Archive
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Author to switch on museum's lights
A CHILDREN'S author will switch on the Christmas lights at a museum. Anne Fine, who has written more than 40 books for children, including Madame Doubtfire, will perform the honours at Bowes Museum, in Barnard Castle, on Friday. A tree, which
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Gang throws stones at Spennymoor motorists
POLICE are hunting stone throwing youths who targeted cars on a busy road and who smashed one driver’s windscreen. The four youngsters were spotted around 2.35pm on the A688 at Middlestone Moor, near Spennymoor, on Saturday, November 19.
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Youngsters taken on as toy testers by Bishop Auckland supermarket
CHILDREN gave shoppers a helping hand to decide what Christmas presents to buy youngsters as they became toy-testers. The group of youngsters visited Sainsbury’s, in Bishop Auckland, to hand out top tips for festive present buyers. Four
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Council sorry after error gives green light for phone mast
A COUNCIL has apologised after an administrative error led to a telephone firm securing planning permission for a 15m-high mast, despite the proposals having been thrown out by officers. Amid opposition from nearby residents, Durham County Council refused
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Diana's 'second husband' tells of life with the stars
Watching the trial of Michael Jackson's doctor reminded Harry Shaw of his days as a friend of the stars. Chris Webber met the father-of-13, who was a postman by day and London mayor by night HE may have been a humble forklift truck driver and postman
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Mother sobs as son jailed for selling cannabis
A MOTHER sobbed in the public gallery of a court as she saw her son jailed for selling cannabis to his friends and possessing mephedrone. Daniel McConnell was jailed for nine months after Judge Peter Fox rejected a plea for mercy from the 25year-old's
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Over the edge for Scout fund
STUDENTS who conquered their fear of heights raised nearly £1,200 for Scouts. The teenagers, from Prior Pursglove College, Guisborough, abseiled off the town's viaduct in support of the 3rd Guisborough Scouts. They raised £1,180.35 towards helping
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Stay alert for purse thieves
POLICE are urging people to keep their bags and purses secure as shopping centres get busier. On Tuesday, purses were taken from the handbags of two elderly women and cash stolen in Tesco, West Dyke Road, Redcar. The purses were later found in
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Respond to project's beck and call
A TOWN renowned for its steel works will be getting in touch with its nature. Children's crafts, woodworking demonstrations, willow weaving and bulb planting will be taking place at Charlbury Community Centre, next Saturday, from 11am to 3pm.
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£17.8m school and youth centre unveiled
DESIGNS have been unveiled for amulti-million pound secondary school and adjoining youth centre in Stockton. Artist's impressions of the £17.8m North Shore Health Academy and Myplace, in Norton, are now on display. The academy will be built on
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Global view helps school to international award
A SCHOOL'S global studies and partnerships have been recognised with an international award and cash prize. Teesdale School, in Barnard Castle, won the British Council's International School of the Year award and £5,000 for its work on expanding pupils
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Sister Act, Sunderland Empire
STICKING a nun’s habit on a showgirl who’s witnessed a murder, hiding her in a convent and transforming her into a choir mistress sounds like a crazy idea. Put Whoopi Goldberg in the lead part, make a couple of films and you have a blockbuster.
