The Northern Echo back issues from April 2009:
Now tell us where Jenny's body lies
Apr 01, 2009; ... CONVICTED killer David Hodgson was last night urged to revealwhere he hid the body of his teenage victim after failing in a bidto clear his name. Appeal Court judges ruled there was "compelling" evidence the 49-year-old murdered shopworker Jenny Nicholl in June 2005. The ...
Appeal failure may bring fresh hope
Apr 01, 2009; ... The failure of killer David Hodgson to secure his release at theAppeal Court will give the parents of his teenage victim fresh hopethat their daughter can one day be found. Joe Willis reports CONVICTED murderer David Hodgson lied from the moment he firstcame to the attention of the ...
Police launch investigation after death of 'gentle giant'
Apr 01, 2009; ... VILLAGERS have spoken about their shock after the sudden andunexplained death of a "gentle giant", who has now become the focusof a major investigation by police. Police were alerted in the early hours of yesterday after aparamedic answered a call to go to a three-bedroomed ...
County is ready to punch its weight, leader pledges
Apr 01, 2009; ... COUNTY Durham is ready to move out of the shadows of itsneighbours and finally punch its weight, the leader of its new"super council" says. Councillor Simon Henig will today become the first leader of thenew unitary Durham County Council, as the biggest local governmentshake-up ...
Bestseller reveals the hidden history of authority
Apr 01, 2009 ... A THOUSAND more copies of a book charting the history of acouncil are to be printed. The Derwentside Story tells the story of Derwentside DistrictCouncil. The 2,000 copies of the hardback first edition of the bookare selling fast, so 1,000 paperback copies are being ...
Museum holds celebrations
Apr 01, 2009 ... A RAILWAY museum which underwent a [pounds]1.7m refurbishment isholding a party. On Sunday, Darlington's Railway Museum - Head of Steam will becelebrating its first anniversary since its refurbishment. The museum was re-launched with a new name and look last yearwhen it ...
No change on the surface. . .but what about underneath?
Apr 01, 2009; ... Taxpayers in County Durham will wake up this morning to thebiggest overhaul of local government in a generation. Will Robertsexamines what the shakeup will mean to a rural district such asTeesdale RESIDENTS popping into Teesdale House, in Barnard Castle, thismorning to arrange to ...
Successful operation puts dealer in prison
Apr 01, 2009; ... A MAN has been jailed for nearly six years for selling drugs fromhis Darlington home. Paul Longthorne accepted stolen toys, clothing and perfumes inreturn for class A drugs. Last Friday, Longthorne pleaded guilty to being concerned in thesupply of class A drugs, handling ...
Police car hit Hayley at 70mph, court told
Apr 01, 2009 ... A TEENAGE girl was knocked down and killed by a police cartravelling at about 70mph, a court was told. PC John Dougal was driving a marked Northumbria Police Volvoestate and was chasing a suspect vehicle when his car hit HayleyAdamson. Hayley, 16, died at the scene of the collision ...
Modern take on worm legend
Apr 01, 2009 ... A MYTHICAL worm which is said to have terrorised the NorthEastcenturies ago has returned, thanks to a special effects filmmaker. Terry Marriott's short film shows the Lambton Worm causing chaosin Darlington. The 22-year-old, from Darlington, has been working on the filmsince ...
Moo kids on the block join farm team
Apr 01, 2009 ... STAFF at a farm are giving visitors an April Fool's treat today. Workers at Hall Hill Farm, Lanchester, County Durham, will bedressed as a cow, horse and a deer. Farmer Ann Darlington said:"There were some bemused looks when ...
Accused: I could not be the killer
Apr 01, 2009; ... A MAN accused of killing a grandfather has told a jury that hehas a gap in his memory around the crucial time he is alleged tohave punched him. Factory worker Michael Kelly said he can recall leaving a pub andfeeling drunk, and then nothing more until he was well on his ...
End their suffering
Apr 01, 2009 ... ONLY those who have lost a child can really appreciate the painthat such a tragedy brings. But for those who lose a child and don't even have the comfort oflaying that child to rest, the pain must be so much worse. That is the heartbreaking position inwhich the parents of ...
