Archive
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Building society strengthens its board
*The Universal Building Society has strengthened its board with the appointment of a partner from a local accountancy firm. MAXINE POTT from Newcastle-based RMT is a chartered accountant. She is also treasurer of the North-East and Cumbria German British
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Where have all the singers gone?
HAVE you got something to sing about? Probably not. We don't sing any more. At the Choir of the Year final, composer John Rutter complained that we are no longer a singing nation. Except at football matches, of course. I bet the only songs my sons know
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Curlers have an ice time with presents
A SPRINKLING of fairy dust Christmas madness descended on a corner of Teesside yesterday. While Lewis Carroll's Alice played croquet with flamingos and hedgehogs, office workers went curling with Christmas presents, instead of the more usual curling stones
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Advice on avoiding the rogue traders
TRADING standards officers are on the trail of rogue traders in Darlington. Officers say the traders are always looking for a way of making money from unsuspecting members of the public, and see the Christmas season as a golden opportunity to fleece people
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Action demand over gas deaths
MORE than a year after promising to take action, the Government has been accused of dragging its heels over ending the menace of the silent killer. Health and Safety Minister Lord Whitty promised last year to try to change the law, to cut the number of
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'Bearing brunt of cuts in defence'
A NEW report claims the North-South divide is alive and well within the corridors of power at the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The survey reveals that funding for research and development within the defence sector is biased towards the South, according
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Rail passenger's anger over two-day delay -shambles'
A RAILWAY passenger has told of a nightmare journey which cost him two days' pay and a £50 taxi fare. Kevin Busby, a baker from Darlington, found himself stranded in Bath for two days because of the rail disruption. When he was finally able to begin his
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New roads -are threat to green surrounds'
LOCAL authorities are forging ahead with multi-million pound road building schemes without fully assessing the dangers to the environment, according to a survey by a conservation watchdog. The Council for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) surveyed
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Police chief will not face charges
A FORMER Cleveland Police chief will not be facing criminal charges. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) says "there is insufficient evidence" to bring a prosecution against ex-assistant chief constable Richard Brunstrom. Mr Brunstrom, who is now the
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Opinion
'WE never closed" is the proud boast of Darlington Memorial Hospital. Even at the peak of last winter's horrendous beds crisis, the 450-bed hospital somehow managed to stay open to new emergency medical admissions. While some other hospitals were turning
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No payout for beach fall man
A GRANDFATHER whose working life was ended by a devastating fall while taking an evening walk along a North-East beach has lost an Appeal Court bid for compensation. Donald Kincaid had gone to the region to attend his uncle's funeral when he took a stroll
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Father and son escape loft trap
A FATHER, who with his son, cheated death when they became trapped in their blazing home, spoke for the first time about the ordeal last night. Rod Bell, from Darlington, County Durham, rescued his 11-year-old son, James, from a converted loft bedroom
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Executives resign from troubled steel firm
TROUBLED steel giant Corus is facing fresh turmoil after two of its joint chief executives resigned last night and left the company immediately. The revelations come as the group is expected to make the first compulsory redundancies among its Teesside
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Suicide bid man jailed
A FATHER-OF-TWO who tried to steal a car so he could kill himself with its exhaust fumes, left it ablaze in the narrow street when failed to get it started, a court heard today. Ian McCallum, who took the car's radio cassette player, some tapes and sunglasses
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Double blow dealt by weather
Darlington's game at York City was postponed with both sets of players standing on the waterlogged Bootham Crescent pitch. In scenes reminiscent of the waterlogged days at Darlington two seasons ago, the match officials inspected the pitch and then called
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Former pit village fighting to revive community spirit
FISHBURN is a village which is fighting back. Like many other former mining communities in County Durham, Fishburn has been through some hard times. The closure of the pit and coke works, with resultant high levels of unemployment and the gradual loss
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Campaigner challenges snares conviction
A WIILDLIFE campaigner admitted yesterday he had cut dozens of snares and handed them in at a police station to invite prosecution. John Gill told Newcastle Crown Court he believed the snares to be illegal, because they were self-locking, and he had wanted
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Families urged not to overload NHS resources
HEALTH bosses have urged the North-East public to be sensible about how they use the NHS this winter - as it emerged that operations have already been cancelled in the run-up to Christmas. Despite months of planning, and millions of extra pounds invested
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Fury as drinker who ended three lives gets eight years
Angry relatives have attacked an eight-year sentence handed to a drunk kerb-crawler who killed three friends. Allan Jackson, 39, pleaded guilty to three counts of causing death by dangerous driving after he mowed down the women on August 28, while three
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north-east -king' aims for crown
NORTH-EAST boxing coach Gary McCrory is hoping to see one of his charges win the British Super-Middleweight Championship, on Saturday. Derwentside's answer to Don King, Gary, brother to former IBF World Cruiserweight Champion Glenn McCrory, never quite
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Poison-pen letters man gets jail term
A MAN launched a poison-pen letter scam and framed his brother-in-law in a bid to be re-housed away from his family. Father-of-four John Tyler, 28, sent letters to himself saying "get out of town" and "watch your back", and signed them Lee Sheavills.
