Archive
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On the ice
IT has been a rather quiet week for the Jesters. We played only one game, against the Fife Flyers from the BNL and we beat them 8-1. I was surprised by the difference in the level between the two leagues. I thought they would prove better opposition.
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Bank to the future
DESPITE high-profile security lapses and fears about privacy, more and more people are signing up for online banking. All the big name banks are investing heavily in the new technology and a recent survey of financial groups worldwide forecast that 25
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Heard about the hut that Percy built?
FOR over 50 years, Percy Allen wouldn't leave his little wooden hut for anything. He'd painstakingly built it even before he helped build the house, made the kitchen units in there, spent many hours just potting the world to rights. Last year, however
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North-East firms urged to get involved in the classroom
A PROMINENT businesswoman has "thrown down the gauntlet" to North-East firms to get involved in a new initiative that brings design and technology alive in the classroom. Kate McNaught, chief executive of the Northern Business Forum, is supporting Young
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The joke is on ex-comedy club boss after false booking claim
COMEDIAN Mark Rough may have thought he would have the last laugh when he duped customers out of thousands of pounds. But the former comedy club boss found it was no joking matter when he was sentenced to three years' probation yesterday, after he falsely
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Helicopter landing causes quite a stir in village
THE last thing the residents of a small North-East community expected to land in their back yard was an RAF Chinook helicopter. But when the helicopter had to make an emergency landing in the quiet village of Eppleby, near Darlington, the pilot and crew
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Authority spreads word on Net
AN official website for Hambleton district is up and running, with council chiefs confident it will prove a valuable resource. The site was launched yesterday and includes planning information and news on all the latest events in the district. Council
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Oasis experiences sales drought
THE petrol crisis led to a "freak" week at women's clothing group Oasis, when sales plummeted, the group said. The retailer said since July - the end of the first half of its financial year - like-for-like sales, which strip out the effect of new store
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Honour for mother's little lifesaver
A QUICK-thinking seven-year-old has been honoured for her life-saving actions after her mother collapsed unconscious. Although she had never previously seen her mother Sue have an epileptic fit, Eilish Way remembered being told about them. So, when 43
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Fears for missing prostitute
FEARS are growing for a missing Teesside prostitute. Cleveland Police said last night they are concerned for the safety of vice girl Vicky Glass, but are not linking her disappearance with the recent murder of prostitute Kellie Mallinson. Vicky, 21, from
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1,500 call centre jobs bonanza
Mobile phone giant Orange announced last night the creation of 1,500 jobs at a new North-East call centre - as predicted in The Northern Echo last month. The centre, to be based next door to an existing communications operation in North Tyneside, is scheduled
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School bids to establish IT suite
A SMALL primary school is launching a big fundraising campaign to create an information technology centre. Staff at Mill Hill Primary School, in Northallerton, have set out to raise £15,000 towards the cost of building the suite, which would include 15
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Teenage girl relives attack nightmare
A teenage girl has told of her terror at being mugged in broad daylight. Factory worker Rachel Watson was robbed by two masked men for just 22p. After the attack the girl was so traumatised she was physically sick, although she was not physically hurt
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Study reveals success of anti-crime cameras
CLOSED-CIRCUIT television cameras in Richmond are being hailed a huge success after the latest figures show there has been a reduction in crime in the town. Statistics for the year 1999 to 2000, which was the first full year of operation for the 11 CCTV
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Residents have say in new system
COUNCIL chiefs are confident that new political structures are proving a success in bringing local government to the people. A recent meeting of the Hambleton area committee of North Yorkshire County Council was the first to take place after the authority's
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Sponsor sought in dog-dirt problem
A Council is looking for a firm to sponsor its a poop-a-scoop bags and dog waste bins to help clean up its town. Hartlepool Borough Council fears the dog dirt problem will jeopardise its Pride in Hartlepool campaign, a Millennium initiative to clean up
