STEVE McCLAREN insists there was no dirty dealing when Jesper Blomqvist made a surprise move to Charlton Athletic instead of Middlesbrough. The former Manchester United winger launched a furious broadside at Boro, branding them "unprofessional'', when
LOWLY Boston head to Feethams today in a match that Quakers' assistant manager Mick Tait sees as anything but a six-pointer. Despite Darlington being sixth bottom and struggling to find any consistency this term, Tait believes it is far too early to talk
STEVE Book, a Steve Cotterill disciple when he led Cheltenham Town from the Dr Martens League to the Second Division, last night warned the Sunderland players: "Shape up - or ship out." Book, whose uncle Tony was sacked from his scouting post at Sunderland
NIALL QUINN has admitted for the first time he is facing an uncertain future at the Stadium of Light as the Howard Wilkinson revolution gathers pace. Quinn has been helping out on the coaching side since Wilkinson and Steve Cotterill took control at Sunderland
Parents of young children living in the Darlington area are being urged to book a school place. Parents need to make arrangements with their preferred primary school before December 6 for children who will start school in September next year or January
BOWLS clubs in Ferryhill are to launch a recruitment drive because of dwindling membership. At their end-of-season liaison meeting, teams belonging to both Dean Bank and Mainsforth clubs reported that they were struggling for members. Ferryhill Town Council
The Dolphin Centre's Pulse Two fitness suite in Darlington is to receive more that £25,000 worth of new fitness equipment. Ten new fitness machines will be installed to complete the £100,000 refurbishment programme, which began last year. The equipment
THE children at Ferndene Nursery, in Darlington, have distributed gifts as part of their harvest festival. The youngsters collected harvest produce as part of their work on the theme of autumn. All the gifts were taken to the elderly residents of ED Walker
HUNDREDS of young soldiers watched as the Duke of York formally opened a state-of-the-art college campus in the region yesterday. Eight hundred camouflage caps were changed for berets with the College cap badge when Prince Andrew inspected the junior
A SCHOOL football team has a new kit thanks to Middleton St George Hospital. The team is made up of boys and girls aged between four and 11. Linda Stephens, operations manager at Middleton St George Hospital, presented the kit to the headteacher of Middleton
RAIL enthusiasts working to reopen the Weardale line between Bishop Auckland and Stanhope were dealt a shattering blow yesterday when the arrival of their first steam locomotive was cancelled. The Weardale Railway Locomotive Group was due to take delivery
A SERVICE of traditional song and prayer used since the 16th Century takes place next month. The Durham Committee of the Royal School of Church Music holds a service of Compline in the Saxon church in Escomb, County Durham, on Saturday, November 9, at
ROCK legend Robert Plant raised a Whole Lotta Cash to help a young woman paralysed in a car crash. The former Led Zeppelin star was moved by the plight of Lianne Crowe, whose friends and family are trying to raise money to send her to America for pioneering
COMPANIES from across the North-East have taken part in a survey examining industrial relations. Staff, including workers at Cleveland Fire Brigade, took part in the Employee Relations Survey 2002. The survey, which spoke to 100 companies, found that
RAIL enthusiasts working to reopen the Weardale line between Bishop Auckland and Stanhope were dealt a shattering blow yesterday when the arrival of their first steam locomotive was cancelled. The Weardale Railway Locomotive Group was due to take delivery
Howard Wilkinson's honeymoon as Sunderland manager is already over after his side slipped into the relegation zone after a 1-0 defeat to West Ham. Trevor Sinclair scored the only goal of the game when he drilled home after 22 minutes following a superb
DARLINGTON Borough Council states that 70 per cent of people who responded to consultation letters were in favour of plans to move Alderman Leach School. On the face of it, that looks like a huge majority in favour and that those people in opposition
A FUNDRAISING drive to redevelop a market town's community hall has been given a cash boost by three local organisations. The Witham Hall, in Barnard Castle, is one of the town's best known buildings, but the 19th Century hall is in urgent need of refurbishment
POLICE are appealing for information on the events leading to a crash which has left a man critically ill for a week. Colvin Hayton, 33, of The Larches, Esh Winning, near Durham, was driving near Ushaw College Farm, Durham, when his Alpha Romeo left the
