Parking fees levied on drivers visiting Northumberland towns has emerged as the hottest topic in the initial stages of a major review aimed at developing a county-wide parking strategy.

A progress report on the review reveals hundreds of people have made their views known on whether parking fees should be imposed across the whole county - rather than just in selected towns.

More than 560 people have signed three separate petitions calling for an equal policy across the board, with charges being made in all principal towns.

A popular guide aimed at helping older people in Northumberland get the most out of life has been published for the fourth time.

Previous issues of the Golden Guide have gone down so well with the over-50s that there was a waiting list for the latest 5,000-copy print run.

The free booklet, which is produced by community information specialists Clever Clogs Publishing in partnership with Age Concern Northumberland, the county council and care trust, has also been given a new design.

Tony Henderson on the 200th anniversary of another of the North East's greatest sons.

Bicentennials are like buses: you wait an age for one and then two come along at once.

The Journal reported recently on the programme of events lined up to mark the 200th anniversary this year of the death of Admiral Lord Collingwood.

Now preparations are in full swing to celebrate a second 200th - the anniversary of the birth of another of the North East's greatest sons in Lord Armstrong.

Bamburgh Castle will open in the off-season for the first time to boost North Northumberland's winter visitor offer.

The castle, which closes from November to March, will open for February half term.

Bamburgh Castle director Chris Calvert, pictured, said: "Opening the castle in February will support local tourism businesses who are working hard to attract off-peak visitors."

A Northumberland village could finally get a much-needed rail link.

Council leaders are being asked to give the green light to a £1.5m transport scheme which would see a new station built at Belford.

The village currently sees trains travel into its existing station to turn around, however, there is no platform, as it was removed in 1969 when the service was axed.

A project has been launched to find out if the waters off the Northumberland coast are a secret dolphin stronghold.

The white-beaked dolphin is a little studied species which occurs around the coast of the UK and is vulnerable to the effects of global warming.

It lives in the cold waters of the northern Atlantic and its available habitat is thought to be shrinking.

Berwick MP Sir Alan Beith has won an appeal against submitting any misleading claims over his rent in the expenses scandal.

The Liberal Democrat MP was revealed to have claimed expenses for cleaning his home, laundry, a new television and kitchen equipment when the furore over expenses broke.

He was also listed as claiming around £1,200 a month in rent on average.

The carcass of a sperm whale was finally removed from a Northumberland beach yesterday.

The 25 tonne juvenile male was discovered at Beadnell on Monday morning and is thought to have died shortly after.

Northumberland County Council was responsible for removing the body and early yesterday its subcontractors and a plant hire company set about the task.

Equipment was taken down onto the beach via an access owned by Beadnell Fishermen's Society, rather than bringing it across sand dunes, risking damage.

The crew of a fishing boat was forced to call for urgent assistance when they discovered their vessel was taking in water and was at risk of sinking in a Northumberland harbour.

The mayday call was made at 9.52am yesterday when the fishing boat ran into difficulties in Seahouses Harbour.

A member of Seahouses Lifeboat Crew was in the Lifeboat Station when the urgent request was made for a pump to assist the skipper of the Seahouses based fishing vessel Quo Vadis.

Conservation chiefs have been in talks over the removal of a dead whale from a Northumberland beach to ensure it does not damage habitat.

Natural England has been in discussion with Northumberland County Council which is charged with disposal of the sperm whale from the beach at Beadnell, where it was found on Monday morning.

The discussions have centred on how the whale can be removed without any damage being caused to rare flora and fauna habitats on the beach.

The presence of the habitats has seen the beach designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest - while it is also in the Berwickshire and North Northumberland Coast European Marine Site.

Meanwhile, the council has confirmed the carcass of the whale will be disposed of by rendering. The authority has spoken to a couple of removal contractors, and is awaiting quotes before it can give the go-ahead to dispose of the carcass.