This is one of those moments in history - like when Elvis, John Lennon or Princess Diana died... I was at home, having my supper at nearly 11pm, when the newsdesk rang to say: "It looks like Michael Jackson has died." I didn't finish
TRIBUTES have been pouring in to Michael Jackson who died in the early hours of this morning. The 50-year-old singer died of a suspected cardiac arrest at his home in Los Angeles. His brother Jermaine Jackson said he had been taken to
Ferryhill Town Council will be flying the ‘Special Armed Forces Day Flag’ to show support for the special day on Saturday, 27th of June. The flag will be flown in unison with other flags being raised across the United Kingdom. The special day
ANDY Murray has cruised into the third round of the Wimbledon Championships with a 6-2, 7-5, 6-3 win over Latvian Ernests Gulbis. Murray was in excellent form in the final game on Centre Court, with his comprehensive victory representing a
The Northern Echo's business editor, Owen McAteer, poked his head round my door earlier to let me know he was on a half-day and was going to Newcastle Races. I had a quick look at the paper and recommended that he should back Kaptain Kirkup in the second
As I said earlier, it's 3-3 going into the final day of the Headline Game on TFM radio. Therefore, I need a really good headline to secure my first victory in three years. How about this? Drugged-up wallabies are being blamed for creating crop circles
FARRAH Fawcett, the beauty queen who became a cultural icon thanks to her role in Charlie's Angels, has died after a three year battle with cancer. She died yesterday, shortly after getting married to her long time partner, film star Ryan O'Neal. She
Stars: Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin, Steve Zahn Running time: 91 mins Rating: ★★★ "FROM the producers of Little Miss Sunshine" is the proud boast on the poster and press material for this quirky US comedy. The two films also share
A CHARITY has recruited a new chief executive officer for when its previous incumbent retires. Gillian Peel has joined staff and volunteers of Age Concern in Darlington as the new chief executive. She will take over from Geoffrey Crute, who retires
FOLK hero of the North-East Tom McConville recently won the coveted title Musician of the Year 2009 at the BBC Folk Awards. Following popular performances at The Georgian Theatre Royal, Richmond, in 2006 and 2007, McConville returns on Friday
Will Roberts previews this year’s Glastonbury Festival, which hasn’t delivered the appeal in terms of new acts, but has got Bruce ‘The Boss’ Springsteen on the bill. IT was always going to take something a bit special to better last year’s Glastonbury
TONIGHT at Newcastle’s Head Of Steam pub you can catch Motion Theory, the four-piece alternative-progressive rock band from Durham, before they head off on their second UK tour. Performing songs from their forthcoming album, this band has a reputation
WHAT’S ON Tuesday, Partisans, Schmazz at the Cluny, Newcastle, 0191-230-4474. CD REVIEWS Partisans/By Proxy (Babel BDV2983) Led by award-winning musicians Phil Robson (best guitar 2009) and Julian Siegel (best instrumentalist 2007) the lineup
A MAN at the centre of a child abduction alert at a North-East shopping centre has been released without charge following consultation with medical experts. The 40-year-old was arrested after grabbing a young girl who was shopping with her mother at
WHAT’S ON Northern Sinfonia leader, violinist Bradley Creswick, baroque music, the Sage Gateshead, 7.30pm, Saturday. Vivaldi, Bach and Corelli. Box Office: 0191-443-4661. REVIEWS Whirling Dance: Sharon Bezaly (BIS-SACD-1759) Flautist Sharon
POLITICAL manoeuvering is much in the news at present, and some well-known folk names have found themselves unwittingly embroiled in the antics of the British National Party, which has used a gap in the copyright laws to purloin recordings
"My Dad was a rodeo cowboy. He missed the rodeo in Phoenix, the year I was born, and, because of that, he and mom decided to call me Zona, which is short for Arizona." Those are the words of Zona Jones, who is one of the latest artists
Ferryhill Methodist Church has been raising funds for many months to repair the church roof, which is now almost complete. To mark the occasion the church is holding a re-dedication and thanksgiving service on Wednesday, 1st of July, from 7pm. Reverend
CONVICTED killer Dennis Scott today won his latest court battle, after being cleared of threatening to damage a neighbour's car. But, following the 'not guilty' verdict, delivered by a jury at Durham Crown Court, the former gangland figure said he still
A COUNTY Durham baby who was admitted in a poorly condition to North Tees Hospital earlier this week with confirmed swine flu is now said to be in a comfortable condition. There were three additional confirmed swine flu cases in the North-East yesterday
A TEESSIDE council is leading the way when it comes to getting students to learn outside school hours. Redcar and Cleveland Council is the first council in the Tees Valley and only the second in the North to successfully bid to become a partner with
