Archive
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£45,000 to fight heart disease
A CARDIAC rehabilitation programme is to get a £45,000 extension as part of a bid to tackle the high death rate from heart disease in the Wear Valley. A successful application for Government funding to extend Bishop Auckland Hospital's cardiac rehabilitation
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Scandal of TDC's missing millions
UP to £34m may be missing from the accounts of a controversial North-East development agency, it is revealed today. An official report into the Teesside Development Corporation (TDC), wound up almost four years ago, has detailed a "damning indictment
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Glorious night for soccer fans
WHEN the Magpies jog on to their home pitch they can usually expect to be bowled over by a roar from 52,000 fans. Last Thursday night they could look every spectator in the eye. For one night the Premiership title chasers swapped the bright lights of
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Playing at doctors and nurses
SEEMINGLY out of thin air, Tony Blair and Health Secretary Alan Milburn somehow conjured up thousands of what we are assured are "real nurses" to run the NHS Direct service. Presumably these nurses could be employed in even more "direct" nursing - attending
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Schoolgirl in coma after ski accident
A 17-YEAR-OLD girl is fighting for her life after tragedy struck on a school skiing trip. Nicola Smales was left in a coma when she fell as she made her way down slopes. The freak accident happened on the last descent of the holiday, on Friday, in the
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Care homes closing ahead of schedule
RESIDENTS and staff face an early move from two old folks homes that are shutting down six months ahead of schedule. Durham County Council has brought forward the closure of Moor Grange, in Spennymoor, and Stoneleigh, in Barnard Castle, to October this
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Flood homes could be without insurance
Thousands of flood-hit homes could be left without insurance cover by early next year, a leading industry body warned today. Homes in the North-East and North Yorkshire have been devastated by flooding over the past 18 months, but in a postcode lottery
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Pupils put resolution into practice
DERWENTSIDE schoolchildren have kept their New Year's resolution to help the environment. Pupils from Shield Row, East Stanley and Bloemfontein primary schools, in the Stanley area, and The Grove and Moorside primary schools, in Consett, have been making
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Trust buying private ops despite £2m overspend fear
HOSPITAL officials have agreed to purchase hundreds of extra operations in the private sector, despite a possible £2m overspend. Managers at South Durham Health Care NHS Trust are going ahead with plans to commission 423 operations at private hospitals
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Sportsmen prepare for their overseas tour
Sportsmen from Middlesbrough will be donning their cricket whites next week and heading to Pakistan for the trip of a lifetime. Eighteen teenagers and adults, from socially deprived areas of the town, have been selected to represent Teesside on a three-week
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Ministry under fire over cull of healthy animals
MANY more animals than necessary were killed during Northumberland's foot-and-mouth outbreak, an independent report has concluded. The inquiry, commissioned by Northumberland County Council, blames the Government for adopting a strict policy of culling
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Willie the billiards star and world record breaker
'DARLINGTON Smith" was known all over the world. London, Manchester, Hong Kong, Sydney and Shanghai were all under his spell. He was once British champion, twice world champion and he held the world record on numerous occasions. There were queues of fans
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Emily celebrates her 107th birthday
SHE may be the oldest person in North Yorkshire - and yesterday Emily Cook celebrated in style. The Lord Mayor of York, Councillor Irene Waudby, was among those who attended a party celebrating Miss Cook's 107th birthday. Staff at Lime Tree House Residential
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Hunt for lost mother to be shown on TV
A WOMAN'S search to find the mother who abandoned her in a Darlington telephone box is to be highlighted on television. So far, her quest has reunited her with the man who found her, and a former classmate. Now she is hoping the television programme will
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Newcastle celebrates as profits, lending and savings all increase
INNOVATION and the exploitation of technology has paid off for the Newcastle Building Society. The society, which has 53 branches and 670 staff, recorded post tax profits of £12.1m, in the year to December 31, up ten per cent on the previous year. Total
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Gas detector saves family
A young mum says she and her family owe their lives to a tiny carbon monoxide detector distributed free under a council scheme. Vicky Collins, from Ferryhill in County Durham, believes her family could have been overcome by the deadly fumes from a faulty
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Homing Pigeon Boy 'will see tag as just another challenge'
THE North-East has played host to some of the worst young offenders in the country. The hope is that those seeking to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Homing Pigeon Boy, Rat Boy and Laughing Boy could now see their criminal careers curtailed by
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Ultimate keeps the party jumping
bar and nightclub operator Ultimate Leisure plans to expand outside its traditional North-East heartland. The Newcastle business operates 23 venues in the North-East,and is planning sites in Nottingham and Rotherham. More opportunities in the North are
