THERE was a sense of deja vu about Hartlepool yesterday. Reporters and TV crews from around the world descended on the North-East town just as they did 25 months ago - the first time Peter Mandelson resigned from the Government. The town - which once
THE fire which ravaged Sedgefield Hardwick Primary School is causing upheaval for various organisations after the parish hall was taken over to provide classrooms for younger pupils. Among groups affected is the recently formed Sedgefield Development
A FIGHT to save a school goes on - despite a council's vote to close it. Education Secretary David Blunkett will be asked to step in if - as expected - a decision to shut St Anthony's Roman Catholic secondary School, Middlesbrough, is ratified in the
MORE than 90,000 people are being asked to decide if they want to elect their own mayor. Sedgefield Borough Council is among dozens of local authorities around the country looking at how it can reach its decisions faster and with fewer meetings. It is
A NORTH-EAST vehicle rental firm which has gone from strength to strength since moving to the region from the South-East, is hoping to build a new site. Northgate Plc which has developed from Alan Noble's business and Noble Self Drive, employs about 1,000
A NEW service to promote provisions for carers has been launched on Teesside. The Carers Development Service has been devised by the Redcar and Cleveland Voluntary Development Agency (RCVDA) to raise awareness of the issues affecting carers and the people
SMALL rural businesses will get the chance to meet buyers from large organisations during an event at a North-East castle. The Meet the Buyer event, at Raby Castle, near Staindrop, County Durham, on Wednesday and Thursday, February 21 and 22, will see
TWO newspaper deliverers alerted police about the suspicious activities of a pair of youths seen near a doctor's home, a court heard. It led to the arrest of Michael Thomas Collier, close to a house in Springfield Gardens, Chester-le-Street, which had
COUNCIL bosses thinking of installing a £25,000 sound system in their council chamber have been criticised by impoverished groups in the town. The system, which would enable councillors to vote electronically and control the volume of each microphone,
ELLIE is a springer spaniel who was quite literally left out in the cold. The little dog is described as friendly and lively, despite her unfortunate start in life. A week ago, she was taken to the NCDL's Darlington Rehoming Centre at night, tied to the
A MULTI-MILLION pound scheme to give schoolchildren in Hartlepool the best possible start in life has begun. Work has started on a £1.2m City Learning Centre at Dyke House School that will house a range of the latest computer equipment. Facilities at
AN independent inquiry will be launched into allegations of abuse and neglect at a North-East psychiatric unit. The inquiry into Cherry Knowle Hospital, Ryhope, near Sunderland, follows the deaths of patients Keven Knowles and Paul Spence. Yesterday,
STEPHEN HAWKING IN response to EA Moralee (HAS, Jan 19), Stephen Hawking has one of the greatest minds on our planet and has spent many years examining the universe, drawing conclusions from actual facts in order to establish our origins. He and his factual
THE station car park at Yarm could soon be turned into a temporary taxi office and waiting room. Stockton Borough Council is being recommended to grant 12 months' temporary planning permission for the office, at its meeting on Friday, despite objections
NISSAN is expected to announce today that the new generation Micra is to be built in the North-East - guaranteeing the future of about 1,300 jobs. Carlos Ghosn, chief executive of Nissan, is poised to reveal that the much-awaited decision is to go in
VISITORS to a museum are being invited to take part in a back to the future experience. People are being asked to help create a mini museum at Preston Hall Museum, near Stockton, by bringing along something of historical, personal or local interest, on
TWO men were charged with attempted burglary last night after the second bungled raid on a North-East post office in a few weeks. The men, from Bishop Auckland, in County Durham, were arrested after police were called to Tindale Crescent in the early
PETER Mandelson was last night under mounting pressure to follow his departure from the Government by quitting his North-East constituency. The Hartlepool MP is facing a growing tide of local opinion to stand down at the impending General Election from
NINE bright sparks from a North-East college have been offered Oxbridge university places. This number of offers to students of Queen Elizabeth sixth form college, Darlington, almost matches the record 11 offered two years ago. This year's successful
four years after an arson attack almost destroyed his fledgling recycling firm, Teesside businessman Paul Morgan is seeing it thrive again. Roseberry Recycling has attracted significant investment from venture capitalists Northern Enterprise (NEL), to
A SCHEME which sees taxis in Darlington tested three times a year could soon be abolished. New regulations, brought in on a pilot basis last year, saw taxis facing six-monthly tests by Vehicle Inspectorate officials, as well as the annual MOT. But after
A STOCKTON pub has given up its fight to extend its opening hours. Yates', in High Street, had applied to Stockton Borough Council to be open to midnight on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. But following months of objections from the police, the management
A FRESH appeal has gone out for people to get involved in the celebration of a part of Hartlepool's heritage. The rallying call follows approval of a £13,000 grant from the Local Heritage Initiative, a partnership between Heritage Lottery Fund (LHI),
A tourist attraction recreating the world of Britain's best-known vet is appealing for information about the forgotten art of spring cleaning - 1940s style. Before the arrival of the vacuum cleaner, the spring clean was a family tradition which required
DISABLED campaigners have branded wheelchair access to buses as "disgraceful". Darlington Association on Disability (DAD) is calling for a meeting with Arriva, Stagecoach and the town's borough council to discuss the situation. Gordon Pybus, of the association
A TEESSIDE council is set to be one of only a few in the country not raising council tax levels next year. Redcar and Cleveland Council, criticised for charging the second highest tax in the UK, is not increasing council tax while planning to invest in
MEMBERSHIP of the European Union will be placed under the spotlight in a debate by Gateshead councillors. Gateshead Labour councillor Peter Mole, who will lead the debate, said: "Gateshead is directly benefiting from the United Kingdom's membership of
A DRIVER narrowly escaped harm when a gang of children, aged about seven or eight, threw a brick into the path of his bus. The windscreen of the single-decker bus was smashed and glass splinters thrown into the driver's cab in the attack in Newcastle.
