YORKSHIRE’s dream of winning the treble is over, but first team coach Jason Gillespie insisted that his players will come back fighting as they target the next best prize of a league and cup double.
Yorkshire failed in their attempt to win the NatWest T20 Blast for the first time when they lost by seven runs to Durham in the semi-final at Edgbaston on Saturday.
However, Gillespie’s men are still in the hunt for a hat-trick of County Championships and they are through to the Royal London Cup semi-finals for a second successive season, with Yorkshire determined to put behind them their T20 heartbreak.
“We were bitterly disappointed to lose the T20 semi,” said Gillespie, “but there’s still everything to play for in the next few weeks.
“We’re still in the 50-over comp and the Championship, and we’ll dust ourselves down and crack on.
“We can look back on the T20 campaign by and large with a lot of pride, considering the way that we started the tournament (Yorkshire won only one of their first seven games before winning six of the last seven to reach the knockout stages).
“It’s a tough one to take, losing the semi, but there’s still plenty to fight for in the next few weeks, and I know that the lads will bounce back strongly.”
Yorkshire came up against a world-class display from England pace bowler Mark Wood, who captured a T20 career-best 4-25 from four overs after Durham scored 156-6 in the second semi-final, Northants beating Nottinghamshire by eight runs in the first semi-final.
Wood twice took two wickets in three balls – including the key scalps of England batsmen Jonny Bairstow and Gary Ballance – after Ben Stokes had earlier top-scored with 56 on his return to the Durham side after a calf injury.
“Mark Wood bowled beautifully,” said Gillespie, with Wood following that performance with 1-25 in the final against Northants, who went on to take the trophy with a four-wicket win.
“We were going along quite nicely and then we lost two quick wickets (Bairstow and Ballance), and we didn’t quite recover from that.
“I certainly felt that it was a gettable total, especially with the strength and depth of our batting line-up, and we should have chased those down.
“We can look at all sorts of reasons as to why that didn’t happen, but the facts are that we didn’t get the runs and Durham played very well.”
With hindsight, Gillespie felt that Yorkshire might have made more of an effort to see off Wood, although that was clearly easier said than done.
The 26-year-old right-armer, who only recently returned to action after ankle surgery, was bowling at 90mph and he would have been a handful for any opposition.
“Maybe we just needed to soak up the pressure a little bit more and get through his (Wood’s) spell, knowing that he only had four of the 20 overs, and maybe there are some lessons to be learned there,” said Gillespie, whose side take on Surrey in the semi-finals of the Royal London Cup at Headingley on Sunday.
“We just weren’t able to win the key moments, and Wood took the wind out of our sails.
“Any cricket watcher could see that he was used very well by the captain; he was brought on to take wickets and put the pressure on us, which is exactly what happened.”
Yorkshire captain Alex Lees echoed Gillespie’s sentiments at the end of an encouraging T20 campaign for the club overall, with Yorkshire having only once previously reached Finals Day.
Lees hit the second-highest score of 22 on a day when Adam Lyth (64) led the Yorkshire chase.
“Woody tipped the scales, and when you twice get two wickets in one over, it certainly puts the opposition on the back foot,” said Lees.
“We’re bitterly disappointed, and I just think that we lacked somebody in the middle order to make a contribution.
“Overall, we had a good tournament after everyone had written us off after the first few games, and we showed strength of character to come back and qualify and reach Finals Day. That’s testament to the group of players that we have, and the lads’ work ethic and prep was second to none.”
Attention now returns to the Championship, with Yorkshire going into tomorrow’s game against Notts at Scarborough in second place in Division One, 26 points behind Middlesex with a game in hand.
Finals’ Day report: Page 9.

Yorkshire vow to hit back after T20 defeat


YORKSHIRE’s dream of winning the treble is over, but first team coach Jason Gillespie insisted that his players will come back fighting as they target the next best prize of a league and cup double.


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JASON GILLESPIE’s departure as Yorkshire’s first-team coach, after five years in charge of the county champions, had been on the cards for some time.
Earlier this summer, Gillespie’s wife, Anna, and their four children moved back to Adelaide in Australia.
HEADING OUT: Yorkshire first-team coach, pictured at Headingley in November last year. Picture: Bruce Rollinson
It would be a strange marriage that could survive for several months apart on opposite sides of the world, although, on second thoughts, some couples would probably relish that thought.
Flippancy aside, Yorkshire had hoped to get at least one more year out of Gillespie, whose future had been the subject of regular speculation since he took the job in 2011.
Since then, the former Australia fast bowler has helped the club to one County Championship promotion and to back-to-back Championship titles, with the prospect of a hat-trick to follow next month.
Under Gillespie, Yorkshire have also twice reached NatWest T20 Blast Finals Day and successive Royal London Cup semi-finals, although, after 14 years without a one-day trophy, they have yet to crack limited-overs cricket in quite the same way.
IT'S OURS: Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale and coach Jason Gillespie celebrate with the County Championship trophy at Trent Bridge back in 2014. Pictures: SWpix.
Gillespie’s track record, however, speaks for itself (Yorkshire have lost only five of 76 Championship games since his arrival), and he has been linked with practically more international coaching positions than there are jobs vacant.
There are many observers –this correspondent included –who thought that he should have got the England job last year, an opinion that has not been altered by progress under Trevor Bayliss.
Gillespie has also been linked with international positions back home, where his great friend and former team-mate Darren Lehmann is in charge of the Australia side.
Gillespie already doubles up as coach of the Big Bash franchise Adelaide Strikers, and potential moves for him now could include international cricket/the Indian Premier League.
CHEERS, I'LL BE OFF THEN: Yorkshire coach Jason Gillespie will leave the club after five years at the end of this season.
Although Yorkshire will be sad to see him go, it was a case of ‘when’, not ‘if’, Gillespie left.
The time would seem right for him not only from a family perspective, but also, one suspects, from a cricketing point of view.
Gillespie has probably taken Yorkshire as far as he can; their performances in the Championship this summer have actually tailed off a touch, although they have been more affected by injuries than in recent seasons, and they go into the final four matches just five points behind leaders Middlesex.
But it has not been the dominant campaign that many had hoped, although the end result is all that counts, and the players will be doubly determined to give Gillespie a successful send-off.
THRILLED: Jason Gillespie watches from the Lords balcony as the County Championship title is retained, despite the triumph being accompanied by defeat against hosts Middlesex.
Yorkshire’s magnificent pace attack is not getting any younger, and although there is no reason to suspect that the current side cannot aim to stretch their run of titles to at least four or five in a row, Yorkshire must soon face such unpalatable questions as: “Exactly how do you replace Ryan Sidebottom?”
Sport moves in cycles, and Gillespie has been part of a golden cycle at Yorkshire. He will leave with the thanks of the club’s supporters, who already respected him for what he achieved as a player.
As a key member of the great Australia side of the Nineties and Noughties, Gillespie took 402 international wickets. As a coach, it is noticeable that he never speaks about that success, or indeed seeks credit for Yorkshire’s recent triumphs.
He appreciates that it is players who win silverware first and foremost, and that support staff, in a nutshell, are exactly what that term would imply.
Gillespie’s coaching methods would seem quite simple: he does not over-complicate the game, but encourages his players to perform with freedom and to try to take the positive option.
He recognises the importance of making sure that the players believe that the coach believes in them, and his style is more arm-around-the-shoulder than ranter-and-raver.
Like all in sport, however, he hides a tough streak, although never quite to the extent that it masks a cheerful personality for too long.
At heart, he is a thoroughly decent chap: friendly, personable, and with time for all.
Even his infamous comments about the dairy industry, which he suggested earlier this summer should be closed down as it does not tie in with his vegan views, betrayed that decency and caring disposition, even if they were not shared by everyone – not least the Yorkshire sponsors, Wensleydale Cheese.
Yorkshire will not replace him easily, but a team of talented cricketers will cope.
Gillespie himself has seen to it, by helping to create a culture that will not be broken just because the time has come for him to say goodbye.

Video - Chris Waters: Time is right for Jason Gillespie to bid farewell to Yorkshire CCC


JASON GILLESPIE’s departure as Yorkshire’s first-team coach, after five years in charge of the county champions, had been on the cards for some time.


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Yorkshire's latest Radio 1 stars The Sherlocks had a muddy great time at Leeds Festival - they drew a crowd of more than 6,000 fans then camped out with them.
The Sheffield indie four piece turned down a five star hotel and proved they are a real band of the people.
After packing out the Festival Republic stage they decided to pitched a tent in one of the muddy camp sites.
360 PHOTO: Take a look around the muddy camp site where hundreds of music fans also pitched their tents at Leeds Festival - CLICK HERE.
Frontan Kiaran Crook, aged 20, revealed: "We played our set then decided to camp through the night. We had an option to go into a five star hotel, with a jacuzzi and everything, but we decided to camp.
"We just love it."
He then joked: "We ended up camping next to the Red Hot Chili Peppers- I could hear Anthony snoring.
"But no, seriously, we love it. We love a bit of mud. We just thought, we might as well have the full festival experience."
Melvin Benn, Reading and Leeds Festival boss, said: "I didn't know The Sherlocks went and pitched up in the camp site. It doesn't surprise me. It's what my kids do. They want to be in the public camp site. Anybody who thinks the VIP area is the place to be, I can tell you it's a bit more boring."
Other Yorkshire bands who played at Leeds over the weekend included Sheffield's The Wired and Liberty Ship, Leeds band Dusk, Fighting Caravans, York based Faux Pas and many more.
The Sherlocks played to over 6,000 people then camped out with fans in muddy fields at Leeds Festival.
The Sherlocks, also featuring Kiaran's brother, drummer Brandon, 23, guitarist Josh Davidson, 22, and his brother and bassist Andy, 17, recently played the biggest music festival in the world, SXSW in Austin, Texas.
They also played at Reading Festival at the weekend but said Leeds, their Yorkshire homecoming, was the highlight of their year.
Kiaran added: "Leeds Festival is really important to us. It's given us a chance to pick up new fans. We had a blast. The tent was packed. It exceeded what we thought it would be.We're going on tour next month, starting in Brighton and finishing in Stockton, with a sold out gig in Leeds.
"It would be nice to do the NME/Radio 1 stage next year, I think that's where we are heading."
The Sherlocks at Leeds Festival
Brandon added: "We are at home when playing Leeds festival. Now we need to get an album out while we've got momentum behind us."
The Sherlocks, who will record their debut album later this year, begin a 16-date UK headline tour later this week, including a sold out show at The Wardrobe in Leeds, on Tuesday, September 20.
For full dates and tickets visit thesherlocksmusic.co.uk
The Sherlocks on stage at Leeds Festival

