Archive
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Sunderland bomb detonated
The 1,000lb Second World War bomb, unearthed in the Hendon area of Sunderland on Monday evening, was blown up in the early hours of this morning. Army bomb disposal experts performed a controlled explosion on Hendon Beach, where the bomb had been moved
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03/09/02
Tino Asprilla has certainly put himself back in the spotlight at the expense of my club Darlington. Fair play to the chairman for attempting to sign Asprilla because it would have given the fans and the club a lift, but I for one can't say I'm too disappointed
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17/09/02
I along with all other Darlington fans have had better weekends. Everywhere I've gone people have wanted to know what went wrong on Saturday. All I can say is that we were beaten by a very good side who I'm sure will go on and win promotion this year.
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Farmers fight back over rising rural crime
RISING crime in the countryside around Darlington has prompted farmers to install sophisticated new security systems. Infra-red detectors, ultrasonic beams, updated alarm systems and closed circuit cameras are being introduced in response to the recent
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Disgraced psychiatrist faces suspension
A disgraced psychiatrist who sexually molested a female patient 16 years ago faces a further year-long suspension while awaiting a disciplinary hearing before the General Medical Council. Dr William Kerr, aged 77, was unfit to stand trial because of the
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County campaign helps to get weapons off the streets
POLICE stations across County Durham have been gathering a mini arsenal during a month-long weapons amnesty. Shotguns, airguns, imitation handguns and rifles, live ammunition and knives have all been surrendered in the past fortnight. Durham Police are
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Nightmare signals the end for Seaman
DAVID Seaman signed his own international death warrant last night when he made the sort of mistake that has regrettably become part of his repertoire in the last four months. For Ronaldinho and the searing heat of Shizuoka in June, read Artim Sakiri
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'Name and shame time' for litterbugs
LITTERBUGS should be named and shamed in an attempt to crackdown on rubbish on the streets, according to the council leader. John Williams told a meeting of the borough council cabinet that people who drop litter should be fined and made an example of
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Appeal for volunteers to join pride
THE Darlington Lions group is appealing for new members to help form a youth branch. As well as reforming the youth club, called Leos, the Lions wants to attract new volunteers to help with its work. There were once 42 members of the group but this has
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Get creative at the quayside
PRIMARY school children from across Gateshead are invited to get creative at Gateshead Quays during the half-term holiday. Children will be able to show off their artistic talents and make new friends during two days of activities at Gateshead Quays Visitor
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Art show closing date nears
ALMOST 200 entries have been received for an exhibition of work by local artists. But the organisers of Eye Opener, which opens at the DLI Museum and Durham Art Gallery on November 17, are encouraging even more exhibitors to take part. Entrants may submit
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Backing for college
A £25M police training college which will help to put more bobbies on the beat has been given overwhelming backing by planners in Harrogate. Earlier, a Home Office scheme to replace the existing centre at Pannal Ash drew criticism from the government's
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Hospital campaigners aim to block hotel plan
PLANNERS are being urged to throw out plans which could prevent an under-sized hospital from expanding. The privately financed University Hospital of North Durham is under pressure because it was built with fewer beds than the old Dryburn Hospital it
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Timely lesson, lest we forget
FOR 48 hours, thousands of people living in the Hendon area of Sunderland have lived in fear. A generation, for whom the Second World War was something taught in history lessons at school or discussed by their parents or grandparents, has been given a
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North-East exporters' club launched
A club for small and medium- sized businesses with exporting ambitions has been launched. Called the North East Export Ambassadors Club, membership is exclusive to individuals who have joined the Trade Partners UK YourPassport to Export Success initiative
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Ceremony applauds region's bright ideas
BRIGHT ideas from some of the region's most go-ahead companies have been rewarded with almost £1.5m in grants. An awards ceremony at County Durham's Beamish Hall yesterday brought together the cream of North-East talent in the business world. All 29 winners
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Bus pass discussion lined up
