Archive
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Pregnancy inspires low cost baby scanner idea
AN electronic engineer has been inspired by his pregnant wife to develop a low-cost baby scanner which could save hundreds of thousands of lives. Sonar expert Jeff Neasham, from Newcastle University, used cheap components to make a hand-held scanner
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Stewart in command at Hunley Hall
DUNCAN STEWART holds a three-stroke lead ahead of a season-decisive final round of the Sweetspot Masters at Hunley Hotel and Golf Club. The event is the final tournament prior to the 888poker.com PGA EuroPro Tour Championships at Woburn, where only the
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Plans for chalet park are approved
A CONTROVERSIAL plan to build a residential chalet park near Ingleby Barwick was approved yesterday. An application to build 34 chalets on a site at Low Lane, High Leven, was passed by Stockton Borough Council's planning committee despite a number
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School responds to 'selfish' proposals
A PRIVATE school has hit back at criticism that it is "selfish" for wanting to use an "idyllic mini-national park" for itself following the sale of its land to housing developers. Yarm School wants to create a replacement school playing area at
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Bricks thrown onto buses
TWO vehicles were damaged when youths threw bricks and stones from a bridge in Stockton on Sunday. A minibus and a bus had their windows broken when the youths threw the missiles from the town's Millennium Bridge at passing traffic. The police
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Police appeal over two burglaries
POLICE have released CCTV images of two men they want to interview in connection with burglaries in Middlesbrough. Two houses were broken into in Charlbury Road and Cotswold Avenue, Pallister Park overnight on Saturday and Sunday, September 1 and
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UK coastline trek for cancer charity
A MAN circumnavigating the UK coastline by foot and bicycle arrived in the region last the weekend. Ettienne de Beer visited Teesside and took a trip on Middlesbrough's Transporter Bridge as part of a 50-day journey that will see him travel 4,175
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Darlington Dog Show
THOUSANDS of dogs are descending on Newby Hall for the opening of the Darlington Dog Show tomorrow. The three-day Kennel Club event has been held in the grounds of the stately home near Ripon for the last six years and will see 7,181 pedigrees
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Busy weekend for church
NORTHGATE United Reformed Church in Darlington is gearing up for a busy weekend of sales stalls and prayer. On Saturday September 15 the church will open from 10am to noon with a number of prayer stations on the theme of the Parable of the Sower
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Horden residents celebrate cash boost for community hall
RESIDENTS of Horden, near Peterlee, are celebrating after getting half a million pounds in lottery funding to refurbish their 100-year-old community hall. Lottery’s Reaching Communities Fund confirmed it is to give £469,779 to volunteers and
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Ten million sales expected for iPhone 5 in first week
APPLE has delivered another kick in the guts to its smartphone rivals this week. The new iPhone 5 is already a huge success and it hasn’t even gone on sale. According to analysts an incredible ten million will be sold in the handset’s first week
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The Killers
are staging their first UK tour in four years. The Las Vegas group, whose hotly-anticipated fourth studio album, Battle Born, is released on Monday, will play shows starting in Glasgow on October 26 and include a visit to Tyneside . Tickets are
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Syed risks all with a flawed fraud
CHEQUE this – Syed is stealing from his brother in EastEnders (BBC1). Not so much Syed as Slyed as he sneakily writes a cheque using Tamwar’s cheque book. It might well bounce like an Andy Murray tennis ball because Tam’s having money troubles too
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Still singing despite arts academy loss
A COMMUNITY choir that was part of an award-winning arts academy is going it alone after its parent group was put on indefinite hiatus following funding difficulties. SING community choir was part of Darlington Arts Academy, which closed earlier
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Q&A event about policing changes
PEOPLE with questions about the forthcoming police and crime commissioner elections can get more information about the process at an information event this month. Durham Police Authority is hosting the event, at the Dolphin Centre, in Darlington
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Steptoe and son – rag and bone opera
Steve Pratt discovers how a contemporary theatre company, Kneehigh, turned the classic TV sitcom Steptoe and Son into a show which the audience was least likely to expect EMMA RICE is used to people giving her funny looks. Perhaps such a reaction
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Oliver! fits The Bill
TV stars Cat Simmons and Iain Fletcher talk to Steve Pratt about an eight-week run of Oliver! at Newcastle APPEARING in pantomime with Ian McKellen at London’s Old Vic Theatre was a bit of a dream come true for Cat Simmons. Being on stage with
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Living the dreamcoat
Keith Jack wasn’t first choice for Joseph when he took part in the BBC’s talent show, Any Dream Will Do. Now, the runner-up talks to Steve Pratt about his second choice success AS runners-up on The X Factor have shown, you can still be a winner
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Not too late for a Glass act
Chris Lloyd almost misses his chance to experience the Hall Garth Hotel’s WineGlass restaurant WE were late. It was my fault. I’d accidentally cycled too far on my bike without realising which way the breeze was blowing. The tailwind massaged
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Miles Davis Quintet (TCB 02312)
Miles’ classic quintet with John Coltrane, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb. Familiar repertoire again but it’s good to hear to hear live versions of If I Were a Bell, Fran Dance, So What and All Blues, especially in such good sound.
