Thirsk Farmers' Auction Mart, in North Yorkshire, will today be the latest to begin trading again as the region's farming industry continues to emerge from the shadow of foot-and-mouth. An earlier row between the mart and officials from the Department
A GUITARIST is dedicating one of his concerts to a music shop owner who died just before last Christmas. Simon Dinnigan will take the stage in the Throne Room at Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland, on Friday, March 22, at 7.30pm. On his visit to the area
CEMENT workers fighting for their jobs are using French connections to put pressure on their European bosses. Trade unionists across the Channel are backing 147 staff at Lafarge UK's Blue Circle plant at Eastgate, in Upper Weardale, County Durham, which
A VILLAGE charity group is inviting people to "Dawdle or Dash" and raise money for cancer care. The Hutton Rudby Macmillan Support Group will hold its third annual fundraising event on April 21, with help from Stokesley Rotary Club. It will be held in
ONE of the few remaining local authorities yet to modernise in the wake of a Government drive to make councils more accessible decides the way ahead this evening. With a poor turnout at local elections now the norm, Westminster is keen to streamline local
One of the main auction marts in North Yorkshire opened its doors yesterday a year after it was closed down because of foot-and-mouth. Northallerton market's first sale was low-key with 34 animals sold - well below the normal run of about 300 beasts a
BILLINGHAM Forum's badminton club is appealing for new members to join its ranks this year. Players must be over 16 years of age and have some experience of playing badminton. The club meets on Mondays, from 7.30pm to 9.30pm. Equipment is provided and
DURHAM University Choral Society is staging a jubilee concert in the city's cathedral. It will be held on Saturday, with James Lancelot conducting and featuring soloists Claire Bessent, Helena Thomas, Ben Alden, and James Arthur. The main part of the
MORE than 600 part-time and full-time call centre jobs are on offer at a jobs fair this week. East Durham and Houghall Community College, in Peterlee, County Durham, will host the event between 10am and 3pm on Thursday. It has been organised by the Employment
Ministers were today set to unveil a £40m package to kick-start the region's tourism industry following the double blow of September 11 and foot-and-mouth disease. Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell was expected to announce the cash in a bid to tempt visitors
Belmont Cricket Club, on the outskirts of Durham, is looking for recruits for the new season, which begins at the end of April. The club plays at Belmont Community Association re-creation area, off Sunderland Road, and fields teams in the North-East Durham
POLICE and coastguards were called out to a notorious suicide spot when a man appeared to be threatening to jump off a bridge. But when they arrived at Monkwearmouth Bridge, in Sunderland, at midnight on Friday, they discovered he was walking on the outside
WINTRY conditions left one man dead and brought chaos to the region's roads at the weekend, with a series of pile-ups on the A1 bringing traffic to a standstill. A spate of accidents within minutes of each other on a stretch of the A1 in North Yorkshire
The young British Islamic militant who confessed to masterminding the abduction and murder of US reporter Daniel Pearl has been linked to the gang that killed two Britons in Kashmir seven years ago. Keith Mangan from Middlesbrough and Paul Wells from
POLICE are weeding out troublemakers in a Teesside neighbourhood. A brick-built planter that was intended to brighten up Laycock Street, in Middlesbrough, was demolished last week because it acted as a focal point for youngsters and its contents were
NORTHALLERTON. - Tues. Fatstock fwd: 33 cattle, 363 sheep. Med steers to 99.5p av 91.8p; heavy to 99.5p av 91.3p; med bulls to 99.5p av 88.5p; heavy to 98.5p av 86.2p; med hfrs to 101.5p av 90.5p; heavy to 102.5p av 90.2p. Std hoggs to 106.4p av 90.1p
THE MMR jab is a safe and effective vaccination, Health Secretary Alan Milburn said during a tough quizzing on a visit to one of his constituency schools. During the 45-minute session at Eastbourne School, the Darlington MP also gave his backing "in principle
Warning signs and special road markings should be considered to prevent another Selby-style rail accident, a report said today. New safety barriers could be erected on some roads near rail lines, the report from the Health and Safety Commission suggested
A GREENFIELD site near the River Tees is likely to be developed after councillors approved a plan for 60 more houses in the area's largest housing estate. Stockton Borough Council planners approved an application from Yuill Homes and Bellway Housing to
A North Yorkshire man has denied smuggling cocaine valued at £22 million into an airport. Peter Carine, 49, from Hensall, North Yorkshire, pleaded not guilty to smuggling 271 kilos of the drug between August and October 17. He is charged along with Christopher
