Archive
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Judge joins row over full prisons
ONE of the region's most senior judges and a teenage drug dealer's MP last night joined the row over whether he should have been jailed after being caught with hundreds of pounds of heroin. Redcar MP Vera Baird, who is also a barrister, said Crown Court
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Judge warns againsts dumping along coast
A judge today issued a warning to anyone hindering efforts to restore a stretch of North-East coastline. Judge Maurice Carr said fly-tippers found to have used beaches on the County Durham coast as an unofficial waste dump should expect to face, "severe
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Town's £60m scheme 'flawed'
PLANS for a £60m retail park to bring 500 jobs to a North-East town were in jeopardy last night after council officials branded the scheme "fundamentally flawed". Developers were confident that their blueprint for the former Torrington Engineering plant
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Cathedral issues plea for more helpers
Recruits are needed to lend a welcoming hand at one of the North-East's best-known buildings. Durham Cathedral is seeking fresh blood to add to its team of about 400 volunteers. Apart from greeting more than half a million visitors per year, the volunteer
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ID theft warnings reissued as bin bags found slashed
WARNINGS were reissued last night to homeowners across Darlington after refuse bags were found slashed in back lanes, sparking concerns about identity theft. Numerous bags of rubbish were found torn open and documents scattered around in residential streets
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Thugs avoid jail after attack on bar worker
TWO teenagers who attacked a bar worker with a stool during a late-night brawl have been spared jailed. Lee Robson and Christopher Thompson were told it was only their guilty pleas and lack of previous convictions which saved them from going to prison
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Residents pleased with park services
MORE than 70 per cent of people who took part in a survey are pleased with services in the North York Moors National Park. The survey of residents by the park authority follows publication of its first business plan, which aims to target priorities put
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Face to face with a killer
When Albert Dryden shot dead a council planning officer almost 15 years ago the live images captured by the Press shocked the world. Lindsay Jennings speaks to a former firearms officer who interviewed Dryden behind bars for a new book on the shooting
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Judge joins row over full prisons
ONE of the region's most senior judges and a teenage drug dealer's MP last night joined the row over whether he should have been jailed after being caught with hundreds of pounds of heroin. Redcar MP Vera Baird, who is also a barrister, said Crown Court
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Mother is killed by Christmas tree fumes
A MOTHER-OF-FIVE may have been killed by fumes from a burning Christmas tree. Fire investigators believe Carol Churchill, 56, was overcome by toxic fumes from the plastic tree after it was set on fire by a cigarette. The widow, who lived alone in Ellis
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Workers accept improved offer
Workers at the country's oldest chromium plant have voted to accept an improved redundancy offer. The threat of strike action was averted this week as union members voted 114 to 14 in favour of the redundancy package put forward by Elementis Chromium,
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Teenage TV star returns from desert island show
A TEENAGE reality television star has returned home after spending five months on a tropical island. One of the stars of the new series of Shipwrecked, which begins this weekend on Channel 4, is 18-year-old Charlotte Freeman, from Gainford, in Teesdale
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Police liaise with Cardiff colleagues in kidnap case
Detectives hunting a dangerous paedophile who snatched a girl from her bath have liaised with officers on the kidnap and rape of a youngster in Wales. Det Chief Insp Jim Napier, the detective leading the hunt for the six-year-old's abductor, confirmed
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Red alert for the declutter demon
If you haven't worn it for a year, throw it out - that's good advice when you're faced with a bit of New Year decluttering. In theory, anyway. Haven't we all got something at the back of the wardrobe that we never wear but can't quite bring ourselves
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Police told to pay man £18,000 for injury
A POLICE force has been ordered to pay almost £18,000 damages to a man who suffered a broken jaw while he was being arrested for urinating in the street. Paul Grainger, 47, sued Cleveland Police for assault, false imprisonment and malicious prosecution
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Don't be afraid to travel, says victim's mum
THE mother of a murdered backpacker said yesterday the death of psychology student Katherine Horton should not put young people off going abroad. Marjorie Marks-Stuttle said news of the murder of the 21-year-old from Cardiff brought memories of her daughter
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Nero opens Bridges' training account
