Archive
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Darlington hospital where all ‘patients’ came out completely cured,the Doll's Hospital Grange Road
‘DOLLS – hairless, eyeless, toothless, speechless, armless, headless…but no casualty is beyond the healing powers of Mrs Mildred Zealand, the kindly matron-cum-surgeon at the Darlington Dolls Hospital.” The hospital was at No 23 Grange Road – currently
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All-woman list for Labour seat
A FEMALE candidate will stand for Labour in Bishop Auckland at the next election, it was announced last night. The party's National Executive Committee decided that Derek Foster's successor to the County Durham seat should be chosen from an all-woman
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House prices in the North remain stable
UK house prices fell further last month, but at a slower rate. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) also reported a slight decrease in property for sale - the first such fall in eight months. However, the choice of available properties
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Tribunal orders firm to pay workers extra
A TRIBUNAL has ordered that workers who lost their jobs should be given an extra 70 days' pay. The tribunal has ruled that Cranswick Country Foods, which used to be known as Lazenby Foods, failed to consult the Teesside workers' trade union properly.
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Amateur handed 18-day ban
Amateur jockey Richard Tate was suspended for 18 days and The Butterwick Kid disqualified after the pair took the wrong course on the way to being first past the post in the Culture 10 Hunters Chase at Newcastle yesterday. The Butterwick Kid, the 7-2
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Is Electrolux planning to export jobs?
WORKERS and union officials at two County Durham factories are hoping they can survive a worldwide shake-up by their parent company. Household appliance manufacturer Electrolux is planning to move operations to countries where labour costs are lower.
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Rear gunner who lived to tell the tale
AS a bomber rear gunner Elijah Welsh's survival prospects were not good. Tailend Charlies, as they were called, were particularly vulnerable if they were caught in the sights of German fighters. And the major bombing campaigns on German cities in the
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Hospital issues TB alert to patients
EIGHTY-NINE North-East patients could have been exposed to tuberculosis in hospital. Doctors at Bishop Auckland General Hospital have written to patients who shared a ward with someone with the infectious form of TB. But they stress that the chance that
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Hunt in Blair's constituency will meet for last time today
The historic hunt at the heart of Tony Blair's constituency will meet for the last time today. The South Durham Hunt has existed since 1872 but it origins stretch back to the Old Sedgefield hunt, which was at its height in the early part of the 19th century
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Town's prosperity in jeopardy without road upgrade
Darlington's future prosperity and economic development could be jeopardised if a £118 million dual carriageway upgrade on one of the region's busiest roads is not approved, council leaders warned. The Highways Agency is stalling over plans by Darlington
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Man admits vicious attack on pensioner
A MAN has admitted breaking into the home of an 81-year-old terminal cancer sufferer and causing horrific injuries for the sake of a handful of cash, some costume jewellery and a bottle of sherry. Mary Richardson, who has since died of pneumonia, was
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Company directors on trial for manslaughter
Three Italian company directors went on trial in Rome today accused of the manslaughter of a British woman who was dragged into the gears of a moving walkway at a rail station in the city. Domenico Leti, Leonardo Casali and Luana Lepore - all directors
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Fleming keen to step up recovery programme
DARLINGTON defender Curtis Fleming will hope to add to manager David Hodgson's steadily improving injury problems when he steps up his fitness by playing for the reserves this afternoon. Fleming has missed Quakers' last three games with a hamstring injury
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Why children are drowning in debt
YOUNG people are going bankrupt every day. They haven't a clue about money - know more about the price of iPods than a pint of milk. About 30,000 people in their twenties every year are drowning in a sea of debt . And I blame student loans. Yes, of course
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Is there any justice in this sort of sentence?
