Archive
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GP shortage closes surgery
HEALTH chiefs have approved plans to close a Durham city centre surgery because of a shortage of GPs. But they have insisted on a phased withdrawal over six months of services from St Margaret's Surgery, Crossgate. Patients have been re-assured they will
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When embarrassment is the greatest threat
F is for FAMILY, FREEDOM and FRIENDS... TEENAGE boys need their families. They need roots, they need people who will love them unconditionally whatever they do. But that doesn't mean, of course, that they actually want their families. Now their world
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Taxpayers to fund Gala
TAXPAYERS will have to start funding Durham's Gala Theatre from next year. The city council took over the running of the £14m Gala last year after its management company, The Entertainment Team, went into liquidation. It emerged that the firm had amassed
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Family joins Florrie at 100th birthday party
A WOMAN who was one of 11 children has celebrated her 100th birthday. Florence Gelson grew up in a family with ten siblings, but on Tuesday the centenarian celebrated her birthday with her two sons, three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. A
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You Write: Tax times two
SIR - This government has taken billions in additional tax revenue (an equivalent of a 9p rise in basic tax) on the pretext of funding improved public services. They then withhold that collected tax from the institutions responsible for the provision
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Doctor may resign over beds shortage
A LEADING North-East consultant has said he is on the verge of quitting because of the lack of hospital beds in the NHS. Dr Bill Ryder, chairman of the British Medical Association's Northern Region consultant committee, said: "The acute bed situation
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Police hunt attacker
54DETECTIVES have appealed for witnesses to an indecent assault on a woman making her way home just yards from her workplace near Durham city centre. The incident took place as the 43-year-old victim was heading to her car from the National Savings' Milburngate
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Charity breakfast
HOSPITAL cooks are working up an appetite for a cancer charity's fundraising efforts to serve up Britain's Biggest All Day Breakfast. Staff at the Chimney's Restaurant at Bishop Auckland General Hospital have signed up for the March 7 event in aid of
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Village transport plan
PARISH councillors are hoping a scheme to give villagers better access to transport will be up and running by the start of next month. Dene Valley Parish Council has accessed a £10,000 grant from the Countryside Agency, which will be available to individuals
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Town plans to make
ELDERLY drivers and recovery vehicles could be exempt from proposed new regulations to stop people running their engines while their cars are stationary. Council chiefs in Darlington are considering introducing the controversial measure in an effort to
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Sculptures take root
THE latest phase of a scheme to transform a former mining village has been officially opened. Durham County councillor Bill Firby, who represents Deerness Valley, performed a ceremony to launch the development in Ushaw Moor, last week. It came about after
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School notches up double success
TWO football teams from the same Darlington school will represent the town in a national tournament. The Eastbourne Comprehensive Year 7 five-a-side boys' and girls' teams both won their heats in the first round of the Wagon Wheels Tournament held at
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Friends' book funds golf lessons
YOUNG people in Wear Valley will be offered golf coaching thanks to the success of a local history book. The Friends of Crook Town Football Club have donated £500 to the town's golf club to give youngsters the chance to learn a new sport. The money was
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Traders hope for £2m town revival
DESPERATE traders hope that a bid for £2m of Government money could help turn around their struggling town centre. Bishop Auckland Town Centre Forum has applied for funding through the Urban Renaissance Programme to make improvements to the north end
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Last Night's TV: Sex And The City (C4)
Between the covers... and on top NEVER judge a book by its cover, especially if the picture shows your head on someone else's naked body trying to get a taxi in a New York street. Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) didn't agree with her publishers that this
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Stolen car tragedy
POLICE say they were baffled as to why a teenager described as a 'quiet lad' with no history of getting into trouble came to die in a stolen car. They are trying to discover why Liam Richardson, a well thought of 13-year-old from a respectable family,
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Why we shouldn't believe in fairytales
WHY did I feel such a pang of regret when I heard that celebrity couple Zoe Ball and Fatboy Slim were separating? I don't know the pair, though I feel I know a lot about them. We have all been able to follow their relationship, or at least a version of
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Happy Zoe's at No 12
DARLINGTON'S pop princess Zoe Birkett is thrilled after storming into the charts at number 12. The 17-year-old singer narrowly missed out on the Top Ten with her debut single Treat Me Like A Lady, but was still delighted. "I'm chuffed to bits," she said
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Pupils back in the swim
SCHOOLCHILDREN last week reaped the rewards of a rescue package by Sedgefield Borough Council to save their school swimming pool from closure. It was doom and gloom for both the Shildon and Fishburn pools last year when Durham County Council announced
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Darlington school one of worst in England for truancy
A headteacher has hit back after her school was named as one of the worst in the country for truancy. Eastbourne School, in Darlington, was ranked among the worst 200 schools for truancy in yesterday's secondary school performance tables. The school,
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No easy route for car craze solution
A POLICE plea to landowners to find an out-of-town venue for the latest car craze - which is angering residents and traders - has so far drawn a blank. People and traders in Bishop Auckland have complained about the nuisance caused by late-night gatherings
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Headteacher's call for fairer funding
SCHOOLS in Darlington would be able to make giant strides if it was not for inequalities in funding, says the head of a comprehensive. Carmel RC Technology College is named in the school performance tables as having one of the best average GCSE scores
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More planned for children on estate
CHILDREN on a Darlington estate who wanted more to do outside school are to have their wish granted. Development workers at Firthmoor Community Centre were constantly being told by bored youngsters that they wanted better activities. The centre successfully
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Driver killed
Philip Johnson, 31, of Darlington, was killed yesterday when his car was in a head-on collision with another car at Sant Andreu Llavaneres, just outside Barcelona. The driver of the other car, a 45-year-old local woman, was also killed.