WOULD-BE family historians are well catered for on the Internet with plenty of sites offering to help people find out more about their ancestors. From fanatical hobbyists to official record-keepers, there is plenty of information online to help surfers
A MAN who beat a teenager to death with a hammer told a court yesterday that it seemed like a dream. Computer programmer Robert Green, 44, said he continued to hit Mark Stott, 18, with a 3lb hammer, despite realising he had a head wound. Green, who denies
AN inquest into the death of an 11-year-old boy was opened and adjourned at Teesside Magistrates' Court yesterday. Liam Antony Evans, of Ripon Road, Redcar, died at home on Monday. A Cleveland Police spokesman said there were no suspicious circumstances
AN 11-year-old County Durham girl whose mother claimed multi-million pound damages after she suffered brain damage during her birth, came away from London's High Court yesterday without a penny . Louise Wood, of Finchale Road, Newton Hall, Durham, was
POLICE officers continued their search for a missing North-East pensioner yesterday. Concern is growing for the safety of 82-year-old George Winter, from Redcar, who has not been seen since Sunday. Yesterday, officers from the Cleveland Police mounted
ABOUT 20 firefighters battled for two hours last night, to bring a scrapyard fire under control. Four fire engines were sent to the blaze, at R and H Tomlinson's scrapyard, Colliery Yard, Manor Road, in West Auckland, County Durham. It is thought to have
GRATEFUL Yvonne Baxter owes her life to her eight-year-old son Jamie and his pet dog. The 44-year-old collapsed at home suffering from viral meningitis with only the youngster and his Tibetan terrier, Barney, at home. Jamie kept a cool head when he found
RADIO presenter Ana Schofield felt the long arm of the law while she was presenting her programme yesterday. The 26-year-old Metro Radio DJ, daughter of Eastenders actor Leslie Schofield, was "arrested'' by two bobbies in the middle of her breakfast show
A vicar has been a given £500 grant to spend three months watching films in the hope of finding a link between faith and the movies. The Reverend Richard Stone will spend the coming weeks immersed in films, such as Trainspotting, The Full Monty and Toy
THE wonderful world of The Hobbit, as depicted in Tolkien's classic book, The Lord of the Rings, last night captured the imagination of a council's planning committee. Despite objections from the Environment Agency and Durham County Council's highways
A GROUND-BREAKING project pioneered in the North-East is opening doors for children with special needs - enabling many to communicate for the first time. Dr Phil Ellis of Sunderland University's school of arts, design and media is working with children
A GOOD argument every now and again has kept the spark in John and Millie Wilson's long marriage. The couple, from Gilesgate, Durham City, are celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary today. They tied the knot at St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic Church,
TROUBLED Internet retailer LetsBuyIt.com has been rescued from the brink of bankruptcy after securing a last-minute funding deal. The UK company has clinched £2.6m investment and a promise from a German backer of another £31.7m. That was enough for administrators
PUBLISHERS of a series of local history books are asking people to send in photographs and postcards which could feature in their latest volume. The People's Press, in Sunderland, hopes to publish a pictorial record of the Gaunless Valley, near Bishop
A HUSBAND'S campaign to free his wife after she was jailed for biting off a man's testicle gathers pace this week. Nathan Carr will hear from the High Court in London whether his wife, Denise, can appeal against the six-month sentence handed to her three
A POLICE inspector known as the "Sheriff of Saltburn" is retiring after 34 years. Insp Dave Sadler joined Yorkshire's North Riding force as a cadet in 1967 and later moved to Saltburn, where he spent half his career. Insp Sadler, who is married to Anne
BRITAIN'S first Holocaust Memorial Day is being supported by Chester-le-Street District Council. To support the event council staff and members of the public are invited to write messages and their thoughts about the Holocaust on the fake leaves of a
A YOUNG football team has been left devastated by the theft of its kit from a car boot. Strips belonging to the under -eights Teesside Athletic Junior Football Club were taken from their coach's car, on Saturday. The 13 sets of red shorts, red socks,
THE restoration of a village hall is to begin as soon as the worst of the winter weather is over, it has been announced. Work to restore the fascia of the former 19th Century temperance hall of Hurworth Village Hall, is due to start soon. The millennium
Butterwick Children's Hospice has been presented with £723 by staff at Asda in Stockton, Teesside. Staff and customers raised the money for the hospice during a recent fun day at the store.
