Archive
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We'll never have a better chance, Rio
Rio Ferdinand called on England to finally fulfil their potential and insisted the 2006 World Cup is their best chance to win a trophy in at least a decade. Ferdinand, who made his England debut under Glenn Hoddle in 1997, believes the current squad is
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All the pressure is on our rivals, says Arca
JULIO Arca believes the real pressure at the top of the Championship is all on Wigan and Ipswich, and Sunderland can turn up the heat on their promotion rivals before the Black Cats' two big clashes next month. The Wearsiders travel to both Wigan and
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It's Ruby Tuesday - in Wigan
As if to acknowledge a pearl beyond price, former Durham County opening batsman Frank Greenshields plans a special treat for his wife Dee to mark their ruby wedding anniversary: They're having a Tuesday night in Wigan. It's not just any old Tuesday night
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wood where a woody woodpecker would peck wood
VISITORS to a North-East woodland are guaranteed to see a badger, dragonfly, fox and woodpecker. Walkers can view them all along a one-mile circular trail that winds through a section of the 1,000-acre Guisborough Forest, in east Cleveland. The creatures
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Support for dale pubs and hotels
PUBLICANS and hotel owners working in a beautiful but remote dale are being offered support through a year-long initiative launched yesterday. Called Mine Host, the venture offers business and marketing support to pubs and inns along the A689 through
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Shame of officer over child porn images
A police officer has pleaded guilty to possessing and making nearly 400 images of child pornography. PC David Bright, 41, was charged with 17 counts of making indecent images of children and 26 specimen charges of possessing indecent material. The address
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Youngsters tackle rugby challenge
PRIMARY school pupils battled it out in the largest tag rugby competition Darlington has seen. More than 200 children from 17 schools met at Darlington Rugby Football Club, in Blackwell Meadows, to take part. The 20 teams competed in groups and then winners
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Helping the sick enjoy quality of life
A MEDICAL programme to help patients manage their illnesses more effectively will be launched next month. Durham Dales Primary Care Trust will start its sixth Expert Patient Programme on Thursday, April 7. The aim is to help people with long-term medical
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Viana left in limbo after talks
NEWCASTLE UNITED are facing the prospect of having to welcome Hugo Viana back to Tyneside - or accept a massive loss on the former European Young Player of the Year. Magpies chairman Freddy Shepherd met with Sporting Lisbon chief executive Carlos Freitas
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Smoking ban at hospitals
SMOKING will be banned from all areas in hospitals. The County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is updating its no-smoking policy and will implement a ban in all its hospital grounds by spring next year. Changes to the policy will be introduced
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Contest win a boost for business
HUSBAND and wife team Sue and Tony Le May are celebrating after winning £10,000 in a national competition. The couple, who run Thirsk Photo Express, in the Market Place, took first prize in a contest organised by Fujifilm. Last year, the couple entered
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Golden wedding gift for couple
GOLDEN couple Peter and Joan Davison have been presented with a colourful gift by their housing association landlords. The couple, who have known each other since childhood, will celebrate 50 years of marriage this weekend. The couple used to live in
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Good reason for disclosure
TO accuse a Government of taking its country to war on a false and illegal premise is a grave matter indeed. And it is because Tony Blair is facing such a serious accusation that we believe it is right to make public the full legal advice given to his
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Trinity ward is ready to re-open
HEALTH bosses say the re-opening of a city's only hospital ward is a sign of their commitment to maintaining local services. The 20-bed Trinity ward, at Ripon Community Hospital, was closed to patients a year ago for a modernisation scheme. The hospital
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Easter poems help spread happiness
STUDENTS took part in a poetry recital as part of a project to spread Easter cheer to local pensioners. The year eight, nine and ten pupils at Grangefield School, Stockton, made Easter cards to distribute as gifts among elderly people in the community
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Stair-fall death woman was under influence of alcohol
A WOMAN who fell down the stairs at her home while under the influence of alcohol died as a result of a fractured skull, an inquest heard. Tracey Bowes was found slumped at the bottom of the stairs by her father after she had drunk at least a dozen cans
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Free craft events planned
CHILDREN can try free crafts at the Shipley Art Gallery, in Gateshead. Potter Steve Poulton will help visitors create pots from 10am to noon and from 1pm to 3pm on Tuesday. Artist Steve Marshall will explore printmaking and painting and will help visitors
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Clock ticks, Defra stumbles
FARMERS who want to ensure they get the subsidies to which they are entitled under the new SFP system are being urged not to ignore forms from the Rural Payments Agency. Speaking at the Yorkshire Farmers' Conference in York, keynote speaker Jeremy Moody
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'Markings make road dangerous'