PUPILS are enjoying a safer and more comfortable ride to school in a pilot transport project. Youngsters at Kingsmeadow School, Gateshead, are road-testing more than £10,000 of improvements to their school bus. The project aims to make buses safer and
A CAMPAIGN to halt the relocation of a town centre library is gathering pace. Middlesbrough Council is proposing to move the town's central library into a modern building, turning the existing 90-year-old Carnegie Building into an arts and crafts centre
FOLLOWING a survey of shoppers in Stockton a new store is set to open in the town's Wellington Square Centre. The survey, carried out earlier this year, showed that River Island was one of the retailers shoppers wanted to come to Wellington Square. Work
FORMER Big Brother star Jonny Regan has announced a theatre's Christmas giveaway. The celebrity, who is starring as the Genie in Aladdin, at Newcastle's Theatre Royal this winter, revealed that the theatre is giving away up to 700 tickets for the show
MORE than 150 hunting enthusiasts braved biting winds on the North Pennine fells to set off on foot in pursuit of the humble hare. And their departure with a 30-strong pack of beagles from Langdon Beck, in Upper Teesdale, was heralded by two Frenchmen
REDCAR woke up to a brand new landmark on Wednesday, but some townsfolk were less than impressed. The 18ft steel sculpture, Seven Red Plaice, was lowered into position at the entrance of the new Regent Walk shopping centre on the High Street. But, despite
BOWLS clubs in Ferryhill are to launch a recruitment drive because of dwindling membership. At their end-of-season liaison meeting, teams belonging to both Dean Bank and Mainsforth clubs reported that they were struggling for members. Ferryhill Town Council
A PROJECTIONIST at the former Pavilion Cinema in Ferryhill, and his wife are celebrating 60 years of marriage. Stanley and Ida Davidson, of Ellerton Close, Darlington enjoyed a party with family and friends for their diamond wedding this week. Mr Davidson
A BURGLARY victim who said he waited 30 hours for police officers to arrive is threatening legal action. Convoy Aid charity founder Rod Jones is filing a county court claim for compensation against both Cleveland Police and Stockton Borough Council. He
A MOTORCYCLE rider has returned to his County Durham roots as he nears the end of a 22,000-mile marathon charity ride. Multiple sclerosis (MS) sufferer Ralph Dixon and his partner, Fionnuala Living-ston rode out of their home in Sydney, Australia, on
AIR cadet Richard Malkin exchanged training in the skies for a week on the ocean when he joined a cross channel course. The corporal from the 2505 (Bishop Auckland) Squadron joined a Marine Training Society Ship sailing from Kent to Boulogne. The squadron's
SUNDERLAND City Council has praised residents for the war-time spirit they demonstrated during this week's bomb alert. Phil Barrett, the authority's director of development and regeneration, said the emergency had led to a real example of community spirit
CONCERNS are growing for a missing Harrogate man. Christopher Jones, 29, who is said to be depressed, was last seen in the Harehills area of Leeds on Thursday lunch time. He is 5ft 10in and stocky. He was wearing a short cream jacket, a black T-shirt,
MORE than 50 delegates will attend a gathering at Ripon Cathedral next week. Representatives of the councils of the Friends of Cathedrals and major churches from all over the country will meet next Saturday to discuss and share ideas and recount experiences
MORTGAGE lending is expected to stay at high levels for the rest of this year as the housing boom continues, figures suggested yesterday. Gross mortgage lending in September remained high, with £19.7bn advanced, according to figures from the Council of
THE Tyne has emerged as the hot favourite to secure a £100m deal to build a new North Sea oil rig. More than 1,000 jobs could be created if Canadian company Encana decides to award a contract to build a rig for its Buzzard oilfield just north of Aberdeen
THERE was no alternative to the suspension of devolved government in Northern Ireland. The power-sharing executive was about to fall apart amid a welter of recriminations. Without even the pretence of harmony between the political parties, the decision
A CENTRE which helps people to recover from mental illness celebrated its tenth birthday yesterday. St Margaret's Centre, Marjery Lane, Durham, is the idea of Father Ian Hoskins, now a parish priest in Newcastle, and Durham businessman John Ayton. When
TRADERS from as far afield as southern Ireland converged on Durham for an annual shopping event. The Durham Shopping Extravaganza, now in its 14th year, attracted about 60 stallholders selling a wide range of goods, including shoes, bags, clothes, jewellery
Sunderland University's Utopia FM, the region's biggest student station, has been nominated for five prizes at the BBC Radio1 Student Radio Awards, which are held at the Great Hall, Goldsmiths College, London, on Thursday, November 14.