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In search of Mirela
The Lost Orphan: Mirela’s Story (Channel 5, 10pm) The Choir: Military Wives (BBC2, 9pm) Britain’s Greatest Codebreaker (Channel 4, 9pm) NATALIE PINKHAM is no stranger to Channel 5. She’s known to frequent its schedules hosting, or appearing in
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NightSafe Marshalls
HAMBLETON District Council has secured Home Office funding to employ “NightSafe Marshalls” to offer assistance and support to North Yorkshire Police officers in a bid to tackle drunken behaviour at weekends. There was a time when uniformed officers
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Lighting the way in the gloom
THERE’S no shortage of gloom at the moment with the crisis in the Eurozone, growing unemployment, and public sector cuts really starting to hit home. At the time of writing, the announcement of the plan to close the Arts Centre in Darlington had
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Prison sentence
I THINK we can all agree that nobody deserves to be attacked or be the victim of a workplace violence incident, regardless of the severity of the incident. Workplace violence tends to be an emotionally charged topic. This can make it difficult
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Tax
DOG dirt is sometimes just left or bagged and left in bushes, but these are not the actions of the majority. Calls for dog licenses to be reintroduced are unfounded. It would be yet another cowardly tax in the same vein as tax on alcohol to stop
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Pensions
READING Sharon Griffiths’ column (Echo, Nov 11) I was angred by her remarks about having to “chip in” to public sector pensions. I worked in the public sector for 40 years. You took a low paid job because it was supposedly secure. That is not
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Capitalism
IT is astonishing that someone like Rev Peter Mullen can assert capitalism does not exist (Echo, Nov 15). Ed Miliband, the leader of the Labour Party addressing the Social Market Foundation clearly supported capitalism but drew the distinction
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Fireworks display
ONCE again, our annual free fireworks display on November 6 was a huge success. I would like to thank everyone concerned for for their help and support, including all the organisations who attended the event, our team of parish councillors, especially
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Chris Wardell
REGARDING Ricky Butler’s letter about Christopher Wardell being a pseudonym of a journalist at The Northern Echo (HAS, Nov 17) I wholeheartedly agree with his sentiments. I would also include Bernie Walsh with his incessant ramblings and pontifications
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Cockerton library
I CANNOT believe closing Cockerton branch library will produce any great savings for Darlington Council. Many elderly and retired people live in Cockerton. There is a large concentration of flats for retired people and homes for the elderly in
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Clueless
YOU know all hope is lost when the Governor of the Bank of England admits that he hasn’t a clue what is going to happen tomorrow, let alone next month. David Cameron’s Coalition are just as hopeless, plodding on hoping for a miracle. Unemployment
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Happy hour
THE price of tinned spaghetti is on the up, bus and train fares are increasing, a financial crisis is sweeping through Europe, there are cutbacks in every town and city, and Freddie Starr is out of I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here. It’s time
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Volunteers dig in to transform wasteland
VOLUNTEERS have transformed a patch of wasteland into a community garden. The 360-minute makeover challenge in South Bank involved staff from Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council and developer Gentoo brightening up derelict land next to the new £3.5m
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Salmon set to return to Derwent
SALMON, sea trout and eels are set to return to a North-east river for the first time in hundreds of years. Work has started on the River Derwent which will allow fish to reach spawning grounds in the upper reaches of the river, which runs from North
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Time for a ticking off
WE accept that £4,000 is a drop in the ocean when it is set in the context of public sector finances. But we keep getting told by under pressure council bosses that every penny counts in the face of the Government’s austerity drive which is leading
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Un-be-liev-able
Harry Mead is bowled over by a biography that delves into the complex character of cricketing Yorkshireman ‘Fiery’ Fred Trueman. FRED Trueman could never be other than himself. Result: he was often a caricature of himself. Just a year before
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Help to set police priority targets
PEOPLE are invited to tell Durham Police what they believe their priorities should be in fighting crime. The force, Durham Police Authority and community safety partners are inviting local people to have their say on what they view as the top policing
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Charity climber to tackle a volcano
A WOMAN plans to scale the world's highest active volcano to raise money for a North-East charity. Rachel Smith, 34, is taking on her second climb for children's autism charity Daisy Chain after catching the adrenaline bug. Mrs Smith, of Middleton
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Cockfield to Australia and back… part 4. By Viv Longstaff.
Well, my Australian holiday is over and on reflection it has truly been a holiday of a lifetime thanks to Caroline and Simon Rawson, who have opened up their home to me and made me feel like a member of the family. The night I arrived, I was tired
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Ritual theory over dumped pig heads
A BIZARRE initiation ritual could be behind nine pigs heads found dumped in a street. The skinned heads were reported to police after they were spotted lined up on the pavement in King Edwards Road, Middlesbrough. Environmental health
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Two all Northern League clashes in Vase third round draw.
