A COUNTY Durham man has been arrested by police investigating the murder of a North-East drug dealer. The 40-year-old man from Seaham was arrested for conspiracy to murder, in connection with the 'gangland-style' killing of David 'Noddy' Rice, in South
A HANG-GLIDER had to be rescued by emergency crews after he smashed into a cliff face. A 52-year old man suffered pelvic and spinal injuries after crashing about half way down the cliff face next to the Cliff Lift, which links the seafront and the road
NEWCASTLE United striker Michael Owen will head off to the United States in the next month to consult top knee specialist, Dr Richard Steadman. Owen ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee last week in the first minute of England's
A NORTH-East council which dished up a drive for healthier school meals ahead of TV chef Jamie Oliver is succeeding in changing the eating habits of hundreds of children. Durham County Council became one of the first local education authorities in
A North-East man is facing at least 17 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to a double killing in Singapore. Wealthy Michael McCrea, 48, will be sentenced later this week for killing his chauffeur and the driver's girlfriend in January 2002. The
AUTHOR Bill Bryson today went along to see progress on work to improve what he described as "the most miserable train station I know." The American-born travel writer, installed last year as Chancellor of Durham University, inspected work to restore
PARENTS have helped transform a school garden in only two days. In true Ground Force style, the playground at Durham Lane Primary School, Eaglescliffe, has been given a makeover by a team of about 50 people. Parents, teachers governors and even pupils
A SENIOR councillor has spoken out to reassure people over the future of hospital services. Gerald Wistow, chairman of Hartlepool Borough Council's adult and community services and health scrutiny forum, has reaffirmed that only the full implementation
A NEW college block housing a drama studio and computer suite has opened. The £2.4m project has been completed at English Martyrs School and Sixth Form College, Hartlepool. The building - part of a larger redevelopment scheme costing £6.3m on the Catcote
COMPUTER models of a problem estate have shown residents how their community can be transformed. The 1960s-style Westfield estate, in Loftus, east Cleveland, has many alleys and public spaces. But Coast and Country Housing wants the area redesigned to
Chasing clubs Northallerton and Hartlepool gained ground on Bishop Auckland when the leaders game at Great Ayton was one of three affected by the weather. Northallerton completed their fixture with Darlington and were rewarded after victory by moving
A FUEL watchdog is urging people to complete an online checklist and save on their energy bills. The Energy Saving Trust Advice Centre, based on Teesside, is inviting householders to complete a free home energy questionnaire. Joanne Denwood, from the
A BUS service that was withdrawn because of low passenger numbers will take to the streets again. Hartlepool Borough Council is spending £87,000 a year to subsidise the re-introduction of service 5, which will be operated by Stagecoach. The service was
A FLAME-THROWING monster truck had crowds of thousands mesmerised at a vehicle rally event. About 10,000 people visited Preston Park, Stockton, at the weekend, despite damp weather and the World Cup. The Vintage Vehicle Rally has been running for more
A SEVEN-DAY Community Roadshow will be at the Gates Shopping Centre, in Durham, until Sunday, June 31. The show, which is produced by LBV Television, promises to give shoppers an insight into local services, projects and businesses. The LBV team will
A COUNCIL is working with a children's and young people's action group to offer free swimming to under-16s this summer. The scheme is being run by Chester-le-Street District Council at the town's leisure centre until September 17. A council spokesman
ONE of England's best known kings came home to his stronghold at Middleham Castle at the weekend, thanks to a re-enactment group. English Heritage organised two days of presentations featuring re-enactment group Buckingham's Retinue. During the weekend
A TOURIST information centre shut down by a cash-strapped council after 21 years is to reopen under independent management. Hambleton District Council, which had to make cuts in its tourism budget following council tax capping, pulled out of the centre
A team of Ripon runners won a challenge to run six marathons in six days through France. The six Ripon Runners club members were taking part in the La Trans Aq challenge. The 230km route follows France's south-western Aquitaine coast. The fastest of the
A NEW leader has taken over the top slot in the race to win a competition for the young entrepreneurs of tomorrow. After a remarkable run, students from Fyndoune College top the table in the Future Business Magnates competition, replacing long-term leaders
COUNTRYSIDE rangers are to travel around County Durham to find out what residents think of its paths and parks. A series of roadshows is to take place throughout the summer to gauge opinion on the state of Durham's country parks, railway paths, picnic
A VILLAGE fair was hailed a sucess even though it was not able to feature a traditional parade through the streets. The event, which was held in the grounds of Esh Winning Junior School, in Esh Winning, County Durham, has featured a parade since it was