Earlier this month the Government made much of plugging a notorious loophole in the motoring laws. It introduced a new offence of causing death by careless driving. Anyone found guilty could receive a prison sentence of up to five years. Designed to end
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Tax rise for people with second homes
OWNERS of second homes in a rural area of the North-East are to have their council tax increased. Currently, second homes in Teesdale qualify for a 50 per cent discount on council tax. However, recent Government legislation has allowed local authorities
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Tourism strategy seeks to increase visitor numbers
DEVELOPMENT chiefs hope to attract millions more tourists to the region and to encourage them to spend more. Regional development agency One NorthEast has produced a strategy that it hopes will draw an extra 1.3 million UK visitors and an extra 700,000
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Boost for child carers
ST MARGARET'S Children's Home in Brotton, east Cleveland, has been awarded more than £1, 000 by Marske Fishermen's Choir. The men, who perform every week from September to March, handed over £1,027 yesterday. The cash will pay for the running costs of
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NHS refused to reinstate consultant
THE NHS is facing a massive compensation bill after a hospital refused to reinstate a consultant after a tribunal found she had been unfairly sacked and victimised on the grounds of race. Dr Feyi Awotona, 50, worked as a consultant gynaecologist and obstetrician
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Bedsearcher scoops latest award
A NORTH-East entrepreneur who set up an Internet-based accommodation service has added another award to her string of successes. Gill Chapple won the Shine Award for Women in Travel and Tourism at a presentation in London. The 25-year-old is one of the
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Man too ill
THE trial of a man charged with harassing a woman and breaching a restraining order on him has been postponed after he fell ill. Peter Robinson had been due to face trial over the charges at Teesside Crown Court, but was said to be too poorly to attend
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Phone crime crackdown
TEENAGERS are being targeted as part of a new initiative to crackdown on mobile phone crime. Every secondary school pupil in Hambleton is to be issued with a leaflet alerting them to the dangers of mobile phone theft. Officers from the Hambleton Community
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Fundraiser will help patients
MORE medical equipment is to be brought to a hospital day unit thanks to a charity's fundraising efforts. The Friarage Hospital in Northallerton has been presented with £2,500 following a fashion show held in Yarm. 'Celebration of Life After Cancer' aims
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Former shipyard workers win landmark court ruling
FORMER shipyard workers from the region have won an important victory following a landmark court case. Mr Justice Holland, sitting at the High Court in Newcastle, ruled that people who develop so-called "pleural plaques" on their lungs, caused by asbestos
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'Driver littered street with parking ticket'
A NORTH-EAST businesswoman is reeling from a double blow after receiving a parking ticket - and then a littering fine after allegedly dropping it. Michelle Finch, 44, of Gateshead was given the £30 ticket for parking in a loading bay in March last year
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Arrests made during police swoop on town
A TOTAL of 18 arrests have been made in a number of high-profile police raids in Stockton. The raids took place on Monday, as part of Operation Sabre, an intelligence-led operation to reduce crime and disorder. More than 40 police officers from Stockton
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Let's land a cup for Shearer, says boss
GRAEME Souness last night urged his Newcastle players to ensure Alan Shearer receives a silver-lined send-off if he carries out his threat to retire at the end of the season. With the Magpies facing Dutch side Heerenveen in the last 32 of the UEFA Cup
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Search is on for rock stars
WOULD-BE rock stars are being invited to hone their talents at two rock schools set up by North Yorkshire County Council. The schools, at Starbeck Community Centre, Harrogate and the Links Youth Centre, Knaresborough, are designed to bring together young
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Who's the region's best neighbour?
For too long, neighbours from hell have been the ones attracting publicity for blighting the lives of decent folk. But today, The Northern Echo launches a search for the region's best neighbours - those who bring joy to other people in their communities
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Company cheesed off with EU wait
A FAMILY company of cheesemakers battling with the Greeks over the name feta is anxiously awaiting the decision of the European courts. The European Union ordered Shepherd's Purse Cheese, of Newsham, near Thirsk, North Yorkshire, to change the name of
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Market report
The London market ended firmly in the black yesterday after overcoming fresh concerns about interest rates. The FTSE 100 closed the session up 17.1 at 5058.9, despite higher than expected inflation figures that stoked fears of another rise in the cost
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Councillors refusing to pay parking fine
TWO leading members of a North-East police authority are refusing to pay £60 parking tickets they received on official business. Cleveland Police Authority members Barry Coppinger and Ron Lowes both argued that they should not have to pay the tickets
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Pensioner died after fall in hospital
The family of a pensioner were left traumatised when he died after a fall in hospital. An inquest was told yesterday that retired police officer Graham Arthur Jones, 76, died in the University Hospital of North Tees, in Stockton, last night. After suffering