A SCHOOL needs to raise only £5,000 more to achieve special sports status. Longfield Comprehensive School, in Darlington, needs £50,000 before Friday to support its bid. If it is successful, the Government will provide funding to the school to help it
DARLINGTON failed to break their Halifax hoodoo, despite dominating for the first 55 minutes in a West Yorkshire quagmire on Saturday. They led 10-0 at half-time against the North Division One leaders but lost 19-10 and will probably need to win their
A DAMNING report into the Operation Lancet inquiry has cleared former detective superintendent Ray Mallon and has branded the police probe a massive waste of public money. About four years after the Lancet saga first hit the headlines, an independent
Charmed (C5) Wild North (Tyne Tees) 'WHY can't I be a normal person in love with a normal guy?" asked Piper as US supernatural series Charmed returned for a third series. As a newcomer, I admit to finding it all a bit baffling. Piper is one of a trio
PUPILS at two schools have plenty to smile about because they attend the only two schools in Darlington with fewer than a third of pupils who have no bad teeth. Darlington is the fifth worst area for dental decay in under- fives in the North and Yorkshire
AN old soldier who claims the Ministry of Defence is refusing to pay him money wrongly deducted from his war pension has vowed to battle on. Major Richard Perkins is adamant he is among veterans owed millions of pounds after the MoD admitted the soldiers
A £100,000 renovation scheme is under way at a familar landmark on the outskirts of Darlington. The Tees Cottage Pumping Station, in Coniscliffe Road, which is more than 150 years old, was built to pump clean water from the Tees to Darlington town centre
THE Tees District Benefits Agency has won the Charter Mark award for its customer service for the second time. The agency delivers benefit from five branch offices and 12 job centres. The Charter Mark is the Government's award scheme to encourage and
ELDERLY residents in Middlesbrough will be safer in their homes thanks to a cash award. Securicor has given Southfield Community Council £500 to help fit security door chains for elderly people in the area. The council was nominated for the award by treasurer
A theatre has announced details of its new season - but not one of the productions will be held at its historic playhouse. Contractors are expected to start work within weeks on a £1.1m restoration of the Georgian Theatre Royal in Richmond. In the meantime
A KEEN cyclist from Durham has flown out to Cuba for a week-long ride across the island. Geoff Young, 49, of Newton Hall, in the city, is taking part in a 270-mile expedition organised by the National Deaf Children's Society to raise funds for its work
A RURAL link scheme will helpvillagers to travel on buses and trains that they have only been able to watch - but not use - until now. People living in the Lower Wharfedale area can often see buses and trains in the distance, but are unable to reach them
THE Post Office lived up to its reputation of delivering the goods when, only a few hours before a wedding on Saturday, the postman delivered a parcel to 6 Yohden Avenue, Horden, east Durham, and enabled a bride to keep a promise she made to two aunts
NORTH-EAST comedian Vic Reeves is all smiles after his former topless model girlfriend accepted his marriage proposal during a night out. The 43-year-old star, from Darlington, proposed to Nancy Sorrell days after returning from a Caribbean holiday with
JON Chadwick, chief executive of Langbaurgh Primary Care Group since it was formed in April 1999, has been appointed chief executive of the Langbaurgh Primary Care Trust. The trust will cover the Redcar, Marske, Saltburn, Skelton, Brotton, Loftus and
Darlington supporters at Feethams on Saturday - and those who chose not to bother wasting their money - left chairman George Reynolds in no doubt as to their feelings. Large parts of the crowd booed the efforts of the team well before the half-hour mark
THE North-East could soon have its first curling rink if there is sufficient demand, a council has said. Stockton Borough Council this week revealed its proposals for a new leisure centre in Billingham - including an ice-skating rink - which is due to
A CHEMIST'S slip up left a North-East man fighting for his life after he was given the wrong prescription. Michael Walker was rushed to hospital after a pharmacist at a Boots store in Newcastle gave him pills which nearly induced a diabetic coma. Instead
A UNIVERSITY is planning to carry on the controversial work of an academic who died in the Selby rail crash. Professor Steve Baldwin defied the establishment by setting up the UK's first clinic to wean children with behavioural problems off the mind-altering
STAFF at Tesco in Scarborough town centre are mounting a campaign to keep it open after being told the supermarket giant is planning to sell it to a hardware chain. The store has been in the Balmoral Centre since it was built 26 years ago and employs
AN appeal to raise £10,000 to save a crumbling church from closure has reached £7,000. The Church of the Venerable Bede, at Leavening, near Malton, faced closure because of its condition, said clerk of works Pat Conn. "We have had to give top priority
