Archive
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More misery as big freeze grips region
A third day of snow heaped more misery on the region yesterday - and today could be even worse. Olivia Richwald reports. SCHOOLS, roads, planes and sporting fixtures - nothing is immune to the cold blast of winter. After a day's lull, the region was reeling
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Hodgson waiting to get his Guy
Darlington boss David Hodgson is awaiting a call from his Newcastle United counterpart Graeme souness he hopes will tie up a loan deal for striker Lewis Guy. After initial enquiries, Hodgson is awaiting confirmation from Souness that the 19-year-old can
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Shearer standing up to 'emotional blackmail'
GRAEME Souness last night revealed that he has resorted to emotional blackmail in an attempt to make Alan Shearer reconsider his decision to retire at the end of the season. Despite limping out of last weekend's 1-0 win over Chelsea with a hamstring strain
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Council tax rise to fund investments
COUNCIL tax bills in Derwentside are expected to rise by nearly £35 after the district council set its budget for the coming year. Bills across the district will increase by 3.9 per cent in the coming financial year and with 70 per cent of the district's
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On TV
Jamie's School Dinners (C4) Masterchef Goes Large (BBC2) WHETHER you like him or not, you have to admit that Jamie Oliver never takes the easy option. Having survived teaching a bunch of unemployed teenagers to become chefs, he's embarked on a fresh project
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Hospital plan for rugbt club grounds
A PRIVATE hospital could be built on Scarborough Rugby Club's ground on the outskirts of the resort. The development would complete a long-running saga for the site, following the closure of the BUPA Belvedere Hospital three years ago. The borough council's
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He's dead
SOAPLAND police have announced the formation of a new crime-fighting group to combat the growing crime wave - Soap Murder Unit Team, or SMUT for short. What with a double demise in EastEnders (Andy the gangster thrown off a motorway bridge and Dirty Den
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Concerns grow for missing girl
POLICE are becoming concerned for the whereabouts of a 16 year-old girl who has not been seen since Friday. Christine Szlobodnik, who suffers from a hearing impairment, went missing from her home in Killingworth, Newcastle, where she was last seen by
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A judge's verdict on cheque forger's work: It's brilliant
AN ARTIST was commended for her work by a judge yesterday as she awaited sentence for cheque forgery. Philippa Larkin took to court her portfolio, which included a £10 note with her face in place of the Queen's. Larkin, 31, a single parent, was arrested
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Parents demand answers over nursery school's future
THE future of a nursery remains uncertain after talks yesterday. Parents and teachers at Albert Hill Nursery, Darlington, met council official Paul Campbell. But they emerged after an hour-and-a-half saying they still do not know if the nursery will be
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Have-a-go hero hangs on to car as burglars flee house
A HAVE-A-GO hero clung to the bonnet of a getaway car as it sped through the streets of a County Durham village, before finally being thrown into the road. The 59-year-old man refused hospital treatment after his dramatic bid to catch the masked burglars
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Vandals threaten future of chapel
CHURCH leaders say continued attacks by vandals are threatening the future of their community chapel. Sunnybrow Community Chapel has to spend money earmarked for repainting on repairing damage to guttering and roof slates only a few months after it paid
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Too darn hot
Charity walks continue to attract publicity but now North-East writer Michael Chaplin has turned the event into an ITV drama starring Nicola Stephenson and Philip Glenister . Steve Pratt reports on how the pair survived the sahara. ACTRESS Nicola Stephenson
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Partnership formed to urge smoking ban
MORE pubs, restaurants and offices are to be encouraged to ban smoking. Public health bodies and councils throughout north Durham have formed a partnership to encourage establishments to ban smoking in enclosed public places. Durham City Council, its
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Boro raise flags to heroes of the past
MIDDLESBROUGH Football Club has certainly got the flags out as their European adventure continues. Banners featuring Boro legends past and present have been raised in town centre in the build-up to today's Uefa Cup tie. They have gone up as about 300
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Painting a picture of tattoo history
EXHIBITS charting the long and painful history of tattoos were installed at a North museum yesterday. Skin Deep will open at the Captain Cook Memorial Museum in Whitby, North Yorkshire, on Tuesday. It tells the story of Captain James Cook's first encounters
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Storm pushing for Trophy place
THE European Tour's galaxy of stars are locked in battle to secure a berth in this year's Seve Trophy to be held at The Wynyard Club in Tees Valley. Some of the biggest names in golf - such as Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington and Darren Clarke - are
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Weak dollar blows earnings off course
THE weak dollar has hit profits at air filtration group domnick hunter (DH), despite a 15 per cent rise in turnover. Preliminary results posted yesterday showed sales had increased from £136.9m in 2003 to £158.2m last year. But pre-tax profits only rose
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Broadsides from Barrie
