Archive
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Libraries go high-tech
AMBITIOUS plans have been revealed for a multi-million pound revamp of libraries and information centres across North Yorkshire. Over the next two years the county council aims to spend more than £3m on the service in order to incorporate the latest technology
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Mount Grace inspires
BUDDING art students have recreated on canvas their impressions of an atmospheric heritage site. The students from Northallerton College, including 17-year-old Louise Hill, pictured, have set up an exhibition of work reflecting visits they had made to
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Rock cafe gets the go-ahead as objections withdrawn
PLANS for a music, dining and drinking venue, offering "something different" in late- night entertainment in a town centre, has been given the go-ahead. Work will start soon developing the £1.4m Chicago Rock Caf in a former car showroom in Chester-le-Street
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Camerons hopes to set lion roaring in 200 pubs
A REJUVENATED brewery has set its sights on building up a healthy pubs estate. The renamed Camerons Brewery, based at the Lion Brewery in Hartlepool, was established following the £35m acquisition from Wolverhampton and Dudley by Castle Eden in April.
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Job Search: Vacancies
MORE details about the jobs below are available from Jobseeker Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Customer advisor (seasonal), Northallerton. Temporary, until December 24. Duties include customer service, cash handling and team work. Must be flexible. No experience
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The march of the alternative society
There were officially 407,791 on last Sunday's Countryside March. It was exciting. As Winston Churchill said: "There is nothing quite so exhilarating as being shot at without result." We weren't being shot at - not literally at least - but we all have
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Job Search: Vacancies
MORE details about the jobs below are available from Jobseeker Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Kitchen assistant, Stockton. £4.20ph, 16-20hrs pw. Must be age 18-plus. Required to assist chef in kitchen, keeping kitchen clean and tidy. Ref: STC 34897. Builder
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Council worker reinstated
A council worker sacked for allegedly making a racist remark has won his bid to be reinstated. Labour-run Durham City Council's appeals panel, made up of councillors, granted the un-named man's appeal when it met in private earlier this week. The man
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Praise for floral displays
COMPETITION for the 2002 Yorkshire in Bloom Awards was keener than ever, with communities large and small all digging for victory. And the months of hard work have now paid handsome dividends in the form of a bumper crop of results for the region. Among
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Hail 'Martini' generation
INTERNET banking is causing the biggest shake-up in the financial services industry since the 17th Century, according to research presented to a conference earlier this month. Professor Feng Li, of Newcastle University, surveyed 26 banks and building
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Broken rail reinstills safety fears
Railtrack last night allayed fears over safety after the discovery of a broken rail on the East Coast Mainline. The broken rail, discovered at 9.18am today by workers from maintenance company Jarvis, caused services to be disrupted on the route which
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Police chief's pledge to track down vice girl's killer
A POLICE chief spoke yesterday of his determination to bring a prostitute's killer to justice. It was two years ago today that 21-year-old Vicky Glass disappeared while working in Middlesbrough. Her naked remains were found several weeks later on a remote
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Last Night's TV: What The Tudors Did For Us (BBC2): Daddy's Girl (ITV)
Dropping Daddy right in the dirt. Three Cumbrian shepherds taking shelter under an upturned tree in the middle of the 1500s found a lump of strange black stuff which left marks on their hands after touching it. Showing an ingenuity associated with Blue
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Noisy sex sessions keep neighbour awake
A mum-of-three drove her neighbours to despair with noisy sex sessions, a court heard yesterday. Tara Campbell's moans of pleasure were so loud they kept neighbour Joan McLaughlin awake at night. Miss Campbell tried to claim the sound was actually her
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Funeral family's late body anguish
AN investigation has been launched after a hospital delay almost led to a woman being late for her own funeral. The situation came to light when Vivienne Thompson, 38, of Lanchester, County Durham, arrived at the chapel of rest the day before her mother's
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Marchers take message to town
AN estimated 25,000 protesters from North Yorkshire and the North-East marched the streets of London on Sunday to fight for their countryside. They were among 400,000 demonstrators who converged on the capital for the Countryside Alliance's Liberty and
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Mayor leads crackdown on vandalism