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Quinn in a dream world
VETERAN Republic of Ireland international Niall Quinn - labelled "irreplaceable" by Sunderland boss Peter Reid - admitted: "I'm playing in a dream world and it's absolutely fabulous." The 34-year-old Dubliner, Man of the Match in the 2-0 home win over
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Mo steps in over refuse deadlock
INDUSTRIAL action by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's refuse collectors could soon be coming to an end, thanks to the intervention of Redcar MP Mo Mowlam. The MP has come up with a proposal which is a last-ditch attempt to solve the situation before
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CHILDREN get road safety message
A WEAR Valley police force has wound up its biggest ever road safety campaign. Crook Police have targeted more than 2,000 youngsters in 14 primary schools in the past few months, to urge them to be safe and seen at night. It is hoped the message will
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Crackdown on town centre litter louts has early success
A COUNCIL crackdown on litter louts, aimed at cleaning up Darlington's town centre streets, has achieved its first success. Twelve children were caught dropping litter in the town centre by a new team of council wardens. Their parents have been issued
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Curlers have an ice time with presents
A SPRINKLING of fairy dust Christmas madness descended on a corner of Teesside yesterday. While Lewis Carroll's Alice played croquet with flamingos and hedgehogs, office workers went curling with Christmas presents, instead of the more usual curling stones
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Town's image set to blossom
AN east Cleveland town is taking a leaf out of its neighbour's book and is attempting to spruce itself up. Marske has watched the glory fall on Saltburn in the Britain in Bloom and Nations in Bloom contest and decided it wanted to make its pretty town
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Pair deny murder over cider bottles
TWO men have appeared in court charged with the mugging and murder of Tyneside father David Bruce. Mr Bruce, 32, died two weeks after he suffered serious injuries when he was robbed of two bottles of cider. The young father, from Gateshead, was attacked
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S&N sales buck the ale trend
BREWING and leisure group Scottish & Newcastle is set to continue its "significant progress" in transforming the business, after bucking the trend with an eight per cent jump in pre-tax profits. The group, which employs around 600 directly in the
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Pupils get it write after school is out
ARTWORK and creative writing by children from across east Cleveland is to be featured as part of an exhibition in Loftus. More than 50 children have been working with artists and writers at after-school clubs throughout the district as part of the East
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Road safety issues to be debated
A ROAD safety group will respond to complaints from the public at a meeting on accident prevention in Teesdale. Members of Teesdale's accident prevention panel will deal with complaints about several roads in the dale, at a meeting in Barnard Castle tomorrow
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Rae sets up Sunderland for leap into sixth place
SLICK Sunderland completed a hat-trick of Premiership victories last night to move into sixth place with a well-deserved win over Everton at the Stadium of Light. Only the woodwork and an inspired performance by visiting goalkeeper Paul Gerrard kept the
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Let there be lights... eventually
THOUGH it may prove akin to the youthful realisation that Santa has several billion little helpers, needs must that we recount another salutary story for Christmas. Every year, a youngster is invited officially to switch on the lights - of which the column
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For some drivers, there's a fast-track pay rise
BRITAIN'S fastest train operator - GNER - gave its drivers a 20 per cent pay rise last night. The deal, which boosts their salaries to £33,000, takes them to the top of the train drivers' wages league. The deal affects about 250 drivers at GNER, which
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Durham on the trail of Law
DURHAM'S search for an all-rounder has put them on the trail of Danny Law, who specialises in producing his best performances against them. As an England Under 19 player, 25-year-old Law was considered a huge talent as a 6ft 5in bowler of real pace and
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Students are rewarded for being positive
NINETEEN students from Darlington College of Technology received certificates at a Positive Young People Awards presentation. The awards are presented each year to young people who have made an outstanding contribution to their school or community. The
