Archive
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Bishops in Leek repeat
Bishop Auckland manager Brian Honour wants a repeat performance from his players at home to Leek Town today. Six weeks ago, Bishops were leading 2-1 against Leek, but with just a few minutes left the Dean Street floodlights went out. Honour said: "We
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Lee rues robbery which denied goal number two
GOALS have been hard to come by for Graeme Lee. Despite playing in all but one of Hartlepool United's games this season, in the team which has scored more Division Three goals than any other and has been top of the table for 99 per cent of the campaign
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Driven to find winning formula
MOTORSPORT fanatic Johann Gibson is dreaming of life in the fast lane after collecting an honour from racing legend Sir Jackie Stewart. The 29-year-old, from Darlington, became the first woman to graduate from a course at Cranfield University, Oxfordshire
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At Your Service: It's one giant LEP for churchkind
THAT velocipede is what catches the eye, doesn't it, and the laid-back chap riding it is the Rev Adam Wells, ecumenicalist and Arsenal fan. The machine is officially an Anthrotec, the pennant flying behind it says something about sharing a ride and sharing
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Five refugee doctors find jobs after training in N-E
FIVE refugee doctors who fled repression in their own countries have found NHS jobs after retraining in the North-East. Two of the five asylum seeking medics are working in North-East hospitals while the other three have had to move away from the region
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Customers fired with enthusiasm
A NORTH-EAST factory has won an international business award. British American Tobacco's UK and Ireland Operations business, which includes the Rothman's plant in Darlington, has been named Supplier of the Year by one of its major customers in the Far
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Therapist Kath on hand to offer help at new drug treatment centre
A CENTRE to help people overcome drug problems was opened yesterday. Chris Mullin, MP for Sunderland South, and Mark Gillman, of the National Treatment Agency, launched the premises of the North East Council on Addiction (NECA), at John Street, Sunderland
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Region represented
A CHAMPION of people with speech difficulties will be the only delegate from the region at the launch of the European Year of People with Disabilities, in Athens this weekend. Edwin Farr, MBE, from Newcastle, who sits on the General Council of the European
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'Fraud sank sub cafes scheme'
Plans to open a chain of submarine-themed restaurants were sunk when the deal fell through - leaving the man behind the scheme £45,000 in the red, a court heard. Businessman Ian Hopper hoped to involve Hollywood mogul Steven Spielberg in his ambitious
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Amateur players will wear famous names with pride
THEY are the star goalscorer and shotstopper for Premier League side Newcastle United FC, but there the similarity ends. Graham Alvez, striker and captain, wears the coveted number 9 shirt for the Black and Whites in Gibraltar while team-mate Nicky Ferrary
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Salesman is jailed for filming up skirts
A MAN who was caught videoing up women's skirts and searching the Internet for child pornography was jailed for six months yesterday. Salesman Terence Dickinson puzzled a store detective who saw him touring shops carrying a black briefcase with a baseball
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Call for witnesses to serious crash
POLICE accident investigators have appealed for witnesses to a crash in which two people were injured - one seriously - yesterday. The crash involving a Vauxhall Corsa, Ford Maverick and Scania articulated lorry happened at 9.45am on the B6296 road at
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Safer cycle helmets firm poised to break into US
AN invention designed to revolutionise road safety is on the verge of breaking into the North American market. Reevu, based in Low Willington, near Crook, County Durham, created a cycling helmet with an built-in rear view mirror which it claims makes
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Call centre staff being sought
MORE jobs are being created by a fast-growing call centre. Churchill Insurance wants to take on 85 more workers at its Thornaby base. The company set up in Teesside four years ago, and employs 664 staff at the company's biggest base outside its Bromley
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Eight facing jail after drug raids
Eight men were facing jail last night after a trial which followed two police raids on a North-East house. Five of those arrested were Jamaican nationals who travelled from London claiming they were visiting girls or in the area to buy cheap cars. Police
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Jail term for banned driver
A banned motorist who crashed head-on into a fellow driver was jailed for two-and-a-half years yesterday. Robert Barrow, 30, had already been banned for dangerous driving when he crashed a Ford Escort into an oncoming Mondeo, in Concorde, Washington,
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Victim named