THE Derwentside Engineering Forum is launching a challenge to encourage youngsters to consider engineering as a career. The School Engineering Challenge, which starts in October, is in its seventh year. The Derwentside Engineering Forum works closely
UNCERTAINTY over a multi-million pound shopping centre development has cast a blight over homes and businesses, property owners claim. Residents and traders who live and work around the Newgate Centre, in Bishop Auckland, have lived with six months of
A TEAM of four pupils from Framwellgate School, Durham, will compete in this year's UK Team Maths Challenge trophy. The team were runners-up in the regional final in Durham and won the opportunity to compete in the national final at the Camden Centre
mountaineer Alan Hinkes is to help raise money with a climb for charity. Mr Hinkes, from Northallerton, North Yorkshire, will lead one of 25 teams recruited by the WaterAid charity taking part in the Six Peaks Challenge next month. The goal will be to
A museum is helping hospital patients with memory problems. Staff nurse Sharon Airey, of The Ridings day hospital at Northallerton, worked with Irene McNulty, of the World of James Herriot museum at Thirsk, to arrange for everyday domestic items from
FOUR children from an area devastated by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster have arrived with their mothers for a holiday in Teesdale. The five-year-olds, who have all suffered from cancer which is now in remission, will spend three weeks in villages near
A NEWLY-ESTABLISHED baby care store has been hit by a £4,000 burglary just six weeks after opening. The Little Legs Bootee'k, in Newgate Street, Bishop Auckland, suffered the break-in on Thursday morning, with hundreds of items taken. Many items are
RESIDENTS are celebrating after councillors threw out plans for a housing estate near their homes. People living on the Thistleflat Estate, in Crook, turned out in force to a meeting of Wear Valley District Council's development control committee last
ALMOST 1,200 children from 27 primary schools will explore the era of medieval monks next month. Scripture Union will host Lifepath, exploring life and faith in the Middle Ages, amid the ruins of Jervaulx Abbey, near Bedale, North Yorkshire, from July
FORMER council tenants who sent in a petition pressing for home improvements have been told they will have to wait until Government cash comes through. More than 60 people on the Henknowle Estate, in Bishop Auckland, demanded new doors and windows for
SAFETY campaigners who live with a busy main road on their doorsteps have called a public meeting to press for new speed limits. People in Witton-le-Wear claim there have been too many accidents on the A68, which runs yards from some homes. They have
AFRICAN visitors have toured primary schools to develop understanding between different cultures. Teachers the Moshi area of Tanzania have spent the past few days visiting youngsters at Crook Primary School, Crook Nursery, Hunwick Primary School and St
A LEVEL crossing in Northallerton was blocked after a freight train suffered a fault. The coal train had to stop on Low Gates crossing in North End for about 15 minutes after an axle-box overheated on one of the wagons at 7.30pm on Friday. Cyclist Anthony
THE out-of-hours GP service in Ryedale will be examined this week by members of a health watchdog. The public can attend the meeting of North Yorkshire County Council health scrutiny committee on Thursday at 10am at the Ryedale District Council offices
ROBERT and Sheila Collinson have celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary, after meeting many years ago through an "excuse me" dance. Mr Collinson, 83, said he had always gone dancing with his mates at the Three Tuns in Durham, but they were unable
DOZENS of former soldiers marked an inaugural Veterans' Day at the weekend. The event, at Chester-le-Street Civic Centre, was organised by North Durham Labour MP Kevan Jones and the town's branch of the Durham Light Infantry Association. There was a display
FESTIVAL-goers climbed a church tower to see a village in a new light at the weekend. The tower at St Mary's, in Gainford, County Durham, was opened up for a Victorian heritage weekend celebrating the 150th anniversary of the village school. Pupils had
THOUSANDS took part in the Tesco Great Coastal Run and the Great Women's Run at the weekend. The events, held in Sunderland in association with Cancer Research UK, attracted 500 children and 2,300 women, including many cancer survivors and people running
TWO Coastguard rescue officers were recovering in hospital last night after their vehicle rolled 15ft down a cliff while they were attending an incident of a sinking cabin cruiser. The men injured in the accident at Newbiggin Point, Northumberland, yesterday
A DOZEN workers will lose their jobs when a frozen food factory closes. Rye Valley Foods, in Hartlepool, which once employed 320 people, will close on Friday. The last 12 staff will be made redundant. Union officials described the closure of the Brenda
THREE students stitched their way to a place in round two of the Clotheshow Live Can U Cut It? competition. Niki Charlton, Amy Churchill and Tillisha Gibson, from Cleveland College of Art and Design, recently met 36 students from nine colleges at round
HOT FAVOURITE Gete Wami defied cold and wet conditions to score a comfortable victory in yesterday's inaugural Great Women's Run in Sunderland. The 31-year-old Ethiopian waited until the final kilometre of the 10K event to break clear of her rivals and
