From a lost cache of photographs of a folklore festival to the A66 dualling plan being approved – here are some of the stories from Teesside you might have missed this week.

Stray puppy recruited by police force

A police force has gained a new four-legged recruit after it adopted a stray puppy.

Jager, an eight-week-old Belgian Malinois, was found running around the streets of Hartlepool last week before he was taken in by animal charity Stray Aid, Durham Police said.

After seeing the young pup’s potential, the organisation contacted the force’s Dog Support Unit to see if there was a job for him.

Hundreds of dead fish in lake after hot weather

Hundreds of fish have died in a park lake after a significant drop in oxygen levels due to increased water temperatures.

Residents spotted the fish floating on the surface of the lake at Locke Park, Redcar, Teesside.

The Environment Agency (EA) investigated and determined it had been caused by “natural factors”.

A66 dualling approved again after review delay

A plan to dual the A66 has been approved again, a year after the government put the scheme on hold.

The project to widen the road, which runs from Penrith to Scotch Corner, was approved by the previous Conservative government, but when Labour won the election last July it put the plan on hold to review a “black hole” in the public purse.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has now confirmed the work in a £92bn national package announced on Tuesday.

Water polo team ‘dreaming’ of winning top division

A men’s water polo team will be entering Division One and competing for a place in European competitions after four back to back promotions.

The Sedgefield Water Polo Club will represent their County Durham town and nearby Newton Aycliffe in the top flight of the British Water Polo League from September.

The men’s team was created in 2021 and started playing at the bottom of the pyramid in Division Five.

Photos showcase early days of folklore festival

A treasure trove of previously unseen photographs that showcase the early years of a folklore festival have been revealed.

The images capture the spectacle of the Billingham International Folklore Festival (BIFF) from 1968 to the early 1970s.

The shots were all taken by keen amateur photographer Walter Crinnion before his death in 1974.

Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.

Related stories

1 of 4

Southside High School graduate I’Kiriyah Minor will continue her athletic career at NC Wesleyan, where she will run track. She expects to continue to participate in the 100-yard dash, long jump, triple jump and at least one relay team. (Jason O. Boyd | Washington Daily News)

Southside High School graduate I’Kiriyah Minor will continue her athletic career at NC Wesleyan, where she will run track. She expects to continue to participate in the 100-yard dash, long jump, triple jump and at least one relay team. (Jason O. Boyd | Washington Daily News)

Southside High School graduate I’Kiriyah Minor was joined by her coaches and family members to announce her college intentions earlier this week. (Jason O. Boyd | Washington Daily News)

Southside High School graduate I’Kiriyah Minor was joined by her coaches and family members to announce her college intentions earlier this week. (Jason O. Boyd | Washington Daily News)

CHOCOWINITY, N.C. — If you ever watched  I’Kiriyah Minor play sports at Southside High School, you probably got the feeling she could excel at any game she played.

During the fall, she was one of the standouts on the volleyball team. In the winter, she led the girls’ basketball team in several categories. In the spring, she made it to the Class 1-A state track and field championships after success in several competitions.

It’s track that has Minor’s attention and is the sport she will continue to play in college. She announced her intention on Monday to run for the track and field team at NC Wesleyan.

“At first, I was like, I was struggling really bad because I didn’t know if I was going to go to college or not,” said Minor, who considered putting sports aside and going to Pitt Community College. “So at first, I was going to go to Pitt if I didn’t get any scholarships. So I applied.

“I ended up getting help with a coach. And he told me to apply to his school because he got it when he saw me at track season. So I applied and like a week later, I got an email. And that day I got the email, I was like so excited.”

She intends to pursue a criminal justice degree at NCWC.

“I was so excited. Like I couldn’t think about anything else but that. I’m glad they gave me the opportunity to be in track.”

While she hasn’t made an official visit, she said she’s familiar with the campus and the college life she’ll be getting into now that she’s graduated from Southside.

