Yahoo News The Mancunian Way: Silly season
Hello
In the newspaper trade the summer months are known as silly season. It’s the time of year when, with Parliament not sitting and everyone on holiday, the papers tend to be filled with fluff.
But this summer is something else. Over the next three months we’ll have a General Election with the likelihood of a new Government, the European Championships and the Olympics.
Add into the mix the usual summer fare of comings and goings at United and City and it promises to be a feast of news. And, of course, the M.E.N. will be there every step of the way.
Our election coverage is already well underway. By the time the polls open we’ll have been out on the streets of every constituency in Greater Manchester talking to voters about the issues that matter to them, we’ll be analysing the key battlegrounds, putting the manifestos under the microscope and grilling the candidates.
During the Euros we’ll be bringing live coverage from fan parks and pubs across the region, while our sports desk will be on top of every development at the Etihad and Old Trafford. It could be a summer for the ages and we hope you’ll join us for the ride.
Anyway, let’s get with the rest of today’s newsletter…
Bossing it
It’s the local government geek’s equivalent of a football transfer saga. Last week the M.E.N. revealed Manchester council chief exec Joanne Roney was leaving the town hall after seven years in charge.
Ms Roney, the first woman to head up the council, is to stay in post for several months. But speculation over who might take over her job - and the £220,000 salary that comes with it - has already begun.
Here politics writer Jo Timan runs the rule over the runners and riders…
Old school ties
Cameron Ogden is the Harvard-educated son of a billionaire. He’s a former Goldman Sachs banker who founded an airline in his early 30s.
And now he’s taken charge of Rochdale FC, arguably England’s least successful football club. So how did a businessman with more experience of the trading floors of international finance than the kit rooms of the National League end up at Spotland?
The answer, as he reveals in this wide-ranging interview about his long-term plans for the club, lies in the old boys network of the long-gone Rochdale Grammar School.
Burnt pastries
Piccadilly station was evacuated this morning… due to a batch of burnt pastries. The mishap set off the fire alarm and led to hundreds of passengers being told to wait outside.
But once the cause was discovered the station quickly reopened - and thankfully the pastries were soon back in the oven. A Network Rail spokesperson said: "We’re very sorry to any passengers who were disrupted by the fire alarm at Manchester Piccadilly this morning.
"One of the station retailers unfortunately burned a batch of pastries. The station is open, and the production of baked goods has recommenced.”
Paddle under the Pennines
It's one of the wonders of Britain's waterways. At three-and-a-quarter miles long and almost 200 metres underground, Standedge Tunnel, which links Oldham with West Yorkshire, is the longest, highest and deepest canal tunnel in the UK.
And now the public are being offered the chance to see it like never before - by canoe. Charity Canal & River Trust has announced the 'bucket list opportunity' to 'paddle under the Pennines'.
Weather etc
Friday: Cloudy changing to light showers by late morning, 17C.
Roadworks: Temporary traffic lights due to electricity work are in operation on Bury Road, at Kennedy Street, in Bolton until June 18.
Manchester headlines
Suspect named: A suspect has been named after a homeless man was allegedly attacked in Piccadilly Gardens. Police said 'two vulnerable people were targeted' in the area in Manchester city centre in two alleged robberies. Simon Quest, 37, of Maine Road, Manchester, has been charged with two counts of robbery and possession of class A drugs. Read more
Jobs boost: A £300m energy storage plant that could create hundreds of jobs is being built in Carrington. Highview Power has been backed by energy giant Centrica and the UK Infrastructure Bank to build the first commercial-scale liquid air energy storage (LAES) plant in the UK. The company says building work will start immediately and the plant, which got initial planning consent in 2021, should be operational by early 2026.
Flasher: A police investigation is underway after a man reportedly exposed himself to a female as she ran along a main road in Stockport. The alleged incident happened on Bramhall Park Road in the Bramhall area in broad daylight at around 6pm on Sunday. More here
Worth a read
This year Oldham will celebrate its 175th anniversary. To salute the landmark, Lee Grimsditch takes a look at 10 amazing things the town has given the world, including rag puddings, women’s rights and the tubular bandage.
