Jericho Keys

A North Yorkshire village shop is one of the finalists in what's known as the "rural Oscars".

The proper name for the awards is the 2016 Countryside Alliance Awards, but "rural Oscars" lends the whole thing a little more panache and pizzazz!

Staff at the Spellows Village Shop and Post Office, in Marton cum Grafton, are waiting to hear whether they've won Best Village Shop and Post Office award.

I've been to meet Helen Tesseyman to find out how excited she is about the prospect of winning this award:

Andrew Barton
BBC Local Live, York

It was Nativity night in Kettlewell in the Yorkshire Dales last night, but a nativity with a difference.

Children from the local primary school re-enacted the Nativity, starting at the Kings Head pub

By the end of the night, Mary and Joseph had been turned away by the landlords of all of Kettlewell's three pubs. 

The village post office played the role of Herod's Palace and the Bluebell and Race Horses had "no room at the inn". 

Mary and Joseph eventually found shelter at Zarina's Tearoom - the stable, for the purposes of this exercise - where the Nativity service was conducted.

The earliest humans from Europe did not use fires for cooking - instead they had a diet of meat and plants, but they were eaten raw, scientists at the University of York have found.

Image source, Getty

Studying dental plaque from a 1.2 million-year-old early human species, archaeologists extracted microfossils, to find the earliest direct evidence of food eaten by early humans.

These microfossils included traces of animal tissue, insect fragments and a possible fragment of a toothpick, say the York University researchers.

But all the detected fibres were uncharred, and there was also no evidence showing inhalation of what's known as microcharcoal, which researchers say is normally a clear indicator of fire.

Sarah Urwin
Political Reporter, BBC Radio York

Should hotels in North Yorkshire start charging tourists a tax when they come to stay?

It happens in places like Rome, Prague, Paris and Barcelona.

It's one idea being considered by councillors in Harrogate in a bid to raise extra money.

At the moment we don't know what the cost would be if it was introduced.

One thought is that the extra cash could be used to pay for schemes like the town's night marshals to keep the streets safer on a night.

Owain Wyn Evans
Weather presenter, BBC Look North

I've put together a bit of a festive forecast just for fun.

It includes a quick peak at my Christmas socks.

How could you resist?(!)

A bag containing what police describe as "a large amount of cash" was stolen in Harrogate on Wednesday afternoon.

The purple Karrimor rucksack was stolen from premises in Cheltenham Crescent between 12:30 and 12:45 yesterday.

As well as cash, the bag also contained invoices, keys and a wallet.

Anyone who was in the area at the time, or has any information about the theft, is being asked to contact police.

Nathan Turvey
BBC Radio York News

Is Christmas for you all about a beardy bloke covered in chimney dust, dishing out gifts? Or is it a religious festival? Perhaps it's both...

This week on BBC Radio York we've been looking at what Christmas means to some of the many communities around the county.

So far we've heard from the Polish and Chinese communities, today we hear about a Ugandan Christmas in North Yorkshire:

Owain Wyn Evans
Weather presenter, BBC Look North

It's a fairly cloudy start to the day with a few patches of mist and fog.

It'll be mostly dry, although remaining quite cloudy with some some rain later.

Watch my full forecast here: 

Andrew Barton
BBC Local Live, York

Drivers are being warned that the A170 at Sutton Bank, near Thirsk, will be closed for part of today.

It's due to shut at 09:30 so engineers can carry out temporary repairs to a damaged barrier.

Image source, Google

Sutton Bank is a high point on the Hambleton Hills.

The closure, between High Town Bank Road and Cross Hill (pictured below), will affect traffic between Thirsk and Helmsley.

Image source, Google

Drivers should follow the diversion signed "caravan route", says North Yorkshire County Council.

The road is due to re-open by 15:30 this afternoon.   

BBC Sport

Yorkshire's Gary Ballance says he'll "lead by example" as he takes on the club's captaincy following Andrew Gale's recent appointment as coach.

Image source, AP

Zimbabwe-born Ballance joined Yorkshire from Derbyshire in 2007 and the batsman helped them win back-to-back County Championship titles in 2014 and 2015.

Ballance says: "I'm experienced now, I have played a bit of cricket over the years, so I have seen how different captains work. I think that I am a calm person and like to think that I have a decent cricket brain.