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Leeds Festival stars The Sherlocks camp in mud with fans


The age-old adage goes something like this: the fastest horse wins the Guineas, the luckiest horse wins the Derby, and the best horse wins the St Leger.
Sadly, that isn’t the case in this day and age. Breeding operations place more emphasis and value on speed than the kind of stamina attributes required to win Doncaster’s historic race. A Champion Stakes or the Arc are more likely to be on the agenda of the top 10f and 12f 3yos, rather than a tilt at the 14f Classic. So there is little chance of revisiting the days when Guineas, Derby or Oaks winners in the mould of Oh So Sharp (1985), Reference Point (1987) and User Friendly (1992) landed the spoils.
However, the Ladbrokes St Leger is still a big deal. It is still the jewel in the crown of a four-day festival ranked among the best in the country. One that will attract more than 65,000 enthusiastic racegoers to Town Moor next week and equate to a £25 million shot in the arm for the Doncaster economy.
It might have become fashionable to knock the race in some snooty quarters. But Leger Day is a day out beyond compare for the many doyens of Donny. And let’s face it, the race is still a Classic, for heaven’s sake. The oldest too, dating back to 1776, and one that still forms the last leg of a Triple Crown, as revered as it elusive.
Who can forget the fervent anticipation of four years ago when the crowds flocked to witness Camelot’s bid to become the first horse since Nijinsky way back in 1970 to land the Guineas/Derby/Leger hat-trick? And equally the burst-balloon-type deflation of Aidan O’Brien’s colt failing.
Who can forget either the high drama of just 12 months ago when the winner, Simple Verse, was controversially disqualified on the day, only to win the race back on appeal, leaving O’Brien, trainer of the runner-up-come-winner-come runner-up, Bondi Beach, with more heartache?
Oh yes, the St Leger continues to give, make no mistake about that. So what might the race have in store this time round?
Not surprisingly, it again revolves around O’Brien, the best trainer in the business. Notwithstanding his disappointments of 2012 and 2015, he has saddled four winners since 2001 when Milan strode to probably the most impressive victory I have seen of the great race. And a week on Saturday, he will send out the red-hot favourite, IDAHO, third in the Derby and winner of York’s Great Voltigeur Stakes, one of the main trials for the Doncaster showpiece.
A class act, the son of Galileo is almost sure to win if he stays the 14f trip. But his pedigree, his style of running and the patient way he is generally ridden instil sufficient doubts to suggest you should cast your net in search of better value.
There is still time for supplementary entries to throw a spanner in the works. But at present, Idaho’s chief rival in the market is MUNTAHAA, trained by another successful patron of the race, John Gosden, who has fielded three winners since 2006. Another not exactly bred to relish the Doncaster distance, he has made rapid improvement this term, culminating in a taking pillar-to-post triumph over 13f at Chester two weeks ago. It was only a Listed handicap, but the son of Dansili had to defy a mammoth mark of 108 against older, more seasoned rivals and also the tight turns of a track far from sure to suit such a big, long-striding colt. He’s a player.
Two horses who were behind Idaho at Epsom, RED VERDON and ALGOMETER, might well get closer faced with an extra 2f, and don’t rule out the favourite’s own stablemate, HOUSESOFPARLIAMENT, reversing Voltigeur placings. He is guaranteed to stay and will relish the galloping expanse of Town Moor. Similar comments apply to a third O’Brien contender, Royal Ascot winner SWORD FIGHTER, while ORMITO is no mug and VENTURA STORM would have to be considered if the ground turned on the Soft side.
It’s a head-scratcher that makes punters grateful the Leger Festival is not all about the main event. Classy, competitive racing abounds on all four days, while the Leger Legends contest on the opening day, featuring past jockeys, continues to delight the crowds and raise valuable money for racing charities in equal measure. Last year, it was won by Tony McCoy no less. This year, two more ex-champions, Richard Hughes and Joseph O’Brien, Aidan’s son, are in the line-up.
Day two on the Thursday is DFS Ladies’ Day, highlighted, appropriately, by a couple of Group races for fillies, the Park Hill Stakes, where Sir Michael Stoute’s ABINGDON will be primed to continue her progression, and the Sceptre Stakes, which has been earmarked by Charlie Hills for his lightly-raced 3yo, JADAAYIL.
The historic Doncaster Cup for stayers is the star attraction on the Friday when PALLASATOR will be a warm fancy to repeat his 2015 success. Vying for the limelight are three crack 2yo contests, including the Flying Scotsman Stakes won so spectacularly by the mighty Frankel six years ago. The 5f Flying Childers Stakes could throw up a thrilling duel between the unbeaten filly MRS DANVERS and Mark Johnston’s YALTA, while the Mallard Handicap on the same day might be a target for Roger Varian’s MONOTYPE.
The supporting card on Leger Day itself includes the Champagne Stakes, one of the leading juvenile heats of the season, in which RIVET and PEACE ENVOY would be interesting, and the 7f Park Stakes, which might yield as striking a winner as last year with NEMORALIA aiming to follow in the footsteps of Limato.
I’m hoping too that there might be openings over the four days for ANOTHER TOUCH, HAGGLE, EL VIP and CARTMELL CLEAVE. If not, best of luck in finding a few winners of your own.
Spectacular autumn schedule ensures the Flat season no longer fizzles out
Autumn is fast approcahing, but gone are the days when the Flat season fizzled out during September and October. On the contrary, next week’s Ladbrokes St Leger Festival at Doncaster is followed by a veritable feast of action across the world to wrap up what has been another compelling campaign on the level. Newmarket’s under-rated three-day Cambridgeshire meeting is swiftly followed by a sensational Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe day in France. Back to Newmarket it is for the two day Future Champions extravaganza. On to Ascot next for the Qipco Champions Day finale, and we haven’t even mentioned the global giants of the Breeders’ Cup in the USA and the Melbourne Cup in Australia. I love Jumps racing as much as the average racing Joe, but I couldn’t even have a National Hunt horse on my mind until late October at the earliest.
Have you got something to share on the story? Were you there? What do you think? - Send your pictures, videos or story and we'll publish the best × Continue the story It’s the oldest swinger in town -- but Doncaster’s St Leger is still a big deal Loading ... Add up to 3 photos or 1 videos to the story There's been a problem uploading your files. Please try again. By uploading your file you agree to our Terms and Conditions × Continue the story Sign in to contribute sign in shape the news in your area...


The age-old adage goes something like this: the fastest horse wins the Guineas, the luckiest horse wins the Derby, and the best horse wins the St Leger.


It’s the oldest swinger in town -- but Doncaster’s St Leger is still a big deal


Yorkshire squeezed into the Royal London One-Day Cup semi-finals by beating Kent by 11 runs in a slow-burning thriller under the Canterbury floodlights –
David Willey pinned James Tredwell lbw for 17 with the fifth ball of the 48th over to complete a game which had ebbed and flowed to the delight of a near-capacity crowd of almost 6,000.
Adam Lyth top-scored with 88 from 96 balls, hitting a six and eight fours, as Yorkshire reached 256 for 9 from their 50 overs after being asked to bat.
Matt Coles took 3 for 39 from his ten overs for Kent and Charlie Hartley, a 22-year-old seamer playing in only his third List A game, dismissed both Joe Root, for 45, and Jonny Bairstow in his ten-over stint of 2 for 42.
Hartley, coming in at No 10, then almost took Kent home, scoring 15 in a nail-biting ninth wicket stand of 29 in 6.2 overs with Tredwell before being lbw to Adil Rashid’s googly to the last ball of the 47th over as Kent eventually could make just 245 in reply.
Kent initially slipped to 66 for 4 with Daniel Bell-Drummond, Sam Northeast and Sam Billings all out cheaply, but Darren Stevens and Alex Blake revived them with a fifth wicket stand of 86 in 13 overs.
Kent's Will Gidman celebrates taking the wicket of Yorkshire's Tim Bresnan (PA)
Blake made 50 and Stevens 54 and, when they fell to Willey and Liam Plunkett respectively, it was left to Kent’s lower order to try to get them over the line. Despite their best efforts, they could not quite do it, with Plunkett finishing with 4 for 52 and Rashid bowling some crucial overs at the death.
Blake played brilliantly for 50 from 38 balls, hitting off spinner Azeem Rafiq on to the roof of the Underwood and Knott Stand for six and also including seven fours in a counter-attacking knock that shook Yorkshire’s international-class bowling attack.
Willey, however, cleverly decided to test the 27-year-old with a succession of short balls, one of which hit Blake a nasty blow on the chin, and won the duel when the left-hander flapped at another bouncer and edged through to the keeper.
Stevens, in his benefit year, also batted with great spirit in his 500th match for Kent in all formats – and 742nd in senior cricket overall – but the home challenge faded when he fell to a magnificent one-handed caught-and-bowled by Plunkett, flinging himself to his left.
Yorkshire's David Willey celebrates taking the wicket of Kent's Alex Blake. Picture: Adam Davy/PA.
Will Gidman managed 19, uppercutting Plunkett for six, before giving the same bowler another return catch and Coles, who briefly raised Kent hopes again with a four and two sixes smeared over the legside ropes off Rafiq, was stumped by Bairstow off Adil Rashid’s googly for a quickfire 22.
Willey had earlier pinned Bell-Drummond leg-before for 2 with the last ball of the second over, an inswinging yorker that hit the batsman on the boot, and Kent lost two more top order wickets in successive overs when Northeast chipped Plunkett to short mid wicket on 23 and Billings was beaten by a Steven Patterson off-cutter and lbw for one to his fourth ball.
At least Northeast had helped Joe Denly to add 50 in 9.4 overs for the second wicket, swinging Tim Bresnan’s medium pace into the adjoining building site for six in the process, while Denly drove Patterson for a maximum over long on and had also hit four fours in a 45-ball 31 when he top-edged an attempted swivel-pull at Plunkett and skied to mid on.
Lyth sprang from the traps in the early overs, thumping Mitch Claydon through the covers for four and then hammering a length ball straight for six. Alex Lees, his opening partner, also lofted Claydon for four but, from the next ball, he pulled to deep square leg to depart for 7 and leave Yorkshire 27 for 1 after five overs.
Root then joined Lyth in a stand of 90 in 18 overs that oozed quality, but just when it seemed the England No 3 was moving up the gears he was gone, for 45 from 55 balls with only three fours, brilliantly held on the deep mid wicket ropes by Blake who sprinted to his left and leapt to hold a flat pull and give Hartley the first success of a day to remember.
Bairstow, after one sublime push-drive for four wide of mid on off Hartley, then fell for 7 as he mis-hit to Bell-Drummond at a deepish mid on to give the young seamer his second high-profile scalp.
redwell bowled a typically steady ten-over stint of off spin, though without success, and the return of Coles for the 34th over brought immediate reward when left-hander Lyth was beaten by a fine ball angled across him down the slope which he thin-edged to keeper Billings.
Bresnan and Willey were then removed in the same over, the 39th, by Will Gidman as Kent – who had bowled with discipline and fielded like tigers – began to sense Yorkshire’s unease and turn the screw.
Bresnan, having laboured to 10, scooped tamely to short extra cover and Willey flicked at a legside delivery and was smartly caught by Billings, moving to his right.
Hartley returned to finish his 10-over allocation, almost having Plunkett caught and bowled and then hitting the England one-day international on the grille of his helmet as he tried to pull a short ball that stuck in the pitch. Gidman, meanwhile, beat Ballance with successive deliveries that seamed away from him.
It was no surprise when Plunkett, who could not get going, skied Coles to Northeast at extra cover for 16 from 21 balls, leaving Ballance and Rashid to collect what runs they could from the closing overs.
Ballance, having struggled to 37 from 55 balls, was run out when Rashid turned down a third run and he could not get back to the bowler’s end and Coles pegged back Rafiq’s off stump for 1 to take his competition wicket tally to 24 at 17.41 runs apiece.
A straight four and pulled six by Rashid off Claydon in the final over took Yorkshire beyond 250 but they had looked certain to total nearer 300 when Lyth and Root were together.