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Stan Getz Quartet (TCB 02292)
Brown and Thigpen stayed on stage, but the pianist was Jan Johansson who often backed the tenor player during his European sojourn. Getz, and indeed all the musicians, were in particularly good form on a typical programme of the time including Woody
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Oscar Peterson Trio/Swiss Radio Days (TCB 02302)
All three of these CDs were recorded in Zurich during the 1960 Jazz at the Philharmonic tour. Peterson’s classic trio with Ray Brown bass and Ed Thigpen was relatively new then and this captures them in top form and sound. The 40-minute set includes
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At The Sage
GATESHEAD’S Sage has something of a scoop tonight, with an appearance by the under-rated acoustic band Plainsong. The group first formed back in the 1970s under the leadership of Iain Matthews, hot off the reputation of his chart-topping band Matthews
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BBC Radio 2 Live in Hyde Park
LAST weekend’s BBC Radio 2 Live in Hyde Park broadcast introduced the UK to an award- winning trio, The Band Perry, who are also touring in November, having had to reschedule dates booked in July. Kimberley Perry and brothers Reid and Neil were
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The Silver Violin (Decca 478 3529)
The young dynamic violinist Nicola Benedetti presents a selection of music immortalised on the big screen from the 1930s onwards. The album includes Korngold’s Violin Concerto and Williams (theme from Schindler’s List), Shostakovich (The Gadfly)
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Music for Viola: Kurtag & Ligeti (ECM New Series 476 4729)
Contemporary composers Gyorgy Kurtag and Gyorgy Ligeti were friends for six decades, but had contrasting approaches to their works. The former was prolific while the latter meticulously justified every note. Violist Kim Kashkashian, a leading
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John Cage: As It Is (ECM New Series 4764933)
Russian pianist Alexei Lubimov and pianist Natalia Pschenitschnikova mark the centenary of composer John Cage with a performance of his songs and piano pieces. The album contains fresh accounts of the iconoclast’s music, conveying the playfulness
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Joe McElderry Here’s What I Believe
THIS release makes North-East singer Joe McElderry the first X Factor contestant to release four albums since winning the show in 2009. The 21-year-old from South Shields proves he’s a worthy winner of the ITV hit show and Popstar To Operastar by penning
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The Script: 3
FRONTMAN Danny O’Donoghue’s profile has never been higher thanks to his stint as a coach on The Voice, and he’s roped in fellow coach will.i.am on the record’s inspirational first single, Hall Of Fame. The Irish pop-rock group’s diverse influences
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Pet Shop Boys: Elysium
THREE years after the electropop of Yes, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe return with an album that is more reflective than its predecessor. Working in Los Angeles with Kanye West producer Andrew Dawson has resulted in the music being laidback but lyrically
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Pilot initiative to tackle housing and environmental problems
A PILOTS initiative to tackle housing and environmental concerns will be launched in an east Durham community. The Community Action Team (Cat) is a multi-disciplined task force set up to help communities resolve issues in their neighbourhoods and
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David Byrne & St Vincent: Love This Giant
