Archive
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Project to rejuvinate area of international importance gets go-ahead
A PROJECT aimed at rejuvenating some of the North-East's most spectacular areas of countryside has been given the go-ahead after getting a cash boost from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Durham County Council and Limestone Landscapes Partnerships
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Headline Game
The story for tomorrow morning's Headline Game on TFM radio is about how the recession has hit pop stars like Sir Cliff Richard. Sir Cliff has lost a fifth of his personal fortune, according to the Sunday Times Rich List, slumping from £50m to £40m.
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Woman breaches 'noisy sex' Asbo
A WOMAN has breached an Asbo banning her from having noisy sex in England and Wales - after just five days. Magistrates issued Caroline Cartwright with a four-year Asbo preventing her from "making excessive noise". But yesterday she was again arrested
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What Goes Around…Comes Around!…
As most of you know, I run Jigsaw Hair Salon in Darlington with my daughter Leanne. We have a mixed and varied clientele, many of whom have been customers for over twenty years, but on occasion we get ‘recommendations’ and a ‘new client’ pays us a visit
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Drunken woman jailed for attack on wheelchair man
A WOMAN with a drink problem attacked a cerebral palsy sufferer accusing him of being, "a kiddy fiddler". Tracey Ann Campbell, 38, approached the man as he left a police station in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, in a motorised wheelchair, on May 15
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Durham v Yorkshire: Day Two
IT was first blood to Steve Harmison at Riverside today - and Michael Vaughan was furious. Those who worship at the altar of celebrity had billed the Durham v Yorkshire match as a private battle between the two as they seek an England recall
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Solution found to end pollution in beck
EXPERTS claim they are close to ending a pollution problem which has blighted an east Cleveland beck for nearly ten years. A team of University of Teesside researchers say they are close to finding a solution after identifying a way of pumping and treating
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Master Shortie, Newcastle 02 Academy
THEO KERLIN, aka Master Shortie, started rapping when he was 12, and ever since he has been in charge of his promotion, record releases, styling and marketing. His adolescent hip-hop songs, all about experiences with girls and his hatred of
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Chicago, York Grand Opera House
FOR one of Chicago’s leading ladies, this tour date is like coming home. Twinnie-Lee Moore first appeared on the stage of the Grand Opera House in her home city of York as a youngster, dancing in pantomime. Now she’s back, strutting her stuff
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Stretched to the limit for charity
A TEAM of fundraisers went the extra mile when they carried a stretcher to raise a laugh and charity cash at a Family Fun Run at Kirkleatham. The two Redcar and Cleveland Council's community protection officers (CPOs) were joined by officers from South
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Design students take on challenge
ENTERPRISING pupils have been given the opportunity to put their design and budgeting skills into action. Students from Nunthorpe, Sacred Heart and St Peter's Schools were set the challenge of coming up with ideas to change the look of reception areas
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Renal support event
SUFFERERS from discomforting intestinal conditions were given helpful advice at a support and information event today. East Durham Renal and Stoma Group staged the advisory session to help break down some of the barriers surrounding all related
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Former chairman to answer fans' questions
FANS of Darlington Football Club are to be given a unique chance to put their questions and concerns to the club's former chairman. George Houghton, who placed the club in administration nearly two months ago, is giving an exclusive interview to the
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Vogue trader
Around The World In 80 Trades (C4, 10pm) Who Killed The Honey Bee? (BBC4, 9pm) IT sounds like a cross between a game show and Dragons’ Den. Conor Woodman takes the £25,000 made from the sale of his flat and tries to double his money
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Still rocking
Jonathan Wilkes reveals to Viv Hardwick why he agreed to don the sunglasses for a baddie’s life in musical We Will Rock You. "I’M actually loving it. I really genuinely am,” admits Jonathan Wilkes about finding himself playing the outand- out
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Man charged after Hurworth Taser incident