Pirates of the airwaves
Apr 01, 2009; ... Asa boy, Richard Curtis used to listen secretly to pirate radio.Steve Pratt climbs on board The Boat That Rocked to hear how writer-director of Love Actually recalls those musicial days in his newfilm WHEN actors play soldiers in a movie these days they're bundledoff to boot camp ...
Hear all sides
Apr 01, 2009 ... THE EIGHTIES MY dear friend Tony Paylor and I have many things in common,including our working class roots. However, it would appear that ourperception of the economic reforms of the Eighties is not among them(HAS, March 30). It is hard to imagine that even the most committed ...
Gadfly - White wedding
Apr 01, 2009; ... From a ruined wedding to a lock-in in a pub with no beer, thecolumn hears more stories about the blizzard of 1979 SNOWED under as usual, last week's column recalled the Arcticweekend of March 16 to 18, 1979, exactly 30 years previously, whenblizzards brought County Durham to a ...
Gadfly
Apr 01, 2009; ... PETER Brookes, good lad, happened to mention the story last weekto someone he met at Murton. Eira Ballingall is Hartlepool Council'sassistant diversity officer; her mother had lived in Sedgefield. In1979, she'd been one of many asked to put up drivers whose vehicleshad been ...
Echo Memories - Pedalling ice cream in the North - a viscous cycle. . .
Apr 01, 2009; ... This week Memories looks back to a time when Italians from poormountain villages arrived in the country to seek their fortunes.Some found it, others had to settle for making great ice cream ALEX MARTINO wheeled the streets broad and narrow, shouting:"Iceeeeee". That was in summer, ...
Echo Memories - Cup runneth over
Apr 01, 2009; ... THREE weeks ago, we were averaging out Darlington FC's attendancesince the financially-troubled Quakers entered the Football Leaguein the 192122 season. Jane Taylor, of the Yorkshire Dales Cheese Co, sends a copy ofthe Newcastle Evening Chronicle's four-page Football Edition ...
Echo Memories - Another reason for street name?
Apr 01, 2009; ... CONTINUING the royal theme, a fortnight ago we dawdled inBrunswick Street in Darlington (or Middlesbrough, Hartlepool, York,South Shields or Whitby for that matter) and puzzled over how it gotits Germanic name. Martin Snape, in Durham, adds to our theories by pointing outthat in ...
Echo Memories - And what exactly were those cooling towers?
Apr 01, 2009; ... DARLINGTON'S Brunswick Street was in the shadow of a giant powerstation for much of the 20th Century. Margaret Lavender, of Salters Avenue, remembers the pre-SecondWorld War wooden cooling towers. "As a small child, we passed themas we went to town down Haughton Road on the old ...
Echo Memories - Banding together for the Quakers
Apr 01, 2009; ... GORDON T SMITH, of Darlington, harks back to when CockertonSilver Band processed from the town centre to Feethams on matchdays."That used to swell the crowd, " he says. "There's no reason why it couldn't happen at the Arena today." From 1928 to 1961, the band was paid [pounds]5 ...
Child rapist locked up indefinitely
Apr 01, 2009; ... A CHILD rapist could spend the rest of his life behind bars afterbeing locked up indefinitely yesterday for the protection of thepublic. Carl Brooker was described as a significant danger by a judge,who told him he would be released only when he was no longerconsidered to be a ...
Sharing lessons with parents
Apr 01, 2009 ... PARENTS have been invited to go back to school this week to helptheir children learn. Corporation Road Primary School, in Darlington, is running dailyguided reading lessons which are open to parents every day thisweek. It is hoped parents will be able to help their children ...
Residents asked to decide if crossings should be audible
Apr 01, 2009; ... PEDESTRIANS are to be questioned about whether they want to see[pounds]55,000 spent upgrading road crossings to make them safer forblind people. Darlington Borough Council officers and members of DarlingtonAssociation on Disability (Dad) will draw up a report aboutadjusting the ...
Villagers lose fight over housing plans
Apr 01, 2009; ... RESIDENTS have lost their fight against a large housingdevelopment they say will dwarf their village. Chester-le-Street District Council's planning committee gavePersimmon Homes permission to build 248 homes on land at NewfieldFarm, Newfield Terrace, Newfield. The village currently ...