Lucy Bridges came back to a rapturous reception after Nero West gave her a first success as a trainer and seventh as a rider in the second division of the Morris Furniture Group Maiden Hurdle at Wincanton. There could have been no more fitting or poignant
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Six quizzed in kidnap case
SIX men were last night being questioned by police in connection with the alleged kidnap of a 30-year-old man. The ordeal lasted 90 minutes, during which the victim escaped twice from the gang in Hartlepool before police arrested them. The gang lured
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Preparing to celebrate Chinese New Year
ONE new year may have only just started - but another is about to begin. January 29 marks the beginning of the Chinese Year of the Dog - and the celebrations are expected to be spectacular and colourful. Yesterday, Chinese students in York were at the
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Pledge to reduce impact of transport
A COUNCILLOR has won a pledge that builders of a wind farm will minimise traffic disruption during construction. It had been expected that work on the eight-turbine complex, at Knabs Ridge, off the A59 Harrogate to Skipton Road, at Felliscliffe, would
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Man in tears as he tells of attacking partner
REMORSEFUL removal man Stephen Elder walked into a police station, broke down in tears and confessed to attacking the mother of his three children, a court was told yesterday. Harrogate magistrates heard how 33-year-old Elder punched his partner of nine
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Three to contest seat on council
NOMINATIONS have closed for candidates to stand for a vacant seat on Durham County Council. The by-election for the Durham South seat will be a three-way fight between the main political parties. It follows the resignation of Labour councillor Donna Whitfield
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'I didn't know I was driving at 94mph'
AN advanced driver who appeared in court on a speeding charge yesterday said she had been unsure how fast she had been travelling. Emma Moll, 39, who said she needed her licence for work and to ferry her son to and from Great Ormond Street Hospital, in
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Lunch break walks boost staff health
COUNCIL staff are being encouraged to step up their fitness regimes by going for a short, guided walk during their lunch break. Sedgefield Borough Council has launched a Walk into Work Out scheme in an attempt to improve staff's health and social well-being
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Residents gathering support in quest to save their homes
RESIDENTS whose homes are being threatened with demolition are determined to continue rallying support to stop the bulldozers. The Gresham area of Middlesbrough is to lose 37 streets if the council's proposals to pull down 1,500 terraced houses in the
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Rubbish piles up as binmen miss 80 houses
COUNCIL binmen have been criticised for not collecting a street's rubbish between Christmas and New Year. Durham City Council was to have emptied bins and recycling boxes in Ashbourne Drive, Coxhoe, last Friday, but about 80 houses were missed out and
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Proposals over parking issues
RESIDENTS who raised concerns over parking in a village square are invited to view new proposals next week. People in Wolsingham highlighted parking problems in the Market Place during consultation over a parish plan. Over the past few months options
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Robbery attempt
TWO men entered a North-East takeaway, produced a handgun and demanded money from a member of staff in an attempted robbery in the region. No money was handed over and the men ran off empty-handed when other workers appeared at Chopstix, in Allendale
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Mountaineering teacher's new chapter
A MOUNTAINEERING schoolteacher is on top of the world after having his work published. Alan Dougherty, who teaches science and games at Barnard Castle Preparatory School, has contributed a chapter to Mountains of Northern Europe, an academic collection
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Investigation launched after man dies in police cell
An investigation has been launched following the death of a man in a cell at a North-East police station. The man, who has not been identified but is in his 40s, collapsed and died in Gateshead police station last night. He was being held in a cell following
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News in brief
APPEAL FOR CLUES TO ATTACK: POLICE on Teesside are appealing for information after a 26-year-old man was attacked outside a pub on Christmas Eve. The incident happened outside Sharkey's, in Redcar, between 12.30am and 1.30am. The victim was taken to The
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Charity plea to retailers for stock
RETAILERS are being asked to donate unwanted Christmas stock to help a children's charity. The North-East branch of the charity ChildLine is holding a ball at the Gosforth Park Marriott Hotel, north of Newcastle, on Friday, March 24, with the theme of
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Old Big 'Ead inspires new comedy
A COMEDY inspired by a legend of North-East football is to be staged later this year. Eighteen months after his death, former Middlesbrough and Sunderland star Brian Clough is the subject of a comedy at the Sunderland Empire. Old Big 'Ead In The Spirit
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Killing charge man is cleared