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Shortage of skills affecting the future
YOU can hardly turn a newspaper page these days without seeing some reference to skills shortages - particularly in the manufacturing sector. Recently, the TUC urged the Government to make an extra £45m available to the North-East to tackle the problems
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School bids for special status
A COUNTY Durham school could be among the first in the country to attain specialist science status. Following the Government's launch last autumn of the specialist science college initiative, allowing schools to bid for extra funding for the subject,
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Council tax to increaseby 8.3%
HOUSEHOLDERS in Middlesbrough will pay almost a pound a week extra in council tax this year. Middlesbrough Council's cabinet yesterday agreed at a budget meeting to raise council tax by 8.3 per cent. Most of the town's households are in Band A and these
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Foot-and-mouth tests prove negative
Initial results of tests on a suspected new case of foot-and-mouth were negative, it was announced today. Final results of the tests involving two sheep at a farm in North Yorkshire will not be known for 96 hours. But the initial all-clear was good news
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Heart care service gets £45,000 boost
A CARDIAC rehabilitation programme is to get a £45,000 extension in an attempt to tackle an alarmingly high death rate from heart disease in the Wear Valley. A successful application for Government funding to extend Bishop Auckland Hospital's Cardiac
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Canadians continue to investigate Neale
Canadian detectives have confirmed that their inquiries into a disgraced surgeon are continuing. The ongoing probe continues as fresh efforts are made to persuade North Yorkshire police to re-open the file on Richard Neale. Former Northallerton mayor
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Danger bridge was 'too dear to repair'
A DANGEROUS railway bridge was brought to the attention of the authorities seven years ago, it emerged last night. Peter Raybould said he contacted the local council and the police to complain about the bridge, at Dalton-on-Tees, North Yorkshire. But
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Staff prepare to step out in style
CLOTHING store staff are taking to the catwalk for a charity fashion show. The event, organised by Newcastle's Grainger Town Project, takes place in the Assembly Rooms today, and features 30 staff from the fashion outlets in the Grainger Quarter. It offers
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Playing at doctors and nurses
SEEMINGLY out of thin air, Tony Blair and Health Secretary Alan Milburn somehow conjured up thousands of what we are assured are "real nurses" to run the NHS Direct service. Presumably these nurses could be employed in even more "direct" nursing - attending
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A load of old nonsense
The other day upon the stair, I met a man who wasn't there, He wasn't there again today, I wish that man would go away... Which probably says it all. It is to be another fool's errand, a column for those whom Mr Denis Healey once called silly Billies,
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Hospice funds receive £1,000 boost
STAFF and students at the University of Durham, Stockton Campus have raised £1,000 for the Butterwick Hospice. Louise McCathie and Lee Bane, both from John Snow College at the Campus, sold raffle tickets at the Christmas staff party. Students from the
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Robson attacker sentenced to jail
A man who left the daughter of former Middlesbrough football manager Bryan Robson scarred for life was today jailed for three months. Mark Bregazzi, 20, must also pay £1,000 compensation to Claire Louise Robson for injuries inflicted with a head butt
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Teachers back from Africa mission
NINE teachers from Darlington schools went on a fact- finding visit to South Africa as part of a national effort to learn from education systems abroad. As well as learning about a range of schools in Pretoria, Johannesburg and Soweto, the teachers were
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Youngsters join in quayside fun
MORE than 50 Hartlepool children and their parents turned up for a fun day at Hartlepool's Historic Quay. The day was part of a consultation exercise to help youth workers understand what young people wanted in their town. The Hartlepool Children's Fund
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Pub's trio add up to a tasty treat
A NEW range of food at a village pub and restaurant has created a new job for a young chef. Hoping to reflect its existing chefs' individual skills, management at the Fighting Cocks, in Middleton St George, near Darlington, set out to design new menus
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Villagers annoyed at tidy trophy delay
FRUSTRATED residents are still waiting for a tidy village trophy to be erected, three months after it was awarded. Aycliffe Village won The Northern Echo trophy for small general villages in last year's County Durham Tidy Village Competition. A site on
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Club has to pay golfer it snubbed
GOLFER Andrew Holmes has won compensation from an upper-crust golf club which refused to accept him as a member. Fulford Golf Club, in York, has been ordered to make amends to Mr Holmes, 33, after he took it to York County Court. Mr Holmes, a married
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Thriving market lights up Rothmans
BRITISH American Tobacco (BAT) has posted a surge in full-year profits as smokers around the world shrugged off economic concerns and continued to light up. The company's Rothmans operation in Darlington, which employs about 600 staff making Dunhill cigarettes
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Foot-and-mouth: Is the nightmare back?