MANY thousands of spectators donned overcoats in case the real threat of a heavy shower from the overcast sky dampened the feeling at Riverside. But in the end the public need not have worried. It was not the weather which spoiled the national team's
AFTER successfully completing the third defence of his European super-bantamweight crown, Michael Hunter is ready to renew acquaintances with arch-rival Esham Pickering later this year. Hunter retained his Euro belt when he stopped Frenchman Tuncay Kaya
WITH tickets for next year's Test match against West Indies at Riverside expected to go on sale in the near future, the marketing department at Durham were hoping for a big favour from England on Saturday. But, as the one-day side has a habit of doing
IF Duncan Fletcher thought it was impossible for things to get any worse then it would appear the England coach is preparing himself for exactly that. A third straight defeat to Sri Lanka at Riverside on Saturday, and a comfortable one at that, means
AFTER initially thinking of ways to end his Tyneside torture, Spanish flop Albert Luque has revealed a personal determination to stay at Newcastle United. The £9.5m signing is one of the men manager Glenn Roeder would cash in on this summer if a substantial
Newcastle City are the new Foster's Northumberland and Tyneside Senior League leaders after Sacriston's game at Ponteland was abandoned because of rain. The Tynesiders completed their fixture at Lintz where they won by eight wickets despite their first
A SHOCKED father watched in horror as his daughter and her best friend were seriously injured by a car as they crossed a busy road. The girls, aged ten and eight, had been visiting a friend when they started to cross the A688 Manor Road in St Helen Auckland
TWELVE months ago, British tennis was supposed to have experienced a seismic shift. In the space of four short hours during the fourth day of last year's Wimbledon championships, Tim Henman lost, Andy Murray won and all the old certainties were redundant
CRIMINALS in the North-East have more chance of escaping punishment than any other region in the country, according to Home Office figures. Four of the top ten most lenient magistrates' courts in England are in the region. And those who are prosecuted
THE Lord Chancellor caused an outcry at the weekend when he rejected calls for a life sentence for murder to mean life or at least 25 years. Lord Falconer was fielding questions from delegates of the North of England Victims' Association (Neva) after
ENGLAND'S players had the nations' nerves jangling as they fought through to a place in the World Cup quarter- finals. In a tense match played in energy-draining temperatures in Stuttgart they clinched a 1-0 win over opponents Ecuador. Captain David Beckham
A cockerel called David Peckham has been shown the red card after his early morning crowing drove his neighbours mad. Those living within earshot of David and his partner in crime, Wayne Rooster, can now enjoy the rest of the World Cup, safe in the knowledge
Terminal cancer sufferer and inspirational fundraiser Jane Tomlinson will begin her 4,200-mile Ride Across America this week. The mother-of-three is taking on her toughest challenge yet, just a few weeks after completing her fourth course of chemotherapy
A CONVICTED gangland killer was still battling to clear his name last night, despite reports that he was fighting for his life. Michael Luvaglio, one of two men found guilty of the 1967 Newcastle "one-armed bandit murder'' of Angus Sibbet, is understood
AS children's television favourite Byker Grove heads into its final series, a North-East teenager is to help direct the show. BBC bosses announced last month that the final series would begin in September and launched a competition to give one viewer
As The Northern Echo continues its campaign to persuade Tony Blair to pardon more than 300 soldiers executed for cowardice during the First World War, Gavin Engelbrecht looks at the case of Private George Hunter. EVEN by the standards of the time, Army
THE winner of The Northern Echo's competition to win a pair of luxury dining tickets on the Hadrian Express has been announced. Doris Johnson, 71, of Darlington, received her winning tickets on Saturday from Dr George Muirhead, the manager of the Locomotion
PENSIONERS in the region are being asked to support a campaign to persuade the Government to change its proposed pension reforms. Organised by the National Pensioners' Convention (NPC), the campaign will be launched on Tuesday, July 4, in the House of
Stockton eased their position near the bottom of the table when they celebrated their first win of the season at the expense of neighbours Norton. Their total of 245 for eight looked good enough to trouble the visitors and, when spinner Richard Waite
AN exhibition devoted to the Titanic is to open at a North-East museum. Titanic: Honour and Glory will be at Kirkleatham Museum, Redcar, east Cleveland, for six months. When it opens, on Saturday, more than 200 exhibits will take over the second floor
A family consoled each other as they went to the spot where their teenage daughter lost her life.Tracey Barnett, 16, suffered fatal injuries when she was thrown from a car in a crash on the outskirts of Durham City.She was travelling with three other
