Archive
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Summer full of sports fun
CHILDREN are enjoying a sporting summer at a club set up during the school holidays. Staff at the Dolphin Centre, in Darlington, have arranged a host of events to keep youngsters entertained in the summer months. The children, who are all now registered
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Parrot gives sanctuary the bird
A FLYAWAY parrot is on the loose in a rural village after escaping from a sanctuary. Murdoch is living off summer fruit after escaping from Pampered Parrots in Slingsby, near Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire. Despite the best efforts of manager Julie Piercy
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Housing may replace college
A FORMER school and college, now up for sale, could be demolished to make way for houses. The Fleetham Street campus of Cleveland College of Art and Design, in Middlesbrough, is being sold as part of the college's modernisation scheme. In recent years
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Anger at child's library tapes fine
AN eight-year-old girl has given up her library ticket after she was charged for not returning tapes - despite children's fines being scrapped last year. Last week, Samantha Palmer received a letter from Darlington library demanding £8.64 for two overdue
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Two hit-and-run victims critical
TWO men were critically ill in hospital last night following two separate hit-and-run accidents on Wearside. William Brown, 72, suffered multiple injuries after being struck by a red car as he crossed Ashdown Road, Farringdon, Sunderland, shortly after
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Help sought to create museum
LOCAL people are being asked to help to create a new attraction in Teesdale. The museum, above the Co-op supermarket, in Middleton-in-Teesdale, will be mainly based on the social history of the area in the mid-19th Century. Research is under way by the
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Pool event to help dolphins
FOLKLORE has it that dolphins will help swimmers in distress - so anyone taking a dip at Thirsk Pool at the weekend can return the favour. Admission fees paid in the afternoon will go to the World Wildlife Fund's sponsorship programme, which invests in
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Road closure
RESIDENTS are bracing themselves for three weeks of disruption while a section of a busy road is closed. Yesterday, Middlesbrough Borough Council closed a section of Guisborough Road from its junction with The Avenue to the railway crossings. A diversion
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Villagers hit the road to victory
VILLAGERS who dubbed the main street through their community Death Hill have won the first round in their battle for a bypass. A £2.1m package rerouting the A19 around Thormanby is among proposals put forward to make North Yorkshire's roads safer for
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Voyeurism for morons
ALL right, I confess I've been reading The Guardian again. This is the newspaper, above all newspapers, which puts the highest value on its own intelligence. So what's this I read, then? "Now that Big Brother has finished, what will office workers talk
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Wolviston's dreams of Lord's fast approaching reality
EVERYTHING exactly as it should be - team coach, lunch in a posh hotel, total abstinence for getting on 18 hours beforehand - Wolviston Cricket Club tried once again on Sunday to reach the semi-final of the National Village Cup. Three times in the previous
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Modern family values Victorian way of life
VICTORIA may not have been amused, but the times she lived in are very entertaining for the Goult family. Farmer Allan, his wife Pamela and their children Karl, Craig and Michelle are so keen on the Victorian era that they spend their weekends reliving
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Dream trip forces donna to face her phobia
WHEN Donna Maguire heard she and her partner had won a weekend break in a major European city she was delighted. But Donna, from Newton Aycliffe, soon realised she would have to face up to her greatest fear after learning they had won a romantic trip
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Youngsters bowled over with praise from police
POLICE will reward Teesside youngsters for keeping out of trouble by taking them ten-pin bowling tomorrow. About 60 Stockton teenagers will travel to the Hollywood Bowl at Teesside Park, courtesy of the bus company, Stagecoach, for an afternoon of bowling
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Exhibition maps out town history
MEMORIES of Hartlepool in bygone days are being rekindled by a touring exhibition. Altered Images features maps of the town dating back more than 80 years, along with various aerial photographs, paintings and prints. The exhibition has been based in Hartlepool's
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Hunt for three after girl attack
THREE youths who assaulted a visiting Japanese student are being hunted by police. The 23-year-old woman, who has not been identified, is staying in the east Cleveland area to do voluntary work experience. She was using a public telephone in Marske town
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Hospice seeks small change
HOSPICE fundraisers are aiming to collect a million coins this summer from holidaymakers coming back with change in their pockets. The Butterwick Hospice at Bishop Auckland will accept all currencies, including pre-decimal sixpences and pennies. The hospice
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'I didn't send poison letters'
A PENSIONER accused of waging a 12-year hate mail campaign against his neighbours denied yesterday that he was the Manfield poison pen writer. Dr James Forster, 68, said he had not been acting suspiciously when two neighbours saw him in the shadows on
