Evening Times

West Is Safe As Snow Hits East Coast Cold Snap

THE west of Scotland is expected to miss the worst of the weather as temperatures plummet across the country. Snow and strong winds have already hit Aberdeenshire and a severe weather warning has now been issued for the rest of the country.

200,000 Suffer in Rail Chaos Repair Delay

Airport Strike Is Called Off Pensions Deal Ends Threat of Walk-Outs

THREE days of strikes which would have closed down Glasgow Airport, and six others in the UK, have been abandoned. Hundreds of thousands of passengers had faced travel chaos as BAA staff threatened the walk-outs in a row over pensions.

200,000 Caught Up in Rail Repairs Fiasco Track Chiefs Face Huge Fines Over Delays Chaos

AROUND 200,000 rail passengers heading between Scotland and London have been caught up in the travel chaos on the West Coast main line. And as the misery continued today, Network Rail chiefs were facing a multimillion pound fine over the failure to complete engineering works on time.

A New Field of Dreams Work Ready to Start On St Mirren's New Stadium After 114 Years at Love St

IT MAY be a piece of waste ground just now but this is where St Mirren FC will soon call home when construction kicks off on their new 8000-seater stadium. Builders will start work on the Paisley side's ground on Monday as part of a GBP15million deal with supermarket giant Tesco.

Health Test Unit Saves Kids' Lives Screening Plan Detects Illnesses

SCREENING of pregnant women and babies in Glasgow is saving infants from life-threatening conditions. All pregnant women living in Greater Glasgow and Clyde are routinely offered screening for HIV, rubella, hepatitis B and syphilis.

Football Pays Tribute to Tragic Captain Phil Minute's Applause for Motherwell Hero As Players Pay Respects

SCOTTISH football has paid an emotional tribute to tragic Motherwell captain Phil O'Donnell. A minute's applause was held before yesterday's SPL fixtures for the 35-year-old who died of heart failure. Players also wore black armbands as a mark of respect for the father-of-four.

New Drive to Beat Killer Brain Bug

AN advertising campaign to raise awareness of the symptoms of meningitis is being launched today in Scotland. Posters and commercials feature stories about Scots who died from the disease and carry the message that it can strike anyone at any age.

Call to Put Games On Public Screens

SCOTLAND'S international matches should be shown on big screens across the country, a Nationalist MSP said today. A sell-out crowd of more than 7000 fans filled a marquee on Glasgow Green last November to watch Scotland's Euro qualifier with Italy on two screens after the Hampden match sold-out.

Shop Worker Foils Hold-Up

A SHOP assistant foiled an armed robbery at a grocery store. The raider burst into Sunshine licensed grocers in Paisley's Green Road at 9.10am on New Year 's Day, brandishing a knife and demanding cash.

Hunt On for Missing Man

FEARS are growing for a man who went missing from his home days before Christmas. Gordon McKenzie, right, of Tantallon Road, Baillieston, Glasgow, was last seen on December 19.

Robbery at Cash Machine

POLICE are hunting a robber who held up a man at a cash machine outside a bank. The robbery took place outside the Royal Bank of Scotland in Cowgate, Kirkintilloch, around 8.30pm on Monday when a 48-year-old man was withdrawing money. A man threatened him with a bladed implement before fleeing with a three-figure sum.

Yard Secure Despite Losses

THE Ferguson shipyard has a bright future - despite running up losses of more than GBP3million. The Dunnet family, which owns the Clyde's last independent commercial shipbuilder, also wrote off a GBP4.4m loan.

Bottle Attack Man 'Serious'

A MAN is seriously ill in hospital after he was hit on the head with a bottle in Glasgow on New Year's Day. The 45-year-old man was walking along Methven Street, near Helenslea Community Centre in Lilybank, when he was attacked at 2.30am on Tuesday.

Police Wait to Quiz Man After A8 Car Crash

DETECTIVES are waiting to question a man fighting for his life after crashing head-on into a police car while driving the wrong way on the A8. Chef Duncan Leitch, 58, was still in a critical condition today in Monklands General Hospital following the incident late on Tuesday.

Class Assistants Cover for Teachers Union Leaders Claim Helpers Are Being Exploited

POORLY paid classroom assistants are routinely covering for absent teachers, union leaders claimed today. Afifth of the assistants polled said they had been asked to take classes for sick staff.

Rebel Pupil Rises to the 'Challenge'

A GLASGOW teenager has gone from school rebel to high flyer thanks to a pioneering employment scheme. This time last year Dionne Geary, 16, had been suspended and was set to leave St Roch's Secondary in Royston with no qualifications.

Call to Scrap School League Tables

SCOTLAND'S biggest teaching union has called for school league tables to be scrapped. The Educational institute for Scotland says the tables, coupled with the pressure of too many tests, is demoralising to both pupils and teachers.

14,000 Scots Face Bankruptcy This Year

MORE than 14,000 Scots will be made bankrupt this year, according to leading accountants and business advisers PKF. The firm earlier predicted 13,994 Scots would have been sequestrated or taken out a Protected Trust Deed by the end of 2007 and says the situation is going to get worse in 2008.

Rail Chiefs Face Heavy Fines Over Train Chaos More Misery for Passengers On West Coast Line

NETWORK Rail chiefs are expected to be hit with a multi-million pound fine after train passengers faced a fourth day of delays on the West Coast main line. The company admits engineers will not complete vital cabling work on the key London to Scotland line until tomorrow.