Archive
-
Date
Weapons Seized
POLICE have recovered an arsenal of weapons after raiding a house in the region. Officers were alerted shortly before midnight on Tuesday when CCTV operators picked up a number of people acting suspiciously close to the centre of Stockton. One was
-
Date
Bus Chaos On Cards
INDUSTRIAL action will leave passengers across most of County Durham and Teesside with no buses for 24 hours next Monday (JUNE 5). A long-running pay dispute has resulted in Arriva North-East drivers calling a series of one-day strikes after members
-
Date
T-Shirts Stripped From Shelves
A Woolworths superstore in Stockton has been ordered to take childrens t-shirts off its shelves after it was accused of glamourising joyriding. The offending tops were emblazoned with the slogan Drive It Like You Stole It. Last night the mum of a
-
Date
Police Hunt Hooligans
POLICE in the region are hunting 18 known football troublemakers who have not yet surrendered their passports ahead of the World Cup finals. And last night (WEDS), forces across the North-East warned hooligans who did not adhere to Tuesday nights deadline
-
Date
Hospital Granted Foundation Status
THE regions largest NHS hospital group has been granted Foundation Trust status by regulators. The announcement means that the flagship Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust, which has an annual budget of more than 550m, will be given greater financial freedoms
-
Date
Mergers Will Slowdown - Minister
Police minister Tony McNulty tonight pledged that the pace of the mergers would slow down. He spoke out as Cleveland Police Authority began legal action to prevent a forced merger with Durham and Northumbria. Mr McNulty said: "I have already met with
-
Date
Police Mergers May Slowdown - Minister
Police minister Tony McNulty tonight pledged that the pace of the mergers would slow down. He spoke out as Cleveland Police Authority began legal action to prevent a forced merger with Durham and Northumbria. Mr McNulty said: I have already met with
-
Date
Woman Charged Over Road Smash
A WOMAN from the North-East has been charged with causing the death of an elderly couple in a road smash. Brenda Emerson, 44, of Bishopton Road, Stockton, is accused of causing the deaths of Charles and Lorna Crane on the A66 in Cumbria last November
-
Date
Persistent Offender Jailed
A PROLIFIC teenage burglar and car thief has been sent back to prison for his part in an crime in which he was nearly run over. Amar Majid, of Marton Road, Middlesbrough, was involved in a high-speed chase on the A19 in a car he helped to steal from
-
Date
The Welsh Woman of the Year...from County Durham
THE Welsh Woman of the Year is, of course, a very special person. What makes Karen Robson extra special is that she's not even Welsh - but from Belmont, near Durham. Definitely one of the North-East's brighter exports. And we could be hearing a lot
-
Date
Desperate Smoker Almost Caused Rail Disaster
ONLY a driver's quick reactions prevented a serious accident when a man, desperate for a smoke, ran across the lines in front of his train, a court heard. Harrogate magistrates were told how Northern Rail 9.21pm Leeds to Knaresborough express was crossing
-
Date
Crazed Knife Killer "Posed No Risk" - Report
A mentally ill man who stabbed his ex-girlfriend to death just hours after he was discharged from a hospital did not pose a risk to others, a report ruled today. Craig Sexton murdered Lynda Lovatt, 29 - the mother of his two young children - when
-
Date
Gunman Threatens Have-a-go Hero
A MAN was threatened with a gun in broad daylight when he tried to stop a thief stealing from his van. The teenage crook used the black handgun to steal a satellite navigation system before riding off on a mountain bike. Cleveland Police are eager
-
Date
Belfast Confidential by Colin Bateman (Headline, £6.99)
BELFAST journalist Dan Starkey is used to working to a deadline, but not one that could put him in the morgue alongside his old mate and the late editor of upmarket scandal sheet Belfast Confidential. Taking over where his friend left off plunges Dan
-
Date
A Rare Interest in Corpses by Ann Granger (Headline, £19.99)
A POSITION as a lady's companion promises to be the making of young Lizzie Martin when she arrives in London in 1864 but dogs her every footstep from the start. Outside the station she encounters a wagon carrying the remains of a young woman and on
-
Date
The Fallen by Jefferson Parker (Harper Collins, £11.99)
