Archive
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Get ready to take stroll in Netpark
A major project set to transform the region into a thriving centre for new technology businesses is up and running. NetPark, the North-East Technology Park project, will provide a unique environment for the nurturing and growth of technology, research
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Blair meets unions tonight
Public sector workers will today challenge Tony Blair's plans to use private cash to improve public services. Union leaders will question the Prime Minister's flagship programme for Labour's second term in a meeting tonight. Mr Blair has invited union
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Heading chamber of promise
BRITAIN'S biggest chamber, the North- East Chamber of Commerce, has a new president. John Irwin, a director and partner in the Teesside office of Storey Sons and Parker, has taken over the role from Nigel Sherlock. The role of president is normally a
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Miners' groups accuse government
THE Government is today accused of going back on promises made to widows and the families of pitmen struck down by lung disease. Former Energy Minister Peter Hain promised in March that widows would receive an interim payment of £2,000 before their husband's
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Accident verdict in death crash
A MOTORCYCLIST was killed in a collision with a car emerging on to a main road from a village junction, an inquest was told. Graham Scott was certified dead at the scene of the accident, on the A177 Durham to Bowburn road, at its junction with Shincliffe
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The march of aerobic digester
A REVOLUTIONARY new approach to handling waste is on trial in County Durham. The County Durham Environmental Trust (Cdent) is funding a research and development initiative with one of the largest awards under the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme. The project
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Euro job for scout Clarke
MIDDLESBROUGH boss Steve McClaren has turned to former Newcastle striker Ray Clarke to unearth Europe's top talent. Clarke is poised to take up the role of European scout, a post he filled with Coventry, as McClaren reshapes Boro's backroom set-up. McClaren
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Kill your speed
A shock new advert aims to stop speeding drivers by showing a child being knocked down and killed. The Government ad is the first to show a child dying under a speeding motorist's wheels. The shock tactic is targeting the hardcore of speeding drivers,
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All-in package should ensure smooth relocation
CONSTRUCTION work is under way for a multi-million pound new factory for one of York's longest established engineering businesses. Excavation and groundworks have started at Clifton Moor for Dowding and Mills Engineering Services, formerly Bootham Engineers
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Solano is urging Bobby to keep the faith
NOLBERTO SOLANO has told Newcastle United boss Bobby Robson to keep faith with his South American buying policy - and snap up Peru midfielder Martin Hidalgo. Solano is eager to see his fellow countryman arrive back on Tyneside for a second trial spell
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Teachers' work is recognised
THE region's best teachers will be recognised at an awards ceremony next week. The North-East BT Teaching Awards, in Newcastle on Tuesday, will highlight the role teachers play in the community by honouring the best role models. Hundreds of nominations
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Fulfilment, fun and steering our destiny
Frankly, we now wonder why we didn't take the plunge and set up on our own earlier. In any case, having experienced the fulfilment and sheer fun of running our own company, I doubt that any of the three of us would ever want to go back to being employees
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Rock star to reform old pub group
MULTI-millionaire rock star Brian Johnson is giving up the glitz to play pub gigs in front of a handful of punters. His band, AC/DC, have filled stadiums across the globe for the past 20 years, but singer Brian, 53, is to come home to Tyneside to reform
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Clarke launches bid with attack on Hague
KENNETH CLARKE threw down the gauntlet to the Conservatives yesterday, challenging them to pick him as the one leader who could return the party to power - and launching a thinly-veiled attack on William Hague. He became the fifth candidate to enter the
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Miller heads for Norway as early training camp beckons
TOMMY Miller will tomorrow begin his pre-season training programme a week early - in Norway. Hartlepool midfielder Miller yesterday landed in the Norwegian coastal town of Bergen to begin an intensive two-week training spell with the Eliteserien side.
