Archive
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Inquest told of cell death film analysis
AN inquest into the death of a man found unconscious in a police cell was told of detailed analysis of closed-circuit television footage yesterday. John McDonnell, 33, from Ripon, North Yorkshire, died in March 2003 after being taken to Scarborough Police
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Sponsor agreed
Cleveland Bridge has announced it is to continue sponsoring the roundabout on St Cuthbert's Way in Darlington. The company has agreed with Darlington Borough Council that it will be sponsors for the next 12 months.
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Council phone lines in action after accident
After almost two days of being unable to receive telephone calls, a council was back online yesterday. Wear Valley District Council's telephone lines were disabled when a workman accidentally cut through a fibre optic cable at the weekend. The problem
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Clean-up operation launched for estate
POLICE, council officials and councillors took to the streets this week as a clean-up operation was launched on a troubled town centre housing estate. The large group was joined by residents from the Jubilee Estate in Shildon as Operation Enominate embarked
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Musical youth are top class
YOUNG maestros have achieved success in an exam normally taken by older students. The three schoolgirls - Sarah Reeder, 17, from Darlington, Sarah Morgan, 16, from Kirklevington and Kathryn Ellenger, 15, from Egglescliffe are all pupils at Teesside High
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Light-hearted school drama
STUDENTS combined physics with drama in a twist to their science studies. A theatre workshop for year nine students at Hurworth School Maths and Computing College took a light-hearted look at physics through the generations. Called a complete guide to
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Contractors boost fund for hospice
HEATING contractors brought a warm smile from hospice fundraisers when they handed over a £500 donation. The North-East branch of the Heating Ventilating Contractors' Association presented a cheque to St Cuthbert's Hospice, in Durham City, for its Key
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Gunther McBride can make long trek pay at Catterick
CATTERICK'S North Yorkshire Grand National has attracted a clutch of long-distance raiders, including Gunther McBride (2.30), who travels all the way from Minehead in Somerset to contest the Weatherbys-sponsored marathon. Leading West Country trainer
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Councillor quits cabinet in row over restoration of allotments
A FURIOUS councillor has resigned from cabinet after a mayor halted the re-instatement of allotments. Councillor Robbie Payne walked out of the Hartlepool Borough Council cabinet meeting, yesterday, after Mayor Stuart Drummond used his casting vote to
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Developer sought for quays site
A PROPERTY developer is being sought for a multi-million pound regeneration scheme. Gateshead Council has begun its search for a developer to complete Gateshead Quays. The land, between the Baltic art gallery and The Sage music centre, is among the most
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Bogus callers targeted in scheme to protect elderly
A TOWN has vowed to rid its streets of bogus callers with the launch of a scheme. Members of Shildon Town Council, Age Concern, Shildon Community Partnership, police and neighbourhood wardens are holding talks to come up with an initiative aimed at helping
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Adam makes a clean start
A YOUNG entrepreneur has realised his ambition to set up his own business thanks to help from local organisations. Adam Shaw, who graduated from Northumbria University with a business management degree, took over the Easy Clean Car Valeting business,
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Management move safe as houses
A DARLINGTON-based property management company has won the contract to work on a residential scheme. Town and City Management Services will manage the 72 flats and houses on the Minerver Close development in Yarm, Teesside. Several top North-East Premiership
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£5.5m work to put cables underground
VILLAGES in the North York Moors National Park could soon see an end to overhead electricity cables. Electricity company CE Electric has been allocated £5.5m to spend on putting cables underground. Sarah Housden, senior area planning officer for the park
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On track for improvements at rail stations
RAIL company GNER is to plough £32.5m into improvements for stations on the East Coast Main Line. The company has agreed a loan with Barclays Bank to pay for improvements to stations on the Edinburgh to London line. The works include: l 900 extra car
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Solutions to storage issues on offer
