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LIVE: South Yorkshire Today

Sam Volpe 294 Views

Follow the day’s South Yorkshire news here. We’ll have the latest minute-by-minute news, all the way through to 5pm. 

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter too. Our social media team loves a good natter. 

17:00 – To close

A busy day in central Sheffield has seen some gripping stories published. Here’s a quick run-down.

  • Yesterday a 19 year-old man was found dead in Broomhill. Read more.
  • Emma Bowden has been across Operation Duxford for us all day. Check her report here.
  • At Sheffield Crown Court, a Rotherham man was sentenced to 12 years in jail for rape. Full story here.
  • The Freedom Riders, a group of older residents, demonstrated at two South Yorkshire train stations in hope of bringing back free rail travel for the elderly. Joe Gerrard reports.
  • And finally, as you can see below, we in the JUS News newsroom have been trying to come to terms with what happened in Westminster last week, too. A lot of us were there. Here, Harry Taylor writes eloquently about a scary day.

It’s been pleasant. I’ve been Sam Volpe (@samuelevolpe), and that’s that.

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16:52 – Wednesday in Westminster

Louisa Adams has sensitively put together an emotive package summing up what happened last week.

Some things are hard to forget.

16:43 – Before it was the Co-Op it was cool

In this affectionate piece, Harry Taylor has taken a look at what has happened to some beloved old Sheffield music venues. One is now a Co-Op.

This Co-Op on White Lane stands where the Azena Ballroom once stood.

16:43 – Five South Yorkshire footballers up for end-of-season awards

Billy Sharp and John Fleck (both of Sheffield United), James Coppinger and John Marquis (both of Doncaster Rovers), and George Hirst are all nominated by the EFL for awards.

16:41 – No more Carbook Hall?

The oldest pub in Sheffield will not, Rhoda Morrison reports, remain a pub much longer. Instead expect a “quirky cafe”.

“Society is changing. People can’t take their cars out there. They can’t park up and have a drink and walk to another pub. It just doesn’t work with that building.”

16:38 – More from the Freedom Riders

Joe Gerrard has spoken to some of the fantastically named Freedom Riders protesters to help you understand quite why so many people with placards were on your train this afternoon.

It might just be me, but I think the Freedom Riders would make a terrific Netflix addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

16:30 – Taxi drivers support bus lane fines

Taxi drivers in Sheffield have praised fines being imposed on drivers who misuse bus-lanes. They hope that deterring private vehicles from breaking the law will make their lives, and those of bus drivers, easier.

16:18 – Sheffield schoolchildren to compete in F1-themed national engineering competition

Teenagers at Bradfield school have celebrated the start of the Formula One season by revving their engines and gearing up for the national finals of an engineering competition where they design a miniature F1 car.

A render of the car designed by Bradfield School team Steel Racing

If they were to win they would get the chance to compete in the World Finals in Texas later in the year. Let’s hope that the students manage to take the chequered flag first.

16:12 – The afternoon to come

With an hour before the virtual presses here in Sheffield come shuddering to a halt, it’s fair to say that stories of all kinds have graced these pages. What’s left then? In the next hour or so expect some cracking copy, fabulous photos, and valedictory video.

On the menu:

  • What’s going on at the old Carbrook Hall pub?
  • More from the Freedom Riders
  • Some old music venues are a little bit different in 2017
  • South Yorkshire representation in the Football League awards

And, no doubt, a few surprises too. Stay tuned.

15:44 – Slow news

Here at JUS News we see it as our responsibility to watch the democratic process like hawks. So do the BBC.

Our friends in Salford have been following the biggest election you’ll hear about all day.

15:34 – More Operation Duxford

Emma Bowden has grabbed an interview with Sergeant Dave Baines in Page Hall. In it he explains the logic behind Operation Duxford.

“It’s important to achieve an outreach and have a presence in these communities.”

15:27 – BREAKING: Teenager found dead in abandoned Broomhill hotel

The body of a 19 year old man was found in the disused Hallam Tower hotel in Broomhill yesterday, police have confirmed. The dead man’s family have been informed, and the death is currently being treated as “unexplained”.

15:15 – Whatsapp!

Dan Barker has taken the Home Secretary Amber Rudd to task and interrogated exactly what “End-to-End Encryption” is, and whether we should care. He knows what he’s talking about. (Shame the politicians seem not to)

And I thought Whatsapp! was just an outdated catchphrase from the early 2000s.

15:10 – Operation Duxford update

JUS News’ Emma Bowden has uncovered some facts about the progress of South Yorkshire Police’s Operation Duxford today.

The latest reports suggest the police have seized what they believe to be Class A drugs, whilst the police have been tweeting too.

They’ve confiscated a rather fancy looking bike.

15:06 – YouTube in trouble over LGBTQ+ restrictions

Faith Ridler has examined the alarming filtering error that led to lots of LGBTQ+ content being erroneously blocked.

15:02 – Uni of Sheffield tops student experience rankings

Apparently the University of Sheffield is the best. Eliza Frost spoke to SU President Dom Trendall about why exactly this is.

14:53 – Wednesday in Westminster

Last Wednesday much of the JUS News newsroom was caught up in the traumatic Westminster attacks. Here, Harry Taylor eloquently explains what it is like be a scared bystander in such a dark moment.

Yards away, out of the window was Westminster Bridge. On the TV was Westminster Bridge. Surreal does not begin to cut it.

