CHILDREN as young as 12 armed themselves with knives, baseball bats, hammers and pipe wrenches for a mass brawl that could have ended in tragedy, police said last night. Officers who broke up the potential blood-bath between up to 100 youths said "
MULTI-MILLION pound road safety work at a on a stretch of road named death mile by locals will finally go ahead this spring after a 20 year campaign. A new bridge will be built over the A66 dual-carriageway at Long Newton - between Stockton and Darlington
MULTI-MILLION pound work to improve road safety at a dangerous junction is set to start in the spring after years of campaigning. A new bridge will be built over the A66 dual-carriageway at Long Newton - between Stockton and Darlington - in a bid to
A FISH salesman swindled thousands of pounds from pensioners across the North-East in a year-long con to pay off massive gambling debts. When he was finally arrested, Paul Dawson threatened to sue police for not catching him sooner and saving some of
A MAN who stabbed his girlfriend to death after she told him she was in love with another man has been jailed for life. Stephanie Malcolm may have been asleep when Paul Smith, 32, plunged a kitchen knife into her chest more than 18 times. Newcastle
A GREY parrot with a penchant for turning the air blue has got her neighbours in a flap - and her owner threatened with eviction. Sparky, an African grey, has been known to squawk out a string of expletives, along with rude comments such as, "show us
A STALKER who murdered his former girlfriend in a stabbing frenzy was jailed for life on Friday. Brian Whitfield stabbed and slashed Sharon Bell more than 30 times after shocking her with a stun gun during a violent confrontation at the barber shop where
ANGRY neighbours are sick of living where the street has no name after waiting two years for a road sign. Fed-up families in Dyrham Close, on the new Tunstall Grange estate in Ryhope, Sunderland, have had enough of missing deliveries and taxis not turning
A PERVERT who filmed up schoolgirls' skirts has been jailed for two years. The mother of an 11-year-old girl reported Kevin Preece, 41, of Ashvale Homes, Hartlepool, after she saw him pointing a mobile camera phone at her daughter and friends when they
HUNDREDS of mourners packed a North-East church yesterday for the funeral of one of the youngest British soldiers to die in combat in Iraq. Around 800 mourners attended the funeral of 18-year-old Private Michael Tench, who was killed by a roadside bomb
MORE THAN 200 workers at a Hartlepool factory plant whose jobs have been threatened twice before have been made redundant after the business plunged into administration. Frozen dessert maker Bonne Bouche has stopped trading after hitting significant
GANGS of around 100 teenagers drained a police force last night as they met for a pre-planned fight with an arsenal of weapons. Cleveland Police officers battled to contain the large scale anti-social behaviour in Coulby Newham, Middlesbrough, at around
LOCAL speech still thrives in the North-East. That is the heartening, if debatable, message from an exploration of Britain designed to establish the vigour of regional dialects. Drawing his evidence from a Radio 4 series in which 50 field workers
FOCUSING less on what we say than how we say it, this points an accusing finger at a seemingly-unlikely transgressor - William Hague. Says Andrew Taylor: "William Hague has a clear northern accent but no-one is going to mistake him for a Yorkshire
SHERLOCK Holmes himself - or at any rate his creator Conan Doyle - was fooled by the Cottingley Fairies, the gossamer-winged, wand-waving figures that appeared among flowers on photographs taken by two young girls near Bradford in 1917. Not until
THIS fascinating book, co-authored by a mother and daughter duo, tells the story of Nancy's childhood in what was then the Northern Transvaal (now called Limpopo) in South Africa. How she and her brother Aubrey ended up there was largely due
FORMER British Army captain Simon Fonthill has seen enough of war in the recent campaign in Afghanistan, but the reluctant hero answers a cry for help and finds himself back in the fury of battle in South Africa after the Zulu war. The be Pedi
STRAP yourself in for a scary ride in the company of FBI agent Smokey Barrett who, despite the horrific slaying of her husband and daughter, is still willing to step in the breach again when a friend is brutally murdered. She learns in the hardest
