Yup, 'tis true. No new topics from commoners allowed in cc.news. I found that out when I tried to make this post there last week.
Next time you have a site issue, post it in the Climber's Board. It will be more visible to everyone there and it will get moved into the cc.news forum that much sooner. There was a big kerfuffle in Spray earlier this week, which is probably why the mods saw your post so soon and got it moved.
Don't know anything about the TR linkage thingy. Regarding deleting photos, the process is a little convoluted, but try this:
1) Once logged in, go to Gallery
2) Click "My Photos" in upper left of screen
3) Find the photo you want to delete and click on it
4) Scroll down to "Edit Photo" link in the lower right
5) Check the box opposite "Delete" near the bottom of the page (CAREFUL - once it's gone, it's gone)
6) Click "Submit Changes"
Carry on!