Archive
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CABs help claimants gain £2m in benefits
THE Citizens' Advice Bureau (CAB) in North Yorkshire has helped hundreds of residents to claim additional benefits worth a total of more than £2m. The county council's care and independence committee has been told that the CABs dealt with 34,000 inquiries
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Gran At Large: When your brother is baby Jesus
"MY baby's going to be baby Jesus," announced Jonah just before the New Year. These days, he speaks with an air of great authority, no matter what he's saying. He'd learned all about Baby Jesus this Christmas, from the moment he was chosen to play Joseph
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Drink-driver took ambulance from emergency scene
A DRINK-DRIVER who stole an ambulance from the scene of an emergency was spared jail yesterday. Unemployed Lawrence Jameson took the ambulance from a street as two paramedics were treating a woman for an asthma attack. Jameson, who was twice over the
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Dale resident dies aged 101
FRIENDS and family are mourning one of Teesdale's oldest residents. Mary Walker, of Copley Lodge, South Side, near Butterknowle, died on January 14, aged 101. Mrs Walker, who was known as Mollie, had lived in Teesdale all her life and was born at the
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Public meeting to discuss school merger
PLANS to merge a junior and infant school in Bishop Auckland are to be discussed at a public meeting next month. Parents, teachers and residents are expected to attend the meeting at Woodhouse Close Junior School, on Thursday, February 3, at 7pm. Durham
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Meal deception
MAZAR Khan, 35, of South Terrace, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to obtaining a £70 meal at a restaurant with someone else's cheque and bank card and obstructing a police officer in his duty last November. He was given a one-year conditional
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Pensioner dies after wheelchair topples out of taxi
An 85-year-old man died after his electric wheelchair toppled out of the back of a Dial-A-Ride taxi-bus outside his local supermarket. Pensioner James Hunt fell less than three feet but suffered serious head and chest injuries outside the main entrance
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Infertility boss calls for rules to be relaxed
THE region's leading infertility expert has called for "discriminatory" IVF treatment rules to be relaxed. Professor Alison Murdoch, head of fertility services at Newcastle's Centre of Life, was speaking after widespread publicity about a 66-year-old
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Business site to help job recovery
BULLDOZERS have started work on a project designed to kick-start economic growth in a town hit by job losses. After a three-year wait, construction has begun on the first office units at Colburn Business Park, near Catterick Garrison. It is hoped the
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Have your say on tax
REDCAR and Cleveland Borough Council is asking residents for their view on council tax levels for next year. The council is aiming for a rise of five per cent. The council will consult its residents' panel, Viewfinder, as well as staff, trade unions,
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Burglar spared jail
A burglar who raided the home of a "devotee to high-quality, high-tech equipment" and took over £3,000 worth of property was spared jail yesterday. Christopher Hope, 23, took a DVD player worth £600, 192 DVDs valued at £2,500 and a mini disc player worth
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20/01/05
ECONOMY: YOUR correspondent (HAS, Jan 15), who gives a glowing report on our situation, is making bubbles in the air. He states that unemployment in our country in the last 20 years has decreased from 20 per cent to two per cent and that major investment
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You write
Car park city: I live near The Sands, and I now look out over five car parks. They are disruptive, hideous, noisy and smelly. But what really frustrates me, is the car-driven policy that built them. Durham isn't the worst - but the harm really shows in
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Rewarded with an extra day off
COUNCIL employees may be given an extra day off after the authority performed well in a national assessment. Hartlepool Borough Council received an excellent mark in the Audit Commission's Comprehensive Performance Assessment. It is the third year the
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Lecture on earthquakes
ONE of Britain's leading popular scientists will give a free public lecture in the North-East today. Professor Richard Fortey will examine the phenomena of earthquakes and look at how a shift in the earth's crust can unleash a power of devastating consequences
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Scheme aims to breathe life into empty homes
A Government initiative is helping to bring properties which have been standing empty back into use throughout the Harrogate district. In Harrogate, Ripon, Masham, Borougbridge, Pateley Bridge and Knaresborough, Harrogate Borough Council said there were
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Trust honours dedicated staff
HEALTH workers have been rewarded for their dedication and loyalty at a prize-giving ceremony. Long-serving staff at York Hospital NHS Trust and Selby and York Primary Care Trust were presented with certificates for 25 years of service at the NHS annual
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Concert to help victims of tsunami
FIVE arts groups will be performing at a concert to help victims of the tsunami in South-East Asia. Richmondshire Orchestra and Richmond school's orchestra, amateur dramatic society, choral society and operatic society will each perform a 20-minute slot
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Blue Circle demolition to start next month
ONE of Europe's biggest demolition firms has revealed details of how it will go about demolishing a defunct North-East cement works. The scrapping of the Blue Circle plant at Eastgate, in Weardale, owned by French conglomerate Lafarge, will take ten months
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Sportsman cleared of robbery
AN ice hockey player unhappy at the charge for a taxi journey has been cleared of robbing the female driver. Shaun Johnson admitted leaving the cab after a journey from Whitley Bay to Langley Park, near Durham, without paying, but denied allegations that