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'I have no idea what starting line-up will be' - Reid
SUNDERLAND manager Peter Reid, who boasts his strongest-ever squad in his six-year reign on Wearside, will use this week's final two pre-season friendlies in Holland to decide his best starting line-up for the new campaign. As he prepared his players
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Running show proves snip for Jennifer
HAIRDRESSER Jennifer Anderson has turned redundancy into a golden opportunity with the help of her family and an advanced modern apprenticeship. When the salon in which she worked closed, 22-year-old Jennifer, from Fencehouses, near Houghton-le-Spring
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Driver in court over 125mph fatal crash
A MAN caused a fatal crash by driving at 125mph after seeing his partner dancing with another man in a nightclub, a court was told. Teresa Clark, 26, was enjoying a night out at Gateshead's Baja Beach Club after drinking in Newcastle's Quayside bars when
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Hear all sides
GENOA TONY Blair's outburst at the Genoa summit about the rights of democratic leaders to meet wherever they please, and that democracy is stood on its head if the world's finest are cowed by thugs, seemed pretty straight forward. Violence cannot be allowed
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Club for deaf seeks members
A CLUB set up with the aim of meeting the needs of the deaf and those with hearing difficulties is keen to attract new members. Northallerton District Centre for the Deaf, a registered charity established in February last year, meets on Fridays, at 8pm
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Call to young footballers
YOUNG footballers wanting to play in the Doug Grant six-a-side league, in Shildon, have until August 20 to register for the new season which starts on September 8. It costs £2 to enrol, with players receiving a registration pack containing a copy of league
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Hassan heads to the USA
SUNDERLAND Harrier Malcom Hassan, one of the region's brightest middle-distance prospects, has decided to turn his back on a season ravaged by illness to start a new career in college athletics in the United States. And before setting off to take up an
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Name change idea posted
A SCHOOL in Thornaby may change its name in an effort to ease postal problems. From the beginning of the new school year, next month, Thornaby Village Primary School may be known as Village Primary School. There are three schools within Thornaby, Thornaby
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IRA 'to decommission arms'
The IRA has started a process to put its weapons beyond use, the head of the International Commission on Decommissioning announced yesterday. The move came as the parties in Northern Ireland faced new pressures to sign up to a package of proposals to
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Shipyards artist launches exhibition
SCENES from the North-East's shipbuilding industry are among the paintings on display at a new exhibition. Peter Patrick Burns is holding an exhibition at Seaton Holme, in Easington Village, until September 2. Mr Burns, who is largely self taught, worked
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Mental approach wrong - Tait
After Saturday's morale-sapping defeat at Barrow, Darlington assistant manager Mick Tait has admitted Quakers' mental approach to the match gave cause for concern. Darlington deservedly lost 3-1 at UniBond League Barrow, and with the League opener versus
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Final three fight for Riverside scheme
THREE consortia battling to win a £300m regeneration scheme in Newcastle have been named. Preston-based Places for People Group and two consortia of housebuilders Wimpey, Bellway, Persimmon and Barratt, Haslam and Miller Homes were revealed last night
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Softly softly trial tests cars for pollution
WITHOUT even knowing it, thousands of North-East motorists are helping to test a revolutionary piece of high-tech equipment designed to cut pollution on Britain's roads. Drivers in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, and on Teesside, this week, have been
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Job Search 2001
MORE details about the jobs below are available from the Employment Service Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Home shopping pickers, Thirsk. NMW. Various shifts. Duties include processing Internet orders, selecting ordered items from around the store and packaging
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Community effort saves football club
A FOOTBALL club has been saved from certain closure after a community rallied round to raise vital funds. Willington Association Football Club faced closure just five years short of its 100th anniversary when its main building developed a hole in the
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Young talent on show
GIFTED and talented youngsters from across east Cleveland held an exhibition of artwork at Redcar and Cleveland College. The youngsters from schools throughout the area were taking part in a summer school based on arts subjects at the college, as part
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Holiday delight
A TEACHER is celebrating after winning a yachting holiday worth £5,000. Rob Miller, of Aylton Drive Middlesbrough, scooped the luxury break for four to Turkey in a competition run by Teletext. A special needs teacher at Abbey Hill, in Stockton, will share
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Job Search 2001