BODIES are piling up in the morgue in Instanbul and the city sees to be holding its breath for the next corpse to appear. Even veteran homicide cop Cetin Ikmen is at a loose end until the remains of a young carpet dealer, on the brink of a huge
MURDER, inheritance, revenge, intrigue, jealousy and romance percolate the narrative of this monumental novel, set in the inns, opium dens, brothels and stately homes of Victorian times. It is the testament of one Edward Glyver, whose first act
BACK on the scene again and as hard-hitting as always is crime-thriller Godfather Wambaugh, as lethal and laconic as ever. The former LAPD officer knows his subject inside out and there are no cop-outs as he introduces us to the violent and seedy
A DOZEN or so loosely connected characters bring to life Crichton's fears about what's happening in the biotech industry and transgenics in particular, as big business clashes with human and animal rights. He mixes fiction (a parrot who can do
A TALE which takes Dr Alfred Jones, a cautious, middleaged - and frankly boring - fisheries scientist and presents him with a seemingly impossible task: to introduce his beloved salmon into the parched wadi of the Yemen. Written as a parliamentary
GET the best out of the Big Apple with this guide, which is packed with up-tothe- minute facts, prices, advice and maps. There's no pain and no strain but a lot of gain to be had from a book which has everything taped from delis, restaurants and
A CERTAIN fatfree grill promoted by a certain boxer may have relegated the slow cooker to the back burner, but Carolyn Humphries shows how it can be a real hot property in the right hands. You can still make the old favourites such as soups
THE bluebottle eater was William Buckland, professor of geology at Oxford. His palate baulked at nothing. Shown the embalmed heart of Louis XV, he lifted it from its box, remarked "I've eaten many things but never the heart of a king", and promptly
THOUGH Capt Cook is chiefly identified with Whitby, it was Cleveland, the "cliffland" to the north, that made him. His Marton birthplace commanded a view of the Tees estuary, whose busy shipping might have implanted his love of sea. This was
Edward Paice's hefty tome, Tip and Run, is a detailed but readable account of the struggle between British and German forces for supremacy in Africa. The declaration of war in August 1914 came as a huge shock for most white settlers living near
EVEN though the First World War was waged 90 years ago, there seems an insatiable appetite for books about this tragic conflict. Two new titles provide an insight into the propaganda war being fought in the newspapers and periodicals of the time
WHEN Hollywood stars start appearing on a hit list rather than the A-list and turning up at the morgue rather than the film set, Alex Cross's Disneyland vacation turns into a horror of a holiday. Killer Mary Smith has stars in her sights rather
KIND-hearted, hard-working and shy cabbie Chas Tyme seems to have met the girl of his dreams when exsolicitor's secretary Harrie joins the ranks, but her antennae are tuned to a different wavelength as she realises all is not kosher at Black's Taxis
HERE are two plain, simple and delightful stories about an endearing lamb and her mama. In the first, the new-born lamb is taken into the farmhouse where she's put to sleep in a parsnip box. Champy the puppy and the other farmhouse animals
IMAGINE living in a land where it's against the law to cry or be sad, where miserable people are seized, tied up and tickled with feathers until they laugh. Sounds fun? Well, when you meet the boy who wants to grieve for his dead dog but isn't
DANGER and fear jump out from every page in this gripping historical novel. Set in the time of highwaymen and private militia during the 18th century, it follows the fortunes of a young teenage boy who has fled his wealthy family after being
SETH, Kim and Wes go on a school trip to a Plague village in Derbyshire, where they find some ancient coins and a lump of lead with a mysterious inscription. They take them to a coin shop, discover they're valuable - and develop a sinister taste
THIS American teen novel plunges the reader straight into a tense and fast moving story from the very first page. Lucy is travelling across the desert to visit her father in a speeding car driven by her boastful older brother Jamie and his best
FRENCH director Luc Besson's declared intention to make a movie in every genre brings him to a mostly-animated adventure based on a best-selling children's book that's been translated into 34 languages and sold more than one million copies in France.