COMMUNITY wardens could soon be patrolling a town plagued by vandals who have caused thousands of pounds worth of damage over the summer. Northallerton's authorities have run out of patience with the youths responsible and a meeting has resolved to tackle
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Town waits for youth centre
A YOUTH centre could bring youngsters off the streets and into a more sophisticated environment, community leaders hope. A youth and community training centre is set to open in Thirsk market place, allowing children over 11 to get together socially, seek
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Entertainment: Coming out from behind bars to take the stage
After 12 years "in custody" at Sun Hill police station, Colin Tarrant is a free man. His time as Inspector Andrew Monroe in long-running ITV series The Bill ended with a bang. He was one of the coppers who died in an explosion that wiped out half-a-dozen
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North Bollywood film all above board, say producers
A FILM company issued a statement last night to allay fears over its intention to make a Bollywood film in the North-East. The move comes after a Darlington woman made a complaint to the police after she was asked to hand over her driving licence and
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Incubation gives Simon spicy start to his career
A NEW business incubation scheme is giving a young Teesside entrepreneur a red hot start for his rapidly evolving IT firm. Graduate, Simon Brown, 27, set up Chilli Media - a specialist new media design, development and print company - at the beginning
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Boyd aims to keep Pool out in front
ADAM Boyd last night revealed his determination to keep Hartlepool United riding high in the absence of Gordon Watson. Since Watson broke a leg against Darlington on September 14, Boyd has netted two goals in as many games, including a late leveller to
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Mother of boy who killed friend backs air gun curbs
THE mother of a teenager who shot his friend in the head with an air gun has joined the call for tougher curbs on the weapons. Matthew Sheffield, 14, was shot by Daryl Allison as they fooled around in the garden of Allison's home. Matthew died after the
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'Having a home birth was wonderful'
Home births have had a bad press, mainly because they only get publicity when something goes wrong. But, properly supervised, they can be a beautiful experience, one mother tells Emily Flanagan. THE difference between the births of Gill Gillespie's first
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Doctor fined for kerb crawling
A family doctor thrown out by his wife for soliciting prostitutes two years ago was again fined for kerb crawling today. Teesside magistrates court heard how Patrick Holmes, 33, a GP from Middleton Lane, Middleton St George, near Darlington, was caught
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Solano backs Shearer to give Magpies edge
NOLBERTO SOLANO has admitted that talismanic skipper Alan Shearer will be the focal point of Newcastle United's ambitions tonight when they face Feyenoord in the Champions' League at St. James' Park. Striker Shearer missed the Magpies' only other foray
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Former soldier admits forgery
A former soldier who sparked a nationwide alert into use of fake US Army identity passes which could be used to access American bases has admitted forgery and deception charges. Dennis Price, who was arrested when a police officer spotted him at the wheel
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Farmer's son on Weakest Link
Fans of the TV quiz show, The Weakest Link, can find out tomorrow how North-East student William Wearmouth has fared against the abrasive questioning of Anne Robinson. Since he went to the BBC's Pinewood studios in London nearly two months ago to take
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TV hate mail probe
An investigation has been launched after a series of hate mail letters were sent to television newsrooms across the North-east, police confirmed today. Officers from Northumbria Police have already established a DNA profile of the author responsible for
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Locals sign up for town clear-up
A MASS litter-pick and weeding session will take place in Richmond next month after local people pledged themselves to act to improve their town. The residents signed up to offer their labour at a public meeting last week which was organised by the town's
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Eating Owt: Controversial cutlery but the food's fantastic
Among our favourite tales from the cookhouse, and beg pardon of those who may have heard it before, is the story of the chef who trained at the Savoy and then pitched up as manager of a council estate pub in Hartlepool. The night we looked in, he was
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The driver who saw death crash coming
A MOTORIST had a chilling premonition just minutes before a van ploughed into another car killing a two-year-old, a court heard yesterday. Driver Daryl Harrison said to his wife, Caroline, of the Transit driver who had overtaken "he is an accident waiting
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Arson suspected as fires hit pub
FIREFIGHTERS battled for almost four hours to put out a pub blaze - then returned three hours later to extinguish a second fire. Both fires, at The Poverina, in Normanby, near Middlesbrough, are being treated as suspicious. About 30 firefighters tackled