AN album two years in the making is worth the wait. Collaborations between talented musicians can often be a massive disappointment, but former Talking Heads main man David Byrne and indie-kid marriage-material Annie Clark, aka St Vincent, show
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Hawley has the edge
Having released his best album to date, and with a large UK tour ahead, the Bard Of Don Valley, Richard Hawley, tells Andy Welch about a remarkable year RICHARD HAWLEY’S wearing a big black coat, dark jeans with Teddy boy turn-ups and shiny black
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Durham mast vote delayed
A DECISION on whether a 22m-high radio mast should be erected at an electricity substation has been delayed, amid a row over public consultation. Northern Powergrid wants to install a 22m-high galvanised steel lattice tower at Potterhouse substation
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Durham v Sussex (day 3, tea)
RAIN has intervened with Durham on 101 for three, needing a further 64. Ben Stokes looked likely to propel them to victory, but after thrashing 45 off 49 balls he lofted Monty Panesar to long-on. Mark Stoneman made 26 before a ball from left-armer
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Knife threat epileptic is spared prison
A MAN who threatened to kill three paramedics has walked free from court after a judge ruled the episode was caused by a severe epileptic seizure. Neil Fairless, 45, was said to have been in “an altered state of consciousness” when he tried to
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Men down to a tee
EVERY year, I go on a golf trip with three other dads. It’s a chance to get away from it all for a few days and to recharge batteries flattened by the daily pressures of being responsible men of the world. For the past decade, Dave and I have
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Hectic schedule forces Pardew to prioritise
AS his side prepare to enter a hectic schedule involving five games in 12 days, Newcastle United boss Alan Pardew has revealed he will field a young side against Manchester United in the Capital One Cup third round. The Magpies take on Sir Alex
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Williams back in three months
Rhys Williams has undergone a successful operation on his injured ankle, but is still not expected to return until the turn of the year. The Middlesbrough midfielder damaged ankle ligaments during last month’s Capital One Cup win at Gillingham.
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Nissan recalls 48,000 cars over steering wheel fears
NISSAN has confirmed that about 7,000 Sunderland-made Qashqai vehicles are being recalled in the UK due to a steering wheel fault. In total, 48,000 vehicles, which includes Qashqai and Qashqai+2 exported from the North-East plant, and Nissan NV200s
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School unveils plans for community sports hall
PLANS for a multi-million pound sports facility at a Darlington school that will also open to the local community have been revealed. Longfield Academy of Sport, in Longfield Road, has submitted an application for a £2m sports hall and five enclosed
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Arnott to be quoted
WE have had a week on the wonderful Isle of Mull, holiday reading, including the two volumes of Derrick Arnott’s autobiography. A steel worker’s son from a prefab on the Grove Hill estate, in Middlesbrough – “the last chance saloon,” he recalls
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Museum piece
History in the making, the column enjoys a day at the new ‘ National Football Museum in Manchester THE visit to the new National Football Museum in Manchester begins badly. As you do on such occasions, I ask at the cafe for a pie and a Bovril.