A piece of the Yorkshire coast's fishing industry which is being restored by volunteers has been given a £20,000 cash boost. One of the last surviving fishing cobles, the Margaret, was doomed to be burned at sea, following a tradition dating back generations
A DOG training club is hoping its flyball team can collar a winners' medal at Crufts this year - despite being the underdogs. The Barney Bullets, part of the Barnard Castle Dog Training Club, in County Durham, have qualified for the show for the second
EVERY picture tells a story - or so the saying goes. But all of the photographs pinned to a board at one North Yorkshire shop have one thing in common. All were taken during promotions at Peter J and R Olivier's furniture shop in Richmond - some as far
Arms dealer's appeal blow A NORTH Yorkshire arms dealer's appeal against life imprisonment in India has hit a fresh snag. Peter Bleach, whose mother still lives near Scarborough, was hoping for progress at a recent hearing. However, the wrong papers were
STRAIGHT-TALKING Darlington midfielder Mark Ford last night questioned the attitude of his failing teammates. Quakers lost at home to Torquay in embarrassing fashion and Ford, up against his former teammates and keen to avenge a 2-1 defeat at Plainmoor
THE family of a North-East murder victim are outraged that his killer could be standing for parliament in his native Ireland. Supporters of jockey Christy McGrath, who believe he was a victim of a miscarriage of justice, say he could be put forward as
THESE must be very frustrating times for Tony Blair. While the railways are in chaos, he has a Transport Secretary who has developed a disturbing ability to attract the wrong kind of headlines in a way that train tracks tend to attract the wrong kind
NOT FOR the first time this season, Middlesbrough were unable to find the performance required to take them into the top ten of the Premiership. Back in September Steve McClaren's side were propping up the top-flight after their 4-1 defeat at home to
A North Yorkshire auction mart opens next week for the first time since foot-and-mouth swept through the region last year. Wensleydale was one of the areas hardest hit by the disease. North Yorkshire's first case was reported almost exactly a year ago
UNFORTUNATE Ugo Ehiogu will miss Middlesbrough's FA Cup quarter-final tie with either Crewe or Everton following his sending off at Upton Park. The 29-year-old centre-back was shown the red card in the 1-0 defeat at West Ham on Saturday for his second
IF it's entertainment and goals you are looking for there's only one place to be. Victoria Park, Hartlepool might seem an unlikely venue to outsiders and cynics alike, but that's where it's happening. Saturday's 5-1 demolition of Southend came on the
MORE public footpaths are to be reopened as the region continues to recover from last year's foot-and-mouth disease crisis. The news follows a survey by the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) that means most paths can now be
IT may be only temporary but children from one North Yorkshire school have been getting used to a light and airy classroom. Infants at Pickering are waiting for a new classroom to be built but for now, they have moved into a recently-completed conservatory
COMMUNITY groups and residents in the Wear Valley have been invited to a series of seminars which could result in grant aid for them. The meetings, organised by volunteer bureau 2D, will explain what the Neighbourhood Renewal Community Chest Fund and
Man escapes kitchen blaze A man was forced to flee after fire broke out at his home at the weekend. The kitchen of the house in Mavin Avenue, St Helen Auckland, was badly damaged in the blaze on Saturday night. The man was unhurt. PUB PLAY: Darlington
The farming community took another important step towards normality yesterday after more business returned to the region's cattle marts. A year to the day after Barnard Castle Auction Mart shut because of foot-and-mouth, farmers yesterday gathered to
Prior to Saturday's home game with Torquay, chairman George Reynolds called for Darlington fans to return to Feethams in order to provide transfer funds. It appears not many listened to his comments because only 3,000 turned up - and at this rate he'll
UNDER-FIRE Tommy Taylor last night sent out a defiant message to disgruntled fans. Twenty-four hours after the chairman's tight transfer budget put the mockers on Iyesdan Christie's loan transfer, supporters gathered at the tunnel to protest their disapproval
EMBATTLED Transport Secretary Stephen Byers was last night fighting for his political life after being accused of giving a misleading version of events surrounding the controversial removal of his press chief Martin Sixsmith. The North Tyneside MP insisted
UNION members have rejected the latest pay offer by Metro bosses, paving the way for industrial action, it emerged at the weekend. Members of the train drivers' union RMT and Amicus voted against the 3.8 per cent pay rise offer from Metro operator Nexus
THE prosecution of the so-called "metric martyr" over markings on his scales could cost taxpayers nearly £100,000. Sunderland City Council has confirmed it will apply to the Government to pay the £96,000 it cost to take trader Steven Thoburn to court.