MORE details about the jobs below are available from the Employment Service Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Fleet service manager, Durham. 37hpw, £21,660-£22,920. Must have at least five years' technical experience in vehicle fleet maintenance as well as at
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Musical hopes of thief with brass
A PROLIFIC teenage offender stole two trombones - so he could take up music. Danny Sayers, 17, was arrested after his fingerprints were found at the house in Valebrook, Sunderland, following a break-in last April, Durham Crown Court was told. Property
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Summertime fun with extra maths
A SCHOOL in Newton Aycliffe is opening its doors to students wanting to develop their mathematical skills. The second Woodham Numeracy Summer School, open to year six pupils from the town's primary schools, will run from next Monday to August 24. Marie
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Milestone celebration for festival
THE organisers of a North-East music festival plan to celebrate the event's tenth anniversary in style. Last Saturday's ninth Stanley Blues Festival attracted 8,200 music lovers with a five-band line-up headlined by Blyth-born harmonica player Paul Lamb
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Search to find former fruit machine king
A LONG-LOST cousin of former fruit machines businessman Vince Landa has made a plea for him to get in touch. Frank Luvaglio last saw Mr Landa more than 30 years ago, and the pair have lost touch. Mr Luvaglio is attempting to trace his childhood friend
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MP's support for cancer unit visit
AN MP will be among visitors to a mobile cancer information centre when it arrives on Teesside. Ashok Kumar, the Middlesbrough south and east Cleveland MP, will call at the Macmillan Cancer Relief Centre, when it visits Gilkes Street, Middlesbrough, tomorrow
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Local artists centre stage
An art gallery is looking close to home for the contents of its latest exhibition. About 200 works by local artists have gone on show at Billingham Art Gallery in the Joint Art Societies annual showcase of amateur art. Favourite themes include delicate
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999 calls prove it's quicker by bike
MORE paramedics could soon be racing to emergencies on motorcycles after a trial in the region showed that they are much faster than traditional ambulances. And ambulance staff in busy cities could be issued with bicycles in a bid to beat congestion.
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Brother's pain over flat death mystery
THE brother of a former North-East man who was found dead in his London home, has spoken of his shock at the tragedy. Jack Peacock, of Norton Road, Stockton, Teesside, was grief-stricken when he heard that his brother Alan, 71, had been found by emergency
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Penny's from heaven
PENNY PICTURES is strongly fancied to get punters off to a flyer in the opener at Catterick this afternoon where racing resumes following an enforced five-month break due to the foot-and-mouth restrictions. The selection sports the well-known white and
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Rape trial judge calls for inquiry
A JUDGE yesterday called for a police probe into the sale of alcohol to underage youngsters after jailing a teenager for raping a girl while they were both drunk. At Teesside Crown Court Judge David Bryant urged that guilty shopkeepers should be stripped
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Job Search 2001
MORE details about the jobs below are available from the Employment Service Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Primary school teacher, Newton Aycliffe. NMW. Full-time. Must be fully qualified and have experience of children with behavioural problems. Ref: NEU
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Job Search 2001
MORE details about the jobs below are available from the Employment Service Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Commercial diesel fitter, Stockton. £5.90ph, Mon-Fri, 8am-4.30pm. Time-served preferred. Must have clean driving licence preferably HGV. Ref: STL 28958
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Breeding success for rare seabird
CONSERVATION officials are celebrating following a successful breeding season at a North-East nesting site of one of the UK's rarest seabirds. More than 30 chicks are known to have hatched from eggs laid at the little tern colony at Crimdon Dene, near
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Protest over planned post office closure
ELDERLY residents are protesting against the proposed closure of their post office this morning They say the post office, in Oxford Road, Thornaby, is also a lifeline for residents and mothers with young children on the heavily-populated area. Stockton
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Hospital store needs volunteers
VISITORS, patients and staff will be able to say it with flowers when a charity opens its new convenience store at the University Hospital North Durham. The Women's Royal Voluntary Service (WRVS) is looking for volunteers to help at this store, as well
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Praise for blaze action
A PENSIONER has been praised for acting in a "textbook" manner after a fire broke out at her home. The incident happened at about 9.30pm on Sunday, when the woman's son accidentally set fire to a bedroom of the house at Diomed Court, Marton Manor, Middlesbrough
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Urgent talks as problems plague new hospital
A LACK of beds combined with a surge in demand is causing severe problems at the region's newest hospital. Bosses at the privately-financed University Hospital of North Durham have called for urgent talks with health authorities and local GPs about the