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Fatalities renew clamour for dual carriageway
A FATAL crash on an accident blackspot has prompted renewed calls for the road to be turned into a dual carriageway. Two men died on the A171 Guisborough to Scarborough road, near the Stanghow turn off, at Lockwood Beck, east Cleveland, when their vehicles
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Accusors in sex case 'were gay lovers'
TWO young men, who have accused a former aide of Prime Minister Tony Blair of sexually assaulting them when they were teenagers, were in a "homosexual relationship" with each other, a court heard yesterday. The trial of Martyn Locklin at Teesside Crown
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Woman's 24 hours trapped in a chair
AN ELDERLY woman was trapped for 24 hours when a deck chair collapsed wedging her inside. Isabella Ford, 92, sat down on the metal-frame chair in the kitchen of her home when it gave way and trapped her. The day-long ordeal ended only when her niece,
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Father plays down killer's case review
THE father of a teenager who bludgeoned his mother to death with a champagne bottle has played down reports that his jail sentence could be cut. Simon Geldart, of Darlington, is among scores of teenage killers whose cases could be reviewed by Lord Chief
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Hear All Sides
Letters from The Northern Echo GREAT NORTH RUN WITH less than three months to go until the Great North Run, Imperial Cancer Research Fund would love to hear from anyone taking park in this year's half marathon on September 16, but has not yet decided
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BT to shed 2,000 jobs as it heads 'out of tunnel'
BRITISH Telecom plans to shed 2,000 jobs this year as part of its ongoing attempts to cut costs. The group is aiming to make savings of £850m over the next three years and intends to claw back £240m of that this year. The bulk of this year's targeted
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Action to be taken over stray horses
A horse has been seen tethered on a roadside, in the same place where another strangled itself by falling down a steep slope. Yesterday the plight of horses left to graze near the road, in the Bishop Auckland area of County Durham, was the subject of
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Why today's children need a little danger
CHILDREN need danger. They need to be climbing trees, jumping off walls, balancing on high bars or yodelling happily as they swing out on Tarzan-style ropes - even if it turns their anxious mothers' hair grey. That's why modern playgrounds are useless
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Camelot look again
Troubled Lottery operator Camelot is to look again at the £15 billion it has promised to good causes over its next seven-year licence period. It comes after chairman of the Lottery Commission, Lord Burns, estimated it would fall short of the pledge by
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Degree pride for Olympic champion
TRIPLE Olympic rowing gold medallist Matthew Pinsent CBE received another honour in the region yesterday. Pinsent was installed as an honorary graduate of the University of Durham, Stockton campus, at a graduation ceremony in Stockton Parish Church. Pinsent
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Day 3 round-up - So close for Cowan
British rookie Barry Cowan almost pulled off one of Wimbledon's greatest ever scalps when he took No.1 seed Pete Sampras to five sets on court one today. The writing looked to be on the wall as Sampras surged into a two-set lead but Cowan, playing in
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Forget the filthy lucre . . . it's more of a lifestyle decision
ENTREPRENEURS in the North-East are snubbing the career path made famous by Del Boy Trotter and Rodney in the BBC series, Only Fools and Horses. They are not driven by madcap "get rich quick" schemes or ambitions to be the next millionaire. Instead, they
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Campus links central to 'meeting of minds'
NetPark's exceptional links with the region's universities will be central to its evolution and represent an opportunity to create an environment for a true "meeting of minds". It will seek to harness the world-class strengths of the universities of Durham
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Class wars and the ubiquitous hyphen
Inevitably we have been to the land of her fathers, a verdant week highlighted by a midsummer night's dream trip down the 57-mile Cambrian Coast railway line from Pwllheli to Machynlleth, the back shift sun shimmering over the sea. The return fare was
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Garage bosses help Callum's bid to walk
A youngster with cerebral palsy has been given a helping hand by a North-East car dealership. Four-year-old Callum Johnson, from Stockton, Teesside, attends a mainstream school, but has trouble with his mobility and balance because of his illness. He
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Acquire some executive drive
IMAGINE sitting back in a luxury car, sipping champagne, while your driver takes you on a tour of the North-East's top tourist sites. Well that is just the service being offered by H&R Executive Cars, which is doing its best to promote the region
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Vandals attack Angels' bench