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Making your mind up
The Audience (C4, 9pm) The Corrie Years (ITV1, 8.30pm) Stephen Hawking’s Grand Designs (Discovery Channel, 9pm) PROBLEMS. They rear their ugly heads on an almost daily basis, and we have to find a way to deal with them as best we can. It
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Trio honoured for their life-saving efforts
THREE long-standing blood donors have been honoured for rolling up their sleeves to help save lives. Pauline Bennison, Dave Travis and Jen Capewell were recognised by NHS Blood and Transplant for reaching 75 donations each. And they were presented
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Bring them to justice
IT has taken 23 years to expose the appalling cover-up surrounding the Hillsborough disaster. But it was not successive governments which brought the truth to the surface from the murky depths of police corruption. It was ordinary people – Liverpool
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Europa League will hand Sammy Ameobi more opportunities
WHEN Sammy Ameobi spent an afternoon passing on his wisdom to the next generation of players on Tyneside this week, it reminded the 20- year-old of his football roots. Ameobi, along with teammate Gael Bigirimana, was at Complete Football in Gosforth
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Durham v Sussex (day 3, lunch)
CHRIS Rushworth today achieved career-best figures for the third time this season, taking the last four Sussex wickets to finish with five for 38, beating the five for 44 he took at home to Worcestershire last month. Sussex were all out for 180
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New ten-minute sterilisation option introduced for women
COUPLES seeking a permanent method of birth control will soon be able to take a high-tech ten-minute option. A ground-breaking service is being introduced at the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton for those whose familes are complete and for women
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Campaigning for better standard of education
In the last of a summer series Health and Education Editor Barry Nelson talked to Sue Robson, head of Newcastle Universitys School of Education, who has strong views about the importance of good teaching. Thousands of new students will start
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Seeking the right remedy
The row over the future of services at the Friarage Hospital is to deepen in the coming months. Health and Education Editor Barry Nelson samples two very different expert views on the fight ahead THE widespread popular anger that greeted this
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Boro defender extends Tranmere loan spell
MIDDLESBROUGH defender Ben Gibson has extended his loan spell at League One side Tranmere Rovers until January 3. The 19-year-old has started all eight of Tranmere's matches this term and helped Ronnie Moore's side climb to second in the table
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Gobbling up power at the centre
DO you expect to be consulted before your neighbour puts up a whopping conservatory stretching deep into his back garden, shutting out the evening sun? Or would you be shocked to suddenly find a 6ft high, humming broadband box outside your gate
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Bishop Auckland HAS Special
I CANNOT understand why Marks and Spencer would want to open a Simply Food store with a 50-seater cafe at the out-oftown complex in St Helen Auckland when two supermarkets are already within easy reach (Echo, Aug 30). What are M&S’ plans
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Hillsborough - front page news (or not)
SO what of this morning's front pages on the Hillsborough cover-up? All eyes, including mine, were on The Sun. How would current editor Dominic Mohan respond, 23 years after his predecessor, Kelvin MacKenzie, made such a momumental error by writing
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MPC member urges focus on employment
A policymaker has urged the Bank of England (BoE) to use recent jobs growth rather than weak output as a guide to setting interest rates and quantitative easing. In a speech to students and business leaders at Durham Business School Ben Broadbent, member
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No doubting Ambivalent chances
AMBIVALENT has a bit to find on the ratings in the DFS Park Hill Stakes at Doncaster, but she should be game for the challenge in the Group Two. Having just her sixth career start here, Roger Varian’s filly is certainly reasonably unexposed but
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Makin’s delight at Leger ride
PHILLIP MAKIN is delighted to have his first ride in a British Classic after more than 10 years in the saddle at Doncaster on Saturday. The Chesterfield-born rider teams up with market mover Guarantee in the Ladbrokes St Leger and has a 100% record
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Museum buys symbol of Richard III
AS archaeologists celebrated the discovery of what could be the body of Richard III, a museum in the long-dead king’s favourite county had its own reason to be cheerful. A rare 15th Century silver badge, probably worn by one of his noble followers
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SSI reaches one million tonnes milestone
SSI has announced that its Teesside facility has now produced one million tonnes of steel since the plant was restarted in April. Phil Dryden, the iron and steel maker's UK chief executive, said "Although his has been a very tough year for steel businesses
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Hillsborough: ‘Could our children have been saved?’
THE 96 victims of the Hillsborough tragedy can finally rest in peace after an independent report said Liverpool fans were not to blame, campaigners said yeserday. But Hillsborough Families Support Group member Trevor Hicks, said the Hillsborough
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City vindicated after 23-year police cover-up
THOUSANDS of people gathered in Liverpool city centre last night for a vigil in memory of the 96 victims of Hillsborough. Earlier, the city observed a twominute silence at 3.06pm – the time the FA Cup semi-final was abandoned – as the bells at
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The Sun admits 'terrible mistake'
THE editor of The Sun last night apologised for his newspaper’s role in the Hillsborough tragedy cover-up. Its front page four days after the 1989 tragedy included claims Liverpool fans had urinated on police officers and stolen from the dead.
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Scott Wilson: How did they get away with it for so long?