THE case against a man accused of killing his housemate during a drunken row has been thrown out of court. On the second day of his manslaughter trial, jurors were ordered to find Robin Jacques, 41, not guilty of killing his friend Barry Thompson. It
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Residents cheer new crossing
PEOPLE in Killinghall were delighted when a Puffin light-controlled crossing was provided near the junction of the A61 and B6161 Otley Road. With thousands of vehicles a day using the roads, crossing for pedestrians has been a hazard. Councillor Heather
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Saddling up for bike ride
PEOPLE are being offered a chance to work off their Christmas excesses by taking part in a 14-mile bike ride. The event, which will take place from 10.30am to 3pm on Sunday, January 15, is being staged by Hartlepool Borough Council's countryside wardens
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Police make road checks in hunt for paedophile
POLICE have been carrying out road checks in their hunt for a paedophile who snatched a six-year-old girl from her bath. Uniformed officers spoke to more than 60 motorists, as well as pedestrians, coming in and out of Willington Quay, North Tyneside on
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Tributes to school governor and boss
TRIBUTES have been paid to a North-East construction boss and school governor who died on New Year's Day. Bob Carnell, 59, of Darlington-based Carnell Construction, was described last night as a tireless worker for education in the town. Mr Carnell, of
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Charlotte and Jimmy look to be the perfect couple
CHARLOTTE VALE and Jimmy Bond are in line to spark a double for Michael Hammond's bang in-form stable at Wetherby today. Nominated in the column's New Year National Hunt ten-to-follow list, Charlotte Vale (12.45) is bidding to follow up her bloodless
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It's sprout of this world
A NORTH-EAST sprout last night raised almost £100 for charity in an online auction. The solitary vegetable was sold for £99.50 on Internet auction site eBay at 8.37pm. The unwanted green - cooked in lightly salted water for six minutes on Christmas Day
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Mother is killed by Christmas tree fumes
A MOTHER-OF-FIVE may have been killed by fumes from a burning Christmas tree. Fire investigators believe Carol Churchill, 56, was overcome by toxic fumes from the plastic tree after it was set on fire by a cigarette. The widow, who lived alone in Ellis
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Police liaise with Cardiff colleagues in kidnap case
THE first of a new generation of trains was making its debut journey on the East Coast Main Line today (THURSDAY) for final testing before entering service. The gleaming Class 185 three-car diesel made two problem-free return trips between York and Darlington
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Year of sweets and being less sensible
WE asked the boys to come up with a New Year's resolution each. But, like the bossy, interfering mother I am, I couldn't resist offering my suggestions. "Don't I know, better than anyone, what's good for you?" I pleaded. Needless to say, none of them
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Comment from The Northern Echo: Radical shift to the middle
ANY doubts that David Cameron is serious about reinventing the Conservative Party should finally have been nailed yesterday. He was bold - or brazen - enough to condemn a key component of the Conservative manifesto which he had helped to devise such a
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Group fights for pensions
A CAMPAIGN group is fighting for pension rights for thousands of engineering workers in the region. The Kvaerner Pension Fund Association (KPFA) now has 1,000 members, and is hoping thousands more in the North-East will join up to give it bigger campaigning
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Education progress viewed a success
IN a year when one Darlington school was deemed to be failing, another branded with "serious weaknesses" and a third subject to termly monitoring, education bosses have been told they should be pleased with the overall progress of schools in Darlington
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Chamber music making its comeback
CHAMBER music enthusiasts in Darlington have welcomed its return to the area, as part of a national project. The Darlington and Dales Youth Orchestra has supported a scheme designed to raise awareness of the chamber music repertoire. The campaign was
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Group kept in picture
RESIDENTS of a once crime-ridden estate will have the chance to see how effective the CCTV coverage near their homes is. Eastbourne Community Safety group's next meeting will include a visit to the council's CCTV surveillance control room. The tour will
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Information sessions about school proposals under way
THE first in a series of information sessions about controversial proposals to transform secondary education in Darlington is being held today. The sessions, run by Darlington Borough Council, will include further details of plans to build a £25m city
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China girl Daphne dances her way to 100
A PENSIONER who was taught to dance the Charleston by a prince celebrated her 100th birthday yesterday. More than 50 friends and family joined centenarian Daphne Stevenson at the Nightingale Hall Nursing Home, in Richmond. Mrs Stevenson was born in Southsea