CHICAGO helped revive interest in movie musicals. Now the writer of that, Bill Condon, doubles up as writer and director of Dreamgirls, the Tony award-winning Broadway hit that never made it over here. The move from stage to screen isn't as seamless
THE amazing Judi Dench continues to surprise. She turns nasty in this classy drama - Patrick Marber's adaptation of Zoe Heller's Booker Prizenominated novel about secrets and lies at a decaying secondary school in London. Dench's performance has put
Is it usual for six-year-old children to grade their food? I ask because that is what the youngest has taken to doing. At meal times, each item of food is tasted and then given a tick or a cross on a sheet of paper he keeps beside his plate. Last
IT might have taken ten matches, but England's cricketers have finally beaten Australia for the first time since the 2005 Ashes. Ed Joyce's sparkling century helped the tourists record a 92-run victory in Sydney, and kept their hopes of making the final
Lisa Riley as a pole-dancer! "Is the stage strong enough?" I hear you ask. Not only that but Russian ballerinas weighing about the size of a herd of Dingles from Emmerdale are heading for a North Yorkshire venue near us, The Big Ballet at the Futurist
THE Under-12s won 2-0 at Coulby Newham, producing a vastly improved performance from when the teams last met. Teesside took the game to Coulby from the start with Barker and Sandie working hard up front and Duffield playing superbly in the anchor role
Jack Hatfield Sports Teesside League, DIVISION ONE, Grangetown BC 7 Richmond Town 1. AFTER an even opening ten minutes, Grangetown Boys Club took the lead when Lee Seed scored. Nine minutes later Michael Meggison doubled the lead and a minute later Seed
Consett Sunday League, Consett Charity Cup: SIX of the best fired Catchgate Ex through to the second round at the expense of Consett Top Club Michael. Alan Robinson and Michael Radford both helped themselves to a couple of goals each in the runaway 6
Men's County Super League It was left to former England international, Doug McCarthy and teammate, Steve Hayton to rescue the league leaders, Crook Coach and Horses from going down to their second defeat of the season. Horden Comrades were the
Durham City have announced they are going to leave the Northern League at the end of the season and move into the newly expanded UniBond League. City are the first of three, Consett and Newcastle Blue Star the others, who expressed an interest in moving
It's been ladies' day at Blackwell Grange Golf Club in Darlington, Greta Whitfield just about the only person back in the clubhouse who's not taken advantage of a mild and sunny winter's afternoon. It's nothing to do with the fact that she's 95, had a
Durham County: The Durham County men's A team made a great start to the new season of the Region One Inter-Counties Championship when they beat North Yorkshire at Acomb by eight points. Kevin Rainbow won all his four frames for Durham with Michael Oliver
Darlington Spraire Lads and Lasses: Spraire Lads Under-9s got back to winning ways, with an excellent 7-0 home win against Middleton Rangers. Spraire took an early lead through Luke Boardman and doubled their lead minutes later, when Boardman scored
Issac 'Argie' Ward confesses it would be a 'dream' to defend his new Commonwealth super-bantamweight crown in his hometown of Darlington. The 29-year-old boxer celebrated an emphatic victory last weekend when he sent Francis Miyeyusho to the canvas in
A LONG-serving employee of The Northern Echo, so popular with colleagues that they produced a commemorative front page to mark his retirement, has died at the age of 89. Jim Booth joined The Northern Echo at its Durham office after serving
A professional football physiotherapist in the region is now helping members of the public improve their fitness. Lee Hall askes Paul Gough how his business first kicked off and what his game plan is for the future. WHEN Paul Gough qualified
THINGS are starting to move. The cold, dormant hand of winter is slowly releasing its grip, and allowing the fresh shoots and spring leaves to poke their heads out from the lifeless soil. Itfs a certainty that there will be more snow, and that
THE construction industry is set to enjoy a buoyant year due to increased orders fuelled by booming commercial property and house improvements, a Lloyds TSB report has predicted. The survey of 2,500 firms revealed that half reported stronger orders in
BIODIESEL production on Teesside was decreased at the end of last year by D1 Oils as a means of spinning out soya oil supplies, the renewable fuel company revealed yesterday. The strategy came in response to rocketing prices of soya, which is a key ingredient
NEARLY 400 of the region's most beautiful and important landscapes will be at risk of pollution and damage under shock new Government rules, it has been claimed. The sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) have been excluded from a list of locations
