SO, the BBC wants us to pay more and more to fund its "vision" for the future. It wants you and me to pay, through our licence fee, for its plunge into expanded digital services whether we want them or not. This is the arrogant, publicly funded institution
Avenue take a break from UniBond Premier Division action tomorrow when they take on Gateshead in an FA Trophy first-round qualifier at Horsfall Stadium. Gateshead are struggling at the foot of the Premier Division table so there is an opportunity for
Femi Fehintola feels just "gr-eight" to be thrust into the spotlight at Huddersfield tonight. The unbeaten super-featherweight, from Bradford Moor, will fight the first eight-rounder of his career on the David Haye undercard. And Fehintola is confident
Iestyn Harris is sick of being a bridesmaid. Harris reached the inaugural showpiece final with Leeds in 1998 but lost out to Wigan, while last year it was his former club who handed him a second taste of defeat on the game's biggest stage. "I've lost
Miniature motorcycles are a menace. They buzz at speed along the pavements and lanes, through snickets on estates and up and down pedestrian avenues in parks. Apart from being a ludicrous sight with people often of adult size perched above their tiny
Bradford Chamber of Commerce has made a direct appeal to Work and Pensions Secretary David Blunkett to tackle the pensions "crisis" by simplifying the system for private pensions. In a letter to Mr Blunkett the chamber has urged him to offer more incentives
Two of the world famous Calendar Girls visited Airedale hospital to unveil a new garden for patients of the cancer ward. Angela Baker and Lynda Logan attended the official opening of the new Centenary Garden on Sunday. Keighley MP Ann Cryer cut the ribbon
Keighley children are displaying their knowledge of the Qur'an on the local airwaves this month. The young Muslims are also reciting naats -- spiritual poetry -- during the broadcasts of Radio Ramadan. The boys and girls are speaking live to the local
An historic family mansion could still be snapped up by Keighley Town Council, despite its sale being completed. The town council is to explore a number of measures to protect Whinburn House from an "act of vandalism" according to town mayor Cllr Tony
Keighley Muslim Association launched an earthquake disaster appeal this week -- and raised £8,500 on its first day. The association, which runs Keighley's biggest mosque in Emily Street, kickstarted the appeal with a £1,000 donation. Mosque leaders were
The porcelain thrones in a Keighley pub are fit for a king and queen. Staff at the Livery Rooms, in North Street, are flushed with pride after winning acclaim for the quality and standards of their toilets in the Loo of the Year 2005 awards. The JD Wetherspoon
A LOTHERSDALE couple have submitted plans to create a £250,000 "green" home that could be a first for Craven. Joyce and Fred Abbatt plan to swap their Surgill Head farmhouse - parts of which date back to the 12th century - for a brand new eco-house built
A SKIPTON woman has found both job and personal satisfaction in the town through a work training and opportunity programme run by a national charity. And former bank manager Hazel Harradine has now been nominated for a special Star award. She is one of
RYLSTONE WI calendar girl Angela Baker helped open a new garden for cancer patients at Airedale Hospital, where her late husband, John, was treated for the disease. Mrs Baker, along with fellow Calendar Girl Lynda Logan, opened the £5,000 centenary garden
PLANS to make it easier for national park authorities to make traffic orders which could ban 4x4s and other off-road vehicles from green lanes were debated in Parliament this week. A new clause was added to the Natural Environment and Rural Communities
A SKIPTON man, who was a leading figure in Bradford Council's highways department, died in a road accident this week. Motorcyclist Philip Sawley, 53, was airlifted to Lancaster Royal Infirmary after the crash on the A65 near Newby at 2pm on Monday. He
Buy one -- get one free! That's the offer from the reformed Montauk Island as they play host to Bon-Rourkie at all performances The other band, formed by Montauk's bass player Simon Rourke, has faced the same problem finding gigs. Montauk drummer Stuart
SIR - In Ingleton, as in many other parts of the coutnry, there is a large number of houses under construction. It ought to be a fairly simple job to fit a house with solar panels while it is being built but I have yet to see any new houses being equipped
Go the Extra Mile, and you could help people suffering from the little-known disease Lupus. A sponsored walk has been organised by a health forum to raise awareness of the condition because the wife of the organisation's chairman is a sufferer. The Patient
Two brothers who ran a large scale "chop shop" for stolen cars have both been jailed for three-and-a-half years. Bradford Crown Court was told that Ishtiaq Zahir, 25, and his 26-year-old brother Israr ran the car-ringing scam from their breakers yard
Leading young artists from Bradford have been showing off their skills at the launch of a national scheme which was first piloted in the city. The young people's Arts Awards recognises the development of young artists and arts leaders. In total 60 young
An Asda store will be built in Cleckheaton town centre after the Government agreed to road closures vital to the supermarket's plans. The chain has outline permission for a 5,650 square metre store and car park off Horncastle Street and Bradford Road.
