VIDEO: Rowena Mason reports from the Court of Appeal BABYSITTER Suzanne Holdsworth was released from prison after the Court of Appeal declared her conviction for the murder of a toddler "unsafe" and ordered a retrial. Holdsworth, 37, a mother-of-two
A HERO sqaddie carried an injured soldier for an hour and a half back to safety after he had been shot by a Afghan sniper. Guardsman Nathan Wybrow was shot by a sniper in the right leg leaving him stricken and lying in agony under the heat of the Afghanistan
FOUR people, including a five-year-old child, were taken to hospital after a two-vehicle collision in North Yorkshire tonight. The accident happened on the A684 at Ellerbeck around 5.15pm. A spokesman for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said that a
ACTORS are often warned about working with children and animals. I reckon that Oscarnominated child star Abigail Breslin and the menagerie of creatures in Nim's Island should have been warned about acting with Jodie Foster when she's trying to
MARVEL Comics have taken matters into their own hands for the movie incarnation of Iron Man, financing it themselves. No doubt they're mindful of some of the less-thansatisfactory previous transfers of other superheroes from page to screen. Iron
THE convoluted title hides yet another comedy about a troubled wedding day. With its American tourist eye view of Scotland - all tartan kilts and caber-tossing - this struggles to maintain any credibility. Patrick Dempsey, the former teen star
A WOMAN who claimed her boss caused the premature birth of her baby girl has lost her claim for damages. Naomi Mainwaring, 26, had accused employment law specialists Short Richardson and Forth LLP, based in Newcastle, of sex discrimination after discovering
UK pioneers of oddpop, The Hoosiers, will be touring to Newcastle's Academy on October 13. If you can't wait until October, then the band will also be playing at festivals across the UK this summer, including Isle Of Wight, V Festival and T in the
IT'S festival time again folks, with Whitby's Moor and Coast shindig heralding in another great season tomorrow night, with a fine line-up of guest stars over the weekend, including Carthy Waterson and John Tams and Barry Coope among their usual
WHAT'S ON Tomorrow Gwyneth Herbert, Gala Durham, 0191-332-4041, and Extreme Measures, Saltburn Community Hall, 01642-624622. Saturday lunchtime Jeff Barnhart, Jim Fryer and John Hallam, Darlington Arts Centre, 01325-486555. CD REVIEWS Neon/Here
Michelle Wright: Everything and More (Savannah Records) IT was during the days of LP releases (remember them) that I was first introduced to Canadian songstress Michelle Wright with an album entitled Do Right By Me. It was around 1988 and I was
WHAT'S ON Pianist Howard Shelley, Sinfonia Chamber Music, The Sage Gateshead, 8pm tomorrow and on Saturday, Northern Sinfonia, 7.30pm, Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto No 1 and Beethoven's Symphony No 4. Box Office: 0191-433-4661 REVIEWS Gerald Finzi
A THREE car collision occurred on Stockton Road, Hartlepool tonight. The accident happened around 7.15pm and police, fire and ambulance were called to the scene. One person was taken to hospital, believed to have been suffering from minor injuries.
My recommendation this week comes from one of Spain's D.O. regions - Navarra. This is next to Rioja and there are similarities in the red wines of the two regions. This is a genuine Navarra red which combines fruit and tannin with an open modern fruit
Solutions ACROSS 1 Ghost. G+HOST 4 Scop. S+COP 7 Sole. SO+LE (El rev.) 10 Tram. T+RAM 11 Amour. A+M+OUR 12 Reed. (read hom.) 13 At rest. A+T+ REST 14 Nominate. NO(MINA)TE (Amin anag.) 15 Voltimand. VOL(TI)MAN+D 18 Lease.
