IS there any check on the devilish appliances of science? Too little, it seems. One's blood is chilled by the news that war scientists in the US are on the verge of being able to remotecontrol sharks through electrodes planted in their brains. Their
A WARM and friendly welcome always makes a difference. It strips away apprehension, dispels nervousness and dissolves defences. It was in just such a manner that I was greeted on approaching the admissions hut at Holker Hall in Cumbria. It had taken
SUNDAY was a lovely day. The sun was out and the air was warm. The skylark was flying high above the fields and trilling his little heart out, whilst the song thrush took the less energetic route and pitched his warble for a wife whilst perched high up
SPRING finally arrived, officially, and heralded its entrance with a flurry of bitter wintry showers, but that didn't dampen my high spirits this week. The monumental beginnings of our workshop building that was meant to start on Monday were put on
WRITING a column means you're open to public scrutiny. One small mistake, whether it be a factual error or a typing mistake, and you can be sure that someone will spot it and let you know. I have to thank Ray for spotting my slip-up last week. As he
SATURDAYS are my only days off. Which is why I don't spring up out of bed on the stroke of half seven as I do from Sunday to Friday. Last Saturday I remained cocooned and captured in the warmth of my big fluffy duvet until the mists of dream-world
WHEN kids go on a school trip, you know three things for certain: it's going to cost so much that it needs to be paid in instalments; you'll end up missing them badly no matter how much you look forward to a bit of peace; and they're going to bring you
ON Wednesday afternoon, we rapidly discovered ourselves swept up in a political storm in a teacup. It was all about the word 'rapid'. Every TV station and newspaper in the country wanted the background on Ashok Kumar's supposed indiscretion. He wanted
'HIS sister, Bertha, was in the sports shop business with him, and she was on holiday on the south coast when she read in the paper that he'd been selected as England captain for the first Empire Games, " says Jack Hatfield of his father, "so she had
The Methodist Church vicepresident took a leaf out of the American vicepresident's book at Durham recently. . . and came out with both barrels blazing. Like the United States of America, the Methodist Church is led by a president and vice-president
It may have rained outside, but the Rev Rupert Kalus's licensing at St John's in Shildon was a true shindig. Back to St John's at Shildon on Wednesday night, not so much like the good old days as like Old Testament days and, more specifically, like
THE only trouble with St Patrick's Day, which yesterday jigged and reeled its way round once again, is that no matter how late Easter falls or how close to Christmas they advance Ash Wednesday, March 17 is always in Lent. Whatever else the Irish give
Lindisfarne lies beneath a fresh white blanket, wind wilful, causeway causing concern. "It's a bitter morning, " says the warmly welcoming Brother Damian, "even for here." In the summer there may be 10,000 visitors a day, in the winter there are just
AMONG the particular responsibilities of learned columns such as this one is from time to time to explain the meaning of arcane ecclesiastical terms with which the general reader may be unfamiliar. One of these is "benefice service", or sometimes "
THE memorable performance Steve McClaren claimed would 'get everyone thinking that this could be Middlesbrough's year' arrived on cue last night. Never before has the Riverside Stadium rocked like this and, having successfully overturned a 2-0 deficit
SEVERAL birds found in the North-East and North Yorkshire were last night being tested for the deadly form of avian flu. The tests were being carried out as authorities were criticised for taking more than a week to establish that a dead swan found in
HAPPY Birthday, Ma'am! That's the message from children at one school in the region. Pupils at Ainderby Steeple C of E Primary School, in North Yorkshire, have decorated hard-boiled eggs to look like the Queen to mark her 80th birthday on April 21. Yesterday
A SCHOOL'S entry into a business competition has proved to be so good that the pupils are preparing to turn it into reality. The team from Fyndoune College, in Sacriston, came up with the idea for a healthy eating tuck shop for the Future Business Magnates
A troop leader who urged her Scouts to lie to police after crashing her car should be thrown out of the movement, a judge said yesterday. The comments were made by Judge Richard Lowden after he imposed a suspended prison sentence on Rachael Victoria Phillips
THE mystery suitor hoping to bag the UK's largest ice-cream maker, Richmond Foods, is believed to be a US-based equity investor, it emerged last night. North Yorkshire-based Richmond confirmed on Wednesday it had received a takeover approach. Speculative