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GPs deny misconduct over woman's death
A woman died after two GPs failed to spot a chronic bowel condition, a medical tribunal heard yesterday. Mary Adamson, 55, from Sunderland, looked as "white as a ghost" in the months before she died of a heart attack in May 1998, it was said. She had
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Jailed arms dealer fails in freedom bid
JAILED arms dealer Peter Bleach has failed in his appeal for freedom - to the distress of his elderly mother. Bleach, who has been in a Calcutta jail for eight years for his part in an arms drop to rebels in West Bengal, has had his appeal rejected. His
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Soldier's drinking that killed his friend
A SOLDIER who boasted that he liked to drive "wrecked" was jailed for five years yesterday for killing his friend. Karl Jensen, 20, drank eight pints of "snakebite" lager and cider after taking amphetamines and Ecstasy. Then he took two friends on a 100mph
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High flyer is 'over the moon'
A TROPHY dedicated to the memory of a leading aerobatics pilot has been awarded to a pilot from the region. Tom Cassells, of Boroughbridge, won the Daily Telegraph Neil Williams Memorial Trophy flying his CAP-232 at the National Aerobatics Championships
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Thugs target pensioner
POLICE are hunting two thugs who mugged a pensioner for her handbag. The teenagers targeted the elderly victim as she walked along Harvard Avenue, Stockton, at about 3.10pm on Sunday. The 75-year-old was near Stockton Campus when the two youths grabbed
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Police accused of finances 'black hole'
POLICE authority officials have been criticised over a "black hole" in force finances. Cleveland Police Authority chairman Ken Walker has warned that there was likely to be a £1.8m shortfall in finances next year. But Stockton Borough Council leader Bob
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News in brief: Passendgers face disruption
A BUS operator is warning passengers of disruption during 13-week roadworks. Go North East has expressed frustration at severe traffic delays to the south and west of Gateshead on the B1426 Bensham Road and A692 Lobley Hill road resulting from road works
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Air ambulance in 100th mission
AIR ambulance staff notched up their 100th mission - on a job which literally landed on their doorstep. The pilot of a flight en route to Amsterdam was forced to turn the plane around and head back to Teesside Airport after a woman began to have a fit
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Acting chief named for health trust
JOHN Saxby, chief executive of South Durham Health Care NHS Trust, has been appointed as acting chief executive of the new merged County Durham hospital trust. Announcing the interim appointment to staff at the South Durham and North Durham trusts, the
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Dawn's marathon challenge is for the community
HAIRDRESSER Dawn Smillie has set out to prove she can cut it in a half-marathon as well as in the salon by taking part in the Great North Run. The mother-of-two, from Toft Hill, near Bishop Auckland, County Durham, aims to raise more than £500 for repair
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Trust carries on the good work
A TRUST formed to save an ancient North Yorkshire woodland from being turned into a theme and paintball park is bidding for National Heritage Lottery cash to make it more accessible to the public. Hackfall Woods at Grewelthorpe, near Ripon, has now been
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Two bikers killed in road accidents
TWO motorcyclists died in accidents over the weekend. Graham Edward Bawn, from Newlands Road, Carr-ville, Durham, and an unnamed man from the Bedale area of North Yorkshire, both died on Sunday while riding on country roads. Mr Bawn, 33, had been travelling
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Signs are good for town
ONE of North Yorkshire's market town's has been given an image makeover with the launch of a new logo. The Thirsk Regeneration Initiative asked local graphic designer Martyn King to come up with something suitable and the group has now adopted the logo
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Hear All Sides: War on Iraq
NO matter how effective or ineffective UN inspectors may be within Iraq, any weapons and other materials for weapons development found by inspectors would prove much of America's claims. It may silence dissenting voices, reduce much of the criticism that
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Outlook improves but area slips down the rankings
THE economic outlook for the Tees Valley and Durham is improving, according to a new report. Data from analysts Experian Business Strategies (EBS), forecasts growth from now until 2006 will average 1.6 per cent, compared with 1.3 per cent in the previous
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Council members subject of inquiries
THE Standards Board for England is considering nine complaints against councillors in three North-East authorities. The board, which was set up to look into complaints that members of local authorities across the country were breaking commonly held codes
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Nursery club's success