TOP-WEIGHT should not necessarily stop College City (1.20) getting punters off to a winning start by snapping up the opener at Catterick today. As its' name indicates, the Dinsdale Conditional Jockeys Selling Hurdle is a relatively weak affair and College
FOOD firm Tate & Lyle announced last night it is to end production of citric acid at its North Yorkshire plant, with the loss of about 100 jobs. The firm blamed intense competition from Chinese imports and oversupply in world markets for the decision
SO many inventive and amusing characters, costumes and ideas burst forth on a strapping metal-clad set that I was sitting with a constant smile on my face for the first half-hour. Based on a Romanian folktale, Jonathan Dove's music and Alasdair Middleton's
RESIDENTIAL property firm Grainger Trust remained on the acquisition trail last night, after buying a £134.46m stake in a mortgage equity portfolio. Newcastle-based Grainger has acquired a financial interest in a portfolio granted to the Church of England
Sound and light artist Brian Eno, a founder member of Roxy Music, is staging his exhibition, 77 Million Paintings, in the North-East His latest work, called Constellations, is at The Baltic on Gateshead Quays until April 15. This is the first time the
A CHARITY is buying tricycles for the disabled and racing wheelchairs after gaining a grant of £4,000.The City of Sunderland Council for the Disabled received the cash from the Gannett Foundation, which is run by The Northern Echo's parent company.It
A COUNTY Durham company is bidding to develop the world's first biodiesel engine to power a racing car. Scott Racing Limited is working on the first prototype high performance race engine to run on 100 per cent biodiesel fuel, which it would then fit
THE search is on for the North-East destination that best demonstrates the region's enterprising spirit, as part of a new competition. The Enterprising North-East England competition, launched yesterday, is searching for places that have excelled in
AGRICULTURE would be devastated if the Government eliminates payments to farmers, a senior economist has warned. Derrick Wilkinson, of the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), was speaking after the publication of provisional estimated farm incomes
For four days, seven men huddled together in a two tiny tents close to the summit of one of the world's deadliest peaks. Marooned beyond any human contact and in the middle of a ferocious storm, the North-East team read, talked, wrote and drank melted
BUSINESS leaders in a North-East town have warned that a £100m shopping centre must be constructed sensitively if it is to be an asset to the town.The Commercial Street complex, in Darlington, could be completed within three years after the Secretary
Bonkers (ITV1); Benidorm (ITV1); Inside Waco (C4): AT least Bonkers lives up to its title. This new comedy-drama from Sally Wainwright - writer of At Home With The Braithwaites and The Amazing Mrs Pritchard among others - is truly, madly, deeply and
BUTCHERS Keith Ball and Barry Kirby are celebrating after striking gold six times.And judges were so impressed with their pork, honey and mustard sausage that it was awarded a maximum 100 points and crowned overall champion.The pair work for Andrew and
A COUNCIL street cleaner saved the day for a shopper who lost her handbag in Bishop Auckland. Kevin Longstaff, 45 who lives in the Gurney Valley, found the bag on a bench in Newgate Street. Shopper Mary McArthur, 59, had put the bag on the bench, but
PLANS to cut council subsidies could force Wear Valley sports clubs to close, it has been claimed. Budget proposals reveal that Wear Valley District Council wants to cut £40,000-worth of subsidies to sports halls. But some clubs depend on the subsidies
A roundabout proposed as part of the plans for a £14m agricultural centre could make a dangerous stretch of road safer, a traffic study has concluded. Developers plan to site the centre at Humbleton Farm, on the A68, close to the A1(M) and an accident-prone
RECORD numbers of people have boarded a jobs bus touring the Wear Valley district with training, benefits or employment advice. The Wear Valley Employment Team has been taking the bus around towns and villages through a Choices programme to help people
VOLUNTEER fundraisers are coming together again to raise money for equipment for their town hall. Last year, people in Wolsingham raised money to buy an organ for the town hall. Following this success, they are now hoping to raise enough money to buy
COUNTY Durham teachers are needed to help young people and teachers in the county's Russian twin city. Durham County Council's international office is organising a visit by teachers and retired teachers to Kostroma. They will work with the teachers' training
A WOMAN applied for compensation for mis-sold endowment policies after forging her former husband's signature. Tracey Hunter, 41, received a cheque for £1,377 in compensation from one endowment, and a further £4,119 after cashing in another policy.
A Christingle service in St Mary's Church, in Middleton, near Barnard Castle, raised £288.50 for the Children's Society.