Suffering fools gladly is the least of Barrie Rutter's worries. The award-winning Northern Broadsides artistic director talks to Viv Hardwick about his views on theatre, touring, funding and how he was dropped from TV's Fat Friends cast by mistake. SO
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Have-a-go hero hangs on to burglars' getaway car
A HAVE-A-GO hero clung to the bonnet of a getaway car as it sped through the streets of a County Durham village, before finally being thrown into the road. The 59-year-old man refused hospital treatment after his dramatic bid to catch the masked burglars
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Able willing and ready
A SHIPBREAKING yard is bidding for work to dismantle more than 100 British vessels, bringing hundreds of jobs to the region. Able UK, which is fighting to be allowed to dismantle the so-called ghost-ships - former US Navy vessels that were to be dismantled
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Cash given to shore up sea defences
MORE than £4m is to be spent on a fishing village's sea defences to save it from the ravages of the North Sea. The cash for Staithes, North Yorkshire, has been provided by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), to be administered
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Ditch the combats Adams
IT is hard to believe the ceasefire in Northern Ireland is 11 years old. Hard to believe, because people are still being threatened, beaten and forced out of their homes by terrorist factions. Last weekend, in my home town of Strabane, family and friends
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Sam the man
Steve Pratt talks to Samuel L Jackson about becoming the most successful box office star of all time as he brings the world of basketball to the our screens. Jackson plays real-life coach Ken Carter who hit the headlines when he locked out his successful
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Sex case man was caught on TV
A SEX offender exposed himself to two women in an alley, then ran away when they challenged him, a court heard yesterday. Derek Fitzhugh was caught on security TV, in Traders Alley, off Stockton High Street, early on New Year's Day, Teesside Crown Court
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On the road with the gritters
When she was little, reporter Deborah Johnson always wanted to drive a snow plough.Yesterday, she joined drivers on the front line in a battle to keep roads clear... THE skies are grey and there's snow in the air. Children on the streets squeal with delight
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For the fathers and sons who lie side-by-side, a memorial at last
AFTER 96 years, the mass burial trenches where men and boys who died in the region's worst pit disaster was finally marked yesterday. Workers struggled through the snow to lay the base of the memorial to those who died in County Durham's West Stanley
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Cold war as Grazer turn up heat on Boro
ANGRY Grazer AK manager Walter Schachner last night claimed Middlesbrough's inability to cope with wintry weather has made the Austrian champions even more determined to knock the Premiership side out of the UEFA Cup. Schachner cut a frustrated figure
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Unpaid overtime 'taken for granted'
TWO organisations have clashed following claims that workers in the region clock up more than seven hours of unpaid overtime a week. A study by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) found that nearly 15 per cent of employees in the North-East stay late or cut
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Johnson relishing Gold-en opportunity
GOLD MEDALLIST limbers up for next month's Cheltenham Festival in this afternoon's Sidney Banks Memorial Hurdle at Huntingdon. "He's the one I'm looking forward to riding most at Cheltenham," said his jockey, Richard Johnson, clearly bullish about the
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Sam the man
Steve Pratt talks to Samuel L Jackson about becoming the most successful box office star of all time as he brings the world of basketball to the our screens. Jackson plays real-life coach Ken Carter who hit the headlines when he locked out his successful
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D1 to build refinery in South Africa
A FUEL producer has announced its second major contract win in less than a week. D1 Oils, of Stockton, is to build a biodiesel refinery in South Africa. Under the deal, Rolls-Royce will finance the Durban plant, which is expected to be operational by
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Controversial games area plans are revised
PLANS for a games area have been changed in a bid to appease concerned villagers. Community leaders said the original site for the twin sports pitches in Middleton Tyas, near Darlington, was too close to a sheltered housing complex. Residents feared noise
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Labour pledges £10m for elderly 'village'
THE Government has pledged nearly £10m towards a £34m self-contained village for elderly people on Teesside. The retirement village of 200 homes at Middle Warren estate, near Hart, in the Hartlepool area, is seen as the blueprint for similar developments
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Comment: Another royal impediment
TO begin with, it seemed the announcement of Prince Charles' marriage to Camilla Parker Bowles had been planned rather well. The biggest areas of controversy - namely the possibility that Camilla would claim the title, Princess of Wales, or might one
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Call for lung cancer scanners
A DRAMATIC increase in the availability of vital scanning equipment is needed to improve the care of lung cancer patients and avoid pointless surgery, experts said today. There are currently only ten positron emission tomography (PET) scanners in the
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Night of drama to raise money for disabled charity
A SCHOOL drama team went without sleep for a night to raise cash for a charity supporting families with disabled children. The event at Wolsingham School and Community College last week raised £300 for the Independence 4 Disability group, in Weardale.
