'It would be a tragedy if it closed ... where would the women go?'

AS SHE mucks in with the washing up, Donna lets out a roaring laugh.

Chatting animatedly, she looks relaxed and happy.

But just a few years ago, she was trapped in a violent marriage that lasted more than 20 years.

After plucking up the courage to flee to a women's refuge, she was told about the work of Hull's Willow Women's Centre.

"It has been an absolute lifeline for me," she says, as she clears up after the centre's management committee meeting.

"I am a lot happier, a lot more confident and I put it all down to Willow. It has given me another purpose in life."

Willow – Woman Into Life, Leisure Or Work – has helped thousands of women denied life's opportunities since it was launched in 1994.

However, it could now be forced to close after a bid for hundreds of thousands of pounds of Lottery funding was rejected.

With traditional sources of charity funding drying up, centre co-ordinators Sylvia Kilvington and Jacqui Newman have been forced to think the unthinkable.

Both women got involved with the centre after seeing its work first-hand – Jacqui as a learner, Sylvia as a tutor.

Because of that, both women are determined not to give up without a fight.

"It came as such a shock when we found out that our application for funding had been rejected," says Sylvia.

"It felt like we had to have a grieving period. I still can't think this could be reality. I just think, 'Willow can't close. It won't close.'

"It would be a tragedy. Where would the women go?

"We feel so determined not to let it happen. We are down, but not out."

The centre has survived on �400,000 from the Lottery's Reaching Communities for the past four years.

Now, they are running on reserves, which are quickly evaporating.

Donna says: "For it to go would be an absolute tragedy.

"The first time I came here, I heard someone laughing their head off in one of the classes and I thought, 'she sounds pretty jolly, it must be all right'."

Donna started out by taking courses in maths and English at the centre, which is based in the grounds of Hall Road Primary School in north Hull.

From there, she has gone on to learn how to solder in a DIY course, brushed up on her art skills and has danced the calories away with Zumba.

Donna now feels confident enough to volunteer to help on day trips run by the centre for local women and their children. She says: "It is fabulous here. We are like an extended family.

"It is just so sad that there doesn't seem to be any funding. It would just be a travesty if it has to close.

"They have given me the confidence to move on. If you just want to ring up and have a chat, they are there. Nothing's too much trouble."

On a tour around the modest building, Sylvia proudly points out work that has been done by women using the centre.

Stitched into a large piece of fabric on the wall of the corridor are words used by the women to sum up Willow.

Safe and sanctuary are there, but so is laughter.

"A lot of what we do might be available at adult education centres, but the women who come to us wouldn't go there," says Sylvia.

"It is about the support network we offer them – it is the counselling facilities, the creche and the help we provide to help build self-esteem."

Jacqui says: "The knock-on effect on their health and wellbeing is far more important than just doing a course.

"It is the relationship we have with the women – they are not just a number or a piece of paper. We get to know about their lives.

"A lot of the women who no longer come to the centre say they feel like they can drop in or ring up anytime. It is like a big family."

They point to one user, who was so moved by the centre's plight that she wrote to multi-millionaire Hull City owner Assem Allam to beg for his help.

Although there has not yet been a reply, Sylvia and Jacqui are still clinging to the hope their prayers will be answered from somewhere.

"Not being here is unimaginable," says Jacqui.

Allowing herself a brief moment of sadness before her resolve kicks in, Sylvia adds: "These are not just our jobs. The centre is part of our lives, it has made us better people.

"It is just an amazing place."

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LIVE: Heat at Mavs for Game 4 of NBA finals

Read Doug Smith's live blog as the Heat meet the Mavericks for Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

Source: http://www.thestar.com/sports/article/952913--live-heat-at-mavs-for-game-4-of-nba-finals

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Former deputy head of east Hull school charged with child abuse

A FORMER deputy head teacher has been charged with indecently assaulting a young boy and possessing more than 800 child porn images.

Michael Anthony Page, 54, has been charged with three counts of indecent assault, six counts of making indecent images of children and once of possessing an extreme sexual image involving an animal.

Mr Page was the deputy head teacher at Tweendykes Special School in Tweendykes Road, east Hull, until recently.

