
The village is home to a plethora of independent businesses and is loved by those who live there Merseyside is home to countless villages steeped in history, but few offer as much unique character as Churchtown. The village, which is historically within the confined of Lancashire and is home to red rose stickers showing the historic pride of Lancashire DNA running through the area. Found in north Southport , the village is quaint with a romantic blend of past and present. Despite it clearly being in the 21st century, you could easily be mistaken for thinking you had time travelled as you look around at the thatched roofs and 150-year-old stockings. Adjacent to the wall of St Cuthbert's Church nestled in the corner of the village, stocks dating from 1741 can be found behind a padlocked gate. Written on a plaque that had been gifted to the people of Churchtown by North Meols Civic Society, it explains the stocks were last used on June 3 1861 when John Rimmer was sentenced to six hours for drunkenness. Nowadays, it's a clear representation of history we shouldn't forget in a hurry, preserved for residents in 2024 to learn, marvel and wonder about the history of their village. Speaking about type of shops and businesses in the area, Jill Skelton of Vintage Home told LancsLive last month : "It's nice, there's lots of independent shops and it's sort of kept it's charm really, from what it used to be. It's not like a high street really, there's not big chains." Vintage Homes has been a resident on Botanic Road in Churchtown for the last three years and has made itself at home. Selling antiques and vintage items, the shop has made a name for itself in the area. The village is home to two 18th century listed pubs, the Hesketh Arms and the Bold Arms, with the former recently undergoing £600,000 renovation in a sign of the how successful the tightknit area is. The character of the village is not only cherished by those who live in the area but also protected. Its history is closely connected to the church as well Meols Hall and is believed to the one of the twelve resting places of St Cuthbert, Bishop of Lindisfarne, whose remains were removed in the ninth century by monks fleeing the Danish invasion. Meols Hall also dates back to 1200s. Now used as a wedding and events venue, the estate has passed through generations of the Hesketh family and overseas many of the thatched cottages in the village. But in a bid to protect the historic charm that Churchtown brings to Southport, a conservation order was introduced in November 1973 before being extended in May 2009 by Sefton Council meaning there are special planning procedures in place to limit unnecessary changes in the area. Adding thoughts about the village itself and businesses nearby, Jill said: "It suits all the quaint shops and things like that. There's a little handmade chocolate shop and a deli and little gift shops, things like that. You do notice tourists here, they tend to go through the Botanic Gardens and through the village." Another key part of the area is Botanic Gardens, an expansive green space used by people across Southport and surrounding locations. The gardens opened in the 1870s, with the Victorian gardens being home to colourful floral displays. Home to a winding lake with a variety of routes to walk, it is ever popular with people living locally. But before getting to the gardens, you have the joy of walking past the variety, and at times slightly odd, businesses on Botanic Road. One of these is Penny's House, a dog café run by canine enthusiast Ceri Burns. Inside the café, Ceri offers a menu curated especially for dogs, as well as one for humans too. The independent business opened in April under the name, but had been a dog café for seven years prior. Named after Ceri's dog Penny, the pet lover offers parties in their function room upstairs, as well as plenty of place for the dogs to relax, unwind and enjoy a well-earned treat or two. "It's a normal café, but we serve dogs just like humans," Ceri explains with a huge satisfactory smile on her face. Charlotte Ashton works in the café too and is a local of Churchtown. "It's a nice little community village around here," she explained. Another thriving business which has made itself at home in the village is Remedy. The booming cafe is regulalry full and is adored by people in Southport as the local chain has made its mark on the town. Susannah Porter, who quit her job to start the venture when she was 25, told the ECHO in 2022: "I ended up working in marketing and then education but I always felt as though I would get to this point at some point. When I was 45 I left education and opened up a business. It was a massive leap of faith." She added: "You're worried you might regret it or that you're making a mistake but I have never regretted it. I love working in hospitality, it's my passion really. I should have always done it." The village is booming and looks to have an extensive future ahead of it, as well as behind it.WASHINGTON (AP) — One year after the Jan. 6, 2021 , U.S. Capitol attack, Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department was committed to holding accountable all perpetrators “at any level” for “the assault on our democracy.” That bold declaration won’t apply to at least one person: Donald Trump. Special counsel Jack Smith’s move on Monday to abandon the federal election interference case against Trump means jurors will likely never decide whether the president-elect is criminally responsible for his attempts to cling to power after losing the 2020 campaign. The decision to walk away from the election charges and the separate classified documents case against Trump marks an abrupt end of the Justice Department’s unprecedented legal effort that once threatened his liberty but appears only to have galvanized his supporters. The abandonment of the cases accusing Trump of endangering American democracy and national security does away with the most serious legal threats he was facing as he returns to the White House. It was the culmination of a monthslong