Archive
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Former girls' school headteacher dies
A FORMER headteacher of Darlington High School has died at the age of 94. Christine Jewsbury was head of the girls' school for 23 years, taking up the post in 1945. She died on Saturday, in the Ventress Hall Nursing Home, Trinity Road, Darlington, after
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Horror at threat to 500,000 animals
HILL farmers are facing catastrophe with fears that hundreds of thousands of sheep could be slaughtered to try to contain the spread of foot-and-mouth disease. Agriculture Minister Nick Brown yesterday revealed that up to half a million sheep due to start
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Grants are on offer as town delves into the past
DARLINGTON library is searching for people or organisations interested in local history who would like a grant to pursue their research. There is National Lottery funding for 100 heritage projects across the North-East, and Darlington is looking for schools
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Gala night to support trust
A GALA evening in aid of a new charity is taking place at a Northallerton department store next week. The event at Barkers, in the town's High Street, will raise money for the Pendragon Trust, which is aiming to create a small residential community for
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Back to school and £100,000 new look
YOUNGSTERS finally returned to their own school building yesterday - four months after floodwaters invaded their classrooms. The primary school at Brompton, in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, fell victim to the floods early last November, when much of
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Internet training boost for library
STAFF at Stockton Central Library are celebrating after their efforts to get a head-start on Internet training was recognised by the Government. The library's open technology centre (OTC) is part of the Government's drive to get everyone in the UK online
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People driven to despair by teenagers in hot hatchbacks
TEENAGE boy racers are turning the main street of a market town into a late-night race track. According to Chester-le-Street residents, young men are driving round the town centre in "hot hatchbacks" - a practice they say will lead to someone getting
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Pat on the back for airport's positive practices
NEWCASTLE International Airport has won an award for its positive employment practices for disabled people. The airport was one of ten organisations in the region to be recognised. The awards, which were presented by the deputy director of the Employment
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Police hunt after attack on student
POLICE are hunting three men who attacked a Durham University student as he walked home alone early on Saturday. The unnamed 20-year-old, who had been visiting a friend, was attacked in Gilesgate at 12.30am. He had a brief conversation with the men before
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Families urged to help study
THE world's biggest survey into the genetic roots of heart disease arrives in the region today - with a plea for North-East families to get involved. For the past two months, a bus carrying a team from the British Heart Foundation has been touring the
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Fresh plan for nightspot in former cinema
A FRESH bid is being made to breathe new life into a disused Durham cinema. Worcestershire-based Tribecka Estates is the latest company to draw up plans to convert the former Palladium cinema, in Claypath, into a nightspot. It has submitted a planning
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Men treated for jaw injuries
THREE men are in hospital with jaw injuries after separate incidents in Hartlepool at the weekend. At 8.20pm, on Saturday, the occupant of a house in Falmouth Grove rang police to complain he had been assaulted. He was taken to Hartlepool General Hospital
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Artist's library gift ends up at auction
ARTIST Sheila Mackie was startled to learn that one of her works was to be sold at auction. For she had donated the painting to a children's library back in 1957. Mrs Mackie, who read of its impending sale in The Northern Echo, was last night relieved
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Now the nightmare spreads to Europe
FEARS were growing last night that foot-and-mouth disease could grip Europe as the first outbreak was confirmed in France and the total number of cases in the UK reached 205. The French outbreak - in a dairy herd at Mayenne, in the Loire Valley - was
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Harry Mead writes...
