Evening Times

Comic Karen Sends Message for Sick Kids; Magic Million: Star Records Radio Appeal for Yorkhill

COMEDIENNE Karen Dunbar is taking to the airwaves to help our Magic Million appeal. The big-hearted funny woman will be urging Real Radio listeners on Monday to get behind our appeal to raise (pounds) 1million to help build a new intensive care unit at Yorkhill Hospital.

[ On the Face of It, Australian Funnyman Adam Hills... ]

ON the face of it, Australian funnyman Adam Hills doesn't have much to laugh about. Born with only one foot, the Aussie mirthmaker has built a comedy career around his bright and good-natured personality - and the odd one-legged man joke! A three-time Perrier Award nominee at the Edinburgh Festival, Hills is a quick-witted observational comedian with a deadly line in put-downs for those poor souls unwise enough to heckle at his sell- out shows.

Cool Car Not Just for Girls; Road Test Mini Cooper Convertible

IT'S the oldest cliche in the motoring world, but every time a new small convertible hits the market people write it off as being "one for the ladies". But are people going to be cueing up to lay these accusations at the Mini Convertible's door, or will it be able to generate the universal appeal of its hard-top sibling?

Stars Glow with the Flow

WHETHER it's due to a fortnight's holiday in Barbados or straight from the bottle, everyone looks better with a bit of colour. This summer there is no excuse for anyone to be complaining that they are milk-bottle white as Au Courant has arrived in Glasgow.

9 People Died in This Blast. Now the Firm Plan to Rebuild the Business As a Memorial and Give Jobs Back to Those Who Survived; News Special: Couple Who Own Factory Tell of Heartache - and Determination for the Future

IT is almost all they have left of their business. A junior- sized pool table heaped with papers, scraps of information. They hope it will save their firm and dozens of jobs.

Guns Seized in House Raids

HANDGUNS have been seized in a series of raids by police at homes across the west of Scotland. The swoops were part of a campaign targeting homes where weapons are believed to be stored, which is being carried out by forces across Britain.

It's Amen to the Mound As Msps Pray Things Can Only Get Better; After 5 Years, the Scottish Parliament Gets Set to Move Home

MSPs said goodbye - or at least they hope they did - to their not- so-temporary home on the Mound in Edinburgh yesterday. Five years after they moved in, and three years after they were supposed to move out, they handed the keys back to the building's owners, the Church of Scotland.

University Boss to Lead Watchdog

A STRATHCLYDE University director is to take up an (pounds) 80,000-a-year post at the head of a new local government watchdog. Colin Mair, director of the Scottish Local Authority Management Centre at Strathclyde University, will take up the newly-created role of chief executive of the Improvement Service for Local Government.

Islands Protection Boost

Protection awarded to one of Scotland's most famous natural environments has been extended. The islands of St Kilda, in the Outer Hebrides, have already been given World Heritage status for their bird colonies.

Man Seeks (Pounds) 100,000 in Dyslexia Legal Fight

A CIVIL servant has launched a legal action against Glasgow City Council, claiming teachers failed to spot his dyslexia. David Lannigan says he wanted to study for a degree in computing, but was not able to go to university because of poor exam results.

Walking On Sunshine; How to Avoid the Holiday Hassle and Be a Beach Babe or a Surf Star

SQUEEZING two weeks' worth of your wardrobe into the prescribed itty-bitty baggage allowance is a conundrum worthy of the Krypton Factor. But, fear not, there is no need to be branded with the embarrassing "heavy bag" label - and a hefty airline surcharge - if you follow a few holiday wardrobe guidelines.

Teenager in Court Over Van Escape

A TEENAGER charged with escaping from a Reliance security van at a Glasgow court four days ago has been taken back to court - in a similar vehicle. David Duffy, 19, appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court charged with forcing open a hatch on the van roof, absconding from custody and attempting to defeat the course of justice.

Noise Row Resulted in Dual Attack

A MAN who complained about a noisy neighbour was hit with a martial arts fighting stick then stabbed with a knife. The incident happened minutes after Andrew Smith - who had a long- standing dispute with his upstairs neighbour Deborah Mullen - spoke to her about noise.

Lesson in Hill Madness

When I read in yesterday's Evening Times that a teacher and a bunch of teenage schoolgirls went up a mountain in the Cairngorms in skirts and trainers, with no map or compass, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Not one of them seemed to have got a clue what they were doing, and the teacher must be deemed woefully irresponsible. When will people from the big cities learn to treat nature with a bit more respect?

Times Past; Billy Graham at Hampden, 1955

Billy Graham was born in North Carolina in 1918, and went on to become the best known evangelical preacher in the world. In 1955 he began a tour of Scotland, The All-Scotland Crusade. There was a full house at Glasgow's Kelvin Hall every night for six weeks as Scots came forward to "make a stand for Christ".

Priest Dies in Church House Horror Blaze; Body Found After 'Suspicious' Fire

A POPULAR parish priest has died in an early-morning fire in his church house. The body of 72-year-old Father Michael Lynch was found by firefighters in Ayrshire around 4am.

East End Hosts Euro Youths

Glasgow's east end is playing host to dozens of European youngsters on a fact-finding mission to Scotland. Police from London Road station have organised the exchange with 70 people from Estonia, Poland, Denmark, Spain, Germany and Malta to share information on life in their homelands.

Kids Enjoy a Balamory Story

Braehead has gone Balamory batty! The actor who plays Balamory's resident policeman PC Plum in the hugely successful BBC Scotland series, Andrew Agnew, met up with excited and delighted fans Blair, 4, and Keira Leckie, 5, at the Renfrewshire shopping centre.

Jousting Fun with Knights

KNIGHTS clad in full suits of armour are to cross swords at Pollok House next weekend. The National Trust for Scotland is to bring a medieval feel to the popular attraction with a jousting tournament.

King Shuts Venue After Noise Dispute; West End Club's Late Licence Bid Fails

NIGHTCLUB tycoon Stefan King has shut one of his Glasgow venues after it was banned from opening late. The Canal in Anniesland has not opened in a fortnight after licensing chiefs accepted complaints that revellers leaving the complex's Switchback Club in the early hours were a noisy nuisance.