Cryptic Clues ACROSS 1 German innkeeper appears in 24 (5) 4 Old poet Spenser's first catch (4) 7 Accordingly the Spanish brought back fish (4) 10 Public transport strike after the 6th of August (4) 11 A month before our love affair (5) 12 Marsh
A KNIFEMAN who slashed his victim's face when he brandished an eight-inch blade at a late night party has been warned he is facing jail. Alan Dixon, 39, left a seven centimeter wound on Darren Wolfe's cheek when he went "berserk" in the kitchen at the
Publisher: Konami Formats: PSP Price: £14.99 Family friendly? 16+ DON'T be fooled. This is not an entirely new game, merely an extension of the original MGS: Portable Ops released some time
If you're hanging on to old LPs for reasons other than they're collectable, why not digitise them before throwing them out? PURISTS may still swear by vinyl, but there's no denying the LP is all but dead as a mainstream music format. If you are
YOUNG people studying the Second World War in history will be fascinated by this documentary novel about one English family's fortunes during the conflict. Ellen and Matthias meet and marry at the end of the First World War, but Matthias is German
IF you're a disabled person, have you ever seriously questioned how society treats you? Or if you're able bodied, have you ever given a thought to how it feels to live with a major physical disability? Whatever your situation, this subversive
THE corpse of a woman hidden in a cave in the mountains of East Tennessee is the trigger for a forensic investigation that both baffles and disgusts even hardened police anthropological adviser Dr Bill Brockton. Not many can rub shoulders in the
MORECAMBE has nothing much to offer young Nigel Broadbent and his best mate and mentor suggests they follow the example of their idol Bob Dylan and pick up their guitars and hit the highway to adventure, he is all for it. The South of France is
ROSIE Goodwin does an equally good job with the final instalment in the history of the Mallens - a family cursed by the horrors of the First World War but doomed to find no release in peacetime. All might be quiet on the Western Front, but the Mallens
CATHERINE Cookson may no longer be with us, but her spirit lives on in a stunning new saga which is the final instalment of one of her most popular series. So meet again the emotionally scarred but successful writer Maisie and her imaginary horse
THE story of the advertising innovators of the late 1960s who did so much to change the face of commercial on TV. The music revolution of the early 1060s was followed by another culture shock, as we became familiar with advert icons such as the
AS a law-abiding citizen, you certainly need to keep your wits about you and Raymond Wacks' concise guide to the bewildering legal world should be essential reading. Wacks just wades through the jargon and the bewildering system to put the man
BET you've never heard of this name associated with the Railway Age, and Stockton and Darlington Railway in particular: William James. A Warwickshire-born land surveyor and entrepreneur, he travelled the country visiting estates. Gavin Weightman
TALKS on a £1.9m overspend on a new road project have been delayed so that councillors can have more time to come up with recommendations. Darlington Borough Council members met last night to discuss the problems with the management of the town's new
A COMMUNITY centre committee is appealing for volunteers to join the ranks. Trimdon Grange Community Centre urgently needs more committee members to run the venue and community activities. Anyone interested can visit the centre, on Salters Lane, or
A VICTORIAN school has been put up for sale as pupils prepare to move into new classrooms in a few weeks' time. Agents selling 154-year-old St Cuthbert's RC Primary, in Crook, expect it to be snapped up by developers and turned into houses or a care
I think someone tried to steal the works video camera off me last week. I say 'think' because I'm not entirely sure. It was all a bit strange. I was in Newcastle city centre standing under Grey's Monument filming a rally by striking teachers when I was
LEEDS chairman Ken Bates has called for Football League chairman Brian Mawhinney to resign after the club lost their appeal against a 15-point penalty imposed at the start of the season. An independent three-man tribunal upheld the League's decision
EMERGENCY crews intend to push home the road safety message on Saturday. A fire appliance will be at every service station along the Great North Road in North Yorkshire between 8am and 4pm. Crews will be handing out leaflets and giving road safety advice
A NEW action group has been set up to help breathe life into rural communities. The group, which is led by the North York Moors National Park Authority, wants to secure funding for local projects from the European LEADER programme. And it wants people
CONCERNS have been raised over the risk of flooding in a village, with residents worried that thousands of pounds of damage could be done to homes in the area. Brompton Beck, which runs through the village of Brompton, near Northallerton, has been blocked
