Archive
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Wallaby mystery
AN Australian Wallaby has been spotted hopping across a field in North Yorkshire by stunned onlookers. The wallaby, more used to the Australian outback, was seen at Tollerton, near York. Michael Adamson and girlfriend Fabi Hammond saw it on Sunday,
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Fire in toilet block
FIREFIGHTERS were called to deal with a small blaze at a sports centre this evening. Two engines from Darlington attended Coleridge Gardens in the Firthmoor area of town at about 9.50pm. The fire in the single storey building was contained in a toilet
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Soggy CYF Fail To Dampen Spirits at Richmond Meet
Catterick Young Farmers collected money for Swale Mountain Rescue Team at Richmond Meet in the Friary Gardens on Bank Holiday Sunday. A Milk the Cow competition, Name the Cow Competition, Nail Bashing Compettition and most fun of all, the Ducking Stool
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Champions League Final
Rome, the city of the gladiators, played host to another duel of epic proportions. Dubbed the “Dream Final”, English and World Champions Manchester United squared off against Spanish Champions Barcelona. These 2 sides are arguably the best in Europe,
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Beverley Folk Festival
BILLY Bragg, Seth Lakeman, Peatbog Faeries, Lonnie Donegan Band and Peter Donegan, John Hegley, Peter Robinson and Eliza Carthy, Henry Priestman, Eric Bogle and John Munro, Tanglefoot, Gandalf Murphy and The Slambovian Circus of Dreams are some
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Fredo Viola: EP Red States
THE music of New York singer Fredo Viola is a perfect combination of 21st Century technology and the human voice. The playful interaction of multi-layered harmonies, intricate shimmering vocal melodies and electro-acoustic elements renders arrangements
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Maximo Park: Quicken The Heart
EVER since it was announced, many of Maximo Park’s loyal fans have waited with bated breath for the release of this hotlyanticipated third album. Hailed as their most accomplished work to date, this is a welcome addition to the group’s already impressive
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THE Jeff Healey Band: Legacy: Volume One (earMUSIC)
JEFF Healey was to the blues guitar what Stevie Wonder is to the piano. Blind from the age of eight months, due to a rare form of cancer, Healey picked up the instrument at three and went on to become one of the foremost musicians of his genre.
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Faith No More: The Very Best Definitive Ultimate Greatest Hits Collection. (Rhino)
A FAR from snappy title to this CD, but it gets the point across. This is, as you might have guessed, not the first Best of..album featuring FNM. First there was We Care A Lot? The Greatest Hits and that was followed by This Is It – The Best Of Faith
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May 28, 2009
WHAT'S ON Tonight, Mick Donnelly Quartet plus Sara D, the Studio, Hartlepool, 01429424440; Sunday Liane Carroll and Brian Kellock, Sage, Gateshead, 0191-4434661. CD REVIEWS Grachan Moncur III/Some Other Stuff (Blue Note 65152)
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Planxty pair to play Gateshead's Sage
THE Irish band Planxty were a seminal influence on the folk music scene during and beyond their heyday in the Seventies, especially in the North-East, where they played some of their earliest gigs outside of the Emerald Isle. Next week
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May 28, 2009
WHAT'S ON The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, conductor Andris Nelsons, Mahler's Symphony No 2, Sage Gateshead, 7.30pm Saturday. 0191-443-4661 REVIEWS Mozart (Virgin Classics 5021122) French violinist Renaud Capucon conveys
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Steff Nevers: Closest To My Heart (Universal Music Group, Humphead Records)
IF you think that country has had it boundaries stretched too far then you need to listen to a new release from an artist called Steff Nevers. His album is almost 100 per cent country as we knew it. Had I listened to the album without knowing of
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Ideas for two schools to be unveiled
EXCITING ideas for the multi-million pound transformation of two Stockton secondary schools will unveiled to the public next week. Bishopsgarth School and Ian Ramsey Church of England School should be among the first in the borough to benefit from
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Students wins dream talent show place
A STUDENT has won a dream place at one of Europe’s most prestigious talent show events. Jessica York, of Stockton, has been selected to take part in Growing Talent Europe 2009, in Barcelona, Spain. The 17-year-old Stockton Sixth Form College student
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Police warn hoax callers
