Archive
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Why we still need Nanna
MAYBE Aslan still has a job to do. Maybe Narnia can save the world. The Disney version of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is out in a few weeks. And not before time. It is, of course, a children's classic, full of magic and adventure. But above all
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A D for Dunce for Darlington
THE many Hear All Sides correspondents who presently suppose Darlington Council to be a) clueless b) obdurate c) undemocratic or d) barking mad may like to reflect upon municipal events of exactly 100 years ago. Serendipitously, as always, we came across
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On TV last night
The Ghost Squad (C4) Walk Away And I Stumble (ITV1) TO be honest, television doesn't really need another police series. And The Ghost Squad, which is C4's first foray into the genre, looks and feels like a lot of others. Think The Cops meets Between The
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Bank of England keeps inflation on target
The Bank of England kept an inflation target of two per cent in its sights last night - providing a signal that interest rates may remain on hold. A key BoE report on the UK economy indicated the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) will be around two per cent
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'Grumpy old woman'
SHE may have penned a booked called Grumpy Old Women, but author Judith Holder will be charm personified at the opening of a new bookstore on Friday. Judith, of Northumberland, will be signing copies of her best-selling books Grumpy Old Women and 'It's
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Oman wings it to Malaysia for the big one
NORTH-EAST karting star Tristram Oman has confirmed a major sponsorship deal with energy drink manufacturer Red Bull just days before an attempt on the Rotax Senior Max world title. The HRS Motorsport driver, who lives near Stockton, has already claimed
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Huka plans to Lodge bid for the National
HEXHAM'S Northumberland National represents just the sort of stamina test relished by Huka Lodge (1.50). With the ground forecast on the soft side, it's going to be hard graft for the 13 runners, but that won't worry Huka Lodge who uncharacteristically
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'Region's heritage is in danger'
HISTORIC farm buildings are at risk of decay, ancient parkland is shrinking and nearly £18m is needed for church repairs, according to a report. Heritage Counts 2005 is the most detailed investigation undertaken into the region's historic landscape and
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Souness sure of a swift return for Taylor
GRAEME Souness is confident Steven Taylor can be back in action for the Magpies before Christmas - and warned his big money signings no-one's first team place is guaranteed. The 19-year-old has been a revelation at centre-back this season and the Newcastle
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Elementis workers to vote on industrial action
WORKERS at Elementis Chromium are to vote on whether they should take industrial action over plans to shed 120 jobs, unions said last night. A consultative ballot is being held after the company announced plans two weeks ago to cut the workforce at its
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'We would be wrong to say no to £30m for our schools'
THE woman at the heart of plans to merge Hurworth and Eastbourne schools has insisted the move will bring much-needed cash into Darlington. Since 2001, £104m has been spent on new school buildings in Darlington. Margaret Asquith, director of children's
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Helping to keep the streets of London spick and span
SOME of London's most famous streets are being kept clean thanks to the oldest and largest manufacturer of commercial electric vehicles in Europe. Contract cleaning company Enterprise MRS is using three of North-East based-Smith Electric Vehicles' machines
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. . . as workers fear for jobs
WORKERS in the UK are among the least confident in the world about the future security of their jobs, research showed yesterday. Almost one in four employees in this country fears there is a chance they will be made redundant over the next year, the highest
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Hurricanes take toll on Diageo's performance
DRINKS group Diageo admitted yesterday that the devastating hurricanes that buffeted the US this summer had hurt its performance. The maker of Johnnie Walker whisky and Smirnoff vodka confirmed business had been lost in the south-eastern states of the
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Waitrose set to open first North-East site
Upmarket food store Waitrose is opening the doors of its first North-East site tomorrow after spending millions of pounds on refurbishment. Waitrose, part of the John Lewis partnership, is launching its most northerly store in Durham's Millburngate Shopping
