Archive
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Forum focuses on helping the disabled to find work
EFFORTS to help the disabled into the workplace have been outlined at a day-long forum. Durham County Council's social services department teamed up with a variety of agencies to formulate its Welfare to Work joint plan. Aimed at making practical help
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Quakers 'defeated' over porn peddlers
FOOTBALL club chiefs have admitted they are powerless to remove pornographic material from their former Internet web address. Directors at Darlington Football Club pledged to do everything they could to remove the graphic images of naked women. But they
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Call out for young talent
YOUNG stars and generous sponsors are needed to turn an ambitious youth theatre project into reality. Dionysis Theatre Company was launched earlier this month and needs young singers, dancers and actors in the North-East to take part in a £25,000 production
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Pub owners on attack over cash
PUB owners have attacked the Government for wasting taxpayers' money in an area devastated by foot-and-mouth disease. Colin and Diana Stratton, who own the Wellington Heifer at Ainderby Steeple, near Northallerton, said vets working in the North Yorkshire
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School in tune with West End
A MUSIC concert of the well-known West End shows will be performed at Richmond School, on Saturday. The concert, which starts at 7.30pm, is performed by Alan Owens musical productions. All proceeds from the evening will benefit the Butterwick Children's
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Anger at schools merger plan
PLANS to amalgamate an infant and primary school have moved a step closer. At a meeting of Middlesbrough Council's education cabinet on Tuesday, councillors agreed to progress plans for Ayresome infant and junior schools to the next phase. Now, a series
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Helping build 500ft Buddha
COMPUTER experts are helping to create the world's tallest statue. Ten members of staff from Sunderland technical solutions firm, Leighton, are working with consultancy group Mott MacDonald to build a 500ft Buddha in India. The statue will be constructed
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Flower's pulling power
SIZE matters - or at least it seems to in the tiny Dales hamlet of Gunnerside. It is there that something which used to resemble Bill and Ben's friend, Little Weed, has refused to stop growing. Tourists have been knocking on Margaret Johnson's door to
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Cedric heats up appeal for needy youngsters
A NEW fundraising initiative aimed at getting youngsters to raise money for vulnerable children has been launched in schools in the North-East. Children's charity NCH has launched the North-East Appeal, asking primary schools to take part in Cedric's
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Inquest told of horror book tragedy
A SQUEAMISH teenager plunged to her death from a veranda after being shown a book full of gruesome pictures, it emerged yesterday. Odette Coulson, who was 14, was one of a group of pupils looking through a book called Carnival of the Grotesque during
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In search of Kate Adie
IN THE Sun there's war on. "Where is Kate Adie?" demanded Tuesday's paper, seeking to stand up a story that Wearside's finest - OBE, Freedom of the City, honorary professorship, more degrees than a Fahrenheit thermometer - had been "pulled out of New
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Union supports school bus protest
A UNION has added its support to a campaign by hundreds of parents protesting at plans to cut school transport. The Darlington branch of the public services union, Unison, is supporting parents' objections to Darlington Borough Council's proposals. More
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Couple's wait for a new home is ended
A Public and private housing partnership has ended a couple's nine-year wait for a new home. Pensioners Iris and Vaughan Barnard have moved into one of ten housing association bungalows which have been designed for the over-55s, on a Bellway Homes development
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Attack dogs to be put down
THREE dogs which left a woman permanently scarred and fearful for her life have been handed death sentences after a court ruled they had been dangerously out of control. Narinder Kaur Batth needed 300 stitches and spent 11 days in hospital after last
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Living under Taliban rule
THE sight of an elderly woman questioning a stall-holder's inflated price of food is a scene that occurs thousands of times a day across the world. But, in this case, it was in Afghanistan, and it earned the woman a public whipping for her impertinence
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Comment from The Northern Echo; Confusing the real issue
BED-blocking is a horrible, callous term. It coldly refers to old people who are effectively homeless. They were admitted to hospital because of a medical problem. That problem has now been eased so that they no longer need the specialist treatment that
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"Dirty" companies named and shamed
COMPANIES in the region which have failed to reduce emissions have been named and shamed by the Environment Agency. A report on good and bad performance by businesses across the country has been produced by the agency to highlight those who did not work
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Tourism centre picks up award
A SMALL rural tourist centre is aiming for national success after picking up an award in the region's "tourism Oscars". Staff at Middleton-in-Teesdale Tourist Information Centre were celebrating yesterday after being named the best in the region at the
