POLITICIANS, businesses and the public were this morning taking stock of the news that George W Bush seemed likely to hold on to the White House. Sir John Butterfill, Conservative MP for Bournemouth West, was among those welcoming President Bush's re-election
AN ARSONIST who risked lives and caused £400,000 worth of damage to a Burger King restaurant has been jailed for seven years. Disgruntled employee Aaron James started eight fires at the fast-food restaurant at Tower Park in Poole after "petty disputes
LAWRENCE the giant lobster is larging it at the Oceanarium -and he's still growing strong. Measuring 70cm - or about two-and-a-quarter feet - from the tips of his claws to the end of his tail, the 20-year-old is already 20cm longer than his fellow crustaceans
PRESIDENT Bush appeared to be heading for a second term in the White House this morning after one of the closest, most expensive and most bitter elections in American history. But as the counting continued in the key swing state of Ohio, the Democrats
AN UNEMPLOYED Poole man has been warned he faces a prison sentence after being convicted of robbing a taxi driver. During his two-day trial at Bournemouth Crown Court, 20-year-old Shaun Hayward had denied threatening to knife cabbie Christopher Foster
CALLS for new local planning policies are being made following an investigation into the landslip at Durlston Bay, Swanage, which happened four years ago. Fears have been raised that nearby properties risk losing value as a result of delays and wrong
WIMBORNE Town became only the second side in the league this season to beat champions Winchester City in a thrilling 3-2 victory at Cuthbury. In an end-to-end contest Stuart Cannie was probably the happiest player on the park when he produced an excellent
LYMINGTON and New Milton manager Ian Robinson lamented a contentious penalty decision in first half injury time as his side's FA Cup dreams were finally extinguished in a titanic battle at Woking. Robinson's Wessex League braves led the Conference giants
THERE wasn't much time for Mike Hoey to scrape the mud from his shoes after a Hampshire cross-country race before he found himself squelching through quagmire fields in Dorset's toughest off-road 10 mile event the following day. But all in all it was
IT is little more than two years since Joseph Shabalala, the visionary leader of African vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, faced one of the biggest nightmares of his life. His wife of 30 years Nellie was murdered, gunned down as she walked to church
A HEROIC barman dived into bitterly cold Weymouth Harbour to rescue a drowning man. Lee Stocker, 23, plunged into the water and held on to the 62-year-old unconscious man until the pair were hauled out by the crew of a passing boat. Mr Stocker, a barman
WOMEN in Dorset could face longer waits for treatment after the closure of the county hospital's gynaecology ward. West Dorset General Hospitals trust is closing Chickerell Ward at Dorset County Hospital. The ward's 23 beds will be replaced by 14 beds
TWO girls killed in a Weymouth house fire were inseparable in life, their family said today. In a moving tribute, Peter and Jacqueline Meadows said their daughter Mary, 13, and seven-year-old granddaughter Laura were always together and would be missed
RAIDERS smashed up a Dorchester florists before making off with a small amount of cash. Thieves smashed a side window to gain entry to Best Flowers on Trinity Street in a series of attacks on businesses on the road. During the Sunday evening attacks The
TOWN councillors have vowed to fight proposals for a rubbish tip in a residential street. Members of Dorchester Town Council's planning and environment committee said plans by Dorset County Council for a waste and recycling plant in St George's Road,
BROCKENHURST College has been awarded Beacon College status - the highest accolade for post-16 learning - by the Department of Education and Skills. The award was made by Minister of State for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education, Dr Kim Howells
THE curtain has fallen on a North Dorset mother's charity campaign to help addicts on the road to recovery - and former staff fear drug deaths will result. It has been a rocky year for Mothers Against Drugs Defacto (MADD), with a police investigation
A POLITICAL storm has erupted in Christchurch council chamber following the defection of two Liberal Democrats to the ranks of the Conservative majority. Portfield members Lillian Jefferis and Susan Darch have switched their party allegiance barely 18
UNLICENSED sex shops in Bournemouth that can be visited by children are illegally selling pornographic videos, councillors have been told. Businessman Timothy Hemming, who owns two licensed sex shops in Holdenhurst Road, presented councillors with two
A SHAMED DJ wept as he was jailed for three months for drug dealing offences at a seafront nightclub. Benjamin Logue, of Poole Road, Westbourne, admitted supplying eight ecstasy tablets and attempting to supply 24 tablets of the class A drug at Bournemouth
A MAN who witnessed his wife being crushed by a tree during a family break to Dorset has paid tribute to her. Devoted grandmother Pamela Hudson, 57, was killed in front of her family when she was hit by the falling tree during a freak storm near Corfe
PUPILS from Bournemouth School hope to travel to parliament on November 4 with a petition calling for a teenage asylum seeker to be allowed to stay in the UK. A former pupil at the school, Andrei Bazanov faces deportation to the former Soviet republic
DANNY Marks gave Brockenhurst the lead against a physical Moneyfields at Grigg Lane but, it wasn't enough as the visitors forced a 1-1 draw in the New Forest. It was 1-1 at half time and, in a game where eight players were shown a yellow card, the referee
KICKER James Mikolajewski was the hero for Wimborne as his 12-point haul sealed a fine 17-0 victory in the Powergen South West Two East derby clash with Oakmeadians. After last season's whitewash, it was sweet revenge for Wimborne as their pack dominated
Weymouth suffered their first reverse under caretaker coach Paul Buckle and exited a second cup competition in a fortnight at the expense of a Newport County side spattered with youth at the Wessex Stadium last night. And there was further disappointment
DORCHESTER have cancelled the contract of errant former Weymouth defender Michael Walker. Magpies boss Mark Morris finally lost patience with the 20-year-old he once rated as definite Football League material and showed him the Avenue Stadium door after
STAFF, parents and children at a Dorchester pre-school are celebrating after receiving an outstanding report from Government inspectors. Inspectors from Ofsted visited the Prince of Wales Pre-School in June and praised it for its high quality education
A DORCHESTER mother has made a plea for her son's stolen bike to be returned. Seven-year-old Zak James-Hill burst into tears after his bright yellow BMX was pinched from the doorstep when mum Sarah James called him in to eat lunch. Zak, who goes to school
AN INQUEST is expected to be opened on November 3 into the death of a young Christchurch driver killed in a crash on the town's bypass on Friday night. Matthew Cook, 21, was the sole occupant of the silver Honda Civic car which left the northbound carriageway
RICHARD O'Kelly described Cherries' Hampshire Senior Cup run-out as a "success" and paid special praise to Joe Roach's kids for their "enthusiasm" and "attitude". Cherries used the second round tie to give Marcus Browning, Alan Connell and Derek Holmes
BOURNEMOUTH employers are being encouraged to take part in a new stress management initiative that is being launched to coincide with today's National Stress Awareness Day (November 3). It is estimated that over 1.1 million working days a year are lost
