Whether it has been breaking news, major developments, events or enriching stories The Lincolnite has been on hand to keep you informed throughout 2018.
We have taken a look back at some of the biggest stories of the year as a reminder as to what 2018 has brought for Lincoln.
Beast from the East
It doesn’t look like we’ll be getting snow this holiday yet, but we certainly got it back in March.
The Lincolnite’s live blog was the most read article on the website this year, keeping Yellowbellies up-to-date with helpful information including travel, school information and event cancellations, such as the Lincoln 10K.
Drivers have not been warned about the change of rules, except for a small yellow notice on their signs.
It reads: “If you leave this site whilst this vehicle remains in the car park you may be liable to receive a parking charge.”
Lincoln bus station bomb scare
Lincoln went into lockdown after the bus station was evacuated, with some roads also closed due to the discovery of a suspicious package on an incoming bus on Tuesday, October 9.
Hundreds of people waited behind a police cordon while the bomb squad investigated the package, which turned out to be ‘a genuine bit of lost shopping’.
The suspicious package sent Lincoln into lockdown.
When the first image of the ‘shopping’ was released, which turned out to be a water pump, it highlighted why the bus operators made the decision to report the item to police.
Although it proved frustrating for many people, it was reassuring to see the response of the emergency services and the city council in what could have been a worse situation.
Missing man found in river
Micheal Hull had been reported missing after a night out in Lincoln.
An inquest was opened the following week into the death of Michael, who had been on a night out at Home nightclub in Lincoln with friends before walking home on his own.
Lincolnshire Police and underwater search teams had scoured the area after receiving a report he was seen on Gaunt Street in the early hours of the morning. He was sadly found by divers while the area was cordoned off.
Extra patrols were put in place after a bush cutter hedged their bets after striking a property on St Edwards Drive in Sudbrooke near Lincoln in the middle of the night twice in one week.
Holes were cut in the neatly trimmed greenery, sparking a police investigation.
Goodbye Widow Cullens Well, Hello Craft 2.0 & Cosy Club
A regular sight on Steep Hill. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
It hasn’t all been doom and gloom though as the city has celebrated businesses arriving such as the returning Craft 2.0 and new venues Cosy Club, Jump Inc and Lakeland.
He denied possession of a document with intent to deceive between December 4, 2017 and May 15 2018 relating to ‘a document so closely resembling an Irish driving licence as to be calculated to deceive.
He also denied that between March 1 and May 15 this year he made a false statement by claiming he was the holder of an Irish driving licence.
Judge Andrew Easteal granted Martin unconditional bail and adjourned the case for a two day trial to commence at Lincoln Crown Court in July 2019.
Iconic Strelitzia home
Owner of Strelitzia takes The Lincolnite on a tour. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
The Strelitzia house definitely stands out on the hillside, but the white, yellow and entirely unique building also stands proud.
The Tiago Lincoln Brazilian restaurant closed in February this year after receiving a very poor hygiene rating of 1/5 from City of Lincoln Council inspectors.
Alarm bells by Lincolnshire County Council, which stated care at the home was “not adequate”. This led to an unannounced inspection by CQC on June 6-7.
The Lincolnite posted a controversial video of users taking drugs in an alcove on Clasketgate and it sparked a debate on how to solve the city’s drug problem.
They filmed at Lincoln Cathedral for the last episode of the third season with the audience singing a hymn.
It was then to the Showground on the Saturday for the last part of filming for the final episode of series three of Amazon’s Grand Tour to celebrate “the end of a piece of British motoring history”.
Midwife in hair colour controversy
The colour of Donna Crichton’s hair has caused controversy at work.
Grace pictured at her graduation earlier this year. Photo: Facebook
One of the saddest stories we had to write this year was that of Grace Millane, who went missing while on an around-the-world backpacking trip in New Zealand earlier this month.
As each development in the story became more tragic, it was tough to see father David Millane give an emotional press conference before a body was later discovered, which was confirmed to be that of Grace.
The Ministry of Defence confirmed in July that RAF Scampton, home of the Red Arrows, will be sold off.
The base, which is currently home to 600 members of staff, will close by 2022 and talks are underway to enable the Red Arrows to move to another location.
MP for Lincoln Karen Lee delivered a petition, signed by over 3,700 people, to Ministry of Defence minister Tobais Ellwood last month.
She petitioned against the move and began a petition to keep the Red Arrows in the county. The RAF also celebrated its centenary year in 2018.
St Marks development
Fresh designs for the 1,300 student flats on St Marks.
City of Lincoln Council previously dismissed the designs for the flats as “bland”, but have now approved the proposal.
When completed, the major development will also include a number of new shops, hotel and a car park with up to 1,100 spaces.
The development proposed by Aberdeen Standard Investments has seen demolition begin on the vacant Homebase, Lidl and Topps Tiles units.
All the shops to the west of Debenhams will be demolished and replaced with new retail units, leisure space and other amenities. Space would also be made for cycle storage and management facilities.
Options discussed also include the possibility of a new cinema and waterfront restaurants and the scheme has the potential to generate up to 2,000 new jobs in the city.