POLICE have charged a man with resisting arrest after firearms officers used a taser gun following an hour-long stand-off in a village near Darlington. Officers were called to domestic incident in the Emerson Road area of Hurworth shortly after
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Heart defect checks on offer in Durham
A CHARITY is offering young people free heart checks to see if they suffer from hidden but potentially fatal problems. Anyone aged 14 to 35 will be able to get tested at a specially-built mobile testing unit operated by CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young
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Market Place revamp plans go on display
OFFICIALS will tomorow (Friday April24) unveil their plans for the £5.25m revamp of a historic city centre square. The scheme to breathe new life into Durham City’s Market Place have caused controversy because of fears that two landmark of statues,
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Banks unveil plans for Woodland windfarm
AFTER leading anti-windfarm campaigns all over the world for the past 12 years, North-East environmentalist Dr David Bellamy now has a fight to stop turbines springing up on his own doorstep. Renewable energy specialists Banks Developments, of Tow
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Good, bad and financially ugly
Jason Isaacs tells Steve Pratt the story behind the troubled making of the movie, Good, based on CP Taylor’s famous play. EIGHT years ago actor Jason Isaacs received a call out of the blue from Miriam Segal, a producer he’d known when he was
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Live and kicking
Viv Hardwick talks to music mentor Jim Mawdsley about the eighth Evolution Festival on the Tyneside Quays. WITH two-day tickets at £15 and day tickets at £9.50 it’s hardly surprising to learn that NewcastleGateshead’s May Bank Holiday Evolution
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Credit union's last hope
VOLUNTEERS at a community savings scheme that has hit financial difficulties are pinning their hopes on an eleventh hour rescue package. South West Durham Credit Union (SWDCU) is asking Durham County Council for a £70,000 grant to help it merge with
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Two decades on but Darlington folk club still touring highlight
IT’S a big week for folk music in the North- East, starting tonight for me with a return to Darlington Arts Centre, where the weekly folk club in the Garden Bar has been a highlight of my touring year for over two decades. Up at the Tynefolk
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April 23, 2009
WHAT’S ON Northern Sinfonia, conducted by Bernard Labadie, Sage Gateshead, 7.30pm tomorrow. Programme: Haydn, Bach and Rameau. 0191-433 4661. To Be Certain of the Dawn, Stephen Paulus (BIS-CD-1726) This oratorio, was commissioned by the Basilica
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Marathon woman battled depression
A south Durham woman who has suffered from depression is to run the London Marathon for a mental health charity. Elizabeth Oates, of Crook, was hospitalised for eight days last May with anxiety and depression as doctors feared she may try to take her
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April 23, 2009
WHAT’S ON Tuesday, Memorial Concert for Bryn Collinson, Studio, Hartlepool, featuring Musicians Unlimited, The White Negroes and Jazzoozy, 01429-424440. CD REVIEWS Graham Collier/Down Another Road etc (BGO Records BGOCD767) BGO have reissued
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Becky Hobbs: Best Of The Beckaroo Part 1 (Beckaroo Records)
MANY years ago, country entertainer Moe Bandy told me to take a listen out for a new female artist who duetted with him on Lets Get Over Them Together. He told me her name was Becky Hobbs and that she was destined for great things. A couple of
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Old problems
ONE minute you’re down on one knee proposing marriage, the next you’re down on all fours gasping for breath. Fortunately, Rita gets out of the way swiftly and doesn’t end up trapped under Colin when he collapses in a heap on the floor. Actually
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Bare necessities
Can Kirsten O’Brien seriously go through with taking her top off for a lads mag? She talks to Andy Welch about her documentary dilemma. CLEAN-CUT Middlesbrough TV presenter Kirsten O’Brien and topless modelling go together like Russell Brand
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Councillors reject youth project
COUNCILLORS have blocked a multi-million pound performing arts and media centre for teenagers amid fears of anti-social behaviour. Community volunteers from the Headland Development Trust had secured £4.5m of Government and lottery funding
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Caring students raise cash for cancer charity
CARING students at a Guisborough College have raised more than £1,000 for Marie Curie Cancer Care. The Health and Social Care students were inspired into action when a specialist nurse called into Prior Pursglove College to talk about the charity's vital
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Further tests awaited on Seaham beach body