Yorkshire survive Kent scare to set up Royal London semi-final date with Surrey


Yorkshire squeezed into the Royal London One-Day Cup semi-finals by beating Kent by 11 runs in a slow-burning thriller under the Canterbury floodlights –


Mike And Dave Need Wedding Dates is a new romantic comedy out later this month but we are giving you the chance to see it first and free.
We have 10 pairs of tickets to be won to an exclusive advance screening at Vue cinema, Meadowhall, Sheffield, on Tuesday, August 2, at 6.30pm.
Our winners will get to see it more than a week before anyone else - it opens in UK cinemas on August 10.
Mike And Dave Need Wedding Dates (15 certificate) is based on real life events when hard-partying brothers Mike (Adam Devine) and Dave (Zac Efron) place an online ad to find the perfect dates (Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza) for their sister's Hawaiian wedding.
Hoping for a wild getaway, the boys instead find themselves outsmarted and out-partied by the uncontrollable duo.
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Enter our free draw - by Twitter or email - for a chance to win one of 10 pairs of tickets to an exclusive advance screening of Mike And Dave Need Wedding Dates at Vue cinema, Meadowhall, Sheffield, on Tuesday, August 2, at 6.30pm.
Simply follow @GW1962 on Twitter and retweet any of his #JPCompMADNWD tweets, or email your full name, age, address, telephone nuners and email details, with #JPCompMADNWD in the subject field, to graham,walker@jpress.co.uk. Deadline is Monday, August 1, 10am.
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Mike And Dave Need Wedding Dates is a new romantic comedy out later this month but we are giving you the chance to see it first and free.


WIN: Mike And Dave Need Wedding Dates preview tickets at Vue Sheffield


A GLITZY ceremony recognising the stars of the Yorkshire tourism industry will have a new home this year, it has been announced.
The White Rose Awards, the UK’s largest celebration of tourism, will take place at the new £11m Hall 1 at the Yorkshire Event Centre in Harrogate.
The new Yorkshire Event Centre, Harrogate.
More than 1,000 guests will enjoy the first awards dinner to be held at the centre’s newly-built exhibition and events hall on November 21.
The ceremony, hosted by Welcome to Yorkshire, will see more than 100 businesses go head to head across 17 categories, more than ever before.
These include gongs for hotels, recognising top customer service and highlighting the winning Taste of Yorkshire.
Colin Mellors, chairman of the White Rose Award judges, said: “Yorkshire’s tourism is a remarkable sector with fantastic hospitality, facilities and produce on offer.
The new Yorkshire Event Centre, Harrogate.
“Those shortlisted should feel very proud to have been selected against such strong competition. Choosing the eventual winners this year will be a really tough task.”
Sir Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, added: “It is an honour to be hosting the first ever awards dinner at the new events hall at the Yorkshire Event Centre.
“The White Rose Awards always make for a memorable evening, so this year promises to be extra special.”
He said that the entries for the awards had been “exceptional across all categories”.
“The standard of entries just gets better every year, so huge congratulations to all those who have made the shortlist. I look forward to meeting them all in November.
“As the largest celebration of tourism in the UK, the White Rose Awards are a fitting tribute to Yorkshire’s fantastically diverse businesses that work tirelessly to help to make the county number one.”
Last year more than 1,000 people watched Take That superstar Gary Barlow and co-writer of The Girls musical, Tim Firth, being made honorary Yorkshiremen at the awards when they were held at the First Direct Arena in Leeds.
Tickets are now on sale via www.whiteroseawards.com.
Arts and Culture
Huddersfield Literature Festival
Kunsthuis Gallery, Crayke
Swaledale Festival
The Craft Centre and Design Gallery, Leeds
York Theatre Royal
Yorkshire Young Sinfonia
Business Tourism
Lakeside Conference Centre at the National Agri-Food Innovation Campus, Sandhutton
Pavilions of Harrogate
The Camp Hill Estate, Kirklington
The Royal York Hotel
York Conferences
Guest Accommodation
Barnfield House, Sheffield
Cambridge House Countryside Guesthouse, Reeth
Grassfield Hall, Pateley Bridge
Low Mill Guesthouse, Bainbridge
No. 21 York
Stow House, Aysgarth
Holiday Park
Burton Constable Holiday Park and Arboretum, Sproatley
Holme Valley Camping and Caravan Park, Holmfirth
Humble Bee Leisure, Scarborough
Masons Campsite, Appletreewick
Robin Hood Caravan and Camping Park, Slingsby
Weir Holiday Park, Stamford Bridge
Wolds Edge Holiday Lodges, Bishop Wilton
Inns and Restaurants with Rooms
Ellerby Country Inn
Shibden Mill Inn
The Charles Bathurst Inn, Arkengarthdale
The Fairfax Arms, Gilling East
The Star Inn at Harome
Wensleydale Heifer, West Witton
Large Hotel
Gisborough Hall
Holdsworth House Hotel and Restaurant, Halifax
Leopold Hotel, Sheffield
The Coniston Hotel, Country Estate and Spa, Coniston Cold
The Devonshire Arms Hotel and Spa, Bolton Abbey
Wood Hall Hotel and Spa, Wetherby
Large Visitor Attraction
Brontë Parsonage Museum, Haworth
Cannon Hall Farm, Cawthorne
RSPB Bempton Cliffs
The Forbidden Corner, Coverham
The Wensleydale Creamery, Hawes
Tropical Butterfly House, Wildlife and Falconry Centre, Sheffield
Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield
Outstanding Customer Service
Bettys Café Tea Rooms, Harrogate
Forest Holidays, Cropton
The 36 bus. Riding Redefined, Harrogate
The Grand Hotel and Spa, York
Yorebridge House, Bainbridge
Tong Garden Centre
Self-catering
Broadgate Farm Cottages, Beverley
Cottage in the Dales, Newbiggin, Leyburn
Dalesend Cottages, Patrick Brompton, Bedale
Elmet Farmhouse, Hebden Bridge
Faweather Grange Lodges, High Eldwick
Smallshaw Farm Cottages, Millhouse Green, Sheffield
Studford Luxury Lodges, Ampleforth
Small Hotel
Feversham Arms Hotel and Verbena Spa, Helmsley
Herriots Hotel, Skipton
The Pheasant Hotel, Harome
The Talbot Hotel, Malton
Grassington House
Small Visitor Attraction
Burton Constable Hall and Grounds, Skirlaugh
National Centre for Birds of Prey, Duncombe Park
National Emergency Services Museum, Sheffield
Stillingfleet Lodge Gardens
The World of James Herriot, Thirsk
Yorkshire Trike Tours, Horsforth
Taste of Yorkshire
Asparagus Green Catering, Overton, Wakefield
Drewton’s Farm Shop, South Cave
High Parks Tearoom, Newton le Willows, Bedale
Keelham Farm Shop, Thornton, Bradford, and Skipton
The Spiced Pear, Holmfirth
Yorkshire Food Finder, Wheldrake, York
Visitor Information
Aysgarth Falls National Park Centre
Bradford Visitor Information Centre
Bridlington Tourist Information Centre
Doncaster Tourist Information Centre
Hebden Bridge Visitor Centre
Humber Bridge Tourist Information Centre
Yorkshire Event
Dale Power Solutions P1 Yorkshire Grand Prix of the Sea
Flying Scotsman’s return to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and National Railway Museum
Frightwater Valley
HallowScream at York Maze
Hebden Bridge Arts Festival
Theakston Old Peculiar Crime Writing Festival
Yorkshire Producers and Makers
Beaver Furniture, Thirsk
Dalesbred, Settle
Sloemotion, Barton-le-Willows
The Sawley Kitchen, Ripon
Tipple Tails from Wadsley Hall Farm Kitchen, Sheffield
Yorkshire Heart Vineyard and Brewery, Nun Monkton
Yorkshire Pub
The Black Hat, Ilkley
The Chequers Inn, Bilton-in-Ainsty
The Coach and Horses, Harrogate
The Crown and Cushion, Welburn
The Swan and Talbot, Wetherby
Yorkshire Restaurant
1884 Wine and Tapas Bar, Hull
Prashad, Drighlington
The Coach House at Middleton Lodge
The Hare Restaurant, Scawton
The Star Inn the City, York
The Westwood Restaurant, Beverley
Have you got something to share on the story? Were you there? What do you think? - Send your pictures, videos or story and we'll publish the best × Continue the story Best of Yorkshire tourism to be honoured at 'sparkling' ceremony Loading ... Add up to 3 photos or 1 videos to the story There's been a problem uploading your files. Please try again. By uploading your file you agree to our Terms and Conditions × Continue the story Sign in to contribute sign in shape the news in your area...


A GLITZY ceremony recognising the stars of the Yorkshire tourism industry will have a new home this year, it has been announced.