A MEETING has been arranged to discuss a row over the withdrawal of concessionary bus passes from children in Trimdon Station. Parents of the 43 children affected by the decision will put their grievances to officers of Durham County Council. The meeting
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Worker's wife tells of malicious phone calls
A WOMAN rejected the advances of a member of staff at a pharmaceutical company because he was a "very powerful man, with very powerful friends", a tribunal heard yesterday. The male worker at GlaxoSmithKline's Barnard Castle factory, in County Durham,
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Broadcasters agree £2.6bn merger
BROADCASTERS Granada and Carlton are to press their case for a single ITV after agreeing a £2.6bn merger yesterday. They said a tie-up would lead to increased investment in programming, higher audiences and a greater reach for advertisers. But the deal
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Deaf patients losing out on high-tech help
DEAF people whose lives could be transformed by new digital hearing aids are being turned away by the NHS, it emerged last night. Thousands of people in the region who need hearing aids are being refused access to the high-tech models, which are far superior
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Jury to decide on child porn allegation
A JURY is expected to retire today to decide whether or not a former airman downloaded child pornography on to his computer in his barracks room. James Richard Poole, 33, had more than 6,000 pornographic images on his computer at Blackburn Barracks, RAF
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'We're a family in a different way'
This week is National Adoption Week but a shortage of adoptive families means many children wait months, even years, for a new start in life. Women's Editor Christen Pears reports PAULINE is always thrilled when people tell her that her daughters look
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Sex assault case defendant cleared
A MAN has been cleared by a jury on charges of serious sexual assault on a teenage boy. James Littler, 61, denied the assaults and said that the youth had made up the allegations against him. After a three-day trial at Chelmsford Crown Court, Essex, Mr
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Longest serving teacher to retire
THE longest serving secondary school headteacher in Hartlepool is to take early retirement at the end of December. The governors of Brierton Sports College approved Stuart Priestley's request at a meeting earlier this week. Mr Priestley, who has been
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Mobile crime targeted
POLICE are cracking down on travelling criminals in a new initiative in North Yorkshire. Traffic officers are teaming up with the task force to launch the month-long operation. They will concentrate on routes into the county from both the North-East and
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The battle for justice goes on
The death of the pits left a legacy of disease and suffering for many miners and their families who are still waiting for compensation. In the latest of our series looking back over the decade since closure, Stuart Arnold reports on their continuing battle
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Guarantee for dental services in the Dales
HEALTH bosses have negotiated arrangements with dentists to ensure treatment under the NHS remains available in Upper Wensleydale. Patients in Hawes were claiming that, despite the Hambleton and Richmondshire Primary Care Trust putting £18,000 into services
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A name forged in history
The collapse of a North-East steel making company could bring to an end a glorious history which has seen the region playing a part in some of the biggest engineering projects ever undertaken. John Hobbs reports OVER 140 years, the steelmen of Weardale
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Motorists warned of severe delays
MOTORISTS who use the Great North Road through North Yorkshire are being warned to expect severe delays from this weekend. As part of a £1.3m project to resurface the one-mile stretch of the A1 between Hotly Grange and Leeming Bar, the road will be reduced
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Newcastle no longer has a Monopoly on N-E board games
Sunderland football club fans have stolen a march on their Newcastle counterparts to see their stadium take the top slot on a new Monopoly board. While the club's chances of topping the Premiership may be slim, the Stadium of Light has won more votes
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Digger driver tells of amazing bomb escape
Digger driver Charlie Farn was last night counting himself "the luckiest man alive" after coming within a hair's breadth of being blown up by a 1,000lb bomb. The Northern Echo tracked down Mr Farn, who described his horror at learning that he had reactivated
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Pool tragedy engineer must pay £15,000 'blood money'
A MAINTENANCE engineer who failed to fix a faulty whirlpool bath which later killed a ten-year-old North-East girl has been ordered to pay her family £15,000 compensation. Melissa Blagdon and her eight-year-old sister, Lauren, were enjoying a family day
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Find out how the system works
THE people of Stockton are being invited to visit their town hall today. Stockton Town Hall, which dominates the High Street, is throwing open its doors between 10am and 2pm as part of Local Democracy Week. As well as the fine architecture, there will
