Archive
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Head's chariot stars in show
PUPILS at a Darlington school received a standing ovation after performing a version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. A surprise addition to the show at Polam Hall School was Joseph's golden chariot, which was provided
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No Christmas rest for choristers
A CATHEDRAL choir is preparing for its busiest time of year, including a traditional working Christmas. Thirteen boys, aged nine to 13, all members of the Durham Cathedral Choir, hope to hit the high notes, during coming days, at the peak of carol service
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Teacher seeks to allay kidnap fears
A HEADTEACHER is seeking to allay parents' fears following the attempted abduction of a four-year-old girl near his school. Eddie Robinson, head of St Teresa's School, Darlington, has sent a letter to parents, reassuring them that their children are safe
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Job Search 2000
MORE details about the jobs below are available from the Employment Service Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Care assistant, Darlington, £3.90ph, 10pm to 8am Wed and Thurs, aged 30-plus preferred, required for a residential home. Must be experienced or qualified
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College catering students serve up festive treat
YOUNG chefs showed the spirit of Christmas by cooking festive feasts for primary school children. Catering students from Blakeston Comprehensive, in Stockton, undertook the task of feeding 340 youngsters from the town's Harrow Gate Primary School. The
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Job Search 2000
MORE details about the jobs below are available from the Employment Service Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Delivery driver, Stockton area. £4.16 ph, 6 days pw. Must have full driving licence. Counterbalance forklift licence an advantage. Delivery of food
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Job Search 2000
MORE details about the jobs below are available from the Employment Service Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Care assistant, Chester-le-Street. £3.70ph at 22-plus, £3.20 ph while training, 36.75 hpw, shift patterns and weekends. Required for EMI home, working
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Enthusiastic Harry charts 150 years of Redcar cricket
Darren Nalton bagged 10-43 against Hartlepool, Clayton Lambert scored 1,938 runs in a season, Ijaz Ahmed hit an undefeated 204 against Northallerton and the team became so frustrated at Darlington's supposed spoiling tactics that they bowled four overs
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Getting a result from Lancet
THE Operation Lancet inquiry has become the policing equivalent of The Mousetrap - a seemingly never-ending Whodunnit but without any of the laughs. It has left many issues unanswered and one of the most central has been the question of how investigations
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Police plea after foiled bank raid
DETECTIVES believe masked raiders who attempted to rob a high street bank, intended to target the premises while staff were inside. A raid on the HSBC bank, in Market Place, Barnard Castle, on Thursday, was foiled when raiders wearing ski masks failed
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Bid for anti-social order on tearaway
POLICE have applied for an anti-social behaviour order to control a wayward 16-year-old. The boy, who cannot be named, is the first person in Prime Minister Tony Blair's County Durham constituency of Sedgefield to be the subject of such an application
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Rebel Domi is absent
Newcastle rebel Didier Domi has gone AWOL - and left Bobby Robson in a lather. The £4m defender went back to France last weekend and has so far failed to return. Boss Robson is furious over the Frenchman's defection and will thrash out the situation when
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Divorced for being proud of my home
WHAT started as a standing joke, of a kind that might be shared be any married couple, has turned into a nightmare for Pauline Turner. After 38 years of sharing her life with husband John, a retired chemical worker, he suddenly accused her of making his
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Branson stunned
Camelot was last night looking forward to running the National Lottery for another seven years following a sensational reversal in its fortunes. The Lottery operator had earlier been ruled out of the bidding by the Lottery Commission. But in a remarkable
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Nice cafe, shame about the trains
THE period of breast beating and atonement upon which the railway companies must surely soon embark appears to have begun rather early. A red carpet had abased itself almost exactly where we stopped from the train at Newcastle Central station; a flower
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Help plea after off-licence raid
A ROBBER held up an off-licence wearing a brown paper bag with eye holes cut in it. The man threatened staff with a knife at Victoria Wines, Farringdon Road, Cullercoats, North Tyneside, at 7.50pm on Sunday. He stole cash from the till and ran off along
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Police alert to women after rape
DETECTIVES hunting a rapist who subjected a teenage girl to a knife-point ordeal have issued more details about the attack. The 17-year-old was forced behind Braefell Court, in Albany, Washington, Wearside, where she was raped. Officers said the girl
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Landlords warned
DETECTIVES are warning the licensed trade that illegal drinking and drug-taking will not be tolerated, following a raid on a pub. Seventy officers wearing protective clothing raided the Royal Oak, at Yarm Road, Darlington, at 12.30am on Sunday. They found
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Detectives wait on skeleton