The text message from her boss spelled out a message that shocked a woman worker. "You are fired," it read, along with an instruction not to bother going back to the office. Now 22-year-old Charlie Yates has been awarded £6,800 in compensation for being
A new type of surgery to rid people of kidney cancer is helping patients in Bradford make much quicker recoveries. So far 20 people in the district have benefited from the procedure, called laparoscopic radical nephrectomy, to remove a cancerous kidney
Miniature motorcycles seized by police after they were ridden illegally are to be crushed in full view of the public. A 40-tonne crushing machine will arrive on Shipley's Windhill estate on Monday to start the destruction. By positioning the machine in
Bradford schools could be forced to meet spiralling repairs costs from their own budgets. A report by Bradford Council warns that schools are falling apart faster than education bosses can afford to repair them. The massive backlog of repairs has now
Lifelong Bradford Bulls fan Charlie Ebbage will play a vital role in tomorrow's Grand Final. Honorary vice-president Mr Ebbage, 75, is the team's dedicated timekeeper. Despite recovering from cancer, he has fulfilled the role at all the team's away games
Businesses, organisations and schools throughout Bradford today continued to dig deep in support of the victims of the south Asian earthquake. A huge fundraising effort is now underway throughout the district in a bid to deliver vital goods and services
A Bradford businessman wept as he stepped inside a hospital seething with people injured in the South Asian earthquake. Chairman of the Shipley-based Aagrah chain of restaurants Mohammad Sabir, who founded JANNAT Welfare International Trust, has stayed
SEVEN-YEAR-OLD Ben Tate has become one of the youngest British Ju-Jitsu champions. Ben, who lives in Riddlesden and attends Glusburn Primary School, took part in the sport's British Championships last week and won the Under-8s Ground Fighting event. The
Junior footballer Christian Paulat-Brigg has been snapped up by a professional club. For the goalkeeper (above) it is the start of a dream come true after signing for his favourite team, Burnley. But it was a case of third time lucky after having had
FORMER hurdles specialist Anthony Gill is aiming for the 2008 Olympics - as a cyclist. The ex-athlete has turned to two wheels and made officials of the sport sit up and take notice when he took part in his first competition last week. He picked to make
SKIPTON Swimming Club member Jenna Chatburn produced a national qualifying time for 2006 and a gold medal in the 100m breaststroke in the Winter Yorkshire Gala. With an amazing heat swim, which saw her lead the field from start to finish, she hit the
LOCAL athletes struck gold in the Emerald Isle last Sunday as three of the district's youngsters helped their respective England teams to gold medal success in the British and Irish Junior Fell Racing International Championship (writes Roger Ingham).
Giving out the wrong message SIR - Why are the EMA payments to encourage children to stay on for further education at school or college means-tested? The children of parents who are on benefits or not earning a "good" wage get the maximum £30-per-week
Thinking about starting your own business but don't know which way to turn? If so, why not go along to a free business planning course starting on Tuesday at 6pm? Funded by Business Link, the course covers everything you need to know about setting up
Bradford Area Occupational Health and Safety Forum is hosting a Noise at Work Seminar for this year's European Health and Safety Week, The seminar takes place on Tuesday at the Carlisle Business Centre in Manningham, Bradford. Employers and employees
Local band Blues Breakdown wanted a firm basis for the red-hot blues club they were setting up in Keighley. And they wanted to do more than curry favour with the internationally-renowned performers due to play. They found Keighley business Spectrum Financial
Donovan Ricketts prepared for his City return and admitted: The last two months have moved like a snail. The big Jamaican will be back between the posts at Port Vale tomorrow after missing the last 11 games. "Time has gone very, very slow," he said. "
The Bradford & Bingley is to host this year's annual reception for the homeless charity Shelter which takes place in London next week. The Bingley-based mortgage lender also sponsors Shelter's free housing advice helpline and has developed a long
A rise in the number of ethnic minority staff at Airedale Hospital means it now reflects the UK population. But at 7.3 per cent, the numbers are still far behind being an accurate representation of Keighley's ethnic minority population of about 15 per
Mental health experts from across Airedale gathered at a Keighley shopping centre on Tuesday to encourage health from head to toe. The event, at the Airedale Shopping Centre, was part of a week-long campaign across the district in support of World Mental
Cash raised at a charity concert in Keighley is being creamed off by the local authority. A chunk of the £2,255 coined in for Diabetes UK at Saturday's Victoria Hall event will go into Bradford Council coffers. Bands Soulfish and The Big Bang performed
Politicians, community leaders and clergy gathered this week to express sympathy for the victims of the Pakistan earthquake. The dozens of Keighley people from various races wanted to show their solidarity in the time of crisis. Muslims and Christians
A 22-year-old Keighley woman, who was sacked by her boss via text message, has been awarded £6,800 in compensation. Charlie Yates, of Calversyke Street, was sacked by her employer at Veronica Ltd, in Highfield Lane, Keighley, in May after taking holiday
A Keighley man was last night leading a rescue team in an 11th hour bid to find survivors of the earthquake in Pakistan. As the clocked ticked by for their planned return this weekend, ex-Greenhead High School pupil Stefan Hopkins 40, was making a final