defense effort to delay the proceedings at every step and use the criminal allegations to Trump’s political advantage, putting the final word in the hands of voters instead of jurors. RELATED COVERAGE Cheap Ozempic? How millions of Americans with obesity may get access to costly weight-loss drugs Southwest states certify election results after the process led to controversy in previous years Trump vows tariffs over immigration. What the numbers say about border crossings, drugs and crime. “We always knew that the rich and powerful had an advantage, but I don’t think we would have ever believed that somebody could walk away from everything,” said Stephen Saltzburg, a George Washington University law professor and former Justice Department official. “If there ever was a Teflon defendant, that’s Donald Trump.” What to know about Trump’s second term: Staffing the administration: Here are the people Trump has picked for key positions so far. Plus, a look at recess appointments and how could Trump use them to fill his Cabinet. Follow all of our coverage as Donald Trump assembles his second administration. While prosecutors left the door open to the possibility that federal charges could be re-filed against Trump after he leaves office, that seems unlikely. Meanwhile, Trump’s presidential victory has thrown into question the future of the two state criminal cases against him in New York and Georgia. Trump was supposed to be sentenced on Tuesday after his conviction on 34 felony counts in his New York hush money case , but it’s possible the sentencing could be delayed until after Trump leaves office, and the defense is pushing to dismiss the case altogether. Smith’s team stressed that their decision to abandon the federal cases was not a reflection of the merit of the charges, but an acknowledgement that they could not move forward under longstanding Justice Department policy that says sitting presidents cannot face criminal prosecution. Trump’s presidential victory set “at odds two fundamental and compelling national interests: On the one hand, the Constitution’s requirement that the President must not be unduly encumbered in fulfilling his weighty responsibilities . . . and on the other hand, the Nation’s commitment to the rule of law,” prosecutors wrote in court papers. The move just weeks after Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris underscores the immense personal stake Trump had in the campaign in which he turned his legal woes into a political rallying cry. Trump accused prosecutors of bringing the charges in a bid to keep him out of the White House, and he promised revenge on his perceived enemies if he won a second term. “If Donald J. Trump had lost an election, he may very well have spent the rest of his life in prison,” Vice President-elect JD Vance, wrote in a social media post on Monday. “These prosecutions were always political. Now it’s time to ensure what happened to President Trump never happens in this country again.” After the Jan. 6 attack by Trump supporters that left more than 100 police officers injured, Republican leader Mitch McConnell and several other Republicans who voted to acquit Trump during his Senate impeachment trial said it was up to the justice system to hold Trump accountable. The Jan. 6 case brought last year in Washington alleged an increasingly desperate criminal conspiracy to subvert the will of voters after Trump’s 2020 loss, accusing Trump of using the angry mob of supporters that attacked the Capitol as “a tool” in his campaign to pressure then-Vice President Mike Pence and obstruct the certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s victory. Hundreds of Jan. 6 rioters — many of whom have said they felt called to Washington by Trump — have pleaded guilty or been convicted by juries of federal charges at the same courthouse where Trump was supposed to stand trial last year. As the trial date neared, officials at the courthouse that sits within view of the Capitol were busy making plans for the crush of reporters expected to cover the historic case. But Trump’s argument that he enjoyed absolute immunity from prosecution quickly tied up the case in appeals all the way up to the Supreme Court. The high court ruled in July that former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution , and sent the case back to the trial court to decide which allegations could move forward. But the case was dismissed before the trial court could get a chance to do so. The other indictment brought in Florida accused Trump of improperly storing at his Mar-a-Lago estate sensitive documents on nuclear capabilities, enlisting aides and lawyers to help him hide records demanded by investigators and cavalierly showing off a Pentagon “plan of attack” and classified map. But U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the case in July on grounds that Smith was illegally appointed . Smith appealed to the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, but abandoned that appeal on Monday. Smith’s team said it would continue its fight in the appeals court to revive charges against Trump’s two co-defendants because “no principle of temporary immunity applies to them.” In New York, jurors spent weeks last spring hearing evidence in a state case alleging a Trump scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn actor who said the two had sex. New York prosecutors recently expressed openness to delaying sentencing until after Trump’s second term, while Trump’s lawyers are fighting to have the conviction dismissed altogether. In Georgia, a trial while Trump is in office seems unlikely in a state case charging him and more than a dozen others with conspiring to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state. The case has been on hold since an appeals court agreed to review whether to remove Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis over her romantic relationship with the special prosecutor she had hired to lead the case. ____ Associated Press reporter Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed.
