Stuart Maisner
BBC Live reporter

Jessica gave up opera for astrophysics and is now helping Nasa with a new space telescope.

Students at Cardinal Newman School in Brighton chose to celebrate the life of a former pupil for BBC School Report.

You can see their report here, external.

Paul Golding - along with the group's deputy leader - was jailed for religiously aggravated harassment.

Yesterday was the BBC's annual School Report Day when local pupils do our job of reporting the news.

Alex, 16, from Redhill, produced this report on the lack of black and ethnic minority football managers in the top-flight game.

Image source, Getty Images

The Argus, external: Burglar caught breaking into Pebbles On The Port bar in Southwick

Kent Online, external: Baby's grave vandalised at Hawkinge Cemetery

Get Surrey, external: Children's A&E visits soar by half in Surrey as increasing numbers of parents demand 'immediate cures'

Worthing Herald, external: Katie Price’s mum meets Worthing Mayor to talk lung disease

Kent News, external: The TV star whose invisible illness does not stop him fulfilling his acting dreams

Eastbourne Herald, external: Forum wants to bring community groups together for support and ideas

Chichester Observer, external: Test pilot who wasn’t stopped by a broken neck

Hastings Observer, external: The long and unfortunate saga of the Hastings Harbour

Mid Sussex Times, external: Exceptional ambulance staff and volunteers rewarded

Crawley Observer, external: Remembering ‘ghost’ squirrels of Goffs Park

Brighton and Hove Independent, external: 'Nobody should be sleeping rough': Friends to take part in charity sleep out

Hamish Mureddu-Reid
BBC News Online, South East

A 12-year-old boy has been injured in a hit-and-run in Battle, Sussex Police said.

The boy was hit by a silver hatchback car on the A2100 Battle Hill, at about 16:20 GMT on Thursday.

He was taken to Kings College Hospital in London by air ambulance where he remains in a serious condition, a police spokesman said.

A 45-year-old woman from Hastings has been arrested on suspicion of failing to stop and driving under the influence of drugs.

A foreign driver has racked up over £20,000 worth of unpaid parking tickets in a single year.

Medway Council said it had been forced to call in an overseas bailiff company to chase up the Bulgarian registered owner who has amassed nearly 300 tickets.

A council spokesman said: "As this vehicle is registered abroad the motorist is currently being pursued by a foreign bailiff's company which will obtain any debts owed to the council.

"It is very frustrating but we are doing everything we can and we will continue to pursue this in every way that we can."

Image source, Getty Images

Fire crews remain at the scene of a blaze at a builders merchants near Brighton which started yesterday morning.

Residents were told to keep windows shut and roads were closed after the fire at Basin Road North in Portslade sent out large plumes of smoke across the city.

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service say the fire is still burning and they will remain at the scene today.

Bob Dale
BBC Live reporter

It's thought a man who's gone missing from his home in Warwickshire could be in Sussex.

Mark Summerton, who's 43 and from Rugby, was last seen in the Midlands on 10 February.

Image source, Sussex Police

His Ford Focus, with the registration FGO7 FXA, was last seen at the Boship roundabout services in Hailsham on 12 March.

It's thought he could also be in the Eastbourne area.

Image source, Sussex Police

The transport secretary says the UK will not "in any circumstances" create a "hard border" at Dover after Brexit.

Three men are sentenced for affray at a cafe following a disturbance, after which a man died.

Rajdeep Sandhu
Political Reporter, BBC Radio Kent

There’s a bit of hope for the Royal Voluntary Service Centre in Chatham which is facing an uncertain future because of funding issues.

Tonight councillors on the health and adult social care overview and scrutiny committee have unanimously agreed to support a Labour motion to provide the centre with extra money to keep it going for another year.

It doesn’t mean the centre, which helps to prevent social isolation, is saved just yet. The actual decision to give it an extra £17,500 will be made by Conservative cabinet members.

The public gallery was full of people urging councillors to give them a chance to stay open. It was their chance to say how important it was for them.