CHILDREN can hardly wait to get to nursery following the introduction of a breakfast and after-school club. The club, at Bensham Grove County Nursery School, in Gateshead, serves up juice, fresh fruit, cereal, tea and toast to about 20 local children
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Architects' design win
A LEADING London-based team of architects has won a competition to design an industrial development in the region. The McDowell and Benedetti Partnership beat competition from around the world to draw up plans for the development in Stokesley. The design
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De La Rue shake-up means 350 lost jobs
BANKNOTE printer De La Rue is to cut up to 350 staff as it closes a factory in order to improve efficiency. The group, which employs about 150 staff in the North-East - at its Team Valley cash systems division - is to shut a site in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire
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Dragon boat crews paddle up funds for a worthy cause
TEAMS from across the region clashed oars in an annual boat race at the weekend. The Butterwick Children's Hospice, of Stockton, hosted its second annual dragon boat race on the River Wear, in Durham, as part of Children's Hospice Awareness Week, which
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Enjoy a coffee for charity
CAR dealership staff are calling on the community to help them in a charity fundraising event. As part of Peugeot's national campaign to raise £250,000 for Macmillan Cancer Relief this year, dealership Richard Hardie, of Newfield Grange, Chester-le-Street
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News in brief: Flood checks at town hall
NORTHALLERTON Town Council is to instruct an engineer to carry out a site inspection of the flood-hit basement at the town hall. The report will assess the costs which the council will have to meet. Councillor Jack Dobson said there is heave in the basement
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'My daughters of destiny'
After surviving the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre, Gillian Cruse is lookin forward to becoming a mother and an aunt on the same day. Sarah Foster reports. CALLING to mind her memories of the chaos after the two planes hit the
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Another clinic to give single MMR jabs
ANOTHER private clinic is offering single jabs for mumps, measles and rubella to North-East parents just days after official figures showed that im- munisation rates have fallen. Healthchoice, a London and Cambridge-based health care group, which offers
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Road project favourite named
HIGHWAYS bosses have announced their preferred bidder for the £260m project to upgrade, maintain and operate a 33-mile section of the Great North Road. In an incentive to minimise disruption, they plan to pay for the work on a pioneering sliding-scale
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Bird racers eye up prize
PIGEON fanciers from south Durham will take part in an open race this week, competing for a £250 first prize. Last year, 150 birds competed in the race, organised by Middlestone Moor Homing Society. It is hoped that number will be smashed this week. Marking
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Man accused of attack
AN 18-year-old man arrested by police investigating an alleged attack on a pensioner in his home was remanded in custody by magistrates yesterday. Glen West, formerly from Frosterley, in Weardale, but now living in Cedar Crescent, Willington, is charged
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Woman cut from wreck of her car
A WOMAN had to be cut from the wreckage of her car after it was involved in a head-on collision with another vehicle yesterday morning. The accident happened just after 9am on the A67, near Piercebridge, at the junction with the B6275. Firefighters called
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Runner hoping to make headway
BUSINESSMAN Simon Wrightson has a special reason to want to succeed in this year's Great North Run. Mr Wrightson, 48, from Manfield, near Darlington, will be raising money for Headway, the brain injury association, when he takes part in the 13-mile run
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Dedication rewarded
THE community work of a Newton Aycliffe volunteer has been recognised in the national Neighbourhood Watch Awards. Dorothy Bowman has been highly commended in the outstanding achievement category for her commitment to making her community safer and her
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Grassroots: Crook
LEEK RESULTS: The Travellers Rest pub leek show results were: Leeks, intermediate leeks and large vase of flowers, Ronnie Hall; small vase of flowers, Florence Ayre; dahlias, John Fowler; gladioli, Dennis Halliday; chrysanthemums, Bob Ayre; pair of onions
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Farewell to Feethams exhibition is transferred
A PHOTOGRAPHY exhibition to mark the end of Darlington Football Club's time at its Feethams ground has been transferred. Farewell to Feethams includes 40 photographs celebrating Darlington Football Club's 120 years at the ground. The pictures, which were
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News in brief: Stage set for budding stars
The annual Stars in your Eyes talent show at Darlington College of Technology takes place tonight. Youngsters from across Darlington will perform in the show, which is organised by the Community Education Service. The doors open at 7pm and admission is