A HISTORIC river crossing which was shut last month only hours after re-opening for the summer is to stay closed while experts investigate the nearby river bed. Durham County Council highway engineers believe that unusually high water levels at Stanhope
THE family of a lung disease victim have helped other sufferers by raising money for vital hospital equipment. Bus company founder Leonard Garnett's children and former colleagues have raised £3,500 in his memory for the unit where he was treated at
IDENTICAL twins are packing double the power at a south Durham martial arts class. Bethany and Jessica Wheatley, aged eight, from Newton Aycliffe, have been awarded their first taekwondo belts after just a few months in the sport, amazing teachers with
A COUPLE who met at a secret RAF radar station have celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary. Stan and Lynn Schofield met in Northumberland during World War Two and kept in touch after Mr Schofield was posted abroad. They married in Dewsbury in
A MUSEUM celebrating the work of the man regarded as one of the fathers of British geology re-opens next week after a £4.4m restoration. The Rotunda on Scarborough's seafront is a grade II-listed building that has been fully restored with the help of
Children's Secretary Ed Balls has been the subject of a backlash from North-East education officials over the publication of a "hit list" of under-performing schools. Today, in a letter written exclusively for The Northern Echo, Mr Balls has responded
TWO business colleagues have slashed prices at their designer store after their favourite football team crashed out of the Champions League. Kenneth Dagleish and Shane Fairholm have launched a half-price sale at Dapper Designer Menswear, on Houndgate
NORTHERN Rock has today confirmed its plans to reduce staff levels by 2,000 by the end of 2011. However it confirmed the majority of job losses are likely to take place this year. Northern Rock announced that it had submitted an HR1 Form, compulsary
A UNIQUE new facility has been opened aimed at supporting young people with complex needs as they progress from school to further education. The Support, Training, Assessment and Resources - Star - centre has been opened on the campus of Henshaws College
OLDER people in Darlington have revealed a new vision to promote health well-being for people aged over 50. All Our Futures ... A Strategy for Later Life in Darlington, has been officially launched at the towns Dolphin Centre. More than a third of people
GREEN-THINKING youngsters have earned an award for their environmentally-friendly efforts. Pupils at Normanby Primary School have embraced a wide range of initiatives, from the creation of a new wildlife habitat to ensuring all the lights and
SIX young people have been reprimanded for causing anti-social behaviour in a Teesside park. A resident living around John Whitehead Park in Billingham saw the unruly group making a nuisance of themselves, and they were then picked up and identified
A FEED manufacturer is celebrating being awarded the most prestigious accolade in its 108 year history. I'Anson Brothers, which is based in Masham, has won the 2008 Queen's Award for Enterprise for innovation. The award recognises the development of
GREEN-FINGERED youngsters are making sure their school grounds look blooming lovely. Pupils at Kelloe Primary School, in Kelloe, near Coxhoe, belong to the school's gardening club and over the past four years have devoted themselves to developing
A PUBLIC inquiry into controversial plans for homes on factory land is due to conclude today. The inquiry had been called after Barratt Homes appealed against Wear Valley District Council's decision to turn the former Catkin Way industrial site
A CAFE proprietor has been granted a drinks licence, despite opposition from a neighbouring pub landlady. Gillian Quigley will be allowed to sell alcohol from Tilly's, in Station Road, Ushaw Moor, near Durham, despite claims by Catherine Lowerson
THE family of a lung disease victim have helped other sufferers by raising money for hospital equipment. Bus company founder Leonard Garnett's children and former colleagues have raised £3,500 in his memory for the unit where he was treated in
FEARS have been raised about the impact of a scheme designed to help the regeneration of a market town. Private developer Amicon (Europe) wants to demolish a former drill hall in Bridge Street, Bedale, and replace it with a ground-floor shop
BOLLYWOOD came to North Yorkshire yesterday, when youngsters at a Richmond school tried their hand at Indian henna painting, art and dancing. Year seven, eight and nine pupils at St Francis Xavier School took part in dance workshops hosted by
A PRISON handed over nearly £6,000 to a children's cancer charity yesterday. The money was raised after six prisons across the country agreed to join Northallerton Young Offenders' Institution (YOI) in its bid to help charity CLIC Sergeant.
