Abbie Dewhurst
Weather Presenter, BBC Look North
It is going to feel quite chilly this morning but it will get a bit milder over the weekend.
There'll be quite a lot of cloud today with some drizzle possible too.
But it will be a basically dry afternoon with some breaks in the cloud developing and some sunny spells.
Temperatures will reach 8 or 9C.
We've got all the news, sport, travel and weather through the day.
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League One Sunderland sign Burnley defender Jimmy Dunne on loan until the end of the season.
Read MorePreston North End sign goalkeeper Connor Ripley from fellow Championship club Middlesbrough for an undisclosed fee.
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BBC Sport
As Manchester City prepare for tonight's Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Burton Albion, our colleagues at BBC Sport have this little brain teaser.
The League Cup was Pep Guardiola's first trophy in England, and it was also the first won by Manuel Pellegrini as Manchester City manager in 2014.
But can you remember the 18 men who featured in the matchday squad as City came from behind to beat Sunderland 3-1 five years ago?
Image source, GettyCarter Cookson has been given five weeks to live unless he receives a new heart.
Read MoreOur live updates here have finished for the day, but any breaking news, sport or travel will still appear here.
You can stay on to date online, on BBC Newcastle, BBC Tees and Look North.
We'll be back with more updates from 08:00 tomorrow, and we hope you can join us then.
If you want to get in touch with any news or send us photos you can tweet us, external, contact us via our Facebook, external page or email us.
Councils have been told by the government to improve air quality in pollution hotspots by 2021.
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Local Democracy Reporting Service
One hundred more jobs face the axe at Middlesbrough Council as the authority aims to save more than £10m next year to balance its books, the Unison union claims.
The council is facing, external a £12.8m "gap" in its budget for 2019/20 and has lined up £5.7m of additional savings alongside £4.5m of "planned savings" drawn up in its medium term financial plan for next year.
Among the roles under review are the pest control service and a "transfer of management arrangements" to save £65,000. A "ceasing of building project work" and "removal of associated posts" alongside "procuring work more efficiently" has been lined up to save £124,000 this year.
A "review and restructure of street warden and neighbourhood safety services" will also be done as part of measures to find £191,000 in 2019/20. These changes, alongside about 50 others, were agreed by the council in December. It is understood consultations on a number of job roles have been launched this week.
A spokesman for the council said it keeps compulsory redundancies "to an absolute minimum", adding they were "always a last resort".
BBC Tees
A Stockton woman who survived an abusive relationship says more people need to be aware of Clare's Law.
Gemma Willis comments come as it's revealed that there's been a large increase in the number of people in the BBC Tees area using the law to get their partner's criminal history.
Under the legislation, which began in 2014, people concerned about their partner can access details of their violent past.
Ms Willis said: "What it offers is amazing."
Tickets for a rare chance to see drawings by Leonardo Da Vinci are being snapped up.
Twelve drawings by the Italian master will be shown from 1 February at Sunderland's Museum and Winter Gardens., external
It's part of a national tour marking 500 years since Da Vinci's death.
Three hundred tickets have been sold since they went on sale five days ago.
Six more people have been arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into one of the first ever "cannabis shatter" factories in the North East.
In October 2017, Northumbria Police officers in Gateshead raided two properties in the Ryton area after receiving intelligence from the local community. A range of equipment used to make the honeycomb-like drug was seized by police and two people were arrested on suspicion of dealing it.
Image source, Northumbria PoliceThey were both released under investigation while officers continued to look into the conspiracy to supply the high-strength cannabis across both the region and in Europe. Now, four men and two women have been arrested in connection with the investigation dubbed Operation Inkerman by police.
The investigative team said the development of the drug is concerning as previous factories set-up elsewhere in the country have led to explosions and fatal fires caused by the use of highly flammable butane gas.
Image source, Northumbria POliceSgt Warren Sturrock said: "Regardless of what people think about the effect of cannabis on society, this type of criminality could have potentially serious consequences."
The six people arrested have since been released under investigation while three people interviewed under caution in 2017 also remain under investigation.