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Young player dies
A YOUNG footballer collapsed and died only hours before he was due to book his wedding. Devastated Emma Ferrier, of Marton Manor, Middlesbrough, is now facing life without her husband-to-be after 23-year-old Paul Leach died suddenly during a Sunday League
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Dogs' loyalty nearly killed their owner
A GRANDMOTHER has described how her over- protective pets almost got her killed when they prevented firefighters rescuing her from sinking into mud. Lynda McDermott, 49, was walking Rottweilers Rocky and Bruno at Waldridge Fell, Chester-le-Street, County
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Lecturers in region strike over pay
THOUSANDS of college lecturers across the country will go on strike today in a long-running dispute over pay. Taking part in the action are staff from Bishop Auckland College, City of Sunderland College, Cleveland College of Art, Darlington College of
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Football club in town rally
BISHOP Auckland Football Club is attempting to rally supporters with the help of local shops and businesses. The Bishops' independent supporters club and Filmar Photography have produced posters to help promote the club's forthcoming games. The team,
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To keep the peace
A man who was accused of carrying out an assault on a woman has agreed to be bound over to keep the peace. Peter Lavery, 19, was charged with assault causing actual bodily harm on the woman, in an incident said to have taken place on May 21. Mr Lavery
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Angry fan barred for three years
A FRUSTRATED football fan who remonstrated with his team's goalkeeper during a Premiership fixture must wait three years to attend his next match. Neil Anderson walked on to the pitch at Sunderland's Stadium of Light to give home goalkeeper Kelvin Davis
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MS sufferer's joy as cannabis spray available from doctor
A MULTIPLE Sclerosis sufferer who has used cannabis illegally to ease her pain says she is delighted she will soon be able to get the drug on prescription. Former nurse Pauline Taylor, 53, of Durham City, who has bought the drug from dealers to smoke
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Man tested for brain damage
A MAN who was attacked as he slept is to be assessed by a neuro-surgeon to see if he has permanent brain damage. Kevin Puttuck, 42, was assaulted at his house in Greenbank Road, Darlington, in the early hours of October 6. Detective Sergeant Sean Jackson
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Man airlifted to hospital
A MAN was recovering in hospital last night after being found unconscious on his bathroom floor. Water from the bathroom and groaning alerted a neighbour to the man's plight in East Cowton, near Northallerton, North Yorkshire. Police found the middle-aged
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Geoffrey prepares for Antarctic adventure
A FORMER North-East schoolboy is looking forward to a working trip where the highest temperature will be one degree. Geoffrey Elliott, 24, whose family live in the Dragonville area of Durham City, will set off on Monday for a four-month trip to the Antarctic
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Adults face £1,000 fine for buying children alcohol
ADULTS who buy alcohol for underage drinkers could face a £1,000 fine as part of a scheme to stamp out underage drinking and anti-social behaviour. The Crook, Willington and Dales Off-Licence Watch met for the first time last week and vowed that customers
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Fight near rape scene
A GROUP of up to six men were involved in a late-night brawl in a park moments before a woman was subjected to a horrific rape. Detectives investigating the rape of the 21-year-old woman, in Blackhill Park, at Consett, County Durham, say that the men
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Ambitious redevelopment for Teesside
An ambitious multi-million-pound redevelopment of a rundown area of Teesside has moved a step closer. Tees Valley Regeneration (TVR) has announced that Amec, in partnership with Urban Splash, is the chosen developer for Stockton's 56-acre North Shore
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Tribute band celebrates 20th year
A band dedicated to the music of one of the world's greatest guitarists will celebrate its 20th anniversary on home soil. Classic Clapton will be performing at The Tyne Theatre, in Westgate Road, Newcastle, on Thursday, December 1, their first gig at
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New hope in fight against bird flu
A COMPANY leading the fight against hospital superbug MRSA has found its product also combats the deadly bird flu virus. Tests carried out on a decontaminant derived from citrus fruit extracts, developed by Teesside-based Citrox, have proved it 99.9 per
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A D for dunce in Darlington
