High Society, Industry, Legal, Media, Politics.
Construction continues on the newest of the Phoenix Towers with much of the primary structure of the lower levels already in place despite last minute problems with the planning authorities over the height of the structure. Although the initial designs were no higher than the surrounding towers, the planners objected to the somewhat arbitrary height of 156.066m. Emergency discussions with the architectural company at the centre of the project, Ebullio, took place and a compromise was reached. Although the height will remain the same, the final five floors are to be replaced by a spire reducing the visual impact of the building. No further comments have been made with regards the design.
Bureaucracy, Legal, Politics.
A local council investigation into the apparent illegal removal of large scale industrial machinery from the site of the GAOM tower in the last days of its demolition has revealed that no illegal action took place. The equipment was removed by an anonymous contractor at the behest of the Government who were keen to preserve the nature of some of the equipment that GAOM was using. Apparently the company had a number of contracts with government departments to develop and maintain military scale hardware for use in an emergency. Because the equipment was owned and financed by the government, they had arranged the private removal of it. No further investigations into the incidents will be undertaken.
Bureaucracy, Industry, Media, Politics, University.
Ebullio have been asked to provide further figures to prove their environmental theory behind the latest of the Phoenix Towers following continued criticism of the design from the academic quarter. Ebullio are to present the figures to an investigative panel next month. The principal question is whether the proposed geothermal conduit that will be used to power the tower will work and be a safe source of energy. Ebullio have stated that they are confident that they can produce satisfactory figures and end this discussion.
High Society, Media.
Hanley Museum is to play host to an exhibition of proposed designs for the Phoenix Towers. The exhibition will focus not on the built towers (nor on the one currently under construction), but rather on the designs that were not expected. Elsewhere the exhibition will also focus on the future intentions of the city. The exhibition is set to run for a month.
Media, Police.
Police investigations in to the death of eight men in the Fenton area of the city continue as the city braces itself for the discovery of more victims. None of the victims have been identified yet, or at least no details of the victims have been released by the authorities. In an unusual move, The Constabulary has also bought in members of the Vice Squad to investigate the murders, although no explanation has been given for this. A spokesperson for The Constabulary stated that they had no comments to make with regards the incident at this time.
Health, Media, Police.
Although few details of the eight murders in Fenton have been released, both The Constabulary and Pathology Department have released a statement noting that the current murders are not linked to those of The Endon Butcher. DNA evidence recovered from both sets of murders has shown that The Endon Butcher was male, whilst it is believed that the current murders are being carried out by a woman. No further evidence has been released, but a spokesperson for both The Constabulary and government has asked that people do not begin to take the law into their own hands.
Police, Politics, Underworld.
Rumour has it that The Constabulary is working closely with members of the Belgian police force on the investigations into what have inevitably been christened The Fenton Fatalities. The exact nature of this collaboration has not been determined, but investigations by a number of reporters in the city have indicated that a number of similar murders occurred in Belgium some five years ago. More worryingly, the victims were all found to be members of a sex ring that had been operating in the country for some time. No one has commented about the current victims, but man yare beginning to suspect that the lack of comment on the matter by The Constabulary may be an indication.
Finance, Industry, Legal, Media, Politics.
Asharaka has been sold to a third company in two months following the initial buyout by the Albion Bank. Albion Bank has sold the rights to use the name and the client list to an undisclosed third party who will continue to trade under the name of the company. The sale, worth approximately twentyfive million pounds, has bolstered an already growing local economy and has ensured the retention of over a hundred jobs in the area.
Finance, Health, Legal, Media.
Asharaka are to maintain their presence in the Reed Tower following their purchase by a third company from Albion Bank. In addition it has been noted that the company has gained a number of new clients following the sale. Meanwhile, Saturn XI continues to flounder with the announcement that the city is to prosecute it for unsafe practices, following its use of Milk as a conductive material.
Bureaucracy, Finance, Industry, Media, Politics.
With the purchase of Asharaka by a third party, the confirmation of a halfabillion pound loan to the city and the appointment of a new Director of Operations at the Britannic Building Society the city's financial market is currently experiencing an upturn in fortunes. All three of these events have secured jobs and businesses in the city, as well as stabilising the local economy. The only possible threat is the continued disruption being caused by the continuing actions of The Gambino family in their attempts to dominate the local crime scene. Business leaders are to ask The Constabulary to concentrate its attention on the protection of industry in an attempt to minimise the possibility of the gang gaining a foothold in the city's unions.
Media, Police, Street, Underworld.