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Let there be lights . . . eventually
THOUGH it may prove akin to the youthful realisation that Santa has several billion little helpers, needs must that we recount another salutary story for Christmas. Every year, a youngster is invited officially to switch on the lights - of which the column
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Grandmother donates kidney to save pal's life
A grandmother has become a "a friend for life" to her best pal after giving her a kidney. Jeweller Barbara Hodgson had been told she had only months to live without a transplant, as peritonitis, a major inflammation, set in, gradually destroying her body
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Musical police aid disabled youngster
POLICE musicians hope to make life better for a disabled youngsters. Rachel, an eight-year-old from Shildon, has cerebral palsy and epilepsy. She is deaf and blind, and cannot walk or sit unaided. The youngster - whose adoptive parents do not wish to
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Elevated debate of no consequence
IN A debate in the House of Lords on leylandii hedges, a source of great distress to many, Earl Ferrers, a former Tory minister, said: "At the moment you have got hedgerow officers who tell you what hedges you may and may not remove. You have got tree
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Seconds out in fight for votes
HARTLEPOOL MP and Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Mandelson faces a fight at the next General Election - from a boxing promoter. Businessman and fight promoter Gus Robinson has thrown his hat into the ring on behalf of the town's Conservative Party.
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Quarry plan sparks fears over traffic
PLANS to extend a quarry near Ripon have been opposed by city councillors. They fear the extension of the Hanson Aggregates Ripon Quarry site, at North Stainley, would cause extra traffic to use the Clock Tower junction, in Ripon, and bring extra lorries
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N-E university to lead research on universe
DURHAM University scientists are getting £3m funding for their world-class physics research. The money is coming from the Joint Infrastructure Fund, supported by the Government, the Wellcome Foundation and the Higher Education Funding Council for England
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PC in line for national award
A POLICE officer is in line for an award for his efforts in setting up a community police house on a troubled estate near Bishop Auckand. PC Brian Coates spearheaded the project to adapt a house on the Leazes Lane estate, at St Helen Auckland, into a
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Pool boss is hoping for third time lucky
HARTLEPOOL United boss Chris Turner tonight tries to get the better of Scunthorpe at the third time of asking. Pool entertain Brian Laws' side at Victoria Park in the LDV Vans Trophy on the back of defeats at Glanford Park in both Division Three and FA
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Pay boost for GNER drivers
BRITAIN'S fastest train operator - GNER - has handed a 20 per cent pay rise to its drivers. The deal, which boosts their salaries to £33,000, takes them to the top of the train drivers wage league. The deal affects around 250 drivers at GNER, which runs
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Reminder for parents in choice of schools
PARENTS of youngsters in Hartlepool who will move up from primary to secondary school next autumn are being reminded that time has almost run out for them to make a very important decision. Friday is the last day for them to complete and return the preference
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Drugs tsar launches scheme to help village youngsters
THE Government's drugs tsar Keith Hellawell yesterday launched a pioneering scheme aiming to tackle drugs and alcohol abuse in rural areas. Mr Hellawell gave his backing to the Community Education Drugs Initiative, as he gave a speech to the annual conference
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Lead mine taken over for Santa's grotto
CHILDREN in Weardale will be able to meet Father Christmas on Sunday, when an old lead mine is transformed into a fairyland grotto. Father Christmas is moving his headquarters from Lapland for a day, to the North of England Lead Mining Museum, at Killhope
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National Lottery backs bid to renovate park
THE multi-million pound refurbishment of a Darlington park has moved a step closer. Darlington Borough Council is seeking National Lottery funding to restore South Park to its Victorian glory. The authority was celebrating yesterday after it was revealed
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Appeal marks hospice target of move into £2.5m premises