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£10m showground plan
MILLIONS of pounds are to be spent to transform the home of the Great Yorkshire Show into the northern centre of excellence for the world of agriculture. Over the next five years, £10m will be pumped into the Great Yorkshire Showground at Harrogate, and
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Portrait of the sofa sovereigns
The Truth About Richard And Judy (five): HAS Fred the former This Mornng weatherman been nobbled? I reckon someone has been round to his house and forecast he'd be hit by a stormy front if he spilled the beans. It's the only explanation for him backing
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New plan for housing
A FRESH plan to build homes on a controversial greenbelt site has been made, taking the number of proposed houses to more than 800. Barratt Developments is seeking planning permission from Sedgefield Borough Council to build 274 houses on Whitworth Park
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Call for better skills as region's jobless levels rise
THE North-East jobless total rose for the eleventh month in a row last month - prompting calls for better skills in the region. Unemployment rose by 3,000 to 74,000 - meaning 6.3 per cent of the region's population were unemployed. The figure was higher
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Barratt profits are not hit by slowdown
NORTH-EAST housebuilder Barratt Developments said the slowdown in house prices was continuing - despite it forecasting its 13th record half-year of profits in a row. Barratt said the market had continued its adjustment to more modest prices and a normal
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Vimac Leisure nets top fish restaurant
NORTH-East leisure group Vimac Leisure has reeled in a famous fish restaurant in a multi-million pound acquisition. Vimac, based in Boldon, South Tyneside, has bought Trenchers restaurant in Whitby, adding it to a growing number of venues in the company's
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In for the kill
Jemma Redgrave reflects on the price of motherhood as she plays a woman trying to protect her son from a serial killer dad. Steve Pratt reports on the latest series of dramas starring the 40-year-old Redgrave dynasty member. ACTRESS Jemma Redgrave is
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Antiques dealer David selected to host TV show
A NORTH-EAST antiques dealer is to become the next David Dickinson after he was selected to present a television gameshow. David Harper, of Kingsley and Co Antiques, who has antique shops at Barnard Castle, in County Durham, and Darlington, has been selected
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Hunt for driver who dumped rabbits
SIX rabbits could have died in the recent freeze after they were thrown from a car. Animal charity, the RSPCA, is trying to trace the people who dumped two adult rabbits and their four babies on High Road, Middlestone, near Bishop Auckland, at 4.30pm
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Airbus project secures jobs
A DERWENTSIDE engineering company is helping the world's biggest passenger aircraft take flight. The Airbus A380, launched in France this week, is being heralded as a revolution in air travel. The giant aircraft can carry 555 passengers - 35 per cent
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The village banner makes a come back
THE Durham Miners' Gala has gone from being a dying event in the Nineties to a spectacle that attracts people in the sort of numbers it enjoyed when the county still had working pits. Each year sees more banners paraded as communities track down lodge
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Performer leaps on to village stage
A PERFORMER nicknamed the Bolton Bullfrog will be appearing in a North Yorkshire village hall later this month. Singer and actor Bernard Wrigley will perform songs and tell stories in Dalton, near Richmond, next Friday. Wrigley, who began his career singing
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Shearer game could give charity £2m break
SPECULATION has been mounting over plans to hold a testimonial match for Alan Shearer, which could make as much as £2m for charity. Newcastle United football club chiefs were remaining tight-lipped yesterday following revelations in a national newspaper
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Gran At Large
MY baby's going to be baby Jesus," announced Jonah just before the New Year. These days, he speaks with an air of great authority, no matter what he's saying. He'd learned all about Baby Jesus this Christmas, from the moment he was chosen to play Joseph
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Heroic airman remembered in school mural
AN airman who died to save residents of a North-East town has been immortalised in a mural at a school which bears his name. Sixty years ago, Canadian William McMullen was returning home to RAF Middleton St George from a training exercise when his Lancaster
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Reborn Tony and the solo life
Viv Hardwick talks to Tony Hadley about his forthcoming nationwide tour and why he believes that Spandau Ballet could never hit the comeback trail like so many other 1980s acts. SPANDAU Ballet are the one band who will never have a comeback tour says
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All change for mum turned bus driver
A WOMAN has described how her life changed when she attended a bus company's driver recruitment day. Less than four months later, Linda Tillson is a fully-fledged driver. The mother-of-two, from Ushaw Moor, near Durham, previously worked in food and DIY
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Norwegian fame for cameraman Simon
STUDENT cameraman Simon Weightman found himself in the Prime Minister's home working on a project that would gain him national recognition -in Norway. The Darlington College student was asked by a Norwegian anchorman to film an interview with Tony Blair's
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Top Ten To Rent
UK DVD/VIDEO RENTAL: 1 (2) Walking Tall 2 (-) Catwoman 3 (1) Super Size Me 4 (-) Collateral 5 (7) Raising Helen 6 (4) I, Robot 7 (5) The Chronicles Of Riddick 8 (3) Troy 9 (6) The Day After Tomorrow 10 (9) Shrek 2 Published: 20/01/2005
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Students' moving account of Auschwitz visit
TWO North-East sixth-formers are to give a first-hand account of their visit to Auschwitz to mark the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the death camp. Katie Yeats and Mark Roberts, both 17, attend Durham Johnston School and were both chosen to visit