A COMPANY is offering specialised storage for businesses in Darlington. Lingfield Warehousing Limited (LWL) has the facility to offer secure archive and document storage at its premises on the Lingfield Point site. A number of storage options are available
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Home from home after children leave
PARENTS whose children have left home are being offered the chance to downsize. Thirteen apartments have been built on a former derelict site in Knaresborough Road, Harrogate. The borough council is offering them to people who live in council housing,
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Farmer is accused of threat to kill
A FARMER accused of threatening to kill his teenage stepdaughter during a chase across fields lost a plea for bail yesterday. Nigel Harry Lund, 43, was said to be living in a caravan at Forest Head Farm, Bogs Lane, Starbeck, Harrogate - where he tends
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17-mile ale pull will aid lifeboat funds
A LANDLORD turned brewer will be rolling out the barrels today as he prepares for a popular real ale festival. John Taylor, of the Clarendon, in Sunderland's east end, will pull two barrels of his beer 17 miles to his former pub, near Stanley. Mr Taylor
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Goalkeeping dilemma for Hodgson
DAVID HODGSON is facing a goalkeeper headache after watching Sam Russell come through a practice match without any problems yesterday. The Darlington boss may have to choose between his first-choice stopper and Kasper Schmeichel for Saturday's visit of
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Musician returns to his roots to pass on advice to youngsters
A MUSICIAN from the North-East is returning to school this week to pass on tips in song-writing workshops. Ady Ferguson, 26, a former pupil of Thornhill School, Sunderland, gained a GNVQ in music at Shiney Row College. He has been a professional for the
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Oh yes it is! Panto rescued
IT'S a case of the show must go on, in Middlesbrough. Enthusiasts Bill and Alison Columbi stepped in to save the day when it looked as though Nunthorpe Players would have to cancel plans to stage a pantomime this year, for the lack of a director. But
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Police tell public they are on alert over youth gangs
POLICE have moved to reassure residents after gangs of youths from rival communities were reported to be have been squaring up to each other over a dispute sparked by problems at a youth disco. Officers have stepped up patrols in the Perkinsville and
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County council by-election tomorrow
VOTERS go to the polls tomorrow in a contest for a vacant seat on Durham County Council. Although the outcome of the by-election for the Durham South seat will have little bearing on the balance of power at County Hall, where Labour holds a strong majority
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'Hold on to your purse'
POLICE have urged women in a north Durham market town to be vigilant following several thefts of purses. Chester-le-Street community Inspector Paul Anderson said there had been a number of thefts in shops in the town's Front Street over recent weeks.
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Funding for local groups
A STUDENT fundraising group is looking to give away the money it has collected. Duck - Durham University Charities Kommittee - raises thousands of pounds each year through collections and events. Now it is seeking recipients in the Durham area for the
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Outrage after pupils told to walk along dangerous route
A CAMPAIGN has been launched for a safer route to school after it emerged pupils were left by the side of a dangerous road when their bus broke down. Parents were outraged and, in response to the incident, six ward councillors for Ingleby Barwick have
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Pupils jump to chance of joining sports stars
BASKETBALL stars teamed up with primary school children to promote reading among youngsters. Players from Teesside Mohawks basketball club watched the 1970 film version of The Railway Children yesterday with pupils from Bishopton Redmarshall Primary School
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Council tax rise defended as 'good value' by officials
COUNCIL tax in Darlington will rise by nearly five per cent this year. However, council officials have defended the "inflation-busting increase" saying the electorate will receive value for money. Chief executive Ada Burns said council tax will remain
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Hundreds bid farewell to 'mam'
A WOMAN who was known as "Mam" to hundreds of children in the Darlington area has died at the age of 76. For nearly 30 years, Janey Wardell was matron at children's homes in the town - first in Eastbourne Road and then from 1962 until she retired in 1990
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Benefit cheats campaign takes to the road
A CAMPAIGN is being mounted across the Hambleton district in an effort to stamp out benefit fraud. Promotional mirrors will be on display at roadshows across the area, to publicise the local authority's fraud hotline. Officers will be in market towns