SCHOOLCHILDREN are being asked to sign up to an agreement promising to be well behaved. About 500 teenagers at one Middlesbrough comprehensive school were yesterday invited to put their names to a charter promising not to get involved in anti-social
Tigger, Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse have some new kids on the block to contend with as Playhouse Disney Live! arrives in Newcastle SOME of Disney's old favourites and two of its new brigade of entertainers have been brought together for the
Steve Pratt discusses the creation of a superhero with Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow and the men behind the cameras IRON Man is the latest in a long line of comic book superheroes to reach the screen but he's different to the rest. For one
Steve Pratt discusses the creation of a superhero with Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow and the men behind the cameras IRON Man is the latest in a long line of comic book superheroes to reach the screen but he's different to the rest. For one
He's been a key element of BBC Radio 4's I'm Sorry I Havent A Clue for 35 years, but Barry Cryer tells Steve Pratt that he still enjoys stand-up comedy and attending the Edinburgh Festival each year SOMETHING different every night is the promise
A TEENAGE performing arts student is preparing for an audition that could make her dreams come true. Biddy Atkinson, from Ingleby Cross, near Northallerton has got down to the casting stages of Spring Awakening, a new production to be staged at the Lyric
Hes been a key element of BBC Radio 4s Im Sorry I Havent A Clue for 35 years, but Barry Cryer tells Steve Pratt that he still enjoys stand-up comedy and attending the Edinburgh Festival each year SOMETHING different every night is the promise of
Norton & Stockton Ancients Under 15's secured their 4th 1st Division title in 5 seasons with an emphatic 9-2 victory over a game Kader side. NASA were clearly up for this game scoring 4 times in the first 20 minutes through Allison, Livingstone, Turner
Stockton producer/director Zoe Thorman explains to Viv Hardwick why she chose Chubby Brown and Bobby Thompson as part of BBC2's comedy tribute WHEN the chance came to pay tribute to the North-East's comics, Stocktonborn producer/director Zoe Thorman
UK DVD/VIDEO RENTAL 1 (-) I Am Legend 2 (3) Stardust 3 (4) Run, Fat Boy, Run 4 (1) St Trinians 5 (6) The Invasion 6 (7) Beowulf 7 (9) Ratatouille 8 (-) Saw IV 9 (10) 30 Days Of Night (DVD) 10 (5) Enchanted Chart supplied
FOUR men have been arrested on suspicion of robbery at a North-East supermarket. Three masked robbers threatened security staff delivering cash to a cash machine at Somerfield, in Healaugh Park, Yarm, near Stockton, shortly after 1.30pm on Tuesday.
WE'RE getting old, my wife and I. There's no denying it - and the ageing process is an increasingly alarming experience. My 17-year-old son gets more and more hair while I'm getting proportionately less. Nearly as depressing is the fact that I
This week we delve deeper into the history of the three carved dogs' heads at Darlington's railway museum and discover a link to a famous North-East artist TO the dogs, as usual, last week's column puzzled over the three carved canines now
BARRIE Rutters Northern Broadsides company never seems to disappoint, and this new production of Shakespeares romantic tragedy is no exception, as the young audience last night can testify. You could have heard a pin drop as Romeo professes undying
THE headline on a London critic's review of the Katherine Jenkins and Darcey Bussell extravaganza, Viva La Diva, reads: "All singing, all dancing, all wrong". I don't know whether that critic caught them on an off-night, or was suffering from
The Invisibles (BBC1, 9pm); The Inbetweeners (E4, 10pm) MEN behaving badly or teenagers behaving disgracefully. Take your pick between The Invisibles and The Inbetweeners. The former has the better pedigree with a cast led by Anthony Head, Warren
I HAVE two teenage sons and know first-hand just how demanding it can be looking after children. That's why I am appealing to readers in the North- East and North Yorkshire to support Home-Start - the charity that helps families in local communities
A NICE surprise of Tony Blair to give £50,000 to sponsor 100 entrants in this year's Great North Run (Echo, Apr 26) when most politicians take rather than give from their huge salaries. Could he be on the comeback trail? N Tate, Darlington.
WELL done, Nestle, which has opened a new factory to make Aero chocolate bars to safeguard hundreds of jobs at its plant in York. Let's hope it's the start of a reverse for the return of manufacturing jobs to the city. Sincere congratulations.