THE elderly victim of a fire at a house in St Bede's Close, Crossgate Moor, Durham, on Thursday, has been named as 82-year-old Annie Isabella Wardle, known as Belle. She was taken to the University Hospital of North Durham after the blaze broke out in
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How Pop Rival family brawled in the streets
THE brother and sister of Girls Aloud star Cheryl Tweedy's brother and sister have appeared before magistrates after a street brawl. Just weeks after Cheryl, 19, feared she would be thrown out of the Popstars: The Rivals band after being arrested for
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Tupperware parties a thing of the past
THE fate of the Tupperware party has been sealed. No longer will we be able spend an evening cooing over plastic food containers and enjoying a glass of wine and gossip with the girls. Earlier this week, the US Tupperware group announced it was stopping
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Curtain rises on theatre's new season
ONE of the region's theatres has unveiled its plans for the forthcoming season. The Grand Opera House, in York will be bringing drama, dance, music and comedy to theatre-lovers over the next few months. Just Good Friends star Paul Nicholas and former
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Attackers had ignored pregnant woman's plea
Thugs cut and kicked a young woman, despite her pleas that she was expecting a baby, it was revealed yesterday. The 20-year-old secretary, who is two months' pregnant, was attacked and robbed by two men, one of them armed with a knife, as she left work
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Nissan workers in crucial vote
WORKERS at Nissan's North-East complex are voting in a crucial ballot that could see Europe's most productive car plant embroiled in the first industrial action in its 18-year history. Bosses at the Sunderland plant have been in talks over pay with the
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Livestock rules to be eased
RESTRICTIONS on livestock movements, which many farmers claim have threatened their livelihoods, are being reduced. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) announced this week that the restrictions would be eased. Since the foot-and-mouth
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'Brideshead' revisited early
ONE of the region's attractions is opening earlier this year. Castle Howard house - known to millions as the setting for TV's Brideshead Revisited - is opening on February 14, a month earlier than usual. With short breaks becoming more popular, York and
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Gardening: A rose by any other name...
It's one of those perennial gardening conundrums. What do you do with the plant label? You can't leave it tied on, for as well as disturbing the appearance of the garden (the flickering white colour of most labels is the easiest for the eye to pick out
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Care group expands
MORE than 200 jobs will be created by a new expansion plan unveiled by one of the region's largest independent providers of care for the elderly. The Portland Group, which has care homes throughout the North-East, has planned a two-pronged approach to
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Euro law 'no bar to sacking staff'
A religious organisation has been assured that new laws will not prevent it sacking staff who do not share its beliefs. The Newcastle charity, the Christian Institute, is worried about a proposed EU Employment Directive that would ban discrimination on
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Skybet.com Great Yorkshire Chase
Tonoco, who looks a different horse after a wind operation, can continue the excellent season of Sue and Harvey Smith's and looks the value bet in the skybet.com Great Yorkshire Chase over three miles at Doncaster. This previously decent hurdler and novice
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Behrajan to show Gold form
Behrajan, who turned in his best effort to date at Ascot last month, can enhance his Gold Cup claims by taking the Pillar Property Chase over three miles and one furlong at Cheltenham this afternoon. Under the welterburden of nearly 12 stones, the eight-year-old
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Darlington forced to wing it for Sandal clash
AFTER having a glut of wingers to choose from a few weeks ago, Darlington suddenly find that five of them are unavailable for today's match at home to Sandal. They have suspended Mark Butler for one match because of the punch which earned him a red card
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Notes of levity in a war-weary world
IN these war-weary days, the most startling piece of information this week comes from the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. It has worked out that the note that most toilets sound when they flush is an E-flat. CHANNEL 4 had a wondrous piece
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DNA conviction may herald sex crimes breakthrough
NORTHUMBRIA Police are poised to make several arrests as part of their investigations into unsolved sex crimes. Under Operation Phoenix, officers have been using DNA techniques to revisit sex cases from 1985 to 1999. This week, officers saw the first
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Keltie hoping to join Wallsend hall of fame
It was perhaps only a matter of time before Darlington's latest sensation Clark Keltie made it as a professional footballer. After all, he'd plied his trade as a raw teenager with the famous Wallsend Boys Club, renowned for producing a regular crop of
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For Your Benefit: Will situation ever improve?