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Objectors demand public inquiry on estate extension
CAMPAIGNERS opposing an extension to an industrial estate proposed for farmland have vowed to take their fight to a public inquiry. Members of Durham County Council's planning committee yesterday approved a £1.3m five-hectare development at Esh Winning
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Man is jailed for robbing
A FATHER-of-two who robbed a Metro passenger after threatening him has been jailed. Neil Whitehouse, 22, approached the teenager, who was on the Tyneside transport system, and said he had a weapon which he was willing to use. Newcastle Crown Court heard
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Dinosaurs exhibition is worth digesting
MORE than 65 millin years ago they roamed the planet, but now they are to meander around a North-East city. The stars of BBC's Walking with Dinosaurs series, including deinonychus, velociraptors and, of course, the tyrannosaurus rex, are to be brought
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Airlines wield jobs axe
THE beleaguered airline industry suffered another blow last night - reinforcing fears that the world was sliding into recession. First, Canadian company Bombardier announced cuts at its Shorts aircraft plant in Belfast. Gloom deepened when US carrier
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Company pays price for weight loss claim
CLAIMS that slimming pills which helped produce weight loss while you were asleep was bogus, a court heard yesterday. Trading standards officers in North Yorkshire took action when they were tipped off about the bogus herbal remedies sold by Libra International
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From washer-up to landlady
Nichola Swinburn has realised her childhood dream of owning her local village pub, 17 years after she first worked there. The 31-year-old started her first job when she was 14, washing up at the Fox and Hounds, in Cotherstone, near Barnard Castle. But
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Deadline set for move to £67m hospital
HEALTH workers are looking forward to one of the biggest challenges of their careers with the completion of a hospital two months ahead of schedule. Patients and staff at Bishop Auckland General Hospital will start moving into the £67m new accommodation
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Danny praises Conlon
Darlington forward Danny Mellanby has praised strike-partner Barry Conlon for helping push Quakers into the top five whilst easing him into his first year in professional football. The Irishman's equaliser on Tuesday against Macclesfield made him joint
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Labour chairman cancels N-E trip
A VISIT to the region by the chairman of the Labour Party, Charles Clarke, was cancelled at the last minute yesterday following the death of his mother. The cabinet minister had planned to take time out from his official business to visit the area of
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£10m appeal to create new child hospice
MORE than a thousand children with life-threatening illnesses will benefit from a desperately-needed children's hospice in the North-East, fundraisers said yesterday. Broadcasting personality Kathy Secker, who is spearheading a campaign to raise £10m
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Tutu can dance in
AUTUMN is traditionally a time when the bookmakers hold a significant advantage over punters. And it's not hard to understand why, because rapidly-changing ground conditions, as well as horses tiring after a busy summer campaign, often lets in less established
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Thrown rider died three days later
A RIDER died after suffering severe head injuries when she was thrown from her horse, an inquest heard yesterday. Hayley Whitfield, who had spent a day riding with her father, was returning home with him on the East Cowton to Great Smeaton road, in North
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Walks season closes
A PROGRAMME of summer walks comes to a close with an eight-mile coastal trek on Sunday. National Trust warden Peter Collins will lead the Pier to Pier Ramble between the mouths of the rivers Wear and Tyne. The walk is along the Sunderland to South Shields
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Builder cements future with go-it-alone pledge
BARRATT Developments has pledged to go it alone and steer clear of recent merger activity in the housebuilding sector. The Newcastle group said its landbank was large enough to enable it not to follow a trend which has seen seven of the UK's top 12 housebuilders
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Plastics company sheds 97 workers
FINNISH plastics components company Perlos is planning to make 97 workers redundant. The Rainton Bridge plant, at Sunderland, plans to lay off the staff as it battles a combination of external market factors. These are believed to include the loss of
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Hopes for housing investment after minister's visit
AN MP is hoping to attract investment in housing stock following a minister's visit. Stockton South MP Dari Taylor accompanied Lord Charles Falconer, the Housing and Planning Minister, during a trip to Teesside on Monday. He began his visit at the Robert
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Internet safety sessions
PEOPLE across Teesside are being offered the chance to take part in a free Internet safety awareness session. Cyberangels in Partnership with Teesside is offering free one-hour sessions to adults, children and community groups. Cyberangels volunteer David
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Shelter's fight for winter cash
AN ANIMAL sanctuary is looking for extra cash to care for its animals during the winter months. Animal lover Cliff Spedding, 41, set up the Hope Animal Shelter at Whitecliffe Cottage, Skinningrove, about seven years ago. He has been caring for animals