BARNOLDSWICK'S new NHS dental surgery has opened its doors and is welcoming patients with the clear message: "It's a local service for local people." But residents wishing to get on the list at the new Barnoldswick Dental Centre in Park Avenue have been
TWENTY thousand pounds in a briefcase is a pretty impressive sight, but knocking that same amount of money off your annual waste and energy bill is a staggering statistic which has been achieved by an hotel in Craven. The Coniston Hall Hotel, at Coniston
POLICING in Silsden topped the bill again at last week's town council meeting, with a one hour discussion on the issue. Inspector Mark Allsop, one of two neighbourhood team inspectors in Keighley, attended the meeting with Acting Sergeant Craig Stothers
MAJOR changes have been made to North Yorkshire County Council's highways service. Key highways offices will now provide the whole highway service from one location, improving local co-ordination and better access to the service. The changes will see
OLD bones found in caves in the Yorkshire Dales have overturned theories about the extinction of one of Britain's hunting cats. Experts had believed that the lynx became extinct in the UK more than 4,000 years ago when the climate cooled and became wetter
AN inspirational Cross Hills youngster has shed nearly half his body weight - losing more than 10 stone. Alan Burns celebrated his 21st birthday this year with a holiday in America with his family. But two years ago, he would have had difficulty fitting
A VINTAGE bus day celebrating 100 years of motorbus operation in Yorkshire was so successful it is to become an annual event. Organised by the Aire Valley Transport Group and West Yorkshire Transport Society, the event saw 14 buses running between Bolton
CRAVEN residents are being invited to have their say on the Home Secretary's wish to amalgamate some police forces. North Yorkshire Police and the local Police Authority are inviting the public to comment on the proposals, which would produce bigger police
THREE men from Ingleton have been instrumental in saving lives in the earthquake stricken capital of Pakistan. Phil Haigh, his son, Ben, and colleague Margus Part, who are members of dog rescue team Canis, flew out to Islamabad on Saturday, only hours
PLANS to convert a derelict Sutton mill into 46 flats and 30 houses will be scrutinised on Monday. Blueprints for Greenroyd Mill will be put before Craven District Council planners with a recommendation to approve the application. The proposal includes
SIX years of dedication by a select group of writers has resulted in the ultimate history book for Lothersdale. The idea for Reflections of Lothersdale - A Social History from 1896 to 2000 was sparked in 1999 as a millennium project for the parish council
CRAVEN would have to provide 288 homes every year over the next five years to meet the demand for affordable homes. The district's proportion of rented stock is one of the lowest in the country and 1,624 individuals have left Craven over the last five
Local: Keighley Playhouse: sex comedy The Decorator (tonight/tomorrow). Phone 0845 126 7859/01535 604764. Cullingworth Village Hall: CADS theatre group perform A Tribute to the Stars (tonight/tomorrow 7.30pm). Tickets from Cullingworth Pharmacy. Sutton
Local people have been urged to try Keighley Amateurs' latest musical even if they haven't heard of it. Producer Keith Marsden said Little Me was better than many well-known shows and would thoroughly entertain its audience. He said the comedy musical
Sir - Obviously Mrs Sampson uses the suggested renaming term "Tory News" in a lame attempt to insult you in her letter (Oct 7th), and, properly, you did not rise to the bait. However, having re-read the front page of KN September 23rd, could I ask her
A Saltaire-based charity is hoping to start a new chapter in the lives of hundreds of Gambian children by building school libraries. Retired cinema worker Christine Schofield, 63, from Saltaire, and six other volunteers are building their second library
David Davis was today aiming to give a fresh boost to his Conservative leadership campaign by visiting Bradford. He will tell supporters that Bradford's "proud past and proud future" must be mirrored by the Tory Party if it is to topple Labour. And that
An investigation has been launched into why Bradford Council staff each take an average of almost a fortnight off sick every year. Latest figures show that its 24,000 employees were on sick leave for an average of 13.06 days in 2004/5 - higher than almost
The totesport Cesarewitch, second leg of the "Autumn Double," is the big betting handicap on Saturday's superb Champion's Day card at Newmarket, with every other race holding Group status. The Cesarewitch, to be run over 2m 2f at 3.45, will feature a
COUGAR coach Gary Moorby was sacked after a meeting with club officials - and Chairman Neil Spencer has offered to sell the club. At a meeting with their head coach on Tuesday evening Mr Spencer and club Chief Executive, Colin Farrar, warned that cuts
SOUTH Craven School junior footballers Simon Todd and Christian Paulat-Brigg have both been snapped up by professional clubs. Simon, who has been a permanent fixture in the Silsden Juniors side since he started at five-years-old, has signed a contract
WHARFEDALE'S recently-crowned player of the month Simon Horsfall gets the chance to play in his favourite position of full back tomorrow in the Powergen Trophy fourth round tie at Westoe (writes Mike Crowther). The 20-year-old has played on the wing since
100 years ago THE controversy surrounding the vicar of Gargrave rumbled on, sparking theoretical argument and counter argument through the letters of the Craven Herald. He was accused of "ritualism" and introducing "Romish" practices into services at
From the tone of an exchange of letters between MP Ann Cryer and Bradford Council leader Margaret Eaton it is clear there is no love lost between the two in the debate over the future of Keighley College. It is also quite apparent that petty tit-for-tat
