MIDDLESBROUGH'S crack Croatian striker Alen Boksic has been bracketed with Brazilian superstar Ronaldo. The accolade comes from Boro's Australian international midfielder Paul Okon, who was also a teammate of Boksic with Italian giants Lazio. Okon has
GOVERNMENT health officials have denied operations at two of the region's biggest hospitals could be cancelled because of a scare over possible vCJD contamination. The Newcastle Hospitals Trust, which manages the Royal Victoria Infirmary and Newcastle
AFTER 30 years of bitter conflict, power sharing helped bring the opposing sides in Northern Ireland together, even if it has not yet led to peace. Now, Peter Mandelson is hoping the same principle can be brought to bear on the problem of regional government
EVEN in the belief that it's impossible to libel a bloke who burned at the stake 455 years ago, it's hard to know what to make of Thomas Cranmer, the original Yes Minister. On most arguments he was Henry VIII's lapdog, an ecclesiastical poodle completely
WORK starts next week on a multi-million pound transport initiative to benefit residents of western Gateshead. The plan, spearheaded by Nexus, in partnership with other agencies, involves the provision of services operating through a staffed transport
SEGA may have pulled the plug on Dreamcast but a growing band of amateur programmers certainly haven't. Dreamcast was, until recently, the most powerful video games console you could buy. Based on tried 'n' tested components, mostly cast-offs from the
TRADING standards officers are warning people to be on their guard against a lottery scam. The warning comes after a Hartlepool man received a letter from Holland telling him he was in with a chance of winning £200m of European lottery money. The man
AN engineering company has promised to invest £4.5m in the region, creating 20 jobs. Precision engineering company e2A Ltd, at Tanfield Lea, near Stanley, County Durham, has been awarded a contract to build components for the Newton Aycliffe operation
A FIRM has dropped plans to reduce the number of shops when it redevelops its property. Traders in Claypath, Durham, feared two of their five ground floor units would go in the second phase of the scheme by their landlord, Fultons of Sacriston. They lodged
A MAGISTRATE has been killed in a car crash. Hospital worker Kathleen Cornforth, 52, of Hartlepool, was driving across the A177, at Thorpe Thewles, near Stockton, when her Vauxhall Corsa was involved in a collision with a Seat Ibiza just before 11.30am
INNOVATION is the key to business success in the North-East. That was the message from clockwork radio inventor Trevor Baylis when he helped to launch the North-East Innovation Strategy and Action Plan yesterday. Mr Baylis addressed an audience of more
A DARLINGTON baker is rising to the occasion after success in a competition. Michael Sisterson was runner-up in the Shell Livewire awards for the Tees Valley, a scheme which recognises the efforts of business people, aged 16 to 30. No one was more surprised
A BANNED driver who caused a crash in which a motorcyclist was killed and then gave police a false name, was jailed yesterday for nine months. Richard Petty, 30, who has never taken a driving test, turned across the motorcyclist's path on the A171 Guisborough
JAMES Sharp has set his Hartlepool United teammates a four-game winning target as the Division Three promotion race hots up. Pool enter the final stages of the season in fourth spot, one place and four points behind Brighton and Cardiff, and with seven
YOUNG artists involved in an anti-bullying campaign have been showing off posters of their ideas. The children, all pupils at Teesside schools, were taking part in a competition run by the South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust, Tees and North East Yorkshire
PUPILS had an insight into the world of work when they took part an industry day. Framwellgate School officially organised a series of workshops yesterday, aimed at bringing business and education together. All 200 pupils from year nine took part in a
MORE than 60 handmade quilts have gone on display as part of an annual exhibition celebrating the traditional craft. The fourth Pins and Needles exhibition will run at Newcastle's Telewest Arena until tomorrow, and includes quilts made by individuals
PUPILS at two schools are doing their best to lick poverty in South America by saving thousands of used stamps. Children at Pelaw Infants, in Chester-le-Street, and Chester-le-Street C of E Primary School have collected several large bin bags full of
A LORRY carrying 44 tonnes of aid bound for Romanian orphanages has been allowed on its way by French authorities - minus 500 Cadbury's Creme Eggs. Customs officials in France had ordered the Romanian driver of the 40ft Convoy Aid lorry to either remove
DARLINGTON may be languishing near the bottom of football's Third Division, but their fans score every time for style against the North-East's mighty Premiership teams. That's according to a new survey ranking fans of the Feethams club among the top 20
PLANS for a £300,000 youth centre will be unveiled to the public, during an event next month. An open day will be held at the former Farmway depot, in Newgate, Barnard Castle, which will be converted into the town's first YMCA for 15 years. Visitors will