VANDALS have destroyed a bench in a memorial garden to the Aycliffe Angels. The garden, which was unveiled in St Clare's Church, Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, last year, was designed as a tribute to the unsung heroes of the Second World War. The memorial
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'Responsibility rests with us all to try to prevent cruelty'
IT is an horrific case, but one which is typical of the scale of animal abuse seen in the North-East. Misty, a 17-year-old black and white collie cross, was zipped inside a sports bag and left to die on a rubbish tip under the A19 flyover in Stockton-on-Tees
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Take your partners for dance back in time
RADIO personality Frank Wappat is turning back the musical clock to put a dales town on the social map. He will be hosting tea dances at St John's Chapel Town Hall, in Weardale, County Durham. The veteran BBC local radio disc jockey, who lives in Weardale
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Awards honour volunteers' community efforts
A STUDENT has been hailed a local hero for her outstanding contribution to the community. Rebecca Severi is one of eight regional winners of the Nationwide Award for Voluntary Endeavour. The Darlington College of Technology student has set up an anti-bullying
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Glitterati of the valley get ready for cracking show
THIS year's Tees Valley Business Show promises to be the best yet. The glittering event takes place at the Tall Trees Hotel, in Yarm, on October 25. It will attract the cream of the Tees Valley's business crop, eager to find out who has won this year's
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Big towns sell-off
More than 800 towns and cities around the UK are up for sale. Well, virtually. Businessman Andy Hind has spent the past year building up a national network of websites of every town and city in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales with 10,000
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Qualifications may not guarantee job
An impressive list of qualifications is no longer enough to secure a position in the IT jobs market. Competition continues to increase with more similarly qualified people bidding for the same jobs. Instead of adding to their list of academic achievements
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£5m profit in first year of operation - that's Reality
REALITY, the company formed a year ago by Great Universal Stores (Gus), to provide Internet, customer care and logistics to UK companies, has finished its first year with profits in excess of £5.1m on turnover of £476m. The UK market leader provides an
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Choral date for old harmonium
A 19th century harmonium will travel more than 100 miles to perform in the latest production of one of the North's leading choral societies. The 120-year-old instrument will be used to accompany the Newcastle Choral Society at a performance of the Rossini
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Inventors aim to impress contest judges
A SCHOOLGIRL is hoping to reduce the dangers for sleepwalkers with her invention. Hollie Walker, of Emanuel College, Gateshead, is taking part in the North-East finals of the Young Engineer of Britain competition. Along with students from schools across
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Takeover lift for troubled company
FILTRATION specialist PSI Global has taken over Redhouse Engineering. Darkfern Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Bowburn business, has moved in for the Redhouse operations in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, and Taunton, Devon, which were in the hands of
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Minding their PPPs brings £350m deals
BUSINESS lawyers Eversheds has completed Public Private Partnership (PPP) deals in the region worth £350m in the past seven weeks. The deals range from the largest local authority PPP in the North-East to date, a £200m deal to provide Middlesbrough Council
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Westfield can shine bright
PROMISING apprentice Lynsey Hanna has struck up a profitable partnership with Westfield Star (3.00), poised to follow-up last week's track and trip victory in the Polar Ford Handicap at Thirsk today. Eight days ago Lynsey steered the selection to a narrow
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'I felt I was in the best possible hands'
Reporter Marjorie McIntyre received treatment at Hartlepool General Hospital after finding a lump in her breast. For the next 15 years, she was a patient of surgeon Ron Rhind who is today under investigation for his treatment of cancer patients. I BECAME
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Williams is a Swan
Striker John Williams last night rejoined Swansea City after snubbing a six month contract from Darlington manager Gary Bennett. The 33-year-old has signed a two-year deal to join the Vetch Field club to begin what will be his third spell at the Swans
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Castle prepares for Viking invasion
A 21st Century Viking invasion is just weeks away, after British Airways announced plans for direct flights between Newcastle and Oslo, in Norway. British Airways' largest franchise partner, British Regional Airlines (BRA) will operate six flights a week
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What's it all about?
