Archive
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Man charged with murdering Jo Yeates
A 32-year-old man has been charged with the murder of landscape architect Joanna Yeates, police said. Vincent Tabak will face Bristol Magistrates' Court on Monday accused of killing the 25-year-old. Detective Chief Inspector Phil Jones, who led the
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City says farewell to axed aircraft carrier
THOUSANDS of people turned out to say farewell to the crew of the axed aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal as they paraded through the ship's home city. About 250 sailors marched through Portsmouth, Hampshire, to celebrate the close affiliation
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One change for Magpies
ALAN Pardew makes one change to the side that drew with Sunderland last weekend.Danny Guthrie comes in for Alan Smith, who suffered ankle ligament damage in the draw at the Stadium of Light with the midfielder set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
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Zenden recalled at Blackpool
SUNDERLAND have recalled Bolo Zenden to the midfield for their first match since the departure of Darren Bent at Blackpool. Bent's £24m move to Aston Villa last Tuesday has left manager Steve Bruce short of attacking options and Asamoah Gyan
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Hines in for Wheater at Boro
DAVID WHEATER'S place in the Boro line-up has been filled by Seb Hines for the visit of Preston North End at the Riverside today. Wheater's midweek transfer to Bolton Wanderers has seen Tony Mowbray launch a search for a replacement, but – for
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Quakers make two changes
Darlington are looking for their third win of the season over Tamworth today after the match passed a midday pitch inspection.After freezing temperatures on two consecutive nights an inspection was required at The Lamb Ground, but referee Dave Bond gave
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Skipper Collins back for Pools
SAM Collins, the Hartlepool United skipper, makes his return to action. He lines up in central defence after a four-game absence following knee ligament trouble. He replaces Armann Bjornsson who drops to the bench. James Brown has not recovered
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Who will win?
This year’s National Television Awards promise to be a closely fought contest. Steve Pratt looks at the nominations. WHO would win a fight between Doctor Who and Sherlock Holmes? Would his sonic screwdriver give the time lord the edge
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Which way to surrogacy?
WELL, it worked for Elton John and David Furnish so why not for Christian and Syed in EastEnders (BBC1)? The bespectacled pop person and his partner have welcomed a surrogate baby into their family and what a pop legend does one day, Walford gay
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British exports
THIS week I saw a preview of ITV’s new supernatural drama series Marchlands. And very good it is too, interweaving the stories of three families living in the same house in the Sixties, Eighties and the present day – all haunted by the spirit of
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Mixed emotions
Sex scenes are far from sexy when there’s a crowd watching, Mila Kunis tells Steve Pratt. "IMAGINE,” says Hollywood actress Mila Kunis, “me saying, ‘nice to meet you, now take off your clothes and let’s have sex with a hundred people watching’.”
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The Saturday interview: Feathered fiends
Steve Pratt talks to the stars of Black Swan and finds out about the precious and punishing world of the ballerina. Natalie Portman has reason to smile. The 29-year-old’s acclaimed performance as a tortured ballet dancer in Black Swan has just
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Safely packaged
Some travel agents are saying the chaos in Tunisia could reaffirm the value of the package holiday, Jeremy Gates reports. THE speedy evacuation of more than 3,000 British tourists from the violence of the Tunisian uprising could further boost
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Last tango in Lyon
Caroline Hendrie is aflutter with excitement while exploring the historical and gastronomic delights of Lyon. PAUSING to consult my map on the pavements of France’s elegant second city, I found myself in excellent company. Leaning from the windows
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Man's body found in woodland
THE body of a man in his 40s was found by a dog walker on Teesside this morning. Police were called to the scene, in a wooded area near Kingsport Close, Portrack, Stockton, at 9am. A spokeswoman for Cleveland Police said the death was not being treated
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Wishing on a star
Lisa Salmon finds her sea legs as she scoops up her nearest and dearest and whisks them away on a family friendly cruise in the beautiful Mediterranean Sea. ASHOOTING star arced across the Mediterranean night sky as I relaxed on the cruise
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Patterson’s Curse by Anne Ousby (Roomtowrite, £6.99)
PATTERSON’S Curse is a plant in the Western Cape of South Africa. It is pretty, tough and an alien, not welcome there. Just like Kate Vantonde, an Englishwoman married to Pete, an Afrikaner. When he dies in a car crash, she is left to carry on
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Chapman’s Odyssey by Paul Bailey (Bloomsbury, £16.99)