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Floral gift to mark loyalty of shopper
A DISABLED woman who travels from Richmond to Darlington to shop each week was rewarded for her efforts yesterday. Susan Lowe received a bouquet of flowers for being the 20,000th user of Shopmobility, which provides wheelchairs for disabled shoppers without
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Network's first conference
REPRESENTATIVES from councils in the region are attending the first annual conference of the New Local Government Network today. Paul Boateng MP, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, will be guest of honour at the conference, in the Victoria Park Plaza Hotel
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Support for bid to save old buildings
THE first steps towards re-establishing a civic society to campaign on environmental issues in Darlington were taken last night. Dozens of residents attended a public meeting at the Dolphin Centre to hear plans to resurrect a local branch, after the closure
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Art and poetry show launched
AN art and poetry exhibition was launched yesterday at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust in Washington. Artist Subhadassi has created the permanent work for the trust, which includes an audio walk. It is his second project for the trust, following a year
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Specialist celebration
A SCHOOL with recently acquired specialist technology status is celebrating success. Hetton School, in Hetton-le-Hole near Dur-ham, is named as one of the most improved in the country. In today's performance tables, the number of pupils gaining five GCSEs
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Anniversary of Navy ship celebrated
WORKERS at a shipbuilding yard on Tyneside are to join celebrations to mark the return of a naval warship to the region. Twenty-five years after she was commissioned, HMS Newcastle will be returning to her adopted city in the spring for celebrations to
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Lucky escape for woman in lorry accident
A WOMAN had a lucky escape after being trapped in her car underneath an overturned roadsweeper. The lorry was negotiating a hairpin bend at Pot Bank on the B6161, near Harrogate, yesterday when it toppled on to a Kia car coming the other way. Susan Darling
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Floral gift to mark loyalty of shopper
A DISABLED woman who travels from Richmond to Darlington to shop each week was rewarded for her efforts yesterday. Susan Lowe received a bouquet of flowers for being the 20,000th user of Shopmobility, which provides wheelchairs for disabled shoppers without
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It's now or never as Elvis-fan Sue leaves rail industry
ELVIS fanatic Sue Wells was left all shook up yesterday - when the King turned up to wish her a happy retirement. After more than two decades working for the rail industry in York she's moving on to pastures new. To wish her on her way two Presley look-a-likes
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New face joins group's board
NORTH-EAST business support group Service Network has appointed a director. Tracey Pitt, head of e.Business at Northumbria University, has joined the organisation, which promotes the business interests of members in the region. Ms Pitt established the
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Mobile phones shop is raided
POLICE were last night appealing for witnesses after thieves broke into a mobile phones shop. It is believed a car was used to rip security shutters off the shop in Church Street Shildon, County Durham, at about 6.30am on Tuesday. Owner Craig Britton
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School's a top improver
EXTRA staff and resources for pupils have helped a North-East school become one of the most improved in the country. In today's tables, 42 per cent of pupils at Grangefield School, Stockton, have achieved five GCSEs at A to C grades, up from 35 per cent
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Supermarket leader Tesco considers bid for Safeway
THE UK's largest supermarket chain Tesco joined the takeover battle for Safeway yesterday by revealing it is considering a bid for the business. Chief executive Sir Terry Leahy said the group was lining up a part-cash, part-share deal that would prove
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Children help plants team
THE message of environmental awareness was firmly planted in the minds of Redcar children yesterday. Pupils at the Lakes Primary School planted 300 shrubs and trees, helped by parents, staff and a team from the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers
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Serving up tennis bubble covers
Britain's first bubble-protected clay tennis courts are to open in the North-East after the Lawn Tennis Association selected Middlesbrough Tennis Club to become an accredited venue. Tennis World, in Marton Road, has been chosen because of its reputation
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Season's end
A carpet of candles will set the scene for the festival of Candelmas next month in Ripon Cathedral. The service begins at 7.30pm on Monday, February 3, and marks the end of the Christmas season.
