Archive
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One-stop shop to get back to work
JOB seekers in the south of Middlesbrough will be able to find all the help they need to get started in the workplace under one roof. A one-stop-shop for employment advice, Hemlington Works, was launched in the Hemlington Initiative Centre yesterday to
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Objections fail to halt homes plan
A PROTEST from a parish council over plans to build two homes in a Ripon village has been overruled by planners. Skelton-on-Ure Parish Council objected to the plans over fears about increased traffic next to a playing field and lack of extra parking.
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Airgun victim PC to undergo surgery
A POLICE officer shot in the face with an airgun was due to undergo surgery to remove the pellet last night. PC Lee Jackson, 32, has a pellet lodged in his jaw after someone fired an air weapon at him as he drove a patrol car through Dipton, near Stanley
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Arts guild makes debut
TWENTY artists will be displaying their work at the first exhibition of the recently-formed Richmondshire Arts and Crafts Guild. The Dales Countryside Museum, in Hawes, will host the event, which runs from Friday until August 18. Potter and guild chairman
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Ladies light the way for charity
HOMES and Gardens were the theme of a ladies day which raised more than £1,500 for hospice patients. The event at the Hallgarth Country House Hotel, at Coatham Mundeville, was organised by The Butterwick Hospice at Bishop Auckland, with support from Barclays
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Wild activities help fitness
A BEAUTY spot will help children keep fit this summer. Youngsters can enjoy exploring Castle Eden Dene National Nature Reserve, in east Durham. A handbook has been produced to show visitors how they can make the most of their trip to the beauty spot.
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Wild activities help fitness
A BEAUTY spot will help children keep fit this summer. Youngsters can enjoy exploring Castle Eden Dene National Nature Reserve, in east Durham. A handbook has been produced to show visitors how they can make the most of their trip to the beauty spot.
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Fostering hopes to recruit more parents
A TEN-month campaign to recruit more foster parents is enjoying success but more people are needed. The Help Us Raise 100 Smiles campaign was launched last September by North Yorkshire County Council to find 100 extra families willing to take children
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£210,000 revamp of sport area
A COMMUNITY on Teesside has been given £210,000 to help improve its health. The money has been spent transforming a run-down sports area in Middlesbrough. The facility, off St Paul's Road, now has two pitches with markings for five-a-side football, basketball
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Paintball park is allowed to stay open
A PAINTBALL park and quad bike track, which operated without planning permission for 20 months, has been given permission to stay open. Plans for continued use of the site, described as a rare wet woodland habitat, at Flaxby Covert, Flaxby, near Knaresborough
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Ship to make its final journey to UK
DESTROYER HMS Newcastle will make its final visit to the UK tomorrow. The 26-year-old Type 42 vessel is to be decommissioned at the end of January next year. For the past seven months HMS Newcastle has been deployed on a Nato anti-terrorism mission in
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Youth offending teams praised by inspectors
YOUTH offending teams in County Durham have been praised by an independent inspectorate. A Government multi-agency inspection team carried out an inquiry into the service in March and April and concluded it was a good service. It found there was a variety
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Woman raped on blind date, trial told
A WOMAN was raped when she went on a blind date with a man she met over the Internet, a court was told yesterday. The mother-of-three, in her 40s, told police that she travelled to Stockton, Teesside, to meet 26-year-old Kenneth Huskinson. She bought
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TV review
Would Like To Meet (BBC2) When I'm Sixty-Four (BBC2) EVERYONE seemed keen to tell Esther Rantzen where she was going wrong in her relationships with men. "A lot of displacement activity and evaluation gestures," declared body language expert Tracey Cox
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Durham back spinner revival