PLANS for moving the boundaries of council wards will cause an outcry and divide south Durham communities, two veteran councillors are claiming. Liberal democrats Ben Ord, from Spennymoor, and Tommy Taylor, Coundon, are fighting proposals being put
ROTARY Club members have honoured an Inner Wheel district governor for her charity work. Kate Curtis, was presented with the Paul Harris Award by the president of Crook Rotary Club Geoff Brown at his President’s Dinner. Mrs Curtis’ husband Keith is
SUPPORTERS of a tiny village hall are mounting a huge fundraising effort to raise money for a new kitchen. With only a few dozen houses and no pub, the hamlet of Thornley, near Tow Law, uses the former schoolroom for most of its meetings and social
YOUNGSTERS are being given the chance to get close to nature after the launch of a new learning initiative. The Local Nature Reserves Education Pack is designed to get children interested in the wonders that surrounds them. And pupils from Oxbridge
THIEVES have stolen a set of goal posts from a school playing fields. Staff at South Bank Primary School spotted the posts in the garden of a nearby property but by the time police arrived they had gone. Headteacher Brenda Urwin said: "As soon as was
RESIDENTS are being urged to apply for a new bus pass after changes have been made to vital village services. The new-style evening and Sunday bus services are on the way for people in to the west of Stockton, thanks to funding through the borough council
THERE'S an opportunity for people to find out how a project to protect Hartlepool's Headland coastline against rising sea levels and erosion is progressing. Hartlepool Council, with the help of a firm of experts called Scott Wilson, is looking at ways
Twenty years on from his recently re-released debut album, Let Love Rule, fans at Newcastle’s 02 Academy were treated to a back-catalogue spanning two decades on Wednesday night. Lenny, now 45, shows no signs of slowing down and still displays
A RARE blood-sucking fish said to have been responsible for the deaths of two English kings has been found in a North-East river. The Environment Agency has confirmed reports from local anglers that the River Wear at Chester-le-Street, County
A CAMPAIGN to clamp down on motorists driving at dangerous speeds through Richmondshire's rural villages has been hailed a success. Thanks to support from local communities, dozens of danger areas have been targeted, and road policing officers have issued
BOSSES at the region’s biggest agricultural show are pledging to make next month’s event the most environmentally-friendly in its 151-year history, by pledging to save a tree for every visitor. The Great Yorkshire Show is due to be held next
TEENAGERS are being sought to join the Northallerton Young Firefighters Scheme. The scheme offers young people the chance to find out more about the work of the fire and rescue service, gain practical skills and teamworking abilities and carry out drills
COUNCIL chiefs say they remain committed to developing a gym in south west Durham despite a third deadline for the project being missed. Plans for Spennymoor Leisure Centre were tabled in 2004 as part of a multi-million pound investment programme for
A KEBAB shop’s owners have started a petition in a bid to stop a police application to force the late night takeaway to close an hour earlier. The owners of Best Kebab Two, in Skinnergate, Darlington, have defended accusations the takeaway has become
THE 40th anniversary of the first manned lunar landing is being celebrated - with the help of 1.5m stalks of maize. A 30-acre field of the crop is being transformed to show an astronaut walking on the surface of the moon. The design will form the basis
A CHARITY has warned Darlington residents against bogus or unofficial collections taking place in their name. Jane Bradshaw, director of St Teresa's Hospice, has told The Northern Echo they have received several reports of people selling raffle
STEELMAKING in the North-East was dealt another blow today with the revelation that over 400 jobs could be set to go at four Corus plants - only weeks after 3,000 jobs were put at risk by the same firm. Corus said it is making 2,000 redundancies
SOME parts of England have too many cases of swine flu to continue with a policy of containing the outbreak, the Government said today. London and the West Midlands have sufficiently high numbers to move towards a policy of outbreak management, which
A POLICY linking a worker’s pay to their rate of attendance has led to a significant reduction in absence, and a saving of more than £1m, for a county council. North Yorkshire County Council introduced their attendance-related pay policy two years ago
YORKSHIRE has beaten off competition from the rest of the UK to win the TravelMole award for best tourism website. Welcome to Yorkshire’s relaunched site www.yorkshire.com only went live at the beginning of April but was highly commended for its style
CREDITORS of Darlington Football Club have accepted administrators' proposals which are expected to enable the Quakers to start next season with no points deduction. Companies and creditors with a value of 93 per cent value of the club's £7.8m