The school accepts children aged three to 16 who have special educational needs because of learning difficulties.

Mr Page is accused of downloading indecent images of children during the time he worked at the school. It is alleged he downloaded 808 indecent images of children over a seven-year period from 2004.

Mr Page, of Baroness Close, north Hull, is accused of indecently assaulting a boy aged under 16 on three occasions, between 1982 and 1985.

The child was not a pupil at the school.

Mr Page appeared at Beverley Magistrates' Court for a five-minute hearing to face the charges. He spoke only to confirm his address and date of birth.

He declined, through his solicitor Robin Smith, to enter any pleas to the charges.

Prosecutor Jayne Wilson said: "There are three charges relating to the indecent assault of a boy which is a historic case of abuse. The remaining charges relate to indecent photographs."

The case has been committed to Hull Crown Court for a preliminary hearing next month.

Mr Page was granted unconditional bail.

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OHSAA track and field: Behind the scenes at the Division I state meet

Plain Dealer reporter Tim Warsinskey offers an inside look from Columbus.

Source: http://highschoolsports.cleveland.com/news/article/-4453786395254590565

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What Republicans get right about the deficit

Here?s the difference between Democrats and Republicans on the deficit: Republicans look at the deficit and they see an opportunity to make major changes to the state. Democrats look at it and see a problem ? and perhaps an overblown one ? that needs to be solved before anything else can get done. The result? The two parties are talking almost entirely past each other.

You can imagine a balanced argument over the deficit taking one of two forms. In the first case, both parties could agree that the desired result was deficit reduction, and so they could both propose ideologically modest plans that raised taxes and cut spending. Perhaps the Democrats would raise taxes by a bit more than the Republicans, and perhaps the Republicans would cut spending by a bit more than the Democrats, but ultimately, the two proposals would look broadly similar to the plan released by the Simpson-Bowles Commission.

You could also imagine an argument in which both parties agree that the mounting deficit is an opportunity for a radical rethinking of the size, shape and role of the state. In this argument, Republicans might release a proposal that made the Bush tax cuts permanent, privatized Medicare, turned Medicaid entirely over to the states, protected the Pentagon from serious cuts and repealed all of the health-care reform law and much of the financial-reform law. Democrats, meanwhile, could propose a carbon tax, a financial-transactions tax, a public option, significant cuts to defense and more short-term stimulus to get the economy moving before we transition into a period of austerity.

But we?re not having a balanced argument over the deficit. We?re having an asymmetric argument over deficit reduction. Republicans see the deficit as an opportunity to push for dramatic and permanent changes to the state ? including some that would technically increase the deficit. Their plan is exactly the same as the one I sketched out in the second scenario. As for the Obama administration, they?re proposing a much more modest package that doesn?t use the deficit to push for long-term priorities, and in fact looks like a slightly more conservative version of the Simpson-Bowles report. It?s fallen to liberal think tanks to promote plans that see the deficit as an opportunity to push for major progressive policy changes. But without the support of the White House, those plans aren?t going to get very far.

For the record, I don?t agree with the policies the GOP is pushing under the guise of deficit reduction, but I think they?re right to see an opportunity for reform rather than a math problem that needs to be solved. A world in which we stop taxing work so heavily and begin taxing carbon is much preferable to a world in which we just jack up taxes on work. A world where we?re saving money through a strong public option is a lot better than a world in which we?re saving money by reducing health-care benefits. It?s better to save money through reforms that make the state work better than to simply make it do less and tax more.

The politics are more complicated. It?s easier to get voters excited and find interest groups who?ll support a basket of policies that include dramatic, positive reforms than it is to get anyone interested in a bunch of spending cuts and tax increases. But as Republicans have found out with Ryan?s proposal, and as Democrats would learn if they so much as mentioned a carbon tax, big policies also help organize your opposition.

And insofar as you believe a deal on the deficit is actually important, the further the parties drift from each other, the harder it is to come to an agreement. Compromising between $3 of spending cuts for every $1 of tax hikes and $2 of spending cuts for every $1 of tax hikes is a lot easier than compromising between privatizing and voucherizing Medicare and not privatizing and voucherizing Medicare. In the end, Ryan?s plan has made a deal a lot harder than it would?ve been if the two parties had decided to do negotiations first and come out with a final plan together. But from the perspective of Republicans, it?s probably made a good deal a lot likelier.

