kennington’s Mark Trafford and Keith Sheard were crowned the British pairs champions at the Queens Hotel in Bournemouth, writes PETE EWINS. They captured the title by beating world champions Phil Collins and Leon Beer 3-0 in the final. Trafford opened
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RUGBY UNION: Oxon to trial rolling subs
Oxfordshire will be among the first teams in England to trial rolling substitutions when they compete in the County Championship Shield. The competition, and the higher level Bill Beaumont Cup, will feature a maximum of 12 player interchanges per team
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ATHLETICS: Christian pipped in sprint finish
RADLEY youngster Chr-istian von Eitzen finished in a brilliant second place in the under 13 boys’ race at Saturday’s Inter-Counties Cross Country Championship in Birmingham. Von Eitzen was the stand-out Oxfordshire athlete in the event at Cofton Park
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RUGBY UNION: Under 20s are edged out
Oxfordshire completed their National Under 20 Championship campaign with a 33-32 defeat to Dorset & Wilts. The result left Oxon with one won and two defeats from their three matches in South West Region A, having earlier beaten Berkshire 28-0 and lost
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ATHLETICS: Veteran Exley excels in London
JOHN Exley claimed the vet 60 title in the South of England Masters Cross Country Championships at Trent Park, London. Exley clocked 41 mins 17secs for the arduous six-mile course to also lead his Oxford City side to the vet 60 team title, narrowly defeating
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Familiar faces from my misspent youth
By men of a certain age, the beautiful waitresses of Brown’s restaurant in Woodstock Road are still remembered for having been as important a draw as the food when it opened back in 1975. Perhaps more important. As The Oxford Times reported at the time
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RUGBY UNION: Holmes hails resilience
Banbury Bulls player-coach Grant Holmes hailed his side’s resilience after they beat Huntingdon & District with 14 men. Bulls held on to defeat Huntingdon 11-7, despite having Andrew Gilbert red-carded. Banbury now need five points from their remaining
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RUGBY UNION: Tourists impress
Henley Hawks suffered defeats in two entertaining clashes against Argentinian tourists Curupayti, from Buenos Aires, at Dry Leas. Hawks’ 1st XV Select went down 20-13, while their second side lost 24-7. In the first match, Ezequiel Lopez, Marcal Ferigo
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Everest Bar and Restaurant: Howard Street, Oxford
Another week, another mountain range. Last Thursday, Alpine flavours figured prominently in my review of the Duke of Monmouth, in Abingdon Road, whose Swiss owners offer a menu based on their national cuisine. Today we move to the Himalayas as
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RUGBY UNION: Sixty not out
Chinnor stalwart Dougie Humphries shows no sign of letting up, despite turning 60. Days after that milestone birthday, scrum half Humphries played in Chinnor Oxen’s 27-10 victory over Alchester Centurions – donning the black and white as he has done
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ATHLETICS: Ex-Harrier blitzes course record
FORMER Banbury Harrier Sullivan Smith returned to his old stamping ground to win the Banbury 15-mile race with a new course record on Sunday. Smith, who now runs for Swansea Harriers, dominated the race to win in 1hr 21mins 44secs. The host club’s Tim
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ATHLETICS: Brackett racks up the miles
Ultra-marathon expert Paul Brackett, of Woodstock Harriers, finished ninth in the Bedford Clanger 27-mile race. Brackett clocked 4hrs 25mins. OTHER RESULTS BATH HALF MARATHON White Horse Harriers: 102 T Hughes 1.19.02, 1494 L Fellingham 1.39.15, 4819
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Two pubs keeping customers happy
My travels last week took me to two quite different pubs, one in East Oxfordshire run by a professional pub company, the other in West Oxfordshire run by a builder who saved his village pub from the developers. First however I’d like to mention another
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I Love You Phillip Morris
Jim Carrey delivers his best dramatic performance since Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind in the improbable and utterly incredible true story I Love You Phillip Morris. Based on a novel by investigative reporter Steve McVicker, the film charts the
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Passiontide at Merton previewed
Over the weekend March 27 and 28, Merton College presents its first Passiontide at Merton festival. The college choir, established in its current form by Peter Phillips and Benjamin Nicholas in 2008, is featured throughout, singing the services (Evensong
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Frightened Rabbit: O2 Academy
It’s never cool to generalise, but when someone mentions the phrase ‘Scottish indie band’ words like grim, curmudgeonly and bleak leap to mind. You’ve got professional miserabilists Arab Strap, wordy melancholics Idlewild and dourness personified in the