SUNDERLAND expect a record sell-out crowd for this afternoon's visit of old rivals Leeds United, described by Wearside boss Peter Reid as "our biggest game of the season." The biggest attendance since the Stadium of light was extended this season was
POLICE are urging car dealers in Darlington to be vigilant after linking two thefts of cars from garage forecourts. The latest theft took place at SG Petch, in McMullen Road, between 5pm and 5.30pm on Thursday. It followed the theft a day earlier at Reg
TWO major concerts planned for the summer are at the centre of a dispute over fees. Every year, the Proms in the Park and Jools Holland concerts, at Ormesby Hall, Middlesbrough, attract people from all over the North-East. This year's events have been
A TOWN'S taxi drivers are being given an ultimatum - to get wheelchair-friendly or face new competition. Borough councillors in Middlesbrough are expected to give the community's cab operators the option of converting a number of their cars to take wheelchairs
A COMPUTER consultant who ran a "school for sexual corruption" in a respectable suburb was jailed yesterday for five years. Peter Collins lured schoolgirls into taking part in pornographic films, which he produced, directed and starred in. The 42-year-old
Bishop Auckland can improve their chances of finishing third in the UniBond League if they take three points off lowly Colwyn Bay at Kingsway today. Bishops dropped to fourth last weekend after their defeat at Lancaster, who overtook them, but a midweek
MOTOR services group Lex Service has struck a £112m deal to buy the windscreen replacement business Auto Windscreens. The Buckinghamshire company said Auto Windscreens would be incorporated into the RAC business it bought 18 months ago. It claimed its
JOB losses and branch closures will be weighed up as part of an investigation into Lloyds TSB's proposed take-over of Abbey National, the Competition Commission has said. Its chairman Denise Kingsmill stressed that although the principal concern of the
IT'S no wonder children at a primary school have received an award for excellence from the Government - for the youngsters know a thing or two about government themselves. Schoolchildren and staff at Langley Park Primary School, near Durham, received
Letters from The Northern Echo DARLINGTON FC I APPLAUD the management of Darlington Football Club for the recent news that it will include escalators in the design of the new stadium at Neasham Road. This will be of great benefit to the older and more
NEW efforts to tackle retail crime in Darlington have been backed by the town's MP, Health Secretary Alan Milburn. He was at the Cornmill Shopping Centre in the town yesterday to relaunch the town's Crimenet scheme. The scheme, set up by police and retailers
A COASTAL footpath is facing years of future landslips in the wake of last November's floods. The North York Moors National Park Authority said diversions along the 110-mile Cleveland Way would have to remain in place, even when the foot-and-mouth crisis
A MAN is due to appear before magistrates charged with the abduction of his four children. Masuk Miah, 41, of South Shields, is alleged to have taken son Nozrul, 14, and daughters Nadheera, 13, Hagena, ten, and five-year-old Tasnin to Bangladesh. They
A MAN has been jailed after he held a gun to his former partner's head in front of her child. Robert Duggan, threatened Beryl Scott with the firing pistol last October after being convicted of harassing her. Newcastle Crown Court heard how his partner
RETAILERS, a biotech company and Manchester United will provide the City with a rich variety of news next week as traders look for a stream of positive corporate numbers to boost confidence. The City's attention will focus on biotech company Alizyme's
A Paralympics gold medallist has been setting youngsters on the starting blocks to success. Kenny Churchill, of Middlesbrough, was the guest of honour at Future Steps' Go For It special needs careers event, at Durham University's Stockton campus this
ONE of the region's oldest and most-loved businesses will close both its stores today. A chapter of history will close when Dressers in Darlington and Northallerton shut their doors for the last time. The directors of Dressers (Stationers) Ltd announced
YOUNGSTERS at a rural school are forging links with the other side of the world, thanks to a mountaineer. Pupils at Carlton Miniott Primary School, near Thirsk, are learning about life in Kathmandu, Nepal, by exchanging letters with a Sherpa school. They
THERE will be no throwing in of the towel at West Hartlepool and coach John Stabler is hoping for the first league win of the season today. Although a third successive relegation is already certain after 22 straight defeats, the players had a meeting
A businesswoman has been chosen as the Liberal Democrats' Teesside candidate for the general election. Linda Parrish, of Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough, will stand as the party's prospective parliamentary candidate in the latest poll. Mrs Parrish, who is is
Members of Durham Johnston School's Under-12 girls five-a-side football team returned heart-broken from the Wagon Wheels Schools' National Cup after being knocked-out at the semi-final stage on Saturday. And they suffered more semi-final disappointment
THE turf season is now well under way and the jockeys have all returned from their winter breaks. Some stay at home and ride on the all-weather while others venture around the globe in their quest for success. The top jockeys are obviously eyeing the