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News in brief: Fighting family hits top form
A SOUTH Bank family have again proved they are first class. Andrew Silk, a 16-year-old second dan black belt, won two first places in a Tang-Soo-Do karate competition in Bristol, while 13-year-old cousin Bradley Morgan and sister Stephanie, ten, won a
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Pub making application to open later
A POPULAR Darlington pub is hoping to stay open later during the week. Flares, in Skinnergate, has applied to Darlington's licensing justices to extend its opening hours until midnight from Monday to Saturday. The 70s theme bar has a licence to stay open
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Anniversary
A GROUP promoting education for older people has celebrated its tenth anniversary. The Darlington branch of the University of the Third Age held a lunch at the George Hotel, Piercebridge, to mark the anniversary. Guests included Darlington Mayor Doris
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More fun at play, thanks to funding
YOUNGSTERS are enjoying fun-filled playtimes after new facilities were installed at their school. The adventure play unit and trim trail at Sherburn Village Primary School were officially opened by John Bowman, chairman of the school governors, yesterday
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News in brief: Passengers face disruption
A BUS operator is warning passengers of disruption during 13-week roadworks. Go North East has expressed frustration at severe traffic delays to the south and west of Gateshead on the B1426 Bensham Road and A692 Lobley Hill road resulting from road works
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Comment: What we don't know about Iraq
THIS morning the Government presents the dossier of evidence against Saddam Hussein that Tony Blair promised at Sedgefield two weeks ago. Unless Mr Blair pulls a rabbit from a hat, it seems unlikely that he will be able to prove that Saddam has weapons
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Shakespeare set to music
The Bard is being set to music on Teesside this week with a musical adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream, at the Middlesbrough Theatre. The production is staged by Shakespeare 4 Kidz, which mixes music with modern and Elizabethan language to make Shakespeare
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Backlash over CBI 'no vote' for assembly
THE CBI was last night accused of muddying the waters in the debate over regional Government. The employers' body said its members had given plans for an elected assembly in the North-East a vote of no confidence. It claimed an assembly could undermine
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Government 'is starving North rails of investment'
THE debate about North-South rail investment has been reopened after the Government was accused of starving the Northern region of resources. The North-East Rail Passengers Committee (RPC) said it was clear the North remained the poor relation when it
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Feyenoord boss bamboozles Press
WATCH out, Sir Bobby Robson. You have a pretender to your crown as the clown prince of press conferences - and he'll be in the opposite dugout tonight. His name is Bert van Marwijk, and the Feyenoord coach introduced himself to the exasperated English
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Head delighted by cash gift
A SURPRISED headteacher has accepted a cheque for £11,500 to pay towards his school's information, communication and technology suite. The headteacher of Bedale Church of England Primary School, David Fishburn, had no idea that he would be presented with
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Sculptor's wired up for show
EYE-CATCHING work by a young artist is on show in a gallery renowned for its originality. Star of the show at artist Mackenzie Thorpe's Arthaus studio in Richmond, is sculptor Richard Stainthorp who has been making his mark by shaping graceful statues
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Controversial cutlery but the food's fantastic
Among our favourite tales from the cookhouse, and beg pardon of those who may have heard it before, is the story of the chef who trained at the Savoy and then pitched up as manager of a council estate pub in Hartlepool. The night we looked in, he was
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Quakers on trail of striker
TOMMY Taylor vowed last night to try to keep Graham Fenton at Darlington as he closed in on the capture of another striker. Fenton, on loan from Blackpool for a further three weeks, could be joined at Feethams by another forward by this weekend after
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Dearer petrol looms as war jitters grow
THE THREAT of war in the Gulf sent oil prices soaring and wiped billions off stock markets last night - prompting fears that a conflict could plunge the world into recession. On the eve of MPs gathering to debate the growing Iraqi crisis, Prime Minister
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Rare birds' secret is well kept
ONE of Europe's rarest birds has successfully bred in Yorkshire for the first time in decades - sparking a scramble to keep them safe. The distinctive mating call of the corncrake was heard by a farmer in the Yorkshire Dales earlier in the summer. And
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Job Search: Vacancies