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Anger over paths reopening in restricted farm
A WENSLEYDALE farmer is angry that footpaths across his land have been reopened when his farm is still under foot-and-mouth restrictions. Dr Roy Hill owns a smallholding on the edge of Hawes which is covered by a D notice. He said: "If our D notice was
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Brought to book by literary standards
THE Ireshopeburn Literary Institute may be little used for the purpose originally intended, but there is reading matter, nonetheless. On a windowsill stand precisely 13 well-patronised paperbacks of the sort sometimes known as trashy novels; on the wall
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Keeping the coast clear of dangers
OKAY, I'm not Pamela Anderson and the beach at Redcar is a far cry from Los Angeles. But the problems remain the same whatever beach you happen to be lazing on - children will cause a major panic by going missing, people will still take inflatable dinghies
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Young soldier hails career in the Army
A YOUNG soldier who swapped a modelling career to become an Army health care assistant is returning home to talk about her experiences in the services. Private Karli Pearson, 18, from East Stanley has completed her basic training, and is about to embark
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Murder squad to question tenant
DETECTIVES are waiting to speak to a badly injured man who could hold the key to a murder. Police are treating as "suspicious" the death of 41-year-old market trader Kalvant Singh, whose body was discovered lying in the backyard of a house in central
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Community's picnic in the park strikes a musical note
PEOPLE living in the Grangetown area of Middlesbrough are gearing up for a musical picnic in the park. The event took place for the first time last year, but now organisers are hoping it will become an annual occasion and that this year's event will be
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Newest arrival is owlet of trouble
THE latest arrival at a bird of prey centre may only be young - but he's keeping staff on the hop. The little snowy owl is only 12 weeks old, but is demanding attention for every waking minute of his day. And his carers at Falconry UK, at Sion Hill Hall
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Wilson hoping to catch Eriksson's eye
MIDDLESBROUGH-bound Mark Wilson is aiming to make up for lost time and force his way to the forefront of Sven-Goran Eriksson's England plans. Wilson, poised to complete a joint a £4m switch to Teesside along with Manchester United colleague Jonathan Greening
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Bank takes on challenge to improve profits
GLOBAL banking company HSBC overcame "challenging" conditions to post half-year figures ahead of City expectations. Pre-tax profits in the six months to June 30 reached £3.77bn, compared with £3.6bn a year earlier. Shares lifted three per cent in early
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Duke sniffs out secrets of sewage
THE Duke of Edinburgh got to the bottom of the sewage treatment business yesterday - and didn't flinch. Prince Philip, 80, was not afraid to get his hands dirty when he opened a new giant drying machine at Northumbrian Water's award-winning Regional Sludge
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Legal action not ruled out in care home jobs fight
A UNION is preparing to launch legal and industrial action against a charity which is getting rid of up to 20 nursing staff from care homes. The redundancies will be introduced at Charlotte Grange, Throston Grange and Gardner House care homes, Hartlepool
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Lack of surgeons and cash 'putting lives at risk'
A SHORTAGE of surgeons and a lack of investment is putting lives at risk, according to a hard-hitting report into NHS services in the region. Patients who suffer from life-threatening vascular failure need to be seen by a specialist surgeon as soon as
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Police to decide on pub death charges
POLICE investigating a double murder will this morning decide whether to press charges against a North-East man. On Sunday, West Yorkshire Police secured permission from magistrates to hold the 40-year-old Middlesbrough man for a further 36 hours for
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Passport probe clips wings of Peruvian flyer
NOLBERTO SOLANO faced a worrying wait at passport control yesterday before being allowed into France to play in Newcastle United's Intertoto Cup final first leg against Troyes. The Peruvian international was held up by gendarmes for nearly five minutes
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Neale victim group to meet health chiefs
HEALTH bosses have offered to meet campaigners who are fighting for a public inquiry. Victims of disgraced former Northallerton surgeon Richard Neale, struck off for botching a string of operations, are pushing for a more open investigation. Last month
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Faithful servants on upward career path
THERE could soon be more women than men working at Faithful & Gould's Newcastle office. The international project and cost consultancy, established just over a year ago, already employs 19 staff. They include JUSTINE PLATT, 29, senior surveyor and
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Eminem tracks bring accident victim Dione, 12, out of coma
FOUL-MOUTHED rapper Eminem has helped to bring a critically ill 12-year-old girl out of a coma. Dione Armstrong had been unconscious for 11 days after a road accident and was breathing with the aid of a life support machine. In desperation, Dione's mother
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Recession puts the blocks on airline