AN APPEAL is being made to a town today to construct a custom-built hospice. Hartlepool and District Hospice needs to move out of its converted Victorian family house to a new £2.5m purpose- built hospice. There is already about £1.2m in the kitty, and
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Executives resign from troubled steel firm
TROUBLED steel giant Corus is facing fresh turmoil after two of its joint chief executives resigned last night and left the company immediately. The revelations come as the group is expected to make the first compulsory redundancies among its Teesside
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Store openings see SCS surge
NEW store openings have helped SCS Upholstery record pre-tax profits of £5.4m, up 19 per cent. The Sunderland-based furniture retailer, which has outlets across the North-East, saw turnover rise by 48 per cent to £46.4m In the past year it invested in
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Protest over school traffic measures
A PROPOSED traffic calming scheme near a Darlington primary school has caused outrage among residents. They say the £40,000 scheme for St Bede's RC Primary School, on the Kingsway estate, will cause severe parking problems for both parents and residents
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Co-op hands out £2,500 in grants
COMMUNITY dividend grants, totalling £2,500, have been handed out by the North Eastern Co-op. Wear Valley Junior Football Club, Crook, gets £300, the 1st Barnard Castle Scouts receive £450, and Bishop Auckland hospital gets £1,000. In North Yorkshire,
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Students join protest by university lecturers
STAFF and students at a North-East university joined forces to protest about bad pay and spiralling debts yesterday. Newcastle University lecturers and post-graduates combined to demand a better deal on higher education from the Government. Members of
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Youngsters on fun wavelength
RADIO station Galaxy Radio plans more fundraising under-18 party nights on Teesside next year - following a successful event in Middlesbrough. The station has joined forces with the North-East branch of the Prince's Trust, aiming to boost the trust's
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Initiative targets festive thieves
POLICE are pointing the finger at potential shoplifters to help Durham stores in the run-up to Christmas. Thefts traditionally rise as criminals take advantage of busy staff and crowded shops during the festive period. Police are helping shops fight back
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Spiderboy starting his longest sentence
A PROLIFIC young criminal is starting his longest sentence behind bars, with a warning that stiffer stretches will follow unless he mends his ways. Tommy Laws, who earned fame as the teenage criminal "Spiderboy", was sentenced to 18 months in a young
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Youngsters' holiday activities
YOUNGSTERS are being invited to keep themselves busy over the festive holidays by taking part in activities organised by Thirsk swimming pool. Father Christmas will visit Sowerby parochial hall on December 22, to see children making decorations and mini-Santas
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Advert campaign to recruit nurses
A RECRUITMENT drive for hospital nurses is being launched on Teesside this week. Coordinator Anne Sutcliffe has been appointed to oversee the drive, which wants to hear from anyone interested in working for the NHS. The move by South Tees Acute Hospitals
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Rail passenger tells of nightmare journey
A RAILWAY passenger has told of a nightmare journey which cost him two days pay and to add insult to injury, a £50 taxi fare. Kevin Busby, a baker from Darlington, found himself stranded in Bath for two days because of the current rail disruption. When
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Showbiz stars of future
A youth theatre production of Mother Goose in County Durham could help hatch a career or two in showbiz. Youth Connection will put on the show at Roseberry Comprehensive School, Pelton, from next Wednesday to Friday. Formed 16 years ago, the group has
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Support from Blair as mast is refused
VILLAGERS have won their fight against plans for a mobile phone mast near their village green, after Prime Minister Tony Blair gave them his backing. The Sedgefield MP wrote to planners after worried residents in Thornley, East Durham, called for his
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YOUNGSTER TOPPLES WORLD BOWLING CHAMPION
TEENAGER Andrew Barkess bowled over the world's number one, when he beat the champion in his first ever proper game of indoor bowls. World champion David Gourlay kindly decided to give the 15-year-old a few tips when he visited the Louisa Bowls centre
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Project highlights importance of wildlife