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'Waiting for us to die', say miners
MINERS believe the Government is "waiting for them to die" because of attempts to delay and block compensation claims for pit injuries, MPs were told yesterday. In evidence to a Commons committee, solicitors for crippled pitmen attacked excessive investigations
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Cleveland Police spending plans get unanimous backing
THE spending plans for Cleveland Police have been given unanimous backing but finance chiefs warned there is still plenty of work to do. All 17 members of the police authority gave their approval to the force's £115m budget and five percent precept increase
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Here's hoping all goes fine, Denise
ACCLAIMED North-East novelist and agony aunt Denise Robertson is turning her talents to the stage and the world of the musical. Her maiden offering in the field, Fine, Fine, Fine!, went down well when played to packed houses at South Shields' Customs
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Hodgson waiting to get his Guy
Darlington boss David Hodgson is awaiting a call from his Newcastle United counterpart Graeme souness he hopes will tie up a loan deal for striker Lewis Guy. After initial enquiries, Hodgson is awaiting confirmation from Souness that the 19-year-old can
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Rates may rise if growth continues
Interest rates could rise if the economy and inflation grow in line with forecasts, it was claimed last night. An increase in rates from 4.75 per cent "might be warranted in due course" if the economy evolves in line with the Bank of England's central
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£70,000 for sex crime centre
A CENTRE to help crime victims and witnesses of sex attacks has been awarded extra Government funding. The Home Office yesterday gave £70,000 to set up new sexual assault referral centres in Durham City and Darlington. The grant is the final slice of
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Scandal of the cancer food still being sold
THE chaos surrounding the cancer-scare food alert deepened last night as The Northern Echo discovered products on the Government's danger list on sale more than a week after warnings were issued. As the food industry continued to reel from Britain's biggest
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Cooper set to reward stars
NEALE Cooper is ready to reward more of his first-team regulars with new contracts. After Mark Tinkler signed a new deal to extend his stay at Hartlepool for a further two years, the Pool boss is now turning his attention to securing the services of his
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Taylor out to relive European glory days
ASK any Newcastle United fan to name their most memorable European night and it's a fair bet that most under the age of 40 will plump for September 17, 1997. For those too young to remember the Fairs Cup triumph of 1969, Faustino Asprilla's hat-trick
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Dawn raids hailed a success by operation's inspector
Cleveland Police gave suspected offenders a rude awakening during an operation staged across the force area yesterday. Helen Cook joined officers as they carried out a series of early morning raids. NEARLY 100 officers took part in a crime crackdown yesterday
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Wartime sweethearts look back on 60 years of marriage
A COUPLE who met during the Second World War have celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary. Jim and Margaret Pond, both 81, of Consett, met while serving at a heavy artillery battery in Yorkshire in 1942. They married in Essex 60 years ago and earlier
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No community work
A JUDGE has threatened to jail a man who had not done ''a stroke of work'' on a community punishment order. Carl Sweeney, 27, of Alma Gardens, Ripon, received the 100-hour order from Harrogate magistrates last November for riding a 22cc Go-ped while disqualified
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Two face prison after admitting town centre brawl
TWO men who were among a group of 15 fighting in the centre of Harrogate,were warned by a judge yesterday to prepare for a possible jail sentence. Steven Thomas, 18, of Church Road, and Daniel Joseph Rix, 23, of Central Avenue, both Billingham, each pleaded
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How we voted no and meant yes
IT was November 4, 2004, and the voters of the North-East overwhelmingly rejected the idea of regional government. By a majority of almost four to one, they decided they did not want a North East Assembly. Or did they? Not according to the North East
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Pensioner joins fight to improve her estate
A PENSIONER is campaigning to stop anti-social behaviour. Pearl Hall, 83, is knocking on doors in South Bank, Middlesbrough, to confront teenage tearaways and their parents. It is part of her campaign, called Save South Bank. More than 1,000 terraced
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Robinson ignores family ties
SUNDERLAND midfielder Carl Robinson has banned his family from attending Saturday's crucial Championship clash with Cardiff, because he can't guarantee they'll be supporting the right side. The Wales international might have been born in Llandrindod Wells
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Meeting aiming to revitalise town
A TOWN'S future will be on the agenda at a community conference to be held later this month. Although the event is aimed at community groups, clubs and societies in and around Knaresborough, organisers also hope to see as many local people there as possible
