Archive
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Charity worker to tell story of prison ordeal
FREED charity worker Ian Stillman is planning to publish his memoirs, a year after being released from an Indian jail. Mr Stillman, who is deaf, has been in contact with two publishers in the UK who have expressed interest in putting his life story into
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Just an airport, by any other name
Of course it goes without saying - which is why I haven't said it so far - that renaming Teesside Airport Durham Tees Valley would be a ridiculous waste of time. People do not travel to airports. They travel to places, sometimes arriving at an airport
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Community centre new classes
Park View Community Ass-ociation, Chester-le-Street, has a range of new classes for adults next month. They include a ten-week aromatherapy course, Draw-ing for the Terrified, where people can develop hidden artistic skills, Life Healing, which combines
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Talks on MDF use in schools
THE future use of medium density fibreboard (MDF) as a craft material in Darlington schools will be debated next week. Councillors are being asked to consider proposals from several secondary schools to reintroduce the material. Darlington Borough Council
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Children praised for art
PRIMARY school children were last night given prizes for using their artistic talents to help an anti-arson campaign. More than 200 children from ten primary schools across the Stockton area sent in posters highlighting the dangers of arson for a competition
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Police force hands over bravery awards
POLICE and the public have been rewarded for their bravery at a ceremony hosted by the commander of North Yorkshire Police's eastern division, Chief Superintendent David Short. The county's high sheriff, Air Commodore Simon Bostock, presented the awards
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Free phone chargers that could be lifesavers
THOUSANDS of free gadgets are on offer to help make sure an emergency phone call is always just a twist away. Telecommunications giant Orange has come up with a wind-up mobile phone charger aimed at ensuring a caller will always have enough battery power
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Bogus charity workers alert sounded
RESIDENTS are being warn-ed to look out for bogus charity workers after thieves stole a collection box. Crooks took a bag of 200 pin badges worth about £30 and an empty collection tin from a table in the entrance to Asda, in Front Street, Stanley, last
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Radcliffe gets Liz backing
Liz McColgan last night insisted Paula Radcliffe should concentrate on the marathon in next year's Olympic Games. Radcliffe, the world marathon record holder and European 10,000m champion, has still to decide which event she will focus on at next August's
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Faults are found on older cars for sale
MORE than half of all second-hand cars for sale inspected by a town's trading standards officers were found to be faulty. Trading standards officers in Stockton inspected 20 cars from 13 garages across the borough and found 11 had faults. However, the
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Bus drivers praised for good work
THREE bus drivers have been commended by the public for their good work. The men, who work for Arriva North East and are based at the depot at Loftus, near Saltburn, were also praised by bosses for being courteous and professional. John McGowan was described
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Council's cabinet reshuffle
THREE senior councillors are to swap roles in a New Year reshuffle of Darlington Borough Council's cabinet. Deputy council leader Councillor Bill Dixon will move from social services to take responsibility for housing. Coun Dixon has been in charge of
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A record not to be broken
THAT Nissan has enjoyed an excellent industrial relations record during its 18 years in the North-East is beyond question. The company has set the standard in terms of flexibility, efficiency and communication between management and the workforce. The
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Police draw up suspect wish list
CHRISTMAS cards from the police will be dropping through the letterboxes of wanted criminals throughout the remainder of the festive season - but the message inside is far from festive. A total of 2,500 arrests have already been made under the umbrella
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Rail boss dashes funding hopes
THE railway industry's most powerful man has delivered a stinging rebuke to claims that the North-East is the country's poor relation when it comes to funding. Richard Bowker, chairman of the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA), said it was "totally and completely
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Why life is tougher for teens these days
WELL, if I were a teenager today, I think I'd take to drink. I tried to in my own time, of course. But in those days, pubs were for grown-ups. Underage drinkers were only tolerated if they knew their place - quietly in the corner nursing a half of cider
