Cardiff today: Welcoming 2011, festive flu, and council city visions

Good morning Cardiff and Happy New Year! We hope you enjoyed some of the fantastic guest posts and features on the blog over the Christmas period, and thanks to everyone who contributed with blogposts and comments. We trust you all had a great holiday and are feeling fully rested for the New Year. As thousands flocked to the city to see in 2011 , we went out with Cardiff Street Pastors on their first night out on New Year's Eve – listen to our podcast from the night on the blog tomorrow. In the news and across the blogosphere As people begin to climb out of a comatose Christmas state filled with wine and mince pies, many are still recovering from a severe bout of winter flu bugs which swept across Wales over the festive period. ITV Wales reports on the continued spreading of the winter illness. One family in Cardiff were left bitterly disappointed after a Royal Mail postman left their posted presents in their wheelie bin, which was emptied by the council. Read the report here. Traders in the city centre have spoken of their nervousness for the year ahead with the impending rise in VAT and public sector cutbacks. Read the report here. In the news, the Model Inn on Quay Street has closed due to a decline in trade, reports WalesOnline. Independent group leader Jayne Cowan gives her vision for Cardiff in 2020 on yourCardiff - including making basic council services better, a joined-up public transport network, and introducing trams into Cardiff. Cowan writes: "In the long term we would like to see trams introduced into Cardiff. They come with many benefits, including the fact that they hold around three times more people than buses. People really enjoy using trams and with that, would bring new shoppers and residents into the area." Liberal Democrat leader Rodney Berman has also given his 2020 vision here , and conservative group leader David Walker here . My Whitchurch has posted this slideshow of snowy photos taken in the ward while the city was covered in white not so long ago. Llandaff News has done the same here . A day of police action in Cardiff city centre saw more than 50 people arrested. South Wales Police posted news of the operation here . The Guardian takes an in-depth look at True Stories Told Live - a branch of which takes place in Cardiff at Cardiff Arts Centre. The Joy Collective reviews a year in music in Cardiff and Bristol on the blog. Brew Wales has is top pub awards for 2010 including some worthy Cardiff winners. On fix my street Cardiff over the festive period, reports of extreme dog fouling in Adamsdown , poor street lighting in Fairwater and failure to collect recycling despite thawed snow in some areas of the city – as well as many reports of roads not cleared after the big snow dump in late December. DJ Leekee has posted up some great images of a frozen River Taff on his blog here. Real Radio is set to go national reports BBC Wales. A feature on BBC Wales remembers the 'worst night of the Blitz' in Cardiff, 70 years on. If you would like to share your news or an event with me, please write a comment below, or drop me an email, or send me a message on Twitter @GdnCardiff