DURHAM are doing their bit to revive the almost extinct breed of the English leg-spinner, although it's a Scot with Pakistani parents who is currently lighting the way. Glasgow-born Moneeb Iqbal, 18, is in his second year with the Durham Academy, while
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Arts guild makes debut
TWENTY artists will be displaying their work at the first exhibition of the recently-formed Richmondshire Arts and Crafts Guild. The Dales Countryside Museum, in Hawes, will host the event, which runs from Friday until August 18. Potter and guild chairman
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Confusing times ahead as quads prepare to move up to comprehensive
TEACHERS are about to be confused when 11-year-old identical quadruplets become pupils at a comprehensive school next month. The fair-haired Guy girls - Emma, Kirsty, Laura and Becky - are moving from the village primary school at Bowes, near Barnard
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Gran At Large: Playing spot the grandparent
THERE are grandparents everywhere. Until I became a grandmother myself, I didn't really notice them. They were invisible, just part of the landscape. Now that I've become one of them I see them wherever I go. It's almost as if they're part of a secret
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County rated top class
DURHAM County Council has been ranked as one of the top performing local authorities in the country by a Government watchdog. The Audit Commission, which independently assesses and compares the performance of councils across the country, has rated Durham
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Outcry over plans for more houses
RESIDENTS are protesting angrily against proposals for more homes in the centre of their village. More than 50 letters of objection and a petition will be sent to Darlington Borough Council in an attempt to halt plans to built five new houses in Middleton
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Sir Bobby vows to bow out in style
Sir Bobby Robson has vowed "to give it everything I've got" in what seems certain to be his last season at Newcastle. The 71-year-old was stunned to learn at the weekend of chairman Freddy Shepherd's decision to dispense with his services after the new
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Mother gets surprise package from Canada
WIDOW Vera Stratford is used to getting groceries delivered straight to her door - but nothing prepared her for what arrived on her 80th birthday. For the man holding the basket turned out to be her son, Mark, 49, who lives in Canada. Mrs Stratford usually
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Crash tragedy probed
A MAN whose car crashed out of control may have suffered a heart attack, police said yesterday. Bob Dignen, a keen angler, appeared to pull his car momentarily into a bus lay-by, but then it veered across the road, ploughing first into a bollard and then
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Clean sweep of pills urged
A NEW campaign is urging people to check their cabinets for old medicines, pills and potions. Sedgefield Primary Care Trust has joined forces with pharmacists to launch an advertising campaign, Time for a Clean Sweep, which was launched on Sunday and
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Student in Oxford University storm back in UK
STUDENT Laura Spence whose rejection by Oxford University caused a huge political row has revealed her plans to study medicine in the UK. Ms Spence, a former pupil at Monkseaton High School, near Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, chose to take up a place at
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Durham back spinner revival
DURHAM are doing their bit to revive the almost extinct breed of the English leg-spinner, although it's a Scot with Pakistani parents who is currently lighting the way. Glasgow-born Moneeb Iqbal, 18, is in his second year with the Durham Academy, while
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Top Ten To Rent
UK DVD/VIDEO RENTAL: 1 (-) Monster 2 (1) Starsky And Hutch 3 (2) School Of Rock 4 (3) Welcome To The Jungle 5 (4) Mona Lisa Smile 6 (5) Along Came Polly 7 (6) Looney Tunes Back In Action 8 (7) Cold Mountain 9 (8) Cold Creek Manor 10 (-) Dogville Published
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'Superman' PC cleared of nightclub bust-up
A FIREARMS officer who admitted punching a nightclubber while dressed as Superman was yesterday found not guilty of a public order offence. PC Neil James Bell - who is stationed at Darlington - had been in fancy dress while collecting for charity when
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Will Mr Smith kill off his critics?