ANY detective would love to be able to tell a murderer just by looking at him, but any such gift of the gods is usually a double-edged sword liable to turn in your hand. This is the case for San Diego sleuth Robbie Brownlaw who turns into a human lie
-
Date
The Butterfly House by Marcia Preston (Mira, £10)
A GRIPPING tale of secrets and lies. Roberta is 15 when her mother finally tells her the truth about her father. And when a hauntingly familiar stranger knocks on Roberta Dutreau's door, she is compelled to begin a journey of self-discovery leading
-
Date
Face Of Kidnap Suspect
POLICE have released an e-fit of a man they want to question in relation to an attempted abduction of a teenage girl. The Northern Echo reported last month (May) how the 16-year-old was walking along Middlesbrough Road in Thornaby at about 6.25pm
-
Date
Out of Time by James Fountain (The Book Guild, 16.99)
MANY teenagers experiment with drugs, but in James Fountain's case this was not of his own volition, and what followed was a living nightmare. In February 1996, when he was just 16, James was at a party when he believes his drink was spiked with a
-
Date
Bond Set To Join Magpies?
Portsmouth assistant manager Kevin Bond is expected to sign with Newcastle as Glenn Roeder's number two. The move opens the door for Pompey to offer Jamie Redknapp a coaching job at Fratton Park under the wing of his father Harry. Speculation has been
-
Date
Police Launch Legal Challenge to Government
Cleveland Police Authority has launched the first legal challenge against the Governments plans for police force mergers. The Authority, which is facing being combined with Durham and Northumbria, is to seek a judicial review at the High Court. Dave
-
Date
The Master Plan: Himmler's Scholars and the Holocaust by Heather Pringle (Fourth Estate, £20)
OF all the facets of Nazism covered by thousands of books, one that has received little attention is that of the Ahnenerbe, an institute founded by Heinrich Himmler to manufacture archaeological evidence for political purposes. A mixture of adventurers
-
Date
Landmark's Revamp
ONE of Durham City's historic landmarks is undergoing extensive refurbishment ensuring it will be in pristine condition in time for its 150th anniversary. In the final phase of a major facelift of St Nicholas Church, the building's tower, which dominates
-
Date
The Nuremberg Interviews: an American Psychiatrist's Conversations with the Defendants and Witnesses, conducted by Leon Goldensohn (Pimlico, £20)
AN illuminating insight into the minds of Hitler's henchmen is provided in this collection of interviews conducted by American prison psychiatrist Leon Goldensohn. He enjoyed unfettered access to witnesses and defendants at Nuremberg. Far from the
-
Date
Moscow 1941: A City and its People at War by Rodric Braithwaite (Profile, £20)
MOSCOW proved a decisive turning point for the political ambitions of two of history's most infamous tyrants. Napoleon managed to capture a burned out city, but the ensuing winter destroyed his army. More than a century later Hitler's juggernaut was
-
Date
May 31, 2006
COUNTY DURHAM: Countywatch raised an interesting issue (Echo, May 27) with regard to the boundaries of County Durham. Even though the administrative boundaries were changed in 1974, the county boundaries were not and roadside signs should reflect this
-
Date
The dream that died
IT is supposed to be a vital part of the Olympic legacy that youngsters are inspired to compete in sport and dream of gold medals. Indeed, Lord Sebastian Coe, who masterminded London's bid, has spoken many times of the importance of making sure youngsters
-
Date
World running on empty
If...The Oil Runs Out (BBC2) - The If... series makes a drama out of a crisis but the latest demonstrated that fact and fiction make uneasy bedfellows. The result was as hopeless as trying to mix oil and water, an appropriate enough phrase as the subject
-
Date
Defending the land of our fathers
DURHAM - Land of the Prince Bishops. Of course that understates it. The Bishops were really Kings, even raising their own army. Yes, but where was their kingdom, whose amazing independence sprang from one of history's great paradoxes - the fact that
-
Date
In praise of the old yellow peril
Last week's column dwelt among Weeds, or at least - to make the position clear - the hamlet of that name above Westgate-in-Weardale. While none has satisfactorily been able to explain the name, or indeed to fulfil a lifetime's journalistic ambition
-
Date
Do we really want all we wish for?