THE spectre of foot-and-mouth disease returned last night as Government officials confirmed they were investigating a suspected fresh outbreak of the disease in the region. Five months after the last confirmed case, ministry scientists announced that
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Riverside homes proposal attacked by watchdog
AN environmental watchdog has condemned plans to build 60 houses overlooking a river. Councillors in Stockton have approved the scheme for Ingleby Barwick, after developers offered to create a 49-acre country park. However, the Campaign for the Protection
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Trip to the Orient ends in stalemate
Tommy Taylor's return to former club Leyton Orient ended in stalemate despite Darlington being under pressure for most of the game - but at least Quakers didn't play as badly as they did against Torquay. On Saturday Darlington were dreadful and last night
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Teacher's tears over river walk tragedy
A TEACHER wiped away tears yesterday as he described how a pupil slipped from his grasp and was swept to her death as he tried to save her in a fast-flowing river. Andy Miller told an inquest jury how he chased down the side of Stainforth Beck, near Settle
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Mallon: 'the truth behind the rumours'
With the row over Operation Lancet still raging, The Northern Echo puts Ray Mallon on the spot and asks him to answer - for the first time - the 14 disciplinary charges against him. THE main charges against me concern rumours - and there have been plenty
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Schoolgirl in coma after ski accident
A 17-YEAR-OLD girl is fighting for her life after tragedy struck on a school skiing trip. Nicola Smales was left in a coma when she fell as she made her way down slopes. The freak accident happened on the last descent of the holiday, on Friday, in the
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Last night's TV
Simon's blue period - The Whole Nine Yards (Tyne Tees) SMALL can be beautiful is the message that garden expert Simon Cross is sending out with this regional series. Not for him the massive gardens transformed by the likes of Diarmuid Gavin or Alan Titchmarsh
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On call to achieve charity goal
Footballer Niall Quinn set the ball rolling yesterday for telephone donations towards his charity match fund. Sunderland's Irish striker visited Barclays' call centre, at Sunderland's Doxford International Business Park, to receive phone pledges from
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Housing decision tonic for brewery
THE outcome of a housing decision has provided a boost for a North-East brewery involved in merger talks with a neighbour. The Government Office North-East revealed last night that Transport Secretary Stephen Byers's department does not intend to call-in
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Appeal to find Cassie a loving new home
CASSIE, a three-year-old labrador-retriever cross, is looking for a new home. The National Animal Sanctuary Support League is rehoming her because her owners can no longer look after her. Pauline Wilson, from the league's centre in Darlington, said that
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Teacher breaks down as she testifies
A teacher broke down yesterday as she told an inquest how one of her pupils was washed past her to her death in a fast flowing stream. Liz Schofield, 25, was one of two teachers leading a group of 15 children on a "river walk" in Stainforth Beck, near
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Crisis fears of tragic farmer
FEARS over the foot-and-mouth epidemic and a business deal could have led to a farmer and company director killing himself, an inquest heard yesterday. Bryan Spink, of Intake Lodge, Yearsley, near Brandsby, North Yorkshire, was described last November
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Taekwondo pair cannot take part in Olympic trials
Two young Taekwondo stars have had their dreams of representing their country shattered after being suspended by the sports' controlling body. Katie Wallace, 21, and Kris Martin, 16, were hoping to take part in selection trials for the Olympics and European
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Irish star pays a visit
AN Irish singing sensation will appear at a North-East theatre next month. Ann Breen, from County Down, Northern Ireland, first developed an interest in music after listening to her grandmother singing. She won her first competition at the age of nine
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Husband tells of 'miracle' escape
A COUPLE who survived a road accident have paid tribute to the emergency services and hospital staff who helped them. Allan and Eileen Tate, from Cavendish Court, Ferryhill, County Durham, were on their way to the cinema in Hartlepool, on February 11,
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Welcome for bone marrow appeal
AN APPEAL for more North-East bone marrow donors has been welcomed by the mother of a transplant recipient. The National Blood Service and the Leukaemia Care Society jointly launched the appeal at the service's Newcastle centre yesterday. It aims to boost
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Concern over girl, 15