NETPARK is being developed on the former Winterton Hospital site in the Borough of Sedgefield as a regional technology park for knowledge-based industries, satellite research and development facilities of major international organisations, and as a dynamic
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Theft leaves Santa ho-ho-homeless
FATHER Christmas made an out-of-season appearance yesterday, to try to persuade thieves to return his grotto. He interrupted his well-earned break after hearing that his home from home in the Asda supermarket, Peterlee, east Durham, had been stolen. Staff
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Teacher faces jail for sex with pupil
A TEACHER was facing jail last night after he admitted seducing a girl with explicit e-mails and having sex with her. Teesside Crown Court heard how more than 130 e-mails from 25-year-old Jason Ratcliffe were found on the girl's home computer. Ratcliffe
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Man cleared of racial charges but guilty of assault
A MAN who banged the heads of two Turkish visitors together in a nightclub after alleged racial abuse was yesterday cleared of racially aggravated violence. But Darren Coulson, 31, was convicted by the jury at York Crown Court, of injuring the men in
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Group will help steel workers to find jobs
REDUNDANT Corus workers on Teesside will get help finding jobs through a £1.8m grant from the European Social Fund. The money has been granted to Steel Partnership Training Ltd, an organisation set up by the unions to help those made redundant get back
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RAF team prepares to drop in on gala
ORGANISERS of the Teesside Steel Family Gala are preparing for this weekend's event. The gala is one of the biggest summer attractions on Teesside, but was cancelled last year when the venue, Kirkleatham Showground near Redcar, flooded and there was heavy
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Transplant saves boy who had days to live
A four-year-old boy who had just days to live has been given a new heart. A Europe-wide search proved unsuccessful and last week staff at the Freeman Hospital, in Newcastle, were concerned that the boy might not have long to live. To the relief of the
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WI peace offering to Prime Minister
THE Women's Institute (WI) has offered an olive branch to Tony Blair by inviting him to a fundraising musical in his constituency. The Prime Minister was left a little bruised after he was slow-handclapped and heckled by WI members when his speech to
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WI peace offering to Prime Minister
THE Women's Institute (WI) has offered an olive branch to Tony Blair by inviting him to a fundraising musical in his constituency. The Prime Minister was left a little bruised after he was slow-handclapped and heckled by WI members when his speech to
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£1.7m for leukaemia research experts
SCIENTISTS in the region are to become world leaders in leukaemia research after receiving a £1.7m boost. The money, from the European Union, will be used to improve research which has already helped North-East leukaemia victim Peggy Edmunds. Doctors
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Familiar picture begins to emerge
The UK market continues to drift lower with heads turned by the usual summer distractions. Although a neat and simple excuse is to blame a little bit of hot weather and a game of tennis, stock markets look set to lack direction until the summer passes
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Man escapes prison after ninth attack
A forklift truck driver convicted of his ninth offence of violence after an attack on his girlfriend escaped jail yesterday. Andrew Smith pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm to Stephanie Walker, after the pair had gone back to her home in Knaresborough
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MND victims' challenge
A FORMER fell rescuer who has contracted a fatal disease sets off this week on a 300-mile challenge. David Hainsworth has motor neurone disease (MND) - a condition which will probably prove fatal within five years. The former member of Upper Wharfedale
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Court told of sex act in front of two girls
A MAN with a record of sex-related offences was told by a court yesterday he needed medical help. Nick Ralph, prosecuting at Harrogate Magistrates' Court, said a woman in a car outside the post office in Bondgate, Ripon, North Yorkshire, saw Kevin Michael
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Court told of sex act in front of two girls
A MAN with a record of sex-related offences was told by a court yesterday he needed medical help. Nick Ralph, prosecuting at Harrogate Magistrates' Court, said a woman in a car outside the post office in Bondgate, Ripon, North Yorkshire, saw Kevin Michael
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Why today's children need a little danger
CHILDREN need danger. They need to be climbing trees, jumping off walls, balancing on high bars or yodelling happily as they swing out on Tarzan-style ropes - even if it turns their anxious mothers' hair grey. That's why modern playgrounds are useless
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Theme park death: man held
A THEME park engineer has been arrested by police investigating a fatal fairground accident. The man was questioned about the death of Gemma Louise Savage, who suffered serious head and spinal injuries when two cars collided on a newly-opened ride at
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Gillian's early slice of success
A FORMER secretary's flair for making sandwiches coupled with her sound business sense have won her top prize in a business competition. Gillian Simpson, who opened The Lunch Box in Victoria Road, Consett, just two months ago, has taken first place and
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Dai is calculating formula for success
THE heart of the North-East chemical industry is undoubtedly Tees- side, yet in the relative backwater of Consett, Thomas Swan and Co is doing its bit to fly the flag for that industry in County Durham. Dai Hayward, from Wales, is general manager of the
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Museum and collection for sale
A museum and antiques centre in Newcastle city centre is up for sale. The People's Museum and Antiques Centre in Grainger Street, is home to an impressive collection built up over 25 years. It has been put on the market with the Newcastle office of Christie