The aftermath of various causes and campaigns has posed serious ethical questions and underlined the old saying: be careful what you wish for. It wasn't meant to be like this... which is why we have to be so careful with other new laws. Babies are
-
Date
Can New Labour win next time?
In a recent article for The Northern Echo on the leadership of the Labour Party, Tees Valley MP Ashok Kumar created a storm of media interest. In a second feature, the MP looks at what the party needs to do to avoid defeat at the next general election
-
Date
May 31, 2006
Solutions ACROSS 1 Artefact. ART+E+FACT 5 Patter. PAT(T)ER 9 Cartland. C+ART+LAND 10 Tidied. TI+DIED 12 Siena. SIEN(n)A 13 Rotterdam. ROTTER+DAM (mad rev.) 14 Ball and chain. (two meanings) 18 Reaction time. REACTION + TIME 21
-
Date
May 31, 2006
Cryptic Clues ACROSS 1 Head of excavations gets to truth after magic object found by archaeologists (8) 5 Deceptive delivery from dad traps the opener (6) 9 Chapter on practical skill by country writer (8) 10 Cleared away note then croaked (
-
Date
Easterby has a Dream
SEARING early pace is the trademark of Kerry's Dream, fancied to land this evening's Listed Hilary Needler Trophy at Beverley. Trainer Tim Easterby knows exactly what it takes to win the valuable £25,000 five furlong sprint, having twice in recent
-
Date
Happy faces - and masks - at library craft day
CHILDREN got crafty at workshops yesterday to show them that libraries can be fun. A number of youngsters turned out at Thornaby Central Library for the papercraft safari session, where they were able to make animal masks and put their artistic skills
-
Date
Plans for supermarket to compete with rivals
PLANS for an £18m supermarket in the heart of a Teesside town have been unveiled.Developers hope to breathe new life into Stockton town centre with the proposal for the "iconic" food store and decked car park at the Castlegate Shopping Centre.The owner
-
Date
400 pupils join in musical production
HUNDREDS of youngsters are developing confidence by treading the boards. Children from five primary schools across Redcar and Cleveland will perform Alice, the Musical, at Middlesbrough Theatre, for three nights from tomorrow. The play has been co-ordinated
-
Date
Appeal for help in conservation tasks
A COUNCIL is appealing for volunteers to help with a community spruce-up. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's countryside rangers want recruits for Volunteers Week, which starts on Thursday and runs till next Wednesday. Tasks include path repairs,
-
Date
Pathway to football victory
A TEAM of recovering drug users from Teesside has won an inaugural regional football tournament. The players, representing Pathway Project Stockton, lifted the Four Rivers Trophy after winning the final for drug users in treatment. The tournament, held
-
Date
Rural post offices to close within months
TWO rural post offices turned into convenience stores will close after struggling to cope with the changes in the service they can offer. Post offices in Hamsterley, near Bishop Auckland and in Ingleton, near Darlington, will shut on June 28 and July
-
Date
Flying high after op
A WOMAN who had open heart surgery has completed a sponsored parachute jump to raise money for the British Heart Foundation. Lynn Morton, an office manager at the Pease Way Medical Centre, Newton Aycliffe, did the tandem jump at Shotton Colliery Airfield
-
Date
Drama group unveil latest production
A YOUNG drama group is high on the success of their last production, have announced rehearsals for their next performance. The Tearaways, who meet on Monday nights at Sunnydale Comprehensive School, Shildon, between 6.30pm and 8.30pm, impressed audiences
-
Date
Councillors in bid to get travellers moved from land