BRITISH Airways is being hit by the global economic slowdown as operating profits for the first quarter fell to almost half last year's level. The group said it had suffered from "weak market demand", particularly in the US, and that the outlook for the
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Food show hits the road
THE National Farmers' Union's food and farming roadshow is coming to the region in a bid to encourage more people to eat British-produced fare. Local farmers and growers will join the roadshow at its various stops in the region. But farming communities
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Comment from The Northern Echo; A plea for the vulnerable
WE are constantly, and rightly, being told that Britain is just one part of a global economy. As such, our country will always find it difficult to escape the repercussions of a downturn in the United States. While the inherent strength of the British
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Recession threat to 10,000 workers
THE North-East was last night facing up to the grim prospect of thousands more job losses as the manufacturing sector slipped into recession. Union leaders warned that up to 10,000 jobs could be axed over the next 12 months. Government figures show that
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Salsa - the sexy way to slim this summer
THE FITNESS studio is filled with laughter and smiles. Giggles do seem a little out of place in a gym, which is usually filled with straining bodies, burning off last night's excesses, but the sound of people having fun is distinct and unmistakable. The
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Prison silent on killer's challenge
PRISON Service officials were tight lipped last night about a convicted child killer's legal challenge to his North-East prison sentence. Manchester bus driver Darren Vickers was jailed for life in 1999 for abducting and murdering eight-year-old Jamie
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Who's profiting from this loss?
IT took 30 years for David Dugdale to build up a pedigree dairy herd he could be proud of - and just five hours for it to be destroyed. Now, on top of the devastation of losing his livestock, comes anger at the suggestion he, and thousands of farmers
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Campaign to cut fire deaths
A CAMPAIGN to try to reduce the 670 house fires in County Durham every year is being launched next month. Latest Government statistics show six people died and 102 people were injured in fires in the region in 1999. The Fire Safety Week campaign, starting
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Thieves snatch guns in home raid
SHOTGUNS and rifles have been stolen in a raid on a house in Weardale. The detached home near Wolsingham was targeted on Sunday night. It is close to another property from which burglars escaped with a £10,000 haul less than two weeks ago. Detectives
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Opening of £20m store is delayed
THE opening of a multi- million pound supermarket has been delayed because work on nearby roads has not been completed. The £20m Tesco store on the former Hugh Mackay carpet factory at Dragonville, Durham, was expected to open this week. The company is
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Safety demand after boy loses fingertip
A FATHER has urged council housing chiefs to fit safety catches on all kitchen doors after his 11-month-old son chopped off the tip of a finger in an accident. Ian Tague had to rush his screaming son Ross to hospital after he got his finger caught in
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Young norwegian pines for united career
NORWEGIAN football fanatic Patrick Rowland is hoping his dream of playing for his beloved Newcastle United might just come true. The 15-year-old Magpies fan, who first began supporting Newcastle when he was three-years-old, is keeping his fingers crossed
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Mark proves cut above the rest to reach competition final
A HAIRDRESSER from Darlington has reached the finals of the North-Eastern Hairdresser of the Year competition. Mark Bailey, of Toni & Guy, will compete against six other people from the region in the finals, at the Grosvenor House Hotel, in London's
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Man lucky to survive 40ft plunge
A MAN who plunged 40ft through the skylight of an indoor market had fallen from a flat, it emerged yesterday. The 28-year-old man, who has not been named, is believed to have lost his balance while sitting on a window ledge at his girlfriend's flat, in
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A delicate balancing act for today's mothers
CHAINED to a desk with a phone in one hand and an overflowing cappuccino in the other, Annabel Cornish looks like any ordinary business woman to have made it in her field. Doing ten-hour days and taking her work home with her after that, Annabel could
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Tanker drivers in pay row
TANKER drivers from the North-East may strike over possible pay cuts of £5,000 under new contracts. About 100 drivers at Billingham, Felling, Ellesmere Port, West Thurrock, Hull and Stallingborough are taking part in the national ballot involving the
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Second house blaze boy dies
A BOY has lost his battle to live, two months after he suffered horrific burns in a fire that claimed the life of his half-brother. Four-year-old Stephen Peel had been desperately clinging on at Newcastle General Hospital since fire gutted the bedroom
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Staff aim to buy home
STAFF at a closure-threatened nursing home have launched a last-minute attempt to buy the property themselves. Carers at Hayrick, in Lanchester, near Consett, County Durham, say they need to raise £270,000 to buy it from Dr Anwar Hossain. The 28 staff