Learning rules of dog ownership
Apr 01, 2009 ... YOUNGSTERS who are sick of dogs fouling their parks are to teachtheir parents the responsibilities of dog ownership. Guisborough Police Community Support Officer (PSCO) Paul Paynevisited Lockwood Primary School, in Boosbeck, along with the DogsTrust to give pupils some tips ...
Gold Dusty
Apr 01, 2009; ... Queens of British Pop (BBC1, 10.45pm) THINK of British music and you're likely to picture The Beatles,Oasis, or if you're a prepubescent school girl . . .McFly. Theseacts have all, in their own unique way, changed the course of musicfor better or for worse over the years. Our ...
Lawyer is critical of police 'entrapment'
Apr 01, 2009; ... POLICE last night declined to discuss their use of undercoverdrugs officers despite stinging criticism in court when they wereaccused of "one of the worst cases of simple entrapment". Defence lawyer Peter Wishlade claimed that three female officerscharmed his anti-drug client Scott ...
Hot Flush! Darlington Civic Theatre
Apr 01, 2009; ... ONE of the best girls' night out shows around, Hot Flush! managesto entertain its largely female audience with outrageous jokesagainst men without being too offensive, but if you're looking forpolitical correctness this is not the show for you. The original music and lyrics were ...
Chicago, Sunderland Empire
Apr 01, 2009; ... THIS muscular jaunt through the seamier side of celebrity culturehas long been the testing ground of the tonsils for pop, soap orreality TV stars. In this case, Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse's 1975 bookprovides a musical star lead role debut to popster Jimmy Osmond. Hemight be rounder than the ...
New plan submitted for wind turbines
Apr 01, 2009; ... CONTROVERSIAL plans for five wind turbines have been resubmitted. Broadview Energy hasmade changes to plans for five 125metreturbines between Seamer and Hilton, near Stockton. The energy company says it has made alterations to the plans tocomply with local and national ...
Best recipe for a good read
Apr 01, 2009 ... A BOOK written chiefly to celebrate the Durham cricket teamwinning last season's County Championship will be launched tomorrow. Summers With Durham was written by Tim Wellock, who has teamed upwith Peter Hynes, the cricket-loving landlord at the Crown Innpublic house, in Manfield, ...
Property rate exemption claims are misleading
Apr 01, 2009; ... CLAIMS that 75 per cent of commercial premises in the North-Eastqualify for exemption from Empty Property Rates (EPR) were yesterdaysaid to be misleading, after it emerged the figures include publictoilets, car parking spaces and ATMs. The research, released today by the British ...
Recycling company wins M&S milk bottle contract
Apr 01, 2009; ... A RECYCLING company in the region has won the contract to supplyplastic for Marks and Spencer's environmentally-friendly milkcontainers. Greenstar WES, of Redcar, east Cleveland, started supplying theplastic flakes used to make the company's milk containers a monthago. It ...
Sports club pride over new facilities
Apr 01, 2009; ... A NEW [pounds]300,000 sports development which will benefithundreds of people has been officially opened. Newton Aycliffe Sports Club was awarded [pounds]300,000 fromSedgefield Borough Council's Local Improvement Partnership, with anadditional [pounds]20,000 from the Football ...
Models reveal the cost of forgetting seatbelts
Apr 01, 2009; ... PEOPLE from across North Yorkshire have signed up to become thefaces of a major road safety campaign. They volunteered to feature in the campaign, in which their faceswill be displayed on posters, billboards, buses and newspapersacross the county. A photo-shoot with the ...
Hot tip for theatre lovers
Apr 01, 2009 ... A MUSICAL comedy starring Birds of a Feather's Lesley Joseph andsoap actor Sam Kane opened last night in the North-East. Billed as "the ultimate girls' night out", Hot Flush, atDarlington Civic ...
Adidassigns teamkitdeal
Apr 01, 2009; ... MIDDLESBROUGH have announced sportswear firm adidas will becometheir new kit suppliers from this summer, " writes PAUL FRASER. Boro have signed a fouryear deal that brings to an end a 15-yearassociation with Errea. Adidas now has the rights to provide all playing, training ...