TRAVELLERS living illegally in a Teesdale village are refusing to move, despite opposition from residents and councillors. Only a handful of caravans were parked on grassed areas in Stainton Grove, near Barnard Castle, last week, but over the weekend
-
Date
Musicians prepare for trip to California
YOUNG musicians are to blow, strum, bang and bow their instruments for 24 hours to raise funds for a foreign tour. Northallerton College's Concert and Dixie bands will embark on a two-week US tour next March. They will perform in San Francisco, Yosemite
-
Date
Geisha pair watch city hornblowing
THERE were two unusual visitors among the crowd that gathered to watch the city hornblower in action at Ripon. Geisha Fumiyu and apprentice geisha Miehena, from Kyoto, Japan, stopped to witness the example of English history and culture at the end of
-
Date
Decision on controversial waste processing bid looms
THE fate of a controversial scheme to collect and process farm waste on land in North Yorkshire is due to be settled by county councillors next week. Despite objections from neighbours and councillors, planning officers are recommending conditional approval
-
Date
Derek goes back to service days with air base visit
HIGH-FLYING businessman Derek Mitchell has taken a trip down memory lane to revisit his working roots. The founder of Harrogate company Environmental Linings, he began work as a trainee RAF pilot during the 1960s. When the chance to win a VIP day out
-
Date
Children to sing message of peace
EASINGTON'S MP John Cummings is urging schools in his constituency to take part in a project aimed at uniting the UK's children in song. The Song for Peace project is a joint initiative by teachers' union NASUWT, the charity Youth Music and the organisation
-
Date
Resident's group organises activities day at school
A DAY of activities was held for the children of a former pit village to tell them how to stay safe and keep out of trouble with the law. The Ushaw Moor Residents' Group staged its third family fun day in the grounds of Ushaw Moor Junior School yesterday
-
Date
Women face three-mile walk after bus service is changed
A GROUP of women who work for an ironing service are distraught after a bus company stopped the daytime service to their homes - forcing them to walk the last three miles. The three employees of Iron Maidens, based in Sacriston, County Durham, are pressing
-
Date
Website to focus on cultural diversity
A DIGITAL record of the wide-ranging culture of County Durham is to be launched soon. Durham County Council has created an interactive website containing a series of on-line galleries exploring the different cultures in the county and beyond. People
-
Date
Plans for rural partner groups
RESIDENTS could form Darlington's first rural community partnership in a bid to secure more funding for three villages in the borough. A public meeting is to be held later this week to discuss proposals for a community partnership, which would bring together
-
Date
No one is safe from World Cup fever
A TIMELY football-themed play is to kick off the summer season of repertory theatre in Darlington. Four very different plays with star casts are to be staged at Darlington Civic Theatre over the next few weeks. The plays have been directed by Ian Dickens
-
Date
Fashion supports pain clinic
YOUNG fashion designers took to the catwalk to raise hundreds of pounds for charity. Twenty-four national diploma fashion, art and design students from Darlington College transformed the social club at Darlington Memorial Hospital into a style runway
-
Date
Man fined for having illegal shotguns
A MAN who was found with two illegal shotguns has appeared in court. Mark Stephen Verrill was fined at Darlington Magistrates' Court yesterday, after he pleaded guilty to two counts of owning a shotgun without a licence. The court heard how Verrill, 41
-
Date
Vaughan and Warne poised for their first big battle of 2006