A CHEMIST'S slip up left a North-East man fighting for his life after he was given the wrong prescription. Michael Walker was rushed to hospital after a pharmacist at a Boots store in Newcastle gave him pills which nearly induced a diabetic coma. Instead
RESIDENTS are breathing a sigh of relief after a communications firm withdrew an application for a telephone mast. Hutchinson 3G had expressed a wish to erect the mast on Durham's Langley Moor Industrial Estate. Under present laws governing phone masts
THE North-East is at the centre of pioneering international medical trials which could transform the lives of millions of children. If they are successful, doctors believe the trials could lead to new treatments for dyslexia and other learning disorders
A FLYING doctor scheme that brings emergency cases to the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton could be asked to move. At a meeting of Northallerton Town Council last week, members complained about the lack of a permanent helicopter landing area at the
ORGANISERS of a popular agricultural show are banishing last year's gloom by gearing up for this year's event. The Lanchester Show, which had to be cancelled last year due to the foot-and-mouth epidemic, will take place at Newhouses Farm on the weekend
FARMERS' leaders have reacted angrily after they were blamed by the water industry for polluting rivers. The Country Land and Business Association in Yorkshire has accused water companies of living in a glasshouse and throwing stones. Their defence of
Charlotte Gray, a film about a wartime secret agent, opened in cinemas at the weekend. Women's Editor Christen Pears reports on the incredible courage of the real-life undercover heroines. SUZANNE Louise stood at the front of the tram, issuing tickets
RMD Agriculture CEREAL prices have continued their slow decline. There was a slight recovery mid-week, but this was not thought to be any significant change in direction. Trade from farms is slow at these new levels but so is the demand. Oilseed markets
A notorious teenage criminal dubbed Homing Pigeon Boy has been given a "last chance" of a fresh start. Shaun Andrew McKerry, 18, appeared before Sedgefield magistrates today morning, where he admitted two charges of theft and one of possession of cannabis
YOUNGSTERS are being offered the ultimate job - tasting sweets for the day. Confectionery firm Haribo is inviting ten children to become the official Haribo Sweet Tasting Panel 2002. To be considered, youngsters are asked to explain in 100 words why they
YOUNGSTERS from Richmond could be the next in the region to be celebrating the opening of a new skateboard park. Northallerton and Norton have both agreed sites for similar facilities with Thirsk and Pickering among those also hunting a suitable location
DOOMSAYERS may be predicting celebrations to mark the Queen's golden jubilee will be a damp squib - but one community is putting its money on success when it marks the occasion in June. A walk ending with a family picnic, a themed arts festival, a church
A WOMAN was murdered outside a crowded North-East pub at the weekend. The victim, in her fifties, was left to die on the pavement outside the Metropole pub, in Gateshead High Street, following the attack early on Saturday. It is believed she was stabbed
A vicar called on his training "from a previous life" to make a citizen's arrest while being beaten up by a gang of yobs. The Rev Paul Mothersdale, a former inner city beat police sergeant, hung on to a teenager who had initiated the attack on him while
EAST Durham teenager Jennifer Shillaw has been awarded the highest honour an air cadet can get - Lord Lieutenant's Cadet for County Durham. Jennifer, a sergeant in the Air Training Corps at Seaham, beat four other candidates for the title. The 18-year-old
A Palestinian student has appeared in court facing charges under the Terrorism Act. Adnan Abdelah, 21, is accused of being a member of the banned Islamic Terror organisation Hamas. The drama and English student, who attended North Tyneside College, pleaded
FORTY years after they left school, former classmates are gathering from all over the world for a reunion. The Friends Reunited Internet website has inspired the gathering, which will take place in Spennymoor, in May. Pam Taylor has already used the site
Teenage pregnancy and sexually-transmitted diseases are two of the topics to be discussed during an awareness day in Derwentside. Youth workers, GPs, nurses, teachers, parents and young people themselves are invited to take part in the Access Still Matters