DARLINGTON'S newest hospital has appointed a chief. Anne Rhodes, 39, has been appointed managing director of Woodlands Healthcare, the company behind the £8.1m Woodlands Hospital, due to open at Morton Park in the summer. Anne moves to the region from
COUNCILLORS have blocked moves by a Darlington businessman to renew permission for a pub or restaurant in Skinnergate. Martin Craster had applied for the permission at 12 Skinnergate, now the Dani Martini clothes shop. Planners had recommended refusal
AN emergency poverty strategy has been drawn up by Derwentside District Council which estimates one in four residents cannot afford to heat their homes properly. The council will target private sector homes with an energy efficiency promotion campaign
A DARLINGTON hospice has benefited from one of the region's largest races. St Teresa's Hospice in the town sees the Great North Run in October last year as a "winning day" for the hospice. There were 15 runners in the race who were sponsored to raise
HEALTH bosses in the North-East say they may recruit new GPs from Germany and Holland to boost local services. Sunderland South Primary Care Group (PCG) is looking abroad as part of its effort to sign up 30 more family doctors to work on Wearside. The
A PUB relief manager lay terrified, as intruders raided the premises, twice entering her bedroom, a court heard. The woman was sleeping with her daughter on the second floor of the Grand Hotel, in South Church, Bishop Auckland, when she was awoken by
A FORMER soldier told a court yesterday that the woman accusing him of attempted rape was "emotional and aggressive". John Terence Ellison, 31, said the 23-year-old had been "all over him" in the New Market pub, in Tow Law, County Durham, before the alleged
A MAN and a young woman were taken to hospital last night after the car they were travelling in collided with a heavy goods vehicle. The accident happened near the White Horse pub, on the A167, on the outskirts of Darlington, at about 5.10pm. A tipper
ANDRE Agassi is to try to persuade Pat Rafter to delay his departure from tennis. Agassi was full of praise for the man whose bid for a fairytale Australian Open victory ended after five punishing semi-final sets in Melbourne yesterday. Rafter, who gave
A COUNTY Durham play equipment company has won a contract to construct an unusual softplay area. Play Concept of Stanley has won the deal to construct the Body Parts softplay complex at the new- look Waterworld in Prudhoe, Northumberland. Specialists
A MAN said to have got off lightly after beating up another driver in a road rage attack, had his jail term increased in a rare move by judges at London's Criminal Appeal Court yesterday. Mark Heighton, 25, of Westbury Street, Thornaby, was convicted
EVER wondered why Denis Thatcher always obeyed his wife? Contrary to popular myth it wasn't because he was scared - it was because he was her puppet. An exhibition at Gateshead's Shipley Art Gallery features larger-than-life paper caricatures of the rich
ONE of Britain's leading Holocaust experts will be visiting the North-East to mark memorial events. Paula Kitching of the London Jewish Cultural Centre, will explain the events which surrounded the Holocaust, as part of the inaugural Holocaust Memorial
A MOTHER whose nipple fell off following a breast reduction operation has lost her case for compensation. Tracey Rochester, 33, , of Cullercoats, North Tyneside, underwent the surgery to reduce her size 40FF breasts, in April 1994. She made a claim for
TRIBUTES have been paid to former Teesdale councillor Bill Greig who died in hospital last week. Members of Teesdale District Council spoke yesterday of the spirit and character of the 85-year-old, who retired from local politics in 1999. He was a well-known
A HARD-hitting report into the crippling unemployment figures in Chester-le-Street will be presented before councillors tomorrow. With the district known for having the worst jobless figures in County Durham - 9.per cent against 6.per cent for the whole
A NORTH-EAST independent school has been placed above Eton in a set of league tables. Red House School, which is an independent co-educational day school, in Norton, Stockton, finished 34th out of the top independent schools across the country. It was
WORKERS at troubled steel firm Corus were praised yesterday by Prime Minister Tony Blair as the most highly skilled in Europe, in the face of impending job cuts. Mr Blair said the Government "very much regrets" suggestions of job losses at the steel company
NORTH-EAST Labour MPs last night made heartfelt pleas to the Government to give a boost to manufacturing industry in their region. Ashok Kumar, MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, said manufacturers could see a growing North-South divide in
A NEW radical approach to encourage residents of Newcastle to shape the future of their own communities will be launched today. The approach is described in a new White Paper on community planning, with the aim of ensuring residents living in each of