I can’t recommend this highly enough. Wednesday was a horrible day, and Harry captures that horror perfectly.

A poignant Westminster Palace.

14:45 – Archbishops call for inquiry into Philip North’s resignation from Bishop of Sheffield post

Should he have resigned? Should he have been nominated in the first place? The Church of England’s two biggest names are concerned about the events surrounding the controversial vacancy left when Phillip North declined to take up his role as the next Bishop of Sheffield.

14:38 – Protesters have demonstrated at Barnsley and Sheffield train stations demanding free train travel for the elderly

Should OAPs be able to travel for free on our railways? A group of protesters certainly think so.

One of the protesters

14:10 – 12 year sentence for Rotherham rapist

A rapist who broke into his victims home before violently assaulting her has today been sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Ricky Lee Swift, of Town Street in Canklow subjected his victim to a “terrible ordeal”, Sheffield Crown Court heard.

14:05 – A community football coach gets a grand send-off

The funeral of community coach and former Doncaster Rovers player Steve Adams took place this afternoon. Click through for more, or click here to donate to the charities specified by Adams’ family.

13:58 – Visit the world’s smallest nightclub

Our reporter Rachel Lewis has been burning the candle at both ends in the pursuit of journalism.

Watch her chat to the man behind one of Sheffield’s odder claims to fame: a nightclub smaller than a phone box.

13:46 – Never doubt BBC Weather

As the sun peeks through the newsroom window exactly when it was supposed to, I have been forced to acknowledge that one mistake almost thirty years ago does not damn an entire weather team.

Sorry Auntie Beeb!

(This message was not written at the compulsion of our legal advisors.)

13:28 – Archery against the odds

To continue the arrow theme established earlier today in the darts (11:42), check out this wonderful colour feature about blind archery.

I was initially worried for our correspondent Hannah Dodd, but it turns out that the archers are remarkably good. Your live-blogger can gratefully report that she emerged unscathed.

13:22 – Sir James Dyson says foreign students shouldn’t count as immigrants in official figures after Article 50  

The celebrated hoover tycoon agrees with Sheffield Central MP Paul Blomfield, who has been a staunch advocate for international students.

Let’s hope this encourages the government to, ahem, clean up their statistics.

12:58 – Spearmint Rhi-NO?

Should the strip club on Brown Street in Sheffield be allowed to continue trading? Let me know what you think.

12:28 – The increased police presence across Sheffield

Our reporter Emma Bowden has gone to Page Hall to see what exactly Operation Duxford looks like.

So far it appears that there are two rather large vans.

12:10 – Two fires break out in Barnsley

A disused GP’s surgery in Grimethorpe was twice ablaze within ten hours yesterday.

Firefighters from across the Dearne Valley took part in the operation to douse the flames.

12:10 – South Yorkshire Police launch Operation Duxford 

Today our police force are descending on the Sheffield areas of Page Hall, Darnall, Foxhill and Woodhouse in order to deter crime.

We have reporters down there, but in the meantime Joe Gerrard has the facts.

12:02 – Are you lonely?

The intrepid Katy Sandalls is investigating the problem of loneliness. This is becoming more and more of a problem nationwide. Let her know if you worry about being alone.

11:58 – A busy night for South Yorkshire Fire Service

It was a busy Sunday for South Yorkshire’s firemen, with two separate suspected arson incidents and a gas explosion.

Throughout though, the emergency services managed to retain a sense of humour.

11:42 – In more sporting news, we report directly from the UK University Darts Championship

A student from the University of Hull wonthe singles competition, whilst Lancaster University’s 1st squad won the team tournament.

Sheffield Darts Society made the semis, but seemed most proud of the food.

President Ed McCosh said: “The Sheffield players certainly enjoyed it being in Sheffield! I think everyone was happy with the central location, the venue, and the number of food and drink options the union provided.”

11:35 – Rounding up the weekend’s sporting drama

Despite the international football meaning that none of the area’s Championship teams played this weekend, a veritable smorgasbord of sport took place regardless.

Click through to find out how ‘Million Dolla’ Anthony Crolla fared in the boxing ring, and whether or not the Sheffield Steelers won.

11:12 – Sheffield killer remains at large

In sad news, the person who stabbed young father Jordan Hill, 21, in his Sheffield home last week has yet to be apprehended by the police.

South Yorkshire Police wish to trace a silver car, which was seen near to Mr Hill’s property around the time of his attack.

11:00 – Dull weather ahead, no hurricanes

You might say that today’s weather is nothing to write home about, you’d be right.

There is very little likelihood of the temperature passing 10 degrees, and sightings of the sun should be cherished.

The BBC seem to believe that we might see a few rays by about 2pm, but they’ve been wrong before.

10:47 – Should we worry about encryption online?

Throughout the country, people are still coming to terms with the terrorist attacks that took place in Westminster last Wednesday. The morning’s newspapers are fixated with the possibility that the internet is to blame. Is it? What do you think?

Does Facebook make you choke on your cornflakes? Do the secretive possibilities of Snapchat scare you? Tweet @JUS_News or our correspondent @danbarkr.

10:31 – Good morning South Yorkshire

It’s a dreary March Monday, but somehow everyone at JUS News is up and functioning. Over the coming hours stay tuned as we cover some fascinating stories. Expect strip clubs and blind archery to complement the biggest breaking news today.

We hope we can help you get the week off to a reasonable start.

It is not quite this sunny outside, but we can hope.

 

Sam Volpe

Journalist, editor and sock lover.