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Boro thrilled to be in line for England honour
MIDDLESBROUGH Football Club have expressed their delight after the Football Association confirmed the Riverside Stadium could be chosen to host it's first full international within the next 12 months. The club would be in line to follow Newcastle and
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Petitioners lose campaign
RESIDENTS have lost their fight to prevent planning permission being given for a development near their homes. More than 400 people signed a petition and 19 others sent letters of protest at an application for permission to build on land behind Ormesby
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Farmer aims to harvest laughs in TV title bid
FARMER David Gibson is hoping to hit the comedy big time after winning a place in the final of a nationwide TV talent contest. Mr Gibson, who performs as Northern nightclub entertainer Bobby Dresser, beat 22 other contestants from the Tyne Tees Television
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27/08/2002
I couldn't start this column without talking about Tino Asprilla. Without doubt he is an unbelievable player and it could be a great thing for the North-East and the Third Division for him to play for Darlington - but whether he will fancy playing at
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10/09/2002
All of the players, staff and fans look forward to the derby games as soon as the fixtures for the new season are released - and I'm no exception. Our home clash with Darlington is on Saturday and I'm anticipating a great game. Both sides have started
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08/10/2002
After a bad result against Rushden, it is important that we picked ourselves up and played well in our next game. And I'm pleased to say we did exactly that at Shrewsbury on Saturday. It's at times like this when team spirit comes into play and ours is
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Further falls in jobless figures
UNEMPLOYMENT in the UK has fallen for the third month in a row, but thousands of manufacturing jobs continue to be lost every week, figures revealed yesterday. The number of people claiming unemployment-related benefits dropped by 200 last month to 946,000
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College cash for deprived children
CHILDREN living in deprived areas of the North-East are being encouraged to stay on at school or college with cash incentives of up to £1,500. Over the next two years, 2,400 youngsters aged between 16 and 18 will have a chance of securing a slice of a
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New statue provokes stinging comments
EARLY morning workers and shoppers mingled to watch the installation of a new landmark yesterday - but some were left distinctly unimpressed. The 18ft steel sculpture, Seven Red Plaice, was lowered into position at the entrance of a new shopping centre
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Cathedral is top building
ONE of the oldest cathedrals in the world has once again retained its status as the region's best loved landmark. Up against the more recent constructions of the Gateshead Millennium Bridge and the Angel of the North, the 900-year-old Durham Cathedral
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20/08/02
Roy Keane appears to have been making all the headlines recently with his much published book. The question I keep asking myself is did he really need to write the book just yet? He's still playing and certainly doesn't need the money. The one thing I
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Black Cats make loss of £2.8m
SUNDERLAND have recorded a deficit for the first time since becoming a public company - making a loss of £2.8 million. The figure for the financial year ended on July 31, 2002 represents a significant drop from the £3million profit recorded the previous
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Roadworks cause gridlock - again
THERE were groans of frustration yesterday as cars, vans and lorries picked their way through a Dales market town as roadworks returned to a crucial junction. Transco spent four weeks replacing gas mains at the foot of Gallowgate, in Richmond, in August
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01/10/02
Things aren't getting much better down at Feethams. We have now gone seven games without a win and the pressure is on us big style to get a result on Saturday against Bristol Rovers. Hopefully we will have a couple of new faces in the squad to give everyone
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£13m to be spent on N-E roads
MILLIONS of pounds are to be spent improving major roads around the region. The Government has announced that nearly £13m will be spent in the North-East in an attempt to cut congestion and improve junctions. Yesterday, Secretary of State for Transport
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Leach made mark in education
PLANS to demolish Alderman Leach Primary School, in Cockerton, Darlington, and replace it with a new £2.9m building within the forthcoming West Park, at Faverdale, are proving controversial. When the school opened in September 1925 there was much controversy
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Sound advice of flood warnings
PEOPLE living in County Durham's worst flood risk areas will be given mock warnings next week to test a new loud hailer system. The Environment Agency is teaming up with Darlington Borough, Durham City and Durham County Councils next Thursday to test