MORE details about the jobs below are available from Jobseeker Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Stock replenishment, Darlington. Age 18-plus, £4.24ph, 8hrs pw, temporary. Required to organise stock, deliveries and other stockroom duties. Ref: DAE 31803. Sales
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Re-think urged over health plan
HEALTH managers are being urged to reconsider their decision to move Hambleton and Richmondshire Primary Health Care Trust to Thirsk. The trust is to move its headquarters from a temporary site at Catterick Garrison to purpose-built offices in the town
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Jo sweats it out for ride
A CATTERICK nursery nurse has been pedalling the district's roads with her partner in preparation for one of the biggest challenges of her life. Jo Adams will join more than 100 others on a gruelling, 254-mile cycle ride across the Egyptian desert to
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Internet perverts facing arrest
POLICE in the North-East are closing in on 20 suspected paedophiles named on an FBI list of alleged Internet criminals, it has emerged. The suspects, all from County Durham, are among up to 2,000 suspected perverts facing arrest over coming weeks in what
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ICI's 'jewel in crown' snapped up for £260m
CHEMICALS group ICI has clinched a £260m deal to sell its North-East catalyst business Synetix. The group is selling the Teesside business to chemicals and precious metals group Johnson Matthey, as reported in The Northern Echo yesterday. The 400 staff
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Firefighters' noisy opening shot as showdown looms in pay row
NORTH-EAST firefighters set the tone for the coming showdown in their dispute over pay demands with a noisy mass demonstration yesterday. More than 600 firefighters from as far afield as Darlington to Berwick and Redcar to Hexham descended on the Tyne
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The ironing angel wings in
They can be found in dark corners, under stairs and shoved into cupboards; it seems few homes can escape the blight of crumpled piles of unironed clothes. Emily Flanagan speaks to one woman who has turned the burden of ironing into a blossoming business
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Family rescued from high tide
WALKERS are being urged to check the times of high tides after a family had a narrow escape when they became stranded under cliffs at Saltburn. The couple and their ten-year-old daughter were spotted by coastguard auxiliary officers John Wilson and Jane
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Under-fire Reid is written off by bookies
PETER Reid was branded a dead man walking by bookmakers last night as they slashed the odds on him winning the Premiership 'Sack Race'. Paddy Power yesterday cut the price on Reid being the first top-flight manager to lose his job this season from 7-4
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Cash boost for groups
FORMER Richmond mayor Jane Metcalfe has presented cheques for £700 each to Richmond Mental Health Support and St John Ambulance. Coun Metcalfe said: "My association with both charities goes back to my year as Mayor of Richmond. "I helped form the Richmond
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Job Search: Vacancies
MORE details about the jobs below are available from Jobseeker Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Supply teacher. £135 per day, 8.30am to 4pm, on days required. Must have Qualified Teacher Status and be registered with the General Teaching Council. Must have
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Bradley's allowance could make all the difference for Tantric
APPRENTICE jockey Paul Bradley has been struggling for winners over the past few months but this afternoon at Beverley his career could be in receipt of a much-needed boost aboard Tantric (3.30). Paul seems to have been around for an eternity so it's
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Meeting world leaders
NORTH-East youngsters will present a book of children's aspirations to world finance leaders this week. Four children from Lingey House Primary School, in Felling, Gateshead, will attend the Commonwealth finance ministers' meeting in London, today. They
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Charity probe goes on
INVESTIGATIONS are continuing into the affairs of a charity which collapsed amid financial problems. The Dial-a-Ride charity, in Darlington, which provided a taxi service for the elderly and disabled, folded in February after suffering serious money difficulties
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City ban is lifted on asylum seekers
A BAN on asylum seekers being sent to a North-East city following an Iranian man's murder has been lifted. Last night, a leading refugee worker predicted it would become one of the safest havens for people of other nationalities. It emerged this week
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Hit-and-run victim delivers road safety message to No.10
YOUNGSTERS yesterday called on the Government to impose stiffer penalties on speeding motorists as they helped launch national Road Safety Week. A group of 73 children - representing the number of children killed by speeding vehicles on Britain's roads
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Collection totals
COLLECTIONS in aid of St Teresa's Hospice in Darlington at Richmond's Co-op superstore and in the town centre raised £206 and £382 respectively. The Richmond St Teresa's Support Group has arranged a talk on complementary therapies, at the Friary Hospital