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Distant Prospect success is no distant dream for Balding
ROOKIE trainer Andrew Balding, who made such a scintillating start to his career on the flat earlier this year, is now turning some of his big guns to the jumping arena. Balding first hit the headlines in June by sending out Casual Look to capture the
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Primary School festive fun run boosts children's fitness levels
ALMOST 1,000 primary school pupils took part in a Christmas fun run yesterday. The event, at Dalton Park, Murton, County Durham, was organised to help raise the fitness levels of youngsters from the area. Supervised by a team of young sports leaders from
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Please let her stay
THE head of a North-East special needs school last night pleaded with immigration services to let a profoundly disabled girl stay in this country amid fears she could die if sent home to Yemen. Five-year-old Miaad Garwash, who is blind, deaf, dumb, wheelchair-bound
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'Task force' to put theatre on right track
A MANAGING board is being set up to steer a city's theatre out of financial trouble. Durham City Council is carrying out an all-encompassing review of how the Gala Theatre is run in a bid to cut losses which have run up to £446,000 in the past seven months
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Cable firms could merge
CABLE firms NTL and Telewest could be on course to merge before the end of 2005. Such a move would save the companies £229m every year, according to analysts UBS Warburg. Speculation within the industry has been rife for years that the debt-ridden pair
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Survey finds optimism in North-East
SMALL businesses in the North-East are optimistic following better than expected results in the last quarter, a survey has found. The NatWest Quarterly Survey of Small Businesses showed that of those businesses questioned in the region, sales turnover
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Boro stalwart Cooper earns praise after reaching landmark
COLIN COOPER has been urged to keep up the good work after passing a highly-commendable milestone in his 19-year career. The experienced Middlesbrough star was awarded a commemorative shirt from his teammates after passing 700 professional games for both
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Building for fun
HOMEBUILDER Bowey Homes has donated £20,000 to help equip a children's play area. The area, in Spennymoor's Victoria Jubilee Park, was opened by Mayoress of Spennymoor Elsie Summerson. Karen Emerson, marketing director of Bowey Homes, said: "Many of our
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10/12/03
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT: HOW very sad to read such virulent letters screaming for blood. No respect for the sanctity of life, no realisation that supporting the killing of people under the umbrella of the state makes them parties to murder too. The argument
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Thieves steal champion's £4,000 bike
THIEVES have stolen the speedway bike of the former world champion. Gary Havelock, of Stockton, who was world champion in 1992, said the thieves would not even be able to use the £4,000 bike, which has no brakes. The bike was taken sometime on Saturday
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Marine killed by friendly fire
A Royal Marine initially believed to have been killed by Iraqis actually died in friendly fire, the Ministry of Defence said today. Marine Christopher Maddison, 24, died after his landing craft came under fire on a river patrol on the Al Faw peninsular
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Children's athletics event revived
AN athletics event is to be staged in the region for the first time in 50 years. The English Schools' Track and Field Championships, dubbed the Kid's Olympics, will take place next year in Gateshead International Stadium. Recently retired Olympic and
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Revelations of the righteous
The Hand Of God (BBC1): THE last in Michael Buerk's series looked at the relationship between religion and power - and resulted in some alarming moments. Like learning that President George W Bush believes God wants him to lead at this time and that disgraced
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Hospital holds memorial for staff nurse
A MEMORIAL service is being held for a well-loved nurse who died in an accident. Arlene Mitcheson worked at St Luke's Hospital, Middlesbrough, for more than 20 years. She died after an accident involving a taxi in the town centre last month. A service
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Robinson set to be latest loanee to leave Pool
HARTLEPOOL United's squad players are making the most of the loan system in a bid to get firt-team football. Boss Neale Cooper is keen on his players to get a regular game and a day after Marcus Richardson returned to Lincoln City, left-back Mark Robinson
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Police seize heroin in drugs raid