VETERAN wordsmith Paul Bailey makes a welcome return to the world of fiction with his first novel since 2003’s Uncle Rudolf, and revisits familiar themes from his lauded canon. Chapman’s Odyssey follows the unravelling of the life of actor turned
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Love story
Fancy a romantic weekend away for Valentine’s Day? Then you won’t have far to go to enjoy some home-grown delights. THE North is home to some of the most romantic and dramatic love stories ever told. The region’s countryside and coastline
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Passion for Speed by Nick Mason and Mark Hales (Carlton Books, £25)
WHAT this book achieves that others of its ilk do not is to make the reader feel like they are actually behind the wheel of the cars in question. If read in conjunction with the audio CD of engine sounds – a word that does not do justice to the
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Vicki Butler-Henderson’s 100 Sexiest Cars (Carlton books, £19.99)
ONE of my claims to fame is that I once spent a week staring longingly into Vicki Butler-Henderson’s eyes. She didn’t realise and will long have forgotten the gawky work experience lad who sat across the way from her at a now defunct motoring
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India: A Portrait by Patrick French (Allen Lane, £25)
SINCE gaining independence in 1947, India has changed beyond recognition. Having already provided an account of the country’s road to partition in his best seller Liberty Or Death, Patrick French now takes the opportunity to examine the social
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Aaron answers the call
Geordie singer Aaron Bayley briefly tasted stardom when he reached the final line-up of Pop Idol in 2001. Now a surprise invitation has come his way, says Viv Hardwick. DESPITE helping to create the monsters of TV entertainment like The X Factor
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County counsel
LIKE the once-hallowed day itself, Sunday lunch is much changed. These days it’s not so much a moveable feast as an elastic one, 9pm the latest at which we’ve seen it advertised. It may only be a matter of time (of course) before a note
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Diminutive Joe looks back at a packed night at Feethams
NAT LOFTHOUSE’S passing last weekend recalled, as well it might, the night 60 years ago that 21,023 squeezed somehow into Feethams to watch the Quakers play Bolton Wanderers. It recalled, too, the career of Joe Rayment, Darlington’s diminutive
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Muslims
THE governor of the Punjab is assassinated. Christians are murdered and hounded out of Iraq. And, sure as night follows day, Pete Winstanley claims this is the responsibility of “extremists” and “not a conflict between one religion and another
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Suicide solution?
JIM ALLAN is right to quote Titus Petronius and his view on constant “massive reforms” (HAS, Jan 19). When I was teaching I had this quote prominently displayed by my desk. What Jim omitted to mention was that Titus Petronius committed suicide
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Sad day
I WAS saddened to read about the cancellation of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme by Darlington Borough Council (HAS, Jan 19). The scheme in Darlington was one of the most successful in the North-East, due to the commitment of Judy Bowerbank
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Useful idiots
GOOD people of County Durham rejoice! At long last the Westminster politicians have recognised you. You are no longer regarded as idiots, but as useful idiots. When the Government has an idea to inflict on us all it is tried out in a “muggins
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Absentee fathers
A report in its own newspaper warns of difficulty and decline in the Roman Catholic Church. There’s some optimism nonetheless. NORTHERN Cross – acclaimed, informed and almost coincidentally tabloid – is the monthly newspaper of the Tweed-to-Tees
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Wrong number
MY telephone provider has charged the increased rate of VAT on my telephone bill. This includes a 20 per cent charge on all calls made up to the date of the bill, from October 3, last year, to January 2. I felt this was unfair, as the VAT rate
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Catholic confusion
FOR Heaven’s sake, can’t the journalists get this straight once and for all? It is the Roman Catholic Church whose head is the Pope. All Christians are catholic because their vision is (as the word implies) universal. St James’s church (small
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Darryl Melvin: Joseph William Mallaby
DARRYL MELVIN is trying to find information on descendants of a man born at the end of the 19th century. He was Joseph William Mallaby, born circa 1884 in Durham. He married Edith Mary Hogarth in October 1905, with whom he had children Edith Mary Mallaby
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Unions
WHY are there so many job cuts? If the jobs these people were doing are not needed why were they in these positions in the first place? I wonder how many private companies are seizing their chance to make redundancies knowing the unions have
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Cuts
IF we are expected to believe that all the cuts imposed by the Government are really necessary, then let them lead by cutting the number of MPs by at least ten per cent. This could easily be achieved by slightly extending the size of constituencies