“I’m currently in a group chat with all the coaches and some people that’s going to be running track with me,” Minor said. “I ended up making friends with some people on the track team.”

She’s taken some time off but will get back into the swing of things now that her college future is decided. And she’s excited to get that part of her life off and rolling.

“For track, it’s like it’s easier to meet your accomplishments,” Minor said. “And for one, it’s like an individual sport. So you get to focus more on yourself rather than just a whole team.

“I can’t wait, though. I’m really eager. But I know there’s going to be some competition because our school is not so big. But once you get to a college level, you’re going to have competition.

But that makes me even more excited because instead of just going to a college and there are no people to compete against, I’m just glad there’s going to be more athletic and talented people that I can compete against.”

State

AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWashington D.C.West VirginiaWisconsinWyomingPuerto RicoUS Virgin IslandsArmed Forces AmericasArmed Forces PacificArmed Forces EuropeNorthern Mariana IslandsMarshall IslandsAmerican SamoaFederated States of MicronesiaGuamPalauAlberta, CanadaBritish Columbia, CanadaManitoba, CanadaNew Brunswick, CanadaNewfoundland, CanadaNova Scotia, CanadaNorthwest Territories, CanadaNunavut, CanadaOntario, CanadaPrince Edward Island, CanadaQuebec, CanadaSaskatchewan, CanadaYukon Territory, Canada