It is time to make a start with the vegetable garden. Preparations can now be made for sowing seeds in the open ground. Soil that was dug last winter and turned up, should break down into a fine tilth as soon as it dries out a little. Do not break the
SEGA may have pulled the plug on Dreamcast but a growing band of amateur programmers certainly haven't. Dreamcast was, until recently, the most powerful video games console you could buy. Based on tried 'n' tested components, mostly cast-offs from the
Q An 86-year-old friend lives on a reduced State Pension of £54.93 a week and has savings of £13,000. Can she get help with her Council Tax of £44 a month? A She currently qualifies for a rebate of £6.70 a week. Under the new savings rules from April
A TEACHING union has ruled out calling off industrial action before Easter. The National Union of Teachers (NUT) had been asked to suspend its protest in order to enter talks with employers on overtime pay and time off in lieu. Middlesbrough's 60 primary
A POLICE authority is to launch a major consultation exercise to gauge public opinion on officers' powers to stop and search suspects. Home Secretary Jack Straw has called for openness about possible changes to the rules, which could lead to simple stops
THE owners of the Newcastle Jesters ice hockey club are expected to begin talks with union bosses in the next week - more than a month after wages were due to have been paid. The players and staff were last night still waiting for a combined cheque of
LAZY taxi drivers who sound their horns to alert late-night fares could lose their licences for disturbing sleeping neighbours. The amount of "taxi tooting" late at night has so concerned a council that it has launched a crackdown on noisy cabbies. Redcar
AN entrepreneur is likely to complete a deal to buy Mother Shipton's Cave. Doncaster-based Adrian Sayers said he would take over the 12-acre estate at Knaresborough as soon as the sale was completed with current owners, Ilex Leisure. But he pledged there
A FAMILY said a fond farewell to one of the region's top detectives yesterday. Respects were paid to retired Chief Superintendent Jack Collinson MBE, who died last weekend, in a service at Hunwick, Bishop Auckland, in County Durham. The 83-year-old, who
FOOT-and-mouth disease has claimed the Darlington and District Cricket League. A month before it was due to start, the competitive season has been abandoned without a ball being bowled. "It's just heart breaking, the straw that could break local league
FOUR deprived areas of the region are to benefit from an injection of cash to help improve education standards. The small Education Action Zones were announced yesterday as part of the Government's Excellence in Cities programme. Parts of Hartlepool,
A REJUVENATED microelectronics company is leading the way to business success in the Tees Valley, with the launch of a new facility at Skelton. Cleveland Circuits, part of the Cleveland Technologies Group, has created 25 jobs at its £350,000 in-house
SUNDERLAND 0, LEEDS UNITED 2 LEEDS UNITED made it six consecutive Premiership victories over Sunderland despite being reduced to ten men midway through the second half at the Stadium of Light. Striker Alan Smith, who headed the Yorkshiremen in front in
EVEN in the belief that it's impossible to libel a bloke who burned at the stake 455 years ago, it's hard to know what to make of Thomas Cranmer, the original Yes Minister. On most arguments he was Henry VIII's lapdog, an ecclesiastical poodle completely
A GROUP of runners are stepping up the pace as they train to run the London Marathon for charity. The five members of Shildon Running Club are paying their own way to enter the race on Sunday, April 22. Myra McMenamin, Jean-Pierre Hupin, Bob Davison,
STRICKEN skipper Alan Shearer could be pressed back into action this season if Newcastle United are dragged towards the Premiership relegation mire. United boss Bobby Robson is reluctant to risk the injured Shearer, who is ruled out for at least another
FISHING will be made easier for the young and disabled thanks to a Lottery grant of almost £25,000. New Shildon Angling Club was celebrating this week after a cheque for £24,697 was presented by the Sport England Lottery Fund. The club's assistant secretary
DARLINGTON manager Gary Bennett believes his side has 'ten cup finals' between now and the end of the season. Quakers face promotion-chasing Leyton Orient this afternoon with six home games left in their struggle against relegation to the Conference and
RESIDENTS look to have saved a community association from folding. Sixty-two people turned up to the annual meeting of Newton Hall Community Association, Durham, in answer to a plea for new blood on the committee. The association's long-serving chairman
SENIOR police chiefs have reassured residents across North Yorkshire that the future of crime-busting spy camera schemes is close to being secured. Fears were expressed last month about the future of the county's successful closed-circuit television camera
PETER Mandelson is an unlikely disciple of regional government. A man so closely associated with political presentation and strategy is a strange advocate for a devolved structure which will inevitably entail frequent bouts of dissension and discord.