A CAMPAIGN to clamp down on motorists driving at dangerous speeds through the rural villages of Richmondshire has been hailed a success. Dozens of danger areas have been targeted during the blitz, and road policing officers have issued hundreds of penalty
CHILDREN and young people are invited to join a youth theatre’s summer school. The Durham Youth Theatre summer school will be held in Belmont parish hall, Durham, between August 3 and 7. Each session will run from 11am to 5pm. Students will be able
ONE of the country’s most remarkable statesmen is getting a smart new look on the eve of the centenary of his death. A statue of the 1st Marquess of Ripon has stood in Ripon’s Spa Gardens since 1921 and now local contractor Andrew Spedding
He could have been performing as James Catchpole but the international star tells Viv Hardwick why he opted for his middle name of Morrison as he tops the bill at Durham Cricket Club’s big weekend of music. AS A young busker down in Newquay, James
The Nolans are preparing for a massive reception in Newcastle. Coleen talks to Viv Hardwick about the highs and lows of a reunion tour. SHE’S become the best-known of the Nolan Sisters thanks to TV’s Loose Women and Dancing On Ice, but Coleen
UK DVD/VIDEO RENTAL 1 (-) Gran Torino 2 (-) Che - Part 1: The Argentine 3 (2) Valkyrie 4 (-) Push 5 (-) Pink Panther 2 6 (-) Bolt 7 (8) Defiance 8 (3) TheCurious Case Of Benjamin Button 9 (5) Seven Pounds 10 (6) He’s Just Not That Into You
RULE number one of living in Soapland – don’t tell lies, because you’ll always get found out. If only these characters stuck to the rules, although if they did, we probably wouldn’t have many plotlines. Over on Eastenders (BBC), there’s a few
THE fury unleashed following the MPs’ expenses scandal has given political activist and comedian Mark Thomas some magnificent satirical ammunition. And the timing of his tour has captured the nation’s wrath perfectly, as he launched an all-out
IN all good political revolutions, if you don’t look at the expenses involved, there’s a period of animated confusion before everyone establishes their roles. So it shouldn’t be surprising to discover that towards the end of the first half here
That Mitchell And Webb Look (BBC2, 9.30pm); The Mentalist (Five, 9pm); Bruce Willis (Bio, 6.30pm) WHEN a sketch show starts with an appearance by the disgruntled work-shy brother of Santa Claus refusing to go back on the production line and take
THE thirteen-year-old could barely contain his excitement when he called me from his mobile phone on the bus journey home. “Mum, a first year pupil has got swine flu. Honestly. They’re closing school for the week.” I should add that the girl only
A window tax all but killed off the gardens at Thornton Hall, until owner Sue Manners breathed new life into the grounds of her historic home. Jenny Laue visits. I’M standing on a little raised outcrop in Sue Manners’ fabulous, two-acre garden
I FOUND watching the speeches of the supreme leader in Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khameini, very disturbing. They reminded me of the speeches Hitler gave before he came to power, very powerful and very intense and greatly emotive to the people of Iran
RALPH Musgrave (HAS, June 20) makes a very valid point about the extent to which the main political parties represent the views and feelings of the electorate. If they don’t represent those views and feelings, of course, how in any meaningful
NOW that summer is here, we would ask your readers to remember that animals suffer and die in hot weather. Already, Animal Aid has had to call the police to smash the window of a car and release a dog which was sweltering inside. Other animals
AS we get into the swing of summer I am writing to ask your readers to make the most of it by holding a Strawberry Tea for Breast Cancer Care. It’s the perfect excuse to get together with friends, family or work colleagues and serve up some strawberry
A TEENAGER is fighting for his life after a savage assault. The 18-year-old was attacked at a house in Broughton Avenue, Easterside, Middlesbrough, at about 2.30pm yesterday. He suffered a serious head injury and was critical but stable
AS a supporter of the Changing Places campaign, which is being undertaken by a group of organisations, I think it is a disgrace that Durham County Council doesn’t provide enough public toilets that meet the needs of local people with severe disabilities
MY apologies to Colin T Mortimer (HAS, June 23) for my accusation of incorrect quote-attribution (HAS, June 18). This was a case of sloppy wording of my letter in trying to keep it as succinct as possible. As for the charge of “pseudo-intellectual
IT may be recalled how the late Norris McWhirter and I laid treason charges against Government ministers responsible for signing the Maastricht Treaty in 1992. That treaty was, after the 1972 Accession to the European Common Market, by far the
DIABETES UK still has team places available for this year’s Bupa Great North Run on Sunday, September 20. More than 40,000 would-be runners missed out in the ballot for places, so this could be a final chance to take part. About 2.5 million people