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Booking date at local libraries
A CAMPAIGN to encourage people to make more use of North-East libraries was launched yesterday. Libraries and archive services across Tyneside and Wearside have teamed up for the promotion. It will include a poster campaign in Metro stations and a web
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Police renew plea for help as inquest opens on family
AN inquest was opened into the deaths of an Asian mother and her two young children yesterday. Nabeala Hussain, 23, of Gresham Road, Middlesbrough, was found dead with her son Danial, three, and 22-month-old daughter Salia Mariam in the back of the burned-out
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It's game on as David meets Goliath in FA Cup meeting
ONE team is the Manchester United of women's football, the other is a group of youngsters, some of who are fresh out of school. Yet in true FA Cup style, they will meet in a match at East Durham and Houghall Community College's Howletch site, in Peterlee
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Centre gets ready for RSC visitors
LEISURE centre staff are preparing for the arrival of the Royal Shakespeare Company. The theatre company will perform The Merry Wives of Windsor and Coriolanus at Northallerton Leisure Centre as part of their nationwide tour. Centre manager Richard Dowson
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Plea to holidaymakers: Don't deny reptiles their creature comforts
TOURISTS from the North-East have been reminded to take care about what they bring home - after two rare Tunisian tortoises were brought in illegally into the country. The babies, estimated to be about three months old, were handed to the Reptile Trust
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Grant helps activities
ONE of Middlesbrough's biggest employers has raised £400 to be used for fun and games by disabled children. The town's Mayor, Ray Mallon, accepted the cheque on behalf of the Friends of Gleneagles Resource Centre (Frogs) after staff at HBS held a fancy
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Festive crime purge success
REDCAR'S Christmas clampdown on shoplifters and vandals has been hailed a success with more than 77 arrests made during the six-week purge. Langbaugh Police's Operation Scrooge, which ran from December 1 to January 17, in conjunction with stores in the
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Have we had our fill of TV chefs?
Delia Smith says rumours of her retirement are greatly exaggerated, but her comments sparked claims that we're boiling over with TV chefs. Women's Editor Christen Pears reports. WHEN tucking into our takeaways or ready meals, there's nothing we like more
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Parish merger is approved
AFTER a year of negotiations, the church parishes of Coatham and Dormanstown, in Redcar, have amalgamated. The new parish of Coatham and Dormanstown will maintain two churches; Christ Church, in Coatham, and All Saints, in Dormanstown. Vicar John Richardson
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Storeroom opens to house museum surplus
FAMILY heirlooms and equipment belonging to writer and vet Alf Wright have found a safe haven in a storage museum. Thousands of artefacts owned by and loaned to The World of James Herriot, in Thirsk, have been moved from the attraction's cellars to a
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Rare guitar taken in house raid
A RARE guitar was among a goods taken during three house burglaries last week. The guitar, a black BC Rich, Mick Thomson Signature Special, is believed to be one of only a handful of its type in the country. It was taken from a house in Thirsk on Friday
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Village project welcomes MP
FORMER Tory leader William Hague visited one of the latest self-help projects in his Richmond constituency. He called in at the Catterick Village Community Office to meet the volunteers whose dedication has enabled the scheme get off the ground, and to
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Warning over phone scams
FRAUD squad officers have warned people across the region to be on their guard against new telephone scams, which have already proved convincing enough to persuade some to part with their money. There has been a wave of recent reports about unsolicited
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Former champ in town
FORMER boxing champion Barry McGuigan is visiting the region next week. The former WBA featherweight title holder and Sky Sports pundit will be the guest speaker at a Gentlemen's Evening and amateur boxing event in Consett, County Durham, on Friday, January
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Comment: Turned off by league tables
THERE is a fascination in school performance league tables. People are always tempted to keep an eye on the progress of their old school. And parents are especially keen to watch developments at their children's school and other schools in the area. However
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Youngsters' site search may be over
YOUNGSTERS at Whitby who have campaigned and raised funds to provide a skateboard and BMX park are in line for success. They have raised £15,000 towards the venture which is due to cost £100,000, said Peter Dahl, Scarborough Borough Council's tourism
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Police hunting armed robber
POLICE believe one man is behind a spate of knifepoint robberies and are appealing for help from the public in tracking him down. The robber struck three times in the space of two hours, with the first raid taking place just after midnight yesterday at
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Innovations save taxpayers' pennies
SPENDING a penny at Harrogate's conference centre will save council taxpayers' cash. Water controls installed in the centre's public toilets have reduced water consumption by more than 20 per cent, saving Harrogate Borough Council £5,000 each year. The
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Struggling club is top of the payment league