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Trench feat
It's the French Film that's been judged as unFrench. Steve Pratt talks to the stars of A very Long Engagement and the director as Audrey Tautou's World War One love epic follow-up to Amelie reaches UK Cinemas. IT'S easy to dismiss A Very Long Engagement
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Norwegian fame for cameraman Simon
STUDENT cameraman Simon Weightman found himself in the Prime Minister's home working on a project that would gain him national recognition -in Norway. The Darlington College student was asked by a Norwegian anchorman to film an interview with Tony Blair's
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Bill honoured in front of friends
A MAN who has spent years helping to revive a North-East community collected his MBE in his hometown. Bill Cook turned down an invitation to Buckingham Palace and instead chose to collect his MBE from Lord Lieutenant Sir Paul Nicholson at Darlington Town
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Concert to help victims of tsunami
FIVE arts groups will be performing at a concert to help victims of the tsunami in South-East Asia. Richmondshire Orchestra and Richmond school's orchestra, amateur dramatic society, choral society and operatic society will each perform a 20-minute slot
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Barratt profits are not hit by slowdown
NORTH-EAST housebuilder Barratt Developments said the slowdown in house prices was continuing - despite it forecasting its 13th record half-year of profits in a row. Barratt said the market had continued its adjustment to more modest prices and a normal
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Focus on town's access for disabled
TOWN centre managers have launched an initiative to make its streets and shops more accessible to disabled people. In a determined effort to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act, Bishop Auckland town bosses and Wear Valley Disability Access Forum
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Museum wins national award
A North-East visitor attraction has won an award. Beamish Museum, near Stanley, County Durham, has been named Britain's Best Museum, in Period and Living Traditional Homes magazine's Best of British Awards. Readers nominated the aspects of British life
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Radical move to halt Dales exodus
RADICAL plans reserving new housing in the Yorkshire Dales for local people were approved yesterday. The controversial move will mean that only people living and working in the national park will be allowed to buy new properties. The regulations will
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These boots were made for walkies
A POLICE force is believed to be the first in the UK to issue its dogs with safety boots. Northumbria Police have introduced the footwear for dogs involved in public order situations, when their paws can be at risk of being injured by broken glass and
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Vice raids women to be deported
SEVEN Thai women arrested in a series of vice raids in the North-East are facing deportation, it was confirmed last night. The women were detained after a operation during which police and immigration officers searched properties in Darlington and Teesside
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Council settles up in row over burst tyres
THE thorny issue of two burst tyres has resulted in a Darlington man winning a compensation claim against the borough council. Steve Crow complained to the council after a farmer left hedge cuttings scattered on a country lane near his home in Neasham
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Church concert
A CONCERT featuring the Teesside Male Voice Apollo Choir will be staged at Neville Parade Methodist Church, Newton Aycliffe, on Saturday, February 5, at 7.30pm. Tickets are £5 and are available by telephoning (01325) 315538. Published: 20/01/2005
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Priced out of village where he was born
HOUSE hunting in the Yorkshire Dales is a disheartening task, says first-time buyer Jonathan Robinson. The 28-year-old, from Redmire, in Wensleydale, has been looking to buy for the last year. A service supervisor for an agricultural engineering firm
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Children raise cash for victims of bullying
YOUNG people in County Durham are fundraising to help victims of bullying. Peer supporters, trained by Durham County Council's Anti-Bullying Service to help younger pupils, have been baking cakes for sale in schools to raise money for the charity ChildLine
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Sculptor's home assignment
A SCULPTOR is returning to his home town of Darlington to create a work of art at a new business park. John Atkin has already produced his initial designs for a steel sculpture at the entrance to the Morton Palms business park, on behalf of developer
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Tributes paid to former mayoress
TRIBUTES were paid yesterday to one of Durham's best known and most highly respected residents. Peggy McIntyre died aged 93 in the early hours of Tuesday at her home in Durham City. Born at Broom House Farm, Witton Gilbert, the former Peggy Burn married
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Focus on town's access for disabled
TOWN centre managers have launched an initiative to make its streets and shops more accessible to disabled people. In a determined effort to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act, Bishop Auckland town bosses and Wear Valley Disability Access Forum
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Vision of the future for urban wasteland
PLANS were unveiled yesterday to transform an urban wasteland into a waterfront playground, creating more than 2,500 jobs. The £300m North Shore project, led by Tees Valley Regeneration (TVR), aims to breathe new life into 56 acres of former industrial
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Approval to fell trees
COUNCILLORS have granted permission for six trees to be felled in a Darlington cul-de-sac . John Parkinson, of Coniscliffe Mews, applied to fell five pine and one sycamore, which are subject to a tree preservation order, saying that they had posed a danger
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Students raise awareness of world poverty
STUDENTS at a Darlington school are supporting a national campaign to raise awareness of world poverty. The 11 to 18-year-olds from Carmel RC Technology College, in Darlington, are wearing white wristbands to back the MakePovertyHistory appeal, a joint