Zip Code

Country

United States of AmericaUS Virgin IslandsUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsCanadaMexico, United Mexican StatesBahamas, Commonwealth of theCuba, Republic ofDominican RepublicHaiti, Republic ofJamaicaAfghanistanAlbania, People’s Socialist Republic ofAlgeria, People’s Democratic Republic ofAmerican SamoaAndorra, Principality ofAngola, Republic ofAnguillaAntarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S)Antigua and BarbudaArgentina, Argentine RepublicArmeniaArubaAustralia, Commonwealth ofAustria, Republic ofAzerbaijan, Republic ofBahrain, Kingdom ofBangladesh, People’s Republic ofBarbadosBelarusBelgium, Kingdom ofBelizeBenin, People’s Republic ofBermudaBhutan, Kingdom ofBolivia, Republic ofBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswana, Republic ofBouvet Island (Bouvetoya)Brazil, Federative Republic ofBritish Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago)British Virgin IslandsBrunei DarussalamBulgaria, People’s Republic ofBurkina FasoBurundi, Republic ofCambodia, Kingdom ofCameroon, United Republic ofCape Verde, Republic ofCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChad, Republic ofChile, Republic ofChina, People’s Republic ofChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombia, Republic ofComoros, Union of theCongo, Democratic Republic ofCongo, People’s Republic ofCook IslandsCosta Rica, Republic ofCote D’Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of theCyprus, Republic ofCzech RepublicDenmark, Kingdom ofDjibouti, Republic ofDominica, Commonwealth ofEcuador, Republic ofEgypt, Arab Republic ofEl Salvador, Republic ofEquatorial Guinea, Republic ofEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFaeroe IslandsFalkland Islands (Malvinas)Fiji, Republic of the Fiji IslandsFinland, Republic ofFrance, French RepublicFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabon, Gabonese RepublicGambia, Republic of theGeorgiaGermanyGhana, Republic ofGibraltarGreece, Hellenic RepublicGreenlandGrenadaGuadaloupeGuamGuatemala, Republic ofGuinea, Revolutionary People’s Rep’c ofGuinea-Bissau, Republic ofGuyana, Republic ofHeard and McDonald IslandsHoly See (Vatican City State)Honduras, Republic ofHong Kong, Special Administrative Region of ChinaHrvatska (Croatia)Hungary, Hungarian People’s RepublicIceland, Republic ofIndia, Republic ofIndonesia, Republic ofIran, Islamic Republic ofIraq, Republic ofIrelandIsrael, State ofItaly, Italian RepublicJapanJordan, Hashemite Kingdom ofKazakhstan, Republic ofKenya, Republic ofKiribati, Republic ofKorea, Democratic People’s Republic ofKorea, Republic ofKuwait, State ofKyrgyz RepublicLao People’s Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanon, Lebanese RepublicLesotho, Kingdom ofLiberia, Republic ofLibyan Arab JamahiriyaLiechtenstein, Principality ofLithuaniaLuxembourg, Grand Duchy ofMacao, Special Administrative Region of ChinaMacedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic ofMadagascar, Republic ofMalawi, Republic ofMalaysiaMaldives, Republic ofMali, Republic ofMalta, Republic ofMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritania, Islamic Republic ofMauritiusMayotteMicronesia, Federated States ofMoldova, Republic ofMonaco, Principality ofMongolia, Mongolian People’s RepublicMontserratMorocco, Kingdom ofMozambique, People’s Republic ofMyanmarNamibiaNauru, Republic ofNepal, Kingdom ofNetherlands AntillesNetherlands, Kingdom of theNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaragua, Republic ofNiger, Republic of theNigeria, Federal Republic ofNiue, Republic ofNorfolk IslandNorthern Mariana IslandsNorway, Kingdom ofOman, Sultanate ofPakistan, Islamic Republic ofPalauPalestinian Territory, OccupiedPanama, Republic ofPapua New GuineaParaguay, Republic ofPeru, Republic ofPhilippines, Republic of thePitcairn IslandPoland, Polish People’s RepublicPortugal, Portuguese RepublicPuerto RicoQatar, State ofReunionRomania, Socialist Republic ofRussian FederationRwanda, Rwandese RepublicSamoa, Independent State ofSan Marino, Republic ofSao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic ofSaudi Arabia, Kingdom ofSenegal, Republic ofSerbia and MontenegroSeychelles, Republic ofSierra Leone, Republic ofSingapore, Republic ofSlovakia (Slovak Republic)SloveniaSolomon IslandsSomalia, Somali RepublicSouth Africa, Republic ofSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSpain, Spanish StateSri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic ofSt. HelenaSt. Kitts and NevisSt. LuciaSt. Pierre and MiquelonSt. Vincent and the GrenadinesSudan, Democratic Republic of theSuriname, Republic ofSvalbard & Jan Mayen IslandsSwaziland, Kingdom ofSweden, Kingdom ofSwitzerland, Swiss ConfederationSyrian Arab RepublicTaiwan, Province of ChinaTajikistanTanzania, United Republic ofThailand, Kingdom ofTimor-Leste, Democratic Republic ofTogo, Togolese RepublicTokelau (Tokelau Islands)Tonga, Kingdom ofTrinidad and Tobago, Republic ofTunisia, Republic ofTurkey, Republic ofTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUganda, Republic ofUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited Kingdom of Great Britain & N. IrelandUruguay, Eastern Republic ofUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuela, Bolivarian Republic ofViet Nam, Socialist Republic ofWallis and Futuna IslandsWestern SaharaYemenZambia, Republic ofZimbabwe

World Championships: Emily Ausmus Hat Trick Leads U.S. Women Past Netherlands

Emily Ausmus scored a hat trick Sunday as the United States took control of Group B with an 11-9 win over the Netherlands.

The U.S. led most of the way. Goals by Ausmus and Jovana Sekulic gave the U.S. a 9-5 lead late in the third quarter. When Simone van der Kraats got the Dutch within 10-8 with 6:43 left, Emma Lineback had a ready answer. Amanda Longan backed the effort with eight saves.

Lineback scored on both of her shots. Ryann Neushul added two goals.

Lieke Rogge led Netherlands with three goals. Van de Kraats scored twice, but the U.S. limited her to 2-for-8 shooting. The U.S. has six points to lead Group B, with bottom-of-the-group Argentina next in the opening round.

China got its first win with a 29-9 decision over Argentina. Sanfeng Nong led the way with four goals and five assists. Yixin Shao shot 4-for-4 and added three assists, and Shang Zhou also scored four times.