THEY may have their problems both on and off the pitch, but when it comes to paying their bills, York City are in the champions league. The struggling Third Division football club is in administration and its long-term future is by no means secure. But
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Golf bonus from football history book
YOUNG people in Wear Valley will be offered golf coaching thanks to the success of a local history book. The Friends of Crook Town Football Club have donated £500 to the town's golf club to give youngsters the chance to learn a new sport. The money was
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£1m to improve children's lives
TWO North-East areas have been given £1m each in Government funding to pioneer work which will improve the lives of children. Gateshead and Newcastle are among four areas which have been given funding to develop ways of improving youngsters' lives, referring
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£1m to improve children's lives
TWO North-East areas have been given £1m each in Government funding to pioneer work which will improve the lives of children. Gateshead and Newcastle are among four areas which have been given funding to develop ways of improving youngsters' lives, referring
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Stage set for top comedy performance
AWARD-WINNING comedy Horse Country will come to the Hartlepool stage next month. Voted the finest play of the 2002 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, it is an absurd and hysterical take on late-20th Century American culture by one of New York's leading new writers
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News in brief: Guard building to be improved
PAINTING work will be carried out to Saltburn's seafront lifeguard station in time for the summer. Councillor Ian Jeffrey, of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council said: "The building is owned and managed by the council and needs to reflect the investment
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Strike threat looms over pay offer to Nissan staff
A PAY offer is expected to be put to Nissan's North-East workforce today with the engineering union Amicus still warning industrial action remains a possibility. Talks have been deadlocked on the pay and conditions offer for 2003-2004, three weeks after
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Troubled retailer's future is decided
RETAILER What Everyone Wants is to be wound down in a move affecting workers in the North-East. Administrators for the Glasgow company had said they wanted to sell the business as a going concern, following negotiations with interested parties. The company
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News in brief: Firms praised for health
TWO organisations have received recognition for their approach to staff health. Chester-le-Street District Council and Wavin Plastics, in Meadowfield, near Durham, received bronze Working for Health awards. They were presented with the awards by Lady
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Third post office closes amid security fears
THE uncertain future of rural post offices has been illustrated with a third closing its counter since the violent raid in North Yorkshire town of Helmsley last week. Ten miles from the scene of the incident, Brandsby Post Office served its final customer
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News in brief: Theatre gains new friends
The launch of a new friends network to support Richmond's Georgian Theatre Royal has been described as a great success by organisers. In a statement they thanked the 70 people who attended a reception at the town hall last week. Among those present was
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Single jab vaccines offered for children
A COMPANY which says it has beaten the shortage of single mumps vaccines is holding a clinic in the region next month. Healthchoice 2000 is expecting about 200 children from the North-East to be given single measles, mumps or rubella vaccines. The demand
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Attackers steal woman's gold rings
THUGS beat a woman and then ordered her to hand over her wedding ring during a knifepoint attack in the grounds of a hospital. The 20-year-old victim, who has not been named, was leaving Newcastle General Hospital when she was attacked from behind by
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Man made abusive calls to ex-partner
A MAN who harassed his former girlfriend with abusive telephone calls has been given a court restraining order. Brian Maughan, 39, of Westmoreland Court, Darlington was charged with harassing Grace Hodgson between October 19 and November 24 last year.
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Hospice sets £210,000 fundraising target for anniversary appeal
A CHARITY has set itself a target as part of anniversary celebrations. Teesside Hospice, in Middlesbrough, is marking its 21st anniversary by aiming to raise £210,000 before the end of the year. The appeal's progress will be marked on a perspex sunflower
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Bus services threatened by youths' game
HUNDREDS of people could be deprived of two bus services because of a dangerous game played by a gang of youths. The gang has been getting on buses near Firthmoor Community Centre and activating the stop switch from behind the engine cover at the back
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Fears for region's students as fees treble
GOVERNMENT plans to allow universities to treble fees may deter youngsters from the region from going on to higher education. The warning came as Tony Blair was preparing to mount a "vigorous defence" of the increase after officials admitted students
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Notes From Planet Zog: When embarrassment is the greatest threat
F is for FAMILY, FREEDOM and FRIENDS... TEENAGE boys need their families. They need roots, they need people who will love them unconditionally whatever they do. But that doesn't mean, of course, that they actually want their families. Now their world
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You Write