THERE used to be a stock exchange in Newcastle – as there was in Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Bradford, Halifax, Sheffield, Bristol, Cardiff and Swansea. Most opened in the mid-1800s, just as “railway mania” swept the country, allowing companies
Health Editor Barry Nelson talks to a family who are finding that there is a lack of support for their adopted son who they say suffers from behavioural problems. WHEN Peter and Jane were told it was highly unlikely that they could have children
FINDING suitable people capable of adopting or fostering children is a far from easy task. It represents a huge commitment and it can never be entered into without extremely careful consideration on both sides. In publishing our front page story
GOLFERS who teed off for charities have handed over money to three causes. The Mayor's Charity Golf Tournament, which took place at Stressholme Golf Club, last Friday raised £1,000. The money has been handed over by the mayor Councillor Jim Ruck to
GRIPSHOLM CASTLE can bring the house down on day one of Newcastle’s Northumberland Plate meeting. Henry Cecil’s representative has bags of potential and must be noted as being a significant entry in the EBF Hoppings Stakes. The once-raced three-yearold
It is quite possibly the most tantalisingly balanced contest since the 1966 World Cup final went into extra-time. The Headline Game, a daily battle between The Northern Echo and TFM Radio, stands at 3-3 going into tomorrow's final showdown. It was a
ALAN SHEARER will be given an update on the sale of Newcastle United when he meets the club’s hierarchy in London tomorrow. And with Mike Ashley close to agreeing terms with one of the interested bidders, Shearer’s long wait to take charge of
YOU have to hand it to Mike Ashley, he doesn’t do things by half. Not content with running Newcastle United into the ground last season, the outgoing Magpies owner now appears to be doing all he can to ensure the club starts life in the Championship
DARLINGTON’S chances of producing more young talent like Curtis Main could be in jeopardy unless they find funding to help maintain the progress made in their youth section. The club have earned a healthy reputation for developing local players
IF you’re a British player, you would have thought that Wimbledon would be the one tennis tournament every year where you were guaranteed the bulk of the support. Spare a thought for Middlesbrough’s Sarah Borwell then, following her first-round
GARETH SOUTHGATE has identified Colchester United’s free-scoring winger Mark Yeates as a potential replacement for Stewart Downing and is weighing up a £500,000 offer for the Dubliner. But reports a deal has already been agreed to bring the 24
MAX Mosley’s 16 years as president of the FIA are poised to draw to a close after one of the most dramatic uturns seen in Formula One. Since announcing at the end of April a voluntary £40m budget cap would come into force from next year, Mosley
MARIA Sharapova is a still a girl with problems to solve. Last year she was dumped out of Wimbledon by a fellow Russian, who dissed her fashion sense – the ultimate insult for a girl who always carries Cosmo in her kitbag. This time she was dispatched
ANDY MURRAY insists the responsibility of being the only British male left at Wimbledon will not affect his chances of claiming a maiden Grand Slam title. Murray takes on Latvian Ernests Gulbis for a place in the third round this afternoon, with
ROGER Federer has worked hard to make Swiss efficiency his trademark. In the early stages of Grand Slams he conserves his energies by practising that old mantra of minimum effort for maximum reward. And nowhere was that more evident than in his
SUNDERLAND are considering a bid for Tottenham Hotspur’s £8m-rated midfielder Tom Huddlestone with Aston Villa and Fulham also ready to battle for his signature. But rumours the Wearsiders have made a firm bid for the player are premature despite
TREASURY bungling over Northern Rock continued even after the stricken bank was finally nationalised, a report by MPs says today. Chancellor Alistair Darling’s officials “did not challenge with sufficient rigour” the Rock’s over-optimistic
CONSTRUCTION company Whelan said it remains confident of hitting its predicted £30m turnover after winning numerous, significant contracts despite the economy. The company, based in Gosforth, has completed several projects so far this year, and
AN online activity planner is helping businesses cash in on the boom in visitors to the region. The Adventure Generator comes at a time the North-East’s £4bn tourism industry has bucked the national trend as the only area outside London to show
A NORTH-EAST cosmetic treatment company has struck a deal with the spa chain founded by entrepreneur Duncan Bannatyne to create clinics within the group’s luxury venues. Collagenics North-East will provide non-surgical aesthetic treatments in
RENEWED recovery hopes for the US economy gave British bluechips a boost yesterday. London’s FTSE closed up 50 points, at 4280, 1.2 per cent, after struggling for direction. Bank of England governor, Mervyn King, gave a sobering view on the
RETAIL sales fell for the second month running in the year to June, but the worst of the spending slump may be over, the CBI said yesterday. The business body’s Distributive Trades Survey revealed that more retailers said sales had fallen than
