A POPULAR Colchester DJ and father of two has died suddenly from a suspected brain tumour. Gary Thaleman died on Monday, leaving behind his wife, Josie, and two young daughters, Macy and Ruby. The “Balearic beats” fan had been DJing
Colchester Council bosses have warned of huge cuts to public services after the Government announced a 15.5 per cent cut in its grant. The council had already anticipated a grant cut of about ten per cent, but the 15.5 per cent figure, which
SHOPPERS are being warned to be on their guard against pickpockets in the run up to Christmas. The warning comes after a man was charged with theft after a woman’s purse, containing £45, was taken from her bag while shopping in Colchester. The pickpocket
HEALTH bosses have launched a new campaign to stop people wasting money on medication they don’t need. The message is being sent out on flyers, posters and banners in doctors’ surgeries, pharmacies and on buses, in an attempt to save £5million a year
COMMUNICATIONS giant BT has been fined £300,000 after the death of a North Essex employee. BT was yesterday fined for health and safety breaches, which contributed to the death of an engineer who fell from a stepladder. FOR THE FULL STORY, SEE TOMORROW'S
TOYS and teddy bears have been donated to the children of Colchester-based soldiers who are serving in Afghanistan. Fibre optic specialists Colchester Communications, based at the Whitehall Industrial Estate in Grange Way, bought more than
ONE of Colchester Zoo's best loved and most popular animals has died in his sleep. Sasha the white tiger had been at the zoo since 1998 and was 15 years old. He had been showing signs of poor health for the past two weeks. See Gazette for more
A MAJOR development in Colchester High Street is expected to be given planning permission tomorrow. The Angel Court complex has been earmarked for transformation into shops, restaurants, offices and homes. Colchester Council used to own the prime site
A PETITION has been handed to Essex County Council after the pilot Colchester Bite+ card scheme was scrapped. Anne Turrell, leader of Colchester Council, gave it to the chairman of Essex County Council on behalf of a group of teenagers from Colchester
THE Queen has thanked Essex for its hospitality following her visit to the county. Rodney Bass, chairman of Essex County Council, spoke about the “wonderful occasion” when the Queen visited Maldon and Tiptree. He told the council: “I have received
ESSEX County Council’s award winning library service could be transferred into a trust to save almost £1 million. The library service has repeatedly considered the financial benefits of setting up a trust but is concerned about the loss of control over
THE future of a scheme which provides mobility buggies for disabled shoppers is again in doubt. Colchester Council is to launch a fresh public consultation on its funding to the Shopmobility service. The authority previously withdrew its annual grant
FOURTEEN primary schools in north Essex would be considered as failing to give pupils a decent grounding in reading, writing and arithmetic, under tough new targets. Official figures show the schools would not reach the new benchmark announced by the
RIA Lina doesn’t like to be pinned down by stereotypes, in fact, she has made a career out of poking fun at them. With her Filipino looks and American accent, Ria has been able to bamboozle audiences over who she actually is. The fact Ria has, to this
THE Essex Police Band held its annual Christmas Cracker Concert in Colchester to raise cash for Help For Heroes. More than 750 people watched officers, Colchester and District Pipes and Drums and the choir and band from St Helena School perform at Charter
Heybridge Swifts beat Essex Senior League side Hullbridge Sports 2-0 to book their place in the Essex Senior Cup quarter-finals. The match was played on a partially frozen pitch in very low temperatures but the tie survived. Heybridge had three decent
Motorists faced delays of up to 40 minutes southbound on the A12. A bus broke down near t junction 19, the Boreham interchange. One lane was blocked and tailbacks stretched past Witham.
It seems the Government is fiercely determined to destroy the future of our country’s young people. The latest is the scrapping of the school sports partnership, an initiative introduced by Labour when in office. It was a tremendous initiative
READER picture gazette-news.co.uk/readerpics AS a Frinton small shop keeper, the news of yet another closure, together with the reasons given, comes as no surprise whatsoever. Clarksons has been around since 1906, my own business since 1949.
Paula Whitney, from Friends of the Earth, lists what she does and doesn’t want in relation to the proposed High Street changes (Dec 10). There are no constructive proposals as to how the shops are supposed to get deliveries to stock the very
So the Lib Dems and the Conservatives have got what they wanted and the fees are going to be put up for our students. Colchester MP Bob Russell voted against this, but this does not make him a hero as he still backs and works for the Lib Dems
THE body of a Colchester-based paratrooper killed in an apparent friendly-fire incident in Afghanistan has been repatriated to the UK. New Zealander Private John "Jack" Howard died while on patrol in Helmand Province on December 5. Pte Howard, 23, from
Young Colchester United starlet Ben Coker has a big future in the game, according to Glenn Pennyfather. And the Chelmsford City boss admitted he would have loved to have kept the U’s man at Melbourne Park. Left-back Coker has just returned
TRAINS were delayed this morning because of 'severe' signalling problems. Services from Clacton, Walton, Frinton and Kirby were affected by the problems at Thorpe, where only one platform was in use. Some fast train services from Thorpe to Colchester