FURTHER tests are awaited by police investigating the death of a man whose body was found on a beach. A passer-by reported the discovery of the body near to the North Dock, at Seaham, County Durham, at 7am last Friday. The dead man was subsequently
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Northallerton death: Man still being questioned
DETECTIVES investigating the death of a mother-of-two in a market town were still questioning a man today. The woman, believed to be Julie Mordue, was stabbed was at a house on Vicars Croft, in Northallerton, North Yorkshire. The incident was reported
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Teen's trek to honour dad
A TEENAGER is to walk Hadrian’s Wall in memory of her father. Nineteen-year-old Amie Barnes’ father Peter was just 40 when he died after suffering a heart attack caused by an undiagnosed aggressive heart disease. Miss Barnes and six relatives will trek
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Big films for Northallerton
TWO big-screen blockbusters are coming to Northallerton next week. Two films will play at the Hambleton Forum on May 1 - as part of the town’s First Friday cinema programme. First up at 5.30pm is Madagascar Flight 2 Africa – a computer-generated romp
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Police seize more than £1m from mobile criminals
MOBILE criminals are feeling the pinch after a specialist police team seized more than £1m of cash and goods in the last three months alone. The Regional Roads Policing Team was launched last autumn to deny criminals the use of Yorkshire’s
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Black Cats defender out for the season
SUNDERLAND defender Nyron Nosworthy is unlikely to play again this season after injuring his hamstring while playing for Sunderland's reserves. The centre-half limped off in the 53rd minute of Sunderland's 3-1 victory over Derby County in the
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£2.6m for projects on the Moors
GROUPS and individuals are being asked to come up with projects that would make a difference to their community - to take advantage of a £2.6m pool of cash. The money is available between now and the end of 2013 to fund projects - both large
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Harrogate Spring Flower Show set to be a blooming success
A FLORAL extravaganza is to attract visitors to North Yorkshire to the Harrogate Spring Flower Show. Based in the Great Yorkshire Showground the event is now in its 82 year and it welcomes visitors from across the world. This year’s four day show will
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Beach clean-up planned
AMATEUR environmentalists will be hitting the beach this weekend to help reduce rubbish at an East Durham beauty spot. Volunteers from the Plastic Bag-Free Seaham group will be carrying out a beach survey and litter pick at Seaham on Sunday. The
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‘Wishy-washy’ Budget verdict from region’s business chiefs
ALISTAIR DARLING’S efforts to help business in his “Budget for jobs” fell short, North-East business leaders said last night. There was concern that not enough was done to encourage employers to preserve jobs, with the region’s Federation of Small
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Northallerton school gets help going green
SCHOOLCHILDREN are discovering more about the joys of gardening - with the help of technology company 3M. The company's Northallerton site donated £400 to the town’s Broomfield primary school help buy tools, seeds and fruit trees for its Green Club,
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Unemployed Barry critical of help
A MAN who has applied for more than 400 jobs in his efforts to get back to work has described the Budget’s help for unemployed people as a major disappointment. Barry Cooke said Chancellor Alistair Darling had done nothing for him in his Budget
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Bad news as region snubbed
THE Budget delivered bad news for leaders in the Tees Valley, which missed out on a bid for City Region status. The Government has chosen Manchester and Leeds to lead the City Region Forerunner initiative, a move that Hugh Lang, chairman of the
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Wind farm funds a 'fillip for the region'
A GOVERNMENT pledge of £525m for offshore wind projects is a “fillip” for the North- East, according to an academic. Peter Tavner, professor of new and renewable energy at Durham University, said the money, to be given over the next two years,
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Concern at lack of decisive measures
BILLIONS of pounds could have been raised had the Chancellor taken decisive tax measures instead of gaining relatively little by penalising the richest segment of society, experts from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) said yesterday. Alistair
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The Budget In Detail
Families PEOPLE who look after their grandchildren for 20 hours or more a week will have their National Insurance contributions paid as if they were working, which will enable them to receive a higher pension. Mr Darling said: “Increasingly,