Source: http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=16c1afb459da2a853dd703847879d5fa

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Tim Pawlenty?s fantasy economic plan

Economic plans are often disappointing and underpowered. They?re occasionally radical and even inspiring. They?re frequently dull. They?re rarely hilarious. But Tim Pawlenty?s proposal is the exception. I?m going to quote from it extensively, because I don?t want you to think I?m unfairly simplifying his ideas. Here?s the big one:

Let?s start with a big, positive goal. Let?s grow the economy by 5 percent, instead of an anemic 2 percent.

Yes, let?s! One small problem, though: There is no economist anywhere who knows how to add three percentage points to the country?s growth. Goosing economic growth over any long period is is hard enough when you?re talking about a tenth or two of a percent. Three percentage points? I?ve never seen anyone make that sort of a claim. But perhaps Pawlenty has stumbled upon something new:

It?s been done before: Between 1983 and 1987, the Reagan recovery grew at 4.9 percent annually. Between 1996 and 1999, under President Bill Clinton and a Republican Congress, the economy grew at around 4.7 percent annually.

Read that sentence carefully: Pawlenty says he wants ?5 percent growth.? Later in his piece, he specifies ?five percent economic growth over 10 years.? And his evidence that ?it?s been done before?? Two periods in which growth was under five percent and held there for less than five years. So even in his handpicked examples, Pawlenty can?t come anywhere close to his target.

That said, he has a plan that his predecessors didn?t. Let?s hear it:

How do we do it? Our economy will never grow at 5 percent laboring under a federal tax code that is hostile to business.

American businesses pay the second highest tax rates in the world. That?s a recipe for failure, not adding jobs and economic growth. We should cut the corporate tax rate by more than half. I propose reducing the rate to 15 percent from 35 percent, recognizing that the tax code is littered with special interest handouts, carve-outs, subsidies and loopholes that should be eliminated.

But just changing business tax rates is not enough. That?s because we know most job growth will come from small and medium-size businesses, and their owners are taxed under individual tax rates, not corporate rates. So, pro-job and pro-growth tax reform must include individual tax reform as well

Let?s stop here to note a couple of things: Members of both parties have already proposed closing loopholes and lowering rates. Until Pawlenty, no one from either party, at least to my knowledge, predicted that doing so would lead to 10 years of 5 percent growth. And it?s not as if politicians are known for being particularly pessimistic about the effects of their policies.

As for today?s anti-growth tax rates? As a share of GDP, taxes are currently lower than they were at any time during the Reagan or Clinton years.

Finally, you might wonder what?s going to happen to the budget deficit as Pawlenty finished with handing out his massive tax cuts. Not to worry!

Five percent economic growth over 10 years would generate $3.8 trillion dollars in new tax revenues. With that, we would reduce projected deficits by 40 percent ? all before we made a single budget cut.

Because, as you remember, cutting taxes in the Bush years wiped out deficits forevermore.

This plan isn?t optimistic. It isn?t a bit vague. It?s a joke. And I don?t know which is worse: The thought that Pawlenty knows that and went forward with this pandering, fantasy-based proposal anyway, or the thought that he doesn?t know it, and he really thinks this could work.

Source: http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=6d1348efef027cfdd4d4889ba0b12b6f

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Colourful celebrations

IT STARTED as one woman's campaign for childcare services in east Hull.

Sadly Janet Genter died of breast cancer in October 2000 shortly before her dream could become a reality.

But a more than decade later, her memory lives on through the Janet Genter Community Nursery, in Preston Road, which celebrated its tenth anniversary at the weekend.

The centre has supported more than 600 children since its founding.

Families and staff gathered to see the Lord Mayor of Hull, Councillor Colin Inglis, unveil a colourful mural created by children at the nursery and local artist Lewis Jackson to mark the important milestone.

Mr Inglis said: "It is exactly ten years since the Preston Road New Deal For Communities originally opened a nursery.