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Recipe for Omelette Arnold Bennett
The Arnold Bennett omelette first appeared on the Savoy Hotel menu in he 1930s and is named after the novelist who stayed there while writing his novel Imperial Palace. He enjoyed this fluffy open-faced omelette so much the Savoy chefs served it to him
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Turin Brakes: O2 Academy
‘This song is about how, despite the fact we don’t get written about in the NME any more, we‘re still doing what we’re doing and someone will have to kill us to stop us” says Turin Brakes’ Olly Knights before debuting a track from the band’s new album
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Ian Marlow: Turrill Sculpture Garden, Summertown
push beyond the confines of his own boundaries in search of new challenges to feed his creative spirit and enhance his work led him to stainless steel. His early work was sculpted in clay and stone, now he explores natural movement in a medium that
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New acquisition, Menora, on display at Ashmolean Museum
An extraordinary oil painting of a Biblical scene in a contemporary setting has gone on temporary display at the Ashmolean Museum. Menorah, by Roger Wagner, 1993, is a crucifixion scene set against the surprising backdrop of Didcot Power Station. The
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Katya Kabanova: English National Opera, The London Coliseum
A superb new production of Janacek’s Katya Kabanova is electrifying audiences at the London Coliseum. Director David Alden, whose 2006 Jenufa for English National Opera (revived last year) won two Olivier Awards, shows us all the pathos – and pluck –
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Fantasy CD reviewed
Called simply Fantasy, this new CD from Stone Records collects together the thoughts of three very different composers on the subject – Messiaen, Schoenberg, and Schubert. Centre stage on the disc is Schubert’s Fantasie, D934, Op 159. This was the first
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Danza Contemporanea de Cuba
This is a company that doesn’t seem to have any star performers, or – put it another way – it’s a company composed of stars, all of whom look so trained that they could tackle anything. But in this triple-bill no single dancer stands out, as it consists
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The Sixteen: University Church
Over the past 30 years Harry Christophers and The Sixteen have carved out an elegant niche for themselves right at the heart of the early music movement. Their annual Choral Pilgrimage – now in its tenth year – has become an integral part of the ensemble
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|Oxford Bach Choir: Sheldonian Theatre
The premiere of a new work is always an occasion to be relished, although often there is a certain amount of trepidation as to whether this will be a work worthy of attention. No need for any doubts, though, with Bob Chilcott’s wonderful new Requiem
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Chris Addison: Chipping Norton Theatre
There have got to be very few comedians who utter the sentence “You know, it really is a glorious time to be alive” in the first few minutes of their act. And even fewer still who manage to get away without sounding like either a nauseating salesman or
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Oxford Philomusica: Sheldonian Theatre
Oxford Philomusica’s teaming of works by Mahler and Mendelssohn with a modern piece by St Anne’s undergraduate Eldon Fayers seemed at first to defy explanation or logic. But what binds these three together is their youthfulness; Fayers, clearly, needs
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Miranda Westcott:Holywell Music Room
‘Soldiering on” was the expression used by Sholto Kynoch, director of the Oxford Lieder Spring Series, as he introduced mezzo Miranda Westcott. She nearly had to cancel this concert because of a heavy cold, he explained, and she wisely dropped two testing
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Manus Noble: St Michael's, Summertown
With its airy atmosphere enhanced by an artwork display of angels, St Michael’s, Summertown, was just the place for Mauro Giuliani’s Grande Overture – the first work in Manus Noble’s intriguing guitar recital. Giuliani composed more than 200 guitar works
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Loving April: Oxfordshire Theatre Company, touring
With their latest production Oxfordshire Theatre Company will be bringing to a venue near you one of the most moving and rewarding shows you could wish for. It’s the world premiere of Melvin Burgess’s Loving April, a tale of hardship, courage,
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The Ministry of Fear: The Oxford Playhouse
The comic elements introduced into Theatre Alibi’s stage version of Graham Greene’s wartime spy thriller The Ministry of Fear have managed to turn it into a play better titled ‘The Ministry of Fun’. Writing in the programme, adapter Daniel Jamieson refers
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Man held over East Oxford rape