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Money for the mob
I AGREE entirely with Mrs S Harnby’s letter, Switching Sides, published in The Northern Echo on January 17. As far as I can see, the only beneficiaries of the European Union are MEPs. I don’t understand why people are not more vociferous in their
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Alan Johmson
ALAN JOHNSON’S shock resignation as Shadow Chancellor met with immediate speculation as to the reasons for his decision. Surely, the speculation is just knockabout politics? Well, maybe. The pressures of private life and the impact on political
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Mining a rich legacy of potash
ABOUT 270 million years ago, part of the North-East was beneath the Zechstein Sea. This week, it was announced that it is hoped to dig the seabed up again, creating 5,000 jobs in the search for potash – the mineral which made North America. Somewhere
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Spinning a different tale
Alastair Campbell reckons he’s mellowed since his frenetic days as Tony Blair’s spin doctor, but he tells Hannah Stephenson that he sometimes misses being in the thick of it. ALASTAIR CAMPBELL is not happy. His partner, Cherie Blair’s former
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A gamble too risky
TO swim in the murky whirlpool of 24-hour news, political leaders increasingly feel the need to appoint spin doctors from the other side of the fence. Tony Blair had Alastair Campbell. David Cameron had Andy Coulson – both with tabloid backgrounds
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Lavelle banks on fitness of Crack Away Jack at Ascot
EMMA LAVELLE is confident Crack Away Jack is fit enough to do himself justice as he makes his eagerly anticipated return in the Victor Chandler Chase at Ascot today. The seven-year-old’s novice campaign was cut short by injury and he was last
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Master Minded can get Nicholls back on victory trail
PAUL Nicholls suffered a shock reverse with Kauto Star at Kempton last week, but Master Minded can get the show back on the road at Ascot. The Ditcheat handler’s runners just do not seem to be firing on all cylinders at the moment, but nevertheless
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Saturday Spotlight: Georgie is not a typical world champion
Georgie Rutherford last week received the Sporting Excellence crown at the Local Heroes Awards in recognition of being named the World Triathlon Champion. But, despite her huge success, as she tells Sports Writer Steph Clark, Rutherford has never
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THE LEGENDS: How will Darren Bent’s departure affect Sunderland
We asked The Legends: How will Darren Bent’s departure affect Sunderland for the rest of the season? MICKY HORSWILL: “Its a little bit worrying because if we had Fraizer Campbell and Danny Welbeck fit it would not have been such a wrench. But
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Irish star threat to Figg
HOPEFULLY, Haydock can beat the frost and race, because there are not only Cheltenham clues, but Grand National ones as well. If it does pass its 8am inspection, The Peter Marsh Chase at 3.15 is full of Aintree hopefuls, including the Howard
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The Insider
WHEN Darren Bent joined Aston Villa on Tuesday, he completed a transfer worth around £24m. Sunderland, however, have actually ended the week worse off than they started. Not only have they ended a week without a 25-goal a season striker, they
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Frost a threat to in-form Quakers
DARLINGTON’S game at Tamworth today is in the balance after freezing temperatures meant a pitch inspection was necessary yesterday afternoon. A local referee gave the fixture the go-ahead after a hot air blower was used to soften parts of the
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Wheater relishes change
DAVID Wheater’s football world has been turned upside down – and he could not be happier. Instead of finding himself locked in a fight with Middlesbrough to avoid relegation to England’s third tier, he has set his sights much higher. The 23
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Pools out to spoil Posh reunion party
ON TUESDAY, Hartlepool United stifled any thoughts Bristol Rovers had about celebrating the appointement of their new boss Dave Penney. This afternoon they are out to do the same again, this time at Peterborough, where Darren Ferguson takes charge
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Preston sorry for Brown’s ‘untrue’ comments over Boro unrest
PRESTON NORTH END last night apologised to Middlesbrough over comments made by manager Phil Brown that there is player unrest at the Riverside. Brown was quoted as saying that the Boro squad was unsettled because they had not been paid. And
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‘Wheater will be England regular’
TONY McMAHON has backed former team-mate David Wheater to win a regular place in the England squad and admits the defender will be a big miss for Middlesbrough. The Redcar-born stopper completed his move to Premier League side Bolton Wanderers
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Harry is no fan of the Blues
TOTTENHAM manager Harry Redknapp has slammed Birmingham over their conduct during Robbie Keane’s failed transfer to St Andrew’s. Spurs accepted Blues’ £6m bid for Keane last week before the Midlands outfit pulled the plug on the deal, claiming
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Under-fire Villa manager insists his conscience is clear