Elsewhere on the third day at the OCBC Aquatic Centre and second day of women’s play, Australia pulled out a 19-15 slugfest over Italy. Alice Williams orchestrated the onslaught with four goals and five assists. Abby Andrews added five and two, and Charlize Andrews and Tilly Kearns each tallied hat tricks.

Chiara Ranalli led Italy with six goals, as the Italians fall to third in Group A.

Hungary turned up its offense with a 33-13 win over Japan, converting its 42 shots at a 79 percent rate. Vanda Valyi couldn’t miss, shooting 6-for-6 with three assists. Kata Hajdu scored seven goals and two assists, Natasa Rybanska was a perfect 5-for-5 shooting and Rita Keszthelyi tossed in five goals and five assists.

Greece also hit 30 goals in a 31-7 thumping of Croatia. Stefania Santa lit it up with five goals and six assists, while Foteini Tricha had five and three. Vasiliki Plevritou shot 4-for-4.

Cassidy Bell made eight saves as Great Britain shut down South Africa, 12-3. Lily Turner scored four goals. Toula Falvey and Harriet Dickens contributed hat tricks.

Mariona Terre and Martina Terre combined for eight saves as Spain limited France to one goal after halftime in a 23-6 romp. Anni Espar (two goals) and Bea Ortiz (one goal) dished four assists each. Elena Ruiz scored four times.

Morgan McDowell scored eight goals on 11 shots as New Zealand navigated past Singapore, 22-7.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The 2025 MLB Draft kicked off Sunday evening in Atlanta with the first three rounds. Rounds 4-20 will take place Monday beginning at 10:30 a.m. CT.

JD Thompson, Milwaukee Brewers – Round 2, Pick 59
RJ Austin, Baltimore Orioles – Round 3, Pick 93
Cody Bowker, Philadelphia Phillies – Round 3, Pick 100

JD Thompson was the first Commodore selected in this year’s draft, going in the second round to the Milwaukee Brewers with the 59th pick.

Thompson totaled 164.0 innings over the past three seasons at Vandy, recording 219 strikeouts to just 61 walks. The southpaw earned six wins this spring and led all Commodores with 122 strikeouts. He was named Preseason All-America (D1Baseball) and Preseason All-SEC after a breakout sophomore campaign during which he was named to the ABCA/Rawlings All-Southeast Region Team.

RJ Austin was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles with the 93rd pick in the third round. Austin became the fifth Commodore to win a Gold Glove after putting up some of the nation’s best defensive stats in center field this season, totaling nearly 10 defensive runs saved. The Georgia native tallied six outfield assists and made nearly 140 putouts while committing just two errors. The junior also earned SEC All-Tournament Team and All-Defensive Team honors.

In three seasons, Austin hit .283 with 14 homers, 139 RBI, 40 doubles and six triples. He stole 54 bases and totaled 134 runs scored.

Cody Bowker was selected shortly after Austin as the Philadelphia Phillies drafted the righty with the 100th overall pick in the third round. Bowker registered 99 strikeouts over 72.0 innings for the Dores this season. He earned the win with 4.0 shutout innings vs. #21 Tennessee at the SEC Tournament. Bowker went 6.0 scoreless innings vs. Xavier on March 9, totaling 10 strikeouts with just one hit allowed. He didn’t allow a hit and struck out six over 5.0 scoreless innings vs. Saint Mary’s on Feb. 23 and threw 4.0 scoreless innings with six strikeouts in his Vandy debut vs. UC Irvine on Feb. 16.

Seven Commodores were selected in the 2024 MLB Draft led by pitchers Bryce Cunningham and Carter Holton who were both taken in the second round.

There have been multiple Commodores taken in every draft since 2004 with six or more players being selected in four consecutive drafts entering 2025. All-time, Vanderbilt has more than 200 players selected including an NCAA-leading 154 since 2004.