Alves can lead us to safety, insists Crosby
Apr 01, 2009; ... MIDDLESBROUGH believe they already have the striker in theirranks capable of firing them to Premier League safety -and that manis Afonso Alves. After a five-match run without starting under manager GarethSouthgate, the out-ofsorts striker looks likely for a recall forSaturday's ...
Whitehead wants to put fan criticism behind him
Apr 01, 2009; ... DEAN WHITEHEAD accepts he went the wrong way about criticisingSunderland's supporters last month, but the honest-talking captainholds no regrets. Whitehead was vilified by fans after the home defeat to Wigan,when he complained their frustrations and jeers were counter-productive ...
Boss will return, says Hughton
Apr 01, 2009; ... CHRIS HUGHTON is still working in the belief that Joe Kinnearwill be back at Newcastle United's training ground within the nextcouple of weeks. The Newcastle manager is due to see specialists next Monday todetermine a date when he can return to his position after undergoingheart ...
When you're hooked, you're hooked!
Apr 01, 2009; ... Sir Ian Botham: cricketer, fundraiser, and - when he has sparetime - fisherman. He talks to Owen Amos about his passion CATCHING fish, according to www. fishinghurts. com, is "cruel andunnecessary - whether they are killed on the spot or thrown backinto the water, injured and ...
A rural reinvention
Apr 01, 2009; ... The number of stylish homes and businesses springing up inDerwentside bears witness to its ability to shake off its industrialpast. Tony Kearney and Gavin Engelbrecht report WITH its rolling hills and wild moors, Derwentside is becomingone of the new places to be. The scars ...
Two in a tower
Apr 01, 2009; ... If you hanker after a room with a view, the fifth-floor libraryof the newly restored Outchester Ducket in Northumberland is asclose to heaven as you'll get, says Jenny Needham THE view from the top is heavenly. A patchwork of snow-coveredNorthumberland fields in one direction; the ...
At home with the Waltons
Apr 01, 2009; ... The Walton family faced plenty of challenges when they moved intoa tumbledown mill, not least persuading the former owner to sell itto them. Jenny Laue reports LIVING in a round house has its problems: furnishing it can't beeasy. On the other hand, there are no corners where ...
Tweet talking
Apr 01, 2009; ... Now is the time to get out into the countryside and listen to thedawn chorus, which reaches a crescendo in May. Birdsong lover RuthCampbell joins a group of enthusiasts very early one spring morning JANE, a university lecturer from York, became hooked whilelistening to a blackbird ...
Wild and free
Apr 01, 2009; ... Countryman and bestselling author Christopher Somerville arguesthat you do not have to travel far to discover the wonder of naturein the raw. He tells Ruth Campbell why he finds parts of the North-East, including its once coal blackened beaches, particularlyinspiring DARK waves, ...
Perfectly tuned in
Apr 01, 2009; ... Fine food, great atmosphere. The George and Dragon in Heighingtonis not far from being the perfect pub, says Mike Amos THE George and Dragon at Heighington is a great pub, full stop.There may be no need to read further because there is nothingbetween the lines. Even if the year ...
Booking the cook
Apr 01, 2009; ... Being cooked for is a real treat. Being catered for by a top chefwhile you sip champagne in a lovely country house hotel takes theexperience to the next level. Jenny Laue tucks in LIKE all great chefs, Robert Taylor is a master at multi-tasking. Dressed in immaculate whites, he ...
Good Godot
Apr 01, 2009; ... Two great actors teaming up to star in what is arguably thegreatest English language play of the 20th Century. No wonder theregion's theatre-goers are counting themselves lucky, says VivHardwick IT'S been described as the theatre event of the year. Two of Britain's greatest ...
Club's fans hope their hero will become their saviour
Apr 02, 2009; ... Many assumed it was an April Fool's prank when they heard thenews. But confirmation of the return of Newcastle United's greatestever goalscorer has brought an air of optimism to the city. GavinHavery reports THEY were shouting from the rooftops. Football fans used to thehighs and ...