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Attempts to tackle pregnancy in teens
SEX education courses for young men are being introduced to reduce teenage pregnancies. Easington Primary Care Trust is hoping to tackle the problem, which has left the district with the fourth highest teenage pregnancy rate in the North-East. The trust
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Aussie star signs for Falcons
NEWCASTLE Falcons have signed Australian World Cup-winning forward Owen Finegan on a two-year contract to start next season. The 32-year-old ACT Brumbies star won 51 caps as a lock or blind side flanker and scored a try in the 1999 World Cup final victory
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Bill to refurbish crumbling schools will exceed £485m
CRUMBLING schools across the North-East and North Yorkshire need repairs costing £485.5m over the next five years. And pupils are still being taught in 335 temporary buildings that are awaiting replacement, according to Department for Education (DfES)
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Inflation puts pressure on interest rates
The spectre of another interest rate rise loomed larger yesterday after inflation unexpectedly remained steady last month. Economists said the Bank of England was likely to adopt a more hawkish approach to inflation and rates after Consumer Prices Index
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Hospital issues TB alert to patients
A HOSPITAL issued an alert yesterday over fears that patients could have been exposed to tuberculosis. Doctors at Bishop Auckland General Hospital, in County Durham, have written to 89 patients who shared a ward with someone with the infectious form of
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Campaigners take landfill protest to council HQ
CAMPAIGNERS who believe a proposed rubbish dump will poison a vital water supply showed the strength of their opposition yesterday. The Wingate Against Refuse (War) group is fighting against Premier Waste Management's plans for what the company says will
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Parlour aims to turn heat on Grazer
THIS time last week there were six inches of snow and a temperature of minus 12 degrees C in Graz, so it is little wonder Ray Parlour has something other than football planned when he arrives in Austria today - skiing. Middlesbrough travel to the Alpine
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Holders crash out of Youth Cup
Holders Middlesbrough are out of this season's FA Youth Cup beaten at the fifth round stage by Watford at Vicarage Road last night - going out 4-1 on penalties. The game ended goalless after extra-time but the home side won the shoot-out to book a quarter-final
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Rolls-Royce will move engine testing to the US
Engine maker Rolls-Royce is to close its Nottinghamshire engine-testing facility by the end of 2007. The company said it had chosen a Nasa space agency site in Mississippi, US, as the preferred location for a new facility. The decision to stop engine
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UK Coal cannot meet terms of power station contract
UK Coal was under more pressure yesterday after it emerged it is unable to meet a contract to supply the UK's largest coal-fired power station. The mining group blamed geological problems at its Kellingley colliery for a shortfall with the nearby North
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Why our children are drowning in debt
YOUNG people are going bankrupt every day. They haven't a clue about money - know more about the price of iPods than a pint of milk. About 30,000 people in their twenties every year are drowning in a sea of debt . And I blame student loans. Yes, of course
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Museum workers to strike
A PLANNED strike by museum workers today will not affect one of the most popular attractions in the region, it was confirmed last night. The National Railway Museum (NRM) in York will be open despite the 24-hour work stoppage over a pay claim. Locomotion
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The long and the short of it
AIR mail, as it were, a letter from Phil Chinery in Darlington lands at a tangent upon the vexed subject of Durham Tees Valley Airport - known until recently as something much more straightforward. If, says Phil, they also decide to rename Teesside Airport
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Blast furnace sets new records
A Teesside blast furnace has set a new production record. Staff at Redcar Blast Furnace, in east Cleveland, broke the previous record by producing 67,117 tonnes of metal in one week. During that week, the record was also broken for the amount produced
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A vintage moment for charity
A CHARITY devoted to the fight against cancer has won the backing of an award-winning vintners. Thirsk-based Playford Ros, among the north's leading wine merchants, has chosen Macmillan Cancer Relief as its charity to support in 2005. The charity's fundraising
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Bill to refurbish crumbling schools will exceed £485m
CRUMBLING schools across the North-East and North Yorkshire need repairs costing £485.5m over the next five years. And pupils are still being taught in 335 temporary buildings that are awaiting replacement, according to Department for Education (DfES)
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Magpies must beware world's best free-kick taker
WHEN Newcastle's players arrive in Holland this morning they will find that, while British teenagers dream of 'Bending it like Beckham', Dutch youngsters have their hearts set on 'Yanking it like Yildirim'. The England captain might have made his name
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Fortress Victoria Park breached by Newell
LOSING games at Victoria Park was a rarity for Mike Newell during his time as Hartlepool United manager, and he kept up his record last night in Luton Town's colours. Newell's side have led the table all season and they became the first team to win a
