WE TAKE a look at the stories making headlines in East Lothian 25, 50 and 100 years ago.

25 years ago

MUSICAL duo Laura Menzies and Sarah Johnston were making headlines in the East Lothian Courier on February 12, 1999.

Musselburgh’s up and coming teenage pop band ‘Just Us’ are aiming to take the music charts by storm following their successful debut on national television.

But the star studded duo have admitted that their forthcoming standard grades are equally important in their quest for stardom.

Both girls, who attend Musselburgh Grammar School, are trying to juggle their hectic music commitments with their exams, looming in March.

Sarah, 13, said: “We have been doing some revision and we have a six week diary to work from, because we have our exams on March 15 until March 30.”

She also revealed that the girls are currently collating new material for a CD to send off to interested record companies later in the year.

“We would like to get a record deal and tour with a major group and we have recorded five songs so far for the CD,” she added.

50 years ago

‘MASSIVE house-building’ was the front page headline in the East Lothian Courier on February 15, 1974.

Plans for a massive high-quality private housing development at North Berwick were this week approved in principle by East Lothian Planning Committee.

When complete, the development will be one of the largest of its kind in Scotland.

The committee gave planning consent in principle on Tuesday for the building of 140 houses on a 20-acre site at Ware Road, subject to further consultation with officials.

The ground, part of the old North Berwick estate, has been sold by Sir Hew Hamilton-Dalrymple to Hall (Developments) Ltd, of Aberdeen, a company with wide experience in major construction work and house-building throughout Scotland.

The site has been designated for private housing since the late 1940s.

100 years ago

TRESPASSING on the railway line landed several men in court, reported The Haddingtonshire Courier on February 15, 1924.

In Haddington Sheriff Court on Monday, George Cathbertson, miner’s drawer; Andrew M’Neil, Timothy Cavanagh, and George Robertson, miners, pleaded guilty before Sheriff Jameson to having trespassed on the branch line of the railway at Tranent leading to Bankpark colliery siding.

Mr G. Rattray, solicitor, who prosecuted for the Railway Company, stated that there had been a good deal of damage done to the line by persons trespassing. He did not mean to say that the accused were guilty of this, but that such trespassing was a very serious danger to the accused, as well as to the travelling public.