Smaller communities should be thinking ahead to the day when they can generate all their own power, energy expert Dr Barbara Sexon believes.

Dr Sexon runs the Thropton Energy consultancy in the Northumberland village of the same name, near Rothbury.

She studied for a PhD 25 years ago on the potential of small scale wind turbines in the days before wind farms of considerably larger machines became the hot potato they are today.

A presentation on plans to revamp the region's hospitals takes place in Northumberland next week.

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is proposing a new specialist emergency care hospital near Cramlington for people living in Northumberland and North Tyneside, improvements to Wansbeck and North Tyneside general hospitals and rebuilding community hospitals in Berwick and Haltwhistle.

A presentation on the plans takes place at a meeting of Warkworth Parish Council on Thursday, June 4 at 6.30pm in the Memorial Hall on Castle Street.

A blood sport swoop saw three men arrested in Northumberland.

The Operation Seal inquiry was set up jointly between Northumbria Police and the RSPCA's special operations unit. It followed an intelligence-led operation into badger baiting and cock fighting in Northumberland.

The operation also investigated the baiting of other protected animals with dogs.

Sixth form students at an Ashington school have been given an insight into the world of business, thanks to a link-up with one of the county's biggest employers.

The students from Hirst High School received a masterclass in human resources work in an event organised by Lynemouth-based Rio Tinto Alcan and the Wansbeck Enterprise Education Network.

The aim of the session was to provide the students, who are studying A-Level Applied Business, with a real-life insight into HR in a genuine business setting.

A group of learning support staff from Bedlingtonshire Community High School have gone back to the classroom to learn about conservation.

The group hooked up with Northumberland Wildlife Trust to learn about its work and help out at the trust's East Chevington Nature Reserve.

The 16 staff members spent their annual teambuilding day digging a new pond. Although the sun was shining, pond digging is messy work and the group took to the task with such enthusiasm that they were soon covered in mud.

Stobswood Welfare claimed third place in the Re-Max Northern Alliance Division Two, but were well behind the two pace-setters South Shields United and Amble United.

The Welfare brought the curtain down with a 2-2 draw at home to Wallsend Town.

Michael Harmer scored both goals for Stobswood, with their Tyneside hosts replying through Alan Errington and Paul McCutcheon.

Red Row Welfare ended their Re-Max Northern Alliance Division One campaign on the bottom with Seaton Burn just above them and three points better off.

These two strugglers had opposing fortunes on the last day.

While the Welfare beat visitors Northbank 3-0 with goals for Michael Latimer, Chris Tait and Ben Lavender, there was no luck for Seaton Burn who lost 5-2 at Wallington.

Lynemouth are Morpeth Sunday League Division One champions, but runners-up Traveller's Rest, Choppington closed their league campaign with a point as Amble Pier 81 held them to a 3-3 draw. Chris Glass, Darren Riddell and Josh Hay netted for Pier 81, with Mark Miller, David John Kilpatrick and Stephen Young scoring for the Lewin Cup holders.

Red Row Brick Club bounced back from their defeat in the Lewin Cup final last week to beat Stobhill Social Club 4-1. Ronnie Warwick bagged a hat-trick and Stuart Dunn also scored. Ashley McAlpine replied for Stobhill.

The final reckoning for the Morpeth Sunday League Division Two table will have to wait until next week after Blackthorn Rovers v East Chevington was postponed until next Sunday.

Hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of Class A drugs were seized in a year-long crackdown by police vying to rid rural Northumberland communities of drug barons.

The Journal can today reveal the scale of the drug problem that plagues the county's isolated countryside, with a massive haul of drugs confiscated by police specialists.

Earlier this year a top judge said drug dealing gangs were targeting rural villages in sophisticated cannabis production operations.

Bosses at Northumberland's new super council are being recommended to stick with its controversial 0845 single telephone number.

County hall chiefs have been urged by campaigners both locally and nationally to change the 0845 6006400 number, which has been provided since April 1 for all people who need to contact the unitary authority.