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Living on the brink of destruction
ACCOMPANIED by a picture of two young apes cuddling each other, a Sunday supplement travel ad last weekend invited readers to visit "Borneo: Land of the Orang Utan". It might well have added, tackily but with essential truth: Roll Up, Roll Up, Last Great
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No headpine
VILLAGERS at Barton, near Richmond, turned out in force at the weekend to record the year 2000 with one of The Northern Echo's millennium village photographs. Young and old members of the community came together to mark the special moment in time, in
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Bird breeder begins bid to win back his freedom
ONE of the world's leading bird experts who was jailed for smuggling endangered parrots into the country is to appeal against his conviction. Harry Sissen, 61, will go before the High Court in London on November 17 to fight against a two-and-a-half-year
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Pub pair could face jail for fraud
A COUPLE have a month to wait to see if they face prison sentences over the fraudulent running of a pub and hotel business in County Durham. Jean Mattimoe, 58, yesterday pleaded guilty to four charges of failing to keep proper accounting records during
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Woman -who took drugs to lose weight' faces jail term
A GRANDMOTHER who claimed she had turned to drugs to tackle a weight problem was warned yesterday she could face jail. Linda Speight told a jury at Teesside Crown Court she had weighed 13 stones six years ago, when someone told her she would lose weight
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Teenager accused ofMallon burglary
A YOUTH has appeared in court charged with a £34,000 burglary at a suspended CID chief's home. David Ions, 18, of Appleton Road, Stockton, is charged with breaking into Detective Superintendent Ray Mallon's home in Stockton and stealing £34,284 worth
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Training goes on for his heart's sake
IF Olympic rower Steve Redgrave stops training, his heart will turn to flab. He knows that and will be constantly reminded of the fact by his wife Ann, who is a doctor. Stopping now after years of training would be a shock to his system. It could damage
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Lonnie's back
KING of skiffle Lonnie Donegan is still on course for a sell- out North-East show after his gig was postponed following an accident. The star was originally scheduled to perform at the Arc, Stockton, last month, but he broke a bone in his foot in an accident
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You could be a winner in steam contest
WINNERS of competitions organised as part of the 175th Stockton and Darlington Railway celebrations have been announced. Thousands of people bought raffle tickets during the hugely-successful A Head of Steam weekend, in Darlington and surrounding areas
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Acuna bid not taken as Red
NEWCASTLE could be drawn into a bidding war with Manchester United over £700,000 Chilean midfielder Clarence Acuna. Israeli agent Ronen Katzav plans to meet United boss Alex Ferguson in London today to see whether he'll join the chase for Acuna, who recently
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Voller focuses on showdown
RUDI Voller wants the scandal that has tarnished Germany's build-up to their Wembley clash with England swept under the carpet until after Saturday's World Cup qualifier. Former striker Voller, in temporary charge of the Germans, wants the internal in-fighting
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Bride smiles through disasters
A BRIDE'S wedding day disaster story had a real sting in the tail - when she was attacked by a poisonous jellyfish on honeymoon. Newlyweds Mark and Tracy-Ann Steel, from Tantobie, near Stanley, County Durham, thought they had weathered the worst of the
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Viaduct stunt causes lengthy rail delays
A MAN threatening to jump from Durham City's 100ft-high railway viaduct brought chaos to the East Coast Main Line yesterday. Trains in the area were stopped for more than an hour late in the afternoon, causing knock-on delays elsewhere on the electrified
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World first for Newcastle Airport
NEWCASTLE Airport is the first in the world to offer passengers an on-line timetable. The timetable uses daily information updates from global flight schedules provider OAG. At www.newcastleairport.com, travellers have free, instant access to tens of
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EMI and Time Warner go back to the drawing board on deal
MUSIC Music group EMI and Time Warner have gone back to the drawing board on their proposed £14bn tie-up after concerns were raised by the European Commission. The groups said they had told the EC they were withdrawing their current application for approval
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Tragic Andrew's family offer new hope to others
THE family of a young cancer victim are keeping his memory alive by offering support to other sufferers. After conventional treatments failed to save 23-year-old Andrew Moody, his parents, Dave and Christine, found a faint ray of hope in little-known