"Janet campaigned for childcare in the area but sadly died just months before the community nursery was opened.

"It was based in Flinton Grove then moved here in 2004 and has gone from strength-to-strength."

The nursery formed an integral part of the Little Stars Children's Centre when it moved into purpose-built premises in Preston Road seven years ago.

Families now travel from all over the city to the nursery, which offers 48 places for children from three months to five years.

The nursery was also the starting point for the formation of the city-wide family support charity Child Dynamix in 2005, which now employs more than 70 staff and turns over �2 million each year.

Jane Stafford, managing director of Child Dynamix, said: "Celebrating this milestone represents an amazing journey, the nursery has been one of the success stories of the New Deal scheme.

"We are all very proud of the nursery. The team work hard to create an exciting and fun learning environment for the children and their families."

Activities on the day included a bouncy castle, a performing dog, cake stalls, face painting, hair braiding and a huge range of toys.

Caitlin Eatwell, 9, of Preston Road, started attending the nursery when she was just two.

She said she was happy to be a part of the celebrations. Caitlin said: "I am pleased to be here today.

"I have enjoyed it. I liked watching Jess the dog."

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Nowitzki sparks mad Mavs revival

John Riordan in New York

THE Dallas Mavericks were dead and buried, facing into a potentially devastating 2-0 series deficit against the Miami Heat.

But then a remarkable burst of scoring produced one of the greatest comebacks in NBA Finals history.

Down 15 points with just over four minutes to play, they rallied to win 95-93, courtesy of a 20-2 run that stunned the home crowd.

And, despite a frustrating night overall, it was Mavs star Dirk Nowitzki (right) who capped their incredible comeback with the final nine points, making two late baskets left-handed despite a torn tendon on that non-shooting hand. He finished with 24 points.

"I thought defensively we really got into them," Nowitzki said afterwards. "We pressured them full court and we scrambled defensively. We even gave up some offensive rebounds, but we kept scrambling."

The teams had been tied at half-time and Nowitzki levelled it once again, this time at 90-90 with 57 seconds to go. After yet another Heat timeout, he added a sensational three-pointer to nudge his Mavs ahead. But the home side responded in kind when Mario Chalmers found himself in space as the Mavs defence went missing allowing Chalmers to sink a three-pointer.

Dallas then ran the clock down, allowing Nowitzki to break through for a well-worked lay-up with just three seconds left. Dwyane Wade, who finished with 36 points, was handed the ball for a rushed three-point attempt but the game was up for Miami.

Mavs coach Rick Carlisle praised his charges afterwards: “This team has been through a lot of difficult situations, we’ve been down big in the play-offs. We’ve shown that we have the ability to come back. We believe that if we get stops, we’ll always get a chance.”

His opposite number Erik Spoelstra pledged his team would bounce back.

“We have a lot of guys who have the character and toughness to respond to a game like this. We’re not happy about it, certainly not with the way we closed it. It’s so uncharacteristic for us, on both ends of the court. But we’re a resilient group. By the time we get on that plane tomorrow, we’ll have our minds and body spirit ready for Game Three. This is a long series.”

Game Three takes place in Dallas just after midnight on Sunday evening. The Mavs will also host Games Four and Five meaning they can mathematically take the title without returning to Miami.

“It was phenomenal,” said Mavs veteran Jason Terry. “This is what the finals are all about, moments like these, something that you’ll never forget for the rest of your life.

“It was a tough night for Dirk all around.  He was struggling to get it going for a while. But in each of the time outs, you could see it in his eyes. If there was time left on that clock, he wasn’t going to give up and neither were his team mates. In that last possession, I saw him wide open and I couldn’t believe it. And he just knocked it down.

“We have a sheer will to win, a true grit and veteran leadership. We told each other, stay with it. There’s a long series there. Even when Dwyane Wade hit that big three in the corner, we said there’s still time fellas, let’s get some stops and put some scores on the board. And we did that, we went on a five-minute run. That’s Mavericks basketball.”

 

 

Source: http://feeds.examiner.ie/~r/iesportsblog/~3/TTD1NBD0lnA/post.aspx

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'We don't want a beagle farm here': Protest over plans for breeding facility

Animal rights campaigners protested against a planned beagle breeding farm outside Beverley's County Hall.