TOWN CRIER WE were shocked by blatant New Labour advertising in this month's issue of Darlington Borough Council's magazine, Town Crier. On page 19 is an item encouraging people to vote in May's local elections, which in principle we have no problem with
VOLUNTEERS have continued their conversion to the digital age courtesy of a grant from a flower club. The Darlington and District Talking Newspaper bought two CD copiers to make copies of the newspaper to send out to its listeners. The copiers - worth
POLICE are seeking a conman who duped a pensioner into paying nearly £100 for some fish. The salesman called at the home of a man in his 80s in St Leonard's Crescent, Thornley, at about 10.15am on Tuesday, offering the householder fresh fish for £100
A 41-YEAR-OLD man has appeared in court accused of burglary at a Spennymoor pub earlier this week. It is alleged that Wayne Vallance broke into the Quinns Inn on Wednesday morning and stole cash and a mobile phone worth £220. Mr Vallance, of Braithwaite
YOUNG people from schools across Derwentside pitted their wits against each other in an annual competition yesterday. They had come up with effective ways to reclaim scrap metal as part of the Schools' Engineering Challenge, at Derwentside College. It
WHETHER or not any charges result from the cash-for-honours investigation, it has become a thickening dark cloud over the sunset of Tony Blair's time as Prime Minister. Yesterday's belated announcement that Mr Blair had been questioned for a second time
AN 83-year-old woman has been let down by the council's assisted collection scheme for the third week in a row. The assisted collection scheme means rubbish is collected from houses, rather than the kerb. But Irene Johnson, of Boston Close, Darlington
HOSPITALS in the region are cutting waste and saving money after they introduced an electronic meal-ordering service. Bedside terminals that screen TV programmes are now being used to order food. The screens, installed by Patientline, tell patients about
A MAN has been convicted for possessing ecstasy, which was found on him when he was treated at hospital for an overdose. David John, 24, of Grange Road, Darlington, admitted possession of the Class A drug when he appeared in court yesterday. Magistrates
THE refuse wagon driver who died when his vehicle collided with a bus was yesterday named by police as James Dominic O'Hara. Mr O'Hara, known as Jim, was a 41-year-old father and lived in Hamsterley Street, in the Denes area
After being reunited with the man who fired Doncaster Rovers to the Division Three title three years ago, Dave Penney is hoping history will repeat itself at Darlington. Gregg Blundell joined Quakers on Wednesday in a five figure move from Chester City
VANDALS have hacked down seven mature trees in Middleton St George. The silver birches have been cut in half. The vandals damaged trees at Oak Tree roundabout, near Durham Tees Valley airport, next to the Darlington to Middlesbrough railway line. Councillor
A roundabout proposed as part of the plans for a £14m agricultural centre could make a dangerous stretch of road safer, a traffic study has concluded. Developers plan to site the centre at Humbleton Farm, on the A68, near the A1(M) and close to a junction
A GROUP of young people who are preparing for a trip to Africa have received donations from their local community partnerships. Three partnerships have pledged to support the trip to Lesotho, in southern Africa. The trip has been arranged by Darlington
NO money is available for safety work at a dangerous junction. Three fatal accidents have occurred at Dalton-on-Tees crossroads, on the A167, near Darlington, in the past ten years. But Mike Woodford, area highways manager for North Yorkshire County Council
COUNCILLORS have vowed to investigate parking problems outside Darlington College. Yesterday, Darlington Borough Council's environment scrutiny committee agreed to set up an action group to look into the problem. Last month, The Northern Echo reported
NEW galleries at a museum will be named after its founder's ancestral home. The Streatlam Galleries, in Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, will open on Saturday, March 31. The name of the galleries refers to the former home of the museum's founder, John Bowes
THREE friends from North Yorkshire are heading for one of the world's poorest countries to help educate its people in dealing with problems caused by sexually transmitted diseases. Becky Lane, 18, Ruth Abel, 19, and 22-year-old Heidi Smith will leave
A 16th Century house with a royal background is opening its doors to holidaymakers. The Old Dye House, in Knaresborough, is on Waterside, under a cliff near the bottom of the Gallon Steps. It is being offered as a holiday home in an effort to boost the
A FARMER has won the right to build a bungalow so that he can have help in looking after his animals. H J Thomson successfully appealed after Hambleton District Council rejected an outline application for the house for an agricultural worker at Brambles
