Archive

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Pardew makes four changes at Boro

ALAN PARDEW has made four changes to the Newcastle United team for tonight's FA Cup third round tie at League Two's Stevenage.  Goalkeeper Tim Krul replaces Steve Harper, while Pardew has also brought in Alan Smith, James Perch and Wayne Routledge

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ALAN PARDEW has made four changes to the Newcastle United team for tonight's FA Cup third round tie at League Two's Stevenage. Goalkeeper Tim Krul replaces Steve Harper, while Pardew has also brought in Alan Smith, James Perch and Wayne Routledge at

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Freemasons' Grand Charity Hospice donation

The Freemasons’ Grand Charity has donated £600,000 this year to Hospices across England and Wales, of which £12,000 went to Hospices in the North and East Ridings of Yorkshire. Over the last 20 years the Freemasons’ Grand Charity has donated

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Quinn makes Darlington debut

Darlington hand a debut to one of their new signings in today's game at home to table-topping AFC Wimbledon. Centre-back Adam Quinn, who arrived yesterday from Crawley Town, slots into the side at the heart of Quakers' defence alongside Ian Miller.

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Wheater remains on Teesside as Boro face Burton

DAVID Wheater has not travelled to Burton Albion for this afternoon's FA Cup third-round tie between Middlesbrough and the Brewers.The defender, who is expected to leave the Riverside in this month's transfer window, has been excluded from Tony Mowbray

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Liddle moves back for Pools

MIDFIELDER Gary Liddle moves back to centre-half from midfield for Hartlepool United's FA Cup trip to Watford.Joe Gamble starts in central midfield, with Paul Murray also returning to the side, as Steve Haslam drops out of the starting XI. Ritchie Humphreys

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Death at the double for John

LEADING a double life has turned John Stape into a ladykiller in Coronation Street (ITV1). That’s what happens when you take on another person’s identity. Having buried Colin Fishwick after he died from a heart attack, John assumes his identity

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Lifeboat crew saves man from drowning

A MIDDLE-AGED man was last night saved from drowning in the River Wear by lifeboatmen. Volunteers from Sunderland's RNLI lifeboat station rushed to save the man after he was seen floating in the River Wear, near Wearmouth Bridge, shortly after 11.20pm

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The 2011 holiday hotspots

THE beachside resort of Buzios in Brazil and the Lebanese capital of Beirut top the wish list for British travellers in 2011, claims research by the booking website Hotels.com. Based on searches made on Hotels.com’s UK site in the first three weeks

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Dorset: the trendy bolthole

If it’s good enough for James Bond... WHEN actress Rachel Weisz and 007 star Daniel Craig needed a bolthole to enjoy each other’s company over Christmas, they headed for Dorset to a £1,000 a week cottage with its own gym, sauna and cinema, writes

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The Fields of Death by Simon Scarrow (HeadLine/Review £7.99)

THE clash of the Titans as Wellington and Napoleon clash in the ultimate struggle at Waterloo and both generals walk a narrow line between glory on one hand and ignominy on the other. Scarrow shows just what a close run thing it was and almost

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How to ski like a VIP

Tori Mayo feels like a member of an exclusive club for a week of world class skiing and luxury living in the ritzy French resort of Val d’Isere. OVER aperitifs in our Alpine chalet, we shared spirited tales of an action- packed day on the slopes

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Cometh the Man by Gordon Taylor (Austin Macauley, £7.99)

FAMILY squabbles dash the silver spoon from the lips of young Northumberland aristocrat Nathanial Davison at an early age and he elects to try his luck in South Africa where life is both a challenge and an opportunity. Succeeding beyond his wildest

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The Agony Abides: An Anthology by Bronwen Wrigley (Waveney, £8.99)

I KNOW what my mother would have said if I’d shown her the title of this book: “It’s being so cheerful...” Bronwen Wrigley has been in poor health for many years and she has compiled this book of quotations as a means of psychotherapy to help her

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Stone Cold by Peter Taylor (Hale, £18.99)

FORMER gypsy prize-fighter, Henry Torrance has served his time for killing fellow bare-knuckle fighter, Bull Jackson, and only hopes for a quiet future. But the past rears its ugly head in the shape of a fight challenge from the criminal Jackson

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Monty's Manor: Colin Montgomerie And The Ryder Cup by Iain Carter (Yellow Jersey, £16.99)