Hoax callers are being warned by police that they face prosecution if they abuse the emergency service hotline. Last year there were 2416 hoax calls to Cleveland Police, an increase on the 2344 recorded 12 months earlier. Recent false calls include
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Spoilt for choice
We're spoilt for choice for tomorrow morning's Headline Game on TFM radio. We could go with a story about a woman in Wales who spotted the face of Jesus in a jar of Marmite while spreading it on a piece of toast. The headline is "The Father, the Son
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MP raises concerns over Congo man
A NORTH-EAST MP has spoken out after a man was sent back to his native country despite fears for his safety. Stockton North MP Frank Cook said he is appalled by the plight of Blaise Kamba, who was returned to the Democratic Repuplic of Congo on Tuesday
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Mystery of missing Tardis
A Doctor Who-style mystery has developed over a ‘Tardis’ which was dug up and taken away. The old-style police box has stood in Whiteleas, South Shields, since the 1950s, and has been out of service for three decades. But last week,
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Car components company fined
A CAR components company has been ordered to pay a total of £5,851 after a worker was badly injured in an accident on site. Trevor Rollin became trapped when a tooling rack collapsed on him at International Automotive Components Group's Southwick plant
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Chicken plan set for approval
A POULTRY house plan for 24,000 chickens is being recommended for approval despite objections from neighbours. Planning officers have recommended to councillors to back plans for the buildings on Manor Farm, near Neasham, to the south-east
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Company launches East Durham bus shake-up
EAST Durham bus services are getting a shake-up with the launch of 12 routes run by operator Go North East for Durham County Council. The company won the £500,000 three-year contract to provide the services in and around the Peterlee area, which take
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MP urges Corus meeting
AN MP has urged the chief executive of Corus to meet with the head of a consortium which pulled out of a steel deal, putting 3,000 North-East jobs at risk. Vera Baird, MP for Redcar today wrote to Corus boss Kirby Adams urging him to meet her to discuss
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Young footballer's death was accidental
THE devastated parents of a North-East footballer who died in a car crash say they have been left with many unanswered questions. Hartlepool United midfielder Michael Maidens, of Skelton, east Cleveland, died when the car he was travelling in on the
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Seat belt safety roadshow
THE BENEFITS of belting up on the road can be experienced in a car crash simulator touring towns and villages next week. As part of a week of community advice events in east Durham, a police seat belt ‘sled’ will be going, ‘on the road’. The Durham
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Captain Cook painting goes on public display
A PAINTING once owned by the family of Yorkshire explorer Captain James Cook has gone on permanent display at the Captain Cook Museum in Whitby. The pen, ink and watercolour work was painted by eighteenth century artist William Hodges and is entitled
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MP defends right to do a second job
A VETERAN MP has defended his and other parliamentary members’ rights to hold second jobs. Frank Cook said he had no problem with MPs having paid outside interests as long as they were "properly held and exercised". The Labour MP, who represents Stockton
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Fraudsters target North Yorkshire victims
CON-men who pressure people into buying worthless shares have started targeting victims in North Yorkshire. At least four cases have emerged across the county - and although police are not giving details they say a "considerable" amount of money has
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Cyclist climbs mountains for charity bike ride
AN AMATEUR cyclist has started a 1,000 mile charity bike ride that will take him across much of Europe. Eric Waters, 59, from Harrogate, set off from Lake Maggione in Italy on a route that will take him across the Italian Alps and along the
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Bridge restored
A 19TH CENTURY bridge spanning a limestone gorge has been restored using 21st century engineering techniques. The Gunners Pool Bridge was fabricated in Hartlepool in the late 19th century and is the most impressive of the sixteen bridges that
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Counting Crows, Newcastle O2 Academy
"WE will be back" vowed Counting Crows' tormented front man Adam Duritz as he bade farewell to a packed Newcastle crowd. His promise came after a rousing finale which included the upbeat 'Come Around' from their most recent 2008 offering Saturday