SIR - The Government introduces Best Value with the aims of providing a quality service for local government and encouraged councils to save two per cent from their annual budgets. Last year Durham County Council increased its council tax by 14.8 per
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Fears behind shiny facade
THE public services union Unison has uncovered a wide-ranging list of concerns at Bishop Auckland General Hospital during an investigation into the effects of private finance initiative (PFI) on Britain's health service. John Lister, director of information
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Orange hits back at report findings
ORANGE, one of the region's biggest employers, is considering seeking a judicial review of a controversial report on the mobile phone industry. The telecommunications company, which employs 5,000 staff at its call centres in Darlington, Peterlee and North
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A repeat offenders capital
SHOCK crime figures released by the Home Office yesterday show that the North-East is one of the worst areas in the country for repeat offending. Teesside has more persistent criminals per head of population than anywhere else in Britain, outside London
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John North: Saved from a watery grave
HALF a century after he and 36 of his work mates almost drowned in a flooded coal mine, George Robert Glasgow BEM has died peacefully, aged 80. Geordie was one of the most self-effacing and most instantly likeable men it has been this column's great good
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Robson gives defence credit for win
NEWCASTLE boss Sir Bobby Robson last night thanked his much-maligned defence for laying the foundation for the hard-earned victory over struggling Bolton. Jermaine Jenas's first-ever goal at St. James' Park proved enough to seal revenge for Robson's side
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Tait has no fears of burn-out for Keltie
Darlington caretaker boss Mick Tait says he has no intention of resting midfielder Clark Keltie, despite concerns over physical burn-out. He feels that a spell out of the side would be of no benefit to the youngster. Newcastle-born Keltie has featured
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Animals' friend ends jumble marathon
DARLINGTON animal lover Maureen Bell is retiring after dedicating 14 years of her life to holding jumble sales for animal charities. In all that time, her husband hasn't been able to get a hammer out of his garden shed, and trying to put a pair of shoes
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Sikhs campaign for prisoner
MEMBERS of the Sikh community in the North-East are supporting a campaign to free a man facing the death penalty in India. Prof Davinderpal Singh Bhullar is facing death after he was denied asylum by Germany and sent back to India where he had been found
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Not a Safeway to park Santa's sleigh
GOODWILL to all men was somewhat thin on the ground when Santa Claus arrived back after a hard day delivering presents - to find a parking ticket slapped on his car. And as tempers frayed, the seasonal stand-off ended with Father Christmas being thrown
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Litter wardens dish out fines
AN UNDERCOVER litter hit-squad handed out £50 fines to 12 people in Darlington town centre at the weekend. The fines were part of a clean-up campaign launched by the borough council last November. Since then, the council's team of uniformed wardens have
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Victims of abuse can report via Internet
A SYSTEM which allows victims of domestic violence to report their attackers over the Internet has been launched in the region. Darlington Domestic Violence Forum has created the online service, thought to be the first in the North-East, to make it easier
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Disabled group's special year
A SERIES of events will mark the European Year of Disabled People in Darlington this year. Darlington Association on Disability plans to hold activities throughout 2003, including a sponsored abseil and swim, a schools competition for and a photography
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Buggy club wins lottery support
A SUPPORT and social group for people with mobility difficulties is planning a host of outings thanks to a grant of almost £4,000. Spennymoor and District Mobility Club, launched last summer, has been awarded £3,980 from the National Lottery Awards for
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Fewer OAPs to get subsidised meals
HUNDREDS of pensioners may have lost out following a shake-up of the Meals on Wheels service in Durham. The service provided by Durham City Council as a contractor for Durham County Council came to an end on December 31. The county council, which is facing
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23/01/03
CRIMINAL JUSTICE: TO give the message that burglary is accepted by society as a mere inconvenience reveals how much the fat cat judiciary, and especially the Lord Chancellor, Lord Irvine, is out of touch with reality. An Englishman's, as well as a Scots
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Pupils' singing earns reward
YOUNGSTERS are benefiting from a post office collection after singing songs for its customers. Pupils from three local primary schools - Our Lady School of Martyrs, Hamsteels Primary and Esh Winning Primary - each spent time singing at Esh Winning Post
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Urine provides DNA link to rapist
A man arrested for urinating in the street was today jailed after police used DNA evidence to link him to a rape seven years earlier. Mark Wilkinson was jailed for five years after a jury found him guilty of raping a 19-year-old student in December 1995
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Train staff set to reject new pay offer
Train conductors embroiled in a year-long pay row will reject a new offer aimed at ending the dispute, union leaders claimed last night. The confident prediction came ahead of a ballot of Rail Maritime and Transport Workers at Arriva Trains Northern.