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Lucky to be living with HIV
AS far as Tony is concerned, there is no reason why he shouldn't live as long and as healthy a life as anybody else, and when he does die, chances are it will be from natural causes. Nothing remarkable there, you might think, except Tony has HIV. "Apart
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Recycling makes cash for charity
A WASTE recycling company has given £5,000 to charity. Premier Waste Management, which runs the Kerb-it household recycling collections, donated £1 for every tonne of paper, cans and glass bottles it collected. Kerbside collections were introduced in
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Men who paid the ultimate sacrifice
William Rhodes-Moorhouse of Rokeby, who was in the Royal Flying Corps, was awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously after being killed in action in the second battle of Ypres, in April 1915. He flew low over the German lines to drop bombs and carried on
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No headpine
Jus' Like That, Tyne Theatre, Newcastle LOVE was in the air on Valentine's night... directed at a giant comic who died 21 years ago. There obviously can't be another Tommy Cooper - the sweaty genius of schoolboy humour - but Jerome Flynn almost fills
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Reveley gives Clouding Over chance to put rivals in shade
WITH some light rain forecast for this afternoon's meeting at Musselburgh, Clouding Over (2.00) could prove to be a topical tip in the opening Anderson Strathern Novices Handicap Hurdle. The Keith Reveley-trained filly did well to finish in third spot
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Shearer on a roll to earn thousands for children's charity
FOOTBALLER Alan Shearer scored for charity at the opening of a Tyneside casino. The Newcastle United and former England striker raised £7,000 for the northern region of the children's charity the NSPCC with a roll of two huge dice at Bannatyne's Casino
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Science spectacular with all things weird and wonderful
AN explosive custard flame-thrower is just one of many weird and wacky inventions which will be on show for the first time during a celebration of all things scientific in the North-East next month. The programme for the third Newcastle Science Festival
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Discovering the secrets of city's ancient stone coffin
A STONE coffin containing a mummified body was lifted from a grave yesterday, more than 1,600 years after it was buried. Archaeologists said the body had been so well preserved that it might be possible to make out its facial features. The late-Roman
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Couple's solar-powered answer to home energy
A COUNCIL was so impressed by a couple's solar-powered hot water system that it intends installing it in its own houses. David and Margaret Gray, of Bolton Avenue, Richmond, say the single solar panel on their roof heats more hot water that they can use
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'Family drugs ring bought silence of caretaker'
A FAMILY-RUN drugs ring dealing in massive quantities of heroin and cocaine bought the silence of a university caretaker, a court heard. A Teesside Crown Court jury was yesterday told that husband and wife Christopher and Jane Moloney were at the heart
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Wife died days after husband
AN inquest into the death of an elderly woman who died days after her husband was adjourned yesterday. Teesside Coroner's Court was told yesterday that Margaret Cogan, 74, of Addison Road, Middlesbrough, died in hospital on February 10. She had been admitted
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'Women didn't care about HIV'
AN African asylum-seeker serving ten years in prison for infecting three North-East women with HIV is hoping to win his freedom after blaming his victims for not taking precautions. Lawyers acting for Feston Konzani argued the musician believed the women
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£300m hospitals upgrade tonic
A PLAN to invest £300m to transform hospital services in the region is a step nearer. Yesterday, the board of Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Strategic Health Authority (SHA) approved the full business case for the large-scale redevelopment of hospitals
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Woman candidate to defend Labour safe seat
A FEMALE candidate will stand for Labour in Bishop Auckland at the next election, it was announced last night. The party's National Executive Committee decided that Derek Foster's successor to the County Durham seat should be chosen from an all-woman
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The legacy of asbestos 50 years on
WHEN he worked in the shipyards, Ron Gillies can remember the air being filled with asbestos particles. "It used to look like snowflakes hanging in the air, especially when they were lagging the engine pipes," said Mr Gillies, who is awaiting compensation
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Aussie star signs for Falcons
NEWCASTLE Falcons have signed Australian World Cup-winning forward Owen Finegan on a two-year contract to start next season. The 32-year-old ACT Brumbies star won 51 caps as a lock or blind side flanker and scored a try in the 1999 World Cup final victory
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Sports club will expand if its proposals are approved
A DECISION will be made tomorrow about the construction of a modern sports centre in north Durham. Shotley Bridge and Benfield Tennis Club has secured £800,000 of national and local funding to build a modern leisure centre in Benfield Close, Shotley Bridge
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'Phone mix-up could have cost my business'
A TAXI boss claims he nearly lost his livelihood after a communications mix-up left him without his business telephone line. Jim Crowe, who owns Horndale Taxis in Newton Aycliffe, said he has lost hundreds of pounds after there was a delay in switching