The owners of a North-East quarry are to make redundancies as part of a restructuring programme. The jobs are to go at Lafarge's Thrislington Quarry and Works, near Ferryhill, County Durham. The company quarries stone for various uses, chiefly burnt lime
CHILDREN who take advantage of a half-term football course could find themselves playing at Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium. Youngsters who sign up for training courses organised by Middlesbrough Football in the Community next week will take part in
MOTHER-OF-FOUR Dianne Heneghan aims to re-establish herself as one of the region's top cross country athletes in the opening fixture of the Reebok Cross Challenge Series at Sefton Park, Liverpool, today. The former North-East champion, who made her Great
FIREFIGHTERS were last night on course for a series of 48-hour and eight-day strikes after voting overwhelmingly for industrial action. The strikes will start on Tuesday, October 29, and run through to Christmas Eve, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) announced
PEOPLE of a flood-stricken North Yorkshire village are taking matters into their own hands to clear an overgrown river and its banks in a bid to prevent future flooding. The move follows a public meeting during which environment agency boss Peter Holmes
THE magic of Thomas the Tank Engine will be coming to a North Yorkshire branch line next week. Christopher Awdry, whose father, Reverend W. Awdrey, wrote the children's stories, will be visiting the station at Leeming Bar where he will also be signing
THERE are a number of events taking place at the National Trust-owned Ormesby Hall before the end of the season, on Sunday, November 3. An exhibition by photographer Joe Cornish shows well-known North-East landmarks and is open Tuesday to Thursday, and
A CRACKDOWN on illegal firework sales is being launched in the run-up to Bonfire Night. Durham County Council's consumer services department is targeting firework retailers in an effort to protect children from being injured by the explosives. It is illegal
MARK Tinkler's hat-trick earned Hartlepool United a 4-3 win over Wrexham at Victoria Park to extend Pool's lead at the top of the table to three points. The midfielder netted three times to take his seasonal tally to 7 - and had another disallowed - in
MORE than 70 jobs could be created in Hartlepool thanks to a £1.8m industrial development. MP Peter Mandelson launched the new scheme on Queens Meadow Business Park yesterday, by breaking a bottle of champagne against a column of one of the units under
ALAN SHEARER can hit another goalscoring milestone today at the club where he won his only Premiership title. The Newcastle United skipper returns to Blackburn Rovers hoping to grab his 300th club goal on the Ewood Park pitch where he made a massive name
NEW Sunderland manager Howard Wilkinson has switched training to the Stadium of Light in a desperate attempt to restore home rule on Wearside. Wilkinson, successor to the sacked Peter Reid, launches his reign with a crucial home game against bottom club
RISING crime in the countryside around Darlington has prompted farmers to install sophisticated new security systems. Infra-red detectors, ultrasonic beams, updated alarm systems and closed circuit cameras are being introduced in response to the recent
MICHAEL Hunter topped the bill last night in his WBF Super Bantamweightworld title fight at The Jesters Centre in Hartlepool last night. Undefeated Hartlepool-born Hunter was up against Sweden's Frankie De Milo who has won 14 of his 16 professional fights
Spennymoor will give new defender David Goodchild his debut against top-of-the-table Alfreton in the UniBond League First Division this afternoon. Moors boss Tony Lee, fresh from his side's fightback against Droylsden in the Cup in midweek, signed former
IT'S that time of the year when the gardener swaps the spade for the wooden spoon, the secateurs for the paring knife and the wheelbarrow for the heavy-bottomed saucepan. It's time to prepare for the bitter hunger pangs of winter by stocking up the stores
TREADING the high ground is easy at St John's Church, Kirk Merrington - the church has a 72ft tower to add to its already elevated status. And its churchyard also has a gruesome history... IF it is indeed the case that God moves in a mysterious way his
IT'S that time of the year when the gardener swaps the spade for the wooden spoon, the secateurs for the paring knife and the wheelbarrow for the heavy-bottomed saucepan. It's time to prepare for the bitter hunger pangs of winter by stocking up the stores
PUPILS are enjoying a safer and more comfortable ride to school in a pilot transport project. Youngsters at Kingsmeadow School, Gateshead, are road-testing more than £10,000 of improvements to their school bus. The project aims to make buses safer and