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Winners of photographic competition named
A PHOTGRAPH by a Hungarian photographer has been named best photograph at the Sharow Photographic Competition. Zoltan Balogh won £300 for his image, Transylvanian Gypsies, which was taken in Romania. Runner up at the event, now in it’s fourth year,
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Consultation for park plans
CHILDREN will be consulted for their ideas towards a £30,000 improvement programme at a park. Bensham Park, in the Harrowgate Hill area of Darlington, has been awarded the money as part of a government programme. It is one of 22 parks in the town which
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School wins recycling competition
ONE of the smallest schools in North Yorkshire has won a local recycling competition to collect the most telephone directories. St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, in Bishop Thornton, near Ripon, which has 28 pupils, was named the winner of the Yellow
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Turtle fundraiser nets holiday in Greece
A 15-year-old Scarborough boy with a passion for marine wildlife has won a family trip to the Greek island of Zakynthos for his efforts to raise money for a turtle sanctuary. Matthew Newsome raised £240 with a sponsored fish count at Scarborough
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Model farmers take to the catwalk
FARMERS are set to display some model behaviour at the Great Yorkshire Show when they take to the catwalk for a fashion show. Two farmers from Yorkshire and Durham have been named finalists in Model Young Farmer 2009 competition, the first
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Relief for dog owner being sued over bitten off finger
A DOG owner being sued over claims his pet bit off a leaflet deliverer's finger today spoke of his relief that the case has been dropped. Mark Munroe, 44, owner of Jack Russell terrier Jack, was being sued by Labour Party activist Brian Hunter for £15,000
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Northallerton prepares to dance
DANCERS of all ages and abilities will take to the streets of Northallerton later this year as the annual Day of Dance hits the town. Dance groups from across the district are being invited to the event which will see demonstrations take place
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Safe parking
DRIVERS can rest easy while shopping at east Durham retail car park - knowing that it has been given endorsement for its security standards. Dalton Park has just won its fourth Park Mark Secured Car Park award for the facility with space for
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£900k centre will be Yorkshire's flagship
A NEW state-of-the-art visitor information centre is being developed which is already being described as the best in the country. The centre, in a grade II-listed building on Museum Street, York, is being developed at a cost of £900,000 and
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Two MPs quit over expenses row
TORY backbencher Julie Kirkbride succumbed to intense pressure over her expenses today by saying she will stand down as an MP. At the same time, Luton South Labour MP Margaret Moran announced she will also stand down at the next election.
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Concert to celebrate the armed forces
TICKETS are now on sale for a 1940s military band concert to celebrate national Armed Forces Day. The show will follow a special flag raising ceremony at Hambleton District Council’s Stone Cross headquarters in Northallerton on June 22.
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Police Authority meeting in Sedgefield
RESIDENTS are invited to help shape the future of policing in County Durham at a meeting next week. Durham Police Authority is inviting people to attend its Your Police, Your Say event on Friday June 5, at Sedgefield Community College, in Sedgefield
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Appeal over missing pensioner
POLICE are appealing for information about an elderly man who has been missing from his home since Monday. Ernest Downing, 79, of Emerald Street in Middlesbrough was last seen at noon by a neighbour. It is believed that Mr Downing needs medication and
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Girls football team heading for tournament
A GIRLS football team is preparing to defend their title this weekend. Lumley Wildcats under tens will return to the Fylde coast in the North-West to defend the Blackpool 2008 under 10 plate. Over 400 teams take part and it is established as one of
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Bus changes
CHANGES to bus services in east Durham will come into effect on Sunday. The changes will mean the return of links that had previously been withdrawn. These include the Northlea and Denehouse Road areas of Seaham, regaining links to Sunderland via the
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Helping healthy living