Residents have won the backing of a senior police officer over road markings they say will make their village an accident blackspot. Police and Ryedale MP John Greenway are investigating complaints from villagers at Broughton, near Malton, about lines
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Man dies after he was stung by bee
A MAN died after a severe allergic reaction to a bee or wasp sting, an inquest heard. Paramedics were unable to save John Hinker, 54, of Clarence Corner, Newton Aycliffe, when he was stung near to his home on September 5 last year. The court heard Mr
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Wellock's World
I'M just back from three days in Newcastle. No, not the Toon, although we flew from its airport, but the one in Northern Ireland which boasts the British Isles' second best golf course, Royal County Down. The holder of the top spot varies between Muirfield
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Bike ride to children's wards
KIND-HEARTED motorcyclists are planning to entertain youngsters in hospital this weekend. Bike clubs and Durham Police's motorcycle section have teamed up to organise an Easter Egg Run on Sunday. After setting off from the car park at the Tesco store
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Liddle close to quitting
DARLINGTON skipper Craig Liddle is expected to announce his retirement from the game at the end of the season after conceding his playing days are all but over. While Liddle has decided not to call time on his career with immediate effect, he admits chances
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Town show right attitude to stay in pole position
FOLLOWING the 2-1 defeat by Newcastle Blue Star in their last home league game and then the penalty shoot-out loss to Evenwood Town, Northallerton manager Paul Burton was pleased with the attitude shown by his side in their 4-1 victory at bottom club
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GNER wins £1.3bn deal for East Coast services
TRAIN company GNER this week won the franchise to continue running East Coast main line services after agreeing to pay the Government more than £100m a year in return. The Strategic Rail Authority announced on Tuesday that the York-based firm had been
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Construction group sees profits increase by 94%
CONSTRUCTION group Kier saw profits nearly double in the second half of last year. Overall pre-tax profits rose by more than 94 per cent to £31.5m. Turnover reached £816.1m, 12.3 per cent ahead of 2003. Its construction and services division has £1.82bn
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Police find body in search for Joanne
POLICE investigating the murder of missing Jobcentre worker Joanne Nelson last night found a body concealed in woodland. The body was discovered a mile north of the village of Brandsby, near Easingwold, North Yorkshire. Miss Nelson, 22, was reported missing
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£1,450 gift for hospital
A HOSPITAL has received a bumper thank you present for the care given to a patient with leukaemia before he died. The family and friends of Kevin Mansfield have presented Dr Dianne Plews, consultant haematologist at Middlesbrough's James Cook University
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Druken teenager attacked woman
A DRUNKEN teenager was spared a jail sentence after kicking a retired teacher and her dog into a river. Former Durham County footballer Lee Groves, 18, wept as the court heard how he kicked Ann Sutcliffe, 48, into the River Tees, near Blackwell, Darlington
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Great eggspectations
ONLY two days to go before you can start tucking into your Easter eggs, because of course you haven't eaten any yet, have you? The shelves are crammed full of eggs - big eggs, small eggs, eggs with toys, with egg cups, fluffy chicks and cuddly bunnies
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Police and radio station join together
POLICE are joining forces with the region's biggest radio station and a nightclub to promote a campaign to wipe out criminal damage. Wipeout will run throughout next month, and aims to prevent the kind of damage that most people have seen but many do
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£1bn for police pensions black hole
THE Government last night pledged to pay a £1bn police pensions bill and free-up force budgets for fighting crime. The Home Office announced it would pay pensions from a central fund from next year, after complaints that a huge slice of police budgets
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Workman killed in machinery horror
A WORKMAN died after being trapped by machinery at a recycling plant yesterday. It is thought the 51-year-old was crushed when a crane bucket knocked him against a shredding machine. A quick-thinking colleague is believed to have used a mechanical digger
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Mental health unit will close
A NORTH-EAST mental health unit is to close temporarily. Parkside in-patient unit at the Parkside Community Mental Health Resource Centre, in Middlesbrough, will close at the end of this month. The eight beds are being transferred to the town's St Luke's
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Lawson sets sights on racing career
A NORTH Yorkshire farmer is determined to fulfil his ambition of becoming a professional racing driver after finishing a close third in a major scholarship competition. Robert Lawson, from Barton, near Darlington, was one of nearly 350 entries in the
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Trying to pin down a moveable feast is a game as old as the hills
EASTER is early this year. Although we might think it has arrived extremely early, it could have come sooner. Based on the current method of determining the date of this most important of Christian festivals, the earliest possible date for Easter Sunday
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All the pressure is on our rivals, says Arca