TORE Andre Flo is one of the worst strikers in the Premiership - and that's official. According to OPTA, who put together statistics on the performances of every top-flight player, Flo is ranked 28th out of 32 forwards this season. The £8.2m striker admitted
HOWARD WILKINSON has hit the ground running at Sunderland - and sent a shock wave through the ranks. Sergeant Wilko, as he was known in his title-winning days at Leeds, has had his troops out on manoeuvres. Howard's way involves daily double training
A MUSIC entrepreneur who has rubbed shoulders with international pop producers will be giving opportunities to teenagers from throughout the North. Adam Chetter, 21, who put Popstars: The Rivals top ten finalist Chris Park on the road to stardom, is being
STEVE McClaren revealed last night how he has copied Sir Alex Ferguson's blueprint for success by helping Middlesbrough laugh their way to the top. Behind Ferguson's dour exterior, McClaren insists, lurks a "wicked" sense of humour that keeps a smile
POLICE operations are continuing to try and stamp out anti-social behaviour taking place around a Newton Aycliffe school. Residents living near Woodham Community and Technology College raised the issue at a meeting with staff and police officers. They
AFTER an overwhelming ballot result in favour of industrial action, Nick Morrison looks at the implications of the first national firefighters' strike for 25 years. IT was the day the lights went out over Teesside. A huge plume of black smoke hung over
FREE daffodil bulbs are on offer to anyone who is willing to help improve the grounds maintenance service in Darlington. Members of the borough council's grounds maintenance team will be holding a Listening Day on Monday, from 10am to 3pm in Darlington's
With little prospect of work, many of the Wearmouth miners found themselves relying on income from their redundancy packages, as Linday Jennings reports, in the last of our series looking at the decade since the Durham coalfield pit closures. MINING was
A WOMAN died and her partner was left fighting for his life after their car was in collision with a lorry yesterday. The incident happened shortly after 10am on the A688 at the entrance to the Bowburn services area, Durham. It is believed that the couple
Henry Cecil has had a rather quiet time of it this year, but Burning Sun has a great chance of putting him back on the Group One score sheet in the Emirates Airline Champion Stakes at Newmarket today. There is not a lot of sentiment in racing, but among
VIDEO footage could hold the key to identifying a man who sprayed a dangerous chemical in the face of a clubber, say police. Christopher Armstrong, 26, was sprayed in the left eye with an ammonia-type substance on the dance floor at the Trades nightclub
A PREGNANT woman is recovering from shock after being attacked on her way home from a night out. The 20-year-old, who is seven months pregnant, had been to her sister's house in the Grangefield area of Stockton, last Saturday. She was making her way home
A WOMAN was left badly shocked after being held up at knifepoint for her handbag. The 57-year-old was attacked outside the Honeysuckle pub, in Coatsworth Road, Bensham, Gateshead, on Wednesday, at 12.45pm. The attacker, who made off in a waiting car,
TRADERS say that traffic chaos around a new supermarket site is costing them thousands of pounds in lost business. Sales at one Bishop Auckland tile shop have dropped by £33,000 over the past three months while contractors have been working on the town's
FIREFIGHTER Ian Jack is planning to swap driving a fire engine for the high-tech world of computers To help him get the necessary skills he has just become the 1,000th learner to enrol at a drop-in centre in Northallerton High Street. Mr Jack, who has
TRAIN company GNER is urging customers to book now for Christmas and New Year travel. The East Coast Main Line operator is expecting 50,000 reservations over the next month. Spokesman David Mallender said: "Anyone planning to travel in the days before
MILLIONS of years ago, even before dinosaurs roamed the earth, the foundations were being laid for a spectacular landscape which still holds a fascination for the modern world. People travel for miles to marvel at the weird shapes of Brimham Rocks, on
RESIDENTS are being asked to help conduct a review into outdoor play provision. The wide-ranging policy review into Sunderland's outdoor play provision for children and young people has been agreed by Sunderland City Council. It will cover the effectiveness
A POLICE officer is trying to raise £1m in a bid to reduce crime in the county. Detective Constable Jane Harrison works for the York and North Yorkshire Partnership Unit and has the main responsibility of securing funding for crime reduction schemes in