During the arrests last week, officers also seized a large quantity of Class A drugs and counterfeit clothing.
Local Democracy Reporting Service
Overnight urgent care at Hexham General hospital is not likely to return for the next three to six months, health bosses have warned.
Severe staffing pressures in November , externalled to the suspension of the service between 22:00 and 08:00.
Quote Message"I can't see Hexham's overnight urgent-care service opening for the next three to six months because of staffing issues."
Helen Ray, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Ten empty properties could be brought back into use so they can be used to house people facing homelessness.
Durham County Council's Cabinet will decide next week whether to buy and refurbish the properties at an estimated cost of £500,000.
If the proposal is approved, the renovated houses would be leased to organisations that specialise in helping people affected by homelessness to secure and maintain tenancies.
Quote MessageThis is a really worthwhile project as it has the potential to make a real difference to people’s lives. It not only helps those in housing need, including families in crisis, but it will reduce the number of empty homes in County Durham. These are both key priorities for us.”
Cllr Kevin Shaw, Durham County Council
Middlesbrough have brought forward the kick-off time for their match against Leeds United on 9 February at the request of the police.
The club said the Championship game at the Riverside stadium will now start at 13:00.
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Cameras could be introduced to monitor bus lanes in County Durham, Durham County Council has said.
People caught on CCTV contravening bus lane restrictions could face a £60 penalty which would be reduced to £30 if paid within 14 days.
A report will be presented to County Durham Councillors next Wednesday.
Image source, Durham County CouncilCabinet will hear of proposals to introduce a redeployable camera which would work through an Automatic Number Plate Recognition system.
The camera would initially be placed on North Road in Durham City.
In the first month, the council would issue warning notices for first offences rather than penalty charges.
Quote MessageReducing the number of unauthorised vehicles on North Road will both improve road safety and also help our public transport operators by reducing bus journey times and improving the reliability of the network, which will in turn increase use of sustainable transport and help the environment by reducing pollution.”
Cllr Carl Marshall, Durham County Council
Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed delays to the completion of their new football stadium mean they will play Newcastle United at Wembley next month and not the new White Hart Lane.
Checks on safety systems at the new 62,000-seat venue (pictured below) and upgrades to computer systems have pushed the project back.
Image source, Tottenham Hotspur FCBy the time the testing of the stadium is complete, there will not be enough time to host their upcoming games there against Watford, Newcastle United and Leicester City.
So Newcastle will meet them at Wembley on 2 February and the club says it does not expect to be playing in its new home until mid-March.
A grade two-listed building in County Durham is at the centre of a £17.7m proposal to build a Durham History Centre, external.
Durham County Councillors will be discussing the plans on 16 January to restore and refurbish Mount Oswald Manor.
Image source, Durham County CouncilLast year, the council submitted a bid for funding to cover part of the cost of the project to the Heritage Lottery fund but was unsuccessful.
The authority is now hoping to still go ahead with the project and will explore the feasibility of meeting the core capital costs itself.
Two men aged 24 and 28 have been arrested on suspicion of murder following the discovery of a man's body in Washington.
The 31-year-old's body was found at an address on Trafalgar Road at 14:20 yesterday.
A post-mortem examination is being carried out to determine the cause of death.
Quote MessageWe have already spoken to a number of individuals in connection with the investigation and two men have been arrested. They are assisting officers with their inquiries.
Detective Chief Inspector John Bent, Northumbria Police
Police are appealing for dash-cam footage after a man died in a collision on the A19.
Nigel Yue Bun Li was struck after getting out of his silver VW Golf in a lay-by at about 19:40 on 3 January on the southbound carriageway between Seaton Burn and Moor Farm roundabout.
Northumbria Police said the 32-year-old from Ponteland was on the main carriageway when he was hit by a black VW.
Image source, Family photoA police spokesman said: "It is understood a short time before the collision, the deceased had been involved in a disagreement with the driver of a white Ford Transit van.
"Both vehicles had pulled into the lay-by when the disagreement took place."
The van driver was later arrested by officers on suspicion of manslaughter.
He has since been released under investigation