STAFF and pupils at Teesside Prep and High School, in Eaglescliffe, will soon be saying goodbye to two long-serving members of the support staff. Joan Loughran and June Shippey are retiring at half-term, after accumulating nearly half a century of service
PATROLS around a play area and public toilets have been stepped up after the discovery of used syringes. The dangers of picking up discarded needles have been highlighted after several incidents relating to drug use in the east Cleveland area. Redcar
TWELVE new recycling banks for cans and tins have been installed across Hambleton. A new contractor has taken over collection of aluminium on behalf of the district council but that has meant replacing the banks in the 12 town centre sites. For the past
A MUSICAL flavour of the Mediterranean is returning to Northallerton. Highly-acclaimed musician Pavlo is making his third visit to the town with his distinctive mix of flamenco, salsa, Greek and rock music. He will be taking to the stage at the Hambleton
A COUNCIL that banned smoking on its premises has been given a National Clean Air Award. Easington District Council introduced the ban in May, after Parliament voted for a ban on smoking in all public places, which is to be implemented in July. A survey
FIRST policing, then politics. Surely, I should be a cynic by now. But no, I'm an inveterate optimist, prepared to see challenges where others see threats. It's been easy to be cheerful the past few days. We've just opened Middlesbrough's new art gallery
ANGRY traders have raised more than 200 objections against a traffic ban on an access road into a business park. Business owners from the Gallowfields Trading Estate, in Richmond, are furious about measures to stop vehicles turning left into the park
A DRUG addict told a court he missed appointments with his probation officer as he was trying to kick his habit. Stephen William Court, 35, pleaded guilty at Northallerton Magistrates' Court yesterday to breaching his community order by failing to attend
JOHN REID ONCE again the media circus has lined up against the Government in the row over the lack of prison places, ably assisted by judges pursuing their agenda of attacking the Home Secretary. I highlight three much publicised cases: 1. A convicted
COUNCILLORS have backed plans to convert a 1930s art deco house in Eaglescliffe into apartments. Developers originally wanted to bulldoze The Rookery, in South View, but the application was rejected by Stockton Borough Council's planning committee, in
A SCHOOL for youngsters with special educational needs has been granted specialist college status. Catcote School, in Hartlepool, will become a business and enterprise college following an announcement by Education Minister Andrew Adonis, yesterday. It
VOLUNTARY and community groups will be able to get support from a new organisation. Easington Council for Voluntary Services and the area's Community Network have merged to form the East Durham Trust. It is getting £1.9m from the Neighbourhood Renewal
A GROUP of pupils have talked themselves into a trip to one of the homes of the European Parliament. Pupils from St Leonard's Roman Catholic School, Durham, won a speaking competition held at County Hall and will visit Strasbourg, in France. Speaking
TEACHERS are being sought to help young people and teachers in Russia. Durham County Council's international office is organising a visit by teachers and retired teachers to Kostroma, the county's twin city. They will work with the teachers' training
CHILDREN have been drafted in as neighbourhood wardens to combat crime and arson in their community. The scheme, on Teesside, will be the first in the country to use children as junior Neighbourhood Watch wardens. Thirty-two primary school children have
A GROUP of students who are determined to tackle bullying at their school have won through to the county final of a national competition. Members of the anti-bullying council at Risedale School, in Hipswell, near Catterick Garrison, will find out whether
COUNCIL leaders in North Yorkshire have restated their position that the cost of becoming a unitary authority will be high. Members of the North Yorkshire District Council Network are urging the government to closely scrutinise the costs associated with
A NEW countryside attraction is to be given a name at a community event. Local people are invited to join countryside rangers and help come up with a suitable name for the site, near the Rivergreen Centre, at Aykley Heads, in Durham. The rangers will
A volunteer who has raised thousands of pounds for charity has retired. Pam Marsh has been selling Christmas cards and gifts in aid of Northallerton and the Dales Mencap Society in Catterick Village for the past 30 years. She was presented with a Steiff
A SHOWCASE of handiwork by 23 artists is about to go on display. The second annual Creative Fayre - with arts and crafts from ceramcis to photography - is taking place in the Pavilion, next to Kirkleatham Museum, Redcar, on Sunday, February 11, from 11am