THE international importance of wildlife in Weardale is to be highlighted in a new project. Between now and next spring, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) will be running a Working with Waders scheme around the village of Rookhope,
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Curtain may come down on a Royal command performance
ALTHOUGH not the biggest of buildings, the Forum has dominated the skyline for more than 30 years and is one of the most recognised facilities in Billingham. Opened by the Queen on October 19, 1967, it was heralded as a showcase leisure complex that would
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Opinion
IT is difficult to escape the hard-hitting and graphic images of the latest campaign warning of the dangers of drink-driving. They serve as a timely reminder to those who may otherwise be tempted to get behind the wheel of a car when they are in no fit
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Bulldozer threat to Forum complex
BILLINGHAM Forum - one of the North-East's best-known leisure centres - has been earmarked for demolition to make way for a supermarket. The future of the sports complex and theatre - opened by the Queen in 1967 - will be discussed by Stockton Borough
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interprise brings east to west
A DELEGATION from Jiangsu province, near Shanghai in the People's Republic of China, has just paid a visit to County Durham to check on the progress of the Interprise 20001 event, organised by the County Durham Development company (CDDC). Mr Ye Jian,
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Still a poplar entertainer
GETTING on three decades ago, Vin Garbutt wrote a song called John North, about this grand young lad who drank the best ale in the land. Chance would be a fine thing... Last Saturday - surviving, thriving - he sang beneath a tree in Darlington, one of
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Consortium's £2m deal for theatre
ONE of the North-East's best known music and concert venues has changed hands after its sale was agreed to a business group. Owner Karl Watkin, who stepped in to save Newcastle's Tyne Theatre and Opera House four years ago, has finalised the sale to Infonow
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Irish take the honours as Falcons fail to take advantage
London Irish gained a psychological boost before Sunday's Tetley's Bitter quarter-finals by beating opponents Newcastle in the Zurich Premiership last night. Watched by England coach Clive Woodward, Irish maintained their unbeaten home record at Reading's
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Hope's op dream is granted
THE appeal for surgery to treat a North-East youngster now stands at £100,000. The family of Hope Elliott, five, of the Red House Estate, in Sunderland, launched the appeal at the end of October to raise £35,000 for the first pioneering operation she
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Fuel allowance stolen by thief
A thief stole a 92-year-old woman's pension book and winter fuel allowance in the middle of a packed post office. The thief struck when the pensioner went to Leam Lane Post Office in Felling, near Gateshead. The book and her money were stolen when she
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N-E university to lead research on universe
DURHAM University scientists are getting £3m funding for their world-class physics research. The money is coming from the Joint Infrastructure Fund, supported by the Government, the Wellcome Foundation and the Higher Education Funding Council for England
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Murder trial told of argument and gunshots
A CANNABIS smoker who used a wood around a field to smoke joints, told a murder trial jury that he saw two people arguing on the night a man was shot dead. Matthew Fryer climbed into the Kirkleatham Showground, in Redcar, on March 18 intending to go to
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Oh baby, just look at you now
A BABY'S fight for survival has amazed her family and doctors. Jade Howe is the baby that no one expected to live. The bubbly nine-month-old shows no sign of her traumatic entry into this life, when she was born eight weeks early after an emergency Caesarean
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Close, gentleman of the cue game, dies at 65
BILLIARDS is mourning one of its top players. Bob Close, 65, of Hartlepool, world-ranked in the top ten, died from cancer at the weekend. His funeral is tomorrow (10am) at St Thomas Mores, Hartlepool. Close had played since he was 12, and won the national
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Youngsters take part in safety campaign
A MEDIEVAL fortress in Teesdale was the setting for a police road safety campaign yesterday. Youngsters from schools in Teesdale were invited to Raby Castle to receive awards for creating posters as part of a road safety campaign by Durham Police. More
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Art display blossoms