JULIO Arca believes the real pressure at the top of the Championship is all on Wigan and Ipswich, and Sunderland can turn up the heat on their promotion rivals before the Black Cats' two big clashes next month. The Wearsiders travel to both Wigan and
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'I'm happy getting the bird'
He created one of the most famous TV characters in recent years. The role won him public recognition, countless awards and the power to do whatever he wanted next. So what possessed Ricky Gervais to switch from playing The Office manager David Brent to
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Workman killed in machinery horror
A WORKMAN died after being trapped by machinery at a recycling plant yesterday. It is thought the 51-year-old was crushed when a crane bucket knocked him against a shredding machine. A quick-thinking colleague is believed to have used a mechanical digger
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Phone camera pervert hid in restaurant's women's toilets
A MOBILE phone pervert who took photographs of women while they were on the lavatory at a fast food restaurant has been banned for life from going near ladies' toilets and possessing a camera. Rasik Patel, 25, used his mobile phone camera to take pictures
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Deane is a pearl for Sunderland chief
SUNDERLAND'S failure to bring Ian Moore to Wearside enabled Mick McCarthy to swoop for veteran centre-forward Brian Deane on transfer deadline day. And the Black Cats' new striker now has these words from his new manager ringing in his ears: 'You can
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Bar snacks worth a journey to moorland village to sample
THERE are bar snacks. And there are bar snacks. If it's the latter variety you want, then look no further than the Queen Catherine Hotel in Osmotherley. The "sandwiches" in this country hostelry are really more of a meal. And among the most delicious
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Businesses warned of advertising scam
BUSINESSES in County Durham are being warned to be on guard against a telephone book advertising scam. Durham County Council's trading standards issued the warning after a report of a sales call from a mobile phone asking a business to confirm an order
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Williams faces the wrath of Grimsby
ANTHONY Williams left Hartlepool United hoping the grass would be greener on the other side. Losing his place in the side to Jim Provett, the former Welsh Under-21 goalkeeper could not face being shunted into the sidelines and opted to seek pastures new
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Body is found in hunt for Joanne
POLICE investigating the murder of missing Jobcentre worker Joanne Nelson have found a body hidden in woodland. A Humberside Police spokesman said the body was found in woods a mile north of the village of Brandsby, between Thirsk and Malton, in North
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Impressions of the moors
ITHE North York Moors are the focus of two exhibitions in the area this Easter. Light and Solitude on the Moors is the title of a series of dramatic panoramic landscapes by Chris Geall at Grosmont Gallery from tomorrow until April 15 (10am-5pm), which
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Bedworth's return helps Mowden claim victory
VICTORIES for both Darlington clubs last Saturday provided a huge boost for their survival hopes in National Three North. The win was more vital for Mowden Park, their 18-11 triumph at home to Tynedale lifting them out of the third relegation spot. They
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HRH requests wedding RSVP from B&B
THE Prince of Wales has surprised two guesthouse owners with an invitation to his wedding. Charles, who has stayed at the Yew Tree Farm and Guesthouse several times during visits to Cumbria, has invited Hazel and Joe Relph to his wedding on April 8. The
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Adverts may bring £11m to region
REGIONAL development agency One NorthEast has launched a series of adverts to attract more visitors to the region. The organisation is spending £250,000 on two marketing and advertising campaigns that it hopes will attract 20,000 more people to the area
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Hear All Sides
Hear All Sides T KELLY (HAS, Mar 22) says: "There is no place for the travelling way of life in the 21st century". May I remind him that there is no place for racism, bigotry and facism in the 21st century. Travellers have the same claim on local services
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Turnbull hopes to profit from Nash transfer
RISING England prospect Ross Turnbull has revealed how Carlo Nash's departure from Teesside has left Middlesbrough's young goalkeepers with high hopes of progression. Nash has completed a move to Preston North End and now Turnbull, Aussie Brad Jones and
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Russell save rescues Quakers
DARLINGTON have moved into a strong position to challenge for at least a League Two promotion play-off place as the season enters the vital run-in stage. They have a golden opportunity to really turn up the heat on their rivals when they welcome second-bottom
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Drivers flout law by parking on verges
VISITORS who flout the rules at two popular beauty spots could find themselves in trouble with the law this summer. A four-strong partnership has warned it is determined to stamp out damage and nuisance caused by anti-social and inconsiderate behaviour
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How money rules musicals
Broadway: The American Musical (BBC4) IN those old MGM movies a youthful Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney would enthusiastically declare: "let's put the show on right here". Miraculously, they'd stage a full-blown musical show at the drop of a hat in a
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Christian the bear sparks controversy
AN alternative Easter teddy bear has caused a storm of controversy. The Bad Taste Bear called Christian depicts Christ as a bear, wearing a crown of thorns, loin cloth and dragging a wooden cross. The figurine is the latest bear in the Bad Taste range