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Davies on standby as injuries start to pile up
INJURY-HIT Durham again have former England Under 19 player Mark Davies in their squad for today's Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy third round tie against Hampshire at the Riverside. The 20-year-old Stockton-born seamer played in Sunday's defeat by the
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£50,000 stadium job
BAYDALE Architectural Systems has been awarded a further contract for improvements at Sunderland Football Club's Stadium of Light. The Newton Aycliffe firm is one of the UK's leading manufacturers of high quality, fire resistant doors, screens and specialist
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90-year-old Albert earns fire rescue recognition
A 90-year-old man has received an award for bravery after saving a neighbour from a fire. Albert Greenhaugh, of Lord Gort Close, Southwick, in Sunderland, rescued elderly Katherine Hall after her chip pan caught fire in her sheltered accommodation flat
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Class wars and the ubiquitous hyphen
Inevitably we have been to the land of her fathers, a verdant week highlighted by a midsummer night's dream trip down the 57-mile Cambrian Coast railway line from Pwllheli to Machynlleth, the back shift sun shimmering over the sea. The return fare was
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Jury out
The Jill Dando murder trial jury retired today to consider their verdict. Judge, Mr Justice Gage, told the Old Bailey jury they should rely on the evidence, not their emotions, when considering the case. He also told them they must not feel under any
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TV pundit scores for kids' charity
A TV football pundit will be the guest at a Teesside school's recognition event. Match of the Day presenter Mark Lawrenson will take part in a Celebration of Achievement evening at Nunthorpe Comprehensive School, Middlesbrough, tomorrow. In return for
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Web domains contract win for MHW
INTERNET-services company domainnames.com has appointed Mitchell Halton Watson to undertake corporate communications across the North of England. The appointment coincides with the decision by Sunderland-based domainnames.com to embark upon a major marketing
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Comment from The Northern Echo - The best man for the job
IN typically forthright fashion, Kenneth Clarke has staked his claim on the leadership of the Conservative Party. He remains head and shoulders above the other four candidates in terms of experience, personality and popularity. If the party leader was
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Cyclist breaks neck at track
A TEENAGER was in hospital last night after breaking his neck at a BMX cycle track. Gavin Wilson, 14, suffered serious injuries when he fell from his mountain bike after riding over a jump at St Nicholas Fields park, Tang Hall, York. He was taken to York
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Village takes protest to court
PROTESTORS against the foot-and-mouth site at Inkerman, near Tow Law, took their placards and slogans to Chester-le-Street Magistrates' Court, yesterday. Appearing for a pre-trial review into allegations that they failed to leave land as directed, six
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Patients in cancer treatment tragedies
THE NHS could face a massive compensation claim from relatives of North-East cancer patients who died after a surgeon failed to give them the treatment that could have saved their lives. An investigation was launched after fellow doctors complained that
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Awards continue for graduate
STUDENT Kathryn Ripley has continued her award-winning ways by being named top graduate on her university course. Ms Ripley, 21, from Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, gained the award for her achievement in applied psychology at the University of Durham
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Neale barrister to answer questions
A BARRISTER who represented disgraced surgeon Richard Neale has been ordered to appear before the chairman of a professional complaints committee over his future conduct. Former patients of the former North Yorkshire gynaecologist wrote to the Professional
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Hard-hit attraction battles on
A DALES tourist attraction is managing to soldier on despite the crisis in the countryside. The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority voted last year to have the Forbidden Corner, near Middleham, shut down after it opened without formal planning consent
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Fire victim did not suffer, inquest told
THE grandparents of a boy killed in a house fire were assured that he did not suffer when an inquest opened yesterday. Carl Taylor, 7, died last week when fire gutted his bedroom in Wood Vue, Spennymoor, County Durham, where he lived with grandparents
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Major player which offers expertise of highest order
THE relationship between industry and higher education has become increasingly well developed in the region. The University of Durham, a major player in the NetPark development, is one of the UK's premier research and teaching universities, with world-class
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Stunt rider pledges return to action after bike crash
A NORTH-EAST member of the Army's motorcyle display team has vowed to return to action despite cheating death by inches at the weekend. Lance Corporal Malcolm Hildreth, from Darlington, was performing with the White Helmets team when a stunt went wrong
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Key issues to address
THE Chemical Industry in the UK employs more than 250,000 highly-skilled people nationwide, and accounts for 2.5 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product. It invests nearly £3bn annually, plus a further £3.3bn in research and development projects. Products
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Classic cars roll into town to help with hospice fundraiser
A VILLAGE took a step back in time last night when it staged a vintage vehicle rally for charity. More than 70 classic vehicles from all over the region descended on Sedgefield, County Durham, for an evening fete. They gathered around the village green