Oscar-nominated Will Smith has moved successfully and smoothly from rapper to TV blockbuster movies. But he admits that he's yet to earn many good reviews. Steve Pratt goes into the future as the black actor finally looks like earning some acting acclaim
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Cash joy for gymnasts
GYMNASTS are celebrating the award of a substantial lottery grant which will help build a new £1.6m North-East sports centre. Sport England's Lottery fund has awarded Sedgefield Borough Council £1,325,000 towards the new gym at Spennymoor Leisure Centre
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Wembley row takes its toll on workforce
CLEVELAND Bridge workers were told last night that 95 of them would lose their jobs and the rest have their hours reduced. The Darlington engineering company announced the 65 blue collar and 30 white collar redundancies following talks with unions yesterday
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Young offender scheme praised
A PROJECT dealing with young offenders has halved the number of youths passing through some of the region's courts over the past five years. A team of Government inspectors looked at Durham County Council's Youth Engagement Service, formerly its Youth
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Clean sweep of pills urged
A NEW campaign is urging people to check their cabinets for old medicines, pills and potions. Sedgefield Primary Care Trust has joined forces with pharmacists to launch an advertising campaign, Time for a Clean Sweep, which was launched on Sunday and
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Pair arrested after double stabbing
A man and a woman have been arrested following a double stabbing on Teesside. Police were called after two men went to the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough just after 3am this morning with serious stab wounds. A house in Moorcook Close,
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Comment from The Northern Echo: Still, we must never forget
FOUR centenarians were the focus of attention at a poignant service at the Cenotaph in London to mark the 90th anniversary of the start of the First World War. The quartet are among the only 23 known survivors from the Great War. But inevitably, thoughts
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All the pomp of the Proms
FLAG-WAVING revellers burst into patriotic song as they celebrated the climax of the North-East's own version of the last Night of the Proms at the weekend. The Northern Proms attracted more than 2,700 people to the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street
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PC shot in face with airgun pellet
ARMED police sealed off a former pit village this week after a beat bobby was shot in the face with an air gun. PC Lee Jackson was driving a patrol car through Dipton, near Stanley, on Tuesday at 11.10am, when he was hit by the pellet. PC Jackson, 32,
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M-power play
Richard Grieve is best known on British TV for playing handyman Sam in Neighbours, but he was also Dr Frazer in Home And Away. The hard-working Aussie actor talks to Viv Hardwick about fans and his hopes for the future. AUSTRALIAN actor Richard Grieve
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Man charged with assault
A MAN has appeared in court in connection with a disturbance which ended with a three-hour house siege, in Saltburn, east Cleveland. Carl Owston, of Amber Street, Saltburn, appeared in Guisborough Magistrates' Court yesterday, charged with racially aggravated
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Abbey in talks to sell French operation
ABBEY has confirmed that talks are at an advanced stage for the sale of a business providing mortgages to Britons moving to France. The group, currently the subject of a takeover bid by Spanish bank Santander Central Hispano, is discussing the potential
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Further evidence of market slowdown
THERE was further evidence of a slowdown in the housing market last night as Halifax reported an easing in price growth for the second consecutive month. Britain's biggest mortgage lender said UK property prices rose by only 1.3 per cent last month, following
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United face chaos as infection strikes
NEWCASTLE UNITED'S season preparations were thrown into chaos when they were forced to shut down their Tyneside training base - just ten days before the new campaign begins. While Sir Bobby Robson watched his side go down 2-1 to Celtic in their final
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Motorist drove wrong way down A1
A pair of oversized shoes may have contributed to the bizarre death of a care home worker who bled to death in front of her daughter. Dish washer Linda Hayes, 51, died when she fell on the kitchen floor and a five-inch knife she was carrying on a chopping
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Grange Interiors opens Scottish office
A KITCHENS manufacturer has opened a northern office in Scotland. Grange Interiors, based in North Shields, Tyneside, employs more than 90 staff at its manufacturing site and Tynemouth showroom. The company has been established for 30 years. The new office
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Growing fury of British Muslims
BRITAIN'S Muslims are feeling increasingly persecuted following the arrest of 12 men in anti-terror-raids, Islamic leaders warned last night. Police are continuing to question the men - who are all thought to be of Asian origin - at London's Paddington