POLICE hope to discover this week whether the remains of a man found on a North-East farm are that of an underworld execution victim. A skeleton was discovered in a field near Bolam, seven miles from Darlington, last Wednesday. Police believe the remains
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Residents move into new homes
THE first residents have moved into a £2.7m housing development on South Tyneside. Nine bungalows for pensioners have been built in a courtyard at Haylands Square, on the Harton Moor Estate, South Shields. The development, by the Nomad Housing Group,
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Victim injured in bag snatch
A WOMAN was hit in the face by a robber who snatched her handbag. The victim clung to her bag when the man grabbed it as she walked along Salters Road, Gosforth, Newcastle, at 6.15pm, last Thursday. She was struck across the face and pushed to the ground
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Famous friends air support for care unit
A HOSPITAL radio marathon is continuing this morning with the aim of raising money and awareness of a special unit. Southside Radio, which broadcasts daily from South Cleveland Hospital, Middlesbrough, is holding a special 2,000 minutes in the year 2000
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Teenager locked up for crime wave
A TEENAGER was locked up yesterday for a crime wave in which he burgled a Catholic church and assaulted a police officer. Dean Liddell, 18, caused £550 worth of damage after he broke into St Joseph's Church, in Langley Park, Durham City. When questioned
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Marriage was a moving experience
A RETIRED chemical worker won a divorce yesterday - because his wife shifted the furniture in the family home every day of their 38-year marriage. John Turner, 62, said he hoped the constant moving would stop when they swapped their Teesside house for
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Bank's bonus for kids' club
AN after-school club has received a £2,500 boost. The Ferryhill Kids Club received the gift from the Lloyds TSB Foundation. The club, in St Cuthberts Terrace, has been providing care for primary school children in Ferryhill for two years. It opens before
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Vandals damage memorial to club stalwart
VANDALS have scarred a memorial to a local footballing hero. The family and friends of Steve Whittington, who was the inspiration behind the football team at Wolsingham Working Men's Club, have been "saddened and sickened" by damage caused to a bench
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Old boy Nogan returns to haunt Quakers
Former Darlington striker Lee Nogan returned to haunt his old club and helped to put them out of the FA Cup with a second half goal at Luton's Kenilworth Road last night. Nogan was released by Quakers in October and struck as his old side were showing
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Churches list festive services
DETAILS of Christmas services in Richmond have been delivered to every house in the town. Churches Together drew up the lists as leaflets and posters. "It is an encouraging sign of the growing cooperation between Richmond's churches," said Patrick McCrohan
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Arsonist mother used hair spray flame thrower
A WOMAN used her can of hair spray as a flame thrower when she went berserk in a housing office. Anette Carlyon, 33, set leaflets on fire on the notice board and then approached housing officer Linda Dobson and flashed the flames inches from her face.
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Treat for shoppers as spotlight falls on metrocentre panto stars
FESTIVE entertainment is being laid on for Christmas shoppers at the region's biggest shopping complex. The Gateshead MetroCentre is staging the free production, which features the Metro-Gnomes and space visitor Millie, each day in Exhibition Square,
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Psychiatry tests for blackmail woman
A WOMAN who claimed she had phone sex with a former soccer star and then tried to blackmail him is to undergo further psychiatric tests. Carolyn Pick, 36, was convicted of blackmailing the former international after sending him sordid sex tapes and threatening
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Work ban on man cleared by court
A CHILDREN'S home manager has been told he cannot return to work immediately, despite being cleared of carrying out sex attacks on three women. Christopher Winstanley Smith, a team manager at the Aycliffe Young People's Centre for child offenders, at
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Villagers tell of shock over green claim
VILLAGERS have spoken of the "shock and horror" they felt when a farmer laid claim to a piece of land they have used as a village green for generations. People living at The Hollow, near Howden-le-Wear, are locked in a legal battle to prove that the disputed
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Families invited to take lead in rubbish clean-up
A ONE-DAY rubbish clean-up is being held today by the west Middlesbrough New Deal for Communities partnership (NDC). Householders in the area are being encouraged to dispose of unwanted rubbish and household waste in skips provided by Middlesbrough Borough
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Cellists take bow after performance before school assembly
MUSICAL youngsters put on a performance for hundreds of children at a North-East school recently. About 20 children played cellos at an assembly at Abbey Junior School, Darlington. Teachers are keen to encourage the youngsters to use different instruments
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Unlocking the embryos' secrets
IT was his driving that gave him away. Joan Wilkinson remembers noticing the first signs of Parkinson's Disease in her husband Arthur when he was behind the wheel of his car. "As he was driving along he couldn't hold his foot down on the accelerator.