A FARMER gave me a friendly ticking off the other day for questioning the slaughter policy to combat the foot-and-mouth outbreak. "There really is no alternative," he insisted. At this moment in this crisis, perhaps not. But the longer the epidemic goes
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Boatmen out to scupper Endeavour
IT was billed as the return of a seafaring legend - but at one famous fishing port it seems too many Cooks could spoil the broth. Colin and Rachael Jenkinson last week revealed they were harbouring ambitious plans to build a one-third size replica of
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Letters
PAULA YATES RUTH Campbell's comments concerning Paula Yates and Bob Geldof (Echo, Mar 9) are the usual unsympathetic response from someone who has not experienced depression - especially following bereavement. If it was, as she suggested, a simple case
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Prison officer suspended over killer's sex allegation
A SENIOR prison officer has been suspended from duty after being accused of sexually abusing convicted child-killer Dominic McKilligan. The Durham Prison officer was arrested following the allegations, and computer equipment was seized from his house
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Gough sets his sights on the record books
Darren Gough enters tomorrow's deciding Test against Sri Lanka looking to add further evidence to the campaign for central contracts by taking a step closer to a personal objective he has been working towards for four years. As coach Duncan Fletcher and
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Cream of the A1 crop
SUNDERLAND Stadium is boasting its best A1 kennel strength. Racing manager Jimmy Nunn now has over 60 top graders to choose from and he said: "I've never known us to be so well off for A1 runners - certainly it's the best we've had in my six years at
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Speeding campaign to target blackspots
NORTHUMBRIA Police are planning a campaign against speeding aimed at reducing road casualties. The operation follows the release of figures showing a 2.5 per cent rise in the number of collisions in which people were hurt in Tyneside, Wearside and Northumberland
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Surgeon's ex-patients speak out on TV show
VICTIMS of disgraced North Yorkshire surgeon Richard Neale are guests on today's Kilroy talk show on BBC1. Former patients Sheila Wright-Hogeland from Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire, and Irene Stewart, from Seaton Carew, Teesside, took part in the hour-long
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Tributes to former mayors
TRIBUTES have been paid to two respected public figures. Former Hartlepool mayor Muriel Doyle died, aged 75, on Thursday, after an illness. Hartlepool-born Councillor Doyle first became interested in politics in 1964, and quickly gained a reputation as
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Murderer 'flipped' over sex refusal
A father-of-three battered a pregnant care worker to death after she refused to have sex with him, a court was told. Pamela Laidler, 21, was five months pregnant when she met Mark McDaid in her local pub. Her naked body was found behind a workingmen's
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Pair locked up after attacks outside pub
A man was left unconscious on the ground with severe head injuries after being punched and kicked, a court heard. Leon Raine suffered facial fractures and has still not fully recovered from the attack, which took place six months ago, said Rob Galley,
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Police hunting for bag thief
AN 87-YEAR-OLD woman had her bag grabbed from her shoulder by a thief. The woman was walking in Central Parade, Shildon, County Durham, with a friend at about 10.10pm on Saturday. She was approached by the youth who pulled her black canvas bag from her
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Man nailed to a floorboard
A WORKER was cut free yesterday morning after his hand became nailed to a floorboard. The accident happened in Coral Street, Saltburn, east Cleveland, when the 28-year-old was with a group of contractors working on a house. The workers were taking up
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Ceremony marks start of new health care era for village
WORK is under way on a new, health centre in Colburn, near Catterick Garrison Local GP, Dr Eric Troughton, cut the first turf at a ceremony yesterday lunchtime, marking the start of the £800,000 project, which should be completed by autumn, and will give
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Open day offers a last look at piece of city's boating heritage
THE doors to a Durham landmark were thrown open to members of the public at the weekend for a last time before demolition workers move in to raze it to the ground. Brown's Boathouse at Elvet Bridge will soon make way for a new 1,000-capacity pub. The
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Pit pony statue unveiled
A MODEL memory of east Durham's mining past has found an unusual permanent home. The replica pit pony and restored coal tub have been turned out to grass on top of a roundabout on the main A181 Peterlee to Durham road. Placing the pony and its tub on
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Where have the unemployed gone?