Merging debate
The merging debate got a lot of people in Lincoln talking this year.
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The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
Few people attended the second Kill the Bill protest in Lincoln on Saturday, as Extinction Rebellion activists stood alone on the High Street to campaign against a proposed policing bill that could make many protests illegal.
Activists from Extinction Rebellion Lincolnshire gathered at Speakers’ Corner to oppose plans for the latest Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which could curtail protesting rights if passed through parliament.
Extinction Rebellion were the main representatives at the protest. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Under the proposed bill, police officers will be given greater powers to put a stop to any protests, as well as determining start and finish times for them, and controlling noise levels.
A few stopped to talk with the protestors, but most just went about their day walking down Lincoln High Street in the first weekend that non-essential shops and beer gardens reopened.
The Lincolnite spoke to one of the rebels at the protest, to find out the reasons behind the march.
They said: “This draconian bill cannot go ahead, it needs to be taken apart and re-evaluted completely.
“People have been walking past us shaking their heads, but they don’t realise that it’s their freedom we are fighting for.”
The Lincolnite photographer Steve Smailes captured some pictures from the protest.
Signs were put up by the works at Speakers’ Corner on Lincoln High Street. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
It has been a tragic week with three deaths on Lincolnshire’s roads after two male motorbike riders and a man on a pedal bike lost their lives.
The roads are now busier again after further lockdown restrictions were eased on April 12, but since then three men have sadly died.
A man died after falling from his pedal bike in Branston on Wednesday, April 14 and police said his death is not being treated as suspicious.
On the same day, a 34-year-old male died after a crash involving two motorcycles near Gainsborough.
The man who lost his life in the collision was riding a silver Wuyang motorcycle. The second motorcycle was a blue Suzuki being ridden by a man in his 30s, who was taken to hospital with suspected serious injuries.
A 54-year-old man from North Lincolnshire also died after his motorbike crashed with a Royal Mail post van on the A631 near Glentham at around 4pm on Thursday, April 15.
This comes after it was revealed on March 11 that for the first time in over three decades nobody had died on the county’s roads in the first months of the year, according to Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership.
Lincolnshire Police revealed earlier this week that between 2018 and 2020 twenty five motorcyclists lost their lives on Lincolnshire’s roads.
There have been 285 coronavirus cases in Greater Lincolnshire and eight COVID-related deaths so far this week – a 7% drop in cases and one less death from the previous week.
The government’s COVID-19 dashboard on Friday recorded 32 new cases in Lincolnshire, eight in North Lincolnshire and three in North East Lincolnshire.
On April 16, three deaths were registered in Lincolnshire and none in Northern Lincolnshire. These figures include deaths both in and out of hospitals, as well as residents in hospitals outside the county.
NHS England reported two hospitals this week so far, compared to none this time last week.
On Friday, national cases increased by 2,596 to 4,383,732, while deaths rose by 34 to 127,225.
In local news, Lincolnshire health bosses expect COVID-19 cases to rise in our region as lockdown is eased, but are optimistic that if numbers are kept low enough, then people will be free to enjoy the summer.
Andy Fox, Deputy Director of Public Health at Lincolnshire County Council, said the lifting of coronavirus restrictions this week had not caused any specific concerns yet.
Since Wednesday, Greater Lincolnshire has again seen a decrease in its infection rates overall, against an increase nationally.
All districts have seen a fall in their rates, except small increases in North Lincolnshire and South Holland. Lincoln has stayed the same and has the lowest rate in the region.
Boston has the highest infection rate of COVID-19 in Greater Lincolnshire and is ranked 9th in the UK.
Here’s Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates up to April 16:
Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates from Apr 9 to Apr 16. | Data: Gov UK / Table: James Mayer for The Lincolnite
England’s R number has dropped slightly to between 0.7 and 1 according to the latest data this week. This means for every 10 people infected with COVID-19, they will pass it on to between seven and 10 others.
The new Indian variant of the COVID virus that’s been detected in the UK has all the hallmarks of a very dangerous virus.
It has two new significant mutations in the spike protein that help it infect cells and evade the immune system.
People are “likely” to need a third dose of the coronavirus vaccine within 12 months of getting the first two, Pfizer’s chief executive has said.
Dr Albert Bourla said a booster jab could be necessary “somewhere between six and 12 months” after the second one – and every year thereafter.
Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire on Friday, April 16
Greater Lincolnshire includes Lincolnshire and the unitary authorities of North and North East (Northern) Lincolnshire.
58,919 cases (up 43)
41,028 in Lincolnshire (up 32)
9,275 in North Lincolnshire (up eight)
8,616 in North East Lincolnshire (up three)
2,185 deaths (up three)
1,613 from Lincolnshire (up three)
304 from North Lincolnshire (no change)
268 from North East Lincolnshire (no change)
of which 1,302 hospital deaths (no change)
810 at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (no change)
41 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)
1 at Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (no change)
450 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (no change)
4,383,732 UK cases, 127,225 deaths
DATA SOURCE — FIGURES CORRECT AT THE TIME OF the latest update. postcode data includes deaths not in healthcare facilities or in hospitals outside authority boundaries.
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