There are two all Northern League ties in the draw for the last 64 of the FA Carlsberg Vase, made at lunchtime on Monday. Billingham Synthonia will face Consett at Central Avenue -- Synners beat Crook on Saturday -- while Spennymoor, one
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Williams leads the tributes for ex-keeper
RHYS WILLIAMS led the tributes from the Riverside Stadium after the son of former Middlesbrough team-mate Brad Jones lost his battle with leukaemia. It was Williams' idea for the Boro squad to wear black armbands in Saturday's 2-2 draw with Blackpool
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McDonald makes his point to Mowbray
MOOD SWINGS, tantrums and goals. Tony Mowbray is ready to put up with the first two provided Scott McDonald keeps delivering the latter to maintain Middlesbrough's promotion push this season. McDonald had already had a first half spat with team-mate
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Chefs cook up a fundraising treat
CHEFS from one of the Yorkshire Dales’ oldest inns are cooking up a hairy fundraising effort as part of an annual campaign to help raise awareness for male health charities. Craig Keenan, John Barley, Graeme Moss and Kristian Jurkiewilz, who are all
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Piercebridge perambulation
ONE of the things I love about this area is that it never fails to throw up unexpected fascinations. Last weekend we were trudging around Piercebridge in the mist and the murk. We took the footpath up from the bridge, through the stately gateposts and
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Men charged after suspected stolen car is pulled over
THREE men have been charged after they were allegedly caught in a stolen car with false number plates. Volunteers on a Border Watch patrol spotted themen in a Ford Fiesta, in NewtonMorrell, near Richmond, North Yorkshire, on Thursday, at 12.30pm.
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Beauty spot may get own support group
A NEW group could be set up to help safeguard and maintain a village beauty spot. Middleton St George Parish Council has been told that it should look into the possibility of setting up a Friends group for The Front, at Middleton One Row, which will
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Headteachers support the call for 20mph speed limit
A CAMPAIGN to reduce the speed limit on residential roads in Darlington has gained support from the town's headteachers. Of 24 headteachers who responded to a survey conducted by Darlington councillor Gerald Lee, 22 said they they would support a
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Plan to close public toilets 'sacrilege'
A VETERAN councillor has complained about the proposed closure of town centre public toilets as part of budget cuts. Darlington Borough Council is intending to close the East Row toilets, in the market square, next year. However, Conservative
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Bruce Springsteen signs up for Sunderland stadium show
A HAT-TRICK of major music events will be staged in the North-East next summer with confirmation of a third spectacular stadium show. Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band will be at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light for one night only, on Thursday, June
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Run Geordie Run bags award
MARK ALLISON - aka Run Geordie Run - has been onoured as the North East England Communicator of the Year 2011 at the Pride awards hosted by the North East Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR). He received the special award for his communication
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Rollercoaster of a week
What a rollercoaster it's been this week. I've been ill as I've had a bad couple of days with the M.E. so I've spent those days sleeping due to the headaches, queasy feelings and general tiredness. Worse still, this resulted in me having to
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Councils ticked off after racking up needless bills calling speaking clock
COUNCILS in the region facing unprecedented funding cuts were last night accused of wasting time and money after it emerged they have spent thousands of pounds ringing the Speaking Clock. Local authorities in the North-East and North Yorkshire
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Organisers say Lumiere attracted 140,000 visitors
MORE than 140,000 people are estimated to have flocked to the largest light festival in the country over the weekend. Click here to view pictures from Lumiere The four-day spectacular in Durham City drew to a close last night with organisers
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Horny-thologists
TWITCHERS who flocked to the North-East coast hoping to spot a rare winged visitor got more than they bargained for when they stumbled across a bird of an altogether different kind. It was not so much a question of watch the birdie for the
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Ken illustrates you're never too old to study
PENSIONER Ken Dixon described himself as “absolutely useless” at art as a schoolboy. But at the age of 86, his artistic talents are clearly transformed, as tomorrow he will be awarded a BA (Hons) in Fine Art from Teesside University.
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Ba claims Newcastle's confidence remains intact
DEMBA Ba is adamant Newcastle's confidence will not be rocked by their opening Premier League defeat of the season. The Magpies' 11-game unbeaten run finally came to a halt at the weekend as league leaders Manchester City recorded a deserved
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Match Report: Manchester City 3 Newcastle United 1
ACCORDING to the popular television show, dedication is what you need if you want to be a record breaker. As Roy Castle never quite got round to mentioning, however, it also helps if you don't have to play an away game at Manchester City.