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Father's name used for credit
A MAN who used his dead father's name to obtain goods to help save his failing business was ordered yesterday to do 150 hours community punishment. The order was made by Judge Tony Briggs at Teesside Crown Court after Trevor Wade, 46, of Church Square
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Traffic-calming measures 'have caused rat run'
A scheme to calm traffic in Darlington has been blamed for creating a "rat run" in a nearby street. The scheme, aimed at slowing down drivers along Salters Lane South, has reduced the speed of traffic along that busy stretch, but at a cost to others,
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Fenton extends Feethams stay
DARLINGTON have extended the loan spell of striker Graham Fenton for a further month. The Wallsend-born hitman has found the target just once since arriving from Blackpool but has done enough to show manager Tommy Taylor he could prove an asset to the
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North teachers bid for 'Oscars'
INSPIRATIONAL teachers from across the region could scoop prizes worth thousands of pounds when the national education "Oscars" get under way. Several teachers from the North-East and North Yorkshire will be attending the finals of the annual BT Teaching
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Gunpowder, Pikes and Pirates mark anniversary of Trafalgar
VISITORS to Hartlepool Historic Quay are being warned to prepare themselves for battle at the weekend. More than 200 re-enacters will be involved in close quarter battles when they take over the tourist attraction to mark the anniversary of the Battle
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Bright sparks set sights on top spot
A TRAILBLAZING company is proving a real bright spark in the electronics world. The growing reputation of the Peterlee electronics manufacturer Seaward was hailed yesterday by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in London. But the company was not
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'Help us realise Skidzone project'
A GROUP of mothers and grandmothers are on track to establishing a young people's facility after securing more than £3,000. Coxhoe Community Partnership was set up by local women in March 1998 to tackle the problem of a lack of leisure facilities for
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Whitehall -concerned' about academy's admission terms
THE Department for Education and Skills has "conveyed concerns'' to the yet-to-be built Kings Academy in Middlesbrough, over demands that parents sign up to rigid rules. The £20m academy first ran into controversy when parents voiced fears that Creationist
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Emperor to rule in the mud
MUD-LOVING Welsh Emperor has conditions to suit in the five-furlong Pearl And Coutts Showcase Handicap at Newmarket this afternoon. The testing surface is exactly what Welsh Emperor requires, as he demonstrated when demolishing some useful sprinters in
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Hear All Sides
BALI BOMBING: THERE is a perceived need for the UK and US leaders to rush to judgement and blame al Qaida as the origin for all current acts of terrorism in order to sway the sceptical majority towards supporting war on Iraq. Is it indeed all one dastardly
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Children Looking For Love
Children looking for love: These are some of the children in County Durham looking for adoptive families PHILIP, aged seven, (pictured above) is a lively and energetic boy who is keen on all physical activities, such as football and walking. He is an
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Transport link is unveiled
TOWN centre improvements designed to accommodate a £26m shopping centre were officially unveiled yesterday. Bus laybys for Redcar, which will come into operation on Sunday, were unveiled at the new link road by Mayor Eric Jackson. And today a six-metre
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Pupils quick on the draw to help launch national art campaign
YOUNGSTERS from a North-East school helped to launch a national campaign yesterday to encourage people to start drawing. The pupils from Croft Church of England Primary School in Croft were invited to the Darlington Railway Centre and Museum to take part
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Focusing on the good life
WORKING towards improving health and wellbeing in the community will be top of the agenda at an event tomorrow. The event, organised by Stockton Wellbeing Action Group, is being held at the Education Centre, Junction Road, Norton. It will bring together
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Fair saved by protest
CAMPAIGNERS have won their fight to bring back St Wilfrid's funfair to Ripon Market Place. The fair did not appear at its traditional home this year because a £2m landscaping and refurbishment scheme had been carried out on the Market Place and surrounding
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'Change the law on workplace accidents'
The TUC is calling on the Government to change the law so that all accidents involving employees killed while driving as part of their work are investigated as workplace accidents. It believes the move would be a start in tackling some of the causes behind
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The crime of being just a silly old fool