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People prompted to surrender weapons
Dozens of people in the North-East have been prompted to surrender weapons following high profile firearms incidents elsewhere in the country, it has been revealed. Northumbria Police said in the first 13 days of the 2003, 74 weapons were handed in _
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Pupils dig in to help
YOUNG and old have joined forces to brighten up their neighbourhood. Pupils from Fishburn Primary School have been working alongside older volunteers to design a new look for the village. Their work at a host of planting events over the next few months
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Undercover litter squad goes into action
AN undercover litter hit squad given out £50 fines to twelve people as it targeted Darlington town centre at the weekend. The fines were part of a clean-up campaign by Darlington Borough Council, which was launched last November. Since then, the council's
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Sure Start project gets off ground
WORK has started on a new office for the Sure Start programme in Darlington. The Government-backed initiative aims to improve the health and well-being of families with young children. It provides education and play opportunities, health care and advice
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Burglary jail view challenge
A GROUP dedicated to reducing burglaries in Sedgefield borough has criticised comments made by the Lord Chief Justice. Guidelines from Lord Chief Justice Woolf said that first-time burglars should be given community sentences rather than jail terms. But
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Bad weather fails to dampen marathon spirit
HIGH winds and torrential rain failed to stop young athletes running to raise money for their Darlington school. Longfield School pupils took part in a relay marathon to raise money for the school's bid for sports college status. Last year staff, pupils
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Highs and lows of region's results
A school which was at the centre of a row over its religious teaching is named among the top five comprehensives in the country, in performance tables published today. Emmanuel College, Gates-head, is ranked fourth after seeing 98 per cent of its pupils
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Concrete hurled through bus window
POLICE were last night hunting three youths who hurled concrete blocks at a bus on a busy town centre route. The number 23 Arriva North-East bus, in Darlington, from Skerne Park to Whinbush, came under attack at about 10.40pm on Tuesday at Skerne Park
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Children 'avoiding school toilets'
SCHOOL toilets across the North-East are so bad that many children avoid using them for the entire day. The survey, carried out by Newcastle University, calls for urgent legislation to bring school toilets up to scratch. Pupils said the dirty condition
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Operation on crime a success
A CRACKDOWN on known criminals in Sunderland has proved a success in its first week. Police in the Sunderland West area launched Operation Rolling Thunder at the start of the year. Officers set out to target active criminals and made 52 arrests in the
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Children first to pass firefighting course
A PILOT scheme to tackle arson and hoax fire calls by training youngsters as firefighters could be extended. Yesterday, 11 pupils from Shotton Hall School, in east Durham - the first participants in the Firebreak scheme - took part in a passing-out ceremony
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Huge response to civil service recruitment drive
THOUSANDS of jobseekers jammed hotlines yesterday in response to a recruitment drive for civil service jobs being created at Government agencies in the region. Andy Collins, spokesman for the Department For Work And Pensions, said there had been an overwhelming
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Aromatherapist with scent of success
AN aromotherapist's products are reaching international audience with the support of Gateshead Council. When Sue Finn, of Blaydon, decided to expand her business, Windflowers, she approached the council's economic development service for help. Support
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Chance to nominate people of courage
NOMINATIONS are invited for an annual awards scheme which recognises outstanding contributions to the community by young people. The Shrievalty Awards, in their seventh year, have been presented to more than 140 young people so far. The scheme is supported
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Grant lift to pool site development
A DERELICT pool complex is to be razed and the area landscaped in a scheme costing more than £1m. Regional development agency Yorkshire Forward has increased its funding from £600,000 to £900,000 to enable the work to be carried out at Scarborough's South
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News in brief: Drainage delay for play area
Village children are getting new play equipment and a football pitch under a scheme approved by Wear Valley District Council. But work cannot start at Frosterley recreation ground until drainage problems are resolved, members of the council's development
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Homes appeal for abandoned dogs a success
NEW homes have been found for two dogs which were cruelly dumped on the side of a road. The black and tan collie crosses were left on the busy Hill House Lane, in Sadberge, near Darlington, before Christmas and one was hit by a car. The dogs, named Milo
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Revamp plan for sport site discussed
COUNCILLORS will meet on Monday to discuss a plan to develop a recreation ground in Hartlepool. The Grayfields site has facilities for a range of sports including football, rugby, basketball, outdoor bowls and tennis. At present, the site suffers from
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Answer is smaller classes
REDUCED class sizes and extra teachers have been the answer for one successful school. Norton College, near Malton, North Yorkshire, saw 45 per cent of its pupils achieve five GCSE A-C grades last year compared with 38 per cent in 1999. The school was
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Recycling depot plan for airfield is rejected
ALMOST 600 people have won their fight to stop a waste recycling depot near their homes. R J Howard had applied for permission to build premises for a stone-crushing plant to recycle waste from civil engineering projects, on its site at the former Marston
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Evicted woman awarded £5,000