AN exhibition of watercolours of plants opens at a North-East museum this weekend. Plants and Places, featuring 50 paintings, is the work of botanist and artist Anne Pickering, who has been painting since she completed her PhD in botany in 1992. On Saturday
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Backing for road humps in square
PLANS for six traffic humps on roads surrounding Ripon Market Place have been backed by the city council. The humps are part of a scheme to improve Ripon Market Place, which is being funded by a £1.2m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. When North Yorkshire
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Cowdrey - most eminent
Colin Cowdrey will be remembered as the fourth highest scoring batsman in English Test history. But the former England and Kent captain, who has passed away at his home at the age of 67, could have left an even greater mark on the game he loved. As the
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Lesbian rape case man is cleared
A WEARSIDE man has been cleared of raping a woman after she accused him of kissing her lesbian lover. Abdirashid Said, 33, was accused of attacking the woman when the lovers had an argument at his flat, in Toward Road, Sunderland, on May 8. Newcastle
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ICI in £325m Industrial chemicals sell-off
CHEMICALS group ICI has all but completed its massive three-year transformation by agreeing the sale of its industrial chemical operations for £325m. The sale of the businesses - Chlor-Chemicals, Klea and Crosfield - had been expected to be sealed at
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Scouts promise delivery of festive cards
COMMUNITIES in east Cleveland will get an extra helping hand with the delivery of Christmas cards this year thanks to local Scout troops. Collection boxes are available at various points in every community until December 16 and delivery costs just 10p
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A golden day for rescue hero Meg
A SEARCH and rescue dog has received a rare award for saving the life of a depressed man after he went missing from home. Meg, a five-year-old border collie and her handler, Des Toward, were the stars of a ceremony at Sandown Park racecourse, near London
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Churches take the vows out of new-style Christenings
BIG changes have been introduced into baptism services in the North-East in a bid to give parents more choice. Parents and godparents who do not wish to make religious promises will be given the chance to omit these vows. The Reverend Bill Broad, vicar
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Bennett opts for a strong LDV line-up
Darlington manager Gary Bennett intends fielding his strongest possible team for the LDV Vans Trophy game at York City tonight. Bennett wants another win to follow the victory against Mansfield, but he doesn't want to risk some players ahead of the FA
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Boro win one at last - new coach Venables
TERRY VENABLES finally linked up with Middlesbrough last night and admitted the fight to save the club from relegation is one of the biggest challenges he has faced in his colourful football career. The former England coach was unveiled at Boro's Rockliffe
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Home marks 25 years' work
A RESIDENTIAL home is celebrating a milestone after 25 years of caring for elderly people. Staff at Tanpit Lodge, Easingwold, are holding a party on Monday for residents and officers and members of North Yorkshire County Council. The date will also be
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Children in Need charity effort praised
ORGANISERS of a fundraising effort which brought in £3,000 for Children In Need have paid tribute to the tremendous efforts of those involved. The Royal Oak pub, in Darlington, was the scene of a charity extravaganza on the night of the BBC appeal. A
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Councillor goes blind for charity
SEDGEFIELD borough councillor David Newell raised more than £1,800 for charity by going blind for a week. Councillor Newell wore a blindfold for seven days, and was sponsored to raise money for St Dunstan's, a charity which provides care for armed forces
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Headset and shoulders in front
A COMPANY that is tapping into the ever growing call centre business in the region has scooped two major prizes in the annual North-East excellence awards. Washington-based GN Netcom overcame stiff competition to land the awards in the small to medium
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Jewellery shop elves sparkle in fancy dress competition
IT was chocs away for Durham shops staff who got into the festive spirit and donned fancy dress for the city's Christmas Festival. Staff at about 20 stores in the city centre came to work in costume at the weekend as thousands of shoppers flooded in for