Best of Yorkshire tourism to be honoured at 'sparkling' ceremony


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What is the number on Herbie's car bonnet in the Disney film The Love Bug?
It's 53 of course.
And if you knew that, you might have been in with a chance against Team Goofy, the newly crowned Disney Quiz Cineworld Sheffield champions - IT worker John Youle, 33, primary school assistant Abigail Screaton, 32, sales assistants Deborah Vaughan, 29, and Sarah Youle, 32.
They won books, bags, T-shirts, hats and more, including tickets to see Frozen, the live action Disney On Ice production coming to Sheffield Arena in December.
Team Goofy also won a Cineworld star-shaped logo trophy and they each got a miniature Oscar.
The free entry event promoted this Friday's UK release of Finding Dory, the long-awaited Walt Disney and Pixar Animation sequel to their 2003 masterpiece, Finding Nemo..
Cineworld Sheffield Disney Quiz champs 2016 - John Youle, 33; primary school assistantAbigail Screaton, 32, sales assistants Deborah Vaughan, 29, and Sarah Youle, 32.
It follows a sci-fi and a Marvel quiz night, much like a pub quiz, which were also hosted in the innovative cinema's bar area, on the first floor of the building at Valley Centertainment.
Cineworld's next film quiz, with the theme of Page To Screen, will test fans' knowledge of films like Harry Potter on Tuesday, August 16, at 7pm.
Team Goofy's Abigail Screaton, of Rotherham, said: "It's only the third time we've done one of these quizzes, So it's fantastic to win.
"It's just a different sort of environment from a usual pub quiz. Lots of people get dressed up. It's nice to do something a bit different with your friends. I really enjoyed it."
Quiz master Dave Vaughan, Cineworld Sheffield's Operations Manager, said: "Pub quizzes have been going on for years. At Cineworld we do something a little bit different.
"We are doing this for free, for people to come here not for a night at the movies but a night in our bar, having fun and showing their skills of movie knowledge out.
"We've had a sci-fi quiz, a Marvel quiz and next we're having a Page To Screen quiz. So it's something for everyone. Some of the audience and our staff even dressed up for it.
"The space is bookable, we have had private events in the past, where people have hired the bar out with food for parties. Anything is a possibility in the new Cineworld Sheffield."
Team Goofy answered 100 questions, including video and audio sections, getting around 81 per cent right,
Below we have 10 of the question. Without using Google, go on, be honest...how many can you answer?
CINEWORLD SHEFFIELD DISNEY QUIZ 2016
1. What was the name of the snake in Robin Hood?
2. Who wrote Peter Pan?
3. The Blue fairy appears in which Disney Classic first?
4. What fairy tale is Tangled based on?
5. What's the name of the crab in little mermaid?
6. Put these Disney classics in order of release - Alice in Wonderland, Robin Hood. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, 101 Dalmatians and Winnie the Pooh. ]
7. What is the name of Merlin’s owl in the Sword in the Stone.
8. What happened to Bambi’s mum?
9. Night at Bald Mountain come from what Disney classic.
10. Name the seven dwarfs.
ANSWERS
1. Sir hiss
2. J M Barrie
3. Pinocchio.
4. Rapunsel
5. Sebastian.
6. Alice, 1951; 101 Dalmatians, 1961; Robin Hood, 1973; The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, 1977; Winnie the Pooh, 2011.
7. Archimedes
8. She is shot.
9. Fantasia
10. Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Happy, Sleepy, Sneezy and Grumpy.
Have you got something to share on the story? Were you there? What do you think? - Send your pictures, videos or story and we'll publish the best × Continue the story VIDEO: Cineworld Sheffield Disney Quiz champions - can you do better? Loading ... Add up to 3 photos or 1 videos to the story There's been a problem uploading your files. Please try again. By uploading your file you agree to our Terms and Conditions × Continue the story Sign in to contribute sign in shape the news in your area...


VIDEO: Cineworld Sheffield Disney Quiz champions - can you do better?


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By Tom Godfrey
Wednesday August 24 2016 ByWednesday August 24 2016
By TOM GODFREY
A majority of Toronto residents are warming up to, or even starting to like, Chief Mark Saunders more than a year after he took the top policing job, according to new poll.
The Chief is starting to feel the love even though the force has been dogged by Black Lives Matter-Toronto (BLM-TO) and others for the shootings of mentally challenged men and for a lack of action in dealing with the carding and racial profiling of its Black and brown-skinned citizens.
A Forum Research poll conducted last week for CityNews found that 68 per cent of those surveyed approve of the job Saunders is doing, which is up from 48 per cent last May.
The poll again found that the Chief’s rating was lowest in the downtown core and highest in Etobicoke, East York and Scarborough.
Saunders has been on the road visiting different communities and listening to their concerns. He was met by a full house last week at the Barbara Frum Library on Lawrence Ave. West and was greeted by another packed house last July in Etobicoke.
The Chief for the most part is respectful and a good listener who pays attention to the community. He provides firm answers to questions and is not known for long-winded colourful responses.
“Chief Saunders is doing something right in the face of mounting challenges, as his approval rating has literally leaped 20 points in three months,” said Lorne Bozinoff, the president of Forum Research.
He says the poll of 804 randomly selected Torontonians was conducted ahead of Saunders’ one-year anniversary as top cop last April. It found that 48 per cent of respondents approve of the job that Saunders is doing while 27 per cent disapprove.
Bozinoff says in a release that Saunders has the support of about half the city and “it appears his popularity is rooted in the status quo, but not necessarily in the downtown, or among progressive voters”.
The Chief has to be given credit since he was appointed and headed the force during a turbulent and stressful period.
Const. James Forcillo was jailed for six years after being convicted of attempted murder in the shooting of Sammy Yatim on board a streetcar. Days later, four other officers were charged with perjury and obstruction of justice after a judge ruled that they planted drugs in a suspect’s car to justify a search.
Saunders also faced a lot of heat for not meeting with Black Lives Matter-Toronto, who had camped outside his office for two weeks as they called for, and received, an inquest for Andrew Loku, another mentally challenged man who was shot and killed by police.
BLM-TO is also demanding the force pull its float and support from the Pride Toronto Parade.
The poll also asked respondents whether the relationship between the police and community has improved or worsened over the last year.
Some 23 per cent of those canvassed said the force’s relationship with the community has worsened, as compared to 14 per cent who said it has improved.
The Chief’s approval rating has plummeted in the Black community over his mishandling of the carding and racial profiling issue, which he approves. He failed to stop the dreadful practice that has seen personal information collected from more than 1.3 million non-White men.
The controversial issue was later reviewed by the Ontario government which enacted legislation that takes effect next year.
The poll finally asked whether the city is safer or less safe as compared to last year. Some 27 per cent answered that the city is less safe while 12 per cent said it is safer. About 54 per cent said it is about the same.
The results of the poll, which is considered accurate 19 times out of 20, was quickly blasted by critics online for painting a rosy picture of Saunders’ term in office.
“This does not make sense. Shootings have gone up in Toronto in the past two years,” Mike wrote online. “What is Toronto Police doing to curb the out of control violence in this city?”
Another man added that Saunders is not doing enough to stop the street shootings that are occurring several times weekly in Toronto under his reign.

Support for Saunders is growing, according to new poll


EXPAND "My love for you is like a truck, berserker..." Courtesy of Invincible Pictures
Were we wrong to root for Kevin Smith?
When he burst onto the scene in 1994, it was the most improbable of rags-to-riches movie narratives: bankrolling Clerks by selling his comic book collection and running up thousands of dollars in credit card debt. Almost overnight, he joined the likes of Rodriguez and Tarantino as indie film royalty. Unlike them, however, Smith seemed like a regular dude with mainstream tastes — an everyman in a hockey sweater — and audiences were eager to see what he’d come up with next.
Film Details Yoga Hosers Rating: PG-13 Genre: Comedy Running Time: 88 min. More Info Trailer
It seems appropriate this year to frame everything in the context of the election, which is why I'm going to compare Kevin Smith to Donald Trump. No, Smith’s not a sentient collection of racist gas spores, but as with Trump and the Republican nomination, Smith after Sundance seemed wholly unprepared once his initial efforts to succeed actually worked — and he appeared unwilling to accept the subsequent responsibilities. In any event, Smith’s post-Clerks career comes across, at best, like a great deal of unrealized potential.
Which brings us to Yoga Hosers, the second in Smith’s promised (threatened?) “True North” trilogy of movies set in Canada for no apparent reason other than that he appears to find the accents hilarious. (The first was the walrus-themed horror film Tusk.) Lily-Rose Depp and Smith’s daughter Harley Quinn play the hosers, both named Colleen. The pair works at the “Eh-2-Zed” convenience store when not holding band practice or peering obsessively into their smartphones. What might sound like fairly typical teen-movie fare eventually morphs into something more sinister involving Canadian Nazis, mutant sodomizing bratwursts and the return of Tusk’s Quebecois man-hunter Guy Lapointe (Johnny Depp).
Depp, nearly unrecognizable under bushy eyebrows and a beret (of course), and almost unintelligible thanks to a Monty Python–esque French accent, serves to move along what there is of the plot. The film meanders for nearly half its scant running time before getting to something resembling conflict. Along the way, there’s an entirely unnecessary subplot involving high school Satanists and interludes with Justin Long playing a yoga guru named “Yogi Bayer” (yes) and Tony Hale as the father of one of the Colleens. And then there are the Canadian jokes.
Then again, “jokes” implies something entertainingly humorous, whereas that lone selfie those hikers shot with Justin Trudeau was a better Canadian chuckle than Yoga Hosers’ death by a thousand “aboots.” Smith’s obsession with the Great White North is almost as puzzling as his inability to wrest anything remotely funny from the surroundings. The convenience store boasts the “world’s largest collection of artisanal maple syrups,” because it’s Canada, and everybody’s weapon of choice is a hockey stick. Because it’s Canada. There are even two minutes over the end credits of Smith and co-host Scott Mosier’s “Smodcast” of the two men cracking each other up over their Canuck impressions.
This is probably the most honest part of the film, because at its core, Yoga Hosers isn’t a movie: It’s a podcast riff given material form; a bong rip visualized; an SCTV sketch devoid of laughs. It struggles to fill an hour and a half, with most of the cast serving little purpose beyond padding things out a few more minutes. The Colleens sing two songs (Anthrax’s “I’m the Man” and Styx’s “Babe”), and the villain, Arcane (Ralph Garman), explains his evil scheme while impersonating — among others — Arnold Schwarzenegger and Al Pacino, the better to squeeze the last remaining guffaws from “Whoo-ah!” (reminder: Scent of a Woman was released 24 years ago).
Perhaps more significant is how Yoga Hosers shows Smith’s continued devolution as a filmmaker. Flawed as movies like Dogma and Clerks II were, there was always a scene or two upon which to pin future hopes. Here, only the reliably up-for-anything Long and a surprisingly game performance by Sasheer Zamata (as the girls’ school principal) are worth noting. Everything else is either rehashed material from Smith’s previous works (clerk Colleen M. is “not even supposed to be here today,” while Arcane’s riffs are reminiscent of Tracy Morgan’s quote-a-thon in Cop Out), poorly developed concepts (the Colleens’ dialogue is almost a parody of how teens actually talk) and an apparently honest desire to kill his critics.
Smith has repeatedly reminded the world that his movies “aren’t for critics,” and he has embarked on distribution schemes to support this assertion. And yet, in Yoga Hosers, he resurrects his need to get even with his detractors, a need he's expressed since Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Many characters, including Arcane, express their hatred of “haters.” Arcane's evil creation is even specifically designed to seek out and murder critics, who it turns out were responsible for his ultimate turn to evil. It’s very Shyamalan-esque (or, at least, Lady in the Water–esque), which is interesting considering the two directors once feuded. Nothing like a shared interest to bring people together.
Yoga Hosers is lazy, unfunny and self-indulgent. It should have been binned the second the (literal) smoke cleared, and while it’s been clear for some time that Smith is either incapable of making a good movie or simply doesn’t care to, Yoga Hosers may very well be the film that finally convinces audiences the emperor has no hockey jersey.