Gary Breen has been praised for his professionalism during a season in which the skipper has not escaped criticism. The Black Cats' woeful first year back in the Premiership has been blighted by a huge number of errors across the pitch and club captain
PRIME Minister Tony Blair has invited a North-East teacher to a reception at Downing Street to celebrate his contributions to education. Dr Richard Spencer, biology teacher at Bede Sixth Form College, in Billingham, Teeside, will be heading for Number
A COUPLE escaped a prison sentence yesterday despite being convicted for the third time of neglecting animals. RSPCA officials described the offences committed by Alan and Marie Humphrey - who breached an earlier order banning them from keeping animals
Willie Mullins is hoping the rain stays away to give Hedgehunter every chance of completing back-to-back victories in the John Smith's Grand National. The legendary Red Rum was the last horse to win the Aintree showpiece in successive years in 1974 and
TEESPORT operator PD Ports said yesterday it had created 60 jobs and expects to create a further 30, as it signed a ten-year partnership deal with steelmaker Corus. The port will handle more than three million tonnes of steel for export over the next
SECRET plans to avoid destroying the DNA records of innocent people - including children - have been passed to the region's police forces. The Northern Echo revealed earlier this year that DNA samples had been stored from almost 1,500 North-East and North
A PRISONER has been found hanged in his cell weeks before he was due to stand trial for the frenzied murder of his former wife. Officers discovered the body of David Turner in his cell at Holme House Prison, Stockton, at 6.30am yesterday. Despite attempts
A claim that Dan Browns blockbuster novel The Da Vinci Code breached the copyright in an earlier book, The Holy Blood And The Holy Grail, was rejected by the High Court today. Brown said in a statement: Todays verdict shows that this claim was utterly
THE cash crisis facing the NHS bit deeper today with the announcement that 200 jobs are to go at one of the region's major hospitals. The loss of the jobs at York Hospital will save 2.5m - and are part of a package of measures designed to save around
THE mystery suitor hoping to bag the UK's largest ice-cream maker, Richmond Foods, is believed to be a US-based equity investor, it emerged last night. North Yorkshire-based Richmond confirmed on Wednesday it had received a takeover approach. Speculative
A FRAUDULENT agency nurse who faked her own death to evade justice was found alive and well in the North-East. The law finally caught up with cheating Pauline Muswere today when she was prosecuted for a string of offences. But the 22-year-old was spared
PIGEON fanciers in the region have been given the all-clear for the first major race of the year at the weekend. Although Continental racing has been cancelled this season, due to Defra restrictions, the 20-plus domestic race schedule remains unaffected
WITH the start of the domestic cricket season now less than two weeks away, Steve Harmison has given Durham's preparations a massive boost by revealing his intention to make at least one four-day appearance for the county before he reports for international
DETECTIVES have been given permission to hold on to £9,000 in cash found during a drugs raid on a woman's home. A quantity of what police believe is cocaine was stashed in self-sealing bags hidden beneath garden chairs in the back yard. Magistrates were
LOCAL HERO Jason Plato believes he can roll back the years and once again conquer the British Touring Car Championship, warning his rivals to expect a Spanish inquisition this season. Plato, who was brought up in Heaton area of Newcastle, leads the Seat
THE confirmation that the deadly strain of bird flu has reached Britain is clearly an extremely important development. But it is not a cause for panic. It is right that the authorities err on the side of caution following the discovery in Scotland of
A police constable accused of sexual assault on a child will appear before a court next week. Chris Billinge, 25, a policeman with the Lancaster constabulary was due to appear before Sunderland Magistrates Court today. The case was adjourned until April
A MAN charged with the rape, kidnap and sexual assault of a six-year-old girl snatched from her bath has appeared in court. Peter Ivor Voisey, 34, who gave his name as Peter Smith, was led handcuffed into North Tyneside Magistrates' Court yesterday. Voisey
LOCAL HERO Jason Plato believes he can roll back the years and once again conquer the British Touring Car Championship, warning his rivals to expect a Spanish inquisition this season. Plato, who was brought up in Heaton area of Newcastle, leads the Seat
MYSTERY still surrounds the death of a woman whose body was found in a garage. The woman, who has not yet been identified, was discovered by firefighters following a blaze in the garage of a home in Cambridge Road, Linthorpe, Middlesbrough, on Tuesday
A LITTLE extra spice has been added to tomorrow's derby match between Mowden Park and Darlington with the news that Craig Lee is involved in a tug-of-war between the clubs. Mowden are reported to have made Darlington's player-coach a substantial offer
