DARLINGTON manager David Hodgson has been sacked. Following an inquiry carried out by Quakers chairman George Houghton, Hodgson has been asked to relinquish his role as Quakers boss. Hodgson was suspended by the club on Saturday, while Houghton
MOORLAND Lass, a story of a young woman's struggle to find love and acceptance in her small rural community, works on one level as straightforward romantic fiction. But what sets it apart from so many other similar stories is the fascinating historical
MICHAEL Hampson comes across as an intelligent, likeable Church of England priest and he writes stylishly. He is also homosexual, and the consequences of this are the emotional heart of this very readable book. Michael suffered from a typical piece of
THE old ways of farming are vanishing. They always were. But nostalgia never loses its appeal. William Wade, 87, of Longnewton, (here placed in Cleveland, but properly in Durham) is among ten farmers whose memories are presented alongside good quality
A BASHFUL couple who fell in love during a flight to the North-East have got engaged. Michael Young, 33, revealed he almost let Juliet Levers, 29, slip through his fingers last August after he could not summon the courage to ask for her number during
Solutions ACROSS 1 Mithras. MITH(R+A)S (Myths hom.) 5 Palermo. (anag.) 9 Spill. SPIL+L (lips rev.) 10 Apologise. (anag.) 11 Iron cross. IRON+CROSS 12 speed. SPE(E)D 13 Fatwa. F+A+T+W+A 15 Emphasize. E+MP+H+A+SIZE 18 In private
Cryptic Clues ACROSS 1 Old stories one hears include King going to America with God (7) 5 Unusually pro male in this Italian town (7) 9 Body parts returned and left in shed (5) 10 A loose pig managed to say sorry! (9) 11 Annoyed after club medal
THE organisers of the Great North Run have today named the 29-year-old man who died in the event. Michael Jeffrey, of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, collapsed at around the 12-mile point on the course on Sunday, event organisers Nova International said.
We have a pair of wines just out this month, which are already proving popular, and are both ready for drinking now. The white is an interesting blend of sauvignon blanc, viognier, muscat and chardonnay. It's 12% alcohol and full of fruity melon and
A NEW group of farmers and landowners is hoping to increase the numbers of a native bird in the North-East. The Durham and Northern Dales Grey Partridge Recovery Group will be launched at Raby Castle, Staindrop, County Durham, next week. Yesterday
WHEN Neville Nixon decided to reduce his farming operations, he received the surprise of his life. The reason was that a tractor that he bought as a spare from a neighbour was identified as one of only 100 ever produced. It was a batch of International
AN organic flour milling business has been launched in the region. Yorkshire Organic Millers was the idea of Philip Trevelyan, whose two mills can produce 100 tons of flour a year - enough to make 100,000 loaves of bread. Mr Trevelyan only grows
A MOTHER escaped a possible prison sentence despite her son and daughter having hardly attended school this year. But Linda Davison, who now has two convictions for failing to ensure her children attend school, was warned that custody is becoming more
A HOSPICE is planning an 800,000 extension to expand its facilities and offer a new range of alternative therapies and childrens services. St Teresa's Hospice in Darlington, County Durham, has submitted plans to create an extension attached to the
MARK Ramsay was having a relaxing bath when he heard a crash and rushed downstairs naked to see a car parked in his hallway. The car then reversed out of the house and sped off leaving the shocked Mr Ramsay with a scene of devastation at his family's
SHAY Given has claimed that Newcastle's UEFA Cup group is as tough as anything they could expect to face in the Champions League. The Magpies will face Turkish side Fenerbahce, Italian outfit Palermo, Spanish club Celta Vigo and the Germans of Eintracht
FARMS and rural businesses have come under attack from thieves in a spate of criminal activity centred on North Yorkshire. Quad bikes, trailers, power tools and caravans have been taken from farms and rural businesses in Richmondshire in the past fortnight
STUDENTS from seven Teesside schools are taking part in a National Construction Week challenge. The pupils will attend the launch of the Enterprise in Construction event on Friday, which is designed to raise awareness of the opportunities available in
A VILLAGE cricket team and community will be looking forward to the new season with a newly improved pitch. North Bitchburn Community Association and the village's cricket club have worked together over two years to make the pitch an area for the community
A SCHOOL has announced its new name as it becomes the only specialist humanities college in its area. The former Norton School, in Stockton, will now be known as The Norton School Humanities College, following its successful bid for specialist college
AGENCIES in Teesside will this week pledge to work closer, to improve services for children. The Children and Young People's Plan 2006/7 has been drawn up by the Middlesbrough Children's Trust - the umbrella body responsible for all services for children