SMITH Electric Vehicles will play a key role in a Government initiative to place more electric vans on UK roads. If the early stage trials are successful, this could lead to widespread subsidies for public- sector procurement of battery- powered
SOCIAL networking-style websites are to be used to encourage youngsters, including those from disadvantaged communities, to seek careers in science and technology. The £1m initiative, based at NETPark, in Sedgefield, County Durham, will engage
AN ENTERPRISE centre in Barnard Castle is now offering a new service to small businesses in the area. Micro and small businesses which may struggle to maintain an office or just need more flexible working arrangements, can now access hot desking
AN estate agent has called for homebuilders to focus on cheap-to-buy terraced housing to stimulate the property market. Russell Hartshorn told the latest meeting of The Northern Echo’s Property Forum that affordable housing stock was needed
Children’s surprise as legend drops in for kick about FOOTBALL legend Paul Gascoigne showed he is putting his personal problems behind him when he turned unannounced up at a children’s coaching session. Gazza put youngsters through their
WE start, as all good tennis reports should, with a tale of cockroaches infesting a bedroom in Mexico. “I used to room with Anne (Keothavong) when we were trying to break into the world’s top 200,” said Middlesbrough-born Sarah Borwell. “We shared
A WORLD Cup referee who presided over finals in Italy and Mexico has been recognised for promoting his home town in the North-East. George Courtney, a former headteacher, councillor and Fifa referee, was presented with a scroll of honour from
YORKSHIRE made a complete pig’s ear of chasing a modest Durham total at Riverside last night, handing their rivals a Twenty20 Cup lifeline. Looking rudderless without skipper Anthony McGrath, the visitors suffered two runouts in the first three
A CONVICTED killer told a court his perceived threat to have a car belonging to a feuding neighbour “torched” was a misinterpreted joke. Dennis Scott, who served a life sentence for the “one-arm bandit” murder of Angus Sibbett, in 1967, was
A TEENAGER is hoping a combination of looks and brains will land her the prize in a beauty contest. Kimberley Peacock, 17, of Wheatley Hill, County Durham, won the Miss Durham title in April and is now one of 54 contestants in the running for Miss
A YOUNG man has admitted stabbing his mother with a vegetable knife during a domestic row. Michael Bowes, 22, is accused of stabbing Tracey McGrail following an argument over a games console at her home, in Quarrington Hill, near Durham, on Sunday
PUPILS marked the opening of their eco-friendly greenhouse yesterday with a visit from former Blue Peter presenter and Dancing on Ice star Zoe Salmon. Children at St Hild’s College CofE Primary School in Durham got their hands on the greenhouse
CAMPAIGNERS last night reacted angrily to news that the age at which women are tested for cervical cancer will not be lowered from 25 to 20. The decision was made following a review carried out by the independent Advisory Committee on Cervical
PREPARATIONS are well under way for nearly 10,000 people to descend on a forest this weekend for two nights of live music. The stage is almost set for chart-toppers McFly and Paul Weller to entertain music fans of all ages at concerts organised
ONE in ten homeowners are in negative equity – with the picture even bleaker in parts of the North-East and likely only to get worse. A report by international ratings agency Fitch found that as many as 270,000 borrowers across the UK with previously
Plans to close six secondary schools in North Durham and replace them with three new-build academies have divided opinion ever since they were first mooted, more than three years ago. As Durham County Council reveals where the academies could be built
THE bus network across the Tees Valley is on course to receive £62m over the next three years. The £40m of Government funding will be topped up with council and private sector contributions, to provide a network of services for town centres.
A COUPLE fear a ten-year-old boy they adopted will kill them unless he receives the special residential care he needs. But the Darlington family, who cannot be named for legal reasons, say they are trapped in a Catch 22-type situation because
HOARDERS are being encouraged to clear out their cupboards to make money for charity. Butterwick Hospice supporters are holding a car boot sale in Preston Park, Stockton, on Saturday, July 4. The hospice wants to raise £3,000 which will
A JUDGE has praised a householder for hunting down the burglars who stole thousands of pounds worth of entertainment equipment from his home. Liam Collins sprung into action after he and his partner Nicola Lee, were woken in the early hours
HUNDREDS of protestors held a mass rally yesterday as unsanctioned strike action at a wheat plant entered its fourth day. Workers blocked all the entrances to Ensus’s Wilton site at 6.30am, amid a heavy police presence. The protest came