READING through the independent report into the Hillsborough disaster yesterday, and receiving heartbreaking confirmation of the extent of the coverup that followed the tragedy, the abiding question is: “How did these people think they could get
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Warning given over Northallerton hospital downgrade
COUNCILLORS have warned that controversial proposals to downgrade services at a hospital could be referred to the Health Secretary. Jim Clark, the chairman of North Yorkshire County Council’s health scrutiny committee, made his threat after
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Tykes take step closer to a Division One return
YORKSHIRE have taken a giant step towards promotion. For the first time in 2012 the Tykes are the outright leaders of the Second Division in the LV=County Championship this morning. This is after they had a superb day with bat and ball to put
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Lampard accentuates the positives after Ukraine draw
ONE point gained or two points lost? In the immediate aftermath of England's 1-1 draw with Ukraine at Wembley, it felt like the latter. But perhaps as the qualifying process for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil unfolds, the importance of Frank Lampard's
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Comment: Why Hillsborough report proves it's wrong to pre-judge football fans
READING through the independent report into the Hillsborough disaster yesterday, and receiving heartbreaking confirmation of the extent of the cover up that followed the tragedy, the abiding question is, 'How did these people think they could get
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O'Neill issues McClean with Twitter warning
MARTIN O'Neill has warned Sunderland winger James McClean he will not tolerate a repeat of the Twitter outburst that sparked controversy at the weekend. McClean took to the social media website on Friday night to criticise Republic of Ireland manager
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Durham can finish no higher than sixth
IT would be good to think that Durham could end the season with a flurry of runs today or tomorrow and make it five wins from their last six games. By collecting only one batting point yesterday, however, they ensured that they cannot finish higher
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Hillsborough: The lies
THE DAMNING report into the Hillsborough disaster has laid bare a shocking cover-up that attempted to shift the blame for the tragedy on to its victims. Yesterday, the families of the 96 Liverpool fans killed 23 years ago said the report had vindicated
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Lady Elsie Robson opens new cancer fighting centre in Newcastle
A MEDICAL unit dedicated to detecting and fighting cancer and other serious illnesses has been opened in the North-East by Lady Elsie Robson. The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation PET Tracer Production Unit at Newcastle University, a facility to find
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Retired Darlington lawyer to challenge parking fine
A RETIRED lawyer has said she will challenge a parking ticket that she claims demonstrates the overzealous attitude of a council to penalising drivers. Lindsey Hall, 56, a former lawyer for North Yorkshire Police, said the parking ticket she received
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Darlington woman behind hunt for grave of Richard III
A WOMAN from the region has played a key role in what could turn out to be one of the greatest archaeological finds of the decade. What are believed to be the remains of Richard III have been unearthed during the excavation of a car park in Leicester
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Home of Middlesbrough's former Premiership referee raided over website allegation
SCOTTISH police have raided the home of one of the region’s most famous former referees following an allegation he made offensive comments on his website. Former Premier League referee Jeff Winter, of Ingleby Barwick, near Stockton, a Glasgow Rangers
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Durham County Council to close five day centres
A COUNCIL came under fire last night for agreeing to close five day centres for elderly and disabled people. Janet Newham, who is the sole carer for her husband Keith, said that Durham County Council’s plan to relocate the day care service in Spennymoor
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Warning over plans to downgrade Friarage Hospital in Northallerton
COUNCILLORS have warned that controversial proposals to downgrade services at a hospital could be referred to the Health Secretary. Jim Clark, the chairman of North Yorkshire County Council’s health scrutiny committee, made his threat after NHS
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Unemployment up in Yorkshire as North-East sees fall
YORKSHIRE has joined the North-East in recording a double digit unemployment rate, official figures have shown. Ten per cent of those eligible to work in Yorkshire and Humberside were classed as being unemployed in the past quarter – May to July
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Group offers support to river victim's family
A CAMPAIGN group set up in the name of drowning victim Ian Bell has sent a message of support to the parents of a 16-year-old who died while swimming in the River Wear. Eight-year-old Ian, from Sunnybrow, County Durham, was swept away by the river