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Disabled drivers falling foul of reduction in parking times
DISABLED drivers visiting Durham City are being caught out by parking restrictions which limit them to just 30 minutes in certain bays. Disabled badge holders, who are used to parking for up to three hours, are getting £30 fixed penalty tickets for breaching
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Fire and ice make a night of magic
AS Big Ben strikes midnight on New Year's Eve, Middlesbrough's skyline will be illuminated by the biggest firework display ever seen in the town. Organised as part of the Ice Magic festival, including the region's first outdoor ice rink, the display will
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Probation chief voices concern over service shake-up
A RETIRING probation officer has voiced concerns over a shake-up of the system. When he steps down next year, Roger Statham, Teesside's chief probation officer, will be among almost half of the present post holders to retire. Ending his 33-year career
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Hospital patient was Ripper fan
A PATIENT fixated with the Yorkshire Ripper became abusive when a nurse tried to stop him watching a television programme about serial killers, a court heard. Andrew Hulse had been admitted to St Luke's Hospital, Middlesbrough, in October last year, Teesside
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DJ's family tour new fitness club site
A HEALTH club company owner has invited the first family members to view the construction site of a new club in Darlington. Former Radio 1 disc jockey Mark Page and his family, who live in Elton, near Darlington, were shown around the site in Haughton
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Deal agreed to secure future of £1m community centre
A CHARITABLE trust has stepped in to safeguard the future of a flagship community centre after its original managers pulled out. When Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council announced plans for the £1m Golden Boy Green complex, it was expected that it would
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Boxing champion's visit
A REDCAR Army boxing champion is back in his home town training with his team-mates. Private Paul Reed, 18, a former West Redcar School pupil, won the Army Boxing Championship as part of the Green Howards team, after they beat the 2nd Battalion Parachute
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Famous grouse over the scotch at Scotch Corner
ONE of the region's best-known hotels was in the dock yesterday after a spot check revealed the scotch at Scotch Corner had been watered down. And it wasn't just the Jack Daniels, Strathfillan and Famous Grouse which put Friendly Hotels - the chain which
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Driver caused lorry mayhem, court told
AN IRATE driver got behind the wheel of a lorry, which was blocking a road, and drove it away, crashing into a parked car, a court was told. Marc Hirst had driven into Seaside Lane, Easington Colliery, County Durham, to discover a lorry was obstructing
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All losers - except Camelot
THERE are some short memories among the Lottery Commissioners who yesterday agreed to renew Camelot's licence. Have they forgotten their declaration just four months ago that Camelot was unfit to be considered for the franchise? Have they forgotten that
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Verily, a tale of taxes and Tony
AND it came to pass in those days there went out a decree from Nice that all the world should be taxed. This was when Tony was Governor of the land, Gordon sat at the seat of tribute and Robin (him that is called "Fuzzy Face") journeyed in divers countries
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Childcare unit opens it doors
A CHILDCARE facility for families in Gateshead was opened yesterday by the city's mayor, Councillor Pitch Wilson. The family unit at Parkhead Community Primary School, in Winlaton, will offer childcare provision to children up to the age of 11, from 7.30am
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Medical chief offers apology over Neale affair
THE HEAD of the General Medical Council (GMC) has broadcast an apology to the victims of disgraced North Yorkshire surgeon Richard Neale. Patients who campaigned to have the former Friarage Hospital surgeon struck off, say the GMC failed to heed warnings
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Robbery ordeal for widow
THE wife of a life-long Sunderland supporter who died of a heart attack after seeing his side beat rivals Newcastle has suffered further misery at the hands of a robber. Chris Hutcheon, 70, had her handbag stolen in Northern Way, Southwick, Sunderland
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A victory for the common sense lobby
SUCCESS at last? It would be satisfying to think that some of the concerns of this column are picked up and acted upon in places of power. So, vanity being what it is, the temptation exists to present the Government's newly-announced plans for harsher
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Welcome return for flood-hit residents
STAFF and residents of a nursing home have breathed a sigh of relief now they are back in their home after a six-month evacuation. The elderly residents of Church View Residential Care Home, South Church, thought they would never get back to their home
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Job Search 2000