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'Give residents a council tax break with zero increase'
COUNCILLORS have called on a local authority to "give residents a break" by setting a zero council tax increase. Officers from Richmondshire District Council have recommended that the authority raise its share of the council tax bill by 2.7 per cent for
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Chinese community rehearse to mark New Year celebrations
THE region's party capital will be a blaze of colour on Sunday as it welcomes in the Chinese New Year. Newcastle will celebrate the arrival of Year of the Dog with the customary festivities, organised by the Chinese community, centred around the city's
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Fire started deliberately, crews say
FIREFIGHTERS believe a blaze that destroyed a large amount of timber was started deliberately. The fire, at the former Skipton airfield in Sandhutton, near Thirsk, broke out at 6.20pm on Monday in an area of stacked wooden pallets measuring 20 metres
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Experiments on show reveal the magic of science to students
THE magic of science will be explained to prospective students and their parents as Northallerton College opens to the public tonight. At a critical time for year nine students, they can tour the college to learn about the facilities available to them
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Fears of job cuts at mine rejected
THE owners of Europe's deepest mine last night dismissed reports that the jobs of its 830 workers might be under immediate threat. Management at Boulby Potash mine, in east Cleveland, said that, while high energy costs were an ongoing concern, there were
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£25m plan for cement works
PLANS to create an eco- village on a former cement works site could be boosted by a £25m outdoor training and conference centre. Durham County Council has teamed up with training charity Endeavour to bid for Lottery funding to build the development, on
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Conman charged £6,340 for a roof tile
A BUILDER tried to trick a 90-year-old pensioner out of her life savings by charging £6,340 for a £5 job. The partially blind and deaf pensioner, from Chester-le-Street, County Durham, gave the conman a blank cheque to pay for work to replace a single
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Disabled and sick to face random tests
SICK and disabled people will face random checks of eligibility for benefits - with the threat of an £11-a-week cut for those who fail the tests and fail to look for work. A drive to get a million incapacity benefit (IB) claimants back to work will include
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When Boney meets macaroni
A FEW minutes ago they changed the computer on this desk, and just as I was getting the hang of the old one. Not even 15 years had elapsed. The oftcumden incorporates a virtual machine, apparently, and that's not virtually but utterly incomprehensible
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School Closure Debate: Protestors demand Blair's backing in battle for school
PRIME Minister Tony Blair came under increased pressure last night to back a school in his constituency. At a packed information session at Hurworth School, staff and parents also vowed to maintain their campaign for Darlington Borough Council to keep
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Great start
Great Expectations will open a new season of plays at Saltburn Community and Arts Association on Friday, March 24. The association, at the corner of Albion Terrace and Windsor Road, also has jazz on the first Friday of every month, and a table-top sale
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Classes from drawing to rocking horses
CLASSES on how to make rocking horses will be on offer through new arts and crafts sessions. Stockton Adult Education Service has also organised a life-drawing class for Friday, February 17, from 10am to 3pm, at Kiora Hall, Hardwick, Stockton. Learners
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Enforcement officers praised for coming to the rescue of stranded driver
ENFORCEMENT officers who wrapped up a successful operation to combat underage drinking and car tax dodgers became knights in shining armour to help a stranded motorist. The exercise, dubbed Operation Scarab, saw Stockton Borough Council enforcement officers
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Disney closes in on Pixar
Walt Disney was last night poised to unveil a $7bn (£3.9bn) bid for Pixar, the animation studio behind Finding Nemo and Toy Story. Robert Iger, who took over as Disney chief executive from Michael Eisner in October, has made restoring the firm's reputation
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When Boney meets macaroni
A FEW minutes ago they changed the computer on this desk, and just as I was getting the hang of the old one. Not even 15 years had elapsed. The oftcumden incorporates a virtual machine, apparently, and that's not virtually but utterly incomprehensible