ASTON Villa boss Gerard Houllier will lose no sleep over Steve Bruce’s verbal outburst against him regarding the transfer of Darren Bent - and has accused the Sunderland boss of being ungracious. Houllier came out all guns blazing in response
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Leading role for Gyan
“It takes time and Asa has scored more goals than Bent from open play; he’s a good player and now he’s our only striker. “We expect him to come to the table. The only thing is if something happens to him then we’re truly goosed. He’ll relish
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Holloway admires Bruce’s progress
BLACKPOOL boss Ian Holloway can understand Steve Bruce’s shock that Darren Bent would want to leave what the manager is building at Sunderland. Today, Holloway’s side host the Black Cats, who will be without top scorer Bent following his decision
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Mowden looking to build on their impressive win over Chester
AFTER knocking Chester out of second place in National Three North last Saturday, Darlington Mowden Park must try to do the same to hosts Bradford and Bingley. The Bees have moved one point ahead of Chester and are seven ahead of fourthplaced
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Hodgson handed chance
PROMISING teenager Joel Hodgson will be handed the chance to prove he can handle the first-team stage when the Newcastle Falcons talent is asked to cause problems in Bourgoin tonight. After shining from the bench in last Friday night’s 6- 0 defeat
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Miller determined to win gold again
STEPHEN Miller has vowed to treat his fourth IPC World Athletics Championship appearance the same as his first as he attempts to maintain his run of returning home with gold from every one. The 30-year-old is one of Britain’s most decorated
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Hood and Martin return
FORMER North-East cross country champions Mark Hood and Patrick Martin return to action after injury tomorrow as Sunderland Harriers defend the senior men’s title they won in 2009 at the Durham Cathedral Relays. The popular event fell victim
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Strauss left frustrated by bad day at the office
ENGLAND captain Andrew Strauss lamented a ‘‘very poor day’’ after his side relinquished a strong position for the second successive game against Australia to lose the second one-day international in Hobart by 46 runs. England had looked in complete
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Wozniacki eases through
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI has been trying to change perceptions of herself ever since she rose to the number one ranking and she showed no sign of letting up yesterday. The Dane’s ascent to the top of the women’s game was achieved without a grand slam
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Federer pleased with progress and fitness
ROGER FEDERER was pleased with his progress – and his fitness – after cruising into the fourth round of the Australian Open yesterday. The Swiss had to endure a tough five-setter against Gilles Simon on Wednesday, but showed no ill-effects as
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Paedophile was ‘slightly relieved’ at being caught
A PAEDOPHILE told detectives he was “slightly relieved” when they arrested him on suspicion of abusing a child. Gary Smith immediately confessed to the allegations and told officers he was brave enough to face up to the consequences of his
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Man arrested after three hours on roof
A MAN was taken to hospital for treatment to self-inflicted injuries following a three-hour stand-off. Redcar town centre was cordoned off after the man climbed onto the roof of buildings in the town’s High Street. An armed response team was
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Market report
THE FTSE 100 Index staged a mini-fightback yesterday on the back of gains made by banking and mining stocks, but it was still more than 100 points down on the week. The FTSE took a pasting on Wednesday and Thursday, dropping 188 points in two
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Tax-efficient treats deal
ONE of the Yorkshire Dales’ oldest inns has launched a tax-saving incentive package for businesses following its recent upgrade. The 17th Century Wensleydale Heifer, which has recently undergone a £400,000 expansion to create a boutique hotel
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Green energy optimism despite turbine setback
LEADING figures in the North-East renewable energy sector are remaining upbeat, in spite of the announcement that Teesside had missed out on a potential 700 jobs boost. German energy firm Siemens has chosen to build its new £80m wind turbine
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Ill health led to child porn ‘obsession’
A HEALTH service administrator became “obsessed” with child pornography while on leave with a stress-related illness. Anthony Hargreaves was found to have amassed a collection of 49,978 indecent images of children by the time police removed
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Marathon effort for hospice
A HOSPICE is asking runners to step up to a marathon challenge to help celebrate its 25th anniversary. St Teresa’s Hospice, in Darlington, wants to find 25 volunteers to run 25 marathons in aid of the charity, as it marks its silver anniversary
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City could see alternative to rising bollard