WEST Auckland Parish Council will hold its annual public meeting on Monday. It starts at 7pm at the Methodist Chapel, West Auckland. This is an opportunity to see what the council has been doing throughout the year, and to put forward suggestions for
THE funding of Darlington Borough Council's Town Crier has come under scrutiny. Steve Jones, head of communications at the council, presented a report to the resources scrutiny committee yesterday in which he set out how the magazine is paid for. Mr Jones
A MAN hit a woman twice with a bottle in a pub after she made insulting remarks about its drinkers, a court heard. Darren Burn, 33, of West Powlett Street, Darlington, was given a 12-month community order with 80 hours unpaid work after he admitted assaulting
A SCHOOL has extended its international links by making friends on the other side of the world. Abbey Junior School, in Darlington, forged relations with the Guangdong Country Garden School, in southern China, after their headteacher, George Ford, paid
A GROUP of licensees have pledged their support for a community event threatened by alleged financial irregularities. The annual Barnard Castle Meet looked unlikely to go ahead when it was found thousands of pounds were missing from the committee's funds
REGIONAL health bosses are recommending the abolition of primary care trusts (PCTs) in Darlington, Hartlepool, Stockton and Middlesbrough. The decision by regional health officials to back the creation of large health bodies is a snub to former Health
A WINE expert who learned how to brew her favourite tipple when she could not afford to buy it is the latest person to cheer on a charity bike ride across America. Gladys Blacklock led a wine-tasting session for fellow members of the Bishop Auckland Evergreens
YOUTHFUL physicists have been taking part in a taster event to encourage uptake of the subject. GCSE and A-level physics students from across Teesside were invited to the Day of Physics at Teesside High School, Eaglescliffe, yesterday. There were lectures
PLANS for a development in the middle of a housing estate have been altered. Nunthorpe Nurseries, which runs 11 private childcare centres across Teesside, has resubmitted plans for a development on a 6.25-acre site at Ingleby Barwick. The proposal is
CONDOLEEZA RICE US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice is fooling nobody with her patronising remarks about our "democratic protests" regarding the war in Iraq. She is a conspirator with Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and many others in the massacre of countless
DURHAM'S Prince Bishops Shopping Centre will be putting on activities and entertainment for children during the Easter holidays From tomorrow to Saturday, April 15, attractions will include stilt-walkers, face-painters, balloon-modellers, a human gingerbread
THE Durham Light Infantry Museum and Durham Art Gallery, in Durham, is holding a series of family drop-in workshops during the Easter holidays. They start on Sunday, when families can take part in a competition to paint or decorate their own Faberge Easter
FOUR women volunteers, all from Nunthorpe, have each given more than 20 years service to the Mission to Seafarers on the River Tees. Betty Griffen, Jean Aldren, Jean Pederson and Diana Riley were all inspired to join the mission after hearing a talk by
A YOUNG peoples' project has begun in Evenwood this week following a successful programme in Willington. The project is organised by 3D, an initiative between Durham County Council's Education in the Community, County Durham Youth Engagement Service and
CRAFT EVENTS: A series of free craft activities will be held at Kirkleatham Museum, Redcar, from Saturday to Sunday April 23. The drop-in sessions, with materials provided, run from 10am to noon and 1pm to 4pm. For more information and a timetable, call
PATIENTS at a Spennymoor doctors' surgery are being offered extra services and longer opening hours in a new two-storey extension. The development at the Oxford Road GP practice will have facilities for specialist clinics, particularly in gynaecology
A WOMAN who "screamed like a banshee" while urging her partner to butcher her former lover on a crowded train platform, could serve less time behind bars after an Appeal Court ruling yesterday. Claire Park, from Darlington, who handed killer Sean Clarke
A SCHOOL'S entry into a business competition has proved to be so good that the pupils are preparing to turn it into reality. The team from Fyndoune College, in Sacriston, came up with the idea for a healthy eating tuck shop for the Future Business Magnates
WORK has started on a rural business complex being built by a farming family who have decided to diversify. Yesterday, Richmond MP William Hague visited the building site that will become Crabtree Hall Business Centre, near Hackforth, between Catterick
FAMILIES can enjoy a magical Easter at a countryside event next week. Magician Martin Duffy will be one of the stars of an Easter Eggs-travaganza staged by Durham County Council's Countryside Rangers on Easter Saturday, April 15. The event, in the grounds
