A local news website launched by a former weekly newspaper editor has registered is 300,000th hit just three months after it was launched.

everythingeppingforest.co.uk is the project of David Jackman, former editor of the Epping Forest Guardian, Harlow and Bishop’s Stortford Citizens and the Epping Forest Independent.

The site features grassroots community news from his former Essex patch where he worked for 21 years before leaving last October.

The European Commission has launched a new prize for print and online health journalists.

A national finalist will be selected for the UK who will go up against 26 other journalists from across the EU for the overall prize.

Entries must have been published either in print or online between 2 July 2008 and the final deadline of 15 June.

If successful, the competition will be extended to cover audio-visual stories as well.

Visit the competition website for more information and to enter.

The BBC Trust confirmed last week that it was scrapping its plans to spend £68m launching a local video news service on its website.

The plan was first put forward last year by the BBC and caused months of controversy and debate, in particular among regional newspaper publishers which feared it could damage revenue.

The Trust’s final decision followed a public consultation on its provisional conclusions, published last November.

Tyre maker Bridgestone is offering students aged 18 to 30 the chance to attend a MotoGP or GP2 Series race weekend in its e-reporter competition.

While there the finalists will be able to interview top riders and drivers with their articles published on the Bridgestone website.

The deadline for entries is 31 March – visit the Bridgestone website for more information and to enter.

Brighton based daily The Argus has a new web editor. Jo Wadsworth has joined the Newsquest title from Northcliffe Media weekly the Croydon Advertiser where she was news editor for two years.

Prior to this she was a reporter for Southend daily the Echo and Wimbledon Guardian.

Former Irvine Herald reporter Frank Beattie has penned a new book charting the history of Kilmarnock since the end of World War II.

Called ‘Post-War Kilmarnock’, it features 200 photos with captions about the events of the Scottish town over 60 years. It’s on sale now in WHSmiths.