- 'Sharp drop' in degree courses
- Travellers 'hit by rip-off charges'
- Probe into sex-selection abortions
- UK urged to support tar sands ban
- GPs 'overpaid for ghost patients'
- Action urged on hip fracture costs
- Clegg reveals £1bn jobs fund boost
- RBS set to unveil £400m bonus pot
- Tributes to 'jolly jester' Carson
- 'MP' held after Commons disturbance
- Fast-track asylum delays criticised
- Korean firm wins MoD tankers deal
- Mother and daughter given Asbos
- 'Exceptionally' mild weather on way
- Teenager 'repeatedly raped by gang'
- Man quizzed over women's murders
- Cherie Blair makes phone hack claim
- Man accused of murdering vicar
- Peacocks saved, but 3,000 jobs go
- Sex attacker was under surveillance
Aufona
xPcTCxMP(Ind) under spotlight
REGULAR readers will know our keen interest in following the machinations of the county council’s standards board hearings, a deeply mysterious process in which Joe Public is given tantalising, but sadly amoebic bits of information (certainly no names) on the county council’s website and then – in the event of someone actually being nobbled such as Lib Dem Dick Giddings was last December – the only mention of a name comes in the form of a public notice strategically buried in a local free sheet which hardly anybody sees.
Vanessa takes pop at Pippa’s bottom
CHRON cookery writer Vanessa Kimble has never been one to hide in the pantry when it comes to a comment.
Lee gets fire in his belly
LABOUR has reportedly named its man (well it is a man) for the role of Police Commissioner for Northamptonshire.
1 commentSven lives up to rebel status
A STORMING week for Peter “Sven” Bone, who is fast becoming the go-to right wing Tory rebel. In recent weeks he has been curiously obsessed by who might run the UK in the event of his boss being, say, popped off by terrorists. On Tuesday, he turned his attentions to the Home Secretary, Theresa May, saying she could become a “national hero” by ignoring a European Court of Human Rights judgement and deporting terror suspect Abu Qatada back to Jordan.
Andrea Leadsom
Good start is key to emotional health
Mob Rule and Flaming Morons were headlines we saw back in August as a minority of mindless thugs spread fear and intimidation through our society.
1 comment
Brian Binley
It’s an enterprising start to the year
I do like good news and even more so when it impacts positively on Northampton. So I welcomed the report from the Centre for Cities that revealed Northampton to be among the top performing towns for employment rates and growth in private sector jobs.
David Saint
Time for pancakes and a leek supper
As a lad in Daventry, I remember hearing the Verger, Mr Clark, ring the Pancake bell. For some reason, it was always called Pan-burn-bell! The bell was half-muffled, meaning that the clapper had leather fixed to one side of it.
Cobbler’s son had a love of music
Not too many counties can boast giving birth to three major composers and being the “workshop” of a fourth. Here in Northamptonshire we can claim this with no risk of contradiction.
Wealth of history behind a name
You may have guessed that, being an old fashioned sort of chap, I like to see old names preserved wherever possible. So I was thrilled to discover that there is still somewhere in Northampton that bears the name Vigo.
The tragic tale of our secret princess
The greatest joy of writing this column is the research. Naturally, because of time, I can never do as much as I would like and I can’t always travel to the places I write about.
Hilary Scott
Four years have simply flown by
THE Girl is Four. It seemed a straightforward enough caption for a picture posted on my rarely-visited Facebook page, but I didn’t expect quite as much incredulity.
Time to chill out video
THERE are varying levels of cleanliness in our house, and without wishing to gender-stereotype, the boys can get rather smelly at times.
The gems of kids’ TV video
YOU can usually tell someone’s age by asking them what their favourite children’s TV programme was when they were little.
Tickled pink over snow
AT the time of writing, there’s still about four inches of snow outside but we’re assuming school will be open this week.
John Dickie
When politics interferes with policing
The events at last week’s Police Authority meeting simply confirmed the awful reality of the government’s policy to create Police Commissioners.