POLICE are growing anxious for the welfare of a teenage girl who has gone missing. Nadia Aziza Sakr, 15, has not been seen since Saturday afternoon, when she told her mother she was going to Gateshead's MetroCentre with a friend, and left her home in
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Flood alerts as North-East weathers wintry storms
THE North-East was put on flood alert yesterday as heavy rain and gale force winds gripped the region. The stormy weather, with winds reaching up to 80mph, caused a number of road accidents and many rivers came close to bursting their banks. The Environment
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Thieves steal electric guitar
A DISTINCTIVE guitar has been stolen by thieves who raided a Darlington garage in an overnight burglary. The Axis electric guitar, in a black and white zebra stripe pattern, was taken from the garage in Meadowfield Road along with tools, a CD player and
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Community centre visit
CONCERNS over the loss of a community centre used by a group of elderly people have prompted planners at Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council to carry out a site visit. The move follows an application to convert the community centre, in Fabian Road, Eston
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Queen tribute
Tribute band Magic will perform music by Queen at Spennymooor Leisure Centre on March 8, at 8pm. Tickets are available at the box office on (01388) 815827.
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Planners turn down pigeon stud scheme
FRESH moves to develop a controversial pigeon business in east Cleveland have been blocked. Members of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's planning committee turned down a scheme to create a pigeon stud in Brotton - despite ward councillors pleading
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Huge response to crime-busting campaign
A TV-LED push to reduce crime is receiving an increasing number of tip-offs from people living in a Teesside town. The Crimestoppers team has registered a large increase in calls from residents of Middlesbrough following the launch of the Dealer a Day
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Exhibition captures the natural beauty of a disappearing landscape
A CHINESE art exhibition is on display at a Durham museum. The Oriental Museum, at Elvet Hill, is hosting the exhibition Paintings of the Three Gorges. The paintings centre around the Gezhouba Dam project to flood the three gorges both to control irrigation
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Prodigy can make amends
WITH the start of the Flat turf season less than a month away, several of our leading jockeys are beginning to limber up on the all-weather tracks. After spending much of the winter abroad, ace-pilot Darryll Holland is one such example, getting off mark
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Fury of star as speech is cut
A TELEVISION executive from the North-East says he was subjected to a tirade of abuse from Hollywood star Russell Crowe. The Gladiator star was said to have been furious that his Bafta speech had been cut when it was screened on BBC1 an hour after the
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Why the Hashmis deserve their baby
THE Beckhams are having another baby so that Brooklyn won't be lonely. The Hashmis want another baby so that their three-year-old son won't die. Is that really so much worse? The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has ruled that the Hashmis
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A load of old nonsense
The other day upon the stair, I met a man who wasn't there, He wasn't there again today, I wish that man would go away... Which probably says it all. It is to be another fool's errand, a column for those whom Mr Denis Healey once called silly Billies,
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Why the Hashmis deserve their baby
THE Beckhams are having another baby so that Brooklyn won't be lonely. The Hashmis want another baby so that their three-year-old son won't die. Is that really so much worse? The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has ruled that the Hashmis
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Centre stage beckons to musical teens
TWO teenagers will be performing in a concert organised by Durham Young Musicians this weekend. Kathleen Rudd and Laura Bury will play on Sunday in St Cuthbert's Church, North Road, Durham, at 2 pm. Kathleen, 17, of Aykley Heads, will play violin music
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Shaw hits back at accusations
A chief constable has hit back at claims that comments he made could prejudice the disciplinary hearings of six of his officers. As revealed in The Northern Echo earlier this week, the Police Federation is taking legal advice on behalf of 20 serving Cleveland
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'Dales' unite in residents' association
A NEW residents' association has been formed in Newton Aycliffe ahead of imminent boundary changes. The Dales Residents' Association and Neighbourhood Watch includes Eskdale Place, Silverdale Place, Langdale Place and the Horndale area. The association
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Money for lifelong learning
MORE than £500,000 is being made available to small and medium sized business in the Tees Valley to encourage lifelong learning among the workforce. City Centre Training Northern Limited has launched its Advantage - Bridging the Skills Gap initiative