Kevin Smith's Yoga Hosers may very well be the film that finally convinces audiences the emperor has no hockey jersey.g


When Carmel Cafiero retired this past July, it marked the end of an era. Photo by Monica McGivern
Miss Cleo — AKA Cleo Harris — walks briskly across the parking lot of Sawgrass Mills mall, her face hidden behind a pair of mirrored sunglasses. But Carmel Cafiero has already recognized her.
Dressed in a plain navy suit and clutching a Channel 7 microphone, Cafiero chases down the fraudulent TV psychic, finally catching up to her outside the Burlington Coat Factory.
"A lot of my friends' parents were there to see me on the cheerleading squad, but my mom didn't get to see that."
People around the country have called Miss Cleo for free psychic readings and ended up receiving astronomical bills in the mail, Cafiero explains while shoppers walk by. How can Cleo justify that?
"See, I don't own any of that stuff," she tries to explain, clearly flustered.
Cafiero isn't buying it. "So you can say anything you want. Is that what you're telling me?"
Cleo shakes her head and turns to go inside the store. "I think you are quite finished, my dear," the TV psychic says with more than a little menace in her voice. The screen goes black.
That's Carmel Cafiero, investigative reporter and trailblazer. She was the first female news anchor in Louisiana and a groundbreaking reporter — a tough, aggressive, sometimes-abrasive single mom who let nothing stop her for decades as she exposed liars, cheaters, cons, Ponzi schemers, and corrupt business owners in America's Casablanca.
Decidedly not a Barbie doll, she was known for substance at South Florida's most popular station — WSVN, Channel 7 — which changed the face of TV news with a shoot-'em-up, "if it bleeds, it leads" style. When Cafiero retired this past July, it marked the end of an era. Now that she's gone, it's hard not to wonder if serious journalism on local television is also finished. WSVN says it's conducting a national search for her replacement, but you can be sure it won't be a tough-as-nails grandmother.
Moreover, as the internet comes to dominate the news market, the future of local TV news is uncertain. The station now devotes most of its airtime to car accidents and drive-by shootings. Meanwhile, Channel 7 has already been blacked out twice this year because of disputes with AT&T over carriage fees, suggesting not all is well at South Florida's most popular news station.
So without her, why bother tuning in?
In the '70s, Cafiero hurried home to make dinner for her daughter. Photo courtesy of WSVN
One winter night in 1970, the call came in to WWL-TV's New Orleans headquarters. There was a fire in the historic French Quarter.
As a cameraman rushed out the door, Carmel Cafiero, then a sheltered 23-year-old Loyola University student, begged her instructor, an anchorman at the station, to let her follow. "Well, as long as you promise not to sue us if you get hurt," he reluctantly agreed.
"If you watch 'Crime Check' regularly, you'll believe that black folks do nothing but commit crimes."
In a small sedan that belonged to the station, they sped to the scene, adrenaline flowing as they dodged revelers and bounced over potholes. Together, she and the photographer ducked under yellow crime tape and headed toward the flashing lights of the fire engines and squad cars. A crowd of 50 or so drunken bar patrons had gathered.
The fire turned out to be a non-event: a couple of drunks had burned a mattress. "There wasn't a story there, but it was as if something bit me — the news bug — and I became obsessed," Cafiero says now. "I mean, I just had to do this."
Growing up outside New Orleans, she'd been a popular cheerleader who played softball, organized dances, and had no ambition besides getting married and having babies. Still, she was no passive Southern belle. As her longtime friend Tobie Craig puts it: "She doesn't take any guff from anybody — never has. I think it has something to do with the fact that her parents ended up splitting up, which didn't happen a lot back then, and her mother had to work."
Her father was an architect and general contractor, and her mother worked at a large New Orleans department store after the divorce. After graduating from Jefferson Parish High School, Cafiero did a brief stint at Louisiana State University, where she says she "majored in football and boys." Two years in, she dropped out to get married. Her daughter, Courtney, was born in 1968.
Cafiero doesn't like to speak about her first marriage except to say that early on, she realized it wouldn't last. "It was dark days for me," she says. "Let's just say that. You can fill in the blanks."
That drove her to enroll at Loyola University when her daughter was still a baby.Cafiero was 22, a serious-looking woman with copper-colored hair and a deep voice that surprised people. "I didn't really know how to do anything, so I figured I needed to finish my education," she says.
When she filed for divorce in 1971, she was an unpaid intern at WVUE in New Orleans. There was no way she could work for free, pay for school, and still feed herself and her daughter, so she gave up on college. "I did not graduate, which is something I always feel bad about, but I had a 2-and-a-half-year-old, so I had to support us," she says.
A producer at WVUE knew about a job at a low-power AM/FM station in Slidell, Louisiana, on the shore of Lake Pontchartrain. Driving to the interview, Cafiero listened to the announcer read stories from the local paper into the microphone. "You could hear him turning the pages of the newspaper. I thought, Well, I could do better than that."
She was quickly hired to replace the guy and then worked six days a week, doing three newscasts per day and running the station's swap show. "People would call in and say, 'I got a pig, and I need a ladder,' or whatever, and they would trade things on the air."
When she interviewed for better jobs, she found that news directors often struggled to wrap their heads around the idea of hiring a woman. "I remember being interviewed for one station. I had a little suit on, and they asked if they could expect me to dress like that if they hired me," she says. "I said, 'Well, sure. Why? What would be the concern?' They said, 'Well, we wouldn't want you to show up in any of them there hot pants.' I was like, 'Uh, OK. Not a problem.'?"
After a quick stop at a Shreveport radio station, she broke into TV at WAFB in Baton Rouge as an on-air reporter covering politics. "There were whispers and things that if I beat somebody on a story, I had slept with somebody to get it," she says. "After a period of time, you'd have to be sleeping with the world." She was so good that soon she became the first female anchor in Louisiana.
In 1973, John Camp, a former co-worker who had moved from Baton Rouge to WSVN in Miami, let her know the station was looking to its hire its first female reporter. He suggested she apply. At the time, the North Bay Village-based station consistently came in third place in the ratings. It had the smallest staff, oldest equipment, and lowest pay.
But, former employees say, it was serious about journalism. A wall in the lobby was covered with awards. The Mariel Boatlift, the Miami River Cops, and drug wars were still in the future, but there was no shortage of excitement.
Cafiero's 88-year-old mother, whose name is also Carmel, says she had hoped her daughter would stay in Louisiana. "She knew maybe one or two people in Florida, but she had the courage to put all her worldly belongings in her car and drive there," her mother says. "It worried me, of course — a girl on the highway by herself. [But] she was the type of person who, once she made up her mind, that was it."
At WSVN, she was the only woman who wasn't a secretary. As soon as she arrived, she says, the news director asked her to promise not to get pregnant.
WSVN was notoriously demanding. Many reporters quit because they couldn't handle the workload. But Cafiero managed — even though it meant spending a large portion of her paycheck on childcare. At the end of the day, she would hurry home to Miami Shores to heat up a tuna casserole or a premade stew and see Courtney before bedtime.
"She dedicated her time to work, and my time came after her work," recalls Courtney, now a single mother herself and the revenue manager at the Setai Hotel. "It was difficult — she wasn't able to attend a lot of school events during the day... A lot of my friends' parents were there to see me on the cheerleading squad, but my mom didn't get to see that."
Soon Cafiero got the nod as weekend anchor. She would bring along Courtney, who quickly determined she didn't want to follow her mother into the often-superficial world of TV news. "I can remember I'd be waiting for my mom to finish the 11 o'clock news so we could go home," Courtney recalls. "I'd sit by the lady at the switchboard and hear 'That lady needs to fix her hair... That anchor needs a new jacket.' People are extremely judgmental."
During the McDuffie riots in 1980, Cafiero left Courtney, then 12 years old, with a friend who lived near WSVN headquarters. Cafiero reported live from the scene. "A tire company had been set on fire, so there were huge plumes of black smoke scarring the skyline," she remembers. "We were doing a live shot, and the helicopter was flying back and forth through the black smoke to illustrate what was going on. All of a sudden, the helicopter went way up high and we lost the live shot. I asked the pilot why, and he said, 'They're shooting at us.' I said, 'Go higher.'?"
Cafiero's male co-workers rarely grasped the difficulty of single motherhood. "We knew she had a daughter because we saw Courtney when we were all off and would have picnics, but at work, you would never know," recalls Wade Hill, who was the station's assignment editor until 1981. "That probably helped other women who were coming in."
On Cafiero's first day on the job at Channel 7, she was the only female reporter. Lynn & Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives
"A tourist is set on fire, and two men are accused of the crime," a puffy-faced Rick Sanchez soberly intones while the headline "Torching Trial" appears on the screen. His petite, blond co-anchor, Sally Fitz, looks wide-eyed at the camera.
"If you thought the World Trade Center was a bold and big target for terrorists, there is more tonight — the next target may have been bolder," Sanchez continues, pausing for dramatic effect as grainy black-and-white footage of firefighters searching through debris appears. "Try Richard Nixon. Try Henry Kissinger. More when we return." They go to a commercial break.
"Sometimes there's a tie between good reporters and people who fish."
That was the beginning ofChannel 7's 10 p.m. broadcast exactly 23 years ago, on Labor Day 1993. It bombarded viewers with one gory story after another. The focus was on crime and catastrophe — the bloodier, the better. Although President Bill Clinton was visiting Miami to view the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew, he merited only a few seconds of screen time.
In the late 1980s, Ronald Reagan deregulated the television industry, and broadcast news went through massive upheaval. Corporate owners bought more stations, and sales regulations were relaxed. The result was what became known in South Florida as "The Big Switch": After close to 30 years of ownership, NBC ditched Channel 7 and its perennially low ratings, and bought Channel 4, which had been a CBS affiliate. Carmel Cafiero's Channel 7 was left with no network affiliation — and hours of empty airtime to fill.
"When we lost our affiliation, everybody said we were over and we were toast," Bob Leider, the station's general manager at the time, remembers. "At the time, no one thought you could be a bona fide station and deliver news without a network affiliation."
Leider, a jovial, squinting man with a gray comb-over who retired in 2014 but still works as a consultant to the station,recalls that Ed Ansin, who had owned the station since 1962, walked into Leider's office and told him they needed to become more aggressive. Rather than show reruns, they decided to devote seven hours a day to news — more than any other station in the nation — and spice up broadcasts with bold graphics and catchy headlines like "Kids Who Kill" and "Mauled to Death." The newscast took its visual cues from Miami Vice, which had brought a bolder and more colorful look to TV while simultaneously redefining the city.
The station hired an in-house composer whose dramatic music punctuated slow-motion footage of car wrecks and live shots from the scene of murder-suicides. Raw video was edited to give it a grainy, film noir quality. Reporters used a casual, chatty tone — the police chief became "Miami's top cop."
The strategy was engineered by news director Joel Cheatwood. (He later made Jerry Springer a commentator at Chicago's WMAQ in Chicago, which caused several longtime anchors to resign in protest.) Two years after losing its network affiliation, WSVN became number one in the market, according to the Nielsen ratings. By 1993, it was turning a $20 million profit.
Tourism leaders were displeased. Miami was just emerging from the turbulent 1980s, and WSVN's insistence on capturing the most lurid stories of the day hurt the city's reputation. In 1994, nine of South Florida's largest hotels blacked out the station because it was bad for business. "It is a continuous barrage of the body bags on the street and the blood coming out of them," Don Lefton, who owned the Grand Bay in Miami, complained to the New York Times.
There were also concerns that WSVN's "Crime Check," a segment that featured Sanchez — who would go on to anchor at CNN and MSNBC despite drunkenly crashing his car into a pedestrian after a Dolphins game — played up racial stereotypes. "If you watch 'Crime Check' regularly, you'll believe that black folks do nothing but commit crimes," former anchor Denise White told New Times in 1990, shortly after she left for a job in Tampa.
Plenty of criticism came from the journalism establishment. The New York Times snottily headlined a story about WSVN "It Might Be News, but It's Not 'MacNeil/Lehrer.?'" The American Prospect called its piece "Diary of the American Nightmare." It began, "The Book of Revelations does not say whether the apocalypse will be televised. But if it is, WSVN in Miami will not have to interrupt its regular programming."
Joseph Angotti, a former NBC reporter who was teaching journalism at the University of Miami at the time, began tracking how much airtime Channel 7 dedicated to violent crime. In November 1993, for instance, he found it made up 48.9 percent of the station's news coverage. The other half was mostly sex — roadside rapes, teenage promiscuity, and a high-school girls' volleyball team posing in bikinis, among other things. As a result, virtually no attention was paid to the city council or the school board — "all those other things that people probably need to hear about but don't necessarily want to," he says.