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Lawrence aiming for top
LIAM Lawrence will see the forthcoming season as an unqualified failure unless it ends with Sunderland in the Premiership. The dynamic midfielder is hoping to make his senior Black Cats debut at Coventry on Saturday after returning from injury in last
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Close out to make his mark
Darlington's Northern Ireland youth international Brian Close is looking forward to finally getting his career started in earnest after a slow start to life as a professional in England. Younger teammates such as and Clark Keltie and Ryan Valentine have
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Cowboy school may get the bullet
A HIGH dales drifter is preparing for a showdown with objectors over plans to open a Wild West-style riding centre. The Hungarian cowboy, known to local townsfolk as Django - thought he had it figured out pretty good. He has already staked his claim on
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Our own stairway to Heaven
THE fact I was buying my first pair of walking shoes the day before we set off to climb Ben Nevis sums up just how well prepared I was. "Make sure you break them in first," said the man in the shoe shop. Well, I broke them in all right, a few hours later
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Stumbling over a colonial Rock
As celebrations to mark the 300th anniversary of British rule in Gibraltar provoke a diplomatic row with Spain, Nick Morrison looks at the history of this 'stone in the shoe' of our relations with an EU partner - and asks if colonies have any place in
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Esther: ripe for a bit of fun
Would Like To Meet (BBC2); When I'm Sixty-Four (BBC2): EVERYONE seemed keen to tell Esther Rantzen where she was going wrong in her relationships with men. "A lot of displacement activity and evaluation gestures," declared body language expert Tracey
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Allotment volunteers sought
THE search for volunteers to work on community allotments throughout Sedgfield borough has been stepped up. Since the first Passport to Health community allotment was opened in July 2002, people from various backgrounds, ages and ability have joined forces
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Railway play needs help to set the scene
AN AMATEUR dramatics group is appealing to railway enthusiasts for help to find props for its latest production. Shildon's Centre Stage is planning a production of E Nesbit's classic The Railway Children to celebrate the opening of the town's multi-million
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Fresh blow for Wembley workforce
CLEVELAND Bridge workers were once again facing losing their jobs this week after the company announced it was stopping all work on the new Wembley Stadium. The engineering firm issued a statement saying it was taking legal action against Multiplex, the
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Candidate taks his name out of the hat
THE Labour candidate to fight the Hartlepool by-election will be chosen from four hopefuls. All four on the shortlist drawn up by national party chiefs yesterday are councillors - one in Hartlepool, one in Sunderland and two in County Durham. They will
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Beauvrai to maintain Smith's bright start
Former jockey Vince Smith has made a favourable impression since taking out a trainer's licence this year and he notched his sixth win of the year when Arran justified strong market support at Southwell recently. And the newcomer to the training ranks
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Health officials given insight into NHS future
HEALTH officials in Darlington have been given an insight into the revolution sweeping through the NHS in an attempt to improve patient care. Work is under way to attract a new breed of health worker who can provide care for the town's 102,000 population
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Rain does not stop play
WET weather forced children to take their play indoors on a Darlington estate yesterday. Children on Firthmoor were due to take part in a range of outdoor activities to mark National Play Day. Instead, the activities went ahead inside Maidendale House
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Ford proves too much for out-of-depth Nissan
A CAR had to be towed out of a flooded river after slipping off a ford yesterday. Fortunately the driver of the blue Nissan was able to get himself out of the car at Stanhope, in Weardale, and reach the bank safely. Police and firefighters attended the
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Sarah is top of the class... at Oxford
A NORTH-EAST woman has been recognised as one of the brainiest in the country. Sarah Graham's glowing First in biochemistry has placed the 21-year-old in the top three performing students overall at Oxford University. The aspiring scientist attended Nunthorpe
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Michael tees off awards at centre
MICHAEL Johnson of Middlesbrough was the winner of the Rose Bowl competition, which opened the July programme at Sedgefield's Knotty Hill Golf Centre. He won with a net score of 65 and runners-up were Steven Scott (Norton) 69 and Robert Everett (Stockton
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German civic leaders visit UK twin town