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Car production drops
CAR production in the UK went into reverse during the final three months of last year, figures showed yesterday. A drop in domestic and export orders left output down 8.2 per cent compared with the previous three months, the Office for National Statistics
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N-E man arrested in child porn raid
A man from the North-East has been arrested as part of nationwide inquiry into a suspected paedophile ring. The 60-year-old, from County Durham, was one of three arrested in raids across the UK. The investigation, which is being led by the Metropolitan
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Vigilance warning over phone scams
BUSINESSES and residents are being urged to be on their guard against unsolicited telephone calls and e-mails. The warning follows separate complaints, one involving a call promoting business directories, and the other identity fraud. In the first incident
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Court orders police to hand over £100 to ex-IRA bomber
A judge yesterday ordered a police force to hand over £100 to a convicted IRA bomber who was once jailed for 1,000 years. Scott Monaghan, 38, sued the police after he was arrested over the attempted assassination of a double agent on the British mainland
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Dairy firm hit by price rise delays
ARLA Foods yesterday warned that delays in increasing the price paid by supermarkets for its products would hit profits. The UK's largest supplier of butter and milk, which has two plants in the region, increased the price of its goods to counter rises
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106,000 jobs go in profits squeeze
MANUFACTURERS are continuing to feel the pressure of rising costs, with 25,000 job cuts in the past three months. The Confederation of British Industry's (CBI) quarterly industrial trends survey revealed the figures, with North-East director Sarah Green
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Solutions to storage issues on offer
A COMPANY is offering specialised storage for businesses in Darlington. Lingfield Warehousing Limited (LWL) has the facility to offer secure archive and document storage at its premises on the Lingfield Point site. A number of storage options are available
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A little creature comfort
The sad fate of the London whale had its upbeat side. In the 1870s, a porpoise entered the Thames and swam further through London than last week's whale. The event was recorded, with dismay, by the great naturalist Richard Jefferies. "Now, just think,
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Noon boost as Barkley ruled out
THE withdrawal of Bath centre Olly Barkley through injury yesterday increased the chances of Newcastle's Jamie Noon playing in England's RBS 6 Nations opener against Wales. Barkley has been ruled out of the clash at Twickenham on February 4 after sustaining
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Woman stabbed with syringe
A WOMAN parking attendant has been stabbed with a hypodermic syringe in an unprovoked attack. The 24-year-old woman was stabbed in Thompson Road, Sunderland in the early hours of yesterday morning by a scruffy-looking man, who stood laughing at his distraught
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'I am so relieved that she is not suffering any more'
Campaigners last night renewed calls for a change in the law after a British woman suffering from a rare brain disease committed assisted suicide in Switzerland. The day before her 67th birthday, retired doctor Anne Turner died with the help of medics
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Sven's exit shows Premier League chiefs are in charge
IN one sense, nothing has changed. England will be led into the World Cup finals by a manager who has been fatally undermined by his various mistakes, misdemeanours and mistresses and, once the tournament is over, he will be sent on his way. That was
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McClaren tipped for England job
MIDDLESBROUGH Football Club stayed silent last night as speculation continued to link Boro boss Steve McClaren with the England job. Bookmakers installed McClaren as one of the favourites to succeed Sven-Goran Eriksson after this summer's World Cup. Bolton
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Lee and Johnson at the double
GRAHAM LEE and Howard Johnson kept up their remarkable strike-rate at Sedgefield by notching yet another double at the course yesterday. Win number one came via the 4-11 favourite, Sabreflight, whose backers must have feared the worst as Johnson's chestnut
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PD Ports takeover reaches final stages
THE takeover of Teesport operator PD Ports by Australian investment fund Babcock & Brown (BBI) could be complete within a week. BBI said it had won control of more than 90 per cent of PD Ports shares after bidding about £337m for the company. Sources
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25/01/06