STOCKTON Borough Council is offering reduced prices on advance tickets for two of its summer events. Admission to the Vehicle Rally, in June, and Stockton Summer Show, in August, is normally £3 for adults £1.50 for concessions, and under-fives and
A REFEREES' society is hoping to recruit more men in black by holding a number of training courses.The Bishop Auckland Society of Referees holds regular courses designed to get more people into the game of football.The society, which trains about 200
AN oil painting, showing a scene at the funeral of Serbian warlord Slobodon Milosovic, will be on display among pictures of North-East landscapes at an exhibition organised by amateur artists.Stan Walinets, of Mickleton, has entered the painting for
SOLDIERS who became part of the British Army's new "super-regiment" yesterday marked the change with parades across the region.The Rifles Regiment is now the largest infantry regiment in the Army, made up of five regular battalions, two Territorial Army
THE "cash-for-honours" crisis engulfing Downing Street deepened further yesterday when it was revealed Tony Blair had been questioned by police for a second time.Detectives questioned Mr Blair for about 45 minutes at No 10 last Friday, but imposed a six-day
WHEN Sir Richard Branson wanted advice about how to set up a bank to store stem cells from umbilical cords, he turned to a world-class North-East expert.The boss of the Virgin empire rang up Newcastle University scientist Professor Colin McGucken
IF you want peace and quiet, go to one of Britain's major cities -because Darlington is beating them in making an ear-shattering racket.The town has been given the dubious honour of being named one of the loudest places in the country for traffic. With
STUDENTS at a Darlington school are to perform a short version of a Shakespeare play.Pupils at Carmel RC College will be performing a 30-minute version of Much Ado About Nothing at the Arc, in Stockton, on Tuesday. The play, which involves students from
A SEARCH is under way to find an elderly woman who is missing.Beatrice Johnson, 83, was last seen at her home in Gosforth, Newcastle, at 8.30pm on Monday.Inquiries have been made with transport police and officers in the Birmingham area, where Mrs Johnson
CONTROVERSIAL police boss Della Cannings yesterday revealed she was suffering from a "lifelong" illness that had sparked her decision to retire.However, she declined to give details of her ailment, and criticised "mischievous" sections of the media over
STEVE McCLAREN is ready to hand Kieron Dyer a recall to the England squad, after hailing the Newcastle United's striker rehabilitation both on and off pitch. Dyer has not played for his country since being booed in front of his own supporters at St James
THE row over ambulance service meal breaks re-erupted last night after it emerged that two paramedics were sacked because they did not respond to a 999 call. The men, who worked for the Yorkshire Ambulance Service in North Yorkshire, are appealing against
A DISILLUSIONED Massimo Maccarone last night launched a withering attack on both Middlesbrough and Steve McClaren, claiming the Teessiders were to blame for his failure to adapt to the Premiership and that the current England boss had not done enough
RICHIE Barker will be missing from the Hartlepool United side at Swindon tomorrow because of suspension. The striker, signed from Mansfield Town a month ago, picked up his fifth booking of the season in last week's win over Bury at Victoria Park. It
THREE punters have been left kicking themselves after missing out on a National Lottery win of £11,000 apiece - for the sake of a few pounds. They were in a Lottery syndicate of ten people, each paying £1 a week at the Red Lion pub in Cotherstone, near
A MOTHER who scalded her toddler son so badly he needed skin grafts was able to carry out a second assault because hospital officials did not pass on full details to police, it was revealed yesterday. Both attacks occurred while the mother was supposed
Today marks the first anniversary of Glenn Roeder's appointment as Newcastle manager but, as Chief Sports Writer SCOTT WILSON explains, the Londoner is at St James' Park for the long haul IT is August 1988 and Arsene Wenger, the little-known manager
ENGINEERING company The Tanfield Group is continuing to develop its worldwide expansion, plans after announcing it had struck deals in untapped areas of Europe and the Middle East. The Tyne and Wear group's newest division - UpRight Powered Access -
IF you've ever wanted to make your Valentine headline news, now's your chance. Come to that, if you've ever wanted to star in a story about scoring the winning goal in the cup final... winning the Grand Prix... being the next James Bond... or the Teacher
In the week it was announced Middlesbrough had won a large casino, Lindsay Jennings hears one man's moving and honest account of his battle with compulsive gambling. IT is 1964 and the smoky casino at Newcastle's Grey's Club is the place to see and be