NOW and then you get something on the news that, for a change, really cheers you up. One such item was on Friday's ITV Evening News about Bob and Christine Page, of Whitby, a retired couple who have turned their home and surrounding land into a
I TOTALLY agree with Ian Gravestock (HAS, Apr 28) over teachers' pay. Like him, I am a Civil Service pensioner whose increase is 3.9 per cent. However, on checking my new tax code, etc, my net pension is £7 per month less since Prime Minister
ERIC Gendle (HAS, Apr 25) wonders where my figure (HAS, Apr 16) of 800 breeding pairs of hen harriers in the UK came from. Well, I can tell him that my figure comes from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) itself. Table 2 of the
RE your article about the Crook Detached Youth Project's lack of funds (Echo, some editions, Apr 26), I feel I have to put another version. The article stated that, according to Durham police, there had been a 16.4 per cent drop in rowdy and nuisance
YORKSHIRE Water (YW) raised prices by 7.5 per cent at the beginning of April - three times the rate of inflation as measured by the Government's preferred index. Unlike other utility providers, you cannot switch from YW, therefore it is outrageous
AMID the deepening gloom surrounding Gordon Brown is a speck of light that deserves to shine far more brightly - the dramatic fall in crime. Most of the country may not realise it, but we are experiencing an historic decline in the offences -
In 100 days' time, China's Olympics will be under way, but people from film stars to football coaches are not happy. Owen Amos gives five reasons to boycott Beijing - and three reasons not to DARFUR WHEN Steven Spielberg complains, you know you're
THERE is no denying that the debacle surrounding Darlington's new Eastern Transport Corridor road link is a serious matter. The long-awaited project is running £1.9m over budget. When complete it will also stand 7ft too high because builders
STEVIE THUNDER (3.00) bids to improve an already excellent strike-rate by winning Redcar's Straight-Mile Championship Qualifier. The drinks will once again be on Alan Swinbank's money-spinner if, as expected, he makes it three wins from five starts
ALASTAIR Cook is confident his England team-mates will turn their backs on the Indian Premier League if they have to choose between the Twenty20 tournament and a central contract. The 23-year-old opener has joined Michael Vaughan and Kevin Pietersen
Yorkshire v Nottinghamshire (County Championship) : Day One THE green shoots of a Michael Vaughan recovery lit up an otherwise dismal day at Headingley as the weather washed out two sessions of play to frustrate Yorkshire and prevent new boy
GORDON BRADLEY, the Easington- born footballer who coached Pele while at the New York Cosmos and Johan Cruyff in the North American Soccer League, has died aged 74. Bradley signed for Sunderland on the same day as Stan Anderson was released
AHEAD of what promises to be a busy summer in the transfer market for Sunderland manager Roy Keane, Danny Higginbotham has revealed his determination to fight for his place in the Black Cats team. Having secured their Premier League status with
IT is not quite as ludicrous as his suggestion that female footballers should wear tighter shorts, but FIFA president Sepp Blatter's proposal for reducing the number of overseas players in the English game invites just as much ridicule. The
DIDIER DROGBA admits he has lost respect for Rafael Benitez following the Liverpool manager's attack on what he perceives as the Chelsea striker's theatrical behaviour. Benitez claimed Drogba goes down too easily, while also revealing he has
MIDDLESBROUGH have advised AZ Alkmaar to direct their claim for compensation over their failed bid to land Afonso Alves to Heerenveen. AZ have demanded £5.9m from the Brazilian after missing out on his signature in January despite their claims
A MAN was to be interviewed by police later today in connection with the chance recovery of a £250,000 cannabis haul. The 34-year-old Darlington man was arrested after the white Ford Transit van he was driving was pulled over by Durham Police patrol
Chelsea 3 Liverpool 2 (After extra-time. Chelsea win 4-3 on aggregate) TWO-GOAL hero Didier Drogba was ecstatic after firing Chelsea to the Champions League final with a 3-2 victory over Liverpool. The Ivory Coast striker scored the first and third
A CONCERT held in memory of a popular bandsman and councillor has raised hundreds of pounds for a mayor's charity appeal. Ferryhill Town Band held the Joe Chaplin memorial concert, featuring guest soloist Joe Cook, at Mainsforth Welfare Hall last Saturday
A CHEESE supplier forced to halt production after a major flood is back in business. The Swaledale Cheese Company, in Richmond, North Yorkshire, had to stop cheesemaking in December last year when a pipe in the water system burst, destroying
A PAINTER from the region is among the first artists to confirm plans to submit entries for an eagerly- anticipated competition. Ed Kluz, who is based in Richmond, North Yorkshire, will enter three examples of his work in the A1 Open Summer Art
North-East developer Terrace Hill has strengthened its retail and leisure team in Teesside with the appointment of Simon Hawkins. Mr Hawkins joins the company from the Leeds office of Knight Frank. He previously worked for Gerald Eve in Leeds,
Fund management company NEL Fund Managers (NEL) has expanded and strengthened its portfolio team. Lee French joins NEL as a portfolio analyst. His new role involves managing investments that have already been through the approvals process and