Yorkshire's Championship encounter with Hampshire, which begins at Headingley today, should serve up an intriguing foretaste of things to come in this winter's battle for the Ashes in Australia. Unless England captain Michael Vaughan suffers a late and
-
Date
Councillors in bid to get travellers moved from land
TRAVELLERS living illegally in a Teesdale village are refusing to move, despite opposition from residents and councillors. Only a handful of caravans were parked on grassed areas in Stainton Grove, near Barnard Castle, last week, but over the weekend
-
Date
Harmison makes his Durham debut
DURHAM will hand first-class debuts to Ben Harmison and Moneeb Iqbal in the three-day match against Oxford University starting in The Parks today. Both are 20 and made their Durham Academy debuts in 2003, but while all-rounder Harmison has progressed
-
Date
The university pals who gave their lives for their country
TWO soldiers who studied together at a North-East university have been killed in Iraq within weeks of each other. It emerged last night that Lieutenant Tom Mildinhall, 26, who died in a roadside bomb blast in Basra on Sunday, had known Lieutenant Richard
-
Date
250 football hooligans barred from travelling to cup finals
ALMOST 250 known football troublemakers across the region yesterday gave up any hopes of travelling to the World Cup finals when they were forced to hand in their passports to police. As the ten-day countdown to the start of the tournament began, more
-
Date
Analysts to help beat the burglars
DETECTIVES are stepping up the war on burglars by analysing research to help predict where future break-ins will occur. In a first for the North-East, officers in Cleveland will today launch Operation Crystal in a bid to halt burglars who have been targeting
-
Date
Murder case police try to trace orange van
POLICE investigating the murder of South Shields man David Rice are trying to trace an orange van which was used as a getaway vehicle. Father-of-seven Mr Rice, 38, a convicted drug dealer, was shot in his car at Marsden Grotto, near South Shields, last
-
Date
Rural post offices due to close
TWO rural post offices that have been turned into convenience stores will shut after struggling to cope with changes in the service they can offer. Post offices in Hamsterley, near Bishop Auckland, and in Ingleton, near Darlington, will shut on June 28
-
Date
'No signs prisoner would kill himself'
A MAN accused of murdering his girlfriend was found hanged in his cell at Durham Prison, an inquest heard yesterday. Anthony Maguire, 34, was found face down on his bunk, with a television flex wrapped twice around his neck. Prison officer David Pilkington
-
Date
Plans for supermarket to compete with rivals
PLANS for an £18m supermarket in the heart of a Teesside town have been unveiled. Developers hope to breathe new life into Stockton town centre with the proposal for the "iconic" food store and decked car park at the Castlegate Shopping Centre. The owner
-
Date
Row escalating over future of police forces
A ROW has broken out between two North-East police forces over the future of law enforcement. Cleveland Police Authority chairman Councillor David McLuckie has hit out at comments by Northumbria Police's Chief Constable Mike Craik. Coun McLuckie accused
-
Date
Traffic officers move to put bobbies on the beat
POLICE are moving traffic officers out of headquarters in a bid to put more bobbies on the beat. Today, more than 100 officers from Durham Police's HQ at Aykley Heads are being moved to seven main stations. In the south, 24-hour stations in Darlington
-
Date
Do we really want all we wish for?
The aftermath of various causes and campaigns has posed serious ethical questions and underlined the old saying: be careful what you wish for. It wasn't meant to be like this... which is why we have to be so careful with other new laws. Babies are now
-
Date
Can New Labour win next time?