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More police is not the answer
ONE silver lining to come out of the hounding of the Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire, Steve Green, is the shattering of one of the greatest urban myths of our time - the idea that more police officers equals less crime. Over the years every political
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University to decide on buyer for halls
ESTATE agents say a former university hall of residence attracted a lot of interest when it went on the market yesterday. Shincliffe Hall, set in woodland near Durham City, has been put up for sale by Durham University and would-be owners had until yesterday
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Inquest opens into death of boy, eight
An inquest into the death of an eight-year-old boy who died in house fire has been opened and adjourned. Liam Blackelock died after fire swept through his home Broome Road, Carrville, Durham, on Tuesday, March 8. His funeral service will be held at St
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Band secures sponsorship deal
A NORTH-EAST brass band has been given a three-year sponsorship deal. Russell Foster, chairman of restaurant group Tavistock Leisure, of Sunderland, announced the award for Chester-le-Street Riverside Band last night. The announcement was made at the
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High costs lead to carnival changes
A CARNIVAL has been altered due to the high cost of road closures. The Toft Hill and Etherley Carnival floats will not travel along the A68 at Toft Hill. Instead, there will be a fancy dress parade of walking characters, which will make its way from the
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-Gipsy stance may have led to my de-selection'
THE de-selected leader of Durham County Council said last night his stance on gipsies may have contributed to him being removed from his post. Councillor Ken Manton, who represents Sedgefield, will have to step down following elections in May after he
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Man's hand was slashed
DETECTIVES are appealing for information after a man was slashed across the hand after he refused to hand over his bag. It happened when he was returning to his Jesmond home, Newcastle, at 12.30am yesterday. The man got off a Metro train and walked the
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£4.5m revamp of bridg to begin
THE £4.5m refurbishment of a road bridge over the River Wear will start next week. Contractors Mowlem will begin work on the Queen Alexandra Bridge, in Sunderland, on Tuesday. The overhaul of the 96-year old bridge will involve stripping paint back to
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Railway to reopen but trains not on track
A RURAL railway station is reopening to tourists this weekend even though there will not be any trains to catch. Volunteers are manning Stanhope Station, the main station on the troubled Weardale line, in County Durham, to open it to visitors from today
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Second driving ban for priest
A CATHOLIC priest with a bad back drove his car a few hundred yards to a supermarket after drinking brandy and port to ease his pain, a court was told yesterday. John Anderson's erratic driving through Harrogate was spotted by an off-duty police officer
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Authority given award for care
A COUNCIL has been given an award for its work in health and social care. Stockton Borough Council was given a Beacon Status award, a national honour that means the town will share best practise with other winners across the country for the next 12 months
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Funds help wardens' work
COMMUNITY wardens are to get a new bicycle to help them with their duties. Stockton's crime prevention panel has provided funding for the bicycle for wardens in Ingleby Barwick. It will be presented to the wardens next week. Mike Devereux, chairman of
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Display traces history and role of river in town
AN exhibition looking at the way the River Tees has influenced the growth of Stockton will come to the town next month. Recollection of a River focuses on how the river has changed over the centuries, from its role in the town's industrial revolution
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'Specialist health services needed closer to home'
A REVIEW of specialist mental health and learning disability provision in County Durham and Tees Valley has highlighted gaps in local services. The review, carried out by County Durham and Tees Valley Strategic Health Authority (SHA), concluded that too
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Residents' hall nears funding target
A FIVE-YEAR project to build a community hall for people on the outskirts of Durham is nearing completion. Durham City Council has given £63,000 to Belmont Parish Hall Association towards the £660,000 cost of the facility next to St Mary Magdalene Church
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£1bn to plug police pensions black hole
THE Government last night pledged to pay a £1bn police pensions bill and free-up force budgets for fighting crime. The Home Office announced it would pay pensions from a central fund from next year, after complaints that a huge slice of police budgets
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Sign of confusion over rail bridge
RAIL bosses have pledged action over an emergency sign that gives a location more than 50 miles away from where it is actually sited. The sign, on the A167 bridge over the East Coast Main Line at Sunderland Bridge, near Croxdale, a few miles south of
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Why there will still be work to be done, long after the tins stop rattling
AS A REGULAR visitor to Sri Lanka with husband Barry, Lyn Kempen is dismayed that charities are winding down their appeals for the tsunami disaster. "I can't believe they are having difficulty in spending the enormous amount of donations," said Mrs Kempen
