Little girl helps spread word over childhood strokes - Leader
A Wrexham girl who suffered a stroke days before her second birthday is set to undergo vital surgery within weeks. Daisy, three, from Penycae, was born with a hole in her heart and the stroke left her on a life support machine for five days.
Mersey-Dee strategy to be reviewed - Daily Post
Welsh business minister Jane Hutt has told AMs that a near 20,000 name protest petition reveals a belief that Welsh identity, language and social fabric were being eroded in the North East Wales region.
27 banned from all pubs in Denbigh - Denbighshire Free Press
Drinkers are being banned from Denbigh pubs as the police and publicans get tough on anti-social behaviour. The bans are a stark warning to other evening revellers as a new campaign has been launched to make the town even safer.
Public inquiry over Rhyl plans - Journal
A public inquiry will decide the fate of plans for a residential care home, day nursery and community centre on green space on the Park View estate off Dyserth Road, Rhyl.
Cats' home safe - Daily Post
The future of a sanctuary for cats which has been running for 50 years has been secured. Cats such as three-legged Phoebe are looked after by pensioners Danny Flavin and his wife Daphne. But they have been struggling to continue their vital work running Tyddyn Cat Rescue Centre near Mold - until now.
Goldfish bowl sparks house blaze - Leader
Fire crews were called to a house fire at Halkyn, Flintshire, started by sun rays shining through a goldfish bowl, which created a 'magnifying glass effect' and set alight the wooden table on which it was standing.
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Treehunter Rob McBride has visited the scene of one of Britain's oldest trees to survey the damage after cold weather caused the so called Great Oak at the Gates of the Dead to split.
The 1,200-year-old tree, near Chirk, Wrexham, has a 34ft (10m) circumference trunk and is thought to date back to the reign of King Egbert in 802.
Rob, who is on the hunt for our oldest trees, is co-ordinating efforts to save the tree and tells us that local firm Kronospan has agreed to help with the costs.
When Mike Harrison's grandfather John (1877-1941) started taking photos of scenes that attracted his attention 80 years ago, did he ever imagine his hobby would provide such a legacy?
It's only now, thanks to the Web 2.0 ethos of sharing, that we can appreciate his efforts - and Mike's - as he has been making his grandfather's photos available online for all to see - and enjoy.
It's quite an archive John Harrison has left, judging by the dozens of photos he collected while biking his way around the UK sometime around the 1920s.
From his home in Belfast, he travelled extensively across the UK and, thankfully, stopped off on the country lanes around north Wales and Shrophshire to share photos like a pleasure boat on Llangollen Canal, the water wheel at Rossett Mill, Erbistock, and there are others showing the north Wales coast and elsewhere.
Then, there are those, without captions - their locations unlike - suggesting this was a personal hobby.
The photos have been made available on Flickr, much like '100 year old photos of Welsh landmarks found in U.S archives' that were put on the web last year for public enjoyment.
Thanks to them, Mike and his grandfather.
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Vital Wrexham Industrial Estate road link hit by red tape delay - Daily Post
The construction of a £20m link road that would transform travel to Wrexham Industrial Estate has been delayed by another six months.
Chirk gipsy site petition racks up nearly 1,200 signatures - The Leader
A petition containing nearly 1,200 signatures has been handed in to Wrexham Council in protest at a proposal for a gipsy and travellers site in Chirk.
Rhyl water course to be redeveloped - Rhyl Journal
A Rhyl water course used as a dumping ground for all kinds of rubbish could be transformed into a wildlife haven. Environment Agency Wales are hoping to get the go ahead to pump more nearly £400.000 into the area known to residents of south west Rhyl locally as The Cut.
Waste treatment site planned for Flintshire - The Leader
Flintshire is set to have its own waste treatment facility if an ambitious bid by the council is backed by the Welsh Assembly Government. The facility, which would treat household and non-recyclable waste, could be built on Deeside Industrial Estate if plans are given the green light.
I nearly gave birth at JLS gig - Denbighshire Visitor
The woman who went into labour during a JLS gig has been tracked down.
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I heard an interview with Wrexham landlord Alan Hayes on BBC Radio Wales this morning telling listeners why it's hard for local pubs to survive.
[You can listen again via the audio clip on this page]
Alan, who's chairman of Wrexham Licensed Victuallers Association and landlord of the Buck Inn at Bangor on Dee, was responding to the story about health concerns as alcohol is being sold cheaply by clubs vying for customers in a price war with supermarkets.
What with scenes like the one [top] from Wrexham photographer Karen Oliver becoming commonplace in our communities and realising Wrexham's strong and historic connections with the brewing industry, I thought it timely to pull together some archive material and here it is, When Wrexham was a 'lager town'.
Is there anything you want to add?
This is a quick plea for contributors to share memories and their old photos for some planned local history stories, in particular Towyn floods and the flood waters that affected the north Wales coastline in 1990.
This month marks the 20th anniversary and, whilst we're in the process of going into BBC news archives in Cardiff to retrieve film footage from that time, we'd like to invite readers and contributors to share any of their old photos, films and memories.
Meanwhile, November will mark the 10th anniversary of Mold floods and we'd also welcome contributors' memories and photos from that dramatic event which saw the RNLI ferrying stranded pedestrians in boats along submerged town centre roads.
You can leave comments by using the form below and / or email photos to wales.northeast@bbc.co.uk
Wrexham surgeon tells of battle to save Haiti earthquake victims - The Leader
Orthopaedic and trauma consultant Asad Syed, who works at Wrexham Maelor Hospital, has been talking about his experiences of working in Port-au-Prince, helping to save and improve the lives of Haiti's people following the devastating earthquake of a month ago.
