Western Daily Press

Your Daily Stars

Today's what you make it. You can get out of bed on the right, or the wrong side. All you need to know is what great things can be achieved if you make the right choice. Call me now to hear why love requires a white lie. You get the chance to try your hand at new things. Get through today with confidence and you can attract the attention of the powerful faces you need for success. Dressing well adds extra punch. Call now to hear why it's OK to be selfish this week.

Our View ; Celebrating the West the Way It Used to Be

Today's picture, taken in the 1960s, is of a Bristol Type Belvedere helicopter. Manufactured by BAC, the 30-seater aircraft had tandem wooden rotor blades. Designed for troop transport, supply dropping and casualty evacuation, they were used by the RAF from 1961 to 1969.

In Memoriam

Hostel Puzzle

There was confusion last night over how many of the 3,000 West girls who get pregnant each year will end up in special hostels promised by Gordon Brown. The Prime Minister said at the Labour conference on Tuesday that pregnant 16-year-olds should go to supervised homes to "learn responsibility" with Pounds 30 million going to councils to pay for 500 new places in an existing network of 'foyers'.

Councillor Takes Fresh Look at Rubbish

A councillor got his hands dirty this week as he had first-hand experience of being a rubbish collector. Rob Appleyard (Lab, Westfield) donned a high visibility vest and protective gloves and spent a morning on the refuse carts to find out how the system works.

Adventure Park Plans Approved

Plans for a new skate and adventure park in Midsomer Norton have been approved by Bath and North East Somerset Council. The council now plans to go out to tender and work is expected to begin within months, with a completion date set for the end of April.

Trouble Teens Forced to Sign Abc Contracts

Two teenagers have been made to sign contracts with the police - promising not to cause trouble - after a string of complaints. Residents living near the empty Homemaker store in Radstock are plagued by late night revellers using two car parks off Waterloo Road, according to police.

Exam Marking has to Have That Human Touch

ducation ought to be a joy. EWe've all seen in it in corny films, where a usually eccentric teacher wanders off-curriculum to inspire a generation of dullards into thinking for themselves.

The Wonder of 'Whiffling'

There may be a reason why a new book about Britain's rich seams of slang and dialect has mystified some in Gloucestershire, who have reportedly never heard of the words in The Wonder of Whiffling. These words - such as bivver and miffy - might have vanished from our collective memories, or they might just have migrated.

The Big Switch Off

Some of us in the West of England are getting little captions on our TV screens, warning of the digital switchover. I tend to file these kind of things away, along with the warnings about eating five portions of fruit or veg, or filling in one's tax return.

Knife Sale Test

A shop in Cheltenham could face legal action after selling a knife to a 14-year-old boy. The sale occurred during a test by Gloucestershire County Council Trading Standards Service.

Fire Engine Put On a Slow Boat to St Helena ; Remote Atlantic Island Delighted to Receive Vehicle From Dorset Brigade

When she sets sail for a tropical island paradise tomorrow, the Royal Mail Ship St Helena will be carrying 60 live chicks, 33 cartons of biscuits, lots of Christmas presents - and a West Country fire engine. The tiny isle of St Helena is a speck in the Atlantic 1,200 miles west of Angola and 1,800 miles east of Brazil. It is so remote that it was a safe place for the European powers to send Napoleon after the Battle of Waterloo, and the only way goods and tourists can reach it is via its own ...

Pounds 25m Water Works Open

Wessex Water is celebrating the opening of a new water treatment works which will supply water to more than 200,000 people in Somerset. The firm has spent Pounds 25 million on building the new water treatment works at Maundown, near Wiveliscombe.

Council Cuts Put 500 Jobs Under Threat ; Raft of Cost-Saving Measures Are Approved

About 500 jobs are under threat at Gloucestershire County Council, as civic chiefs prepare to lay off scores of management staff. The ruling cabinet at the administration has given the green light for a raft of costcutting measures, which means hundreds of employees will be forced to take redundancy or voluntary retirement. The first stage of the Pounds 60 million savings plan will see 200 management and administration support posts cut by October next year. The second stage, which has not ye...

Theft of Rings

Cherished wedding and engagement rings have been stolen from a house in Devizes, Wiltshire. Offenders broke into the property on Devizes Road on September 28 and took a "very old" rose gold wedding ring, two engagement rings and a gold cameo ring.

Stronghold Hit

Not so Sweet

'Raffles' Is Arrested in the Us

A modern-day Raffles who escaped from a UK prison more than four years ago has been arrested in the US. Globe-trotting Juan Carlos Guzman-Betancourt, who likened himself to the fictional gentleman jewel thief, was picked up by US border guards in the north eastern state of Vermont.

Judge's Vodka

A former judge pleaded guilty yesterday to drink driving. Bruce Macmillan admitted the charge when he appeared at Chorley Magistrates' Court. He committed the offence while he was a sitting judge at Liverpool Crown Court.

Bid to Buy Gardens to Make Way for Bus Route ; Council Chiefs Turn to Transport Secretary for Go-Ahead to Buy Plots of Land

Transport Secretary Lord Adonis is being asked to agree to the compulsory purchase of nearly 60 plots of land for a controversial package of transport schemes in Bath. Council chiefs are in the process of submitting compulsory purchase orders for parcels of land along the route of the Bus Rapid Transit scheme in Newbridge, as well as for the expansion of that area's park and ride site and a new bus lane at Lambridge.