A DAREDEVIL couple have reached for the sky to raise funds for the organisation which has helped their daughter cope with her liver disease. Phil and Patrice Lyth, who each made a skydive from 14,000ft over Cumbria, believe they have raised
A NUMBER of east Durham motorists are being asked to move their cars to allow the completion of a street clean scheme. The amount of cars parked along the road in some areas of the Easington District is causing difficulties for the council's cleansing
A HUNWICK man is living his dream and hoping to realise those of others with his new business. Scott Cunningham has just set up Creating a Dream, a photography business with a twist. From his studio in Harperley PoW camp, Fir Tree, near Crook, Mr Cunningham
RESIDENTS have moved into new low-cost housing at Brompton-on-Swale, near Richmond. Five bungalows were built on the site of former council garages in a partnership between Richmondshire District Council and Tees Valley Housing Group. They were the final
CANCER patients are to benefit from a new complementary therapy treatment. The breast cancer support group at the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton has donated £1,500 towards setting up an Auricular acupuncture service. Auricular acupuncture is a gentle
TWO former soldiers hope to gather local troops together and form a support and social group for fellow veterans. David Hillerby and Timothy Speary are spearheading a campaign to launch a Sedgefield veterans club to serve the village and surrounding communities
CRIME fighters have organised a car amnesty so owners can get rid of unwanted vehicles before bonfire night. Sedgefield Borough Council neighbourhood wardens and Sedgefield Community Safety Partnership want to rid the borough's streets of abandoned vehicles
COUNCILLORS will see next week how plans for Durham's £11m baths are taking shape. City council executive director David Marrs will give a presentation on the project to the council's cabinet next Wednesday. The baths, on county council land next to
PRIMARY school pupils became converts to a greener, healthier diet yesterday. "Salad-phobic" pupils at St Joseph's RC Primary School in Gilesgate, Durham, were tucking into their greens at the culmination of a Ready, Steady, Cook-style event. The "miracle
AN opencast mining company wants to extract 500,000 tonnes of coal from the north Durham countryside. UK Coal wants to work the Bradley site, between Dipton and Leadgate, in Derwentside. The company has distributed a "scoping document" to Durham County
RENT arrears are being tackled using new and convenient methods to encourage tenants to pay. Figures show that Housing Hartlepool inherited arrears of £693,622 from the local authority when it took over the running of the housing stock. The arrears are
A MAN who admitted defrauding a pub landlord of £1,500 has been told he could face prison. Darlington Magistrates' Court heard yesterday that Barry Wayne Simpson, 33, of Elland Court, Darlington, approached the landlord of his local public house and
A MAN has appeared in court after attacking a nightclub bouncer with a metal pole. Gary James Draycott, 26, of Cumberland Street, Darlington, pleaded guilty to assault at Darlington Magistrates' Court yesterday. The court heard that Draycott had been
A TEENAGER has claimed she was raped by a gatecrasher at the home of her friend. The 16-year-old told a court yesterday that Henry Thompson, 20, pinned her to the floor in a child's bedroom and pulled down her clothes before attacking her. Teesside Crown
A BLACK comedy set amid the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War has been performed at a Darlington theatre. A new translation of Ay Carmela! by Jose Sanchis Sinisterra went on stage at the Arts Centre yesterday. The play was about Carmela and Paulino, a
DARLINGTON chairman George Houghton will continue with inquiries surrounding suspended manager David Hodgson when he returns to the club today. Houghton has been in Cyprus and will later today reconvene with the Quakers board to discuss Hodgson's future
THERE are times when it is very easy to understand why there is such widespread public concern about a sense of imbalance in our criminal justice system. Within a few days last month, there were two cases which we found shocking in the way they underlined
MARK Tinkler yesterday came through 90 minutes football as he recovers from a long-standing Achilles problem. The Hartlepool midfielder has been sidelined since the draw with Torquay on August 19 but played 90 minutes in yesterday's 3-0 reserve win at
A PILOT helped in the search for a man killed in a mid-air glider collision unaware that the victim was one of his friends. Peter Heywood was killed on Monday afternoon when his aircraft collided with another glider over Sutton Bank in North Yorkshire
CAMPAIGNERS have accused a council of ignoring protestors and pressing ahead with talks about quarrying near an ancient monument. Time Watch, which wants quarrying banned within a mile of Thornborough Henges, in North Yorkshire, claims that land near
The Northern Echo revealed yesterday how police wanted to speak to a former mayor after the disappearance of more than £5,000 belonging to local gardeners. Joe Willis digs deeper into the mysterious case of the missing leek club prize money. MEMBERS