THE many Hear All Sides correspondents who presently suppose Darlington Council to be a) clueless b) obdurate c) undemocratic or d) barking mad may like to reflect upon municipal events of exactly 100 years ago. Serendipitously, as always, we came across
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School's cave trip ends in tragedy
TRIBUTES were paid last night to a 14-year-old boy who died after water levels began to rise suddenly during a school caving trip. Joseph Lister was part of a group from Tadcaster Grammar School learning the basic principles of caving in Upper Nidderdale
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An insult to those who died
Talk about insensitivity and misjudgement. Perhaps not the smallest factor in the whopping defeat of the Government's plan to introduce 90-day detention without charge for terrorist suspects was the publication, on the day of the debate, of a Bill that
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'Region's heritage is in danger'
HISTORIC farm buildings are at risk of decay, ancient parkland is shrinking and nearly £18m is needed for church repairs, according to a report. Heritage Counts 2005 is the most detailed investigation undertaken into the region's historic landscape and
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So close, yet so far for Harrogate
HARROGATE'S spas were reputed to have mystical qualities but, last night, the town's footballers were unable to produce the moment of magic that would have taken them into the second round of the FA Cup for the first time in their history. Former Sunderland
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Bees defeat won't derail Pool - Scott
DESPITE missing out on the chance to make the top six last weekend, Hartlepool boss Martin Scott knows his squad is on the right track. After four successive wins in League One and the FA Cup, Pool lost 2-1 at home to Brentford, a defeat which kept Pool
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Johnson's crash ends title hope
BARRY Johnson's hopes of securing a second win in the SG Petch Hamsterley Forest Stages Rally came to an abrupt halt when he crashed at more than 100mph and was forced to retire, writes MATT WESTCOTT. The Shildon driver damaged his wrist in the accident
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Bum deal as crack supplier jailed
POLICE got to the bottom of things after spotting a man scratching his buttocks suspiciously in the street. Kevin McDonald's explanation that he was suffering from a rash on his bottom failed to satisfy the officers and he was taken to the station for
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How region will foot the drunks bill
In the Cleveland area, the police will spend £10,000 each in Middlesbrough and Stockton town centres to combat drunken behaviour over the festive period. Durham Constabulary will plough £10,000 into initiatives in the north of the county - including Peterlee
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Shame of Pompey defeat spurs Stead on to find net
SUNDERLAND striker Jon Stead has admitted the players "owe" the fans after the embarrassing home defeat by Portsmouth, and revealed the aftermath of the 4-1 scoreline was the lowest point of his career. The £1.8m signing was only a substitute, coming
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Why we still need Narnia
MAYBE Aslan still has a job to do. Maybe Narnia can save the world. The Disney version of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is out in a few weeks. And not before time. It is, of course, a children's classic, full of magic and adventure. But above all
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Comment from The Northern Echo: Lessons from a tragedy
IT is too early to know the exact circumstances in which 14-year-old Joseph Lister died during a school trip to the Yorkshire Dales. But the tragedy has again opened up the debate about school trips, the potential for accidents, and the pressure placed
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Chips are down for a Yorkshireman
LUNCHTIME yesterday. David Davis was rushing from one hustings in Newcastle to another in York as the Conservative leadership circus performed to two houses in its one day in the region. And being a Yorkshireman, he wanted fish and chips for lunch. Sadly
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Goblet of Fire a hot prospect
Goblet Of Fire gave a smart winning performance in the Macmillan Cancer Relief Novices' Chase at Fakenham to hint he has a bright future over fences. Switched from hurdles for the first time, the six-year-old gave a fairly fluent jumping display in the
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Footballer 'should say sorry'
THE mother of a young fan has criticised Premiership footballer El Hadji Diouf for not apologising for spitting water at her son. James Shields was 11 when the Bolton striker covered him in water as he left the pitch, following his substitution during
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Hasselbaink wants to stay at Riverside