Plans by The Northern Echo to link the Olympic Games with an initiative to raise money for grass roots sport have been blocked by the 2012 London Organising Committee. Lord Sebastian Coe, chairman of the committee, explains the reasons behind that decision
Doctor Who (BBC1); Best Ever Spitting Image (ITV1); Deal Or No Deal (C4): DISAPPEARING cats, missing children, stalling cars. And all in one London suburban street - Dame Kelly Holmes Close, to be exact - on the eve of the 2012 Olympics. There could
Yorkshire v Worcestershire (C & G Trophy) Yorkshire were in the frame for a rare victory at New Road yesterday until Bradford-born off-spinner Gareth Batty halted their progress with two vital wickets as Worcestershire went on to win by 50 runs with
SHOT AT DAWN: RE The Northern Echo's admirable Shot at Dawn - The Fight for Justice campaign. These men were made scapegoats by the hierarchy of the day which "bullied" the common soldier into suicidal practices that high ranking "officers" could watch
APACHE NATION (3.00) returns to Musselburgh this afternoon in the hope of posting back-to-back victories at the course. The Michael Dods-trained three-year-old produced a vastly improved performance when shedding his maiden tag in a nine-furlong handicap
The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall will attend a service to mark the 150th anniversary of the institution of the Victoria Cross at Westminster Abbey today. Arthur Lockyear, organiser of the Sunderland Remembrance parade, looks back on the historic
Star Wars and Trainspotting actor Ewan McGregor tells Steve Pratt about how he came to find himself in the psychiatrist's chair. Trainspotting and Star Wars actor Ewan McGregor found himself in the psychiatrist's chair thanks to the thriller Stay. He
THE epic, lung-bursting duels between Seb Coe and Steve Ovett are among my favourite sporting memories, along with those unforgettable Borg-McEnroe and Ali-Frazier rivalries. Lord Coe was always a hard man to beat and I have no desire to get into a prolonged
IF IT were horse racing there would be a stewards' inquiry. It's not quite zero to hero, but in five days Callum Thorp recorded the best one-day figures since Durham became a first-class county and the best all-round championship performance. Prior to
Felling were the only side to win when five of the matches in the Foster's Durham Senior League ended in draws. They won their first game of the season when they beat Eppleton by four wickets, as the evergreen Chris Pleasants proved the match winner.
NORTHAMPTON are confident Martin Smith will commit his future to the League One newcomers today, despite an offer to return to the North-East with Darlington, writes Lee Hall. Smith is keen on a return to the region, although Cobblers' boss John Gorman
THE Heighington Baden-Powell Scout Group is holding a table top sale and strawberry fayre to raise funds. It takes place on Sunday, and activities will include football, a tug of war, bouncy castle, cake and tombola stalls and strawberry teas. Everyone
Kimblesworth strengthened their grip at the top when they secured a crucial victory over reigning champions Esh Winning. Skipper Stephen Meek again led from the front and the target of 173 evaporated when he produced a chanceless innings. His unbeaten
A TEMPORARY church building that has housed its congregation for almost 70 years could be set for a makeover. All Saints and Salutation Church, in Blackwell, Darlington, was built in 1937 as a temporary measure until a larger building could be constructed
FAMILIES of disabled children are being urged to apply for a grant. The inclusive opportunities fund is available to help disabled children access mainstream play, leisure and out-of-school activities, and could be used to pay for a support worker, specialist
TWO Darlington parks were buzzing with children this weekend as two colourful events got under way. The first, on Saturday, was Darlington's annual community carnival in Stanhope Park. The carnival normally winds through Darlington's town centre and along
RESIDENTS are being invited to have their say on a £14.3m plan to improve one of Darlington's secondary schools. Work is due to start in the middle of next year on the major revamp of Hummersknott School and Language College. The school, in Edinburgh
IF the public is to have confidence in the much- maligned criminal justice system in this country, one thing is absolutely essential: consistency. People need to be sure that justice will be handed down by the courts in a clear and straightforward manner
AN art installation at a Darlington gallery is allowing people to undertake a virtual tour of the town. Artist Anton Hecht has worked with local people to film architecture, signage and sounds around the town for a multimedia film which is being displayed
A COLLECTION of religious art is being shown in the region for the first time. Glimpses of Glory, which features more than 40 pictures of modern Christian art depicting the life and death of Christ, has opened at Ushaw College, near Durham City. The collection
Derbyshire v Durham (C & G Trophy) JIMMY Maher's third C & G Trophy century of the season proved in vain at Derby yesterday as events at Edgbaston cruelly conspired to prevent Durham from booking a place in their first Lord's final.Lancashire's three-wicket
A young French wine this week with a decidedly light grass-green colour. The bouquet is definitely of gooseberries with a nettley background. On the palate it's clean, fresh and dry with good acidity. This is a light wine for accompanying food. It has