FEW television characters lived so long in the mind as Yosser Hughes. The best remembered of the Boys from the Blackstuff, his "Gissa job" catchphrase was, at the same time, both a plea and a veiled threat. Broadcast in 1982, the series captured the widespread
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A quick course in midwifery? i'll phone a friend
MOTHER-TO-BE Lea Foster was hoping for a quick delivery for her baby - but she never expected to have her in the back of a car on the way to hospital. Baby Lucey was born in a lay-by off a busy main road, when she decided that she was not going to wait
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Seeking approval for play centre
Plans to create an adventure play and party centre at Unit 6E of the Number One Industrial Estate, Consett, are likely to be approved. Planning officers have recommended that Derwentside district councillors grant permission for an indoor adventure playground
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Trust provides ambulance for St John
A SURPLUS ambulance has been refurbished and donated to charity. The K-registration vehicle was presented to St John Ambulance Service by the North-East Ambulance Service (NEAS) NHS Trust. The hand-over took place in St John headquarters at Wingate, County
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Lifeboatmen aid transplant
A LIFEBOAT crew made a dash to rescue a transplant patient on a sailing trip after doctors found a kidney donor. Peter Briggs had been on the waiting list for a kidney transplant for two years when a donor was found early on Sunday. But the 66-year-old
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Street work bill may rise by £12,000
VITAL repair work in a street is to exceed estimated costs. Environmental improvements to Scott Street in Shildon, County Durham, originally estimated at £30,000, are almost complete. But after meetings with Durham County Council Highway Authority, members
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Night out ends in tragedy
MYSTERY surrounds the death of a father-of-two found unconscious in a street after a night out with friends. Paul Simpson died in the intensive care unit at Middlesbrough General Hospital yesterday afternoon. The 33-year-old Darlington man was found lying
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Publicans seek new challenge
AWARD-WINNING publicans Adrian and Gill Barrett have confirmed that they are calling time on their stay at a hostelry on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales. The couple have run the Hack and Spade at Whashton, near Richmond, for seven years, building up a
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Today's news round-up from Northallerton
A BRIDGE approaching its 200th birthday on a busy main road near Northallerton is being strengthened against the weather, juggernaut lorries and careless motorists who crash into its ancient parapets. The estimated £160,000 being spent on Morton-on-Swale
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PR firm's US deal
A North-east public relations firm has struck a deal with a US firm to handle PR for American clients looking to raise their profile in the UK. Recognition Marketing and PR, of Darlington, has teamed up with Schneider & Associates of Boston, in a
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Top pledge from Taylor Woodrow
CONSTRUCTION firm Taylor Woodrow has predicted it would become a "major force" in the housing sector following the acquisition of rival Bryant Homes. The company, which has pursued a major shift away from construction projects, recorded a significant
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Pupils send free books to South Africa
THOUSANDS of books collected by pupils of a Newton Aycliffe comprehensive school are to be used in classrooms thousands of miles away. Don Cowper, regional campaign manager for Bus-iness in the Community, was overwhelmed by the response when he sent out
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Community group in plea for helpers
A DURHAM community group is in danger of folding unless volunteers come forward. Newton Hall Community Association was formed in 1968 and is used by about 100 people a week. Among groups using the association's centre, which receives a grant from Durham
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Moves to reduce traffic load with new crossing over river
PLANS to ease congestion with a second crossing over the River Tees are to be the subject of a public consultation. A second crossing of the Tees at Middlesbrough is being considered as part of the revised Tees Valley Structure Plan. It is hoped the crossing
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B+ Could try harder
BACK to school, or to the schoolroom anyway, we dined at the Bridgewater Arms in Winston - recently kitted out to reflect its formative years. Though they still have lessons to learn, chiefly in addressing the puddings (D-minus, unfortunately) and the
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Campus to get student colleges
A University's satellite campus is to get two student colleges. Durham University has 14 colleges and societies for its students. The colleges are residential, with teaching in separate departments. Until now, the Stockton campus of the university has
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Grow up and get a life!