AN EAST Durham community group has honoured the services of a resident who has made a significant contribution to promoting healthy living. East Durham Trust, who support hundreds of local organisations, presented the special certificate and gift to
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Homes plan for factory site
PLANS have been unveiled for a £60m housing development on a former factory site. Dunelm Homes are planning to build up to 300 homes on the former Cape asbestos factory plot, on Bowburn North Industrial Estate, Bowburn. They will have between two and
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Gardens open for hospice
A RANGE of ‘secret’ gardens will be opened to the public in aid of a hospice. The gates of gardens in and around Durham will be thrown open to raise money for St Cuthbert’s Hospice, in Durham. The season will run from June until September, beginning
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Legends support young boxers
TWO boxing legends paired up for an event that raised money for an amateur club in County Durham. Super-middleweight world champions Steve ‘The Celtic Warrior’ Collins and Nigel ‘The Dark Destroyer’ Benn attended a boxing dinner to support Shildon Amateur
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Help town to bloom
GREEN fingered residents are invited to enter a town’s gardening competition. Ferryhill Town Council is appealing for entrants to the front garden, back garden, back yard and commercial property categories for this year’s Ferryhill in Bloom Competition
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TV roadshow to come to museum
BBC's Antiques Roadshow will come to The Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle on Thursday, August 27. The show, presented by Fiona Bruce, will be at the museum from 9.30am until 4pm. People with big items can send details and photographs to: Antiques Roadshow
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Medieval Matt
He’s a shooting star thanks to North-East comedy pairing, Reeves and Mortimer, but Matt Lucas tells Polly Weeks he feels his career is all down to luck. LEAPING to prominence as the surreal score-keeping baby George Dawes in Shooting Stars, he established
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Extra Thriller
Adrian Grant talks to Viv Hardwick about the meeting with Michael Jackson that inspired his show Thriller Live. The touring version of the West End hit reaches Darlington next week. TOTAL disbelief was the reaction of long-time Michael Jackson
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Talent on tour
George Sampson shot to fame in Britain’s Got Talent last year. This time he’s got plenty of talented opposition. Viv Hardwick reports. AT 15 – he won’t be 16 until the end of next month – George Sampson has an even younger mini-me dance rival
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All systems Jo
Hardly known to anyone over the age of 21, the Jonas Brothers talk to Steve Pratt about their rise of fame. A PSYCHOLOGIST has described the effect the Jonas Brothers have on female fans as “putting them in a state of ecstatic love”. They’re
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Nastier Nick
TODAY’S lunchtime special at Kaff’s Kaff is hot stuff. Very hot stuff. Hotter than that curry I had the other day at the Taj Mahal (the restaurant not the Indian monument). The food is flame-grilled, you might say, as the place goes up in flames
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Exams bring out the witch in me
‘I’M off out for a walk,” I said the other day, leaving the 17-year-old and 15-year-old alone in the house. “The two of you can study in peace.” I was still putting on my shoes in the porch when the older boy, who thought I’d gone, came bounding
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Top Ten To Rent
UK DVD/VIDEO RENTAL 1 (-) Underworld – Rise Of The Lycans 2 (-) Defiance 3 (-) Bride Wars 4 (1) Role Models 5 (2) Night At The Museum 6 (-) The Inbetweeners – Series 1 & 2 7 (-) Frost/Nixon 8 (-) The Inbetweeners – Series 2 9
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Safe as houses
The Building Inspector Is Coming (C4, 9pm); Michael Wood On Beowolf (BBC4, 9pm) THE Romans had a simple way of dealing with builders whose constructions collapsed – they killed them. Birmingham City Council has a different, but no less effective
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High notes
Music to its ears, the column heads to High House, the oldest Methodist chapel in continuous weekly use, for some ‘Joyful Noise’. HIGH House Methodist chapel, Ireshopeburn. Bank holiday Monday, 3pm. The members of Joyful Noise are arriving
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State of Britain
IT seems we are going through a whole period of spring cleaning, the MPs expenses being only the last in line. DNA testing is now solving many old crimes, those abused as children are speaking up and their abusers brought to justice and the banking
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Lest we forget...