CIVIC leaders from a German town paid a visit to its English twin over the weekend. The Burgomaster of Hamminkeln, Holgar Schlierf, and his wife, Krista, spent an eventful few days in Sedgefield The couple, among a party of six visitors, were welcomed
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Show goes on - despite downpour
HEAVY overnight rain brought muddy conditions to a popular agricultural show yesterday. Thornton-le-Dale showground was badly waterlogged following a series of downpours. Visitors were treated to a wide range of livestock, sheepdog trials, terrier racing
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Opticians see future in town
AN opticians is to open in Newton Aycliffe town centre next week, creating five jobs. Specsavers Opticians, in Beveridge Way, will open at 1pm on Monday, providing the latest in optical equipment and a wide range of frames. The store will be run by directors
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Motor circuit wins approval
A CONTROVERSIAL motor racing circuit has received backing from councillors. Yorkshire Dales Autograss Club has been given planning permission to continue racing in the fields it has been using for the past 11 years, near Kiplin Hall, in North Yorkshire
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Watchdog rates council among best in country
DURHAM County Council has been ranked as one of the top performing local authorities in the country by a Government watchdog. The Audit Commission, which independently assesses and compares the performance of councils across the country, has rated Durham
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Martin builds on successful start
CONSTRUCTION trainee Martin Horner is building the foundations for a successful career after winning his firm's trainee of the year award. The 17-year-old, from Shildon, works as a plastering apprentice for Bishop Aucland company M and M Plasline, and
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Man tried to steal mobile phone cards
DETECTIVES are appealing for help to catch a man who tried to steal phone cards from a petrol station. The man entered Atkinsons Garage, in Stanley, approached the counter and asked for a mobile phone card. As the assistant scanned the cards, the man
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Honour 'shared by people of the dales'
THE founder of a successful Yorkshire Dales business was formally made an MBE for services to the community yesterday. David Morris and his wife, Grizel, launched Swaledale Woollens at Muker, in Swaledale, in 1974. The company became famous for selling
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Student in Oxford University storm back in UK
STUDENT Laura Spence whose rejection by Oxford University caused a huge political row has revealed her plans to study medicine in the UK. Ms Spence, a former pupil at Monkseaton High School, near Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, chose to take up a place at
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Variety of events for community
A VARIETY of events is included in a summer programme launched at Tow Law Community Centre next week. Weekly sessions include a fun club for six to 12-year-olds starting on Wednesday from 6pm to 8pm, an Internet Caf open on Saturdays between 10am and
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Variety of events for community
A VARIETY of events is included in a summer programme launched at Tow Law Community Centre next week. Weekly sessions include a fun club for six to 12-year-olds starting on Wednesday from 6pm to 8pm, an Internet Caf open on Saturdays between 10am and
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Woman racially abused by man
POLICE are appealing for information about a man who hurled racist abuse at an Asian woman before scratching her car. The 36-year-old woman was parking her car outside Hollywood Bowl, at Teesside Park, near Stockton, when a man started arguing with her
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Anger at pool's restrictions over parent to child ratio
A MOTHER has criticised safety rules which she claims could stop single parents taking their children swimming. Jan Finn, 41, from Darlington, was refused entry to swim at Spennymoor Leisure Centre because she had two of her children with her and pool
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Investigation after camera found in showers at college
AN investigation has been launched by Army chiefs after a camera was discovered filming female recruits in the shower. Military police at the Army Foundation College, in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, have launched a probe into the discovery but have so
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Residents watch as bulldozer moves in
THE demolition of empty council houses as part of the regeneration of a former pit village has begun. Chester-le-Street Council is knocking down scores of homes in Whitehill Crescent, Pelton Fell, to make way for a scheme to breathe new life into the
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Food festival
A food and crafts festival will be held at Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, County Durham, on Saturday and Sunday, August 21 and 22, from 11am to 5pm. Admission is free and highlights include a farmers' market and a miniature railway. Published: 05/08/2004
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Butcher marks golden year
A BUTCHER is celebrating 50 years of making famous meat pies by taking a trip down memory lane. Martin Blackwell has put on a display of nostalgic pictures in his butcher's shop in Norton, near Stockton, where his family have worked since August 1954.