A DAMNING report has prompted changes within a local authority's housing department, which resulted in an eviction from a family home of 32 years. Richmondshire District Council has been ordered to pay compensation of £5,000 to the family. The council
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Union exposes hospital
ONLY five years after building a £250,000 medical records library at Bishop Auckland General Hospital, the NHS Trust had it bulldozed and built over, it has been revealed. The same hospital trust - County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
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£1.2m centre open
THE £1.2m Stockton City Learning Centre was officially opened this week. The centre, at Billingham Campus School, Billingham, was opened by the Mayor of Stockton, Councillor Jean O'Donnell. The money for the centre came from Excellence in Cities, a Government
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Mother did not want ovaries removed, hearing is told
A MOTHER sobbed yesterday as she recalled the moment when she learnt her gynaecologist had removed her ovaries against her wishes. Linda Alder, then 35, said she was left devastated following the hysterectomy in summer 1996 carried out by Dr Nazar Amso
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Mother did not want ovaries removed, hearing is told
A MOTHER sobbed yesterday as she recalled the moment when she learnt her gynaecologist had removed her ovaries against her wishes. Linda Alder, then 35, said she was left devastated following the hysterectomy in summer 1996 carried out by Dr Nazar Amso
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Ready for cultural challenge
ONE of the region's leading cultural champions, has been appointed the new head of the organisation promoting culture and creative industries in the North-East. Olivia Grant has been appointed chairman of Culture North East for four years, by Culture
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Visitors increase
THE revamped ice arena in Billingham is enjoying record visitor numbers. More than 2,000 people visit the arena at Billingham Forum each weekend. In January last year, 9,000 people used the arena. This year, that figure was reached half-way through the
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Deadline looms for person to join group
TIME is running out for anyone wanting to help steer a multi-million pound project in Hartlepool. Friday, January 31, is the deadline for nominations to fill a vacancy on the steering group of the New Deal for Communities (NDC) project. The vacancy is
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Authority cash keeps toilets open
PUBLIC toilets in moorland villages are to be saved following an offer of cash help by the North York Moors National Park Authority. Toilets at Egton, Aislaby, Ruswarp, Commondale and Westerdale, in the Esk Valley, near Whitby, were scheduled for closure
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Schoolboy is praised for trial bravery
A SCHOOLBOY hero has been praised by a police chief. Although threatened by a burglar after witnessing a break-in at a pensioner's house, 15-year-old Dean Cook gave evidence for the prosecution at a trial. Cleveland Police said Dean's evidence led to
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Record Oxbridge offers
DURHAM High School for Girls has a record seven Oxbridge candidates. Five sixth-formers have offers to study at Cambridge University and two could be off to Oxford if they get the right A Level grades. Jessica McCormick, of Esh Winning, and Elizabeth
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Hoon attacked over US missiles
BACKBENCH Labour MPs have attacked Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon over the Government's backing for US missile defence. In the Commons, they criticised the decision to agree to the upgrading of the Fylingdales base, in North Yorkshire, for US President
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DNA-linked man denies rape charge
A MAN accused of a brutal sex attack after DNA linked him to the crime told a court yesterday: "I did not rape her". Mark Wilkinson, 25, was arrested after a DNA swab taken when he was cautioned for urinating in the street was matched to a savage rape
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Councillors facing cash blow over baths restoration plan
THE cost of restoring one of the few remaining parts of Harrogate's spa heritage has risen by £150,000, leaving councillors to stump up an extra £58,000 - or lose National Lottery money. The Turkish Baths, part of the Royal Baths complex, which was the
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Fire union members back strike
FIREfighters' leaders in the North-East said union members had backed the 24-hour strike "100 per cent". It is hoped that Acas negotiations between union and employers being held today will be enough to avert further planned strike action on January 28
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News in brief: Guard building to be improved
PAINTING work will be carried out to Saltburn's seafront lifeguard station in time for the summer. Councillor Ian Jeffrey, of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council said: "The building is owned and managed by the council and needs to reflect the investment
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Artistic pupils make their mark for charity
PUPILS who could usually expect detention for damaging school buildings were encouraged to daub it with graffiti yesterday. Youngsters at Durham High School for Girls put on overalls and decorated the science labs, which are due to be demolished on February
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Gallery puts painting on display after restoration
AN art work of major international importance, linking two men who were distinguished in their field, is to go on display after years of conservation. Gianlorenzo Bernini's Portrait of Nicolas Poussin was acquired by York Art Gallery in 2000 for £510,000
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Website for education makes the net grade
DURHAM County Council has won national recognition for the education information on its website. The learning section of the site - www.durham.gov.uk - has been included on the Government-run National Grid for Learning's (NGfL) site, at www.ngfl.gov.uk
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New firms help food exhibition
TWO of North Yorkshire's thriving new businesses helped celebrate the best of British food and drink at an annual exhibition this week. Showcased at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) headquarters in London, Foodwise 2003 highlighted
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News in brief: Firms praised for health