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Hatch sings praises of a busy caretaker
Appointed caretaker manager when Mark Cooper was sacked on October 24, he has since underpinned a club thrown into chaos by chairman Raj Singh's threat to walkout and a determination to slash the budget. Yet, Liddle has dealt with the carnage
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Bardsley calls for patience
Boos echoed around the Stadium of Light from disheartened fans as the final whistle was blown to end a disappointing goalless draw. One win in their opening 12 games this season isn't exactly what supporters would have envisaged having seen nine players
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Fans make feelings known to Cats' boss
On a number of occasions this season, Steve Bruce's side have failed to take maximum points from games they should have - and Saturday's goalless draw with Fulham was another example. As was the case in draws against Swansea and West Brom, the Black
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Pools hope to avoid Hartley ban
HARTLEPOOL United are hoping to avoid a one-game suspension for defender Peter Hartley. The centre-half was yellow carded on Saturday, for a foul on Scunthorpe winger Nicky Ajose - but the offence was committed by left-back Evan Horwood. It was Hartley's
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Macy makes West End debut
A NINE-YEAR-OLD girl from the region has made her debut on the West End stage. Macy Stasiak, left, from Darlington, made her first appearance in hit musical Billy Elliot on Monday, playing lead character Debbie. Her mother, Naomi Jenkins
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Boxer to restart career in the US
A BOXER who nearly lost his life during a title fight is heading Stateside for a return to the ring. “Fearless” Francis Jones was recently declared fit to fight by the Nevada Athletic Commission, in the US, despite the British Boxing Board of
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Inventive spark saves John petrol
AN ELECTRICIAN has invented a device which sets off an alarm in his van to help him save more than £100-a-month in petrol. John Diamond, 50, of Darlington, explained that a buzzer goes off in his van to stop him driving too fast or braking
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Region at disadvantage over funding
NEW figures reveal the region’s biggest council was deprived of £11.5m this year under a “broken” funding system – while the richest county of England enjoyed a £62m top-up. Durham County Council received £11.5m less from the Government than
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Ben steps in to use new first aid skills
A NEWLY-QUALIFIED first aider used his recentlyacquired life-saving skills to help a girl who had been knocked over within an hour of completing his course. Ben McAdam, 26, who had just finished a three-day St John Ambulance First Aid at Work
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Lescott cannot understand Richards' international exile
JOLEON Lescott admits he cannot understand why England boss Fabio Capello continues to overlook Manchester City's rampaging right-back Micah Richards. Richards was in superb form as City secured a 3-1 win over Newcastle at the weekend, scoring
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Liddle pleased for Dale
DARLINGTON debutant Dale Hopson was man of the match on Saturday, yet Craig Liddle says the talented teenager may not play in the team's next game so as to protect him. He was handed his senior debut and, from a position just behind striker
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Teenager accused of killing stepfather
A TEENAGER is due in court this morning accused of stabbing his stepfather to death. Nineteen-year-old Christopher Hodgson was arrested after Steven McIntyre, 37, suffered fatal stabs wounds in the early hours of Saturday. Emergency services were
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Monkhouse shines as Pools end Glandford Park duck
IT'S 21 years since Hartlepool United last won at Scunthorpe. After Paul Dalton's header found the Glanford Park net in March 1990, Pools have not had as much as a sniff of success there. The way Saturday's game went, it could be another 21 years before
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LEPs youth jobs bid
THE Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) for York and North Yorkshire is developing an enterprise programme to help young people start their own business. The LEP is working with Youth Enterprise Services and will be talking to Colleges and Sixth Forms
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North-East cheapest for second-hand motors
THE North-East has the lowest average asking price for second cars in the country, Auto Trader reports. In its quarterly index which tracks the prices of used cars in the UK the company found that motors in this region are being offered for an average
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CBI warns of banking fears
THE Eurozone crisis has caused a sharp fall in confidence among senior business leaders and the possibility of a second banking crisis is weighing heavily on corporate sentiment, the CBI said yesterday. On the eve of its annual conference, the UK's biggest
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Wildcats cause their own downfall
DURHAM Wildcats took on Glasgow Rocks in the BBL for the third time, but it was not the lucky charm they were looking for as they lost out 95-72. Turnovers and foul trouble led to Durham's defeat at Newton Aycliffe on Saturday. This is not the first
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Betting by Victor Chandler
Newcastle United lost their unbeaten record at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, but there were many positives to take from the game and with Manchester United still not firing on all cylinders the Magpies should look forward to their visit to Old Trafford