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Murder charge
A 22-YEAR-OLD man has been charged with the murder of Sandra Black, 39, whose dismembered remains were found in a coal bunker in Gateshead on Monday. William Francis Johnston, of Camborne Grove, will appear before Gateshead magistrates today. A post-mortem
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Farmers' concern over dumped waste bags
CONCERNED farmers are demanding answers after they found a hoard of foot-and-mouth waste bags dumped by a roadside. The discovery was made after Defra officials culled animals in three farms in Northumberland. The waste bags, believed to contain protective
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Role of player agents led to charges
THE role of agents in Christian Ziege's contentious transfer from Middlesbrough to Liverpool prompted the Premier League to level charges against the German international. As exclusively revealed in Northern Echo Sport yesterday, both Liverpool and Ziege
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Special school has double celebration
North Yorkshire's only school specialising in educating handicapped youngsters is enjoying a two-pronged celebration. Welburn Hall School, Kirkbymoorside - which has twice faced closure - is marking its golden jubilee and has just received two pieces
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Search launched for purse thief
AN 85-year-old woman had her purse stolen after a man barged into her house offering to sharpen her knives. A scruffy-looking man, in his 20s, walked into the pensioner's house, in Reynolds Close, Stanley, after she left a back door unlocked. The trickster
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Funeral for police chief
A FORMER police superintendent, with nearly 30 years' experience working for North-East forces, has died. John Punshon, 77, a retired police superintendent with the Durham and Northumbria forces died on September 20, after a long illness. Friends and
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Cash to help mentoring services
A VOLUNTARY group has been awarded £127,000 over three years to support those making a positive move away from substance abuse and crime towards training and employment. The cash deal for the Tyne and Wear Mentoring Service was announced yesterday by
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Glimpses of the printed past
A RECENT move to a new office has unearthed a collection of printing samples revealing hidden details about a town's past. Printer and stationer A A Sotheran recently moved to a new office when the firm refurbished part of its Queen Street premises in
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Lighting to be improved
ACTION is being taken to tackle poor lighting in streets in Hartlepool. The problem in Coatham Drive, Meadow Drive and Valley Close is caused by the age of the lamps and lampposts. The lighting is to be improved by removing all but the bottom section
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A walk on the wild side
BEING in charge of an organisation with a £15m turnover, 500 staff and 20,000 clients could be a daunting task. But for a woman who has back-packed in the most remote parts of the world, taking on Darlington College of Technology was just another challenge
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Man dies in van crash
A MAN has died after his van collided with an articulated lorry on a Teesside road. The 44-year-old victim, who lives in Lancashire, was driving his Renault Mazda van along the A1043 Nunthorpe bypass, just after 1.30pm on Wednesday, when the accident
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Safety pledge over fair deaths
SAFETY bosses have promis-ed new guidelines to protect fun lovers at fairgrounds and amusement parks following a series of fatal accidents. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has conducted a review of fairground safety and is calling for better measures
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Family gather for diamond day
DIAMOND wedding couple Bill and Peggy Richardson celebrated 60 years together at the weekend. They first in London's Hyde Park, in 1937, when they both independently went to the capital to find work, from their native Stanley. They were married in Stanley
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Farmers to be offered expert advice for recovery
WENSLEYDALE farmers, whose livelihoods have been hit hard by foot-and-mouth disease, are to be offered expert advice during the recovery process. The North Yorkshire Business Link organisation has teamed up with the farmers' Rejuvenate self-help group
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Top riders in trials line-up
SOME of the country's top horse riders, including Barnard Castle's Karen Dixon, will compete over three days of trials at Witton Castle, near Bishop Auckland, at the weekend. Ms Dixon's fellow Olympian, Ian Stark, from Scotland, is among 450 competitors
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Burial service review
PEOPLE are being invited to have their say on burial matters as a council makes a bid to improve its services. Wear Valley District Council's overview and scrutiny committee is undertaking an investigation into cemeteries and other related issues. The
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Farm markets quest
THE search is on for the region's best farmers' market. The National Farmers' Union is urging shoppers to vote for the best market and farm shop in England and Wales. In less than four years, more than 300 farmers' markets have sprung up across the country
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Big cheeses hoping for awards
SOME big cheeses will be hoping to make their mark at a national competition this weekend. Prince Charles's estate is among the entrants in the British Cheese Awards at Stow-on-the-Wold tomorrow. But Highgrove House will be pitted against former title
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Envoy to speak at business dinner