Richard Tyler has been appointed by contractor HBG North-East as the project manager on the £35m student and administrative services building for Newcastle University. Mr Tyler won a silver award in the construction manager of the year awards
THE Student Loans Company (SLC) has made its first senior appointment in Darlington. Chris Harrison has been made head of processing services in charge of the company's new site at Lingfield Point. He will take charge of the day-to-day running
LOGISTICS company Stiller Group has acquired a Yorkshire transport company to help bolster one of its divisions. The Stockton company has acquired James Durrans Transport Limited for an undisclosed sum. The move has been hailed by Stiller Group
TELECOMS company BNS Telecom has seen group profits climb back into the black after a loss of £450,000 last year. The group saw profits rise to £530,000 in the six months to January 31 from the deficit it made last year. Turnover also grew 44
THOUSANDS more homes across the region will benefit from a partnership formed by energy efficiency group GoWarm and three local authorities. Chester-le-Street, Middlesbrough and Sedgefield are the most recent councils to link up with GoWarm
BUSINESSES in the region can still enter a competition to win a specialist advice package worth £1,200 from a leading North-East business consultancy. Business Echo has teamed up with Smartspeed Consulting to offer one company in the region
A NORTH-EAST scientific company has become one of only seven nationwide to be approved by the Ministry of Justice to carry out court-directed tests for parentage. Complement Geonomics Limited (CGL), which trades as dadcheck, has become the
A CEMENT company closed yesterday with the loss of 31 jobs. Despite having to turn down orders, it is understood the Cemex plant, in St Helen Auckland, County Durham, was still running at a loss. The company had already laid off 12 staff, with
NORTH-EAST van rental firm Northgate has been recognised by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA). The Darlington-based company, the UK's largest vehicle rental business, has won an Occupational Health and Safety Award.
THE North-East division of the world's largest business and innovation network has been launched. The Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) was established in January by the European Commission to help businesses. The service has now been launched
BUILDING company Redworth Construction has won seven contracts worth £26m since the start of the year. The North Yorkshire firm said the deals have seen it nearly reach its £35m turnover target for the year, with a busy order book up to 2010
A MULTI-MILLION pound business park that may create up to 1,200 jobs could be held up - by a protected species of newts. Plans for 11 two-storey office blocks on a brownfield site at Durham Tees Valley Airport, near Darlington, had been expected
A GROUP of butchers, farmers and technicians have bared all for a cheeky WI-style calendar shoot. Staff at Mainsgill Farm and Farm Shop, at East Layton, North Yorkshire, posed with strategicallypositioned farm implements and produce for the
THE UK's main charity for the blind has praised North-East health bosses for agreeing to fund a new sight-saving drug ahead of national guidance. The decision means the North-East is the first NHS region to agree to fund the drug, called Lucentis
THE importance of sheep to the region has long been recognised at the Great Yorkshire Show, with more than 30 breeds competing for the prizes. Now the show, celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, has teamed up with another kind of sheep
The Ogden Centre, Durham University's world-leading site for researching fundamental physics, celebrated its fifth anniversary yesterday. Mark Tallentire reports CARLOS FRENK and Nigel Glover know more about how the universe began than almost
POOR job prospects have made the North-East the least popular destination in the country for Eastern European migrants, a report says. Researchers estimate that only about 5,000 migrants from the eight Eastern European countries that joined the EU
A CONTAINER of medical equipment has left the region to help disadvantaged people in West Africa. The charity mission was organised by Darlington Rotary Club. Among the equipment were 100 pairs of crutches, electrocardiogram machines, blood
OBSERVATION charts kept on a mental patient who was supposed to be checked every ten minutes showed gaps hours long, an inquest was told yesterday. Paranoid schizophrenic Jonathan Ferguson stood his bed on its end and hanged himself with bedsheets
AN elderly flower lover is now, officially, a rose by any other name - thanks to a friend. Esther Ruth has been registered as the title for a strain of red rose with the International Rose Naming Registry, in London, the body responsible for personalising
A HOMEOWNER says he is sick of condoms and effluent being strewn across his back garden whenever there is heavy rainfall. James Wilkinson was again left powerless to stop drains overflowing and flooding his land when stormy weather hit the
A CAMPAIGN to save the rare black grouse from extinction has been such a success in the North- East that a plan was announced yesterday to repeat it in other parts of the country. The population of the bird has risen steadily in recent years