A 24-year-old man from East Oxford has been arrested on suspicion of rape in connection with an incident in the early hours of Tuesday. The victim was walking along St Clement’s Street in the early hours of the morning, when she was grabbed
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UPDATE: Man arrested in connection with East Oxford rape
A 24-year-old man from East Oxford has been arrested on suspicion of rape in connection with an incident in the early hours of Tuesday morning. The victim was walking along St Clement’s Street in the early hours of the morning, when she was grabbed by
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Local share prices (AM)
AEA Technology 22.75 BMW 2929 Electrocomponents 199.3 Gladstone 34 Nationwide Accident Repair 91.5 Oxford Biomedica 10.25 Oxford Catalysts 57.5 Oxford Instruments 249.75 Reed Elsevier 506.75 RM 165.5 RPS Group 181.7 Courtesy of Redmayne
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Homes not Tesco
We find it hard to see any merit in Tesco’s plan for an Express store on the Fox and Hounds pub site in Abingdon Road. There are plenty of local shops in this area already and most of the surrounding property is residential in character. A Tesco Express
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Green debate
The true scale of what is proposed as part of plans for a new rail link between Oxford and London is only now becoming apparent. It appears that the price we will have to pay is significant development in the Green Belt between Oxford and Kidlington.
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Poisoning probe at school
A kitchen porter at a prestigious public school has been arrested on suspicion of poisoning soup, the school said. The 58-year-old man was questioned and released on bail after staff at Stowe School reported concerns to police last week.
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Firefighters tackle Wantage house blaze
Twenty-five firefighters were called to a house in Wantage last night after a blaze broke out in the roof space. The fire started in the roof of the single-storey extension at the house in Charlton Road at 7.20pm. A spokesman for Oxfordshire
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Firefighters tackle house blaze
Twenty-five firefighters were called to a house in Wantage last night after a blaze broke out in the roof space. The fire started in the roof of the single-storey extension at the house in Charlton Road at 7.20pm. A spokesman for Oxfordshire Fire
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Lower drink-drive limit supported
More than 70% of motorists would support a lowering of the legal drink-drive limit, according to a new survey. And 92% would like to see a new anti drug-drive law introduced, the poll by road safety charity Brake and insurance company Direct
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Triple tonic for Oxford United
Oxford United’s key trio of Adam Murray, James Constable and Alfie Potter have all progressed well so far this week in their bid to return to the side after injury. And manager Chris Wilder, while not wanting to count his chickens, is hopeful
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'I was paralysed, but I'll be doing the Sport Relief mile on Saturday'
A MAN left temporarily paralysed by a rare medical condition has vowed to complete a mile-long walk for Sport Relief. Graham Chapman, 64, from Cholsey, was left helpless after developing Guillain-Barré syndrome. On his birthday in June
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FOOTBALL: Banbury make it five finals in a row
Banbury United booked their place in the Oxfordshire Senior Cup final for the fifth year in a row by seeing off North Leigh 3-0 at Court Place Farm last night. Declan Benjamin put Banbury ahead on 12 minutes when his shot squirmed under keeper
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Grounded pilot owed £15,000
A young pilot claims to have been left high and dry by the demise of Oxford airline Varsity Express after he invested £15,000 to be trained by the collapsed carrier. Twenty-three-year-old Peter Chilvers borrowed cash from his parents, grandmother
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Grounded pilot wants £15,000 back from Varsity Express
A YOUNG pilot claims to have been left high and dry by the demise of Oxford airline Varsity Express after he invested £15,000 to be trained by the collapsed carrier. Twenty-three-year-old Peter Chilvers borrowed cash from his parents, grandmother
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Hunt for Oxford rapist
Women were warned to be on their guard today after a foreign student was raped in East Oxford. The 19-year-old was walking home alone after a night out with friends when she was grabbed by a man and attacked in St Clement’s churchyard at about
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HUNT FOR RAPIST: Woman dragged away and attacked in churchyard and East Oxford house
WOMEN were last night warned to be on their guard after a foreign student was raped in East Oxford. The 19-year-old was walking home alone after a night out with friends when she was grabbed by a man and attacked in St Clement’s churchyard