THE Daily Telegraph has served an admirable purpose in highlighting serious abuse of the expenses system by members of all parties in Parliament. How it acquired the information may well be suspicious, but the end justified the means. It has also
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Euro elections
FOLLOWING the furore over MPs’ expenses why not start a campaign to vote in the forthcoming European elections for the organisation that offers a categorical commitment to push for openness of all Euro MPs’ expenses: 72 UK MEPs all singing from
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First homes
MP’s first homes are as much a cause for concern as their second homes. When Ted Fletcher was MP for Darlington he lived in Neville Road; Michael Fallon lived in Victoria Embankment; Ossie O’Brien lived in Hummersknott. Where does our present MP
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Feeling the pinch
CHILDREN North East agrees with the recent Surviving not Thriving report by the Voluntary Organisations Network North East (Echo, May 20) highlighting the difficulties many charities face in the economic downturn. As a local charity we are having
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Why are we such poor relations?
WHILE great focus has been recently (and rightly) centred on misuse of taxpayers’ money in respect of MPs’ expenses claims, I think there is a need to look at ways by which taxes raised through English people are being spent to the benefit of other
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Euorpean Union
ANY development of the European Union is bound by the rule of subsidiarty, which states that all decisions should be made at the appropriate level. This means that local councils make decisions that only affect the areas which they control. National
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MPs'expenses
WHILE on the subject of MPs’ allowances, how many of our “Honourable Members” not only have a second home, but second jobs – and at what pay and times devoted to these “little earners” contrary to constituents’ needs? I ask this as once again
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New speaker
BERWICK Liberal Democrat MP Sir Alan Beith is an outstanding MP with a wealth of experience and common sense. If, having put his name forward to succeed Michael Martin as Speaker of the House of Commons (Echo, May 20), he is successful, I would
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Voting
BARBARA Bates urges us all to use our vote (HAS, May 26) – an understandable plea, but rather futile. Most MPs are returned to safe constituency seats; voting against the sitting MP or their party makes no difference. There may be an opportunity
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Government
AS said in the your Comment column (Echo, May 25), we need to have a sense of perspective about MPs’ expenses claims and see them against the more expensive abuses of the banking system. I note that the Government has taken action over the banks
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Shame of young jobless
IT’S a sad indictment of this country’s governing system when so many young people are unemployed and have little hope of finding any kind of employment in the near future. When I neared the end of my school years we had a wide variety of firms
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School pair work with science company
A BARNARD Castle science company has teamed up with a school to help students develop an interest in science. Honeyman Group is working with a pair of Year 10 GCSE Biology students at Teesdale School. Thomas Kent and Linden Greener spent a week at the
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Headline Game update
This morning's Headline Game on TFM radio centred on a story from Rockliffe park golf course at Hurworth-on-Tees, near Darlington. Mirrors positioned on the driving range to help golfers improve their swing have been causing problems because
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Playing ball for high stakes
Ellis Short’s takeover of Sunderland makes him the latest in a long line of wealthy foreign investors who have assumed control of English football clubs. But is it good for the game? Nigel Burton reports. MARK Hughes was enjoying a well-deserved
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How does it look?
THESE days more than ever, perception runs very deep in politics. Tory MP Julie Kirkbride says “it might appear strange” that she paid her sister £12,000 a year to be her parttime secretary, working 140 miles from her constituency. But the Bromsgrove
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Durham must go without Warner
DURHAM yesterday received the not totally unexpected news that David Warner will not be available for any of their first six Twenty20 Cup games. The Australian T20 specialist was signed purely for this competition but he has been summoned to
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Rashid’s England call in Flintoff absence
YORKSHIRE’S leg-spinner Adil Rashid, who has not yet played a match for his county in this season’s domestic Twenty20 Cup, has been called up to England’s World Twenty20 squad as a replacement for injured all-rounder Andrew Flintoff. The ECB
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Collingwood backed to enjoy Twenty20
COACH Andy Flower is confident Paul Collingwood’s previous experience of captaincy will help him lead England better second time around in the ICC World Twenty20 tournament. Durham all-rounder Collingwood resigned as captain of England’s one-day
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Wilkinson insisting he is A1