NUDE ART?: IT SEEMS to me after seeing the photographs in the paper of the Nudes of the North - in some cases quite a big one too, that the law is indeed as ass. I am not a prude but I do believe in fair play. So how is it that a chap who is walking the
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Tributes paid as magistrate retires after 32 years
TRIBUTES have been paid to a long-serving magistrate who has upheld the law for three decades. Linda Le Dune, a JP for almost 32 years, made her last appearance on the North Durham panel at Peterlee Magistrates' Court, on Monday. She was appointed a magistrate
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Active youngsters party
SIXTY young people who have been finding alternative ways of being active celebrated the success of their project with a disco at a Bishop Auckland school. Many of the dancers at the party in Bishop Barrington's new sports hall were meeting up for the
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Oliver's arrival
The hit musical Oliver! will be the next presentation in the Films on Friday season at the Galtres centre, in Easingwold. The Lionel Bart musical will be shown on February 3 at 8pm. That will be followed, on March 3, by Rabbit Proof Fence
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Fears of job cuts at mine rejected
THE owners of Europe's deepest mine last night dismissed reports that the jobs of its 830 workers might be under immediate threat. Management at Boulby Potash mine, in east Cleveland, said that, while high energy costs were an ongoing concern, there were
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Cash-strapped trust bars agency nurses
A CASH crisis has forced one of North Yorkshire's health trusts to stop using nursing staff from banks or agencies for the next four months. Members of Scarborough and North-East Yorkshire NHS Trust, which is responsible for hospitals at Malton, Scarborough
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Prince will honour team from hospital
A TEESSIDE hospital team has a date with royalty. Staff from the holistic cancer care centre at Middlesbrough's James Cook University Hospital are travelling to Bristol on Friday to meet Prince Charles. The team is being honoured after being judged runner-up
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Police seeking witnesses in bar attack
DRINKERS are being asked if they witnessed a serious assault at the weekend. A 24-year-old Hartlepool man was attacked outside the upstairs toilets in the town's Bar Paris during the early hours of Sunday morning. Cleveland Police believe three men are
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'I fought the war underground'
They were the forgotten conscripts of the Second World War - young men called up not to fight but to work in the mines. As a campaign gets underway to recognise their contribution to the war effort, Nick Morrison talks to a former Bevin Boy about life
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Court orders police to hand over £100 to ex-IRA bomber
A judge yesterday ordered a police force to hand over £100 to a convicted IRA bomber who was once jailed for 1,000 years. Scott Monaghan, 38, sued the police after he was arrested over the attempted assassination of a double agent on the British mainland
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Gunther McBride can make long trek pay at Catterick
CATTERICK'S North Yorkshire Grand National has attracted a clutch of long-distance raiders, including Gunther McBride (2.30), who travels all the way from Minehead in Somerset to contest the Weatherbys-sponsored marathon. Leading West Country trainer
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Court told how crossbow shot might have been fatal
A JURY has heard that a man who was shot in the throat with a crossbow bolt could have been millimetres from death. Consultant surgeon Joseph Carlin said Kenny Beal's injury might have been fatal if the arrow had entered his neck a fraction to the left
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Concerns over traffic
EXPERIMENTAL waiting restrictions were made permanent on January 1 and may be extended. Applied at a Teesdale site, near Stockton, they were to address obstructive parking, which affected traffic movement and caused road safety concerns for pedestrians
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Hall revamp gets vote of confidence
A DISABLED voter whose difficulties on polling day led to a £31,000 improvement scheme has given a hall revamp his vote of approval. Retired prison officer and furniture restorer Mike Bell had problems trying to get into the Memorial Hall at West Tanfield
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Hundreds bid farewell to 'mam'
A WOMAN who was known as "Mam" to hundreds of children in the Darlington area has died at the age of 76. For nearly 30 years, Janey Wardell was matron at children's homes in the town - first in Eastbourne Road and then from 1962 until she retired in 1990
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Officers' plea after sex attack
DETECTIVES are appealing for information after a 40-year-old man was sexually assaulted. He was attacked in the lane behind Hales Bar, in Crescent Road, Harrogate, between 11pm and midnight last Thursday. The victim was wearing a dark, quilted jacket.