As The Gambino's continue their southward push, gangs associated with The Sandernacht Group have had to consolidate their holdings after a month of bloody revelations. First amongst these in savagery is the loss of one of the smaller gangs associated with the group after members turned on each other over an apparent slight. The ensuing firefight left over thirty dead and a similar number injured. Survivors were taken to local hospitals and have now been placed under the protection of The Constabulary until a motive can be determined. The Constabulary has stated that it is its intention to press charges.
Police, Underworld.
Details are sketchy, but the deaths of over thirty members of The Sandernacht Group reportedly happened as a result of the gang in questions leader ordering the assassination of its other members following accusations of improper behaviour. Survivors from both groups have reported that they were both informed of the forthcoming hit and had time to prepare for the attacks. The Constabulary is currently investigating whether the gangs leader was compromised by an outside source (possibly The Gambino's) or whether the action was an attempt to thin the ranks.
Health, Media, Police, Street.
The Constabulary has confirmed that the last known hard core member of The Daughters of the Desert has been killed following a sting operation designed to capture her. Officers posing as Milk addicts attempted to buy the remaining known stocks of the drug, supposedly in an attempt to control the market. When the drugs were presented, officers outside of the building moved in to secure the product and arrest the suspects. However in the ensuing chaos, bodyguards for the seller opened fire on the arresting officers. Three officers were killed and a half dozen were injured in the raid which left all of The Daughters dead. The Constabulary has reported that it is now in control of what over two tonnes of the drug.
Church, Media, Occult.
William Raymond continues to make headlines as the self proclaimed Vampire Hunter continues his personnel quest within the city. Following the revelation that he performed a number of exorcisms last month at a Catholic run Children's Home it has emerged that he has undertaken similar actions in a number of clubs in the city. Eye witness reports state that he has entered these clubs unimpeded, walked across the room to his target and physically ejected the demon. Furthermore witnesses report that the victim has visibly improved following the exorcism and that their former personalities have returned. No spokesperson for either the diocese or William Raymond has commented on the alleged incidents.
Church, Media, Occult.
What is William Raymond's agenda? Whilst the media initially focussed on his apparent claim to be a Vampire Hunter, the focus has recently shifted to his involvement in a number of exorcisms. Investigations by a number of reporters have uncovered a number of similar incidents undertaken by Raymond in Africa. Reports are sketchy, but it is alleged that Raymond may have been involved in dispelling the mass possession of a village in Kenya, although understandably no one is willing to comment on the issue.
Health, Media, Politics, University.
The local health authority has reported that it is finally making headway into the Milk addiction problem and that the Methadone derivative developed by Staffordshire University is appearing to work. In addition, with supplies of the drug beginning to run out on the streets of the city, more and more addicts are seeking help to combat their addiction. Psychologists have also developed a cocktail of antidepressants for former addicts to control some of the more selfdestructive elements of the withdrawal symptoms.
Bureaucracy, Finance, Media, Politics.
Local councillors and financial representatives of the city have confirmed that the interest free loan of a halfabillion pounds to the city is genuine following a month long investigation in to the anonymous donation. Councillors are awaiting the results of the forthcoming General Election before beginning to divide the monies between the city's needs. However, a spokesperson noted that for every pound used to fund a project within the city, a second pound would be invested in low risk investments in order to secure that the money can be repaid in the future.
Media, Politics.
With the final week in the run up to the General Election upon us the main candidates continue to press the principal issues of their parties upon a jaded public. Many political pundits have stated that the current MP for StokeonTrent, Peter Hendleson is likely to be returned. Others have been less forthcoming however, noting that a number of issues have taken the electorate by surprise in the past resulting in shock results. All of these questions will be answered by Friday morning.
Bureaucracy, Politics, Transport.
Engineers from the city's water department are at a loss to explain the numerous problems being experienced by the city's delivery system following a number of incidents in which large parts of the grid have gone offline. Investigations in to the source of the problem have revealed no technical problems with the system and no apparent blockages, but have inevitably played havoc on the city's roads. Further investigations are to be undertaken to determine the source of the problem.
Politics, Street.
The number of homeless found on the city's streets has risen over the last couple of months marking a rise to pre December 2005 figures (it was discovered that Castelan had filled the GAOM Tower with the bodies of abducted street people in an attempt to raise the number of casualties of their fake terrorist attack). Many of the homeless are of eastern European origin, although no reason for this sudden influx into the city can be determined. The local authorities have stated that they are to increase the funding to church lead projects in a effort to combat the problem.
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