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Comment from The Northern Echo - Answers still awaited
THERE will never be consensus on the value for money obtained from the brief life of Teesside Development Corporation. The TDC will always have the transformation of Hartlepool and much of the Tees corridor as a legacy of its reign between 1987 and 1998
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Hospital staff in pay strike
MORE than 270 medical secretaries are taking industrial action for higher pay in a walk-out which could spread to hospitals throughout the region. The secretarial staff, who play a key role in running the NHS, will strike for three days beginning next
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Merger plans for hospitals
MERGER plans have been announced that will result in a single health trust running County Durham hospitals. As part of the wide-ranging proposals Bishop Auckland General Hospital would have an important new role as the main County Durham centre for planned
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Girl robbed by youths
A TEENAGE girl was robbed of her mobile phone by a gang of youths in Darlington town centre on Monday. The 13-year-old was standing outside Pizza Hut, in Horsemarket, with two friends when a group of six youths threatened them with what was thought to
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Pupils learn about life on the open road
STUDENTS were given the chance to get behind the wheel after driving lessons were added to their school's curriculum. The 15 and 16-year-olds from Sunnydale Comprehensive School, in Shildon, took turns to drive around a slalom course in the school car
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Closed charity's finances probed
A CHARITY which announced on Monday that it was closing could be investigated by the police and the Charities Commission. Dial-a-Ride, in Darlington, experienced financial difficulties last year because of spiralling fuel and insurance costs. A reduction
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double celebration for anniversary couple
A HURWORTH couple will enjoy a double celebration this week. Jane-Ann Kirk and her husband, Robert, who live in Westfield Drive, will celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary as well as Mrs Kirk's 90th birthday. The couple became childhood sweethearts
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Independent watchdog's damning report details financial blunders which
MARGARET THATCHER'S celebrated "walk in the wilderness" on the banks of the Tees in 1987 gave birth to what for many locals was an unwanted child. The then Prime Minister visited the derelict site of the former Head Wrightson foundry, three months after
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Fury at 'early release' for killer with a violent past
SENIOR police officers reacted with outrage yesterday as a building labourer with a history of violence was told he could serve just two- and-a-half years for the killing of a promising university student. Christopher Woolley, who already has a conviction
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Farm worker crushed
AN INVESTIGATION is under way into the death of a farm worker who was crushed beneath a car he was working on yesterday morning. The man, who has not yet been named, was found underneath the vehicle in an outbuilding near Moulton, North Yorkshire. The
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Chemical defence US hope
FILTRATION business Domnick Hunter is to start testing its chemical defence technology in the US in the hope of securing new business. The group, from Birtley, near Gateshead, said testing of the technology was about to start in the US as a prelude to
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Teacher's tears over river walk tragedy
A TEACHER wiped away tears yesterday as he described how a pupil slipped from his grasp and was swept to her death as he tried to save her in a fast-flowing river. Andy Miller told an inquest jury how he chased down the side of Stainforth Beck, near Settle
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'We must still aim for Europe' says McAteer
REPUBLIC of Ireland international Jason McAteer believes Sunderland must keep striving to win a place in Europe rather than worrying about Premiership survival. The disappointing home defeat by Newcastle United left the Wearsiders hovering six points
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Jazz band seeks members
A JUNIOR jazz band which has enjoyed a meteoric rise is looking for new members. Crook Grenadiers have collected a host of trophies since it was formed in 1998, winning the Cleveland Championships and the Holiday Championships two years in a row. Last
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Defeat hard on Turner
THREE years ago today Chris Turner kicked off his Hartlepool United managerial career. He faced Rotherham, drew 0-0 and had 13 games to save the club from relegation to the Conference, a task he passed with flying colours. It has since been an annual
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Motorists steer clear of drink-drive excess
A CLEVELAND Police drink-drive blitz over the weekend resulted in just one motorist being caught over the limit. Officers tested 39 motorists throughout Teesside during a 48-hour period as part of a Europe-wide police campaign to crack down on drink drivers