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Hope that eye q will boost youngsters' IQ
A HANDFUL of pupils are to try out a fish oil supplement to see if it helps them to learn. Loftus Junior School has chosen 34 youngsters to test a fruit-flavoured fish oil supplement - eye q smooth - every day for three months. Headteacher Dave Parkes
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18-year-old man is pulled from house blaze by neighbours
FIRE services have praised the actions of neighbours who saved an 18-year-old man from a house fire in Thornaby. Alert neighbours pulled the teenager through a bathroom window at the ground-floor flat in Blackbush Walk, in the early hours of yesterday
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Almshouses tale revived
An appeal has been made for any old photographs, documents and memories of a village's former almshouses. Plans to rebuild the Sir John Duck's Hospital Almshouses in Great Lumley, near Chester-le-Street, were stopped in their tracks by the onset of the
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Park gates shut to deter vandals
GATES to a restored public park are being locked late in the afternoon in a bid to keep out vandals. About £2m of Heritage Lottery money is going into the revamp of Horden Welfare Park, in east Durham, with the scheme now nearing completion. But the restoration
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Comment from The Northern Echo: Images that lost the battle
THE allegations of abuse inflicted on Iraqi civilians involve a tiny minority of the British Army. But the photographs shown across the world tarnish the good name and reputation of the 65,000 British soldiers who have served in Iraq. One of the reasons
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Facing the music and ready to dance
AUDIENCES are guaranteed a foot-tapping time at a village operatic society's annual show. The Lanchester and District Amateur Operatic Society will be staging The Melody Lingers On at St Bede's School, in the village, at 7.15pm, from Wednesday, February
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We're underdogs says Cats skipper
BEN CHRISTENSEN believes Sunderland head to the Riverside Stadium as underdogs in their fourth round FA Youth Cup clash against holders Middlesbrough, despite recording a comprehensive victory against them earlier last month. The Black Cats ran out 4-
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Town bosses unified as controversial pedestrian plan is debated
Business chiefs in Darlington have put on a show of unity over contentious plans for a £6.5m "pedestrian heart" in the town centre. The project has caused heated debate in the town, mainly about the planned alterations to historic High Row. Victorian
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Club's future put in doubt
THE future of a football club has been thrown into doubt following the decision of its owner to withdraw his financial support. Benny Mottram has also decided to quit as chairman of UniBond League side Spennymoor United following what he called "a cumulation
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Children raise cash for victims of bullying
YOUNG people in County Durham are fundraising to help victims of bullying. Peer supporters, trained by Durham County Council's Anti-Bullying Service to help younger pupils, have been baking cakes for sale in schools to raise money for the charity ChildLine
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Fishy tale laid to rest
The urban myth about a giant pike believed to have killed more than 100 ducklings appears to have been laid to rest. Ropner Park lake in Stockton is in the process of being drained but there is no sign of the 30lb monster pike of legend. So far the only
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Baltacha stays put after win
Elena Baltacha had to change her flight home for the fifth time after continuing her superb run at the Australian Open. But the modest 21-year-old will not be blowing any of her biggest-ever pay-day on an upgrade to first class despite securing her place
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Visitor milestone reached
A NORTH-EAST museum is celebrating a record number of visitors this year, This week, Bowes Museum, in Barnard Castle, County Durham, welcomed its 100,000th visitor of the financial year. With another two months to go until the end of the financial year
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Comment: Keeper held the aces in contract wrangle
FAMED for making saves, the last eight months have proved that Mark Schwarzer is equally adept at making savings. By shaking hands on a new three-year deal yesterday, the Middlesbrough goalkeeper has brought an end to one of the most protracted stand-offs
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Tickets for fans' dinner go on sale
TICKETS are available for the ever-popular Sportsman's Dinner staged by Sunderland football fans from in and around Chester-le-Street. The annual event, in the banqueting suite at Sunderland's Stadium of Light, is usually held on Maundy Thursday, but
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Antiques dealer David selected to host TV show
A NORTH-EAST antiques dealer is to become the next David Dickinson after he was selected to present a television gameshow. David Harper, of Kingsley and Co Antiques, who has antique shops at Barnard Castle, in County Durham, and Darlington, has been selected
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Antiques dealer David selected to host TV show
A NORTH-EAST antiques dealer is to become the next David Dickinson after he was selected to present a television gameshow. David Harper, of Kingsley and Co Antiques, who has antique shops at Barnard Castle, in County Durham, and Darlington, has been selected
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Schwarzer commits to 'ambitious' Boro
MARK Schwarzer last night highlighted Middlesbrough's "ambition" as the primary factor in his decision to sign a new three-year deal with the club. Months of intense negotiation finally came to an end yesterday when the Australian international agreed
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When your brither is baby Jesus
"MY baby's going to be baby Jesus," announced Jonah just before the New Year. These days, he speaks with an air of great authority, no matter what he's saying. He'd learned all about Baby Jesus this Christmas, from the moment he was chosen to play Joseph
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Tickets for fans' dinner go on sale