MORE details about the jobs below are available from the Employment Service Direct on (0845) 606 0234. HGV 2 tipper driver, Richmond. Wage negotiable, 45-55 hpw. Required to drive tipper wagon locally. Must have experience of tipper work and current HGV
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Treatment in america renews hope for jake and his family
A COUPLE have returned from the US with renewed hope that one day they will hear their four-year-old son call them mum and dad. Jake Burgess suffers from autism, spending his life in a world full of sound and colour but without the ability to express
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Banned: the toy gun that can shoot holes in a can
A TOY gun, modelled on an AK47 and capable of firing plastic bullets with enough force to pierce aluminium cans, has been banned from sale. Articles Ltd, of Whitby, imported the three-quarter-scale replicas, sold as the Navy Seal. Now the power of the
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Venables gears Boro up for a return to the Lane
TERRY Venables is planning for a capital return of six points from two games when he takes his rejuvenated Middlesbrough side to Tottenham on Saturday. The Riverside head coach will mastermind what will be Boro's second game against London opposition
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'Lynch mob' forced governors to axe head
AN experienced headteacher was unfairly ousted from a cathedral choir school after a wave of "lynch mob" parental pressure riddled with sexism, an employment tribunal heard yesterday. Governors of Ripon Cathedral Choir School, in North Yorkshire, dismissed
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£21,500 for 'good kicking' in cells
AN arrested man,who told a jury he was given "a good kicking" in a cell by a police constable and a civilian custody officer, was awarded £21,500 damages yesterday. After the attack, Darren Watson found himself charged with assault, charges that were
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Boom times at Brough Park
BOOM track Brough Park has clinched two prestigious new open competitions which will attract some of the country's best greyhounds to Tyneside. Bookmakers William Hill have agreed to sponsor the two new events, over 480m, following the success of the
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Technologies for the future
TECHNOLOGIES for the Future - Interprise 2001, is a major business to business event to be staged by the County Durham Development Company (CDDC) in March. The event echoes the Regional Economic Strategy's goal of "building a diversified, knowledge driven
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Superjumbo set to spark trade war
A TRADE war between the EU and America could erupt after the go-ahead was finally given for a 555-seat superjumbo plane that will create 22,000 new jobs in the UK. The announcement of production of the plane by French group Airbus Industrie, in which
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Appeal for raid witnesses
POLICE have renewed their appeal for help tracking burglars who forced their way into a village post office. The intruders got into a barn in Skeeby village and stole a ladder and tools, which they used to break into the shop. Detectives are hoping someone
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Police alert to women after rape
DETECTIVES hunting a rapist who subjected a teenage girl to a knife-point ordeal have issued more details about the attack. The 17-year-old was forced behind Braefell Court, in Albany, Washington, Wearside, where she was raped. Officers said the girl
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Young artist earns prize for safety poster
A TALENTED young artist will help thousands of children get the firework safety message next November. Earlier this year, Sunderland City Council ran a bonfire and firework safety poster competition for pupils in its primary schools. The competition attracted
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Classmates make their point
TWO girls in the same form at a North-East school have won selection to a national fencing team. The pupils from Teesside High School have won selection to the Under-16 National Youth Championships for Girls' Foil Fencing, to be held in February. Jennifer
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Trial witness admits perjury
A MOTHER who lied on oath to a murder trial jury escaped jail yesterday. Theresa Wilkinson was a witness at the trial of three men accused of murdering scrap collector Mohammed Sharif, in June. Yesterday, Wilkinson, 28, of Hampden Way, Thornaby, Stockton
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College unveils adult learning programme
DARLINGTON'S Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College has launched its programme of evening courses for adults, which start in the new year. Many of the college's well-established short programmes, including holiday French, German and Spanish, computer literacy
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Schoolboy hero wins reward
A SCHOOLBOY'S bravery in tackling a man who snatched a pensioner's handbag was rewarded with a £100 Christmas present by a judge yesterday. Matthew West, 12, heard 68-year-old Thora Cox's cries for help in Ragpath Lane, Stockton, and pursued the thief
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China grabs North-East protestor