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Production of prebiotic water starts
A DRINKS company in the region is in talks with Waitrose, Boots and Holland and Barratt to stock its bottled spring water. Production of the prebiotic water drinks is to start at the South Tyneside firm this month, with the creation of 12 jobs in the
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Key conference on education
PEOPLE who make key decisions about the future of the country's schools and education system are meeting in the North-East over the next few days. The North of England Education Conference 2006 got under way at The Sage Gateshead yesterday, and continues
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On TV
Stepfamilies (BBC1) THIS new series should be sponsored by Kleenex. The participants spend a lot of time in tears as counsellor Suzie Hayman dispenses advice and tissues. Stepfamilies is another example of TV taking on the job of social worker. Is your
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Group fights for pensions
A CAMPAIGN group is fighting for pension rights for thousands of engineering workers in the region. The Kvaerner Pension Fund Association (KPFA) now has 1,000 members, and is hoping thousands more in the North-East will join up to give it bigger campaigning
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Second assault prompts fears of serial sex attacker in town
DETECTIVES have warned women to be on their guard amid fears that a serial sex attacker could be on the loose. The warning comes after two young women were assaulted in separate incidents in Ripon, North Yorkshire. In the first incident, a 20-year-old
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Ehiogu moving out despite Queudrue's injury blow
MIDDLESBROUGH will allow Ugo Ehiogu to leave the Riverside despite the news Franck Queudrue will be out of action for up to eight weeks with knee ligament damage. West Brom boss Bryan Robson, who paid £8m to bring the former Aston Villa man to Teesside
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05/01/06
SPIRITUAL HOME: I HAVE been a supporter of Darlington FC for almost 50 years. Although I now live in France, I schedule my return visits to Darlington to coincide with the club's home games. The present 'home' of the club is an absolute disaster. The
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Doom and despair
RARELY can fans of the North-East's three biggest football clubs have entered a New Year with such feelings of doom and despair. Hangovers are nothing new when it comes to the start of January but, for the followers of Middlesbrough, Newcastle and Sunderland
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Housing set to welcome first tenants
THE first residents of a housing development are expected to move in next month. Trinity Parks has been built on the site of a former county council highways depot in Boroughbridge Road, Northallerton. It has been converted into a mixture of apartments
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Scheme to build 25 homes
A PLAN to build 25 houses in Derwentside is expected to be approved by councillors tomorrow. Ravensworth Homes wants to create the development on the Ashton Building site, in Anthony Street, Stanley. Derwentside District Council's development control
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Ambulance gets a parking bay
AMBULANCE crews have been given an exclusive parking bay in a North Yorkshire market town. Paramedics say finding a parking space in Leyburn used to be pot luck until Leyburn Town Council donated the bay. Paul Farthing, Tees, East and North Yorkshire
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Bid to build homes on garage site
A DEVELOPER wants to build homes on the site of a former garage in Spennymoor. Hall Construction Services has applied for planning permission to build ten houses and two apartments on the corner of Low Grange Road and Hartley Terrace. A group of unused
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Seafront walkway dog dirt complaint
A POPULAR seafront walkway is being blighted by irresponsible dog owners who fail to clean up after their pets, it has been claimed. The promenade between Seaton Carew and Hartlepool is littered with dog dirt, despite a number of dog bins and poop-scoop
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Traders fear for jobs if £3m improvement plan is passed
MARKET traders could be evicted from a Teesside shopping centre if a £3m improvement plan goes ahead. The disgruntled market stallholders said they feared they would be left jobless if Redleaf VI Fund, which owns the Castlegate Shopping Centre, in Stockton
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Lunch club to double its meetings
A LUNCH club for older people in Derwentside has proved so popular it is going to meet twice as often. Age Concern Consett Lunch Club is held fortnightly at Glenroyd house, in Medomsley Road. But organisers will soon be inviting people over 50 to join
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Funeral service for councillor
THE funeral of a former long-serving councillor is to take place tomorrow. Thomas Pounder, of Laburnum Court, Sacriston, died on Friday, December 30. Mr Pounder served on Chester-le-Street District Council for 20 years, representing the Sacriston ward
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Postal relics form display