Jenny, 63, who is a volunteer held back tears as she told the committee how support from the centre had helped her after the death of her daughter.

Nicky, also a volunteer who suffers from mental health issues, said the centre had saved her life.

The centre’s funding has been in doubt since the beginning of the year when Medway Council decided to stop its annual grant fund of £35,000. A few weeks ago, after pressure and protests, it found six months worth of funding £17,500.

Putting forward the motion Labour councillor Teresa Murray said that wasn’t enough. She welcomed the decision to ask the cabinet for more money.

Dean Kilpatrick
Local Democracy Reporter

The future of a golf course will be decided just three days before its planned closure, it has been confirmed.

Deangate Ridge Golf Club, in Hoo, will be debated by Medway Council's cabinet for a second time on 28 March, after it was told to reconsider its decision at an overview and scrutiny committee meeting on Monday.

Council officers have defended the plan to close the facility, which has made a loss of more than £1.5m over the last seven years and has a membership of fewer than 300 people.

After three petitions attracted a total of nearly 4,000 signatures - mainly focusing on a perceived lack of consultation - the majority of committee members agreed to refer the decision back to cabinet.

The council's Labour group wanted the matter to be referred to full council rather than the cabinet.

The group had raised questions about how quickly the decision was reached, and accused officers and cabinet members of predetermining the facility's proposed closure.

Medway Council says no decision has been made about the possible use of the site, adding the other facilities at the sport complex will remain open.

If the decision is upheld, Deangate Ridge will close its doors to the public on 31 March.

Jennifer Bartram
Weather presenter

Caitlin Webb
Local Democracy Reporter

Kent County Council has announced plans to spend an extra £2m on pothole repairs.

Council leader Paul Carter said this would increase the budget for the backlog to £8.1m.

This comes almost a month after the council rejected a proposal from Lib Dem councillor Ian Chittenden to add £2.4m to the highways maintenance allowance.

At the full council meeting earlier, Mr Carter said: "The Beast from the East had a huge impact on the state of the 5,000 miles of roads that we are responsible for in Kent.

"Gangs of excellent, and predominantly Kent-based, engineers are being mobilised as I speak to repair the damage caused.

"Towards the middle of June we will then reflect on how the work is going and I can assure you that, if more work is needed, we will find the additional budget required to fix the potholes."

Hamish Mureddu-Reid
BBC News Online, South East

A Victorian railway tunnel between Sevenoaks and Tonbridge is to be closed over 13 weekends, including the Easter and late May bank holidays, while repairs are carried out, Network Rail said.

Southeastern train services between London Charing Cross and Hastings will be divereted via East Croydon and Redhill, with replacement buses serving stations between Tonbridge and Sevenoaks.

Engineers will make improvements to the tunnel's drainage system before replacing the track, signalling and power supply,

Steve Kilby, Network Rail programme manager, said: "When the tunnel was built in the 1860s, the engineers weren’t aware of just how much water they would encounter underground. It’s been an ongoing struggle to keep services running reliably through the tunnel since."

Image source, Network Rail

Students at Cardinal Newman School in Brighton chose to celebrate the life of a former pupil for BBC School Report.

You can see their report here, external.

Kent sign Australia all-rounder Marcus Stoinis and New Zealand pace bowler Adam Milne for the T20 Blast.

Southern Water is urging its customers to prepare for the cold weather which is forecast for the weekend.

Helen Simonian, director of water said: "Although it’s nearly spring, it’s not too late to prepare your pipes for the next cold snap.

“Lagging exposed pipes in your loft, as well as your external pipes, can help prevent bursts and flooding in your home but - should the worst happen make sure you know where your internal stop tap is, so you can turn the water off as soon as possible."

The company said any dripping taps could lead to pipes freezing.

Following the below-freezing temperatures earlier this month, more than 25,000 homes supplied by Southern Water and South East Water had their water supplies cut off as frozen piles thawed and burst.

Image source, South East Water