January

  • Bombshell news that Huddersfield Royal Infirmary would not only lose its A&E but it would be demolished and replaced by a far smaller hospital opposite on Acre Street in Lindley.

Huddersfield Royal Infirmary


Although the highly controversial proposals were approved towards the end of the year the battle continues as there are still many unanswered questions - read the story here.

  • Seven-year-old Olivia Farnsworth feels no pain, doesn’t get tired and is never hungry.
Olivia Farnsworth of College Street, Crosland Moor, suffers from a rare chromosome disorder.

And it is all due to a rare chromosome disorder which has astonished doctors.
Click here to read her story.

February

  • Thousands of people attended a massive rally in St George’s Square to get across the strength of feeling over controversial health proposals - look back on the big day here.
Have a go hero Les Saunders
Have a go hero Les Saunders
  • Hero grandfather Les Saunders wrestled a suspected drink driver to the ground after he ploughed into cars parked next to Greenhead Park - click here to meet him!
  • Kirklees Council wants to give a £9m loan to speed up a massive leisure development at the John Smith’s Stadium by building a hotel alongside a ski slope, bars and shops - see the plans here.
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March

  • Plans were unveiled for a second TV mast at Emley to be put up so major maintenance can be done on our beloved mast.

Emley Moor Mast pokes out of the fog shrouding Holme Valley

The temporary structure supported by dozens of steel cables will be 330-metres tall. Click here to see pictures.

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  • Stunned relatives Crosland Moor man Mohammed Rizwan Awan were trying to come to terms with his death after he was named as a suicide bomber by Islamic State - full story here.

Drivers using the M62 smart motorway are saving up to 30 minutes each week as the number of people using the road increases, according to Highways England
  • The entire 50-mile stretch of the M62 above Huddersfield is to become a “Smart” four-lane motorway but it could take up to six years to complete with speed limits while it takes place - see plans here.

April

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  • It was revealed that World Cup hero Ray Wilson has Alzheimer’s.
Ray Wilson

Now the former Huddersfield Town legend can’t recall the glory of that June day 50 years ago when pal Bobby Moore held the Jules Rimet trophy aloft at Wembley. Read his story here.

  • A motorist in Kirklees has had 107 parking tickets slapped on the vehicle in just two years … but the council is yet to see a penny of the £8,695 the driver owes in fines. Here's the full story.

May

  • Frustrated Huddersfield town centre shop owners claim the controversial bus gates are killing their businesses.
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Trader Alisa Devlin said: “They might as well have put a barbed wire ring around the town centre.” Here's the full story.

  • Relatives of murdered Huddersfield taxi driver Mohammed Parvaiz are angry that one of his killers is to be released early.

Taxi driver Mohammed Parvaiz with his son
Taxi driver Mohammed Parvaiz with his son

    His son Ismaeel said news that Steven Utley had won a two-year cut in his jail term to a minimum of 15 years was an insult to his father’s memory.

    June

    • Giants players joined hundreds of mourners at the funeral of Ronan Costello, 17, who died from injuries he suffered in a game for the Giants Academy. Click here to read the full story.
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    Clr Amanda Pinnock and Clr Jean Calvert
    • Kirklees councillors Amanda Pinnock and Jean Calvert were suspended by the Labour Party for their unrepentant attitude after they failed to pay their council tax. Click here for the full story.

    July

    • A postman was badly hurt when he was savaged by a dog an eyewitness said was 'hungry for blood' while on his rounds in Golcar Brow Road, Meltham.

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    Postal deliveries were suspended and not restored to some homes in the area by Christmas. Full story here.

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    August

    • David Ellam, 52, was killed as he tried to protect his Yorkshire Terrier named Rolo from a neighbour’s dog in Sheepridge. Read the full story here.
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    • A fire at the former Hunters Group tip in Queens Mill Road, Lockwood, started to burn and kept bursting into flames. Firefighters worked on it for months. Here's the first report.
    • Disgraced Fixby lawyer Nisa Ul Haq broke her bail and left the country after being convicted of people trafficking, is behind bars at last after seven months on the run. Here's the story of her arrest.

    September

    • Sam Hunter, who ran the former Hunters tip in Lockwood, delivered a two-fingered gesture as he turned up for a court hearing over his waste tip site. Read the full story here.
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    • A third of children’s centres across Kirklees could shut in a bid to save £10m. Eleven of its 32 centres may have to be closed and there could well be job losses too. Here's the report.

    • Former Huddersfield Town goalkeeper Alan Starling says a routine scan saved his life when three deadly aneurysms showed up and he was whisked away for emergency surgery.
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    Six hours and 56 staples later he was in the clear. Read the frank interview here.

    October

    • A plan which will close the town’s A&E was given the unanimous go-ahead by Huddersfield and Calderdale NHS bosses - here's how it happened.
    • A woman is to receive a Royal Humane Society award for bravery after pulling a neighbour from her burning home.

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    Multiple sclerosis sufferer Lynne Spencer, 60, crawled on her hands and knees to pull 92-year-old Peggy Riva from her smoke-filled flat in Paddock. Read the incredible story here.

    November

    • An investigation is under way after one of Huddersfield’s most iconic landmarks was destroyed in a devastating blaze.

    Grade II-listed Newsome Mill is set for demolition after a “suspicious” fire broke out in the early hours.

    December

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    • Police launched a fresh appeal over missing Birkby man Dariusz Michalowski, who they now fear may have been killed, although a body has not been found.

      Missing man Dariusz Michalowski
    • The number of pedestrians walking around parts of Huddersfield town centre has plummeted dramatically. Figures provided by Kirklees Council show a 26% drop in Saturday shoppers since 2013. Click here for the full report.

    Vacant retail units in Huddersfield town centre.