POSTAL workers have set up a history display that has intrigued customers so much they hope to enlarge it. A delivery list dating back to 1846 is included along with photographs, some more than a century old, on the walls of the office in Barnard Castle
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Kay retiring and setting off for a mission in Cambodia
A RETIRING nursery teacher is swapping her classroom in North Yorkshire for one on the other side of the world. Kay Davies, 58, from Norton, near Malton, will take a step into the unknown next month when she flies out to the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh
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Plea to missing woman
POLICE last night issued an urgent plea for a woman, who has been missing from home since New Year's Day, to contact her family. Vanessa Lynne Wilson, 49, of Brunton Street, Darlington, has not been seen since 1am that day, at the home she shares with
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Uprooting your family tree
HARD-nosed Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman was recently reduced to tears when he discovered the appalling circumstances in which his ancestors lived and died, while tracing his family history. Indeed, family history sparks all sorts of emotions in even
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Region is a hit for creative events
THE North-East is gearing up for a cultural conference bonanza this year with a number of national and international creative events already confirmed. Last year, NewcastleGateshead hosted WOMEX, the successful World Music Expo, which attracted 2,000
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Plans unveiled for sports complex fit for Olympics
A TOWN in north Durham is to get £20m Olympic-quality sports facilities as part of a radical overhaul of its leisure provision in time for 2012. Project Genesis has revealed an artist's impression of the proposed modern complex earmarked for the former
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Funding boost for young musicians
GRANTS have been handed out to six young musicians to help them achieve their musical ambitions. The awards, ranging from £100 to £300, were granted through the Preston Simpson Scholarship in Music Awards scheme, administered by Hartlepool Borough Council
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Collection dates for old Christmas trees
HOUSEHOLDERS are being urged to recycle their old Christmas trees. The free kerbside collection service offered by Hartlepool Borough Council started on Tuesday and will continue on a ward-by-ward basis until next Thursday. More than 1,000 trees have
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Old Christmas cards appeal
PEOPLE can help raise cash for people with terminal illnesses by donating old Christmas cards to a New Year appeal. The Manor West Centre, in Hartlepool, is appealing for residents to hand over the cards to raise cash for Hartlepool and District Hospice
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Photographer to help put people in picture
AN east Cleveland photographer is celebrating the start of the new year by securing two new contracts. The Keith Moss Gallery, in Brotton, opened last June and is undergoing a £10,000 refurbishment plan. Owner Keith Moss, who runs the gallery with his
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Opencast mine proposals moved to the back burner
BRITAIN'S biggest coal company has shelved proposals to revive a controversial opencast scheme rejected by the Government 16 years ago. UK Coal has withdrawn its application for 318 acres at Marley Hill, between Burnopfield and Gateshead, to be considered
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Model pro Keltie now reaping his rewards
Clark Keltie's career blossomed into life at the end of 2005 and Mark Proctor has lavished praise on the Darlington midfielder for the impact he has made since returning from an injury-ravaged year. Twelve months ago the 22-year-old was facing an uncertain
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Parker injury piles on the agony for Souness
NEWCASTLE boss Graeme Souness was clinging to his job last night as chairman Freddy Shepherd began to pave the way for his dismissal. And, as if the feverish speculation over his future was not bad enough for the Scot, he was also dealing with the fall-out
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Free milk in schools 'a waste of money'
FREE school milk could be in jeopardy, following a report to the Government which says it is a waste of public money and does little to improve children's health. The national evaluation found it was cheaper to buy milk in the supermarket than through
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Care home firm poised for expansion
THE UK's largest care home company is poised for further expansion, with a possible stock market flotation, it was reported yesterday. Southern Cross, based in Darlington, could be floated on the London stock market, potentially raising between £350m
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Mum At Large
WE asked the boys to come up with a New Year's resolution each. But, like the bossy, interfering mother I am, I couldn't resist offering my suggestions. "Don't I know, better than anyone, what's good for you?" I pleaded. Needless to say, none of them
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Caldwell out of Cup clash as appeal dismissed
SUNDERLAND will have to overcome a double defensive blow on Sunday after an FA disciplinary committee rejected Steve Caldwell's appeal against his dismissal at Fulham. With Gary Breen also suspended following his fifth booking of the season, Black Cats