A NORTH-EAST demonstrator was arrested yesterday after clashing with Chinese police during a protest in Macau. County Durham man Thomas Dobson, who is believed to be from Barnard Castle, was bundled into a police van along with other supporters of the
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From cardboard to cash
A COMPANY has turned rubbish into a gift for a hospice. Foreman Recycling, in Spennymoor, has spent the last few months collecting scrap cardboard from businesses in Bishop Auckland. The company paid Bishop Auckland Hospice for the weight of card collected
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Armed robbers in chip shop raid
ARMED robbers stole cash from a fish and chip shop at the weekend. One of the men was armed with a gun while his accomplice carried a baseball bat. The masked men burst into Kler's fish and chip shop in Ord Avenue, Wallsend, at 11.15pm on Saturday, while
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Sure Start with party celebration
A CHRISTMAS party is being held today to celebrate the arrival of a service to help young children and their families. Sure Start, a Government initiative being introduced in less well-off areas across the country, is being launched in the north of Washington
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N-E hostage drama focus of TV show
A TV documentary focusing on a shoot-out in a North-East town nearly nine years ago is to be shown on ITV in the New Year. The one-hour special, called Sieges, examines the circumstances behind domestic hostage-taking incidents around the country. It
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Counter-punch as bell rings on boxing debate
As featherweight boxer Paul Ingle continues to fight for his life, reporter Adrian Worsley visited the City of Durham Amateur Boxing Club to ask budding fighters if they were reassessing the risks FISTS clenched, cheeks blowing in timed breaths, the young
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Lungo goes all-out for a treble raid on Newcastle
LENNY Lungo's highly-profitable winning streak shows no signs of abating at Newcastle today where Skippers Cleuch (12.45), Lord Of The Sky (1.50), and Sioux Raider (2.20) are all confidently expected to maintain their respective unbeaten records for the
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Cammell Laird waits for order
SHIPYARD workers will discover later this week whether a cruise liner contract will be sailing to the UK, guaranteeing hundreds of jobs in the North-East. The £344m contract with luxury American shipping company Luxus, would see two vessels built by Cammell
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House prices set to keep stabilising
HOUSE prices will continue to stabilise over the next two years, economists from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) forecast. Prices in England and Wales should rise by an average of six per cent a year - still far lower than the 12 per
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Sex and violence video warning to parents
PARENTS are being warned that their children could get hold of videos containing sex and violence this Christmas. Trading standards officers have found that 45 per cent of traders were prepared to sell 18 certificate videos to children as young as 13.
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Quiz boosts charity
A TOWN quiz raised £700 for the North of England Children's Cancer Care charity. The Bishop Auckland Civic Society quiz was held at Bishop Auckland Town Hall last Wednesday, and 37 teams of six took part. This year's winners were Bishop Auckland Cricket
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Town centre challenge
A COUNCILLOR concerned about the poor state of a town centre has invited its owners to come to the town as his guests. Councillor Tony Moore has written to Benzion Freshwater, chairman of the Freshwater Group, asking him to pay a visit to view Newton
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Siege man in court
A MAN arrested after an armed stand-off at his home will be sentenced in the New Year, following preparation of psychiatric reports. Robert Stephen Thomson, 38, admitted a charge of affray following the siege in which armed police surrounded his terraced
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Clampdown clears streets
A CLAMPDOWN on vandals and young troublemakers in Richmond has had an impact on the streets. One teenage girls and three boys have been dealt with by police for offences including harassment and anti-social behaviour, linked to incidents around Bank Yard
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Plea for traffic controls rethink
A COUNCIL is being urged to modify traffic control proposals for a busy road. Problems with motorists speeding along Coniscliffe Road, Darlington, has prompted the borough council to consider reducing the width of the road to slow down traffic. Although
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Cinema to theme pub conversion opposed
PLANS to convert Durham's cinema into a theme pub are being opposed by conservationists. The City of Durham Trust is urging Durham City Council to refuse planning permission for the proposal for the Robins Cinema, North Road, by London-based Regent Inns
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Flares alert after theft from yacht
POLICE are warning the public to be on their guard after 20 flares were stolen from a yacht in Hartlepool Marina. The flares, which were kept in a sealed container, were stolen between December 10 and 12. A spokesman for Cleveland Police said some of