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Two in court charged with soldier assault

TWO men are due to appear in court this morning charged with an unprovoked attack on a soldier in the city centre over the weekend.

Aaron Winfield, 18, of Broxtowe Lane, Aspley, and Luke Stone, 21, of South Snape Close, Bulwell, allegedly attacked the 19-year-old in Clumber Street at 2.30am yesterday.

The soldier was with his fianc�e when he was punched to the ground and repeatedly kicked to the head.

Winfield and Stone were arrested shortly after and later charged with GBH and affray.

The victim suffered a broken jaw and injuries to his eye and was taken to hospital, where he is still receiving treatment.

A number of people came forward following a police appeal for witnesses and inquiries are continuing today.

Witnesses or anyone with information should contact Nottinghamshire Police on 0300 300 9999 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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redfearn47 updated Welcome to Beckside Letting Beckside Letting is a privately owned, residential letting agent specializing exclusively in...

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'We don't want a beagle farm here': Protest over plans for breeding facility

Animal rights campaigners protested against a planned beagle breeding farm outside Beverley's County Hall.

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OHSAA track and field: Gilmour girls struggle without Candace Longino-Thomas; Trinity boys finish fourth in Division III

Gilmour Academy's Briah Owens anchors the Lancers' disappointing seventh-place finish in the Division III 4X200 final Saturday. - (Gus Chan l PD)

Gilmour is never a factor after it learns that star sprinter Candace Longino-Thomas is out with a hamstring injury.

Source: http://highschoolsports.cleveland.com/news/article/-473418962979747091

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Heat put on Dallas already

John Riordan, New York
DWAYNE Wade and player-of-the-game LeBron James inspired the Miami Heat to take a 1-0 series lead over the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals on Tuesday night.

And the Mavs' loss may prove even more costly after it emerged that Dallas star Dirk Nowitzki tore a tendon in his left middle finger, an injury which will force the German forward to wear a splint throughout the rest of the series.

James scored 24 points and Wade added 22 points along with 10 rebounds as the Heat beat the Mavs 92-84 in Game One in Miami. Chris Bosh also popped up at key moments on his way to a final tally of 19 points during a clash that was most notable for the powerful defensive display of the home side.

The Heat trailed by eight points early in the third quarter before pulling away, remaining unbeaten at home in this year’s playoffs.

Nowitzki scored 27 points and grabbed eight rebounds for Dallas who had been aiming to secure their fifth straight win on the road.

"By and large, we've got to play better, just overall," said Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle. "We'll play better. I'm very certain of that. We had some opportunities. Shots we normally make, they didn't go down. Look, it's a long series. We'll adjust."

"We understand that this is the kind of game we wanted to play,” said Wade. “We had them where we wanted them in the sense of points. You know they weren't scoring a lot on us and offensively we just executed and guys made plays.

"You can't get frustrated because the ball's not going in. There's other ways you can dominate the game and we were able to do that tonight. I thought we did a great job in the second half of rebounding the ball, limiting them to one shot as much as possible."

Game Two take places Thursday night in Miami.

Source: http://feeds.examiner.ie/~r/iesportsblog/~3/cbzyNqRB-zc/post.aspx

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Doug Ford looks for solution to road-clogging charity events

Doug Ford says he?d like to discuss the issue of thwarted traffic with organizers to see if there are alternatives.

Source: http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1003430--doug-ford-looks-for-solution-to-road-clogging-charity-events

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Kwankwaso revokes allocation of Kofar-Na?isa plots

Kano State Governor, Dr. Rabi?u Musa Kwankwaso, yesterday announced the revocation of plots allocated at Kofar-Na?isa area, saying certificates of occupancy given to individuals by the immediate past administration in respect of Kofar-Na?isa plots were invalid.

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Source: http://www.dailytrust.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=20556:kwankwaso-revokes-allocation-of-kofar-naisa-plots&catid=2:lead-stories&Itemid=8

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I was ready to give up, but I'm still in it

Steve Prescott said his latest charity challenge is proving to be harder than expected.

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