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Allergy child offered help after German TV appearance
THE parents of a four-year-old chronic allergy victim are hoping she will be saved from a life of constant pain by a German specialist. Brianie Copeland's plight has hit the headlines as her family try to raise the cash to send her to a British allergy
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Letters
WASTING MONEY REDCAR and Cleveland Council is one away from being top of the highest council tax league but it surely must be top at wasting tax payers' money. The Loftus Bank opening fiasco, believe me, is the tip of a very big iceberg. The Labour executive
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Fourth council cabinet U-turn
ANOTHER North-East council is set to announce a U-turn over secrecy as the campaign for more open local government gathers momentum. Sedgefield Borough Council is preparing to follow the examples set by neighbouring authorities in opening the doors of
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A brutal regime goes up in flames
UNFLINCHING defiance and an unerring instinct for staying put have characterised President Slobodan Milosevic's turbulent and often bloody 13 years in power. So it should come as no surprise that his refusal to accept electoral defeat and ignore the biggest
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Woman found
A WOMAN found drowned in her bath was raped and murdered by a man she had known years earlier, a court was told. Jean Whitfield was discovered by the man she lived with after he returned from a nightshift at the petrol station where he worked. Yesterday
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Accused -did not mean to bite man's nose'
A MAN accused of biting off the tip of another man's nose told a court yesterday he was only trying to get free of the man. David Baxter told a jury at Teesside Crown Court he bit Michael Richardson's nose and pushed him off. But he said he had not meant
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Developer abandons appeal over proposal for riverside pub
A CONTROVERSIAL pub proposed for a city centre riverside site has been dropped at the 11th hour by the developer. Amec, which is behind Durham's Walkergate regeneration scheme, has abandoned plans for a 600-capacity pub and cafe in Back Silver Street,
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Approval for open-cast mine
BRITAIN'S biggest coal producer is considering its position after councillors granted permission for an opencast mine on the outskirts of Darlington. RJB Mining is seeking to develop a 104-hectare site at Southfield, Brusselton, between Darlington and
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Strengthening bid fails on eve of showdown
CHRIS Turner looks to have drawn a blank in his search for new blood in time for tomorrow's derby with Darlington. Pool entertain the Quakers in an all-ticket affair at Victoria Park and the Pool chief admitted: "It looks like it is a case of same again
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Bus stop crash girl fights for life
A SCHOOLGIRL was fighting for her life last night after a car ploughed into children waiting at a bus stop. Laura Salmon, 11, was reported to be poorly but stable in the intensive care ward at Middlesbrough General Hospital, where she was admitted with
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I want to win things with England - Becks
David Beckham has spelt out his determination to start experiencing the same kind of success with England that has become second nature to him with Manchester United. Beckham goes into tomorrow's opening World Cup qualifier with Germany at Wembley admitting
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Bennett makes a move for former Quaker Coppinger
Darlington manager Gary Bennett is trying to bring striker James Coppinger back to Feethams on loan. Coppinger moved to Newcastle United with Paul Robinson in a big money deal near the end of the 1997-98 season, without having played a first team game
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Police eye-in-sky plane gets silencer
A FLYING noise pest could be given the silent treatment if a £40,000 bid is successful. Since the Islander aeroplane was introduced as part of the region's criminal detection weaponry in 1996, its police forces have been inundated with complaints from
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The Echo says...
A MONTH ago the best the Conservatives could have expected from the next General Election was a damage limitation exercise; to claw back some of the support lost in the 1997 landslide in the hope of mounting a realistic challenge to Labour in four or
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Milosevic in hiding from people power
TYRANT Slobodan Milosevic's 13-year iron fist rule of Yugoslavia was over last night after an uprising by more than half a million people. The crowd took control of the centre of Belgrade, seized parliament and burned down the state TV station. Riot police
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You write...
FOOD STANDARDS THE evidence now seems compelling that the current outbreak of swine fever was caused by a single incident of a rambler feeding a pig with some leftover food containing an imported, infected pork product. In fact, I hear that the individual
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Where does all the lottery money go?