MORE than £200 worth of heroin and almost £1,000 in cash was seized by police in a raid yesterday. The drugs, cash and assorted drugs paraphernalia were recovered from a house in Peel Street, Middlesbrough. The raid was carried out by drugs squad officers
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TV review
The Hand Of God (BBC1) THE last in Michael Buerk's series looked at the relationship between religion and power - and resulted in some alarming moments. Like learning that President George W Bush believes God wants him to lead at this time and that disgraced
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LuaLua exit means Sir Bobby steps up chase
SIR BOBBY ROBSON'S need for a striker in January will be further highlighted when Lomana LuaLua leads his country into the African Nations Cup next month. Henrik Larsson, Patrick Kluivert and Eidur Gudjonson are just three on a growing list of exciting
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Able will bid for new licences
FOUR ships at the centre of a legal row will languish at a North-East dock yard throughout the winter while a bid for new licences is made to allow dismantling work to be carried out. Environmental campaigners fear it could take up to ten months for Able
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Nissan workers back first strike in factory's history
WORKERS at Nissan's North-East car plant were last night deciding on their next move after voting for strike action for the first time in its history. Forty staff in Nissan's purchasing department were balloted by their union Amicus over plans to move
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Police group finds out youth views
SECONDARY school youngsters in Hartlepool are today taking part in a consultation exercise. The Manor Technology College pupils will take part in an interactive question and answer session in a bid to help Cleveland Police Authority record the views and
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Youngsters design PC's Christmas cards
A CHRISTMAS card designed by Sedgefield village children will soon be landing on doormats all over the country. Sedgefield beat PC Keith Todd runs a Christmas card competition for children every year. The winning designs are used for his official Christmas
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Work of globally-known local artist on show
AN artist used to having her work exhibited in London and Paris has opened a retrospective exhibition in her home town of Stockton. Doris Manning, who has lived in Hartburn, near Stockton, since 1931, only started painting in her forties. Since then,
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Date switch for budget meeting
A MEETING for residents of the Richmondshire district interested in next year's police budget has been rearranged to suit the organisations which wished to attend. Originally, the public forum was to take place at The King's Head Hotel, Richmond, on Friday
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Locals help in village revamp
RESIDENTS of a former east Durham pit village are being called on to help regenerate their run-down community. The once thriving village of Easington Colliery has struggled to survive since the end of coal mining there in May 1993. In one swoop, the close-knit
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Farmer's 4x4 driving school puts him on road to success
A farmer who turned part of his land into a cross country driving centre has built it into a thriving business which has become a tourist attraction. Graeme Gill faced stiff opposition when he launched the scheme to supplement his income on his 100-acre
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Ex-athlete receives honorary doctorate
THE former athlete whose vision gave birth to the Great North Run has been honoured by a home town university. Tyneside-born Brendan Foster has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Civil Law from Northumbria University. He masterminded the Great North
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Cash offices to close over Christmas
REDCAR and Cleveland Borough Council's cash office in Redcar and Cleveland House, Kirkleatham Street, Redcar, closes for the Christmas break at 4pm on December 18. It will reopen at 9am on January 2. The Christmas opening times for the council's other
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Scooter rider fined by court
A man was fined yesterday after police stopped him while he was riding a 33cc motorised scooter. Mervyn Dale, 22, of Otley Road, Harrogate, told the town's court he had bought a Go-ped from an advert in a motor magazine only two days before police spotted
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New physiotherapy clinic is launched
A NEW physiotherapist clinic is opening in Darlington. Chris Shannon who runs the Star House Physiotherapy Clinics, in Barnard Castle and at the Quality Living Health and Fitness Club, at Scotch Corner, is expanding the business. The new premises in Duke
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McCartney still reeling after tackle
GEORGE McCartney has told of the determination within Sunderland's squad to focus on the job in hand despite having the harrowing memories of the terrifying tackle on teammate Colin Healy etched in their minds. After spending Monday night in a Coventry
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Is the honeymoon over for Nissan and its workforce?
