Birmingham Post

Big Bonanza Book Bash

Planning Not to Be an Issue in Devolution

Birmingham's 11 mini town halls, established to spearhead the city council's devolution experiment, are unlikely to be allowed to make decisions on local planning applications. A suggestion that each of the new district committees should have its own development control committee looks certain to be ruled out on grounds of cost and legal difficulties.

Twenty Hurt by Cheese Roll

More than 20 daredevil competitors were injured after they hurled themselves down this hill in pursuit of a rolling cheese yesterday. The famous ancient cheese rolling event attracted participants and spectators from across the world.

Industry Foots Bill As Lorry Thefts Soar

The theft of lorries in the West Midlands has nearly doubled in the past year at a cost of tens of millions of pounds to business and industry. Official police figures show that 200 HGVs were taken in the first quarter of this year compared with 117 during the same period in 2003.

Maintenance Changes See Train Delays Hit New Low

Network Rail yesterday hailed the best train performance for four years. The publicly-owned network operator said delays for which it was responsible had fallen by more than one million minutes to 13.7 million.

Magical Mystery That Was Nick Drake ; Warwickshire-Born Nick Drake's Musical Legacy Is Finally Getting Mainstream Recognition 30 Years After He Died in the Bedroom of His Parents' House, a Broken and Clinically Depressed Young Man. A Fan of Drake's Music for Years, Campbell Docherty Finds His Revival Evocative for More Personal Reasons

Nick Drake (left) was discovered at one of a handful of live performances he ever gave by Fairport Convention bassist Ashley Hutchings, who introduced the folk singer to their producer Joe Boyd. A series of demos was then completed, parts of which surfaced on the posthumous release Time Of No Reply, before Drake began work on his debut album.

Tributes to a Model Woman

Tributes were paid last night to the woman behind one of the top modelling agencies in Britain. Olive Carpenter, who ran an agency from her Sutton Coldfield home during the 1960s and 1970s, died on Saturday night at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham after a short illness. She was in her mid- 80s.

Hospital Gift From Grateful Patient

A woman who underwent pioneering brain surgery to treat Parkinson's disease has donated new equipment to help monitor future patients at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Diane Lamb was operated on at the QE earlier this year to help relieve the symptoms of the condition she was diagnosed with nine years ago.

Over She Goes: Thrills and Spills of Annual Cheese Race

Cab Driver Killed in Multiple Pile-Up

A taxi driver was killed in a three-car pile-up in Birmingham yesterday. Father-of-two Mahbob Hussain died when his Vauxhall collided with a Mercedes at the junction of Bearwood Road, Lordswood Road and Hagley Road West, Bearwood, at about 12.50am.

Two Stabbed in City Brawl

Two men were critically ill in hospital last night after being stabbed in a gang brawl in Birmingham city centre. The pair were discovered bleeding in Upper Dean Street, off Pershore Street, just before 3am yesterday.

Pair Off to Walk the Nation to Raise Money for Ms

A Warwickshire dentist and rugby player will set out on a 930- mile run from John O'Groats to Land's End in his mother's memory this week. Charles Buckle, aged 26, of Stratford-upon-Avon, will fly to Edinburgh from Birmingham on Thursday, en route to Britain's most northerly point.

Rural Matters: Farmers Can't Wait to Show Off Livestock

Record numbers of entries have been received by some of the Midlands' major agricultural shows since footand-mouth disease wreaked havoc in the industry three years ago. The shows, which have been forced to modify into more countryside and leisure-based attractions to attract wider audiences, are seeing a revival in some of the more traditional sectors such as livestock.

Rural Matters: Mine Waste Project to Mushroom

Scientists at a Midland university have found a way of using some of the most difficult waste materials to reduce the rapid depletion of the world's best peat resources. Researchers at the University of Warwick's horticultural research arm, Warwick HRI, have developed new substitute products from quarry and coal mine waste which can replace thousand of tonnes of peat used each year for growing mushrooms and the propagation of plants.

Rural Matters: Trust Warns of Danger to Aircraft

A wildlife charity has dedicated part of its website to highlight its environmental and safety concerns of passenger flights from Coventry Airport. Warwickshire Wildlife Trust fears the large areas of wetlands and dozens of large birds such as Canada geese near the airport site at Baginton could cause problems for aircraft.

Rural Matters: Top Markets On Shortlist

Judging has now started in The Birmingham Post Market Mas-ters awards scheme to recognise the evolution of farmers' markets across the Midlands. A shortlist has been drawn up from the dozens of entries and judges hope to visit them before the winner is announced next month.

Rural Matters: Pick of Crop On Way Over

Fruit farmers in Herefordshire are breathing a sigh of relief after the Government gave the green light to Eastern European workers coming to Britain to pick their harvests. English strawberries are coming into season and farmers in Herefordshire rely on hundreds of students from Bulgaria and Romania working for six months at a time.

Rural Matters: Why Horse Owners Should Smile Over Equine Passports ; Alun Michael, Minister for Rural Affairs and Local Environment Quality, Explains the Importance of the Horse Passport Scheme

By the end of this month, all owners of horses, ponies and donkeys should have applied for a passport for each equine they own. The idea of forcing a horse into a small booth to have a passport photo taken seems amusingly absurd. But while a sense of fun has helped the caricature -and it is a reflection of the special place which we in Britain allot for our equine companions -it may have quite damaging implications.

Fire Chief Attacks Insurers

One of the Midlands' leading firefighters has launched a scathing attack on an insurance company which refused to cut his premium when he installed sprinklers at his home. West Midlands Fire Service Deputy Chief Fire Officer Vij Randeniya accused Direct Line of subscribing to 'popular misconceptions' on the benefits of sprinkler systems.

Lead Role for Parents in Crusade

Parents must take more responsibility for their children in the battle against anti-social behaviour, a Midland MP claimed. Mike Foster (Lab Worcester) made the comments after meeting the head of Downing Street's campaign to reduce petty crime.