Monty's Manor: Colin Montgomerie And The Ryder Cup by Iain Carter (Yellow Jersey, £16.99) MONTY’S Manor gets right inside Colin Montgomerie’s Ryder Cup history from his debut in 1991 right up to and including last year’s exciting spectacle at Celtic

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Aristocracy: A Very Short Introduction by William Doyle (OUP, £7.99)

Aristocracy: A Very Short Introduction by William Doyle (OUP, £7.99) THE main conclusions to be drawn from this study are that the aristocracy, in one form or another, seems to be indestructible, and that it has an endless fascination for “lesser

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The Abbey Inn, Byland, Thirsk

Soup in a teapot, parnsips in the sugar bowl and nutmeg in the milk jug are all part of lunch at Byland Abbey Inn. THE White Horse of Kilburn, long indistinguishable from the insurmountable snow, now lies impenetrable in the murk. A mile or

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Return of Yes men

Jonathan Lynn and Sir Antony Jay reveal how they decided to bring back Yes Prime Minister as a stage comedy. Viv Hardwick reports. NOW a Coalition government sits in the House of Commons – for the moment – has politics really changed since

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Bargain hunt

Counter the VAT rise with some savvy shopping. Lisa Haynes reveals the best ways to bag a bargain during sales season. WITH manic present buying and festive trolley dashes behind us, you might think queuing up at the tills would be bottom of our

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Feathering your nest?

Family-run interiors shop Seymour’s of Darlington counts Hollywood film stars as well as locals among its customers – and now is the time to pick up a bargain. As the outlet holds its January sale, Ruth Addicott discovers its attractions. IT’S easy

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Sharon swamped in Arizona desert

HOWEVER valiantly she put first foot forward, however steady on the protein drinks, our old friend Sharon Gayter has begun the New Year with an ultra-hangover. For the past 13 years, the gallant Gayter has been Britain’s No 1 female 24-hour

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The 46th word

PETER Mullen’s piece on this year’s 400th anniversary of the King James version of the Bible interested me (Echo, Jan 4). William Shakespeare would have been 46 when the King James version was first published. In Psalm 46, the 46th word from the

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Zurbarans

DR Bob McManners showed an unfortunate choice of words to defend the Zurbaran paintings in Auckland Castle when he referred to “religious treasures” and the “family silver” (Echo, Jan 4). Jesus said: “Do not store up for yourself treasure on earth

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Back to work

DAVID Cameron has launched a bid to help 40,000 jobless get back into work by using their unemployment benefit to set up a business. The Enterprise Zones are similar to Margaret Thatcher’s Enterprise Allowances of the Eighties, but with one major

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Expenses

THERE is a very strong possibility that MPs are going to get their way again and that the Parliamentary expense system is to be relaxed to their advantage. The electorate was promised a strict system to control MPs’ expenditure and uncover any

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Sober reflections

An illuminating and strangely intoxicating occasion lit the way to the New Year at Ripon Cathedral. THE One Eyed Rat in Allhallowgate, Ripon, said by the Good Beer Guide to be “everything a good cask ale house should be”, is coal-fired and convivial

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Police authority

I WOULD like to reply to Peter Thompson, chairman of Durham Police Authority, about allowances (HAS, Dec 20). He said after taking independent advice, the authority adopted a basic allowance at the minimum range which from December 2009 was £8,623

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Socialism

THE Socialist Party was formed in 1904 following a split in The Social Democratic Federation. We have used the abbreviation of our name, The Socialist Party GB, for some 40 years. In the last decade, Militant Tendency, obviously in an attempt

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Global warming

FURTHER to Andrew Stephenson’s letter about global warming, (HAS, Jan 4). I’m not surprised to hear of further distortions of the truth by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). As another example, photos showing the reduced snow

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Wonder of Wonder Woman

IT seems that Hollywood and movie fans all over the world have gone superhero crazy. The big screen has produced successful blockbusters like Batman, Spiderman, Iron Man and The Fantastic Four. The Green Hornet opens in UK cinemas this month,

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Dishing out a hell of a beating

After England secured a first series win in Australia for 24 years yesterday morning, Assistant Editor Scott Wilson wallows in the warm afterglow of success. ROLF Harris, Kylie Minogue, Natalie Imbruglia, Crocodile Dundee, Kevin Rudd, Mark Schwarzer

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Darlington match on, following pitch inspection

DARLINGTON'S match at home to AFC Wimbleton will go ahead this afternoon following a lunchtime pitch inspection at the Northern Echo Arena. Local referee Steve Smith inspected the pitch this morning and, due to parts of the playing surface