Q I am 57 and left my husband because of domestic violence. As I am on the sick, I receive Income Support of £53.95 a week. Out of this I have to pay £13 for rent as I am not allowed full Housing Benefit until I get council accommodation. Will my situation
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Tow Law tigers - and a few crocs
AMBITIOUS plans have been unveiled for a multi-million pound exotic animal sanctuary in the North-East. Tigers, lions, crocodiles, birds of prey and primates are some of the species that will be catered for at the new Exotic Animal Welfare Trust before
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Crown court bid to evict gipsies will be made after complaints
EFFORTS are under way to evict 100 gipsies who invaded a caravan site, after they were accused of assault, arson and criminal damage. Six travelling families were forced off the land by the gipsies, who had arrived on Teesside to attend the funeral of
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In The Picture: Why TV plays it safe
There are more channels, but less to see as TV bosses stick to tried and tested formulae and give us more of what they know we like. It's official - television offers the same old thing night in, night out. More channels doesn't necessarily mean more
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Clough better
Football legend Brian Clough continues to make a good recovery, following his life-saving liver transplant. A spokesman for the Freeman Hospital, in Newcastle, said yesterday that the Middlesbrough-born former manager and TV pundit had been moved to a
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Ex-prisoner waited three years for attack
A PRISONER waited years to attack an inmate who had indecently assaulted children, a court heard yesterday. Christopher Rawlings bided his time for three years until he got out of prison. Then he sought out the man and viciously attacked him, Teesside
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£1.7m hospital job
PORTABLE building specialist Yorkon has won a £1.7m contract to extend a London hospital. The Portakabin subsidiary will provide a new emergency medicine centre at Whipps Cross University Hospital in East London. The single storey extension adjoining
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Comment: Facing up to the challenge
WITH frustrations mounting about the continuing lack of a clear strategy for the future of the Blue Circle site, the last thing Wear Valley needed was more bad news on the jobs front. The unexpected closure of Barbour's operation in Crook is another sickening
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What everyone wants
A SHOPPING mall is hopeful of attracting a big name replacement for discount store What Everyone Wants. Up to 2,500 jobs are to go across the UK with the winding down of the firm, after a buyer could not be found. Manager of Darlington's Cornmill Shopping
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News in brief: Man denies blackmail
A 52-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to blackmail, false imprisonment and causing actual bodily harm. Trevor Thirlwall, of Granville Road, Middlesbrough, appeared at Teesside Crown Court yesterday. He is charged with detaining Robert Phillips against
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Accused surgeon cleared by GMC
A GYNAECOLOGIST accused of removing a mother's ovaries without her consent during a hysterectomy was cleared of serious professional misconduct yesterday. Nazar Amso, 53, was said to have deliberately ignored the wishes of Linda Alder 35, when he carried
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Ciara's bone marrow gift saves her brothers
Three young brothers owe their lives to their older sister after she donated the bone marrow that saved them all. Ciara MacMahon, seven, has undergone three operations for the sake of John, four, and twins Rory and Edward, two. Her bravery has been rewarded
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Rap star obsession of savage murderer
A teenager repeatedly listened to the violent lyrics of controversial rapper Eminem after he murdered a defenceless man sleeping rough, a court heard yesterday. Victim Richard Jones, a 47-year-old former Welsh Guardsman, was found dead in a seaside shelter
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Bird enthusiast's criticisms after conviction is lifted
A BIRD enthusiast has criticised the country's leading bird charity after overturning his conviction for a wildlife offence. Michael Davidson was found guilty last August by magistrates at Houghton-le-Spring, Wearside, of having equipment that he intended
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First Selby rail crash claims are paid out
THE first of 88 compensation claims arising from the Selby rail crash have been settled, it emerged yesterday. But the insurance firm handling them warned it would be some time yet before others received compensation. The disaster happened almost two
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'Popular' priest and journalist dies
FATHER Michael Finnigan, one of the region's best known Catholic priests, has died suddenly. He was 59. "He was a very good priest, very popular and very down to earth," said Canon Seamus Cunningham, a Vicar General of the diocese of Hexham and Newcastle
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The Albany Northern League Today: Willington survival mission
Willington are hoping they can start a revival when they go to Murton today. Willington, one of the oldest clubs in the Northern League, are staring relegation in the face as they lie at the bottom of the second division, three points adrift of the next
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No clues to mystery of the ghost writer
THE mystery behind one of the region's haunted pubs grows deeper as strange envelopes keep landing on their doormat. A handful of hoax letters and references to a phantom trail have left the owners of a North Yorkshire pub baffled. Bob and Cath Hedley
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Pupils have an eye for detail with Chinese dragon