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Experts revive ancient skills
THE skills of experts in ancient woodcrafts have been fascinating visitors to a centre devoted to conservation. Steve Betts, Ben Orford and Neil Batty are using medieval techniques requiring axes to produce wooden roof shingles for a bird observatory
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News in brief: Passendgers face disruption
A BUS operator is warning passengers of disruption during 13-week roadworks. Go North East has expressed frustration at severe traffic delays to the south and west of Gateshead on the B1426 Bensham Road and A692 Lobley Hill road resulting from road works
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Man held over gun attack
A MAN has been arrested in connection with a shooting and arson attack at a couple's home. Kevin Wilson, 32, and his pregnant wife, Lorna, were left badly shaken and had to be moved to another address after three masked men laid siege to their home in
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Lesbian faces jail over attack in fit of jealousy
A jealous lesbian flew into a violent rage when she saw her lover talking to another woman. Leanne Doran, 27, hit Mandy Walker, 36, so hard that she broke a membrane in her eye. Miss Walker still has blurred vision in her left eye after the attack on
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Sir Bobby is poised for Bellamy gamble
SIR BOBBY Robson is ready to gamble on the fitness of Craig Bellamy in a desperate attempt to keep Newcastle United's Champions' League hopes alive. Unlike Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier, who has been happy to take a jaded and less-than-fully-fit Michael
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'An inspiration'
A TEENAGER has become a town's youngest ever Citizen of the Year. Clair Wallis, who has cerebral palsy, received Guisborough's honour in recognition of her determination to beat her disability and take part in community life. The wheelchair-bound 14-year-old
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Jewel box may lead to raiders
THIEVES made off with an £8,000 haul after breaking into a house in Esh Winning, County Durham. A distinctive jewellery box was among the goods stolen and police are hoping it could lead them to the crooks. The burglary took place at a house in Valley
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Helping to find 240 workers
B&Q has enlisted the services of Jobcentre Plus to help recruit 240 staff for a 152,500sq ft superstore which is due to open in the North-East early next year. It follows the success of similar recruitment partnerships with other major retailers.
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Time for repairs
THE ancient Duck Bridge in the moorland village of Danby in the North York Moors National Park is to undergo repairs. The bridge, which dates from the 14th Century and is a Grade-II listed structure, has been identified by English Heritage as a monument
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Long service celebration
A CLERGYMAN who once worked as a bus conductor has just celebrated 50 years in the church. Canon Howard Garside marked the occasion by inviting former colleagues and friends to a communion service at Winksley Parish Church near his home in Ripon. He recalled
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News in brief: Junior runners shatter record
THE BUPA Junior Great North Run, which has moved to Gateshead and Newcastle's Quayside area, has attracted its biggest entry. More than 5,500 people under 17 have signed up for the 5km run on Saturday, October 5, and entries are still pouring in to Gateshead
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Mesmerising assignment for graduate Rachel
A GRADUATE is hoping her subtle arts of persuasion will impress her first boss - a North-East hypnotist. Rachel Evans, 23, of Sunderland, has landed a job promoting Whitley Bay comedy hypnotist Stuart Ashing, known as the Dreamweaver. It is a dream job
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Anne shows its hip to be daring
A DAREDEVIL grandmother is preparing to complete a charity abseil despite undergoing a hip replacement operation recently. Anne Johnson, 64, has only just started walking again after her operation five months ago, and is also recovering from an emergency
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Attention seeking woman turns to arson
Sick Deborah Pigg risked lives in a series of frightening arson attacks because she craved attention. The tormented 35-year-old hated her humdrum existence and was desperate to be noticed. And so the divorcee started the blazes which brought firefighters
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Get your tickets booked for big event
TICKETS for the sixth annual Tees Valley Business Show have gone on sale. The event is on Thursday, October 10, at the Tall Trees Hotel, in Yarm. Speakers will include Sir John Banham, chairman of Kingfisher and Tarmac, and Joe Docherty, chief executive
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Court insight
A COURT was encouraging visitors at the weekend. People who visited Darlington Magistrates' Court on Saturday were given an insight into the workings of the legal system during an open day. Riot police gave demonstrations of how they handled dangerous
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Schools go oriental
