Overview
- Oxford Mail’s January–March recap confirms key cases and incidents, including the jailing of former assistant headteacher Catherine Pearl, police identification of Benedict Johnson’s body on February 23, a weapons incident that put Middleton Cheney Primary School into lockdown, and the trustee‑announced closure of Henley’s River & Rowing Museum.
- Reading Chronicle’s early‑year review underscores economic strain and public safety notes, citing Munchees’ closure after 25 years due to rising costs and weaker trade, medical treatment for contestants during an ITV ‘Squid Game’‑style filming, and a demolition order for an unlawfully built home extension.
- Witney’s January–June digest highlights contested growth and enforcement, from a 370‑home outline application at Curbridge and delayed ANPR cameras for the High Street to confirmed safety upgrades at the A40 Barnard Gate junction.
- The reviews record a June 19 incident in which Palestine Action broke into RAF Brize Norton and vandalised two aircraft, with subsequent local political criticism and ongoing administrative repercussions noted.
- The July–December wrap adds new outcomes and pressures, including the jailing of ketamine gang leader Sean Hadfield for more than nine years, persistent flooding complaints, scrutiny of a planning bid linked to the Oxford Witney Hotel’s use for asylum seekers, and an MP’s push for the OxRAIL 2040 rail link.