THE North-East Ambulance Service has been commended after an inspection by the Commission for Health Improvement (CHI). Following an inspection by a team from CHI the Newcastle-based NHS trust, which covers County Durham, Tyneside, Wearside and North-umberland
DRIVERS across the region will soon be hitting their brakes more often when 20mph speed limits are imposed on roads. The Government is considering a report which recommends that speed limits in large areas of towns and cities are cut to 20mph. However
THE tale of a native American who visited Teesside more than a century ago was retold by children from four Middlesbrough schools. Pupils from Hall Garth Comprehensive, Tollesby special, Linthorpe junior and Easterside primary schools performed the Great
A GIPSY has said she would like a fair to go back to its roots when it returns to Teesside next year. Tilly Wood, 80, has been going to Yarm Fair since she was born. When she was younger the streets of the town were lined with old-fashioned horse-drawn
STUDENTS are helping a firm of opticians to get a glimpse of the future. Seventeen second-year industrial design students were asked to design a pair of spectacles as part of their course work. The students were asked to design spectacles for five categories
A NEW exhibition at a Newton Aycliffe school has been inspired by the Orient. The exhibition at Greenfield Community and Arts Centre is by pupils of Spennymoor School. The display is the culmination of work by year ten and 11 pupils as part of their GCSE
POLICE operations are continuing to try and stamp out anti-social behaviour taking place around a Newton Aycliffe school. Residents living near Woodham Community and Technology College raised the issue at a meeting with staff and police officers. They
ATTEMPTS to have an ancient right of way re-opened are being stepped up by Sowerby Parish Council. It has been pressing North Yorkshire County Council for four years for the pathway alongside the Three Tuns Hotel to be included on a definitive map. But
CHILDREN joined local councillors for the opening of a road safety scheme's latest phase on Thursday. To make the area safer for pedestrians and cyclists, Durham County Council has carried out a series of improvements in Passfield Way and Yoden Way, Peterlee
PUPILS are enjoying a safer and more comfortable ride to school in a pilot transport project. Youngsters at Kingsmeadow School, Gateshead, are road-testing more than £10,000 of improvements to their school bus. The project aims to make buses safer and
Rail users in the region face fresh travel chaos today due to a long-running pay dispute. Services across the Northwill be hit when members of the Rail Maritime and Transport union stage a 24 hour walkout against Arriva. The union expects 700 conductors
Harrogate International Centre, which operates the North Yorkshire spa town's conference centre and Royal Hall theatre, has revealed £2m expansion plans. New meeting halls, capable of holding up to 1,600 delegates, are planned in King's Road, between
A PROCESSION and wreath-laying ceremony to commemorate the achievements of North-East naval hero, Admiral Lord Collingwood, will be held on Trafalgar Day. Born in Newcastle on October 24, 1748, he played a pivotal role as Horatio Nelson's second-in-command
THE voyages of Captain James Cook were brought to life on Teesside yesterday. Using a sextant, similar to the one the 18th Century explorer would have used on his voyages of discovery, museum curator Ian Stubbs and education officer Claire Pounder sized
PRIME Minister Tony Blair told yesterday of his failings as a science student while opening a £20m physics centre in the North-East which is exploring the mysteries of the universe. He said he was a poor physics student at school, because he found the
Unusual traditional North-East dishes go on display at Beamish Museum this weekend. Platters, such as boar's head, pickled pigs feet and baked rabbit in custard, will be laid out by cooks to commemorate a huge feast. The Harvest Home Supper was held every
MORE than 1,000 North-East electronics workers whose jobs were under threat have been given a stay of execution. A question mark has hung over LG Philips plants, in Durham City and Washington, since the leaking of an internal discussion document suggesting
A CONSULTANCY firm born out of the demise of another company has celebrated its first anniversary. In October last year, Quality Software Products (QSP), of Gateshead, was placed in administrative receivership and more than 250 employees were made redundant
NEWCASTLE Falcons are exploring how they can strengthen their links with Darlington Mowden Park to the benefit of both clubs. Club owner Dave Thompson and Director of Rugby Rob Andrew have put some proposals to Mowden, who will report back next week.