Quarterbacks in spotlight when No. 6 Miami visits SyracuseMatt Gaetz says he won't return to Congress next year after withdrawing name for attorney generalCalifornia approves $1,4 billion plan to build thousands more vehicle chargers, boost ZEV infrastructure – electric charging and hydrogen refueling stations SACRAMENTO – Thousands more electric vehicle (EV) chargers are coming to California. The California Energy Commission (CEC) today that accelerates progress on the state’s EV charging and hydrogen refueling goals. These investments will help deploy infrastructure for light, medium, and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) across California, expanding the most extensive charging and hydrogen refueling network in the country. The plan details how the CEC’s will spend $1.4 billion in state funding over the next four years, with at least 50% targeted to benefit lower-income and disadvantaged communities. The funding is part of Governor Gavin Newsom’s historic California Climate Commitment, which includes more than $10 billion for ZEVs and ZEV infrastructure. The state has also received billions from the Biden-Harris Administration for clean transportation. Building ZEV infrastructure is a critical part of Governor Newsom’s build more, faster agenda delivering infrastructure upgrades across the state. Find projects building your community at . , said: “With this investment, and the help of the private sector, we’re building a bigger, better vehicle charging network that ensures Californians can reliably and affordably get where they’re going.” The funds approved today will result in nearly 17,000 new chargers for passenger vehicles statewide. Over are installed today. Combined with previous investment plans, funding from the federal government, electric utilities and other programs, the state expects to reach 250,000 chargers in the next few years. In addition to the public network, the state estimates that more than 500,000 private home chargers are installed statewide. The funds will become available over the next four years and distributed to projects through competitive grants. Projects include direct incentive and rebate programs for businesses, non-profit organizations, tribes and public agencies. Why this matters First created in 2007, the Clean Transportation Program is one of the first transportation-focused funding efforts established to help advance the state’s climate change policies. To date, $2.3 billion has been invested in projects supporting ZEV infrastructure, alternative fuels and advanced vehicle technologies, providing the following benefits. California’s strategy for a clean transportation transition This is a major milestone on California’s path to a clean transportation future. In addition to advancing ZEVs, which topped 26.4% of all new California vehicle sales in the third quarter of 2024, the Newsom Administration is prioritizing clean fuel production, public transit and rail infrastructure enhancements, and a cleaner, smarter electric grid to help power it all. As California works toward this clean transportation future, the state is also advancing efforts to prevent gasoline price spikes. the latest news shaping the hydrogen market at California approves $1,4 billion plan to build thousands more vehicle chargers, boost ZEV infrastructure – electric charging and hydrogen refueling stations, Next Hydrogen Solutions Inc Announces Closing of Private Placement of Unsecured Convertible Debentures MISSISSAUGA, Ontario, Dec. 13, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Next Hydrogen Solutions Inc. (TSXV: NXH, OTC: NXHSF)... Everfuel and Karlstads Energi gets funding notification for potential project in Sweden Herning, Denmark, 13 December 2024 – Everfuel A/S’ is pleased to announce that its subsidiary Everfuel Production Karlstad AB... Charbone Hydrogen secures warrant proceeds, extends expiry dates, and grants stock options Charbone Hydrogen Corporation (TSX-V:CH, OTCQB:CHHYF) announced $371,150 from warrant exercises expiring in late 2024 and early...
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