Scheme allows house owners to explore history of their home

By Rory Reynolds

RESIDENTS in Edinburgh are being handed the chance to discover if their home has ever been the site of scandal or infamous crime.

Visitors to the History of My House events will be able to discover if their home was the dwellings of a famous figure, as well as view photographs and documents detailing how the building looked.

The events, being held next week, will also allow visitors to read about old tales from the city, including the famous disappearing turkeys of Heriot Row and the domestic details of author Thomas Carlyle.

And experts from the city’s libraries and Edinburgh World Heritage will guide visitors through the extensive collection of photographs, maps, prints, and books, charting the history of the city’s residents.

Councillor Deidre Brock, culture leader for the City of Edinburgh, said: “Edinburgh’s buildings, both private and public, are positively brimming with history.

23-year-old knocked unconscious in unprovoked attack

By Rory Reynolds

A 23-year-old was rushed to hospital after being attacked and left unconscious while on a night out with friends.

The victim had just emerged from a taxi when he was approached by another man and attacked.

He collapsed to the ground and struck his head on a kerb rendering him unconscious.

The victim was taken to hospital at the Royal Infirmary to be treated for head injuries.

The attack took place in the early hours of Tuesday morning, at York Place in Edinburgh.

82-year-old woman conned by telephone fraudster

By Rory Reynolds

POLICE are hunting for a callous con man after he stole £400 from the bank account of an elderly woman.

The fraudster – described as “well spoken” by police – assured the 82-year-old woman that he was from her bank and convinced her to give out personal details.

He then removed the cash from her account before she became aware of the elaborate telephone scam, which occurred on 2 November.

The elderly woman from Dunfermline, Fife, mentioned the call to her daughter, who became suspicious and phoned the bank.

However, she was unable to freeze the account before the transactions were made.

Cutting edge technology puts ERI theatre on the map

By Rory Reynolds

COOL blue lighting, HD flatscreen TVs, and a brand new iPod dock.

NO, not a footballer’s penthouse apartment – but one of Europe’s most advanced operating theatres.

The state-of-the-art Endoalpha integrated operating room was opened at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary yesterday, putting Scotland in the map for pioneering keyhole surgery.

The theatre will cater for some of the most complex medical operations, and is expected to cut down on the time that operations take.

The facility will also allow video-conferences of operations to be screened offsite to train surgeons in new techniques.

Nursery sent dirty nappies home with three-year-old

Mechelle and Derek Carlin with daughter Miya

 

By Andrea McCallum

A YOUNG mum has spoken of her disgust after her three-year-old daughter returned home from nursery with a bag of dirty nappies.

Mechelle Carlin, 26, discovered the soiled plastic bag next her daughter’s lunchbox when Miya was brought home from Dunbar Primary School Nursery by her dad Derek.

The mum of four has since removed little Miya from the council owned childcare centre after what the local authority called an “honest, unfortunate mistake”.

Murder trial teen threatened to torch victim’s home previously

by Paul Thornton

A TEENAGER accused of deliberately burning his girlfriend to death threatened to torch her home almost a year previously, a court was told yesterday.

The mother of Jessica McCagh told how murder accused Stewart Blackburn made the threat during an angry phone call.

At the High Court in Livingston, Marion McCagh recalled how she snatched a mobile phone from her daughter Jessica’s hands while the 17-year-old was rowing with Mr Blackburn in July 2008.

Mrs McCagh, 47, told a jury her daughter had been staying with her then boyfriend at weekends, but had fallen out with him.

She decided to intervene by taking over the conversation with Mr Blackburn, and recalled: “He said he was going to burn the house down with petrol if he didn’t see Jessica.

Daughter of woman attacked with corkscrew say stepdad should be locked up

By Cara Sulieman

THE DAUGHTERS of a woman who was stabbed in the face with a corkscrew by her husband have called on the judge to “lock him up and throw away the key”.

Debra MacLeod, 46, suffered eight stab wounds and had part of her cheek torn away after the savage attack by her husband who attacked her in her own home.

Ian MacLeod beat his estranged wife at her home in Thurston Manor Holiday Park in Dunbar before punching her in the face with the corkscrew.

Her daughters, Danielle and Melissa Baillie, have branded their step-father an “evil monster” and a “disgusting beast”.

Young boy run over twice still recovering in hospital

By Cara Sulieman

A YOUNG boy is recovering in hospital after being hit by TWO separate cars.

The seven-year-old was walking down Leslie High Street in Fife when he was knocked to the floor by a car.

As he lay on the road, a separate car travelling in the opposite direction ran him over.

He was rushed to the Sick Kids Hospital in Edinburgh after the incident at 5.30pm on Tuesday night.

Rosslyn Chapel restoration underway

The ornate carvings at Rosslyn Chapel

By Cara Sulieman

WORK IS getting underway to preserve one of Scotland’s most famous and important chapels.

Rosslyn Chapel in Midlothian starred in the blockbuster Da Vinci Code and has seen a massive increase in visitor numbers since.

But thanks to a botched repair job in the 1950s the roof is crumbling and has been sealed off for some time.

The Rosslyn Chapel Trust is looking to secure a further £1 million to ensure that a £9 million restoration can be completed within the next year.

Work is set to start next month on a brand new roof for the chapel, restoring the building to its former beauty.

It is famous for the intricate carvings that line the walls of the small chapel, and the rumoured connections to the Knights Templar.

Work has already begun on restoring the stained glass windows in the main body of the building.

See more of our pictures at our Flickr site and videos at our dedicated channel,  Deadline TV.

New facility for blinded soldiers set to open

By Cara Sulieman

WORK ON a new multi-million pound facility for soldiers blinded in action is due to start next week.

The new building will house a workshop, art space, training areas, gym, therapy spaces and a remembrance room.

Costing £3 million, it has been funded by donations and legacies, and will open in 2010.

The Scottish National Institute for War Blinded are constructing the new state of the art centre next to their existing workshop in Wilkieston, West Lothian.

Having worked with blinded servicemen and women since world war two, the centre is hoping that the new facilities can help rehabilitate modern soldiers.