OF course it's ridiculous that Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson (pictured) should be accused of indecent assault for allegedly touching a young girl's thigh as she drove him home from a jazz club where she had spent most of the evening flirting
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Violent attack on squaddie caught on security cameras
A SECURITY film showing a horrific attack on an off duty soldier was played during a hearing at Teesside Crown Court yesterday. The footage of the assault by Darlington teenager Damon Appleton revealed how the 17-year-old had smashed a cue over the young
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All hail the conkering heroes
STRICTLY for hard cases, the sixth World Conker Championships took place on Sunday at The Royal in Trimdon Colliery - which may come as a surprise to readers of The Guardian, which not only claimed that the world title would be contested in Northamptonshire
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News In Brief
Driver flown to hospital A MAN was taken to hospital with head injuries after his car struck a tree at Great Stainton, near Sedgefield, yesterday. The accident happened just before midday, near Elstob Cottage. The car left the road and collided with the
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On the road to £500,000 upgrade
NORTH-EAST motor group Jennings Ford has announced a £500,000 drive to upgrade its Middlesbrough branch. A commercial vehicle sales centre covering a 2500sq ft area is being built at the company's Cargo Fleet Lane branch. The centre will have a three-to-four
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Volunteer's help is a life saver
A FORMER seaman is helping to save lives by taking time out of his office job to serve as a volunteer. Peter Davison, who works at London Electricity's call centre at Doxford Park, Sunderland, is also a Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) volunteer
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Bear leads campus events
SOME of the region's finest performing talent will be on display at the University of Sunderland. The university's Concerts on Campus season begins with The Bear, a short opera by William Walton, in the Bede Theatre, Ryhope Road, on Monday, at 7.30pm.
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Finding out what's best for Us
A COMMITTEE of teenagers is helping to ensure a project reflects local youngsters' needs. Five teenagers working at the Pennywell Youth Project, in Sunderland, have formed the Us committee to assess how the project can continue serving the community.
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Testing flood warnings is sound advice
PEOPLE living in County Durham's worst flood risk areas will be given mock warnings next week to test a new loud hailer system. The Environment Agency is teaming up with Darlington Borough, Durham City and Durham County Councils next Thursday to test
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Spotlight on mentors
ONE-ON-ONE mentors who help pupils through school are the subject of a conference on Teesside this week. Learning mentors have been posted at schools throughout Stockton to help improve pupil's standards, attendance and reduce the chance of them being
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Putting on the Ritz for festival
YOUNG film makers of the future will be putting their skills to the test next week at a series of video and animation workshops. The Ritz Cinema, in Thirsk, has teamed up with Rural Arts North Yorkshire to put on the half-term events for 24 local teenagers
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Last Nights TV
Can Bill boss Chandler sink any lower?: The Bill (ITV): The Brits Who Fought For Hitler (five) The union between Sun Hill police station boss Tom Chandler and detective Debbie McAllister was not a marriage made in heaven. More a liaison consummated in
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Eventful time for youngsters
PUPILS from Middlesbrough have been enjoying a taste of senior school life during an activity course. Eighty year six pupils from Pennyman Primary School have been trying out trampolining, rock climbing, badminton and hockey sessions at Ormesby School's
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Stake-outs reveal scandal of illegal fireworks sales
UNDERCOVER surveillance has revealed a thriving trade in the illegal sale of fireworks to young children. Trading standards officers yesterday released video footage of children visiting houses in Middlesbrough to purchase rockets and powerful air bombs
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Traders call for residents' support to clean up town
TOWN centre traders are urging shoppers and residents to take pride in their community by keeping the streets clean. In a bid to boost trade in Spennymoor, most businesses are backing a campaign to clean up the town centre. Spennymoor Town Centre Forum's
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24/09/2002
I know it's a while back now, but while everyone at the club enjoyed the win over Darlington it was tainted with Gordon Watson suffering a broken leg. It is so sad for Flash, especially with what he has been through before, but I know he will be back
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Hitchcock travels the A1
THE glowering face of Alfred Hitchcock loomed menacingly over drivers from the back of a lorry earlier today. The 18 tonne solid steel mask of the Master of Suspense was slowly driven the length of the country, beginning its journey at first light. The