THE British ambassador to the US will speak at the rearranged annual dinner of the British American Chamber of Commerce (BACC). The dinner, to be held at the Lumley Castle Hotel, near Chester-le-Street, on Monday, October 8, has been rescheduled following
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Review gas safety - council is urged
A LOCAL authority has come under fire for failing to comply with gas safety regulations. Chester-le-Street District Council, which acts as landlord for 5,600 council houses in the area, was criticised in a scathing Audit Commission report published last
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Community centre celebrates 25 years
SILVER anniversary celebrations are under way at a community centre in Grangetown. When centre clerk Margaret Bell was given the key to the door of the centre, in Stapylton Street, 25 years ago there was no fuss or ceremony. Now Margaret and the nine
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Lee's career is flowing along nicely
A YOUNG plumber from the North-East has a promising career in the pipeline after picking up a regional award. Lee Mentier, 21, from Marske, east Cleveland, started training in August 1999 after landing an apprenticeship with Redcar and Cleveland Borough
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Rare breeds man ordered to repay £150,000
A world-renowned parrot breeder who was jailed for smuggling rare species into Britain has been ordered to pay £150,000 made from his criminal activities. Henry Sissen, 63, now faces selling his share in a family farm in North Yorkshire and his remaining
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Floorboards lifted as hunt for guns goes on
THESE are some of the weapons officers unearthed in a house on a North-East council estate. The guns were among a haul of ammunition, explosives, chemicals and weapon parts found in the house in Kexwith Moor Close, Darlington. Yesterday, John Lambert,
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Trees boost for wildlife
WILDLIFE in the region is to benefit from a £150,000 tree-planting scheme that will create more than 100 extra acres of woodland. The Forestry Commission has awarded six projects in the North Pennine Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, including three
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Company pays price for weight loss claim
CLAIMS that slimming pills which helped produce weight loss while you were asleep was bogus, a court heard yesterday. Trading standards officers in North Yorkshire took action when they were tipped off about the bogus herbal remedies sold by Libra International
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Tourism losses 'to hit £2.5bn'
BRITAIN'S tourism industry stands to lose about £2.5bn this year as a result of the terrorist attacks in the US and the effects of the foot-and-mouth outbreak, tourism chiefs said yesterday. Spending by overseas visitors in Britain, originally forecast
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Inquest told of horror book tragedy
A SQUEAMISH teenager plunged to her death from a veranda after being shown a book full of gruesome pictures, it emerged yesterday. Odette Coulson, who was 14, was one of a group of pupils looking through a book called Carnival of the Grotesque during
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Former MP's widow dies at the age of 88
THE widow of a former Darlington MP, Margaret Elaine Bourne-Arton, died at the family home, aged 88. Mrs Bourne-Arton, whose late husband, Anthony, was MP from 1959 to 1964, was a Mothers' Union member and patron of the parish church in West Tanfield,
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Jail for man who attacked nurse
A MAN has been jailed for two months for assaulting a nurse who was trying to help him. John Reintoul, of no fixed address, admitted assaulting Melanie Anderson at Bishop Auckland General Hospital. He also admitted being drunk and disorderly at the hospital
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Solano strike sends the Magpies soaring
A RARE left-footed finish by Nolberto Solano was enough to lift Newcastle back into the Premiership's top five against lowly Leicester at St. James' Park last night. Solano, a below-par performer in Sunday's 3-0 humbling at West Ham, registered his fifth
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Mother's anger at bike thieves
A MOTHER has spoken of her anger after thieves stole her epileptic son's motocross bike. Carol Millfield, from Middleton St George, woke yesterday morning to find thieves had removed her garage doors and stolen the yellow Suzuki off-road 125cc motocross
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Free helpline for NHS trust staff
NHS Trust staff are using a new free advice and counselling helpline to talk about their personal problems. In the first quarter-year of its operation, 54 people contacted the South Durham Health Care NHS Trust helpline, which offers counselling and information
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New website to provide business advice
BUSINESS Link York and North Yorkshire has introduced a new identity on the Internet. The organisation, which has provided help, advice and information to thousands of small and medium-sized business since it was established in 1996, has launched a website
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Ince eyes Italy as Boro career nears end
PAUL Ince's Middlesbrough days are numbered after the club told the player his contract will not be renewed at the end of the season. Ince is now ready to finish his playing career in Italy, where he spent two years playing for Inter Milan before moving
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Belief is the key for Pool
CONFIDENT Chris Turner believes self-belief is the key to ending Hartlepool's miserable start to the season. Pool lie second bottom of Division Three, level on six points with rock-bottom Exeter and above the Grecians only on goal difference. After Tuesday's