KIPPERS have been turning up around the region as part of a push to stop parents smoking around their children. The kippers highlight one of the key slogans of the anti-smoking campaign: "Don't Turn Your Nippers Into Kippers." Launched today and backed
SICK thugs who killed a clutch of prize hens and burnt down their shed are being hunted by police. The birds, bought by John Welden for his eight-year-old son, Michael, were killed by attackers in their shed on allotments at Cross Lane, Sacriston, near
RESIDENTS have been given peace of mind in the form of 280 safety alarms yesterday. They were handed out to people living in Grindon, Plains Farm, Thorney Close, Springwell and Farringdon, at a community safety event last week, at Holy Family Community
PIONEERING research at a North-East university could help parents of twin babies prevent cot death. Researchers from the University of Durham's Stockton campus are using its sleep laboratory - one of only two in the country looking into infant sleep patterns
CAMPAIGNERS fighting to save an art gallery took to the streets at the weekend to gather support. Members of Darlington Society of Arts were collecting signatures in the town centre in a bid to save the art gallery at the Crown Street library. The gallery
THESE firefighters certainly raised the temperature in Northallerton last week when they performed a sizzling Full Monty-style routine. The men from North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service stripped and sang well-known numbers at the sell-out fundraising
THE controversy which surrounded the demise of one of Richmond's most popular businesses seems set to return to haunt the district authority this week. The owner of the town's Garden and Farm Supply Centre claimed he was forced to close when Richmondshire
DELIGHTED Newcastle United boss Bobby Robson last night quipped that he was off to the Quayside to celebrate his side's derby victory over Sunderland. United striker Craig Bellamy was cautioned by police earlier this month for an assault on a woman student
Police appeal for witnesses POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a man was killed while crossing a road in Newcastle. A man and a woman were using a pedestrian crossing on Jesmond Road, in Jesmond, when they were hit by a red Peugeot 206 travelling
TWO police officers have tied the knot after meeting on duty in the North-East. Damien Stevens, 30, met Amanda Holland, 28, when he transferred to the Darlington force as a dog-handler in 2000. The couple, who both still work for Darlington police, got
A STUDY is to be carried out into traffic congestion problems in the twin North Yorkshire towns of Norton and Malton. County councillor David Lloyd-Williams, who represents Norton, said: "The problems today are as bad as they were before the Malton by-pass
RESIDENTS in the village of Ampleforth, near Helmsley, are to mark the millennium and the Queen's golden jubilee in a joint project by creating a millennium green and a sports field. John Farquar who is masterminding the scheme, which is costing thousands
More than £500,000 is being made available to small and medium sized business in the Tees Valley to encourage lifelong learning among the workforce. City Centre Training Northern Ltd has launched its "Advantage - Bridging the Skills Gap" initiative to
BARELY pausing for breath, bespectacled Big Breakfast presenter Wayne Hemingway launches into a description of his latest project. "We've banished the car to secondary status, every house and flat will back onto a pocket park, they will be modern, clean
BUSINESSES are being urged to go back to school to help nurture young talent. Amid concerns over educational standards and a lack of skills among school leavers, the North-East Chamber of Commerce is working with the County Durham Business and Learning
ROWERS George Rock and Nigel Morris are hoping to keep a world record attempt in the family. The brothers-in law, from Ingleby Barwick, Teesside, are taking part in a non-stop maritime marathon from Newfoundland, Canada, to Falmouth, Cornwall, later this
HIGH-FLYING Newcastle had to thank former Sunderland goalkeeper Shay Given for a crucial victory in the 122nd Tyne-Wear derby at the Stadium of Light. While Greek central defender Nikos Dabizas grabbed the match-winning goal to lift the Magpies back into
A FORMER serviceman is looking for an old friend he met when they did their National Service. Derek Brocklesby, who lives in Banbury, Oxfordshire, wants to get in touch with anyone from Darlington who was called up for National Service in 1945. He is