JONNY Wilkinson declared his troublesome knee was in ‘‘perfect’’ condition as he was presented as a Toulon player. The England fly-half brought a 12-year stint with Newcastle to an end earlier this month by signing for the French Top 14 outfit
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Bates admits he doesn’t fancy the Championship
WITH a number of Premier League clubs lining up to offer an escape route from Middlesbrough, Matthew Bates admits he might not be around to play in the Championship next season. Bates is no nearer to signing a new deal at the Riverside and his
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Murray enjoys progress
ANDY Murray was relieved his French Open dreams were still intact after he survived a mid-match slump to defeat Potito Starace and make the third round at Roland Garros. The British number one was a 6-3 2-6 7-5 6-4 winner against the Italian on
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A summer of change lies ahead for the so-called big three
SO that, as they say, is that. A season of unrelenting misery ended with Middlesbrough and Newcastle dropping out of the Premier League, and Sunderland hanging on by the skin of their teeth. But what will the summer hold in store for the North
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Sir Alex hails Barca
SIR Alex Ferguson admitted his side lost to the better side as Barcelona won the Champions League final 2-0 in Rome, but vowed to come back even stronger. United were bright in the initial exchanges but after Samuel Eto’o opened the scoring after
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Barcelona stroll to victory over United
Barcelona 2 Manchester United 0 MANCHESTER United discovered what it is like to lose a European Cup final as brilliant Barcelona ruled Rome. If there is any consolation in failure to become the first side to retain the trophy in the Champions
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No progress despite a day of talks on Tyneside
AMID renewed speculation that owner Mike Ashley could still sell Newcastle United, a second day of talks aimed at making Alan Shearer the club’s next permanent manager ended without conclusion yesterday. After arriving for further discussions
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Quinn heralds new era, but is it with Bruce?
SUNDERLAND chairman Niall Quinn insists he will not rush into making his next managerial appointment after cooling his interest in appointing Steve Bruce. On the day Quinn claimed it was the “start of a new era” after it was announced
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Jessops warns of more job cuts
CAMERA retailer Jessops, which has stores across the North-East and North Yorkshire, yesterday warned of more job cuts and said shareholders were likely to be wiped out as the company battles for survival. The chain, which has 211 stores, is
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Oil shake-up will hit staff
OIL company Royal Dutch Shell has confirmed a major restructuring and boardroom overhaul in a move affecting about 24,000 staff. An unspecified number of job cuts are expected under the shake-up, which is being led by incoming chief executive Peter
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Why Ellis won’t fall Short on Wearside
ACCORDING to chairman Niall Quinn, Ellis Short is a “Godsend” who gives Sunderland “almost an antirelegation clause” next season. Now, with the Irish-American assuming 100 per cent control at the Stadium of Light, it is the time for him to
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Green award is a first for college site
A UNIVERSITY college is setting the standard for green tourism. Durham University’s Collingwood College has been awarded gold status from the Green Tourism Business Scheme – the first student accommodation in the region to receive the honour.
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System ‘illogical and unfair’
THE UK’s biggest building society said yesterday that profits had been squeezed by bad debts and a hefty bill under the Government’s savings protection scheme. Nationwide’s pre-tax profits for the year to April 4, were down 69 per cent at £212m
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No plans to make workers redundant
NO redundancies are planned for financial workers when Santander rebrands Abbey, Alliance & Leicester (A&L) and Bradford & Bingley (B&B) – even in cases such as Darlington where two of the banks have branches next door to each other. Santander
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Car turbo firm enjoys fast growth in a niche market
A CAR turbo company has seen high-speed growth partly driven by the global economy. Just over two years after it was established as a one-man operation, Darlington-based Turbo Solutions has taken on more staff and is moving into larger premises
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Market report
THE FTSE 100 Index struggled to make headway yesterday in spite of a raft of broker upgrades and signs of life in the DIY sector. ITV’s shares surged 13 per cent on hopes of a recovery for the media sector next year, while Credit Suisse upped
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Smile and say cheese to latest pastie recipe
FOOD manufacturer Peter’s Food has teamed up with one of the UK’s best-known cheddar cheese brands to launch a range of pasties. Peter’s, which has its regional headquarters in Durham, is working alongside Pilgrim’s Choice to make pasties for
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News in brief: Peer to address enterprise event
THE founder of one the country’s fastest growing beer brands will present an annual enterprise lecture next week. Lord Bilimoria, the chairman of Cobra Beer, is the guest speaker of Durham University’s Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning. He