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Pack-house and farm benefit in £1m investment
A THIRSK-based free range and organic egg producer has begun a two-year, £1m investment plan. Yorkshire Farmhouse Eggs is concentrating on extending and re-equipping its on-farm pack-house at Village Farm, Catton, to British Retail Consortium higher level
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Poor state of road raised at accident inquest
A POLICE officer who investigated a fatal road accident told a court that poor road surfacing may have contributed to the crash. Philip Mckenna died when he lost control of his car while negotiating a bend on a busy dual carriageway. An inquest into the
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Great eggspectations
ONLY two days to go before you can start tucking into your Easter eggs, because of course you haven't eaten any yet, have you? The shelves are crammed full of eggs - big eggs, small eggs, eggs with toys, with egg cups, fluffy chicks and cuddly bunnies
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Going is good for track proposal
THE owners of County Durham's only racecourse have predicted a proposed all-weather track would more than double its income. Northern Racing is planning to spend £5m on the region's first all-weather track at Sedgefield, to run next to the grass course
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Zone in £12m buyout
THE UK's largest independent music and film retailer last night announced plans to double in size, after a £12m management buyout. Music Zone founder Russ Grainger has agreed to sell the chain to a management team. Mr Grainger started Music Zone 20 years
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Making plans to be busy doing nothing
AT THIS time of year, bank holidays are like buses; you wait ages and then three come along in a rush. As we don't observe Candlemas and Shrove Tuesday as holidays any more, it's been a long haul since new year, a dozen weeks, but in the next nine we've
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Union negotiates pay-off for LG Philips workers
THE union Amicus last night announced it had agreed a redundancy package for workers at an electronics plant. A total of 761 staff at LG Philips Displays in Durham will be made redundant when it closes in July. The closure of the factory was blamed on
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Johnson has the edge on Bird in Kielder
FORMER Scottish champion Barry Johnson turned on the style in his local event to win round two of the MSA National Gravel Rally Championship last weekend. He emerged triumphant in the Brick and Steel Border Counties Rally, based in Jedburgh and held in
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Boxing club to expand
A BOXING club is expanding after it received a £22,000 grant. SR Health and Boxing Club, in Ryhope, Sunderland, has been awarded the cash from Sunderland Council's Strategic Initiatives Budget (SIB). It will be used to provide a much-needed weights resistance
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Whitley desperate to help out Healy
Jeff Whitley is urging his Northern Ireland team-mates to give record scorer David Healy a helping hand against England tomorrow. The 25-year-old Leeds striker looks likely to operate on his own up front in this World Cup qualifier at Old Trafford. And
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Great year for juniors
ALDBOROUGH Cricket Club's under-15 and under-13 teams looked back on a highly successful 2004 season at their presentation evening last week. The under-13 team were runners-up in the Darlington and District League, while the under-15s went one better
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Butler and Howey are back after Pool moves
TWO North-East old boys made their return yesterday, as Steve Howey and Thomas Butler signed short-term deals at Hartlepool United. After spending time at Victoria Park on trial and playing for the reserves in midweek, Howey and Butler have signed until
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Farmers warned: don't miss the May deadline
NORTH Yorkshire farmers were given a clear message on the Single Farm Payment at a seminar at Thirsk Racecourse on Tuesday: get your forms filled in and submit them before the May 16 deadline. A large gathering heard explanation of how the scheme, the
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Gazza the inspiration for Gerrard
Steven Gerrard has vowed to overcome his despair at missing the 2002 World Cup by ''showing I can dominate at this level'' during next summer's finals in Germany. Gerrard had to undergo groin surgery as England bowed out of the last tournament at the
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£22m artwork will return North
A PRICELESS Renaissance masterpiece will return to the North-East next month. Bowes Museum, in Barnard Castle, County Durham, will exhibit Raphael's Madonna of the Pinks as it goes on a tour of the country. The 29cm by 23cm painting was sold by the Duke
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'I'm happy getting the bird'
Ricky Gervais won awards and international recognition for his role in The Office. So does his decision to be the voice of a fat pigeon in the animated movei Valiant reflect his view that acting isn't really a proper job? Steve Pratt reports. He created
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Lighters can help stop fire deaths
A NORTH-EAST fire brigade is giving away free cigarette lighters to smokers living in an accident hotspot. The lighters carry a fire brigade hotline telephone number and are being distributed to smokers in Eston, on Teesside, in the hope they will dial
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'My miracle rescue from Parkinson's'
A ground-breaking experiment partly conducted in the Nort-East has brought dramatic improvements for those suffering from Parkinson's disease. Health Editor Barry Nelson finds out more. MOTHER-of-six Audrey Tonks was intrigued when she was asked to take