BRITAIN is home to some of the best and the worst car factories in the world. Nissan's Sunderland plant is rightly lauded as the most productive plant in Europe, regularly topping the Economist Intelligence Unit's survey of the car industry's most efficient
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Netspace sends magazine around the world
TECHNOLOGY developed by a Tees Valley company is helping to sell an exclusive North-East village to the world. Wynyard Life is a magazine that has just gone online thanks to a website developed by Netspace Tees Valley. Orders for the online version of
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Hodgson gets his man to replace suspended Conlon
Darlington manager David Hodgson has moved quickly to deal with Barry Conlon's impending three-match ban by signing Bristol City striker Lee Matthews on loan for a month. Middlesbrough-born Matthews last night agreed to join Quakers despite interest from
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No Murali fitness worries, coach
sri Lanka coach John Dyson insists there are no concerns over Muttiah Muralitharan's heavy workload during the three-Test series with England. Muralitharan, whose marathon effort in Galle read 68.4-33-93-11, did not bowl in the final preparation sessions
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Christmas crime crackdown starts
POLICE are having success with an operation to target alleged criminals in the run-up to Christmas. Operation Bullseye started in Newton Aycliffe on Saturday, and since then police have arrested six people on suspicion of theft-related offences. Sergeant
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Go-Ahead 'expects strong results'
TRANSPORT group Go-Ahead has said it remains on course for a strong set of results after seeing a continuation of trends reported in the autumn. The bus and rail group, based in Newcastle, said it had been particularly encouraged by its bus division following
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Last gunfight at Irene's corral
TO his legion of fans, Tex Larrigan was a steely-eyed gunslinger, tough, burly and cool under pressure. In reality, this hero of the Wild West was a grandmother-of-six from the North-East of England. With her white hair and large glasses, Irene Ord seemed
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More cash for schools - MP
AN MP has attacked the Government's plans for education funding. Vale of York MP Anne McIntosh said that schools in York and North Yorkshire were being given "meagre resources" for 2004 to 2005. Only one local education authority in England receives less
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£250,000 spend on upgrading care facilities
A PRIVATE care home is planning to spend £250,000 on upgrading its facilities. Work has started at Middleton Hall, in Middleton St George, near Darlington, on a project to convert bedrooms into studio apartments. The idea of the studio apartments is to
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Primary School festive fun run boosts children's fitness levels
ALMOST 1,000 primary school pupils took part in a Christmas fun run yesterday. The event, at Dalton Park, Murton, County Durham, was organised to help raise the fitness levels of youngsters from the area. Supervised by a team of young sports leaders from
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Demand for new cars boosts Reg Vardy profits
Car dealer Reg Vardy said strong demand for new and used cars had helped it rack up record half-year profits of £24.6m. The Sunderland-based group said profits before tax and goodwill had risen 35.2 per cent on the back of an all-time sales high in the
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Greene King sees profits rise by 10%
BREWER Greene King has seen half-year profits rise ten per cent to £38.6m. The maker of Abbot Ale and Old Speckled Hen said business had been encouraging since October, with beer sales maintaining their growth momentum, along with higher returns from
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Access history archive at the touch of a button
MUSEUMS, libraries and community groups throughout the region have joined forces to create a vast archive of the North-East. The ambitious online project, Tomorrow's History, contains information on every subject, from the memories of residents of sheltered
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New laws on e-mails 'will be of little help'
A NEW European law that makes sending unsolicited e-mails a criminal offence will have little effect on the amount being sent, according to a North-East expert. Dr Lindsay Marshall, of Newcastle University's school of computing science, warned yesterday
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Murder could not be predicted -- investigation
AN investigation into the care of a teenage mental patient who battered to death a student in Hartlepool has concluded that it would have been impossible to predict the murder. But the independent inquiry panel criticised "shortcomings" in the way care
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Rail boss dashes funding hopes
THE railway industry's most powerful man has delivered a stinging rebuke to claims that the North-East is the country's poor relation when it comes to funding. Richard Bowker, chairman of the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA), said it was "totally and completely
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'Reviving theatre's fortunes will not happen overnight'
A LEADING voice in the North-East believes there is light at the end of the tunnel for Durham's Gala Theatre. Less than two years after opening, the theatre is running up large losses, put at £446,000 for the first seven months of this financial year,
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Losing last reminders of ironworks industry
THERE can rarely have been more opportune timing for an Echo Memories series on a village than our on-going articles about Middleton St George. The village is changing rapidly. Every time you blink, another housing estate appears. Even while we have been