A GROUP of County Durham primary schools will celebrate all things oriental in a Chinese festival next week. A delegation of headteachers from five primary schools in the county visited China during the Easter holidays, after being invited by Chinese
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Anti-crime initiative
RESIDENTS of Newton Aycliffe are being encouraged to attend a meeting aimed at cutting crime in the area. A Neighbourhood Watch group will be launched in Greenfield Meeting Hall, on the Horndale housing estate, on Monday. Police representatives will give
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Wheelie bins scheme could save £90,000
THE introduction of wheelie bins and recycling boxes for residents in Teesdale could save the local authority more than £90,000, it is hoped. Members of Teesdale District Council will meet tomorrow to discuss the scheme, which was approved by councillors
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Photography firm pays out £5,000 to former employee
A PHOTOGRAPHY firm has been ordered to pay a former employee more than £5,000 compensation after giving him wage cheques that bounced. James Thrower, of Langley Moor, near Durham, said he quit his job at Risbeys Photographic shop, in Darlington, because
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Youth group's ripping yarn
A NEW youth drama group in Darlington has chosen a schoolgirl yarn for its first production. Girls from St Augustine's Repertory Society's (Stars) junior section are staging Daisy Pulls It Off, by Denise Deegan. The play, with a handful of co-opted adults
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Charity fundraisers
UP to 100 children will venture out on a "toddle-waddle" on Friday to raise money for the Meningitis Trust. Young walkers and their families should meet at the playground opposite Bishop Auckland's KwikSave store at 10am, wearing yellow or fancy dress
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School merger talks defended by council
EDUCATION officials have defended their method of consulting parents over a controversial school merger. Darlington Borough Council has revealed plans to amalgamate the Corporation Road nursery, infant and junior schools. The proposals have been sent
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I am your instructor - Tom Hanks
A MILITARY doctor was on cloud nine after being told that Tom Hanks would be teaching her helicopter drills. But she soon came down to earth on discovering that her instructor was not the Oscar-winning actor but a Royal Navy pilot namesake. Dr Rachel
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Enjoy a painting with your pint
VISITORS to a city centre pub will be able to buy paintings as well as pints. Saints, in Durham, is hosting an exhibition by fine art graduate Stephen Humph-ries, called A View of Durham. It includes paintings from the 23-year-old's degree show and recent
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Cathedral service as dean steps down
A DEAN conducted his last services on Sunday before stepping down from the post. The Very Reverend John Arnold, dean of Durham Cathedral, has retired after 13 years to take up the role of a supporting clergyman in Canterbury. He is on study leave, and
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Knife siege man poorly in hospital
POLICE are still waiting to interview a man who drugged himself before holding his ex-girlfriend at knifepoint for five hours. The 36-year-old, who was critically ill after taking paracetamol at the weekend, was still poorly in Hartlepool General Hospital
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Hard work bears fruit
AN initiative and plenty of hard work has proved fruitful for a cook at a North Yorkshire school. Lynne Fowler has won a national award for the work she has done to encourage more pupils to eat fresh fruit at Ainderby Steeple CE School, near Northallerton
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Coffee-maker recalls jars after glass scare
A BATCH of instant coffee is being recalled by the maker as a result of glass contamination in at least one jar. Although small pieces of glass have so far only surfaced in a single jar of Caf Direct Freeze Dried Instant Coffee, the company has taken
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Arms race to beat police deadline
A LAST-MINUTE rush to beat a weapons amnesty deadline has delighted Teesside police. Until the weekend, only 40 guns had been handed in, but according to Chief Superintendent John Kelly, of Cleveland Police, that number almost doubled over the weekend
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Engineers to return
THE Royal Engineers are returning to RAF Leeming after the last unit was withdrawn following a strategic defence review in 1998. Government ministers have responded to a request from the RAF for more Royal Engineers support during operations and have
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Innovation centre expansion on track
UK Steel Enterprise is celebrating the second anniversary of The Innovation Centre at Redcar with the announcement that a major extension is on target for completion by the end of the year. The centre was full within a few months of being opened by former
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Monkey business key to Ceri's National success
A maiden amid a pretty experienced field, good luck charmer Ceri Anderson is under orders for the fourth annual Mascots Grand National at Huntingdon racecourse on Sunday. "My tactics are going to be to play it dirty," insists Hartlepool United's latest