IT'S A sign of the times when only one Englishman scores a goal in the Premiership during two days of action. Derby County's Lee Morris, a youngster who only came on for eight minutes in the 3-0 win over Leicester, grabbed an 89th minute goal. But Morris
A NORTH-EAST construction firm is celebrating several new contracts worth more than £16m. Clugston, which is based in Washington, Wearside, is building a Morrisons supermarket in Redcar and has won two more contracts from Sunderland City Council. In Sunderland
Tarbolton Moss, who looked to have just come to herself when an easy winner at Newcastle last time, can follow up in the Brandling House Handicap hurdle over two and a half miles at the same course this afternoon. Martin Todhunter's mare was value for
TWO speed walkers will be hoping to march into the record books at this year's Yuill Homes Redcar Half Marathon. John Hunter, a self employed builder from Scarborough, and William MacLennan, a member of the First Battalion Highlanders, will be hoping
YOUNG people in Hartlepool were encouraged to write graffiti on a wall in the town last week. The "vandalism" was part of a project by the Hartlepool Children's Fund partnership to discover what young people thought of services for them in the area. Parents
THERE is a chance to see life through the eyes of the ancient Egyptians during a special talk in Hartlepool this week. Angela Thomas, curator of Bolton Museum, will shed light on the arts and crafts of the ancient civilisation by looking at the rules
AN increase in out-of-school childcare places has been secured in Redcar and Cleveland thanks to a Government cash boost of almost £52,000. The money has come from the New Opportunities Fund Out of School Hours Childcare grant, set up to establish new
PUPILS at two schools have plenty to smile about because they attend the only two schools in Darlington with fewer than a third of pupils who have no bad teeth. Darlington is the fifth worst area for dental decay in under- fives in the North and Yorkshire
EIGHT teams of golfers teed off in the dark to help young cancer patients. Bishop Auckland Golf Club members answered a call from men's captain Clive Auld to support the Children's Cancer Fund at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, in Newcastle. They used US-designed
A PARENTS' and carers' guide to keeping youngsters happy is now available. Heather Alabaster and Susie Macdonald, from Durham City, have produced the first Clever Clogs Guide to Wear Valley for Under Fives, after being commissioned by Durham County Council
SUNDERLAND midfielder Jason McAteer last night paid tribute to his Republic of Ireland team-mate Shay Given for his match-winning derby performance - then said he didn't think Newcastle would beat Manchester United for the Championship. McAteer said:
STOCKTON IF Stockton councillors think that approving more shopping floorspace in the town centre will "improve" the town centre, they're living in cloud cuckoo land. There were empty shop units in the High Street in the early 1970s when the Conservatives
A WOMAN was murdered outside a crowded North-East pub at the weekend. The victim, in her fifties, was left to die on the pavement outside the Metropole pub, in Gateshead High Street, following the attack early on Saturday. It is believed she was stabbed
A WOMAN'S search to find the mother who abandoned her in a North-East phone box is to be highlighted on television. And while the TV crew were filming at The Northern Echo offices, Jane was surprised to be reunited with a former classmate. As a two-day
Spennymoor are looking at a play off challenge as their transformation continued with a 2-1 home win over North Ferriby on Saturday. Moors are unbeaten in ten under manager Tony Lee since Christmas, and have stormed up the league from the bottom four
IT MAY not be as famous as Gateshead's version, but Durham City's millennium bridge is already turning heads. The 51-metre bridge - the first footbridge to be built in the city for decades - was lifted into place on Saturday and now straddles the River
KIPPERS have been turning up around the region as part of a push to stop parents smoking around their children. The kippers highlight one of the key slogans of the anti-smoking campaign: "Don't Turn Your Nippers Into Kippers." Launched today and backed
Durham assistant manager Derek Bell is confident that City's defence won't be making the same mistakes again after they drew 3-3 at Billingham Synthonia on Saturday. City manager Brian Honour missed the game to spy on FA Vase opponents Wroxham, and Bell