LEEDS UNITED made it six consecutive Premiership victories over Sunderland despite being reduced to ten men midway through the second half at the Stadium of Light. Striker Alan Smith, who headed the Yorkshiremen in front in the 32nd minute was shown the
AN equestrian enthusiast is saddling up for a challenging trip to Asia - but needs to find £2,500 to fund the adventure. Jo Raw, of Thornton-le-Street, near Northallerton, is hoping to take part in a 100-mile ride across Mongolia in June, in aid of Guide
A LAW firm manager appeared in court yesterday accused of stealing £218,000 of its money. Charles Henry Martin, 55, an accounts manager with Jacksons Solicitors, at Yarm Road, Stockton, on Teesside, faced 62 charges between April 1995 and June last year
A MAN has been jailed after he held a gun to his former partner's head in front of her child. Robert Duggan threatened Beryl Scott with the firing pistol last October after being convicted of harassing her. Newcastle Crown Court heard how his partner
THE UK aviation industry is celebrating the removal of any rival to the European Airbus superjumbo aircraft which will create 22,000 British jobs. US plane-making competitor Boeing has decided not to go ahead with plans for its own superjumbo. This now
CHILDREN from a Guisborough primary school have been enjoying a week of activities devoted to reading. Belmont Primary School's Literacy Week has seen the children writing and performing plays, editing books and recording poetry on to video and audio
HARTLEPOOL United's long unbeaten run goes on - but they will be disappointed they could only manage a 1-1 draw with struggling Halifax at Victoria Park. Pool's run extends to November 25 last year - a run of 21 Division Three games and is the longest
A VICIOUS rapist was jailed for 12 years yesterday for two terrifying attacks on women as they walked home. Michael Marsden, 21, will face a further supervision period of four years after admitting raping one woman and attempting to rape another. He claimed
ONE of three men accused of the murder of a loner claimed in court yesterday that he never touched him. Derek Mendum, 21, said at Teesside Crown Court that he backed off as two of his friends attacked 39-year-old Abdul Ghafoor in his home. He told a jury
FORMER Cabinet minister Peter Mandelson set out details of his vision for regional government in the North-East yesterday. The Hartlepool MP used a speech in his constituency to call for a referendum on setting up an assembly early in the next Parliament
GATESHEAD Borough Council is forging formal links with a national housing association to provide sheltered accommodation for its senior citizens. The move to enter partnership with Housing 21 follows the decision taken by the authority last year, to improve
A QUIET revolution which is opening up the region's medical schools to more local people has been given a boost by Health Secretary Alan Milburn. As part of the Government's drive to increase access to higher education, a new kind of medical training
A DISUSED children's home could be demolished if councillors decide the building is no longer needed. Bonnyrigg Children's Home, in Hartlepool, has been empty since December 1998, although plans to close it were first suggested in 1990. A change in the
UP to 40,000 pensioners in the North-East could be missing out on Government cash, campaigners have warned. Age Concern Durham County and Durham County Social Services Welfare Rights Department have joined forces, to let pensioners know about changes
Newcastle came back this afternoon from two goals down to earn a hard fought point at Valley Parade. Andrew O'Brien could hardly believe what had hit him on his Magpies debut, finding his new employers two goals down after being hit with a two-goal blitz
AN IMPASSIONED plea to Prince Charles could be the last hope for a flock of a rare breed of sheep facing slaughter. Last night, farmer Peter Cruddas, of Tow Law, County Durham, spoke of his growing fear for the future of his Hebridean flock. They are
CALLS for a Home Office inquiry into Operation Lancet were growing last night following a £1.9m Government donation to help meet mounting costs. Cleveland Police Authority announced yesterday the money will offset the major expense of the police corruption
NORTH-EASTERN raiders Robbo (2.15) and Merry Masquerade (2.50) are strongly fancied to plunder the two top prizes on offer at Ascot this afternoon. Mary Reveley's talented duo are both in their element when the mud is flying and with ground conditions
THE owner of a chain of hair salons at the centre of a hairdressing war, has been ordered to pay a second former employee cash for holidays owed. An industrial tribunal ruled that Peter Moss, of Hilary Hair, Beauty and Fashion, in Durham City, must pay
TEENAGER Mark Robinson was the unlucky one at Victoria Park this afternoon as Hartlepool United looked to make it 21 Division Three games without defeat. With Mark Tinkler back in midfield after a two-game suspension, Ian Clark reverted to left wing back