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A logistical nightmare

I HAVE been suffering from logistics. It is an excruciating condition. You may recognise the symptoms. A sufferer has a card in one hand, a phone in the other and repeatedly bangs their head against a brick wall. Logistics is a word that you only

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Rebuilding confidence

PARLIAMENT was badly damaged by the MPs’ expenses scandal. It left taxpayers wondering who they could trust with their money and undermined democracy. Our political system was left with a long way to go to rebuild confidence and yesterday’s jailing

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Blaydon cast around in desperate bid to end break

WITH most North-East rugby teams not having played for seven weeks, prospects for a return to action today look mixed. National One duo, Blaydon and Tynedale, hope to play, although the Crow Trees pitch was rock hard yesterday, forcing Blaydon

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Newcastle Falcons 19 Sale Sharks 19

Newcastle Falcons 19 Sale Sharks 19 TIM Swinson scored a try three minutes from time for Newcastle Falcons to scramble a draw with Sale at Kingston Park last night. Sale were in control of the Aviva Premiership match when they led 19-9 halfway

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FA Vase

SHILDON manager Gary Forrest is hoping that his side’s enforced lay-off won’t affect their chances in their much-delayed third round FA Carlsberg Vase tie against Midland Alliance leaders Coalville. The Railwaymen have a tough enough task against

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Allotment trip allows Consett to bed in new signings

STL Northern League leaders Consett could have three new signings in their squad at West Allotment. Midfielder Mark Patterson has returned after a spell in the USA, while manager Kenny Lindoe has signed keeper Peter Jameson, who has just been

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French Opera looks pick of Henderson duo at Sandown

NICKY Henderson mounts a two-pronged attack on the 32Red Handicap Chase at Sandown, with narrow preference for the very smart French Opera. Last season’s Grand Annual Challenge Cup runner-up has been brought along steadily. While he might

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Liverpool cancel Hodgson briefing

LIVERPOOL spared manager Roy Hodgson another testing examination by the media by cancelling his pre-match press conference yesterday. The 63-year-old was due to give his weekly briefing at the club’s Melwood training ground at 1.30pm ahead

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Bentley loaned

BIRMINGHAM have agreed a deal to sign Tottenham winger David Bentley on loan for the rest of the season and have also had an offer accepted for Rangers striker Kenny Miller. Bentley is to undergo a medical this weekend before completing a temporary

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Hammers target Keane

WEST Ham are looking to sign Robbie Keane from Tottenham as manager Avram Grant targets three new players to save the club’s season. Keane has been told he can leave White Hart Lane in the January transfer window but Spurs want to sell the striker

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Smith reveals scare

MICHAEL Smith has revealed how his first goal at The Northern Echo Arena on Monday completed an emotional return to football for him and his family. Few Darlington fans are aware that the 19-year-old striker was told just 18 months ago that he

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Maktu is ready to strike

IT HAS been ten long and very quiet years since Pat Murphy saddled Supreme Glory to win the Welsh National, and today Murphy hopes Maktu can get him back in the limelight in the same race. The nine-year-old is ridden by 3lb claimer Michael Murphy

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Blatter feels privileges hurt England

FIFA president Sepp Blatter believes ‘‘resentment’’ of Britain’s special privileges on football’s world governing body may have harmed England’s 2018 World Cup bid. Last month England gained just two of the 22 FIFA votes as Russia triumphed

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Quakers add experienced Quinn to signing of Taylor

Quakers add experienced Quinn to signing of Taylor MARK Cooper pulled a rabbit out of the hat with the unexpected signing of Crawley Town defender Adam Quinn in time for today’s game against AFC Wimbledon. The Quakers look to record a double

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Martin out to defend his title

SUNDERLAND Harrier Patrick Martin is battling to throw off a troublesome ankle injury before the defence of his senior men’s title in today’s rearranged 105th North-East Cross Country Championships at Temple Park, South Shields. The 25-year-old

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The Insider January 8. 2011

BEFORE Newcastle United had delivered an emphatic master-class against West Ham on Wednesday, St James’ Park had already played host to a different kind of presentation. Over the course of this season the Football Association has been running

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Saturday Spotlight: Boro is in the blood for skipper Bates

Last month, Stockton-born Matthew Bates was appointed as Middlesbrough’s new captain. Assistant Editor Scott Wilson met the defender this week and discovered someone revelling in the responsibility of his new role. FOOTBALL, so we are constantly being