THE firm of administrators handling the winding up of a North-East steelworks revealed last night it was having serious talks with a prospective buyer. Sheffield-based Poppleton and Appleby said it hoped to make an announcement about the future of the
A LIVING memorial to help the bereaved remember loved ones goes up in Newcastle next month. The Tree of Lights will be set up in Newcastle Central Station. Families can sponsor a light on the giant evergreen over the Christmas period, with funds going
A HUGE piece of marine equipment left Teesside this week on board the Jumbo Spirit bound for New York. Made by Engineering Business, The Sea Titan is a 100-tonne underwater trenching and backfilling plough, bought by US contractor Horizon Offshore Contractors
PEOPLE protesting over a pylons scheme are planning a bonfire party - but the effigy they burn on it will not be that of Guy Fawkes. Instead, campaigners plan to make their feelings known by burning the likeness of one of those people they feel are responsible
VILLAGERS could soon be enjoying a pint when they send off their post or collect their pension. The parish council at Husthwaite, between Thirsk and Easingwold, is consulting locals over the possibility of opening a new sub-post office. And the venue
AN appeal is being made for more people to adopt orphaned cats. The numbers of cats and kittens at the Northallerton branch of the RSPCA has reached a peak this month. Eighteen-month-old Barry is just one of many cats who are waiting to find loving homes
HOUSEHOLDERS across Hartlepool are being advised to shred personal documents to avoid becoming victims of fraud. There is growing concern over the number of people getting rid of mail containing sensitive information such as names and addresses, bank
THERE are a number of events taking place at the National Trust-owned Ormesby Hall before the end of the season, on Sunday, November 3. An exhibition by photographer Joe Cornish shows well-known North-East landmarks and is open Tuesday to Thursday, and
A CAMPAIGN by residents to create a new community facility came to fruition this week with the opening of a portable building. The ceremony marked the end of a year's fundraising by the Terraces Association, formed by people living in King Edward Terrace
WOMEN will be bidding for a PC of their own at an auction at the Ramside Hall Hotel, Durham, tonight - and they will not looking at computers. Two of Northumbria Police's officers are putting themselves up for auction to help raise funds for the Rainbow
METHODISTS are staging a celebration to mark the impending demolition of their Victorian-built church building. Sunday's service of thanksgiving will mark the end of one era and the start of another for Carrville Methodist Church. Once the original 133
THERE are said to be only three sacred cows in Blind Date, the stools, the camera and Cilla Black. So when the show was revamped, it was certain the Liverpudlian legend would still be playing Cupid 'EEE, chuck, where's our Graham? I miss the sound of
PEOPLE can buy a piece of North-East history now that a Co-op supermarket dating from 1913 has been recreated as a collectable miniature. The Co-op at Beamish is one of the open air museum's most popular exhibits. The store existed in Annfield Plain,
Former Middlesbrough and Sunderland striker Stan Cummins has yet to meet half of his squad as he prepares for his first game in charge at Norton and Stockton Ancients at home to Evenwood in the ANL Second Division today. Cummins has just returned from
THERE are said to be only three sacred cows in Blind Date, the stools, the camera and Cilla Black. So when the show was revamped, it was certain the Liverpudlian legend would still be playing Cupid 'EEE, chuck, where's our Graham? I miss the sound of
ALAN Shearer's 300th career club goal was scant consolation as Newcastle geared up for Wednesday's crucial Champions League match at home to Juventus in the worst possible manner. The game appeared over after just nine minutes as Blackburn went two up
SHOPS that sell tobacco to young people are to be targeted in a drive to stamp out underage smoking. Health chiefs are teaming up with trading standards officials to tackle illegal tobacco sales. As part of the crackdown, they plan to encourage people
PRIME Minister Tony Blair has added his weight to The Northern Echo's Working for a Future Campaign to stand up for North-East communities hit by employment misery. Speaking exclusively yesterday, he was upbeat about the prospects for the region's manufacturing
SCHOOL pupils trailblazing a project to cross cultural barriers through art will be visited by a delegation from the Chinese embassy on Monday. The visit marks the culmination of a series of workshops by China Link Arts at five schools in the Derwentside
STEPHEN Harmison was barely out of nappies when Ian Botham, with two epic, cavalier innings and one inspired spell of pace bowling, wrote his name into Ashes folklore. Botham's Ashes, they call the 1981 series, and the mention of the indefatigable all-rounder's
PAUL SMITH returns to the Hartlepool United starting line-up today for the first time since recovering from a knee injury. Manager Chris Turner is convinced his wing-wizard can get his promotion-chasing side back on track at home to Wrexham. Skilful Smith
A TERMINALLY ill man succeeded in stopping a female burglar escaping from his Middlesbrough home, a court heard. Helped by his wife, the frail man wrestled 22-year-old Kimberley Ward to the ground while the police were called. The mother-of-one, of Ayresome
FORMER England skipper Alan Shearer last night admitted that he would still love to play on the international stage. But the 32-year-old striker, who hung up his England boots after Euro 2000, indicated he was not about to come out of retirement to help
A TRADE delegation is visiting the USA to find out how to develop a technology park in County Durhamm. Leading civic, economic and academic figures left on Tuesday for Durham in North Carolina to view the pioneering Research Triangle Park. The delegation
IT is a mere two inches long and weighs just a few grammes - but a tiny pearl-encrusted rodent was at the centre of a remarkable celebration yesterday. The saga of the Bowes Mouse, which was stolen eight years ago during a raid, has reached its conclusion
Q After reading in your recent column about a man in identical circumstances I realise I should have been getting council tax benefit for nine years up to 2001. Can I get backdated benefit? A Sorry. This benefit can only be backdated for a year and then