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Glass company clearing a way to a stronger future
SPECIALIST glass company Romag said it is confident it will emerge from the recession as a stronger business with a raft of new cuttingedge products despite seeing a half-year trading loss of £1.3m. During the six months up to March 31, 2008,
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You can count on the Crows
FRONTMAN Adam Duritz showed no effects of the flu which forced Counting Crows to cancel several UK shows last week. One of the US’s biggest rock acts received an enthusiastic reception from a large crowd when they played Newcastle’s 02 Academy
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Proportion of students ‘too imbalanced’
A CITY district has gone “way beyond” a balance between students and residents, a planning appeal has heard. More than half the population of Whinney Hill, in Durham, are now students, Durham County councillor David Freeman told the hearing. “The
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Cartoonist goes on show
CARTOONIST Cluff, who sketches for The Northern Echo as well as Private Eye and the Spectator, will showcase some of his work at a historic theatre. The Dales-inspired exhibition by Cluff, whose real name is John Longstaff, will take place
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Boy died trying to follow his friends
AN eight-year-old boy died while trying to cross a major North-East road to catch up with his friends, an inquest heard. Stephen Kenneth Blagg was trying to get home with his brothers, Aaron and Nathan, both ten, and three friends when he was
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Reward offered for stolen parrots
A £500 reward has been offered for the safe return of two familiar feathered friends of visitors to a farm attraction. African Grey parrots Mork and Mindy were taken from their enclosure at Tweddle Children’s Animal Farm, in Blackhall, County
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Two schoolgirls were seduced by businessman
A BUSINESSMAN who seduced two schoolgirls after sending them a series of sexual text messages was last night behind bars. Johnathan Degenhart lied about his age and encouraged one of the youngsters to skip lessons and go to his home where they
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Brown pledges to tackle expenses on trip to region
GORDON BROWN has pledged to clean up MPs’ expenses during a visit to the region. The Prime Minister said he had been appalled and angered by claims in recent weeks, and said any MPs who had done anything wrong would have to return the money
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The museum attraction with pulling power
IN the battle between man and machine, an eight-ton steamroller proved more than a match for the brawn of museum staff. Workers at Beamish Museum, took on Fiddler, a 1920 Fowler steamroller in an unusual tug-of-war contest. The museum, near
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Tearful rape victim phoned footballer for help, jury told
A CHRISTMAS reveller telephoned international football star Obafemi Martins to tell him she had been raped in her sleep at a house party, a court heard. During the frantic and tearful early morning call, the Newcastle United and Nigeria striker
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An owl in one
GOLF officials have found a novel solution to the problem of birdies becoming bogies at a North-East golf course. Staff at Rockliffe Hall, in Hurworth, near Darlington, have turned to plastic owls to stop coaching mirrors driving the local wildlife
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Empty building rates ‘crippling’
RATES for unused commercial buildings must be reduced to prevent wholesale demolition of industrial sites across the region, estate agents have said. The Northern Echo Property Forum heard that across Darlington alone there had been half a
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Police find girl who sparked false alarm
A YOUNG woman who sparked a major rescue operation following fears that she had been seen walking into the sea has made contact with police. The investigation was launched after Cleveland Police received a 999 call from a woman on her way to
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No better time to buy, say agents
No better time to buy, say agents ESTATE agents from across the region have reported a growing confidence in the housing market. The third meeting of The Northern Echo’s Property Forum heard that for many people, there has never been a better
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Town centre redevelopments under threat in £300m clampdown
TWO major North-East town centre regeneration projects could be casulaties of a Government move to slash regional development budgets. Bosses at England’s Regional Development Agencies, responsible for major strategic job creation projects,
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Emotional funeral for Shildon dad
THE funeral has taken place of a father-of-two who was shot by police marksmen during an armed stand-off at his home. Family and friends of Keith Richards from Shildon, County Durham, yesterday gathered for an intimate and emotional service
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Darlington furniture company boss avoids jail
A COMPANY director whose dealings cost creditors nearly £200,000 has narrowly avoided jail. Furniture company director Paul Edward Raine was handed a suspended sentence and banned from operating as a director for three years after admitting