TICKETS are available for the ever-popular Sportsman's Dinner staged by Sunderland football fans from in and around Chester-le-Street. The annual event, in the banqueting suite at Sunderland's Stadium of Light, is usually held on Maundy Thursday, but
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Mystery remains over cliff plunge
THE circumstances surrounding how a woman fell 400ft to her death from a cliff may never be known, an inquest has heard. The semi-naked body of 28-year-old care assistant Anthea Calvert was found at the foot of Huntcliff, Saltburn, last August. There
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Drink-driver took ambulance from emergency scene
A DRINK-DRIVER who stole an ambulance from the scene of an emergency was spared jail yesterday. Unemployed Lawrence Jameson took the ambulance from a street as two paramedics were treating a woman for an asthma attack. Jameson, who was twice over the
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Council tops list for recycling waste
GREEN-thinking householders have helped their local authority emerge as one of the best in the North for recycling waste. At 24 per cent, Hambleton District Council has the highest recycling and composting rate in the Yorkshire and North-East region,
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Lie detector tests for mine claimants were suggested
LIE detector tests were recommended for former miners when only 0.2 per cent of compensation claims were feared to be fraudalent, the Government has said. The Northern Echo revealed last month that ministers were urged to introduce polygraph machines
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Exhibition makes a game out of history
A FASCINATING exhibition from the British Museum featuring the history of board games is on its way to the North-East. Segedunum Roman Fort, on Hadrian's Wall, will be the launchpad for Across the Board - Around the World in 18 Games on Saturday. The
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Windfall for outdoor site
AN outdoor adventure centre popular with Darlington youngsters is celebrating a £107,000 windfall. The cash, part of a £1m received by Darlington Borough Council to promote sports and outdoor activities, will go towards developing an outdoor high rope
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Man wielded sword in armed siege
A SAMURAI sword-wielding man threatened to kill himself when armed officers surrounded his home during a six-hour siege on New Year's Day. Kegan Thompson, 24, held the weapon to his stomach and warned officers they would have to shoot him in the head
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Historic stores get new owner
MORE than a hundred jobs in the region were at risk last night as Merchant Retail announced it was selling two historic department stores. Perfume retailer Merchant marked the end of an era yesterday when it announced the sale of its two remaining Joplings
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Attempted murder trial nears an end
THE jury in the trial of a man accused of slashing the throat of a neighbour he suspected of burgling his home will retire to consider its verdict today. The eight men and four women were told by the trial judge that they should put aside emotion when
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Bid to improve disabled access
TOWN centre managers are working with their local authority and other partners in a huge effort to make Bishop Auckland's streets and shops more accessible to the disabled. In a determined effort to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act, Bishop
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It's Yorkie City
IT could have been the Smarties Stadium or the Aero Arena, but York City Football Club has settled on Kit Kat Crescent as the new name of its ground. The club has signed a £100,000 sponsorship deal with Nestl Rowntree, giving the company naming rights
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MP collects signatures for EU protest
MORE than 300 people in an area of Stockton have signed a national petition to help Africa's Aids victims. MP Dari Taylor distributed the petition, which aims to force rich countries to help Aids victims, around her Stockton South constituency. It is
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Search for football cup launched
FOOTBALL bosses are asking former players and club officials to search their attics for a missing trophy. The Brancepeth Aged Miners' Cup has not been seen since it was stored for safe-keeping in the late 1990s. Alan Britton, the secretary of Willington
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Region plans for super fire control centre
Fears over a possible terrorist attack could prove key to the location of a new super fire control centre for the North-East, The Northern Echo has learnt. The new three storey HQ which will replace control rooms serving the region's four fire brigades
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Coats, canaries and potato puffs
When George W Bush takes the oath of office today, he will be taking part in a ceremony which has changed dramatically since the inauguration of the first president, George Washington. Nick Morrison looks at the closest thing the United States has to
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Visitor milestone reached
A NORTH-EAST museum is celebrating a record number of visitors this year, This week, Bowes Museum, in Barnard Castle, County Durham, welcomed its 100,000th visitor of the financial year. With another two months to go until the end of the financial year
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Electricity cut off as high winds hit North-East
Electricity was cut off to thousands of homes in the North-East this morning as high winds returned to batter the region. About 4,000 homes in the Seaham area of County Durham lost power shortly before 7am today when a pole supporting the overhead cable
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Almost 80, and still spoiling for a fight
MENTALLY still in overdrive, physically decelerating a little, former Bishop of Durham, the Rt Rev David Jenkins, will be 80 next Wednesday. "It has struck me lately that I really am getting old," he says. "It's absurd, of course, but I always assumed
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Best-seller Jamie helps WHSmith to progress
TROUBLED retailer WHSmith said its recovery programme was on track after a substantial improvement in profits. Although like-for-like sales were one per cent lower in the six weeks to January 15, and down two per cent in the 20 weeks to that date, the