THE fate of hundreds of North-East workers was last night hanging on the outcome of a multi-billion pound US takeover battle. Los Angeles defence company Northrop Grumman has tabled a £4bn bid for TRW, which has a car parts plant in Peterlee, County Durham
A MAN is accusing council officials of lacking compassion and common sense over a £30 parking fine. Bruce Tinkler, 40, arrived at the home of his father-in-law, Alan Eltringham, 85, on Valentine's Day, to find that the bay outside it was taken. He left
Q: When the foot-and-mouth epidemic hit Northumberland, the media said that the wild white cattle of Chillingham were seriously at risk. It was never said subsequently whether or not these animals were actually infected, though I assume that they escaped
TV golden boys Ant and Dec are being lined up to star in a remake of the 1960s movie The Odd Couple. They are already due to appear as Bob and Terry in an updated take on Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads. Now they are considering a TV revamp of the
POLICE have praised the vast majority of fans following yesterday's derby between Sunderland and Newcastle United. Officers said they arrested 25 people, mainly for drunkenness and fighting, but the majority of supporters at Sunderland's Stadium of Light
OFFICIALS will cut the first turf on a £7m road project designed to eradicate an accident blackspot today. Work will start on the two-and-a-half mile stretch of the A689 between Sedgefield and Wynyard, with the new road expected to open in spring next
A FORMER headteacher has been presented with the Order of the British Empire in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace. Brian Jones was awarded the OBE in the Queen's New Year's Honours List, a few months after retiring from St John's RC Comprehensive School
An eight-year-old boy pleaded with his mother to kill him to rid him of the pain of a rare brain condition. Greg Storey is tormented by Tourette syndrome, which causes sufferers to swear uncontrollably and give involuntary jerks and screams. The youngster
COURTS opened to the public at the weekend in a bid to claw back millions of pounds in unpaid fines and compensation. Courts were opened in Newcastle and North Tyneside on Saturday to try to recoup almost £3m in unpaid cash. Across Durham, Cleveland,
AN historic locomotive has been moved to its new home - on a busy North-East roundabout. The locomotive No 16, built in Thornaby, Cleveland, was installed on the roundabout by a 34-metre high crane yesterday. The 131-year-old engine, which has been restored
A £500,000 investment in new premises is the latest chapter in a success story for a family business which had its beginnings as a milk round. Rowbotham Ltd's move to a 15,000sqft purpose built production facility on Consett's Park Road Estate has seen
EIGHT teams of golfers teed off in the dark to help young cancer patients. Bishop Auckland Golf Club members answered a call from men's captain Clive Auld to support the Children's Cancer Fund at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, in Newcastle. They used US-designed
FIFTY four council jobs are under threat while bosses wait for home improvement contracts to be awarded. Staff in Sedgefield Borough Council's contract services department have been given 12 weeks' notice as a precaution while rival bids for the work
Distant Horizons Strolling on our favourite walk My friends and I love to talk. Green cliffs, sands of gold It is a sight to behold. On the coastal path so high, We gaze at the sea touching the sky. The distant cliffs seem so low It is a place we should
NISSAN'S new supermini goes on sale in Japan this month - and thousands of UK workers will be hoping it proves a big success. The March will be re-badged Micra and built at the firm's factory in Sunderland for European buyers. As a result, it is a joint
Former Shieldfield nursery workers, Dawn Reed and Christopher Lillie, have settled their High Court libel action against the publishers of the Newcastle Chronicle newspaper. The settlement came after a week-end of negotiations before the seventh week
A PARENTS' and carers' guide to keeping youngsters happy is now available. Heather Alabaster and Susie Macdonald, from Durham City, have produced the first Clever Clogs Guide to Wear Valley for Under Fives, after being commissioned by Durham County Council
WORK starts today on two schemes aimed at making two of Middlesbrough's main roads safer. The schemes follow lengthy public consultation and approval by Middlesbrough Council's cabinet. The first phase of works on the Marton Road corridor and the Acklam