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Club dives in to help pool
A DIVING club has solved a sticky situation at the new swimming pool in Stanley. The £5.7m pool, at the Louisa Centre, opens to the public at noon on Monday. During tests, the main pool's water filter was turned off for a while and dirt gathered at the
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Blaze rips through house
FIRE investigators were called in yesterday after a blaze ripped through a home in a north Durham village. Firefighters were called to an end of terrace house in Unity Terrace, New Kyo, near Stanley, at about 1.15pm. They found a fire in the front bedroom
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Motorist drove wrong way down A1
Worried motorists made emergency calls to North Yorkshire Police when they saw a Land Rover Freelander heading south on a motorway's northbound carriageway, a court heard yesterday. Magistrates heard that the Freelander, driven by Philip McAteer of West
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Double killer gets life for knife attack
A DOUBLE killer who stabbed a friend's lover to death at a drinking den sobbed as she was jailed for life at the Old Bailey yesterday. Michael O'Connor, 36, was knifed through the heart by Isabel Coll, 43, in a drunken rage after she was handed the weapon
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Homes would be bulldozed under £6.9m area facelift
A £6.9m regeneration proposal for a run-down part of Stockton was unveiled to residents yesterday. The proposal is a joint initiative between Stockton Borough Council and the Parkfield and Mill Lane Neighbourhood Management Pathfinder programme. It aims
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Community groups to get cash bonanza
TEN North-East good causes are to receive a £1m windfall in National Lottery grants. The Big Lottery Fund will today announce funding for organisations that help improve quality of life in the community. Among those to benefit are disabled groups, community
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£2.8m land sale may be back on after council does U-turn
COUNCIL bosses are to resurrect a £2.8m housing deal, after they were criticised for trying to sell the land for £500,000 to a rival bidder. Derwentside District Council planned to sell 4.25 acres of scrub land in Orwell Gardens, South Stanley, for £500,000
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Council guilty of maladministration over car park
A COUNCIL has been found guilty of maladministration following a government report into residents' complaints about parking at a community centre. The Local Government Ombudsman carried out an investigation after a Kendal Road resident made a complaint
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Work to start on hospital's
A £2.3m scheme to redevelop Malton Hospital is due to start in the next few weeks. Local building company Scothern Construction has won the contract to carry out the scheme, which health chiefs believe will ensure the hospital's future and long term security
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Lottery windfall will help youth centre to expand
A YOUTH centre set up to support teenagers in a market town has won a £106,691 grant to expand its services. Thirsk Clock has been a major success since it opened in September last year, with youngsters flocking to the building to take advantage of the
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Salmonella outbreak toll now 43
A SALMONELLA outbreak centred on a pie shop claimed another eight victims yesterday, as more people were diagnosed with the food bug. As of last night, health officials stated there were 43 confirmed cases and another nine suspected cases in Derwentside
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Ship to make its final journey to UK
DESTROYER HMS Newcastle will make its final visit to the UK tomorrow. The 26-year-old Type 42 vessel is to be decommissioned at the end of January next year. For the past seven months HMS Newcastle has been deployed on a Nato anti-terrorism mission in
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Home from home
SHILDON is in Northumberland, barely a mile up the hill from the once monastic village of Blanchland, and is a place of great charm, considerable beauty and just three houses. It should not, therefore, be confused with the other Shildon - the dear old
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High Mark
Mark Jordan and Tricia Penrose are better-known to millions of Sunday night TV fans as PC Phil Bellamy and barmaid Gina. The actors talk to Steve Pratt about the 13-year appeal of Hearbeat and why they'll stay to the end. TRICIA Penrose is looking different
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Air crew member falls from jet door
AN air stewardess was recovering in hospital last night after plunging 15ft from the back door of an aircraft shortly before it was due to take off. Danielle Henry, 21, fell from the Boeing 757-200 when she tried to close the door as it prepared to leave
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Minster cash joy with pay to view
CONTROVERSIAL entrance charges at one of the country's most prominent places of worship provided an income of £1.5m over the past year - but visitor numbers appear to have been affected. The figure is £300,000 up on the year before when an admission charge
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Candidate line-up
THE Labour candidate to fight the Hartlepool by-election will be chosen from four hopefuls. All four on the shortlist drawn up by national party chiefs yesterday are councillors - one in Hartlepool, one in Sunderland and two in County Durham. They will