GOLD medals glistening around their necks, Britain's athletes are celebrating their most successful Olympics for 88 years. The ignominy of Atlanta and a solitary gold four years ago was forgotten as Team GB returned triumphant with 11 golds, ten silvers
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Councillors demand waste site visit
PLANS to turn an old mineral mine into a waste management site have been questioned by Richmond district councillors. In June, the district planning committee lodged objections about an application by North Yorkshire County Council to use land at Tancred
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Man cleared of groping allegation
A MAN accused of groping a girl during his 21st birthday celebrations while dressed as the film character Austin Powers was found guilty of assault causing actual bodily harm yesterday. But a jury at Newcastle Crown Court cleared Keith Sheardown of indecently
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Jackie's shirt goes for £5,280
A MYSTERY buyer has snapped up the shirt worn by Newcastle United legend Jackie Milburn in the 1955 FA Cup Final for £5,280. Bids were invited for the shirt through auctioneer Sotheby's Internet site and 28 offers were made. It had been put up for sale
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carnival organisers hope to net sponsors
ORGANISERS of Darlington Community Carnival are hoping next year's event will be an even bigger success after going online as part of The Northern Echo's CommuniGate scheme. The carnival committee has joined more than 90 other non-profit-making groups
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Catterick caravans sets sail with the buccaneer
NORTH Yorkshire caravan company, Catterick Caravans, will unveil its new caravan brand to the public for the first time this weekend. Catterick Caravans will hold the open weekend to showcase its Buccaneer range. The brand was featured in the BBC programme
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Restraining seat saves youngster
A FOUR-YEAR-OLD girl escaped from a two-car smash virtually unhurt last night because she was strapped in her safety seat. The child was freed from the wreckage by fire fighters following the accident on the B1404 Seaham to Houghton-le-Spring road, near
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Striker is the one to hit the Towcester target
PUNTERS hoping to hit the target at Towcester today could do worse than side with the in-form Red Striker (3.20). Norman Mason's runners have been excelling themselves lately and it doesn't look like Red Striker intends to be left on the subs bench judging
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Fantasy world of bigamist 'forced' to flee his first wife
A FATHER-OF-SIX who claimed the IRA forced him to leave his wife in Northern Ireland was yesterday convicted of bigamy after twice re-marrying in England. Former Irish Guard Robert Hutchings was accused of marrying twice in Newcastle, despite having never
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Murder accused -on way to a brawl'
TWO youths accused of murdering a man on New Year's Eve had been on their way to a pre-arranged fight, a court heard, Malcolm Wilson, 46, may have been beaten to death out of frustration when the brawl did not go ahead, Newcastle Crown Court was told,
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A scandal too far
A CONSULTANT gynaecologist has been sacked by hospital bosses for having an affair with a woman patient. Neil Hebblethwaite, described as a "committed and respected" consultant, was fired after an internal inquiry upheld the woman's complaint. Yesterday's
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Event sets £100,000 target
AN annual shopping event, which raises money for charity, hopes to top the £100,000 mark later this month. The Durham Shopping Extravaganza has raised £86,000 in the past 11 years for good causes in County Durham. The event is on Wednesday and Thursday
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Countries unite in grief for slain Sara
A QUIET memorial service will be held this Friday for the murdered North-East student, whose death triggered one of the region's biggest ever police inquiries. Students and university staff will join mourners from Finland, where 23-year-old Sara Cameron
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£1.5m payout after hospital blunder
A MAN has been awarded £1.5m after he was left brain damaged following a hospital blunder. Jason Willis, 29, sued Sunderland Health Authority for medical negligence after he was wrongly sent home from hospital when he was suffering from a colon condition
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RSPCA move for £3m pets centre
AN animal welfare charity is planning to build a £3m kennels and visitor centre to cater for hundreds of the region's abandoned pets. The RSPCA hopes to build the facility on the site of a former community college in Chester-le-Street, County Durham,
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Hague's bid for North
See the conference webcast live here. WILLIAM Hague yesterday reached out to inner-city Britain in a bold bid to win over the voters of the North. The Tory leader signalled a bid to recapture the backing of so-called one-nation Conservatives by launching
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Keegan to name his dream partnership
Kevin Keegan is set to partner Michael Owen with Andy Cole in an England starting line-up for the first time in Saturday's opening World Cup qualifier with Germany at Wembley. The England coach fell just short of actually confirming the duo in his team
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Endowment mortgage holders are paying the price for poor advice
ENDOWMENT mortgages are mortgages where the borrower takes out an insurance policy to pay off the loan. Most of them were sold in the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s when interest rates and investment returns were high. This meant it was comparatively easy
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Marine seminar is set to boost regional offshore expertise
THE ongoing drive to develop and diversify regional expertise in the maritime industry is set to continue with a marine equipment seminar at the Marine Safety Training Centre of South Tyneside College in South Shields this month. In conjunction with regional