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Liddle out to spring shock on old pals

THERE will be a Middlesbrough reunion at Vicarage Road today and Hartlepool United’s Gary Liddle wants to inflict an FA Cup shock on some old friends. Andrew Taylor might have been forced to return to Teesside at the end of his loan from Boro

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The Legends: Areas to strenghthen

We asked The Legends, ‘What areas would you like to see your club strengthen during the January transfer window’? MALCOLM MACDONALD: I’m always very suspicious about the January transfer window and I prefer to avoid it. It’s very much emergency

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Mowbray keen not to go for a Burton

TONY Mowbray is hoping to avoid the kind of FA Cup upset he experienced as a player when he takes his Middlesbrough side to League Two Burton Albion this afternoon. Forty-four Football League places separate today’s opponents, but Mowbray knows

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Ipswich sack Keane

IPSWICH have confirmed that their search for a successor to Roy Keane is ‘‘at an advanced stage’’. Keane became the latest npower Championship manager to lose his job after a 20- month tenure at Portman Road was ended yesterday. Like Gordon

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Cats open contract talks with Boss

SUNDERLAND have opened talks with manager Steve Bruce over extending his contract. Bruce has 18 months remaining on his existing deal and has been touted as a possible successor to England boss Fabio Capello when he steps down after Euro 2012

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Bruce gunning for Ince with sights on cup run

STEVE BRUCE is thinking about ducking for cover when Paul Ince heads for Wearside today in case his former Manchester United team-mate pulls out a gun. Ince, the Notts County manager travelling to the Stadium of Light for an FA Cup third round

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Pardew wants to hang on to Leeds target Smith

ALAN Pardew insists midfielder Alan Smith is still a key member of his squad, despite rumours he could be sent out on loan during the January transfer window. The 30-year-old’s opportunities have been limited to six starts this season, with

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Westley wants a win

GRAHAM Westley has no interest in FA Cup history repeating itself when his Stevenage side face Newcastle this evening. The home side were a nonleague outfit when they came up against Kenny Dalglish’s Magpies in round four of 1997/98. Stevenage

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Magpies skipper keen on cup run

NEWCASTLE captain Kevin Nolan believes it is easier to get into Europe through the FA Cup than the Premier League and admits the Magpies are keen to go on a good cup run. The Tynesiders travel to League Two side Stevenage for their third-round

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Owen to stay at United

SIR Alex Ferguson is yet to speak with Michael Owen about his future – but he insists the former England striker has a big part to play this season. Owen has failed to make a meaningful contribution during his second season at Manchester United

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Clarke denies crisis

AUSTRALIA are not in crisis but must rebuild urgently from ‘‘rock bottom’’. After England had inflicted on them a third innings defeat of the 2010/11 Ashes and won the series 3-1 – a first outright win for them down under since 1986/87 – standin

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It felt like home for Collingwood

ENGLAND may have broken a 24-year duck by beating Australia in their own back yard this winter but retiring batsman Paul Collingwood said celebrating with the Barmy Army made the SCG feel just like home. With rain hovering overhead the tourists

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Cook and Anderson stand out in superb team effort

ENGLAND’S cricketers have been so dominant over Australia, so utterly superior in every department, that it seems somewhat unfair to single out any of their players for special praise. This has been a team triumph in every sense of the word,

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Bruce looks to foreign loan market for boost

STEVE BRUCE aims to strengthen Sunderland’s depleted ranks by acquiring at least one new midfielder in the next week, with Inter Milan’s Sulley Muntari and highly-rated African Stephane Sessegnon in his sights. Bruce has been rocked by the

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Triumphant England are keen to keep improving

ENGLAND finished their triumphant Ashes series with a treasured piece of history in the bag, and a taste for more. It had seemed a formality since the end of day three in the final Test at Sydney that they would wrap up a series win. And so

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Sharp rise in rape charges – Deaths but cases still go unreported

A FREEDOM of Information request has revealed a sharp rise in rape charges in County Durham this year. It also showed false reporting, or reports later not classed as a crime, doubled in Cleveland over the past five years. Campaigners believe

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Heroic officer supports fundraising run

THE policeman shot in the face and blinded by fugitive gunman Raoul Moat has thrown his support behind a fundraising event for injured officers and servicemen. PC David Rathband travelled to Billingham, Teesside, to meet the three Cleveland

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Police officer will get award for saving man

A POLICE officer who talked a Durham man out of throwing himself off a railway viaduct has been honoured with a life-saving award. PC Phillip Boyd, 30, put his life on the line to save the man who was perched on the viaduct in Durham City.