PRIMARY school children brought an oriental dragon to life to celebrate the forthcoming Chinese New Year. By painting the second eye on the head of a 30ft paper dragon in a traditional Chinese ceremony pupils at Cockton Hill Infant School, in Bishop Auckland
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Agony goes on as Footsie slides for tenth day in row
Investors endured their tenth day of turmoil yesterday as the FTSE 100 index continued to suffer its longest-ever losing streak. The rollercoaster session was hit by the falling value of the US dollar and war fears. Britain's blue chip shares fell below
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Poorer students are outshining the wealthy
STUDENTS from poor backgrounds attending a North-East university are less likely to fail their exams than their wealthier counterparts, according to new figures. Of 120 working class students attending Newcastle University, only five failed or had to
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Mother sounds the alarm over bogus health visitor
FEARS have been raised that young families are at risk from a bogus caller claiming to be a health visitor. Police were alerted by a young mother, who was visited by a woman in her late 30s or early 40s, at her home in Kimblesworth, near Sacriston, County
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Dinky toys likely to bring big returns
MORE than £400,000 of boxed Dinky, Corgi and matchbox toys are to be auctioned. Experts on Teesside, who will be selling the 1950s to the 1970s collection, say they have never seen so many toys in mint condition. Bryan Goodall, chairman of the Vectis
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Showing the power of flowers
FOUR oil paintings from a North-East museum are to feature in a touring exhibition later this year. The Bowes Museum, in Barnard Castle, County Durham, has agreed to donate four oil paintings to feature in an exhibition called Flower Power, which will
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Cancer mum's giant leap for charity
A FORMER cancer patient with a fear of heights is preparing to take the plunge for charity. Victoria James, 44, a district nurse from Tynemouth, North Tyneside will abseil 100ft from the Tyne Bridge, in Newcastle, tomorrow. Although she usually avoids
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Ball backs Wilko over Cup fever
HOWARD WILKINSON'S controversial policy of sacrificing possible FA Cup glory for Sunderland's No1 priority of Premiership safety last night received the unequivocal support of Wearside legend Kevin Ball. As Wilkinson made it clear ahead of today's Cup
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Barbour factory shutdown shock
STUNNED workers were left in tears last night after the shock announcement that another major County Durham employer is to close its factory. News that waxed jacket makers J Barbour and Sons Limited is to shut its plant in Crook - which employs 87 - came
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A liking for footie and a punch-up
From place-names to dialect, surnames to slang, the North-East has always been a region apart. Nick Morrison looks at how we got our distinctive character. WHEN they wanted a break from the thieving, the Robsons, the Charltons and the Milburns would get
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Failing Falcons' dreams becoming a nightmare
NEWCASTLE Falcons are eight matches from the unthinkable. Or even less if they keep on losing. Just as the dream of having one of the best teams in Europe to grace facilities of a similar standard was coming tantalisingly within sight everything has gone
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Angry Wilko sets sights on Oren after Toda snub
NORWAY winger Tommy Oren will begin a week's trial at Sunderland tomorrow as Howard Wilkinson steps up his attempts to strengthen their squad after he was left fuming and stunned by Kazuyuki Toda's snub. After Japan midfielder Toda signed a 12-month loan
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Warm welcome back for Darlington striker Conlon
Darlington welcome back striker Barry Conlon for this afternoon's clash with Division Three high-flyers Torquay United with caretaker boss Mick Tait admitting: "We've missed him." The big Irishman has had to sit out Quakers' last three games through suspension
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Bolton's loss boost for Boro
MIDDLESBROUGH last night received encouragement in their pursuit of Derby County striker Malcolm Christie when Bolton Wanderers dropped out of the chase. As revealed in Northern Echo Sport yesterday, Bolton manager Sam Allardyce asked about Christie this
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Robson considers rest for leg-weary Shearer
SIR BOBBY ROBSON has admitted he could rest skipper Alan Shearer for Newcastle's game at Tottenham on Wednesday in a shock move. Magpies boss Robson revealed that striking talisman Shearer is feeling the effects of a gruelling schedule of seven appearances
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Mother's gift to childless couple
A MOTHER-OF-THREE, who is having a baby for her childless best friend, told of her delight yesterday. Bronwen Williamson insisted that her decision to become a surrogate mother was "ethically right" and is looking forward to the birth of the baby girl
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Reforms could end NHS warning
THE former Health Secretary Frank Dobson has warned that the next wave of Government reforms could spell the end of the NHS as we know it. Mr Dobson told a North-East audience that plans to introduce so-called "foundation" hospitals would create a two-tier
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Skipper McGrath wants a good start
The main aim of new Yorkshire captain Anthony McGrath is to get his team off to a good start this season then lead them straight back into the top flight of the County Championship. The 27-year-old Bradford-born batsman was yesterday confirmed as the
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Hudspiths miss Manchester
MORPETH Harriers will be without big guns Mark and Ian Hudspith in today's North of England Cross Country Championships at Manchester. The brothers, who demonstrated their form by recording the fastest times in anchoring their club to first and second