JIMMY-FLOYD Hasselbaink last night revealed that finishing his career with Middlesbrough was his "biggest remaining ambition in football". But, despite finishing last season as the club's leading scorer, the 33-year-old also admitted that he would be
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Northern Foods reaps market share rewards
NORTHERN Foods said its recovery was well under way yesterday after half-year underlying profits lifted seven per cent in the face of tough trading conditions. The company, which has merged 15 former operating units into three divisions and shut two plants
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Footballer died hours before booking his wedding
A YOUNG footballer collapsed and died only hours before he was due to book his wedding with his fiancee. Devastated Emma Ferrier is now facing a future without Paul Leach after the 23-year-old died suddenly during a Sunday League football game at the
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Rugby honour for schoolboys
THE dream of running out on the pitch at Twickenham in front of thousands of onlookers became a reality for young rugby players from the North-East last week. The Rugby Football Union stages two mini matches for young players before all its international
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16/11/2005
CONSERVATIVES: IN the 1997 General Election, the Conservative Party lost 171 MPs. In the eight years since that landslide defeat, it has won back less than 40. To win the next election the party must change. The sort of change needed to form the next
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Sharp fall in Vodafone shares
SHARES in mobile phone group Vodafone fell sharply yesterday as investors took fright at the prospect of slower growth next year. The eight per cent fall in shares of the London market's fourth biggest company came despite strong half-year results. They
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Inflation down by 2.3 per cent
LOWER petrol prices sent inflation down for the first time in more than a year, official figures showed yesterday. The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) dropped to 2.3 per cent last month from 2.5 per cent in September as petrol pump prices fell back from recent
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Festival draws leading animators to the north
AN animation and computer gaming festival is being held in the North-East for the sixth consecutive year. The Animex festival attracts world-renowned animators, computer games creators, artists, graphic design students and anyone interested in the art
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Pre-tax profits rise at Burberry
FASHION house Burberry posted higher first-half profits yesterday but voiced fears that wholesale customers were not ordering as many of its clothes as before. Pre-tax profits rose to £81.1m in the six months to the end of September from £79.4m before
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Bosses look east to recruit new staff . . .
COMPANIES have become more pessimistic about employment prospects in the next few months, but are keen to recruit workers from eastern Europe, according to a report. A survey of 1,000 employers found that job prospects had fallen to their lowest level
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School's cave trip ends in tragedy
TRIBUTES were paid last night to a 14-year-old boy who died after water levels began to rise suddenly during a school caving trip. Joseph Lister was part of a group from Tadcaster Grammar School learning the basic principles of caving in Upper Nidderdale
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Market report
The London market was dragged lower by mobile phone group Vodafone yesterday as a downbeat trading statement knocked a tenth off its value. Cable & Wireless and BT joined Vodafone on the way down after it took a cautious stance on revenues and margins
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Shipyard 'shouldn't get Navy contract'
AN MP yesterday questioned whether troubled Tyneside shipyard Swan Hunter should be in the running for work on the Royal Navy aircraft carriers. Richard Bacon, Conservative MP for South Norfolk, yesterday suggested Swan's should not be considered for
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Nursery school for babies of six weeks
A NURSERY school is planning a section for babies as young as six weeks old, for new mothers who want to go back to work. Up to nine places will be provided, complete with cots, in the new unit at Green Lane Nursery in Barnard Castle. It will accept children
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Bid for a Corrie picture
A SIGNED picture of the cast of Coronation Street and a jacket worn by TV presenter Carol Malia will go under the hammer to raise money for children with diabetes. Organisers hope next month's event at St Paul's Church, Witton Park, will raise about £1,000
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Riddle of woman's identity is solved