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Fat camps may be lined up for N-E
SO-CALLED "fat camps" could be a step closer to being established in the North-East, which has the worst childhood obesity in the country. Nutrition expert Dr Beckie Lang, of Teesside University, has been impressed by what she has seen at Britain's only
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Allotment volunteers sought
THE search for volunteers to work on community allotments throughout Sedgfield borough has been stepped up. Since the first Passport to Health community allotment was opened in July 2002, people from various backgrounds, ages and ability have joined forces
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County rated top class
DURHAM County Council has been ranked as one of the top performing local authorities in the country by a Government watchdog. The Audit Commission, which independently assesses and compares the performance of councils across the country, has rated Durham
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No way out of British Energy deal
CALLS for debt-laden British Energy to revise the terms of a restructuring agreed last year were rejected by its chairman yesterday. Adrian Montague said the arrangements with creditors were binding, even though conditions in its market have improved
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Al Qaida suspect 'targeted Heathrow'
A SENIOR al Qaida agent was among 12 men arrested in anti-terror raids across England this week, it was reported last night. The man was arrested on Tuesday as a result of intelligence gathered after a recent raid in Pakistan, according to news reports
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Tough summer for BSkyB
BROADCASTER BSkyB reported a massive rise in annual profits last night, despite growth for the past quarter being affected by strong competition. Subscriber growth, customer turnover and average revenue per user for the quarter to June 30 were affected
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Playing spot the grandparent
THERE are grandparents everywhere. Until I became a grandmother myself, I didn't really notice them. They were invisible, just part of the landscape. Now that I've become one of them I see them wherever I go. It's almost as if they're part of a secret
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Acquisition helps Pendragon post 71% rise in profits
THE acquisition of North Yorkshire rival company CD Bramall helped car dealership Pendragon post a 71 per cent rise in half-year profits. Pendragon said it benefited from its takeover of Harrogate-based Bramall in March. The UK's largest car dealership
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Town set to sing the blues
The organisers of this Saturday's Stanley Blues Festival expect a crowd of at least 10,000 and say interest has come from one end of the country to another. The free festival has grown from humble beginnings featuring pub bands to become a major event
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Taking coals to Newcastle - it finally happens
IN the once coal-rich North-East, the phrase "taking coals to Newcastle" was a definition of the absurd. But now, what for centuries was unthinkable, has happened - and shipments of cheap Russian coal have arrived on the Tyne. Tyne Dock expects to import
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Fancy that
WILDLIFE expert David Attenborough could make a whole series out of the courtship rituals in Soapland. They're far more interesting that anything going on in the four-legged animal world. Take tarty, troublesome, two-timing (delete where applicable) Tracy
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Boro pass their first Euro test
EUROPEAN football will take centre stage at Middlesbrough this season and, if last night's 3-1 win over Spanish side Real Mallorca is anything to go by, Steve McClaren's side are ready to handle whatever the continent has to offer. Boro's final pre-season
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John North: Home from home for a son of Shildon
SHILDON is in Northumberland, barely a mile up the hill from the once monastic village of Blanchland, and is a place of great charm, considerable beauty and just three houses. It should not, therefore, be confused with the other Shildon - the dear old
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Interest rates increase
The Bank of England has raised its base rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 4.75%. The move comes amid evidence of accelerating economic growth which could fuel inflation in the months ahead. The rate rise will also be seen as an attempt to cool
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John takes the helm
THE former chairman of Hartlepool-based Pubmaster has been appointed as the independent chairman of the North-East Tourism Advisory Board. John Sands has been recruited by regional development agency One NorthEast to lead the board, which has been set
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Pool look to Betsy
NEALE Cooper's search for a new striker has ended with the arrival of Kevin Betsy from Barnsley. The powerful front-runner has moved to Hartlepool, initially on a two-week trial, and was in the North-East last night before joining in training this morning
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Shop closes after food bug hits 35