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Mr Miss-fortune
Viv Hardwick talks to Sir Cameron Mackintosh about how he decided to trust Sunderland's Empire Theatre with Miss Saigon after years of fear about bringing shows to Wearside. The co-creator of some of the world's best-known shows reveals he's keen to bring
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Veterans get cash to celebrate war efforts
THOUSANDS of pounds have been awarded to North-East veterans to celebrate their role in the Second World War. Concerts, street parties and variety of events will be staged all over the region thanks to money from the Big Lottery Fund and Heritage Lottery
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Sirius doubles its target for turnover
LAND-RECLAIMING company Sirius has more than doubled its target turnover in its first year of trading and is set to recruit more staff. The Sirius Group, with offices in Durham, Langley Moor and Leeds, has pushed turnover more than double its target to
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Church concert
A CONCERT featuring the Teesside Male Voice Apollo Choir will be staged at Neville Parade Methodist Church, Newton Aycliffe, on Saturday, February 5, at 7.30pm. Tickets are £5 and are available by telephoning (01325) 315538.
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Quito has class to put nightmare behind him
SOUTHWELL stages the most valuable race of the day in which Quito (3.40) bids to wipe away the misery of a wasted journey to Wolverhampton a fortnight ago. Having travelled all the way from North Yorkshire to the Midlands venue, Quito was backed as if
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Blair's disgust at Iraq images
TONY Blair has expressed his disgust at the "shocking, appalling" images of Iraqis allegedly being forced to simulate sex acts and being bound and threatened by British soldiers. But the Prime Minister said the photographs should not be allowed to tarnish
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Why teachers should have protection
WHEN a 12-year-old, appearing at Teesside Crown Court this week, admitted raping his teacher in an horrific and shocking attack, his identity, rightly, was not revealed. Yet if his, or any other, teacher had been accused of the slightest impropriety,
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Life on line for engineer as tree falls
A telephone engineer's life was on the line for nearly an hour when a wind weakened tree fell on him while he worked up a 20 ft telegraph pole. BT man Russell Hughes was fixing battered phone lines during high winds when part of the 30ft tree started
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Vice raids women to be deported
SEVEN Thai women arrested in a series of vice raids in the North-East are facing deportation, it was confirmed last night. The women were detained after an operation during which police and immigration officers searched properties in Darlington and Teesside
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Bates hopes Cup run will boost his Boro chances
MATTHEW Bates is hoping to follow in Tony McMahon's footsteps by using FA Youth Cup glory as the springboard to the Middlesbrough first team. This time last year, McMahon was helping Boro's juniors to a 2-1 Youth Cup win at Walsall but, on Saturday, the
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Theatre finance no longer a concern, says audit official
A THEATRE that has been at the centre of controversy since it opened three years ago has stabilised, according to an audit official. The £14m Gala Theatre, in Durham, has had a chequered history, including the collapse of the management company hired
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Portrait of the sofa sovereigns
The Truth About Richard And Judy (five): HAS Fred the former This Mornng weatherman been nobbled? I reckon someone has been round to his house and forecast he'd be hit by a stormy front if he spilled the beans. It's the only explanation for him backing
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Boyd's strike keeps Pool marching on
The magic of the FA Cup! A freezing January night in Boston, with a far from glamour tie up for grabs. But Hartlepool United secured a passage into the fourth round of the FA Cup and a trip to Brentford and you won't find anyone at Victoria Park devaluing
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Scale of gulf in learning is highlighted
STUDENTS from affluent neighbourhoods are still up to six times more likely to go into higher education than those from poorer areas, a study has concluded. The five-year study by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) said there was
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Fantastic Foxx
Steve Pratt discovers how Jamie Foxx managed to find the music of the legendary blues performer Ray Charles and listens to the emerging actor's own experiences of racism. LIFE is good when you live in LA and get what Jamie Foxx calls the sizzle. "It's
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New master plan could bring town out of the doldrums
A NEW master plan for Bishop Auckland could see major new developments on town centre sites. Consultants working for Wear Valley District Council have picked out key areas for regeneration including the historic Market Place, North Bondgate, Forebondgate
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On TV
The Truth About Richard And Judy (five) HAS Fred the former This Mornng weatherman been nobbled? I reckon someone has been round to his house and forecast he'd be hit by a stormy front if he spilled the beans. It's the only explanation for him backing
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Hollywood star congratulates film festival
HOLLYWOOD star Jeff Bridges has sent a message to the organisers of the second Sunderland Film Festival. The actor's latest movie, The Door In The Floor, is the closing film of the festival. He sent a greeting saying "Congrats on the Sunderland Film Festival
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Pupils celebrate top marks
A SCHOOL is celebrating after turning around its fortunes to receive top marks from Government inspectors. A team from Ofsted found huge improvements at Woodhouse Close Junior School in Bishop Auckland, which, it said, gave pupils a very good all-round
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Fundraising events held around district
CHILDREN at Consett Junior School raised £325 for victims of the Boxing Day tsunami disaster in south-east Asia. The students' council decided to hold a non-uniform day to raise cash for the thousands of people who have been affected by the disaster.