O THE delights of Wacko Jacko! Did you see the pictures of him talking to the students at the Oxford Union? The idea that Oxford university gives ear to a pathetic clown like Michael Jackson encapsulates just what's wrong with higher education today.
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A far from spotless affair
Knocking copy again. Tales of skulduggery and sharp practice, underhand dealings and of letting the cat - and one or two other things - out of the bag. Welcome to the Trimdon and District Dominoes League - as was - where on a crucial night there might
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Industrial eyesore to get green makeover
AN INDUSTRIAL eyesore is to be transformed and given a new lease of life. Former rail marshalling yards on the edge of Middlesbrough are to be given a green makeover with hundreds of trees planted, a footpath network, and viewing platforms across the
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Helping upland birds
CHILDREN have been spending six months learning more about the birds that flock to their area each summer. The pupils from Rookhope School, in Weardale, County Durham, are involved with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds' Working With Waders
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Treat for twitchers as hobby returns
BIRD watchers in the region are being treated to increasing sightings of an elegant bird of prey which has only been an infrequent visitor for hundreds of years. The hobby, one of Britain's rarest birds, has long been established in southern England and
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Safety day will provide advice on beating crime
PEOPLE in former pit villages near Durham will be able to find out how to beat crime and stay safe at an event being held next week. Durham Police, Durham City Council and the county's fire brigade are among the organisations that will be taking part
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Runaway dealer guilty of kidnap
A CONVICTED drug dealer who fled the North-East as detectives closed in on his operations, was jailed yesterday for nine years. Stephen Jackson, 41, pleaded guilty to robbing a shop in Stoke-on-Trent and kidnapping a 15-year-old boy, as well as drug offences
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Farmers fined over untreated pig swill
TWO pig keepers with business links to the North-East farmer at the centre of the foot-and-mouth crisis were fined yesterday after untreated swill was discovered on their premises. Father and son Alan and Kenneth Clement were caught out by a ten-week
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Players hope to net £1,000 for new tennis club
TENNIS players have asked a council for financial help. Branksome Tennis Club applied to Darlington Borough Council for £1,025 to establish a tennis club at Branksome School for pupils, ex-pupils and other community members. Although the Branksome club
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Workers' delight as £250m tanks contract is confirmed
VICKERS employees were yesterday celebrating the £250m contract to build a new generation of tank support vehicles - but the region is still waiting for news of other massive contracts yet to be handed out. Defence minister Baroness Symons announced the
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Festival receives £70,000 donation
ORGANISERS of Stockton International Riverside Festival are celebrating a £70,000 present from Northern Arts. The donation means the organisers will have £95,000 to spend on the festival. Alex Cunningham, Stockton Borough Council's cabinet member for
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We've cleaned up again!
A school National Lottery syndicate has beaten odds of 1,600,000,000-to-one to scoop a big prize for the second time. The lucky winners - 11 cleaners and one teacher - picked up almost £182,000 in June, 1998. Now they have proved that lightning can strike
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Affray and the circus stuntman
AN explosive incident arose when a former circus human cannonball became the worse the wear for drink during birthday celebrations. Ex-circus performer Ian Park, armed with a sheath knife in each hand, threatened and chased three men he had been drinking
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In the spirit of fair debate
FOOTBALL is big business. Even in the lower divisions, surprisingly large amounts of money are at stake. Last July, The Northern Echo caused a national stir by publishing details of surprising amounts of money paid to footballers playing for Darlington
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Venables could leave Boro to reign in Spain
Terry Venables could be tempted to leave Middlesbrough at the end of the season and return to Spain with ambitious Valencia. Venables is wanted by last year's European Cup finalists to take over from current coach Hector Cuper, who is expected to leave
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'Hiding place for priests' is unearthed