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The Budget In Brief
● Chancellor Alistair Darling expects the economy to begin to grow again by the end of this year. ● Total policy support for the UK economy is expected to protect up to 500,000 jobs. ● GDP growth forecast this year is minus 3.5 per cent. ● Growth
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New car sales could receive jump-start
THE region could reap the benefits of a scheme announced in the Budget that will mean motorists offered £2,000 towards a new car or van if they trade in their old vehicle for scrap. The scheme, for vehicles aged ten years and over, is backed
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Hard work at Hardwick Hall
HOTEL inspectors have recognised the hard work of the staff at a North-East venue during a recent surprise inspection. The Hardwick Hall Hotel, near Sedgefield, County Durham, has been reclassified as a four-star hotel by the AA and given a
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‘Stressed workers need support’
EMPLOYERS need to do more to help stressed workers during the downturn, a North- East insurance broker has warned. As fears over job cuts and the cost of living rise, stress and anxiety levels among workforces are also likely to escalate. According
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North-East brand launches in China
AN outdoor clothing firm will open its first store in China today. The first Berghaus store in the country opens in Beijing, six months ahead of schedule. Berghaus, which was founded in Newcastle more than 40 years ago and is now based in Sunderland
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More staff expected at drilling company
A DRILLING company is expecting to take on more staff after securing contracts worth £1.5m. County Durham company Drilcorp Ltd, which employs 32 people, has secured contracts for the London Underground and Coal Mine Gas Recovery. The
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Equality award is launched for firms
AN accreditation has been launched to promote and endorse equality practices in business, which can help firms tap into £3.5bn of North-East public sector contracts. The Equality Standard is being pioneered in the North- East, with a view to being
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When Kylie came to visit
WHEN you get to my age, you want to forget about birthdays. I want to block them out – forget that I’m hurtling towards 50 like a meteor closing in on earth. The family remembered, of course: tennis racquet from my wife; golf jacket from my mum
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Felon feeling
AS it has done every year since its formation in 1854, the Coundon and District Society for the Prevention and Prosecution of Felons held its annual supper on Monday evening. As they have done every year since 1854, they dined on vegetable soup
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Just the ticket
Joe Coates’ passion for small-gauge engines led him to put pen to paper to teach young children about the magic of railways. JOE Coates is a good lad, understand, and a Shildon lad to boot. Scarborough’s fine, too, as quintessentially English
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Review welcomed
MPs will vote themselves an extra £1,500-a-year increase as the rest of the country fights to save precious jobs and their homes. The Westminster village increase brings parliamentary pay, before a penny in allowances is claimed, up from £63,290
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Jacqui Smith’s legacy
THE Home Secretary is learning that politicising the police has its disadvantages as well as perceived advantages. The decision not to prosecute either MP Damian Green or his mole over information leaks from the Home Office must make Jacqui Smith
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Vancouver
I WAS about to reply to Alan Dixon’s letter (HAS, April 16) questioning an item which mentioned Vancouver “in the US state of Washington” (Echo, April 14) when I noticed that your footnote had beaten me to it. I have always been fascinated with
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Baby costs
COULD the people who surveyed 3,000 mothers and found that the average baby costs £18,000 in its first year (Echo, April 15) now survey 3,000 homes of workers in Wear Valley to find out how many do not have £18,000 to live on? A sum of £3,000,
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Why we lose out
IS it just me? Over the years I have read reports citing examples of how the North-East is starved of cash for major projects (infrastructure, work investment, etc). There have even been rumours that regional quangos have been sitting on money
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Cameron's headache
IN the face of the worst recession since the Second World War, it was never likely to be a Budget to set the pulses racing. And, in terms of it breathing new life into the critically-ill economy, there was precious little to get excited about.