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Court hears of alleged threat to teen
A COURT heard a teenager describe how she was allegedly approached by a councillor and offered money for sex. The 12-year-old's video recorded interviews with police were played to a jury at Durham Crown Court on the second day of the trial of independent
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Licensing law litter warning
HUNDREDS of pubs, clubs and off-licences across Darlington are being warned that they must control the amount of litter coming from their premises. Changes to licensing laws mean that local authorities, rather than magistrates' courts, now deal with licence
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Darlington - Firms in high-tech net
THREE companies created by University of Durham academics are thrivingin a business unit in Sedgefield. They are the first research-led firms to move into the NetPark business site in County Durham. As well as moving into space tailor-made for their needs
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Final piece in the jigsaw to bring town out of wilderness
IT WAS an image that captured the sense of economic desolation felt across the North-East during the bleak 1980s. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, head slightly bent against the fierce wind, a firm grip on her handbag, marching across wasteland in Thornaby
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Winger's pledge to Quakers
Neil Wainwright has declared his intention to stay at Darlington beyond this season, as long as he's offered a new contract. After three-and-a-half years and over 150 appearances, the winger's deal expires at the end of the season and the Quakers have
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Police had £25m but raised tax by 76pc
A POLICE authority responsible for the largest council tax rise in the country has been heavily criticised for having £25m in its bank accounts. A report by the Audit Commission found there were significant weaknesses in the financial management and accounting
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Councillor jailed after sex attacks
A SENIOR Durham City councillor has been jailed for two years after being convicted of a string of sex attacks on young girls. Teesside Crown Court heard how Coun Leslie Sheppard lured teenage girls into his gold Porsche car and drove them to remote spots
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McCarthy welcomes Thornton's frustration
MICK McCARTHY admitted he was delighted Sean Thornton was disappointed to be left out of Sunderland's side to face Derby at the weekend. The Black Cats' boss revealed the decision to put Thornton on the bench for the trip to Pride Park on Sunday was a
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Midfielder Faye added to Souness' hit-list
NEWCASTLE United are ready to make a move for Portsmouth midfielder Amdy Faye, according to the player's agent. Manager Graeme Souness, who last week admitted he was interested in signing Faye's Pompey team-mate Aiyegbeni Yakubu, could make it a double
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Approval given for £36m college move
DETAILED planning consent has been granted to create a £36m college campus in the North-East. The campus, part of Gateshead College's relocation, will be at the Baltic Business Quarter. The building, designed by Red Box Design Company, will provide 193,000sq
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Scheme to 're-awake' park
THE renovation of a North-East country park's historic buildings has started as part of a multi-million pound scheme to re-awake the Grade II-listed site. The restoration of three of the main structures at Hardwick Park, near Sedgefield, County Durham
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£2m walk-in medical care centre opens to the public
A NEW era of healthcare will be launched in Darlington tomorrow with the opening of a £2m walk-in centre. The ground floor of Dr Piper House, Darlington Primary Care Trust's (PCT) headquarters in King Street, has been converted to provide the facility
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Firms act to protect water vole
Two County Durham companies have come to the rescue of the endangered water vole. Wapping Burn, one of the remaining sites for voles in the North-East, flows through industrial sites between Peterlee and Shotton Colliery. NSK Bearings, based on the South
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Computer firm raises tsunami aid
A North-East computer business is to donate all the money from its regular PC check-ups to the Asian tsunami appeal. Harrison Computers, in Langley Moor, County Durham, usually charges a £25 fee for the service - which includes checking PC security and
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Performer leaps on to village stage
A PERFORMER nicknamed the Bolton Bullfrog will be appearing in a North Yorkshire village hall later this month. Singer and actor Bernard Wrigley will perform songs and tell stories in Dalton, near Richmond, next Friday. Wrigley, who began his career singing
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Approval to start work on £1.3m school sports hall
A SCHOOL has been given approval to build a £1.3m sports hall. Wolsingham School and Community College is to start work on the Lottery-funded project next month. The building will not only benefit the school, but will be used by people in the wider community
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Concern over city's 15-year housing plan
A FORMAL objection has been raised over plans to limit the number of houses built in Durham City over the next 15 years. The city council is fighting plans outlined in the draft document being prepared by the North East Assembly to determine future planning