WORKERS digging near almshouses have discovered what is thought to have been a hiding place for 17th Century priests. While digging a trench to repair the drains at Sir William Turner's Hospital, in Kirkleatham, the workers came across large slabs of
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Goma eyes up £4m move to Tigana's Fulham
UNSETTLED Newcastle defender Alain Goma is set to join Fulham in a shock £4m beat-the-deadline move. Goma will become the second unhappy Frenchman to quit the Toon this year following Didier Domi's £3m switch to Paris St Germain in January. Boss Bobby
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United go Sturming into the final stages
THE most telling kick of this match came not during the 90 minutes, but in the dressing room beforehand when Sir Alex Ferguson delivered a well-aimed boot up the backside of his Manchester United team. His patience had finally run out after a run of poor
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Reid in hunt for players
JET-LAGGED Sunderland manager Peter Reid will be back at his desk today after a hectic five-day scouting mission in Argentina. And the Wearside boss, determined to bring in new talent ahead of this month's deadline, will be considering all his transfer
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Rock 'n roll with Shakespeare
ROCK 'n roll will mix with rhythm and rhyme in a modern version of a Shakespeare classic. Final year pupils at Yarm Primary School are rehearsing for the show Rockin' and Rollin' Romeo, to be staged this week. Based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet,
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Jail term over smuggling bid
A BID to pass on cannabis resin to an inmate in a young offenders' institution (YOI) left a 21-year-old man also serving time behind bars. Adam Simons was seen taking an item from his sleeve and placing it into a crisp packet, which he handed to the inmate
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Angry Bennett hits out at 'heartless' players
"IT was a case of having hearts and some of our players didn't have them." This was the damning assesment of furious Quakers boss Gary Bennett after seeing his beleagured side lose 2-0 at York City - a result that plunges the club perilously clos e to
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Hodgson giving his side
FORMER Darlington FC manager David Hodgson is today due to give his side of the Quakers' story as the row between himself and club chairman George Reynolds rumbles on. Mr Hodgson is due to appear as a guest on Paul Gough's Century Radio breakfast show
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Glanville is tops in pentathlon
WASHINGTON teenager Craig Glanville maintained his superb winter form by winning the Northern Under-15 Pentathlon Championship at Gateshead Stadium. The 14-year-old North-East indoor 60m and 60m hurdles record holder won four of his five disciplines,
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Pool welcome back crocked quartet
HARTLEPOOL United boss Chris Turner is ready to welcome back his walking wounded as Pool's promotion fight hots up. After securing the signings of Jermaine Easter, Gordon Simms and Andy Brownrigg this week, Turner has now turned his attentions to getting
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Help for holiday couple
THE Foreign Office said last night it was doing everything it could to help the family of a North-East pensioner who is lying ill in a Spanish hospital. Former Japanese PoW Bernard Boyle suffered a suspected heart attack while on holiday in Benidorm with
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Screwdriver raider
A THUG who threatened a woman shop assistant with a screwdriver is being hunted by police. The robber, who is about 5ft 4in tall, escaped with cigarettes from Harrisons newsagents, in Winston Drive, Eston, near Middlesbrough, early yesterday. Anyone with
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No rest in hunt for killer - pledge
A POLICE chief says he will not rest until he brings a killer to justice. Detective Superintendent Brian Dunn is heading the investigation into the death of Middlesbrough vice girl Vicky Glass, whose remains were found on moorland near Danby, North Yorkshire
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Children enjoy a lesson with strings attached
YOUNGSTERS saw toys come to life when they were visited by a puppeteer. Phil Spellacy, from the toy department of Bowes Museum, visited the year one class of Dodmire Infants' School to show them how to make puppets. He also took along some of his own
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School in running for sports status
A TEESSIDE school is going for gold as it seeks specialist status as a sports college. Laurence Jackson School, in Guisborough, has enjoyed a fine reputation for its sports teaching and sporting achievements and wants to build on this to develop its aspirations
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Let's not be koi about it
A NORTH-EAST man is importing from the Land of the Rising Sun to turn a hobby into his dream business. For years, Tom Barker has been keeping Japanese koi carp in a pond at his home in Brotton, east Cleveland, as a hobby. Now, he has turned that interest