A FORMER postmistress has been given the stamp of approval to lead about 2,000 members of the Women's Institute (WI) in County Durham for the next year. As the new chairman of the County Federation, Audrey Dinning is anxious to build on the "
HISTORIANS hope to acquire a Roman brooch found on North-East farmland to exhibit in London.It was discovered by a man with a metal detector in 2000, but was left forgotten in his drawer for six years.This week, an inquest heard that the item is attracting
IF first base was retaining Premier League status, then second base, as far as Sunderland are concerned, will surely be attracting top-quality signings this summer. In the eyes of Andy Reid, achieving one should aid in the pursuit of the other. Roy Keane
A COUNCIL has been accused of bullying and intimidating residents who objected when they were told they would have to sell their homes as part of a multi-million pound regeneration scheme.The claims were made at a public inquiry into compulsory purchase
WEST Bromwich Albion are on the brink of succeeding Sunderland as champions of the Championship and first-season heroics have made James Morrison's move from the North-East worthwhile.Just nine months ago the Darlington-born midfielder accepted his future
HEALTH and safety officials have issued a warning to garage owners following the death of a mechanic who became trapped in an accident with a car ramp.Jason David Raine collapsed and died days after an accident at his car repair business, Club Motors,
Paul Scholes ended nine years of personal torment by blasting Manchester United into the Champions League final. Scholes' 14th-minute strike ensured Moscow will host an all-English affair on May 21, with championship challengers Chelsea or old rivals
HAVING come to terms with the physicality of the English game, Newcastle United defender Habib Beye has revealed how becoming a stronger player has helped him adjust to life in the Premier League. The Senegal international last night revealed his surprise
COUNCILLORS will be strongly criticised today over the second major overspend on a construction project in a town.Work on the pedestrianisation of Darlington town centre and the Eastern Transport Corridor road, in the town, has cost almost £4m more than
THE region's oldest set of bells will get a £70,000 makeover after campaigners hit their fundraising target.The bells of St Nicholas' Church, in Durham, which were cast in 1687, will be removed, cleaned, retuned and reinstalled, complete with a new steel
KEVIN KEEGAN hopes to make the most of the upheaval surrounding Sven-Goran Eriksson's position at Manchester City by stepping up his efforts to land Richard Dunne. After Keegan made a weekend inquiry about the Republic of Ireland international's availability
AN 11-year-old's musical career has reached a crescendo after becoming one of the youngest in the country to pass exams normally taken by university students. Alexander Bone has just achieved 86 per cent in his saxophone diploma - making him one of
Darlington manager Dave Penney has explained his reasoning for staging a mock penalty shoot-out after last Saturday's game with Dagenham & Redbridge.Quakers' last home match of the regular season was followed by ten of his squad each taking a penalty
Whitby - and one of its famous visitors - land roles as Robinson Crusoe returns to TV screens A MAJOR £13m TV production of Robinson Crusoe is to be filmed at locations across the region. US TV giant NBC has joined forces with Power productions to
EDUCATION officials in the North-East have hit out at the Government's decision to reolease a list of failing schools. Parents and teachers feared schools on the hit list could close and two furious heads are demanding a face-to-face meeting with Children's
Didier Drogba admits he has lost respect for Rafael Benitez following the Liverpool manager's attack on what he perceives as the Chelsea striker's theatrical behaviour. Benitez claimed Drogba goes down too easily, while also revealing he has compiled
Extra-time goals from Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba sent Chelsea into a Champions League final showdown against Manchester United in Moscow next month. Lampard, playing his first game since the death of his mother last week, coolly slotted home a 98th-minute
Matthew Hoggard will get an extra chance to stake his claim for a Test recall after being named in England Lions' squad to face New Zealand next week. Yorkshire swing bowler Hoggard, discarded by England after a heavy loss in Hamilton last month, is among
REASSURANCES were made last night about the future of two Darlington secondary schools following the Government's controversial decision to release a list of "failing" schools. Parents and teachers feared schools on the Government's "hit-list
VOTERS go to the polls in local government elections across the country today - with Labour steadying itself for significant losses.Council elections are taking place throughout England and Wales, with national attention focused on the mayoral election
A WOMAN convicted of killing a toddler three years ago could walk out of jail today if appeal judges agree to quash her conviction.Convicted murderer Suzanne Holdsworth will hear this morning whether judges at London's Court of Appeal believe she has
ARMED robbers who raided a North-East supermarket got away with a five-figure sum, it has been revealed.At least three masked robbers threatened security staff delivering cash cassettes for a cash machine at Somerfield, in Healaugh Park, Yarm, near Stockton