A WOMAN unable to remember her name after she was seen on a busy town centre roundabout was identified last night. Police made an unusual public appeal for help after the 49-year-old was spotted on the roundabout in St Cuthbert's Way, Darlington, at 3pm
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Landlord fined for failures in safety
A LANDLORD has been fined after she pleaded guilty to failing to safely maintain a potential firetrap property in Middlesbrough. Sharon Li Ping appeared before Teesside Magistrates' Court charged with breaching ten safety regulations at the six-flat building
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Disabled boy and friend in pier fall
A DISABLED teenager and another boy suffered severe injuries after a 20ft fall from a pier last night. The pair - who were trying to go fishing in a prohibited area - were winched to safety by an air/sea rescue helicopter after plunging onto a granite
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Bus station that's kind to the environment unveiled
AN environmentally-friendly transport interchange worth £4.3m was unveiled yesterday. The opening of Stanley Bus Station marks the first phase of a £16m regeneration programme for the town centre. The building incorporates modern photovoltaic electricity
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Killers' sentences 'unduly lenient'
THE prison sentences imposed on sadistic killers who wrongly accused a man of being a pervert and disembowelled him are being challenged as "unduly lenient". Keith Philpott, 36, who had learning difficulties, was tortured for four hours in his home in
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'Morphine dose was excessive'
A PATHOLOGIST told a murder trial yesterday that the doses of morphine given to a cancer sufferer was excessive. Dr Mark Egan told the jury in the trial of Dr Howard Martin that 60mg of morphine administered to Frank Moss, who had lung cancer, was high
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Mountain bikers compete
MORE than 100 riders are expected to compete in the inaugural race on a £24,000 mountain bike trail this weekend. The 4X course, at Hamsterley Forest, County Durham, has taken nearly a year to build and allows four riders to compete over a 450-metre route
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New £400,000 house must be bulldozed
A £400,000 house must be bulldozed because it breaks planning regulations. Builder Peter Howell, who built the detached house in Ingleby Arncliffe, near Stokesley, in North Yorkshire, has been ordered to demolish it in the next two months. He lost an
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Woman jailed for robbing teenage girl
A WOMAN who robbed a schoolgirl in a terrifying daylight attack was jailed for three-and-a-half years yesterday Kelly Hackett, 25, and a male accomplice, targeted the 13-year-old as she left a shop with a friend in Chester Road, Sunderland, on February
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Youngsters succeed in books challenge
YOUNGSTERS have received awards after rising to a holiday reading challenge. The 68 youngsters, aged two to 14, were presented with medals and certificates at a ceremony in Throston branch library, Hartlepool, after successfully completing the Reading
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Controlled environment for teenagers
TEENAGERS can enjoy alternative music in a controlled environment at an under-age club night. 96.6TFM Radio and The Empire, in Middlesbrough, are joining forces to offer Teenage Kicks every month. The event, which follows the successful Sweet nights,
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Festive switch-on
FORMER prisoner of war Willie Benoit will return to a camp where he was held captive to switch on the Christmas lights tomorrow. Captured three days before the end of the Second World War in 1945, Mr Benoit was incarcerated for the next three years and
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Michael's story raises £10,000
A youngster's fight against leukaemia has led to more than £10,000 being donated to charity. Michael Fogarty, 12, of Hurworth, near Darlington, was struck down with the disease in 2000 and underwent ten months of chemotherapy, before having a bone marrow
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Service wants to involve young in decisions
YOUNG people across the Darlington borough will help to decide the future of the town's youth service. Some youngsters could even be employed part-time by the service in Darlington. Plans to employ six more youth workers next year were revealed earlier
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Snub likely for flats on rural estate
PLANS to build three apartments on a country estate are likely to be refused permission tomorrow. Chris Blundell and his wife want to build the accommodation at Mount St John, just outside the village of Felixkirk, near Thirsk, to house a stable groom
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Road safety tips for the short arms of the law
SCHOOLchildren got the chance to dress up as police officers as part of a road safety initiative last week. Members of Thirsk's neighbourhood policing team called into Sowerby CP School to drive home the message of national road safety week. They explained