Doctors are increasingly having their collars felt by prosecutors. Health Editor Barry Nelson investigates. THE revelation that more and more doctors are facing criminal prosecution for doing their jobs comes as no surprise to veteran GP Dr Colin Waine
Former champion jumps trainer Martin Pipe has played down reports that he has an incurable muscle-wasting illness. Pipe, 61, retired from training five months ago on the final day of the National Hunt season. He is now working alongside his son David,
JOE FANNING and Mark Johnston look the combination to keep tabs on at Nottingham with clear-cut chances of landing a double via Makai (3.50) and Piety (4.50). Makai kicks off for the Johnston duo in the lowly Selling Handicap, a woeful affair in which
NURSES have been told that a ward providing care for elderly patients is to close. Staff who work on ward 52 at Darlington Memorial Hospital were told of the planned closure on Friday. The 26-bed ward, which provides medical care for over 75s, including
THERE was a time when an appeal against a court punishment carried the risk that the punishment would be stiffened. In my court reporting days I saw it happen once or twice - a sentence lengthened or a fine increased in response to what the judge considered
BRITONS ABROAD : As many of us return from holidays abroad we reflect on the highs and low points. It is often the choice of resort, hotel and the food which is a talking point, but sometimes it is the people you meet. It is often a source of irritation
IT is to be another catch-up column, except for those who travel by Arriva, who've probably missed the bus, anyway. On the day that Arriva announced yet another fares increase "because of rising costs" - and when oil prices are fast falling - the column
The Amazing Mrs Pritchard (BBC1) The Outsiders (ITV1) Who hasn't listened to a politician talking rubbish and thought, "I could do better than that". Supermarket manager Ros Pritchard, unlike the rest of us, acts on her words to form her own party, the
NO ONE knows more about the green house effect than the colourful folk of Cockfield.For thanks to a lick of garish mint-green paint, their previously dull and inconspicuous homes are now plainly visible for many miles across the County Durham countryside.Some
TIMMY the monster moggie is so fat he has to live in a kennel and sleeps in a dog basket.The owner's of the podgy pet, the Langley family, are already claiming he is the fattest cat in town.Weighing in at a massive two stones, he has caused quite a stir
AN 80-year-old lady - described as a "lady of impeccable character" - drove the wrong way down a city's central motorway causing a head on car crash, a court heard. Audrey Humble,of Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, drove her Suzuki Alto into the path
SUNDERLAND'S new owners have revealed grandiose plans to make the Black Cats even bigger in Ireland than Manchester United. Charlie Chawke, a member of the Drumaville consortium who took control of the Wearsiders in July, believes Sunderland have the
JULIO Arca has targeted Middlesbrough's Premier League home clash with Everton in ten days' time as his return to the first team fold. Arca has been absent from the Boro line-up since he broke his foot in the season's curtain-raiser at Reading six weeks
OBAFEMI Martins has received an introduction to the rough and tumble of Premiership life as his Newcastle team-mates attempt to smooth his transition to English football. Martins has made just eight appearances since making a £10m move from Inter Milan
ONE of the largest automotive companies in the region is considering moving more production to the Far East in a move which could put jobs at risk. TRW Automotive, which employs 750 people in Peterlee, recently moved production of seatbelts for Nissan
HIS nickname was 'The Slasher'. But not because he had appeared in bad Hollywood horror films or a desire to christen the alleyways of Darlington on a Saturday night. Jacob Edward Cohen was known as The Slasher because of his attitude to the prices of
AN alcoholic who murdered a bisexual businessman in a frenzied knife attack had been allowed to leave a North-East mental hospital eight hours earlier. Former hairdresser Dean Wood was yesterday jailed for life, with a recommendation that he serve at
TROUBLED leaflet distribution firm Amaro could be on the verge of being taken over by another company, it emerged last night. Gateshead-based Amaro Professional Distribution Ltd remained closed yesterday, after The Northern Echo revealed it was in talks
CONGRATULATIONS to Helen Goodman. The MP for Bishop Auckland is spending just £21 on food for a week to see if it is possible to eat healthily while pregnant and on income support. Not that she's pregnant herself, you understand, just that £21 is about
THE Crown Prosecution Service came under fire last night over its decision to charge a respected surgeon with manslaughter following the death of a patient who had stabbed himself in the chest.Doctors spoke out after the case against consultant John Gordon
A SIX-year-old girl who was taken from her bath and sexually assaulted told police that the man who abducted her said she would "never see my mum again". A jury at Newcastle Crown Court yesterday watched a video recording of the girl's first police interview