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Eight projects get benefit from new Lottery grants
COMMUNITY projects all over the region are to benefit from a series of new Lottery grants. Eight grants have been awarded under the Community Fund to schemes which help disadvantaged people around the North-East. Among those to benefit from the money
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Police station funds appeal
POLICE authority members are being asked to approve extra funding for a police station refurbishment. At a meeting of Cleveland Police Authority in December 1998, it was agreed to set a limit of £30,000 for building work on the custody area at Redcar
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Parents back scheme for toy library
REDCAR and Cleveland Borough Council's early years development and childcare partnership plans to create a toy library which will service all parts of the borough. The plans complement the national childcare strategy and the work of the government-backed
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Mayor praises generosity
A FORMER mayor of Hartlepool has praised the generosity of people who supported his fundraising efforts during his year in office. Councillor Frank Rogers, who left office in May, paid tribute to the town after raising more than £7,000. He spoke after
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Cassidy to sing after all
HEART-THROB pop star from the 1970s David Cassidy is to appear for a one-off concert in the North-East - at last. The star had been billed as being due to play at Newcastle's Telewest Arena but he cancelled the gig claiming he wasn't consulted properly
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'We'll face weapons of mass destruction'
The US issued a bleak warning to Britain and other key allies last night that the war against international terrorism could mean conflict with nations possessing weapons of mass destruction. As six RAF Tornado jets left RAF Leeming, North Yorkshire, for
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Wear club shirts to funeral - say family
FRIENDS and family of a football-mad teenager, who died in an attack outside a village club, have been asked to give him a red-and-white send-off. Paul Smith's family have invited those attending his funeral in Thornley on Monday to turn up - not in the
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Pat on the back for a failed guide dog
ILK the Labrador might have failed as a guide dog, but he is proving a hit in his new role as a pet-dog for terminally ill children. Ilk, six, was adopted by Michael Plews, a nursery nurse at the Butterwick Children's Hospice at Stockton, a year ago.
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Sports complex awaits go-ahead
A £1.5m sports complex could soon be created in east Cleveland. The aim of the Hollybush Activity Centre, in Skelton, would be to improve the lifestyles of people by providing sports, health and play opportunities. It is also hoped that the centre would
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Wartime friends meet again after 50 years
TWO war veterans were reunited yesterday after 50 years. Kathleen Staniforth, from Darlington, met up with Bunty Coxon, from Sutton Coldfield, who she worked with in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force during the Second World War. The pair, who are both now
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Hear all sides
TERRORISM SO we are warned that, because we support America in their stand against terrorists, Britain will become the next target for them. So what is new? We have been the target of the IRA terrorists ever since Ireland was divided in 1922 and, oddly
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League tackles strays problem
DOG owners will soon get the chance to have their pets electronically tagged for free, or at a reduced cost. The National Canine Defence League (NCDL), in partnership with Sunderland City Council, is running a campaign throughout the next two months.
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Fire attack inquiry plea for witnesses
DETECTIVES investigating a fire attack on a man in a pub toilet say they have been met with a wall of silence from potential witnesses. Barry McCann, 36, from Chester-le-Street, was doused with a flammable liquid and set alight in the toilet at the Warriors
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Homes plea for asylum seekers
COUNCILLORS are being asked to release 14 houses for asylum seekers in Chester-le-Street. The district council's executive has been asked to provide the accommodation as part of the authority's second contract with the Home Office. All the costs associated
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Bid for pool may be 'uphill battle'
A DALES community has been warned that building a swimming pool could be an uphill battle especially if it struggles to win the support of The National Lottery. Hawes has already raised £20,000 towards the cost, but the total bill is just short of £1m
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Business allowed lease after row
A POPULAR Richmond business, which seemed destined to close within weeks following a row over its lease with the district council, has now been offered another year in the old station on the banks of the River Swale. However, a stormy meeting of Richmondshire
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No room at care homes sparks hospital crisis
FEARS are growing that the North-East could be at the centre of a hospital bed-blocking crisis this winter. The Government is increasingly facing demands for emergency measures after new figures revealed the number of elderly waiting for care home places
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City academy principal appointed
THE principal of a town's first city academy has been appointed. Eddie Brady, the head of Hermitage School, in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, will take over at the Unity City Academy, in east Middlesbrough, in January. He will lead the new academy