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On TV last night
Masterchef Goes Large (BBC2) Richard Hammond's 5 O'Clock Show (ITV1) YUM, yum". You don't hear comments like that from judges on The X Factor or Dancing On Ice. Those sounds can only mean the return of Masterchef Goes Large. This has proved one of TV's
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Breakfast dishes help raise profile of farming
BACON and eggs along with healthy cereals and fresh fruit were on the menu for youngsters celebrating Farmhouse Breakfast Week yesterday. About 100 youngsters enjoyed a traditional breakfast as guests of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society at its showground
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Conman charged £6,340 for a roof tile
A BUILDER tried to trick a 90-year-old pensioner out of her life savings by charging £6,340 for a £5 job. The partially blind and deaf pensioner, from Chester-le-Street, County Durham, gave the conman a blank cheque to pay for work to replace a single
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River clean-up under way
A NORTH-EAST river got its annual clean-up this week in an effort to prevent flooding. Staff from the Environment Agency carried out routine maintenance along the River Skerne, in Darlington, taking away debris which had built up over the past year. The
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Why there are worse sins than smacking
Officials are calling for a total ban on smacking but children are being harmed in other, much more serious ways. THERE are worse things than smacking a child. Such as stuffing their bodies with junk food. Or their brains with junk television. Or giving
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Lamb reveals McClaren still to sign new deal
STEVE McClaren's future was thrown into confusion last night after Middlesbrough chief executive Keith Lamb revealed the Boro boss had not signed the new four-year deal he claimed to have completed in November. After months of protracted wrangling, McClaren
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Comment from The Northern Echo: Sven in doubt
IT is fair to say that the English are not overly fond of Sven Goran Eriksson at the moment. During his reign as the England football coach, he has slowly but surely become someone we don't really trust. From his affair with Ulrika Jonsson, his cloak
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Craft session with a heart
AN arts and crafts session should set hearts going. Stockton Youth Service is running a Valentine arts and crafts session on Monday, February 6, for people aged 13 to 19, but adults are also invited. The session will give everyone the chance to try some
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There are worse sins than smacking
THERE are worse things than smacking a child. Such as stuffing their bodies with junk food. Or their brains with junk television. Or giving them medicine because you can't control them - probably because they're so wired because of the rubbish they've
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PD Ports takeover reaches final stages
THE takeover of Teesport operator PD Ports by Australian investment fund Babcock & Brown (BBI) could be complete within a week. BBI said it had won control of more than 90 per cent of PD Ports shares after bidding about £337m for the company. Sources
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Armed police called after bullet goes astray
ARMED police were called to an estate when a teenager fired an air weapon from a bathroom window. Bradley Appleby was shooting at trees from an upstairs window at his grandmother's home in Chatham Square, Sunderland, when a bullet went astray. Newcastle
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Adam makes a clean start
A YOUNG entrepreneur has realised his ambition to set up his own business thanks to help from local organisations. Adam Shaw, who graduated from Northumbria University with a business management degree, took over the Easy Clean Car Valeting business,
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Management move safe as houses
A DARLINGTON-based property management company has won the contract to work on a residential scheme. Town and City Management Services will manage the 72 flats and houses on the Minerver Close development in Yarm, Teesside. Several top North-East Premiership
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Boost for Souness as Parker fit for cup tie
UNDER pressure Newcastle United manager Graeme Souness was yesterday handed a timely boost ahead of this weekend's FA Cup tie with Scott Parker declared fully fit to face Cheltenham. Parker has been one of the few success stories on Tyneside this season
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Boyd on way back for Pool
MARTIN Scott will decide this morning if Adam Boyd is fit to step up his long-awaited comeback, writes Nick Loughlin. The Hartlepool United striker, with 29 goals to his name last season, has not kicked a ball since September, when he damaged knee ligaments
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It's now or never for me - Kyle
KEVIN KYLE has admitted the next four months will determine his future at Sunderland Football Club. The former Irish Sea Ferries baggage handler, who scored for the reserves last night, continued his comeback from a long-standing hip complaint by successfully