"People were saying this was the future of television news," Angotti, who now teaches at Monmouth College in Illinois, remembers. "The future, as far as I was concerned, was pretty disappointing."
Today his concerns sound hilariously retro — who actually expects to see news about the school board on local TV unless there's some kind of sex scandal? In the decade following WSVN's shakeup, almost every station in the nation switched to what became known as "Miami-style news." Soon, no matter where you were, you could turn on your TV set and watch a zookeeper being mauled by a tiger, or cemetery vandals breaking into a casket and beheading a corpse. Stations that insisted on covering serious topics such as education and the environment found themselves behind in the ratings.
Cheatwood, who got most of the credit for WSVN's turnaround, was hired as the executive director of program development for CNN and then became vice president for development at Fox News. Most recently, he had a short-lived stint at the Blaze, Glenn Beck's network. Rick Sanchez went to MSNBC and CNN, was fired after he made anti-Semitic comments directed at Jon Stewart, and now contributes occasionally to Fox News Latino. Sally Fitz left Miami for Chicago and doesn't seem to have worked in TV news since.
"There were all these conservative news people who knocked us," Leider, the then general manager, says. "The irony is that after ten or 15 years, they all started to do what we were doing. What it was — news was boring. "
Cafiero doesn't agree with the "if it bleeds, it leads" characterization of Channel 7, however. "I think we aggressively covered breaking news, that's all. People use that phrase because it's catchy, but I just don't buy it. I think people were jealous, frankly."
Cafiero and cameraman Anthony Pineda took home a coveted duPont Award for their coverage of South Florida pill mills. Courtesy of WSVN
The man's face is blurred out as he steps into a white sedan with Kentucky plates. He's wearing worn-out blue jeans and a baggy white T-shirt that hangs off his wiry frame. He twists the lid off a prescription bottle, shakes out a handful of pills, crushes them in a dollar bill, snorts the powder, and slumps back in the driver's seat. A second, heavily tattooed man in the back seat, who has been mixing crushed pills with water in a bottle, pulls out a hypodermic needle. He puts it into the bottle, sucks up some of the fluid, and then injects the mixture into his bloodstream. They drive off.
Cafiero and her cameraman, Anthony Pineda, follow in an undercover van. When the men stop at a convenience store down the road, she approaches, with Pineda right behind her. The driver, whose face is visible now, is fuming. "We have pictures of you in the car here," she says, sounding pleased with herself, "pictures of you shooting up."
"No, you don't," says the passenger, wearing a backward Hard Rock Cafe baseball cap and clutching a pack of Marlboros.
Cafiero laughs drily. "Yes, we do. Sorry."
The men look at each other, confused.
"So y'all are here from Kentucky to do what? Buy pills and take them back home?"
Unconvincingly, the driver lifts up a bottle of Mountain Dew Code Red. "I'm here to get a pop," he says.
In 2009, South Florida was ground zero for the opiate epidemic. Doctors at so-called pain clinics, most of which were located in Broward County, handed out prescriptions for oxycodone to virtually anyone who asked. Fake pharmacies and shady storefronts sold thousands of pills a day.
Cafiero and Pineda decided to investigate. The two had worked together since 1992, spending countless hours in unmarked vans, listening to oldies on satellite radio — '60s for her, '70s for him — while they collected undercover footage.
"We still had to do our regular stuff, but every time we could steal a couple of hours to do surveillance at these pill mills, we did," Cafiero says. "Every time they moved someplace, we followed them." The pair's tenacity was rewarded with a duPont Award from Columbia University, one of the highest honors in broadcast journalism.
Cafiero had found a niche at Channel 7 by going after scammers and con artists. When she became the station's consumer reporter in the late '70s, she covered fluffy topics such as hotel openings and new rides at Disney World — the kind of "soft news" often assigned to women. But the role ended up giving her the ability to report on people who had been duped by unsavory businesses — tow companies, crematoriums, animal breeders, and the like. Because Florida for decades had led the nation in the number of reported scams, according to the Federal Trade Commission, there was no shortage of material. And when Channel 7 went tabloid, it was simply an opportunity for her to become more aggressive, former general manager Bob Leider says.
"Consumer reporting was one of the things Channel 7 did well back in the '70s and '80s, and when it came time to do more news, that was one of the things they expanded," observes Andrew Barton, who teaches broadcast journalism at the University of Miami. "Carmel was part of that, both before and after... They wanted to be known as the station that's looking out for the consumer."
Over time, Cafiero's name became synonymous with those stories. In 2003, news director Alice Jacobs decided Cafiero should have her own show, which was titled Carmel on the Case.
It was a hit from the beginning. People loved watching her confront everyone from the president of the local Better Business Bureau to fortuneteller Miss Cleo. Some signature Cafiero lines:
"How can you justify giving out a million oxycodone pills?"
"I'm wondering how you're able to park in a disabled spot."
"Don't you think that, as a public official, you ought to answer our questions?"
"What do you think your father is going to say? Do you think he's going to be humiliated?"
"We've been given a video of you pleasuring yourself in your office at this school, and I need to ask you about that."
Doors were slammed in her face. Grown men tried to run away from her. Viewers loved every minute of it. As Jim DeFede at Channel 4 explains: "She knew how to do both good journalism and good TV."
Of that period, her daughter Courtney recalls, "When I was in high school, the boys were always afraid of her. They didn't want to bring me home too late because they didn't want Carmel coming after them."
But she had a softer side. Her family, friends, and co-workers describe an inveterate animal lover who doesn't like to complain about poor service at a restaurant, always answers the phone when her mother calls, and has a deep sense of compassion.
"After Hurricane Andrew, we were looking at homes that were devastated — a woman was sitting outside in a chair, and her house had been flattened," cameraman Pineda recalls. "I remember Carmel taking the woman and comforting her. She just wrapped her arms around her and tried to tell her that we were going to get through it."
In 1992, Cafiero met Bob Gordon, a construction manager who came to her house to provide an estimate on refinishing a table. Their first date was a trip to the Fort Lauderdale Swap Shop, and he insisted on picking her up Sunday at 7 a.m. "I thought he was so cute that it was worth getting up early for," she says now. "I had kind of given up."
She was hesitant to rush into a relationship. "My first marriage was a failure, so I tried to be much smarter," she says. Eventually, Gordon won her over. Nine years after they met, they were married on a fishing trip in Alaska. (Fishing is Cafiero's favorite activity. Her former co-worker Mark Potter has a theory about this: "Sometimes there's a tie between good reporters and people who fish. It's the same technique: sneaking up on things, being quiet, being patient, knowing when to strike.")
Meanwhile, she made plenty of enemies. Pineda, who is still a photographer at the station, became concerned for Cafiero's safety. "I was the one who always did all the worrying — I had to. She just wanted to go," he says. "I remember one time we approached a sexual predator who lived across the street from an elementary school. When he saw Carmel with the mike, he turned around and picked up an object that turned out to be a two-by-four but could have been a gun. We went running that time."
Cafiero says plenty of people are glad she retired — though she won't name them. In fact, for someone who spent close to five decades in the news business, she's shockingly unwilling to indulge in gossip, go off the record, or express cynicism. "If you can make things a little bit better or you can stop somebody from doing bad things... it's just amazing to me, the feeling," she explains. "It's like nothing else."
Without a doubt, the greatest high came from her series on opiate abuse. Her stories were taken to Tallahassee and shown to lawmakers, and in 2010, the Florida Legislature passed a bill requiring close monitoring of doctors who were writing pain prescriptions. That, along with a series of police raids, ultimately forced pill mills to shut down.
But critics argue her reporting was detrimental to people suffering from chronic pain. "I think Channel 7's coverage led to some of the worst laws in this state," says Broward County public defender Howard Finkelstein, a self-described fan of Cafiero's. "It was a horror show, don't get me wrong. But Florida's Legislature went crazy and passed all these laws that now have chronic-pain patients being treated like junkies."
Cafiero with WSVN cameraman Anthony Pineda (left) and producer Danny Cohen. Photo by Monica McGivern
On a Wednesday afternoon at WSVN's North Bay Village headquarters, half the people sitting in the Newsplex are slim young women draped in cardigans and blankets to fend off the air-conditioned chill. The assignment desk is quiet, aside from the buzz coming from the satellite feed. Writers and producers in noise-canceling headphones swivel on desk chairs and stare at their computer screens.
Behind the news desk sit Belkys Nerey and Robbin Simmons, waiting to deliver the 5 o'clock news. "We need high-definition makeup for these high-definition cameras!" Nerey jokes. "They show everything." Simmons laughs and nods, though it's difficult to see what either would need to hide — both are seemingly ageless, with perfectly smooth, poreless skin.
Cafiero turns cold when asked how her age affected her job security.
The low-slung building off the 79th Street Causeway looks different than it did when Cafiero arrived in 1973. Visitors are no longer greeted by a wall of journalism awards. Instead, news director Alice Jacob's office is decorated with several decades's worth of framed certificates declaring WSVN to be number one in the sweeps. A fishbowl office holds the station's social media team, which posts stories about credit card skimmers at gas stations and alligators spotted on the Rickenbacker Causeway to Facebook and Twitter around the clock.
These days, increasing numbers of viewers are giving up cable subscriptions and switching to on-demand streaming. Between 1949 and 2010, the number of people watching television grew every year. But beginning in 2010, Nielsen has documented, viewership began to fall at every station and in every time slot. In 2015, primetime broadcast ratings were down 16 percent from the previous year.
Ad revenue too is in decline. Stations around the country have been forced to lay off staff and cut back on original programming. Because it's family-owned, WSVN has so far been able to avoid a similar fate. But there's a sense of uncertainty about the future. The station still claims more viewers for its news programming than Channel 4, 6, or 10, but critics say that's only because it has more hours of news.
Which raises the question: Could anyone starting out today have a career like Cafiero's? Talk to journalists from competing stations, and you'll hear the same thing again and again: She was one-of-a-kind.
"She was a very serious investigative reporter on television, which is unfortunately a rare commodity," says Bob Norman of Channel 10.
"What amazes me most is she maintained the same quality of work throughout her career," DeFede says. "She was always dogged, always passionate, never played favorites. Carmel never phoned it in."
When she retired July 1 at the age of 68, Cafiero had outlasted everyone else at the station except the owner — which would be less remarkable if she weren't a woman. Though male reporters gain credibility as they age, women tend to disappear. In 2008, when Marilyn Mitzel, a 51-year-old health-care reporter, was terminated by WSVN, she sued for age discrimination, testifying that news director Alice Jacobs once told her: "No one wants to look at old, ugly people on TV."
"I think everyone in this business knows there's a shelf life," Mitzel says. "For women, it just comes sooner." After she celebrated her 50th birthday, she never returned to the anchor desk.
At trial, the station trotted out Cafiero, who was then 63, to testify in its defense. It didn't help the channel's case much. For one thing, out of more than 300 employees, she was the only female reporter older than Mitzel. And, Mitzel's lawyer pointed out, Cafiero was paid less than several younger and less experienced male reporters. In 2005, after 32 years at the station, she was earning $112,500 annually. Patrick Fraser and Derek Hayward made $123,500 and $117,500, respectively. A jury awarded Mitzel nearly $1 million in compensation, though that was later overturned on appeal owing to a technicality.
Cafiero turns cold when asked how her age affected her job security. "At Channel 7, it just wasn't an issue," she says. "I just worried about doing my job."
But it was hard not to notice how, at the end of her career, she stood out from the seemingly endless parade of ridiculously fit young women whose long, perfect hair and flawless makeup were impervious to heat and humidity. Cafiero had put on weight and aged visibly, and looked like what she was — a grandmother in her 60s.
Her reluctance to talk candidly is somewhat understandable. You don't last 43 years in one place by routinely pointing out examples of institutional sexism. The Carmel who confronted felons, drug addicts, and sex offenders on TV was a fighter. The real Carmel simply wanted to do her job and go with the flow. That's apparent from the advice she gave Danny Cohen, who was her producer in the last six years before she retired. "Keep your head down — that's what she always told me," he recalls. "Keep focused on what you're doing."
Despite all the barriers she broke, Cafiero takes a deep breath and pauses for a long time when asked if she considers herself a feminist. "Um. I'm not comfortable with labels. I just... I just wanted to be treated the same as anyone else, male or female... I think it's taken a long time, but if you look at newsrooms across the country, they're full of women. For those of us who came before, it does your heart good."
Women in TV journalism still get paid less than their male counterparts, are given less desirable assignments, and face discrimination if they're not young, thin, or attractive enough. But those are battles Cafiero is leaving for the young women sitting around the Newsplex.