Consult first . . . then carry on regardless
In the last few weeks the leaders of both the county council and Northampton borough council have whinged about the fact that few people bothered to join them in their lavishly advertised “budget consultation meetings”.
All in the name of progress?
One of the most endearing characteristics of the average Northamptonian is a healthy scepticism of change.
It’s official, I really am quite toxic . . .
For ages many of my readers have thought my views toxic. Well now I am officially toxic and they can rejoice that they have been proven right.
Falklands again . . . who’s in trouble?
IN 1982 the miserable military junta in Argentina was desperately unpopular so it decided to whip up a bit of patriotic fervour and invaded the Falkland Islands . . . to take back “the Malvinas”.
John Grosvenor
Courts undermine our Christian faith
WE are a Christian country. Our traditions and our way of life are based on that faith. Yet increasingly those beliefs are being challenged and undermined from within. By the courts, to be precise.
Accept it’s winter and get on with it
WHAT a song and dance about the cold spell. As a level-headed guest said on a TV show at the weekend, we should forget what the scientists are saying about climate change and accept it’s winter when it gets cold and snow falls so we just ought to get on with it like the older generations did and forget about the predictions we are at the start of another Ice Age.
How Northampton got under my skin
DANIEL Defoe once described Northampton as one of the handsomest towns in the country.
Fall in car crime is good for everyone
Theft of cars or from them has halved in Northamptonshire over the last four years.
Kerry Provenzano
Confused, breathless, fabulous!
When it comes to my nails, I’ve always been a “keep them short, paint them black” kind of girl. But after seeing how nice my girls’ false nails all looked, I decided to have mine done too.
Michael Ellis
Judges should not meddle in politics
IN my opinion there is absolutely nothing wrong with saying prayers before public meetings.
Pandora
Stay at home with baby
What is wrong with Amanda Holden? For years she has been trying to have a second child. Last February a baby boy was stillborn. This was just months after suffering a miscarriage.
Yes sir, these were the right decisions
Should RBS chief executive Stephen Hester have bowed to intense public and political opposition and agreed to refuse the £1 million bonus?
Euro court makes mockery of justice
IT is 12 months since top British Judge Lord Hoffman warned that the European Human Rights laws were getting out of control and warned David Cameron the Court was desperately in need of a huge reform.
Steve Scoles
Bluetooth makes fingers redundant video
I’ve got myself a Bluetooth. Is that how you say it? It can’t be right because I haven’t just got one Bluetooth.
Difference between classy and the cosy video
Last week was a rare social whirl for My One True Love and I. We went out twice on consecutive nights.
Only explanation: The elephant did it
SO there I was enjoying my new second-hand Audi: spotting Audis on TV and alerting everyone in the household, spotting Audis in the street, and alerting everyone in the street, even spotting Audis while I was driving my own new second-hand Audi and not for one moment thinking: “Oh, everyone’s got one.”
- Rider who died after being thrown from horse in Northamptonshire village named
- Troubled Northampton pub branded ‘beyond redemption’ has licence revoked
- Pervert filmed women in toilets of Northampton office block with mobile phone
- Violent sex offender who kept victim for hours after rape is jailed
- Man trapped in Northampton home during gas leak as cracks appear across ceiling and walls
- Campaigners pledge to fight housing association’s proposal to control Northampton’s council homes
- Term-time holiday ban is welcomed by heads of Northampton schools
- Northampton’s controversial ‘Let Yourself Grow’ slogan could be replaced
- Pervert filmed women in toilets of Northampton office block with mobile phone
- Residents of retirement homes petition against plans for student flats in Northampton town centre
- Car crash victim calls for tougher punishments and backs campaign to halt cuts to traffic police
- Rider who died after being thrown from horse in Northamptonshire village named
- Four-storey replacement for Fishmarket gallery should open in September
- Only early birds catch Leonardo at the National Gallery
- Cobblers FanStand: Progress is clear despite defeat
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Weather for Northampton
Thursday 23 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 9 C to 15 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 3 C to 14 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: West