Plan to bring back trams to North Wales - Daily Post
A Merseyside-based tram company is is keen to study the viability of small-scale tram, or light rail, networks in various towns across the region.
Rhyl to Kinmel Bay cycle path clogged up by sand - Rhyl Journal
It's claimed that sections of a cycle route between Rhyl harbour and ASDA in Kinmel Bay are not being used by cyclists because of a build up of sand.
Oswestry schools pay tribute to murdered teen Frankie - Tizer
Tributes are paid to Francesca 'Frankie' McFall who was found dead alongside her mother in their Oswestry home on February 5.
Wrexham and Flintshire speak out: 'Don't let our villages die' - The Leader
People living in urban villages across Wrexham and Flintshire have come forward to express concerns that their villages have been damaged by the closure of shops, post offices and other amenities.
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The people behind Go Ape - the outdoor activity centre with obstacle courses and zip wires in trees - have drawn up plans [.pdf document] for a so-called Zip Wild course at Moel Famau country park.
But before they submit a formal planning application to the local authorities - they want to hear your thoughts on their ideas.
There's a discussion wall where the first comment was posted by Brendan who writes: "I am fundamentally against this development... I will currently put my faith in the local councils who look after this AONB and SSSI, because developments within such areas are notoriously difficult to push through."
Whether Brendan's comment sets the tone of the discussion remains to be seen.
Here are some further links you may find useful.
There's a dedicated fan site regarding Moel Famau which is part of the Clwydian Range, a so-called Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, managed by Denbighshire Countryside Services.
Related: BBC North East Wales - Nature & Outdoors
[Photo shows a Go Ape course at Delamere Forest, courtesy of Gerald Davison via Flickr]
Did you see locals giving their views in front of the TV cameras last night about the Gateway to Wales hotel changing its name to align itself with visitors to Chester rather than north Wales?
Everyone said they felt the hotel should stay true to its name and its location - Deeside - firmly in Wales.
It's not the first time such a row has been prompted by a business trying to drum up business from over the border - rather than marketing itself using north Wales tourism.
So much so that a local website was set up some time ago to take business to task regarding such decisions.
The Leader picked up on the story previously with a blog by Janet Ryder AM headlined, 'Anger at hotel name change'.
Meanwhile, her Plaid colleagues in Wrexham have now got Flintshire Council Trading Standards involved, querying whether the name change could be misleading.
But the hotel website and map clearly shows it's in Wales.
So, should we be concerned if businesses on this side of the border use such a tactic if they think it's more beneficial? Is it just business - and does that make it OK?
Or do you feel this more evidence of the so-called Chesterfication of north Wales - something which last week led to a 15,000-name petition - opposed to a plan on tightening links between Welsh and English counties - being presented to the Welsh assembly?
Rhyl lifeboat SOS hoax - Rhyl Journal
Rescuers from Rhyl are hunting an SOS hoaxer who sparked a major sea search.
Three leisure centres 'at risk' as Flintshire Council says it may stop running them - Daily Post
Connah's Quay Sports Centre, Hope Sports Centre and Saltney Sports Centre could be shut for good if the schools to which they are affiliated or local councils can't afford to take over the running costs.
Tourism experts slam depressing Rhyl - Denbighshire Visitor
Resorts like Rhyl and Colwyn Bay are "depressing" and need more inspiring messages to galvanise their tourism industry. Marketing consultants say the two towns need rebranding to promote a positive image.
Chirk Cadbury workers seek assurances over future - The Leader
Union chiefs are seeking urgent assurances about the future of Cadbury's Chirk factory and its 250 workers from the new American owners of the iconic British chocolate firm.
Oswestry man wins UK Tough Guy Challenge - The Tizer
An Oswestry athlete has come through fire, ice, flooded tunnels and aerial rope runs to win the UK's Tough Guy Challenge.
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Ysgol Heulfan, Gwersyllt, Wrexham, has been deemed "outstanding" - a word used 180 times - in its latest Estyn inspection report [Read it for yourself, PDF document].
"We really want to sing and shout about this news," said one of the governors, Michele Walker, especially as the school has seen a major turnaround in its performances.
Headteacher Julia Thomas Haigh says the achievement is down to everyone working together: "Thank you to all for making Ysgol Heulfan such a success story," she says.
The news follows hot on the heels of another school success story, Why St Christopher's is so special.
As Wrexham council plans to spent an extra £100,000 to repair potholes and the assembly government is to give Welsh councils £2.75m to help repair potholes on Wales' roads, here's how people can report a pothole and get it fixed.
Firstly, you can report the problem to your local council - Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham - or alert your local councillor.
Meanwhile, other people have been raising such problems with online help group and charity fixmystreet.com as they can pass on complaints to the right authorities.
Searching the site you can see people have serious concerns about the state of their roads, like Steve in Wrexham who writes: "Dangerous potholes just at the base of the Berwig Hill on a bend and next to the junction with Maes y Ffynnon Road, the area is unlit. If a motorcycle were to hit them in the dark someone could be seriously injured or killed."
'Dangerous roads' are also an issue in Denbighshire and potholes are among a host of problems being raised in Flintshire.
Finally, the Daily Post is attempting to map potholes in the region to highlight the widespread problem.
Something similar has been done by hyperlocal websites such as Hashbrum in Birmingham.
Further reading: Why is snow so bad for potholes?
| 10:47 UK time, Thursday, 25 February 2010