A LATE-NIGHT football league for teenagers kicks off tonight. The Game On league, sponsored by the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, gets under way at Hermitage Comprehensive School, in Chester-le-Street. The nine-week league, aimed at youngsters from 14
UNDER-16s in part of North Yorkshire will soon be able to go to their local tourist attractions for free. Passport to Ryedale will run from April 24 to July 1 and will give under-16s free admission to attractions when accompanied by an adult. The promotion
INTEREST rates look poised to remain on hold for the rest of the year, after the Bank of England left the cost of borrowing unchanged for an eighth consecutive month. The decision by the bank's Monetary Policy Committee to peg interest rates at 4.5 per
USED car specialist Carcraft yesterday opened a £15m "super centre" in the North-East - but is still awaiting full planning permission for the site. The Rochdale firm has set up its seventh UK base in Birtley, County Durham, and plans to have more than
PAUL Stephenson has no qualms with using his younger squad members in the vital games approaching for Hartlepool United. Pool go to Swindon tomorrow, before making the trek to Colchester next Tuesday. With just seven games remaining, Pool are outside
HOUSEBUILDER Clarion Homes last night confirmed it had been taken over by The Woodford Group. All 40 staff at Yarm-based Clarion will keep their jobs, and group managing director Ron Starkie, who helped found the company, will stay. The Woodford Group
ITALIAN manufacturer Berco is opening its first UK facility in the North-East to supply one of its biggest customers - Komatsu. Berco, which manufactures tracked vehicle undercarriage components and systems for earth-moving equipment, expects to create
IT firm Chelford said last night it expected to "significantly" grow its Darlington subsidiary and create more jobs there as it posted a 49 per cent rise in profits. The group, which bought Darlington-based Agility Systems last year, said profits rose
More than 900 volunteers form the backbone of a remarkable community project. Health Editor Barry Nelson finds out about the Dales Community Alarm Trust. MARY may be 81 and bedridden but she is as large as life. With a cheery attitude and a twinkle in
WITH the start of the domestic cricket season now less than two weeks away, Steve Harmison has given Durham's preparations a massive boost by revealing his intention to make at least one four-day appearance for the county before he reports for international
THE owner of a kitten badly hurt after being kicked like a football is offering a £200 reward to bring the culprit to justice. Seven-month-old Sooty is recovering after receiving more than £400-worth of treatment at the vets - and may need further operations
A FARMER has rejected claims he is damaging archaeology after earth was moved near an ancient monument. Land surrounding one of the three 5,000-year-old Thornborough Henges, near Bedale, North Yorkshire, has been dug up. Local residents alerted English
SEVERAL birds found in the North-East and North Yorkshire were last night being tested for the deadly form of avian flu. The tests were being carried out as authorities were criticised for taking more than a week to establish that a dead swan found in
WHEN Jo Walker was offered 5,000 American licence plates, it was an offer she couldn't refuse. So she swapped a Volkswagen Beetle for them. That was easy, because she had another 30 VWs at home. Jo and her partner Chris Foster are classic car fans, but
WHEN the Football Association meet to discuss the shortlist for Sven-Goran Eriksson's successor next week, their attention will be grabbed by a recent addition to Steve McClaren's CV. After one of the most sensational evenings in North-East football history
HAVING endured a nightmare at last month's Cheltenham Festival, Howard Johnson could stage a much-needed revival with his Aintree Mildmay Novices' Chase entry, Bewleys Berry (2.00). In the main Johnson's horses ran totally flat at the Festival, however
A PROFESSIONAL artist has visited a Darlington school to help with the One Book for Darlington project. Year seven pupils at Longfield School have read E Nesbitt's The Railway Children. The youngsters then used the book as inspiration for a range of drama
A HEADTEACHER has written to parents to reassure them after two of his pupils were attacked by gangs of youths outside school. Jim O'Neill, the headteacher of Carmel RC Technology College, in The Headlands, Darlington, sent a letter home with pupils following
A VILLAGE play area will be opened in time for Easter. The launch of the facility, in Copley Village, will take place on Saturday, April 15, at noon. Helen Goodman MP will open the £62,000 area and residents from Copley and surrounding villages are invited
POLICE are appealing for information after a man was mugged in Darlington for his mobile phone and a small quantity of cash. The victim, a 56-year-old teacher, was struck from behind on Greenbank Road as he was returning home from the Arts Centre, at