A POPULAR food store has been closed after dozens of people went down with the food bug salmonella. So far, 35 cases have been confirmed, and doctors fear another ten people could also have the infection. Health experts believe more cases will come to
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'Secret' meeting to decide Sven's fate
Sven-Goran Eriksson's fate will be decided in his absence today as the Football Association's board finally rule on the unseemly scandal which has bedevilled the governing body over the past few weeks. Eriksson initially looked to be in danger of losing
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First phase finished in town's £25m regeneration
DEVELOPERS have completed the first phase of a £25m North-East town centre regeneration project. CTP Limited says the scheme in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, is about to transform the town centre with a wealth of new local community amenities. The completion
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Experts examine bannister for clues to toddler's death
Murder detectives have removed an entire bannister from a house in an attempt to find out how a two-year-old boy died. The bannister and spindles have been taken from a home on Hartlepool's Central Estate where the broken body of toddler Kyle Fisher was
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Gran At Large
THERE are grandparents everywhere. Until I became a grandmother myself, I didn't really notice them. They were invisible, just part of the landscape. Now that I've become one of them I see them wherever I go. It's almost as if they're part of a secret
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Water rates set to increase
Water bills look set to rise by 13% - less than half the size of the increase demanded by water companies. The decision by water regulator Ofwat means that annual bills could rise by an average of £33 over the next five years - from £249 to £282. Water
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05/08/04
REGIONAL GOVERNMENT: LENIN used the term "useful idiots" to describe the gullible and those most likely to succumb to propaganda and assist the state to remove their freedoms. The issue of regionalisation is being sold to us on a false prospectus. It
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Film fakes found in swoops on N-E homes
COUNTERFEIT films, computer games and music CDs have been seized in a series of dawn raids on homes. The raids were carried out by Durham County Council's trading standards officers working with the police and Department of Work and Pensions officers.
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Egyptian vase not fake, say scientists
SCIENTISTS have confirmed that a 5,000-year-old Egyptian vase that pre-dates the Pyramids is genuine. Experts used to think that the vase, belonging to Harrogate Museums and Arts, was a fake, as it was too good to be true. But scientists from York University
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Widower welcomes fireworks legislation
A NEW crackdown on fireworks has been welcomed by the widower of a North Yorkshire woman who led a campaign for a ban. Marjorie Johnson, 63, died only days before Parliament approved the first of its new controls. Widower Maurice Johnson believes laws
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£110,000 seized from convicted drug baron
THE mastermind behind a plot to flood the North-East with £1.5m of drugs has been ordered to hand over £110,000 after his remaining assets were seized by a judge. John James Stewart, who is serving an 11-year jail sentence for conspiracy to supply Ecstasy
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German civic leaders visit UK twin town
CIVIC leaders from a German town paid a visit to its English twin over the weekend. The Burgomaster of Hamminkeln, Holgar Schlierf, and his wife, Krista, spent an eventful few days in Sedgefield The couple, among a party of six visitors, were welcomed
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Man charged with assault
A MAN has appeared in court in connection with a disturbance which ended with a three-hour house siege, in Saltburn, east Cleveland. Carl Owston, of Amber Street, Saltburn, appeared in Guisborough Magistrates' Court yesterday, charged with racially aggravated
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Martin builds on successful start
CONSTRUCTION trainee Martin Horner is building the foundations for a successful career after winning his firm's trainee of the year award. The 17-year-old, from Shildon, works as a plastering apprentice for Bishop Aucland company M and M Plasline, and
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Time to celebrate as clock repaired
THE hands of time have been turned back with the restoration of the Victorian clock in Middlesbrough's Albert Park. The clock was a gift from councillor, alderman and Mayor of Middlesbrough Thomas Sanderson, to mark the end of his association with the
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Drivers urged to park properly
POLICE have sent a message to thoughtless motorists whose parking habits have been causing problems for pedestrians. Last month, officers covering the Carrville area of Durham received complaints about cars being left on pavements and footpaths. The difficulties
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Anger at pool's restrictions over parent to child ratio
A MOTHER has criticised safety rules which she claims could stop single parents taking their children swimming. Jan Finn, 41, from Darlington, was refused entry to swim at Spennymoor Leisure Centre because she had two of her children with her and pool