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County council
I BELIEVE that everyone will now realise and accept that, due to the ongoing financial crisis, Durham County Council will need to reduce spending. However, the authority has a wide range of jobs and departments which are nice to have if you can
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Climate change
IN his column last week (Echo, April 14), Peter Mullen seeks to portray himself as an unbiased seeker of the truth, quoting from the “Scientific Alliance” with regard to climate change. Looking up the “Scientific Alliance” with Google reveals an
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Afghanistan
US President Barack Obama is a fine orator and he has made a good start to his presidency except, in my opinion, with Afghanistan. By deciding to send thousands more US troops to this troubled land he has signed the death warrant of many more
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Tax the rich prelude to polling day
WHEN Chancellor Alistair Darling announced – last year – that he was slapping a 45p tax rate on the rich, many said that it spelt the death of New Labour. If so, then yesterday’s dramatic Budget – with its 50p tax rate, cuts to pension tax relief
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Fitness sessions for young women
A SIX week fitness circuit class is being launched for young women. The sessions at Spennymoor Leisure Centre help 16 to 25-year-old women to improve strength and cardiovascular fitness whilst having fun and fitness. All classes will take place
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Hard act to follow
Political Editor Chris Lloyd watches the Chancellor of the Exchequer take some timid steps on a tightrope strung across a deep and dark abyss of debt. ROLL up! Roll up! Marvel at the world’s greatest funambulist as he tries to balance enormous
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Hundreds raised for hospital in memory of cancer victim
A CHARITY night held in memory of a mother who died of cancer raised cash for the hospice that cared for her. Vivian Tweedy, from Ferryhill, died at the age of 40 last September after fighting breast and bone cancer for around a decade. The mother and
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Bermuda has a Pointe to prove
NIGEL TWISTON-DAVIES can enhance his already impressive record at Perth by sending out Bermuda Pointe to further success at the Scottish venue. Despite the fact Twiston- Davies’ base is nine hours away, the Naunton handler has made this charming
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Invite to Polish families
POLISH families are being invited to monthly drop-in sessions being held at a local children’s centre. Leadgate Children’s Centre, on West Street, Leadgate, is holding the sessions to give Polish families with children under the age of five the chance
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Stroke units ratings slip in latest survey
STROKE services are improving at most of the region’s hospitals, but some have fallen behind, figures have revealed. The performance of stroke units improved at ten out of 16 hospitals in the North-East and North Yorkshire between 2006 and last
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Taking to the skies to celebrate club’s anniversary
THE 93-YEAR-OLD president of a gliding club has taken to the skies to mark its 75th anniversary. Yorkshire Gliding Club, based at Sutton Bank, North Yorkshire, was established on April 21, 1934. President Moyra Johnson, who first flew from
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Insolvency officials take on homes pack inquiry
GOVERNMENT officers are investigating a North-East estate agent following complaints over the supply of Home Information Packs (Hips). The Insolvency Service is investigating Stuart Edwards branches in Darlington, Bishop Auckland, Crook and Newton
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Armed swoop leads to man arrested in Darlington
A MAN who fled an open prison was forced at gunpoint from his van as armed police swooped on a busy North-East street yesterday. The force helicopter and nine cars were used to stop the man at Northgate, in Darlington, at 4pm. The incident
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Fans voice support for former vice-chairman
A SUPPORTERS group has thrown its weight behind a former club vice-chairman’s bid to rescue Darlington Football Club. Raj Singh was the only person known to have tabled a bid for the troubled club by the original Monday deadline set by administrators
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Mum’s plea to MPs over killer driver’s jail term
A HEARTBROKEN mother has written an impassioned plea to MPs in an attempt to change sentencing laws for killer drivers. Clare Conroy was devastated at the lenient sentence Ashley Lindo received after killing her eight-year-son while driving a
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Bellamy fights turbine battle on home front