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Online retail giant Amazon treated its employees to a family fun day and BBQ in Hemel.
The team from the firm’s fulfillment centre on the Maylands industrial estate had the chance to ride a giant helter skelter, race around in the dodgems, tuck into a BBQ and tackle a climbing wall.
Amazon's Summer BBQ at Herts County Showground. Hubertas, seven, (son of Elena Vicius) rides the rodeo.
The event, at the Herts showground on Redbourn Road, also had face painting, a penalty shootout, a bouncy castle and toyset carousel for younger guests on the day.
Trampolines, camel rides, Segways and a raffle for guests to win prizes rounded off the day that was organised by the Amazon team in Hemel Hempstead.
Amazon Hemel Hempstead general manager Lorenzo Barbo said: “The event was a great opportunity for the team at our Hemel Hempstead site to celebrate the summer season with team mates, friends and families whilst enjoying lots of fun activities.
“The annual event was a big success and I’d like to extend a huge thanks to the team that helped organise the event and also to the Amazon associates and their families who came along and joined in the excitement of the day.”
Amazon's Summer BBQ at Herts County Showground. Sara, six, daughter of Katarzyna (katarzyb), enjoys the fair.


Online retail giant Amazon treated its employees to a family fun day and BBQ in Hemel.


Hemel suffered their second National League South reversal of the Bank Holiday weekend when they lost 3-0 at Hungerford on Monday.
The home side forced three early corners in the first few minutes, which all came to nothing.
However in the fifth minute, Tudor striker Jake Robinson’s snap shop was well saved by the home goalkeeper, to readdress the balance. Shortly after, when put through by Jonny McNamara, Robinson was only inches wide of giving the Tudors the lead.
But ten minutes later the Tudors fell behind to a speculative shot from 25 yards by midfielder Garyn Preen, his left foot shot from the right wing flying past the Hemel keeper.
It then took a further six minutes for the Tudors to secure their first corner after good work by Tudors midfielder Michael Richens. The rest of the half was even, leaving the score at half-time was 1-0 to the Crusaders.
The Tudors started brightly in the second half, but on the hour mark lost the services of centre-back Jordan Rose, with a leg injury. Manager Dean Brennan brought on Arnaud Mendy and shuffled his back line to accommodate the Frenchman in the midfield.
Six minutes later Mitchell Weiss came on for the tiring McNamara, as the game went from one end to the other.
Then in the 83rd minute, with the ball going from one side of the Hemel penalty area to the other, the ball was laid back to substitute James Clark, who coolly doubled the home side’s advantage, with a well placed shot dead centre of the Hemel goal.
Three minutes after that, the Tudors were awarded a penalty, when Jake Robinson was tripped just inside the home team’s area. However Robinson’s spot kick was palmed away by the home keeper and the chance has gone.
Kia Stonnell was introduced in the 87th minute, coming on for the injured Scott Neilson.
The Tudors’ miserable weekend was made complete when home team’s centre-forward Nat Jarvis’ left foot shot in the 93rd minute sealed their fate.
Hemel are next at home to Bishops Stortford on Saturday.

Tudors slip to second Bank Holiday defeat


Hemel suffered their second National League South reversal of the Bank Holiday weekend when they lost 3-0 at Hungerford on Monday.


Gloucestershire racked up a club-record score in thrashing Hemel Stags 74-18 in the Kingstone Press League 1 Shield on Sunday.
Brendon Newton scored four times for the Gloucestershire All Golds at the Prince of Wales Stadium.
James Rowland and Phil Cowburn both touched down twice, while there were further tries from Jack Uren, Joe McClean, Kadeem Williams, Josh Allison and Emmerson Whittel, in addition to 22 points from the boot of Kieran Hyde.
Ben Stead converted his own try to put Hemel on the scoresheet before adding a further four points following scores from Reece Williams and Mitch Vincent.
Hemel host Newcastle on Sunday, kick off 2.30pm.


Gloucestershire racked up a club-record score in thrashing Hemel Stags 74-18 in the Kingstone Press League 1 Shield on Sunday.