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Youths who filmed dying man branded as monsters
Five youths who laughed as they shot film footage of a dying man were branded "monsters" by a judge. Former baker Roger Winfield was in clear distress as he lay struggling for life following a blow to his head in a fall. But rather than bring help the
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Nursing career beckons
A NEW drive to recruit young people into nursing is training its first cadets to work among two rural communities. A two-year initiative by the Durham Dales Primary Care Trust is the first of its kind in County Durham and Darlington. The six trainees
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Santa's belated call with cash gift for hospital
A HOSPITAL baby unit is looking forward to buying specialist equipment thanks to the fundraising efforts of one man. For the past nine years, Kevin Cook, of Naylor Road, Sedgefield, has dressed as Santa to raise money for the University Hospital of North
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Faverdale gets more housing
PLANNING chiefs yesterday gave approval for the latest phase of a £60m development. Darlington Borough Council's planning committee granted permission for 30 homes, with access roads and garages, to be built on the West Park site, in Faverdale. The approval
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£7,000 trip to Hawaii
A MAYOR has hit out after teachers went to Hawaii on a trip funded by the taxpayer. The three headteachers and one deputy headteacher of schools in South Shields and Jarrow, in South Tyneside, Longbenton, near Newcastle, and Wallsend, in North Tyneside
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Parents of truants facing £100 fines
A LETTER detailing recent changes in the law to help tackle poor attendance in school has been issued to parents in Darlington. New powers under the Anti-Social Behaviour Act mean that the borough council can fine parents or carers up to £100 if their
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Local groups press for a base
PLANS to give Consett its first community centre have taken a step forward after a pilot project was approved. Unlike many other towns, Consett has no dedicated main venue in which groups can meet and stage activities. But now Durham County Council's
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Students hurt as bus hits barrier
AN investigation is under way after a bus collided with a barrier at a bus station. College students were taken to hospital - thought to be suffering shock, bruises and possible whiplash - after they were thrown about by the impact. Passengers on the
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Student fundraisers offer grants to local causes
STUDENT fundraisers are inviting community organisations in the Durham area to apply for small grants to help with their work. Durham University Charities Kommittee (Duck) raises funds throughout the year through various events based in and around the
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Reynolds accused of being 'evasive' over autobiography
A JUDGE has delayed her ruling in the case of George Reynolds, who is being sued by a veteran journalist who says he reneged on a deal to ghost-write the life story of the former Darlington FC chairman. In the closing stages of the High Court case, brought
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Love strikes
NEVER judge a builder by the length of his trowel. Rovers barmaid Shelley discovers this to her cost in Coronation Street (ITV1) when Charlie the builder with the bulging toolbox turns nasty. He hasn't been the same since he had his hair cut. And as we
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Civic smoking ban call
DerwentsideDistrict Council is being urged to ban smoking in public places. The council's health scrutiny panel wants to see smoking forbidden in all municipal buildings in the district, where there are high levels of smoking-related diseases. Tobacco
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Chippy frying high after scooping national award
A fish and chip shop which attracts customers from across the region has been recognised with a significant accolade. The Coxhoe Fish Bar has been named in a national magazine as among the top five fish and chip shops in the North-East, only two years
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Visitor milestone reached
A NORTH-EAST museum is celebrating a record number of visitors this year, This week, Bowes Museum, in Barnard Castle, County Durham, welcomed its 100,000th visitor of the financial year. With another two months to go until the end of the financial year
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Receptionists pass their test of care
RECEPTIONISTS from GP practices across North Durham were rewarded yesterday after completing an intensive training course. Lady Ann Calman, chair of Durham and Chester-le-Street Primary Care Trust, presented 11 GP receptionists with certificates as they
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Future of squash club is assured
THE future of a squash club has been secured. Mark Silver, owner of Harrogate's Academy Health Club, has bought Knaresborough Squash Club. There had been fears that the club might not continue as a squash venue, but Mr Silver said two courts would be
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Landlord faces stout test
FOR years landlord Graham Ford has been pouring other people's beers but soon he will be serving - and tasting - his own. Mr Ford and a group of regulars have brewed 40 pints of stout to be sampled at the beer festival in his pub, The Beamish Mary Inn