AFTER leading anti-wind farm campaigns all over the world for the past 12 years, North-East environmentalist Dr David Bellamy now has a fight to stop turbines being built on his own doorstep. Renewable energy specialist Banks Developments, of
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University unveils its £48m Gateway proposal
THE multi-million pound development plans for one of the region’s universities will go on show to the public next week. Durham University’s £48m Gateway development would include a new law school, student services centre, a library extension
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Paedophile ‘groomed’ boy on internet
A PAEDOPHILE who tried to lure a schoolboy to a secret meeting for sex was yesterday jailed for three years by a judge who told him: “I wish it could be indefinite.” Paul Rhodes will serve half his sentence before being freed, but will have to
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Too much, too soon
WHEN you’re brought in as a trouble-shooter, the temptation is to try to shoot all the trouble at once. So while Alan Shearer’s spell in charge of Newcastle is only in its 22nd day, it has already witnessed a frantic attempt to change anything
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County game has its day in the sun
ON Tuesday evening, Rajasthan Royals’ Indian Premier League game with Mumbai Indians was washed out without a ball being bowled. Eighteen hours later, and on the opposite side of the world, Durham began the defence of their County Championship
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Blackwell’s batting may grab selector’s attention
Durham v Yorkshire (County Championship) : Day One IAN BLACKWELL might just have registered somewhere near the bottom of England selector James Whitaker’s list of players to watch at Riverside yesterday. Michael Vaughan and Steve Harmison
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Davenport: I want to stay at Sunderland
CALUM DAVENPORT has revealed he wants to play for Sunderland in the Premier League next season. The 26-year-old centre back, currently on loan from West Ham, is a veteran of eight clubs and is desperate to call a halt to his days as a footballing
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Three academies replace six schools
THE biggest shake-up of secondary schools seen in a county for a generation was agreed yesterday as councillors backed plans to create three academies. Six secondary schools in Stanley, Consett and Durham will be closed and replaced by the
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Motorists win battle over A66 speeding fines
A GROUP of motorists is celebrating after winning a legal battle to overturn their A66 speeding tickets. District Judge Martin Walker said he had grave concerns about how prosecutors handled the case before ruling that the 11 drivers had no case
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Ankle injury rules Taylor out until Tyne-Tees clash
ALAN SHEARER has been dealt a blow with the news that Steven Taylor’s ankle injury is expected to rule the defender out for Newcastle’s next two games. Taylor underwent a scan on Tuesday that revealed a recurrence of a recent problem which
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Man is questioned over stabbing death
A MOTHER-OF-TWO has died after being stabbed in a daylight attack. Julie Mordue, believed to be in her 30s, was stabbed to death at a house in Vicars Croft, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, at about 2.45pm, on Tuesday. She was rushed to the town
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Rich must pay more to rescue economy
ALISTAIR DARLING drew the battlelines yesterday for the next election when he slapped a 50p tax rate on high earners – while admitting that Britain was in the deepest recession for 60 years. The Chancellor sprang a surprise by announcing the
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Another fine mess
Had a last-minute change of heart over the Headline Game on TFM radio this morning. It was going to be the story about Cheryl Cole being voted the world's sexiest woman, with the headline "Red hot Cole". But in the end, we chose the
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Keane looks to replicate Sunderland success as new boss of Ipswich
FORMER Sunderland manager Roy Keane has targeted promotion to the Premier League at the earliest opportunity after taking over at Ipswich Town. The former Manchester United and Republic of Ireland midfielder has signed a two-year contract with
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Northern Rock mortgage applications rocket
MORTGAGE applications soared by around 70 per cent between February and March under plans to boost lending, nationalised Northern Rock said today. The bank said it had attracted more borrowers with better deals as it puts into action a previously announced
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Roy Keane factfile
1971: Born Cork, August 10. 1987: Joins semi-professional League of Ireland club Cobh Ramblers after building reputation with Cork junior club Rockmount. 1990: Signed by Brian Clough for Nottingham Forest for £10,000. 1991: Makes Republic of Ireland