"I'm not a massive speaker, but I will be looking to lead by example on the field and get the lads to follow me."

Nathan Turvey
BBC Radio York Breakfast Show

Should our hotels start charging tourists a tax when they come to stay here in North Yorkshire?

It's an idea that's being looked at by councillors and officials in Harrogate in a bid to raise extra money.

At the moment we don't know what the cost would be if it was introduced.

One thought is that the extra cash could be used to pay for schemes like the town's night marshals to keep the streets safer on a night.

Here's what some people living in Harrogate think:

Elly Fiorentini
BBC Radio York News

The top stories from the York newsroom this morning include:     

• Hotel visitors to Harrogate could face an extra tax in future - one idea officials are looking at to help fund the town's tourist board
• Planners are recommending approval for an extra care housing complex to be built in Helmsley, despite concerns by some about the extra traffic it would generate
• Yorkshire County cricket has a new captain, with Gary Ballance named as the man to take over from Andrew Gale 

BBC Weather

It'll be rather cloudy and misty in North Yorkshire today, with some fog on the hills. 

Most places will remain dry, but some patchy light rain or drizzle is possible at times.

BBC Sport

Yorkshire have appointed Gary Ballance as their new captain after Andrew Gale retired to become head coach.

Image source, AP

The 27-year-old England batsman will skipper the side in all three formats of the game.

Ballance said: "It is an absolute honour to be named the club captain and to follow in the footsteps of some great captains over the years.

"It was impossible to turn down. Being captain is something that I enjoy doing and hopefully I will do a good job."

The Zimbabwe-born batsman joined Yorkshire from Derbyshire in 2007 and helped them win back-to-back County Championship titles in 2014 and 2015.

BBC Travel

Most of the roads across the county are running freely at the moment, but there's been an accident on the A1079 eastbound in Dunnington, near York, between the Common Road junction and the Long Lane junction.  

Image source, Google

And the A170 at Sutton Bank, near Thirsk, will be closed for part of today. It's due to shut at 09:30 to allow engineers to carry out temporary repairs to a damaged barrier.

Image source, Google

At the moment all trains in and out of York are running to time.

Here's the live departure board at York Railway Station, external for you to keep a check on things.

Andrew Barton
BBC Local Live, York

I'll be with you until 14:30 with the latest news, sport, weather and travel from across North Yorkshire.     

I want to start with this beautifully "sunlit silhouette of a seagull shot on a Sony" in Whitby.

BBC Weather Watcher David Mark is responsible for the picture, and also for its wonderfully alliterative description.

Andrew Barton
BBC Local Live, York

That's it from me today, but you can keep across updates from North Yorkshire through the rest of the afternoon and evening right here.

Meanwhile, here are five things we've learned today:

• North Yorkshire Police are asking members of the public to name and shame dangerous drivers by filling in details of incidents they see using an online form
• Tadcaster's Community Flood Group is meeting Environment Agency representatives today to discuss flood prevention measures in the town
• Police in York have issued CCTV footage of a man they would like to speak to following a violent disturbance in the city, external
• The Fire Brigade's Union is considering its next step after North Yorkshire firefighters voted overwhelmingly for industrial action

• And reports of a 7ft-tall chocolate snowman appearing in Scarborough have been confirmed by a reporter with a sweet tooth

I'll leave you with one of the very few pics in the BBC Weather Watcher's inbox at the moment featuring a blue sky.

It seems when Garry Hornet took this snap of Whitby Abbey, he found one of North Yorkshire's few places with some sunlight today.

Work to replace two Grade II-listed shelters on Whitby's West Cliff which were destroyed in storms last November is due to begin next month, external.

Image source, Google

The ornate Edwardian shelters, which were badly damaged in strong winds on 21 November 2015, will be replicated "as closely as possible", according to Scarborough Borough Council.

The new shelters will incorporate some of the original salvaged features, such as the decorative brackets, cast iron rosettes and timber seating, the council adds.

Abbie Dewhurst
Weather Presenter, BBC Look North

A generally dry afternoon across the region with some bright or sunny spells, especially later in the day. 

Mild for the time of year with a top temperature of about 11C (52F).

The race for the coveted 2016 Christmas number one features three charity singles from Yorkshire.