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Cabbie in shock after road rage incident
POLICE are appealing for information about a road rage incident which left a taxi driver badly shaken. The driver, who is in his mid-50s, pulled up in Cumby Road, Newton Aycliffe, in the early hours of Sunday morning to collect a customer. Before his
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Children help tsunami victims
AN independent school has raised more than £3,000 for a Sri Lankan school devastated by the Asian tsunami disaster. Students and teachers from Polam Hall School, in Darlington, have completed a series of fund-raising events in aid of the Pahamuna Centre
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Burglar who took car jailed for two years
A MAN who broke into a neighbour's home and then took his car has been jailed for two years. Paul Bake took a mobile phone, money and car keys from the two-bedroomed semi-detached property in Hollyhurst Road, Darlington, last August. Durham Crown Court
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Ex-club turned into religious meeting place
A FORMER under-18s nightclub has this week been transformed into a religious meeting place. The one-time site of Wesley's, in Bondgate, Darlington, has been transformed into Labyrinth - a place where youngsters are encouraged to take part in activities
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Boys arrested in estate crackdown
THREE boys have been arrested as part of a police crackdown on rowdy behaviour on a housing estate. The teenagers' arrests came only four days after a night-time curfew and dispersal order was imposed on an estate in Hartlepool. A month-long curfew on
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Cabbie in shock after road rage incident
POLICE are appealing for information about a road rage incident which left a taxi driver badly shaken. The driver, who is in his mid-50s, pulled up in Cumby Road, Newton Aycliffe, in the early hours of Sunday morning to collect a customer. Before his
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Playgroup overcomes adversity to win high praise from inspectors
A VILLAGE playgroup trying to raise £150,000 for a building has received a glowing Ofsted report. Fountains Playgroup and Pre-school is based in a temporary second-hand cabin in Grantley, near Ripon. The building is dilapidated and difficult to heat and
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Families aim to improve rights
FAMILIES of murder and manslaughter victims will lobby Parliament next month to improve victims' rights. The North of England Victims Association and Support After Murder and Manslaughter, based in Teesside, will join other organisations from across the
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Premier half-marathon set
Only few days are left to enter one of the region's premier half-marathons. More than 1,000 runners usually take place in the popular 13.1-mile race in Redcar with runners coming from as far as Aberdeen. Last year Redcar woman Tanni Grey Thompson regained
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Comment from The Northern Echo: Let's redress the balance
IN this column yesterday we suggested it might be nice if the Government did something to recognise good neighbours, as well as taking steps to root out neighbours from hell as part of its anti-social behaviour strategy. Today, we have decided to take
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The long and short of it
AIR mail, as it were, a letter from Phil Chinery in Darlington lands at a tangent upon the vexed subject of Durham Tees Valley Airport - known until recently as something much more straightforward. If, says Phil, they also decide to rename Teesside Airport
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Kyle determined to earn long-term deal
INJURY-PLAGUED Sunderland striker Kevin Kyle has revealed his determination to win a new long-term contract at the Stadium of Light and play a part in the club's promotion campaign. Kyle still has over a year left on his current deal and was in the process
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16/02/2005
OLYMPICS: I URGE your readers to get right behind London's bid to stage the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. You cannot put a price on some of the benefits of the Olympics: the pride in our country and its sporting successes, the boost to a nation's morale
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On TV
Natural World (BBC2) Extreme Celebrity Detox (C4) AS a public service, I'll pass on the following: "Once you can read the snow, you can find your way home even in a blizzard" and "a boy becomes a man when he becomes a hunter". The Natural World documentary
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Life in a cold climate
Natural World (BBC2); Extreme Celebrity Detox (C4) AS a public service, I'll pass on the following: "Once you can read the snow, you can find your way home even in a blizzard" and "a boy becomes a man when he becomes a hunter". The Natural World documentary
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Business brief
Russians put fizz into S&N Brewer Scottish & Newcastle said sales at its Baltic Beverages Holding (BBH) joint venture rose 18 per cent last year on the back of market share gains in Russia, a maiden full-year contribution from its Kazakhstan operations
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Ottakar's announces shake-up
BOOK shop chain Ottakar's announced a management shake-up yesterday to tackle growing competition and slowing sales. Ottakar's, which has more than 120 outlets in the UK, acknowledged the company must adapt to meet changing market conditions when it confirmed
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BG Group pledges to increase production
GAS company BG Group gave a new lease of life to its North Sea operation yesterday after pledging to increase production. The former British Gas group said its strategy would push back the expected point of production decline in the North Sea beyond 2007