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Man spat mouthful of blood in policeman's face
A MAN who spat blood into the face of a police officer had a chunk of his nose bitten off in a fight outside a Harrogate pub, the town's magistrates were told yesterday. The court heard that Jason Macleod would bear the scar for life despite early treatment
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Armed men escape with cash box
ARMED robbers threatened a security guard before escaping with a money box. The robbery happened at 3.10pm on Monday, in Lingey Gardens, Wardley, Gateshead, as a Post Office security van made a cash delivery to a Londis store. A security guard was threatened
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Police seeking whisky thief
A MAN who took several bottles of whisky from a shop display is being hunted by police. The man, aged about 25, went into the Co-op, in Newton Hall, Durham City, shortly before 8pm on Wednesday, June 22. He took the bottles of spirits from a display and
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Quakers miss out on Bridges
Darlington's hopes of signing Michael Bridges were finally dashed last night when he finalised a loan move to Carlisle United. Quakers boss David Hodgson had been tracking the ex-Sunderland and Leeds United striker and had hoped to add the 26-year-old
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Former miner has died at age 101
ONE of east Durham's oldest residents died peacefully this week at the age of 101. Retired miner Jack Jolly died at Glendale House residential home, in Blackhall Colliery, where he had lived for the past three years. Mr Jolly was born in Ushaw Moor, near
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Man found in tree denies theft
A MAN found in a tree after a £20,000 diamond ring had been stolen from a jeweller's has pleaded not guilty to theft. Harrogate magistrates ordered Malcolm Lewis Shipley, 30, to stand trial at crown court after he pleaded not guilty to theft from Herbert
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Pudsey gets shirty to raise cash
CHILDREN In Need's Pudsey Bear is hoping to score a winner by auctioning off a signed football shirt for the annual fundraiser this week. Asda, in Stockton, is auctioning a Middlesbrough FC shirt, signed by French left back and fans' favourite Franck
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All Blacks are the ultimate test, Corry
England captain Martin Corry believes his players must scale new heights if they want to tear up world rugby's form guide and topple New Zealand at Twickenham on Saturday. The All Blacks are halfway towards completing a successful Grand Slam tour having
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The cave that claimed a teenage adventurer
FOURTEEN-year-old Joseph Lister died during a school caving trip in the Yorkshire Dales. The teenager was with a party of ten other youngsters being introduced to caving in Manchester Hole, Nidderdale. It is understood the group left the cave when the
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Electrolux to shed 50 workers
MORE than 50 Electrolux workers in the region are to lose their jobs, it was revealed yesterday. Employees were told that the Swedish-owned company, in Spennymoor, County Durham, is to shed staff at the plant. The company, which makes cookers at the factory
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Spinning out of control?
THEIR exact locations are not widely publicised, for pretty obvious reasons. The majority of them are on US soil, with a handful overseas, albeit on territory controlled by the US Department of Defense. They are the 13 computers on which the entire internet
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Quakers miss out on Bridges
Darlington's hopes of signing Michael Bridges were finally dashed last night when he finalised a loan move to Carlisle United. Quakers boss David Hodgson had been tracking the ex-Sunderland and Leeds United striker and had hoped to add the 26-year-old
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Region has one of highest levels of unemployment
The North-East still has one of the highest levels of unemployment, official figures revealed today. Figures published by the Office for National Statistics show that, during the three months to September, the jobless count dropped by 3,000 to 80,000,
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Cooper in Gills exit
Neale Cooper has resigned as manager of Coca-Cola League One strugglers Gillingham. The former Hartlepool boss leaves the Priestfield Stadium after just five months in charge with the Gills languishing in the relegation zone. His departure comes just
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Water firm fined for polluting river and killing fish
Northumbrian Water has been fined £12,000 for polluting a County Durham river and killing more than 1,000 fish. The company pleaded guilty to allowing untreated sewage to leak into the River Gaunless, near Bishop Auckland, in June last year. It also admitted