AFTER nearly a decade of tormenting motorists in their thousands, the days of a city’s rising bollard could be numbered. Durham County Council chiefs want to replace the bollard, which polices Durham’s city centre toll charge, with Automatic Number
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Official only aware restraints routinely used following death
A SENIOR official said he only became aware physical restraints were being routinely used to get young inmates to obey orders through a report carried out after the death of a teenager in a secure training unit. Peter Mant, the contracts manager
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Tired driver jailed over soldier death
A SLEEP-DEPRIVED Portuguese van driver who ploughed into the back of a stationary car, killing a North Yorkshire soldier, has been jailed for two years and eight months. Joao-Paulo Agusto Garcia, 32, was under pressure from his bosses and had
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Two people saved from blazing flat
TWO people were last night rescued by firefighters from a blazing shop as the roof of the building threatened to collapse. Crews were called to the Best Foodstore and Off Licence, in Old Halls Road, Delves Lane, Consett, County Durham, at about
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Helping son to leave his mark on the world
A BRAVE couple, who lost their three-month-old baby to a rare muscular condition, are backing a fundraising campaign set up in his memory. John and Tracey Chad, of Parkside, Darlington, said they were honoured to be asked by Butterwick House
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Chariots of fur
THE UK’S first rabbit Grand National will be held in the region next weekend. British bunnies have been in training to take on four of Sweden’s finest jumpers at the Yorkshire Event Centre, in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, on January 29 and 30
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Boy admits endangering holiday jet carrying 220
A TEENAGER has admitted endangering a holiday passenger jet carrying 220 passengers by shining a laser pen into its cockpit. The 17-year-old has also admitted doing the same thing to a police helicopter that was called out shortly afterwards
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Blair’s regrets ‘too late’ say families
TONY BLAIR faced angry cries of “too late” yesterday when he expressed regret for the huge loss of life caused by the Iraq War – a year after being criticised for failing to do so. Families of dead soldiers shouted from the public gallery after
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Town pauses for a son, husband and hero
THE wife of a bomb disposal expert killed in Afghanistan led emotional tributes to her husband yesterday as hundreds of family members, friends and comrades gathered for his funeral. Warrant Officer Class 2 Charlie Wood, from Middlesbrough
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Sleepover raises homeless awareness
PUPILS have been getting a taste of life on the streets as they raise money and awareness of homeless charity for young people. More than 40 youngsters slept in the hall of St Bernadette’s RC Primary School, in Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough, to
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Dog found covered in knife wounds
A TORTURED dog was found with knife wounds and covered in scars, the RSPCA said last night. The six-month-old Staffordshire bull terrier was found wandering in Dawdon Close, Stockton, with a gash in its head. When RSPCA officer Nick Jones arrived
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Exhibition launches 150th anniversary celebrations
CELEBRATIONS marking the 150th anniversary of the creation of a town have begun. An exhibition at Saltburn, east Cleveland, includes a log book showing the number of people who crossed the nowdemolished Halfpenny Bridge in the 1880s, a bridge
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Anger as NHS loses prisons contract
A LEAKED email has revealed that a £53m contract to provide prison health care went to the cheapest tender from a private company, even though the existing NHS provider offered a better quality service. The email from Les Morgan, the chief operating
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Teenager hit by police car on 999 call
A 19-YEAR-OLD man is in hospital after being struck by a marked police car on an emergency call. Police said the incident took place at 1.24am on Windsor Road in Saltburn, east Cleveland. The 19-year-old pedestrian, who is from the Middlesbrough area
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Businesses warning over impact of fuel cost rises
COMPANIES in the region will be forced to freeze wages and cancel recruitment drives if fuel prices continue to rise, it is claimed. Business leaders say the high price of fuel is having a disproportionate impact on the area because of the region
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Court told of murder suspect’s frantic dash
A MURDER suspect ran into a pub and asked stunned drinkers for help moments after his girlfriend fell from a multi-storey car park roof, a court heard yesterday. Shaun Foley, 45, from Torquay, Devon, ran into the pub saying his girlfriend Teresa
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Robbers hunted after two men attacked in Middlesbrough within an hour
TWO men were attacked by robbers within an hour of each other in the same area of Middlesbrough. The incidents happened last night in the Beechwood and Grove Hill areas of the town. A spokesman for Cleveland Police said last night: "The first occurred