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87-year-old dies in rush hour collision

AN 87-year-old woman has died following a fourvehicle rush hour collision during which her car ended up on its roof. The accident took place in Ripon, at about 5.30pm, on Thursday. The woman, who has not been identified, was driving her blue

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River rescuers awarded for their bravery

THE bravery of four men who attempted to save the life of a North-East canoeist who became trapped under a rock in a fast flowing river has been recognised. Simon Fletcher, a member of the Tees Tigers Canoe Club, died in April last year as

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Jobs growing as solar panels shine brighter

A COUNTY Durham company is recruiting 40 staff to help meet demand in the booming renewable energy industry. Cleaner Air Solutions, based in Meadowfield, Durham, is one of Europe’s leading suppliers and installers of solar photovoltaic (PV)

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Bates is Middlesbrough's new hometown hero

FOOTBALL, so we are constantly being told, has changed. Gone are the days when a player would grow up supporting his hometown team, devote three or four years to breaking into their senior squad and then spend the best days of his career wearing the

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Now that season is over it’s recycle time

A SENIOR councillor is urging residents to recycle cards and real trees from the festive season. Until Friday, undecorated Christmas trees can be left at 13 collection points around the borough of Darlington so they can be turned into wood

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Market report

THE FTSE 100 Index closed in the red for a second straight session yesterday after a mixed report on the US jobs market. Closely-watched government data showed the US unemployment rate fell to its lowest level in almost two years last month,

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Warning over end of regional agency

AN academic expert on regional development believes expertise vital to the North-East’s economic progress will be lost when the Government replaces One North East with Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs). In October, Tees Valley Unlimited was

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Gang locked up for smuggling 10m cigs

A GANG of cigarette smugglers has been jailed for more than 11 years after sneaking ten million illicit cigarettes into the UK. The gang members, who appeared at Newcastle Crown Court yesterday, evaded almost £2m in taxes through the illegal

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Woman fears for health after her boiler burst

A WOMAN believes that she has been left living in unhealthy conditions after her burst boiler flooded her home just before Christmas. A friend of Lesley Lancaster contacted The Northern Echo after she became concerned about her health. The

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Teenager convicted of baiting badgers

A TEENAGER was last night banned from keeping animals for five years after he was convicted of hunting badgers in woodland with dogs. When police opened the van belonging to 19-year-old Matthew Swinbank, they feared someone had been stabbed to

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Fuel protest threat in prices double shock

As motorists returned to work in the New Year they were hit by a double duty whammy of a fuel tax increase and the rise in VAT. Vicki Henderson looks at how the price rises have affected drivers as fuel costs hit record levels. around the region.

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Tributes to woman, 50, after town centre tragedy

THE partner of a woman who died after she was found unconscious outside a telephone kiosk has paid tribute to her. Police were initially treating the death of grandmother Jean Bennett, 50, as suspicious or unexplained. But last night, they said

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Variety show to raise funding for services charity

A SPECTACULAR variety show is to be staged in honour of British soldiers serving in Afghanistan. Tickets are on sale now for the Salute Our Heroes concert which will be held in Middlesbrough Theatre at 7.30pm on Saturday, February 12. If the

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War veteran appeals for return of his stolen wheelchair

A FALKLANDS War veteran is appealing for the return of a wheelchair believed stolen from outside his home. The 48-year-old, from Guisborough, East Cleveland, was medically retired from the Armed Services and suffers back pain. “On Wednesday,

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Youth theatre group seeking members

A POPULAR youth theatre group is once again accepting expressions of interest from prospective students. The waiting list for the Youth Theatre group, at the Georgian Theatre Royal, in Richmond, North Yorkshire, had been closed because of the

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Carer spared prison despite ‘mean’ offences

A CARER who stole thousands of pounds from an elderly dementia sufferer walked free from court – so her three-year-old daughter was not punished. Michelle Fleetham was told by a judge that she should have been going straight to prison for what

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War widow dedicating her life to bereaved children

Karen Upton was devastated when her hero husband, Sean, was killed in action. Now, nearly 18 months on, she is changing lives with her charity work. Andy Walker reports. THE Uptons – mother Karen and her children, Ewan and Hollie – still talk about