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RAC man rescued by RAF
An RAC patrolman was found by a mountain rescue team today after spending 12 hours trapped in snow on remote moors, the motoring organisation confirmed. Police and RAF rescue helicopters both struggled to reach the mechanic who was stranded in horrendous
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Work under way on care centre
WORK has begun on the first of a new type of health centre in the region. Sunderland's first Primary Care Centre will be a kind of halfway house between a conventional health centre and a small hospital. The hybrid facility, due to open later this year
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Students taken down the station
STUDENTS hoping to become special police constables were told about the duties of the job and given a tour of the station. Youngsters studying public services at Darlington College of Technology were talked through the role by Special Constable David
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Blair aide plan for N-E seat denied
LABOUR officials have denied suggestions that Downing Street is mounting a behind-the-scenes campaign to install a senior advisor to Tony Blair in a North-East seat. Some Labour loyalists have reported unease that the way is being paved for Liz Lloyd,
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Police use radio to advertise increase in car crime
Police are using the power of advertising to alert a town's motorists to a "major increase'' in car crime. Radio adverts will be broadcast and posters placed on the backs of buses and lamp posts in hot spot areas of Middlesbrough, favoured by smash-and-grab
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Miners' banner returns home
A PIT banner restoration group has received an unexpected gift. The Bowburn Banner Group was formed last month to restore the village colliery's 1959 emblem and create a replacement banner. The 1959 banner has been returned to the group from the NUM Colliery
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New plans put forward for controversial games pitch
PLANS for a controversial multi-use games area have been changed in a bid to appease concerned villagers. Community leaders claimed the original site for the twin sports pitches in Middleton Tyas, near Richmond, was too close to a sheltered housing complex
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A sale with net profits
A sale of angling memorabilia leads to mistaken identity and a stream of fish tales. LINES crossed, intentions impeccable, John Smith in Shildon sends a cutting from The Times about angling's sale of the century. It encompasses the treasury of books and
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Body of pensioner found in North Sea
POLICE yesterday confirmed that a body found floating in the North Sea was that of a missing pensioner. The body of 66-year-old Raymond Laing was found in the North Docks of Seaham Harbour, County Durham, at about 3pm on Tuesday. The keen walker, who
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How we voted no and meant yes
Yesterday, The Northern Echo looked at how a new planning framework for the North-East has raised questions over the role of the regional assembly. Today Nick Morrison asks why we voted no but still eneded up with an assembly. IT was November 4, 2004,
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'Hospital chiefs don't have guts to talk to us'
THE wife of former England cricketer Ian Botham last night accused health chiefs of not having the guts to consult over plans to close a hospital unit for cancer patients. Kathy Botham was speaking at a public meeting called by protestors who want to
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Quinones props up the Falcons
NEWCASTLE Falcons yesterday signed an Argentinian international prop while letting Academy tight head Ed Kalman join Leeds on loan for one match. Galo Alvarez Quinones, 27, has appeared in two full internationals and can play on both sides of the scrum
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Penguins dive straight into life at their new home
A SEASIDE attraction was busy with last-minute preparations yesterday as some nervous new arrivals were introduced. But there was really no need for concern - as the four penguins took readily to the surrounds of the Scarborough Sea Life Centre. The newcomers
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Street wardens will step up pressure on gangs of youths
GANGS of youths who hang around a town centre are to be the first target for a team of street wardens going on patrol in Crook and Willington. Wear Valley District Council has set aside £67,500 in its budget to extend its award-winning warden scheme to
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And if you thought it was cold here...
AN Army explorer who became the first man to cross Antarctica's Forbidden Plateau arrived home to a familiar sight last night - more snow. Sergeant Steve Ayers, 32, of Darlington, was part of a six-strong team which crossed the plateau, battling gale
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Able willing and ready
A SHIPBREAKING yard is bidding for work to dismantle more than 100 British vessels, bringing hundreds of jobs to the region. Able UK, which is fighting to be allowed to dismantle the so-called ghost-ships - former US Navy vessels that were to be dismantled
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Today's Dracula
Richard Bremmer agreed to take on the blood-sucking Prince of Darkness as one of three 'undead' roles offered to him. He talks to Viv Hardwick about Dracula and his pride at being Harry Potter's first big adversary on screen. THE current Government food