In a recent article for The Northern Echo on the leadership of the Labour Party, Tees Valley MP Ashok Kumar created a storm of media interest. In a second feature, the MP looks at what the party needs to do to avoid defeat at the next general election
-
Date
Offices to house 2,000 workers
THREE business schemes that could bring more than 2,000 jobs to the North-East have been unveiled by property company Gladman Developments. Gladman intends to develop two sites on the Drum Industrial Estate, in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, which
-
Date
Big Lottery Fund takes on extra staff in region
STAFF numbers at the Big Lottery Fund's North-East operations centre have nearly doubled. The distributor of National Lottery money has created more than 80 jobs in recent months to push the number of people employed by the group in Newcastle to more
-
Date
Captain Beckham proves his star isn't on the wane
WHEN Hungary were initially invited to play a World Cup warm-up game against England, they were supposed to be the first visitors to the new-look Wembley.A botched building job soon put pay to that idea but, on the evidence of last night's friendly at
-
Date
Conlon keen to return to goalscoring ways
AFTER two years of frustration, Barry Conlon is relishing his return to Darlington, where he hopes to rediscover the goalscoring reputation, which earned the striker a move to Barnsley in 2004. Conlon's goals for Quakers attracted a host of admirers,
-
Date
Ramage wanted by Watford
TWELVE months after signing a three-year contract, Newcastle United's Peter Ramage is the subject of interest from newly-promoted Watford.But, regardless of how much the Hornets are ready to spend, Magpies boss Glenn Roeder will fight hard to retain the
-
Date
Olympic chumps
A CAMPAIGN aimed at helping North-East youngsters achieve their sporting dreams has been banned by lawyers acting on behalf of the Olympic movement.The Olympic Dream campaign was to be launched by The Northern Echo to raise vital funds for talented youngsters
-
Date
The dream that died (Comment)
IT is supposed to be a vital part of the Olympic legacy that youngsters are inspired to compete in sport and dream of gold medals.Indeed, Lord Sebastian Coe, who masterminded London's bid, has spoken many times of the importance of making sure youngsters
-
Date
In praise of the old yellow peril (Gadfly)
Last week's column dwelt among Weeds, or at least - to make the position clear - the hamlet of that name above Westgate-in-Weardale. While none has satisfactorily been able to explain the name, or indeed to fulfil a lifetime's journalistic ambition
-
Date
World running on empty (Last Night's TV)
If...The Oil Runs Out (BBC2) - The If... series makes a drama out of a crisis but the latest demonstrated that fact and fiction make uneasy bedfellows. The result was as hopeless as trying to mix oil and water, an appropriate enough phrase as the subject
-
Date
Overdraft charge penalties up to £118
Current account holders were hit with £4.7bn worth of overdraft charges in the past year, Which? magazine said today. Penalties of £20 to £30 are the norm for customers who exceed their authorised limits and go into the red, the consumer group found.
-
Date
Gibson to look again after O'Neill says no deal
MIDDLESBROUGH chairman Steve Gibson was forced to reassess his options last night after Martin O'Neill joined Terry Venables in ruling himself out of the running for the manager's job.O'Neill and Gibson had a telephone conversation yesterday morning and
-
Date
Easterby has a Dream
SEARING early pace is the trademark of Kerry's Dream, fancied to land this evening's Listed Hilary Needler Trophy at Beverley.Trainer Tim Easterby knows exactly what it takes to win the valuable £25,000 five furlong sprint, having twice in recent years
-
Date
Stem cell research team in £160,000 link with US firm
SCIENTISTS in the region have joined forces with a US company in a bid to speed up the development of revolutionary stem cell therapies.It is hoped that new therapies for patients with liver complaints could be used in hospitals within five years.A team
-
Date
May 31, 2006 (Letters)
COUNTY DURHAM: Countywatch raised an interesting issue (Echo, May 27) with regard to the boundaries of County Durham.Even though the administrative boundaries were changed in 1974, the county boundaries were not and roadside signs should reflect this.
-
Date
Defending the land of our fathers
DURHAM - Land of the Prince Bishops. Of course that understates it. The Bishops were really Kings, even raising their own army.Yes, but where was their kingdom, whose amazing independence sprang from one of history's great paradoxes - the fact that the
-
Date
Jobs to go as Vodafone posts record losses of £14.85bn
MOBILE phone leader Vodafone set an unwanted corporate record yesterday after a review of its assets left annual losses at £14.85bn.The company said its operating performance had been good but a decision to write off £23.5bn from the value of its assets