TWO organisations have received recognition for their approach to staff health. Chester-le-Street District Council and Wavin Plastics, in Meadowfield, near Durham, received bronze Working for Health awards. They were presented with the awards by Lady
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Newts count delays work on park's trees
WORK to help refurbish a nationally important landscape has been delayed until newts have been counted. Great crested newts are known to live in Hardwick Park, an 18th Century Georgian landscape near Sedgefield. Now Durham County Council, the park's owner
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Chinese to celebrate New Year in style
A CHINESE community in the North-East is preparing to celebrate its New Year in style. Firecrackers and colourful dances will mark the arrival of the Chinese New Year in Newcastle's Chinatown, from 11am to 4pm on Sunday, February 2. Sow Fong Cole, of
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Appeal over victim's ID
Cambridgeshire police are appealing to people in the North-East to help identify a body found dumped in the street. Officers have released an e-fit of the man, whose body was found on fire on the road from Southey Woods to the A47, in Peterborough, on
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Attackers steal woman's gold rings
THUGS beat a woman and then ordered her to hand over her wedding ring during a knifepoint attack in the grounds of a hospital. The 20-year-old victim, who has not been named, was leaving Newcastle General Hospital when she was attacked from behind by
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Village shreds Christmas waste
VILLAGERS have used their new recycling centre to turn Christmas trees into compost. The car park of the village pub, The Milbank Arms, in Well, near Bedale, recently became the site of a mini-recycling centre, with banks for glass, paper and cans, and
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Sven watches Jenas keep United rolling
ENGLAND prospect Jermaine Jenas last night scored his third goal in four games under the watchful eye of England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson. It was enough for Newcastle to step up their Premiership title challenge with an edgy victory over relegation-threatened
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Surprise victory for campaigners
CAMPAIGNERS are celebrating victory in a battle they didn't expect to win after persuading a water company to switch a sewer site. Northumbrian Water has bowed to pressure from people in Bladeside, Crook, and is moving an outflow chamber away from their
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Estate calls for CCTV to catch vandals
RESIDENTS from a Darlington housing estate are calling on the council to fit CCTV cameras in a bid to catch vandals and troublemakers. The Skerne Park pub has recently been hit by vandals who daubed obscene graffiti on the walls and splashed thick white
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Food help for elderly is cut in shake-up
HUNDREDS of pensioners may have lost out following a shake-up of the Meals on Wheels service in Durham. Changes to the service, provided by Durham City Council on behalf of Durham County Council, were brought in on December 31. The county council, which
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The poet laureate of trailer-trash
It takes a certain kind of mentality to see the romantic side of prison rape, but one redneck ex-con managed it. Nick Morrison speaks to Otis Lee Crenshaw's creator. OTIS Lee Crenshaw is a victim of the three strikes and you're out policy. The first time
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Samurai attack teen refused bail
A teenager charged with the Samurai sword murder of a North-East father has been refused bail. Jason Benjamin Kelly, 19, was accused at Teesside Crown Court of the murder of scaffolder Robert Dunne outside a Post Office in West Lane, Middlesbrough. Kelly
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Ince is happy to play on
FORMER Middlesbrough skipper Paul Ince insists he is ready to play on for one more season. Ince, 35, signed a one-year deal with Wolves when he was freed by Boro at the end of last season. But the ex-England midfielder maintains he will be willing to
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Elvis tribute ended in confrontation
AN employment tribunal heard yesterday how Elvis fan David Jewers felt "intimidated, patronised, and threatened" by a supervisor who met his production line tribute to the King with a stream of obscenities. The 37-year-old part-time club singer was marking
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Penwell Hill to continue Barron run
David Barron's record on the Fibresand at Southwell since the start of 1999 stands up to the closest scrutiny. During that period the Thirsk trainer has had over 60 winners at a strike rate of one in five and a level £1 stakes bet on all his runners would
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Library users can surf the internet
READERS at Cockerton library can now get on-line and surf the Internet. Library users and visitors can surf the web and send e-mails through the library's latest computers, which have been paid for by the Gates Foundation. Anyone can use the new computers
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70ft tree topples down
A WILLINGTON couple had a lucky escape when a 70ft tree crashed down in their garden. Sheila and Les Craggs returned home last Wednesday to find the giant beech uprooted across their land. Although it brought down some fencing, it missed their bungalow
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Businessman hits out at agency
DEVELOPMENT agency One NorthEast has been accused of turning its back on plans to create hundreds of jobs at the former Blue Circle cement works. Businessman Terry Simmons said he had wasted five months trying to persuade officials to allow him to take
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Knife terror robber jailed for 15 years
A VICIOUS armed robber who brought a ten-day reign of terror to North-East towns was last night behind bars starting a 15-year sentence. During a terrifying crime spree, 25-year-old Gary Pattison robbed five shops at knifepoint, terrorising women shop
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School must do without lollipop patrol
WORRIED parents have been told their children will have to get across a busy road without a school crossing patrol for the foreseeable future. Parents of children at Corporation Road Junior and Infants Schools in Darlington have been told that there is
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£25m scheme will upgrade 4,000 houses in town centre
RUN-DOWN properties in Hartlepool are to benefit from a £25m scheme to breathe life into them. Last year, Hartlepool New Deal for Communities (NDC) carried out consultation with residents over a Community Housing Plan, which aims to improve housing and