PUPILS at Hurworth School have taken part in a day called Looking After Me. The aim of the day was to give students the opportunity to take part in workshops to experience ways of looking after themselves and become healthier. Issues addressed included
A TEENAGER has appeared in court for assaulting a community safety warden. The 17-year-old, from Guisborough, east Cleveland, was given an 18-month community rehabilitation order after pleading guilty to assaulting the warden and causing criminal damage
GREEN-SPIRITED youngsters from Ferryhill are celebrating after scooping the gold prize in an environmental competition to collect old Yellow Pages. Dean Road Nursery School won the Gold Oak title and top prize of £300 in the Yellow Woods Challenge - a
COMPETITORS taking part in a go-kart grand prix have found themselves in a race against time - before even reaching the starting grid. Ten teenagers intending to compete in a three-hour endurance race - the inaugural Fairbridge Grand Prix - on Teesside
ARTISTIC youngsters will see their work displayed in their town hall before being entered in a regional competition. Pupils at three Ferryhill schools entered the annual Northumbria In Bloom painting competition based on the four seasons. Cleves Cross
WHEN the Football Association meet to discuss the shortlist for Sven-Goran Eriksson's successor next week, their attention will be grabbed by a recent addition to Steve McClaren's CV. After one of the most sensational evenings in North-East football history
ORGANISATIONS across Teesside have received thousands of pounds in grants from the Big Lottery Fund. The Awards for All scheme makes awards of between £500 and £5,000. My Sister's Place, the Middlesbrough charity supporting victims of domestic violence
HOMES earmarked for demolition will be the subject of additional public consultations. Residents in the Dyke House area of Hartlepool are being offered a further chance to comment on the plans to regenerate the area. Developer George Wimpey is expected
Grey's Anatomy (five) House (five) IT'S the first day for the new surgical interns at Seattle hospital and Meredith Grey is pushing a patient on a trolley from one part of the building to another. At least, that's the plan. "You're lost, aren't you?,"
A RECENT discussion between a local councillor and his vicar highlights one of the barriers supporters of a regional casino face. Sitting in the church hall, the clergyman told how he could never support a casino because he was vehemently opposed to gambling
REGIONAL health bosses are recommending the abolition of primary care trusts (PCTs) in Darlington, Hartlepool, Stockton and Middlesbrough. The decision by regional health officials to back the creation of large health bodies is a snub to former Health
A MENTAL health initiative designed for young people, by young people, has been launched by school pupils. Over the past three years, youngsters from Parkside School, in Willington, have worked with teachers to come up with the Teenage Mental Health project
A FARMER'S plans to create two fishing ponds on the North York Moors look set to be refused permission for a second time. Mike Cowling has applied to the national park authority to build the ponds on his land at Mickbelong Farm, in Urra, near Chop Gate
AFTER spending over four months on the sidelines, midfielder David Duke is ready to save his best for last for Darlington's play-off cause. The 27-year-old has endured a frustrating first season with the club since joining Quakers on a free transfer from
A GROUP of French children are visiting pupils at a north Durham school this week. St Benet's RC Primary School, in Ouston, near Chester-le-Street, is welcoming 43 children from Ecole Jean Moulin, in St Nicolas-de-Port, near Nancy. Ten youngsters from
AN ECSTATIC Steve McClaren last night paid tribute to his European heroes after Middlesbrough bounced back from three goals down to book a place in the UEFA Cup semi-finals for the first time in the club's history. If trailing 2-0 from the first leg wasn't
Jo Walker can't resist a good deal when it comes to her business selling old metal advertising signs. But one of her strangest bargains was when she swapped a Volkswagen Beetle for 5,000 American car licence plates. WHEN Jo Walker was offered 5,000 American
Rory Elliott travelled thousands of miles across some of the world's toughest terrain by motorbike to raise money to help orphaned children. He tells Gavin Havery how he bumped into comedian Billy Connelly along the way on his Run From the Sun. TO many
HEALTH bosses in the region have said the North-East is as prepared for a worldwide human flu epidemic as any region in the country. Dr David Walker, acting regional director of public health for the North-East, was reacting to yesterday's news that the
CONDOLEEZA RICE: US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice is fooling nobody with her patronising remarks about our "democratic protests" regarding the war in Iraq. She is a conspirator with Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and many others in the massacre of