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House plants can suck dangerous toxic chemicals out of the air - leaving it cleaner to breathe, according to new research.
The study shows certain species act like natural air fresheners - removing harmful chemicals from the air we breathe.
House plants can suck dangerous toxic chemicals out of the air - leaving it cleaner to breathe, according to new research
Research has shown the air in offices and family homes often contains pollutants leading to ‘sick building syndrome’ where people suffer a range of symptoms including headaches, fatigue, difficulties in concentrating and respiratory problems.
It has been estimated to blight the lives of up to three in 10 office workers. A study earlier this year estimates that annually nearly 100,000 people die from the effects of indoor air pollution.
Now new research has found the Scarlet Star (Guzmania lingulata), from South America and a member of the bromeliad family of plants, got rid of more than 80 percent of illness causing compounds.
That performed the best out of five plants tested, although the Dracaena Corn Plant (Dracaena fragrans massangeana) soaked up virtually all of a particularly pungent chemical common in nail salons.
House plants can suck dangerous toxic chemicals out of the air - leaving it cleaner to breathe, according to new research
Native throughout tropical Africa, it is grown in many homes and offices within the UK, US and Europe.
Scientists say their findings show picking the right houseplant can clear the air of dangerous pollutants in homes and offices.
Printers and cleaning products give off potentially harmful chemicals known as VOCs (volatile organic compounds).
Dr Vadoud Niri, of the State University of New York, said: “Buildings, whether new or old, can have high levels of VOCs in them, sometimes so high you can smell them.”
House plants can suck dangerous toxic chemicals out of the air - leaving it cleaner to breathe, according to new research
VOCs are compounds like acetone, benzene and formaldehyde that are emitted as gases and can cause short and long term health effects when inhaled. They can come from paints, furniture, copiers and printers, cleaning supplies and even dry cleaned clothes.
Explained Dr Niri: “Inhaling large amounts of VOCs can lead some people to develop sick building syndrome, which reduces productivity and can even cause dizziness, asthma or allergies. We must do something about VOCs in indoor air.”
The most common solution is to install ventilation systems that cycle in air from outside or methods using adsorption, condensation and chemical reactions.
But using plants to remove chemicals from indoor air, known as biofiltration or phytoremediation, is much simpler - and cheaper.
House plants can suck dangerous toxic chemicals out of the air - leaving it cleaner to breathe, according to new research
In addition to carbon dioxide plants can take up gases such as benzene, toluene and other VOCs.
NASA began studying this option in 1984 and found that plants could absorb these airborne compounds via their leaves and roots.
Since then, other studies have looked at how plants phytoremediate specific compounds, such as the cancer causing chemical formaldehyde, in a closed space.
Most of these studies focused on the removal of single VOCs by individual plants from the ambient air.
But Dr Niri wanted to compare the efficiency and the rate of simultaneous removal of several VOCs by various plants.
So his researchers built a sealed chamber containing specific concentrations of several VOCs and monitored the VOC concentrations over several hours with and without a different type of plant in the chamber.
For each plant type, they noted which VOCs the plants took up, how quickly they removed them from the air, and how much was ultimately removed by the end of the experiment.
The researchers tested five common house plants and eight common VOCs, and they found that certain plants were better at absorbing specific compounds.
For example, all five could remove acetone, the pungent chemical abundant at nail salons, but the dracaena plant took up the most, around 94 percent of the chemical.
Dr Niri said: “Based on our results, we can recommend what plants are good for certain types of VOCs and for specific locations.
“To illustrate, the bromeliad plant was very good at removing six out of eight studied VOCs - it was able to take up more than 80 percent of each of those compounds - over the twelve hour sampling period. So it could be a good plant to have sitting around in the household or workplace.”
Dr Niri says the next step in the research is to test these plants’ abilities in a real room, not just a sealed chamber.
He would eventually like to put plants in a nail salon over the course of several months to see whether they can reduce the levels of acetone that workers are exposed to.
The other three plants studied were Jade plant (Crassula argentea), the Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) and the Caribbean Tree Cactus (Consolea falcata.)

VIDEO: House plants can suck dangerous toxic chemicals out of the air


House plants can suck dangerous toxic chemicals out of the air - leaving it cleaner to breathe, according to new research.


British Transport Police have issued a warning after a gang placed wooden planks across a railway line and watched a train smash into them.
The gang are currently being hunted by police after the incident in Buckinghamshire on August 11, where a group were caught on camera putting large wooden planks across railway tracks.
A member of the public called 999 but before anything could be done, a train crashed into the planks.
The train was badly damaged but not derailed and there were no injuries. However, passengers said they felt the carriage ‘jump in the air’.
Investigating officer PC Jay Townsend used the incident as an opportunity to fire out a nationwide warning.
“This was an incredibly stupid thing to do and it beggars belief that someone would think this was a funny thing to do,” he said.
“Not only is trespassing on the railway extremely dangerous – with trains travelling well in excess of 100mph – but this could have caused the train to derail, and who knows what might have happened.
“We were lucky this time but acts like this can easily have fatal consequences.”
PC Townsend is now hoping to catch the culprits and bring them to justice.
“Although these images are grainy, we are releasing them in the hope that someone comes forward with information,” he added.
“Do you know who might have done this? Have you seen someone bragging about this on social media, or maybe uploading a video of themselves on the tracks?
“If you have any information, please get in touch.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40 or text 61016, quoting 505 of 11/8.

British Transport Police issue warning after train ‘jumps in the air’


British Transport Police have issued a warning after a gang placed wooden planks across a railway line and watched a train smash into them.


Minding your manners, avoiding emotional Facebook rants and knowing what cutlery to use are the modern day signs of class, according to new research.
A study of 2,000 Britons for fashion brand Peter Hahn identified the markers that separate the classy from the hoi polloi and they also include not showing too much cleavage, holding the door for others and speaking more than one language.
So how classy are you? Take our quiz to find out.


Minding your manners, avoiding emotional Facebook rants and knowing what cutlery to use are the modern day signs of class, according to new research.


Gutsy Hemel came back twice to earn a draw at big spending Ebbsfleet in National Leage South on Saturday.
The Tudors bounced back excellently from a heavy midweek defeat to draw 2-2 at Stonebridge Road - the hosts being held to a third successive draw.
Tony Diagne made his debut for Hemel but the visitors made a bad start when Jordan Rose headed the ball into his own net to give Ebbsfleet an early lead.
Hemel almost levelled when David King’s cross shot hit the bar.
James Potton and Jake Robinson both went close for the visitors before they managed to level - and they did so in style. Scott Neilson was fouled on the edge of the box and he got up to put the free kick over the Ebbsfleet wall and into the net.
The second half lacked great entertainment until towards the end.
Ebbsfleet had the perfect chance to go in front when a penalty was given for a foul on Jack Connors - but Danny Kedwell’s penalty was well saved by Henly in the Tudors goal.
However with just ten minutes to go Shields smashed home to put the home side 2-1 in front and surely heading for all three points.
Hemel had other ideas and were level inside a minute - Robinson netting the equaliser straight from the restart.
It was a well-earned point for Hemel in front of 912 spectators at Stonebridge Road.
The Tudors host Poole Town next on Saturday, August 27.
Hemel: Henly, King, Kelly, Mendy, Diagne (Osborne), Rose, Neilson, Corcoran, Robinson, Potton, Kaloczi. Subs not used: Weiss, Richens.


Gutsy Hemel came back twice to earn a draw at big spending Ebbsfleet in National Leage South on Saturday.


A taxi driver accused of kicking his colleague in the head as he lay unconscious has been arrested and bailed by police.
Officers were called to the Millenium 24/7 cab firm on Vauxhall Road, Hemel Hempstead, at 2.15am on Saturday, August 27 following reports of an assault.
Lee Robertson, 41, of no fixed abode, was arrested for Grievous Bodily Harm, wounding with intent, and has been bailed to appear at Hatfield Magistrates’ Court on October 15.
Police are asking any witnesses to call 101 quoting D1/16/6163.
The victim’s condition is currently unknown.


A taxi driver accused of kicking his colleague in the head as he lay unconscious has been arrested and bailed by police.


Hayley Oates will be competing for Team GB in the European Sprint Triathlon Championships next year.
Hayley is part of Hemel Hempstead Cycling Club, which also has a tri section. Her HHCC triathlon team won the Triathlon England Regional Relay event in 2015 and came third this year.
Now, after 11 races this season, she has qualified for the championships in Germany next summer and is looking for sponsors to support her efforts.
Sprint triathlons consist of a 750m open water swim, straight into a 20km bike and finish with a 5km run. Hayley’s current PB is 1 hour 11 minutes.
She said: “Earlier this year I set myself the goal to qualify to represent Team GB as an age grouper (30-34 years old) in the European Sprint Triathlon Championships next year.
“In the past I’ve only raced in small, local sprint tris and done quite well but racing with the big girls in the British Champs, English Champs and the actual qualifier in Nottingham were both eye-opening and terrifying!
“From fracturing my toe in a mass start swim in one race (and because my feet were numb for the entire race I didn’t realise at the time so didn’t feel it necessary to pull out of the race), to seeing the determination and pain etched on some faces showed me that I wasn’t the only lady aiming to qualify.
“I’ve raced 11 times this season which is unheard of, however, the hard work’s paid off as I am now a Team GB age group triathlete and get to race in Dusseldorf in June 2017!”
That news would be cause for celebration for most – but not fot Hayley who instead went for a run because that was what she had scheduled that day.
She said: “As with all age groupers, I have to completely fund my training and travel to the race myself, so if any local Hertfordshire businesses would like to sponsor me aid in my training in any way I’d absolutely love your help, please!’
You can email Hayley at hayleyoates@gmail.com

Hayley’s hard work earns Team GB sprint triathlon call-up


Hayley Oates will be competing for Team GB in the European Sprint Triathlon Championships next year.


Cocktail aficionados and pizza lovers rejoice – Aylesbury’s newest bar on the block is raising a glass to that winning combination.
The Snug, at 36 Market Square, opened its trendy grey doors for the first time on Friday night, and revellers enjoyed the trademark cosy interior, with eclectic props and eye-catching wall art.
Ashley Moore, left, and Giles Fry, business partners and owners of The Snug in Aylesbury
The Snug brand, which was first launched 12 years ago by business partners Ashley Moore and Giles Fry, is taking the Home Counties by storm.
The Aylesbury site is number nine out of 10 Snugs across the region, including High Wycombe, Hertford, Hitchin, St Albans, Ware, Bedford, Bury St Edmunds and two in Cambridge.
The extensive cocktail menu – which scooped Best Cocktail Menu at the Hertfordshire Food Awards last year –includes old favourites done well, such as the Singapore Sling, alongside more quirkily-named offerings such as the Snugism and Ginspector Morse.
Artisan pizzas are made fresh on site, but that’s not the extent of the menu – there’s salads, nibbles and appetizers, as well as tempting desserts.
The Snug, Market Square, Aylesbury
Giles, who joined forces with Ashley after they met working for burger chain TGI Fridays, said: “We are excited to open the new Aylesbury Snug this summer and look forward to giving everyone a Snug welcome in what we hope will soon become a firm favourite with residents and visitors to Aylesbury alike.”
The business is flourishing and this year will top a £5 million turnover, with the staff count climbing to 180 by December.
So what’s the secret to running a successful bar chain that trumps the other High Street offerings out there?
Well, the chirpy staff, live music nights and hands-on cocktail classes probably have something to do with it.
Plus Ashley and Giles really care about their staff; the pair ensure all new recruits get a month’s worth of training to transform them into close-knit cocktail experts.
And word has got around, as there were 420 applications for the 38 new roles at Aylesbury and Bury St Edmunds.
Visit the website here for more information.


Cocktail aficionados and pizza lovers rejoice – Aylesbury’s newest bar on the block is raising a glass to that winning combination.