New bishop speaks out over suspended priest
Apr 02, 2009; ... THE new Roman Catholic bishop in the North-East said last nighthe understands the anger over the still-unexplained suspension ofamuchloved priest. Parishioners at St Augustine's, in Darlington, have never beentold the reason for Father Michael Higginbottom's removal four ...
16 feared dead in helicopter plunge
Apr 02, 2009; ... SIXTEEN people were feared dead last night after a helicoptercrashed into the North Sea. Eight people were confirmed as having lost their lives in theimmediate aftermath of the accident, which involved a Bond-operatedaircraft returning from the BP Miller platform off the ...
Now unitary council 'faces the acid test'
Apr 02, 2009; ... A NEW "super council" for County Durham came into beingyesterday, with its leader hailing a "historic moment" for theregion. At midnight, the new unitary Durham County Council superseded thecounty's twotier governance structure, bringing about the biggestlocal government shake-up ...
Festival celebrates the wonder of science
Apr 02, 2009 ... HUNDREDS of teenagers have been tasting life as laboratoryscientists. Secondary school pupils from across the North-East were allowedinto Durham University labs as part of the annual Durham ScienceFestival. Youngsters aged 13 to 15 tried their hand at being ...
Girl, seven, badly hurt in mysterious accident
Apr 02, 2009; ... THE family of a seven-yearold girl who suffered serious headinjuries after a mysterious accident are keeping vigil at herbedside. Erin Robb suffered a fractured skull while playing in the street50 yards from her home at Firtree in Shildon, County Durham, onTuesday ...
Housing plans aim for 'vibrant development'
Apr 02, 2009; ... PLANS have been drawn up to transform derelict industrial landinto a housing estate with 250 homes. An official planning application has been submitted to build thehouses at the former Corus engineering base, in Whessoe Road,Darlington. Developers StModwen Ventures hope to ...
Fundraising event was very hush-
Apr 02, 2009 ... BROWNIES have raised money for charity by completing a sponsoredsilence. The girls from the 35th Darlington (High Grange) Brownies, allaged between seven and ten, raised [pounds]200 for St Teresa'sHospice. Another [pounds]36 was added to the total at a celebratory ...
Worker lost leg under bin lorry
Apr 02, 2009; ... A QUIET cul-de-sac was turned into a scene of horror when arookie binman ended up under the wheels of a refuse wagon, a courtheard yesterday. Peterlee Magistrates' Court was told how Kevin Young's screamsshattered the early morning silence of Norham Drive, on the town'sOakerside ...
School centenary
Apr 02, 2009 ... A SCHOOL celebrating its centenary held a service with a specialguest. Cestria Primary School in Chester-le-Street, held the event inthe town's main church, St Mary and St Cuthbert, with the RightReverend Mark Bryant, Bishop of Jarrow. It is one of a series of activities and ...
Guess who came to dinner
Apr 02, 2009 ... CULINARY enthusiasts have been cooking up a storm as part of apopular television show. Channel 4 series, Come Dine With Me, visited Middlesbroughrecently and filmed four people hosting their idea of a perfectdinner party. The contestants each took it in turn to provide a meal ...
Young swimmer is 'really determined to raise money'
Apr 02, 2009; ... A SIX-YEAR-OLD boy from Darlington is likely to make a splashwhen he becomes one of the youngest people in the country to takepart in a national charity swimathon. Thomas Johnson, who attends Abbey Infants School, will swim 60lengths of the Dolphin Centre's pool - about 1.5km (one ...
Shearer: He can't lose
Apr 02, 2009 ... ALL those who woke up to the news that Alan Shearer was takingover as manager of Newcastle United until the end of the season canbe forgiven for suspecting an April Fool's prank. Shearer in charge of Newcastle is the dream of every Magpies fan,and it was surely too good to be ...
Juggling with autism
Apr 02, 2009; ... Today is World Autism Awareness Day. North East mum NanetteThompson talks to Barry Nelson about caring for a son who has autismand her fight to have his condition recognised NANETTE Thompson is a mother-of-three: Sarah, Johnnie and Steven.Steven, her youngest son, is autistic. He ...