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Charity boost for hearing impaired
A CHARITY is launching a drop-in centre in Durham where hearing-impaired people can find out about the latest equipment to help them. Hearing Concern will hold the sessions on the first Tuesday of each month, between 1pm and 4pm, at the Abbey Day Centre
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Strip club outcry
CHRISTIAN activists have condemned a council decision to allow a strip club and lap-dancing lounge to be developed in a city centre. The Christian Institute was reacting to the granting of an entertainment licence for the £1.3m development at the Old
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Hospice seeking firm help
FIRMS are being recruited to help a hospice stay open. Teesside Hospice, Middlesbrough, provides a range of professional services, free of charge, to more than 1,000 people each year. The hospice, which is struggling for money, says the cost of the services
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Man was 'left in daze' after car collision
A MAN accused of driving a car which crashed, causing serious injury to two passengers, yesterday told a court the whole incident was "a daze". Graham Leigh admits he was drunk on the evening of the accident, on February 27, 1999, but said he had no recollection
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Dale's big cheese plans to expand
A NORTH Yorkshire company has announced plans to double in size to cope with demand for its products. Swaledale Cheese Company, at Richmond, is promising new jobs if it wins the council's blessing for expansion. An extension would include a new viewing
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Job Search 2001
MORE details about the jobs below are available from the Employment Service Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Residential social worker, County Durham. £6ph, plus sleepover, 9am to 5pm, or 5pm to 9am, shifts on rota, temporary. Required for group caring for
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Job Search 2001
MORE details about the jobs below are available from the Employment Service Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Sales negotiator, Northallerton. £4ph, 9am to noon, Mon-Fri, 10am to 2pm, Sat. Must be computer literate and have pleasant telephone manner. Ref: NOE
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Residents put brake on plan for restricted car parking
RESIDENTS have won a victory in their fight against more widespread parking restrictions in Durham city centre. Plans for the third phase of restricted parking have been released and they will not include some streets where residents oppose them. People
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Job Search 2001
MORE details about the jobs below are available from the Employment Service Direct on (0845) 606 0234. General assistant, Durham. £4.50ph, 20.5hrs mornings or 17.5hrs evenings. Required for student dining area. Must be flexible. Ref: DUR 24055. Supervisor
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Footballers should have got red card, claims walker
ACCESS to a footpath, closed since the crisis began, has sparked controversy in a North Yorkshire town. A sign went up more than a week ago at Green Bridge, in the shadow of Richmond Castle, warning walkers that the riverside footpath is off-limits under
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Warning after 999 car attack
VANDALS who cause damage to police vehicles could be putting lives at risk. The warning was made yesterday after an attack on a Durham Police panda car parked outside a village store, while an officer was making an inquiry. On returning to the vehicle
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Oh brother, aladdin's going to be one big chuckle
TV STARS The Chuckle Brothers launched their next pantomime season yesterday with the news that they are close to clinching a movie deal. Paul and Barry, real name Elliott, have a meeting with film-makers next week in the hopes of moving Chucklevision
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Charity gains ambulance
A SURPLUS ambulance has been refurbished and donated to charity. The K-registration vehicle was presented to the St John Ambulance Service by the North-East Ambulance Service NHS Trust. The hand-over took place at the St John headquarters at Wingate,
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Job Search 2001
Plasterer, Middlesbrough. £9ph, 8am to 5pm, Mon-Fri, temporary for ten weeks. Must be time-served or have at least five years' experience. Ref: MIB 22320. Marketing staff, Peterlee. 20hrs pw. Required to call door-to-door to promote range of products
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Support groups help the carers
ADVICE for carers will be provided at an information session in the Durham area. The event will be held on Friday, March 23, between 10am and 12.30pm, at Lowlands House, Brandon. Representatives of Durham and Chester-le-Street Carers Support, Durham and
