The North East | Archive | 2003 | May
GRAEME Lee could yet line up next season for Hartlepool United. more...
PACEMAN Dewald Pretorius returns to the Durham team for the match against Derbyshire starting at Riverside today, but will be available for only two more championship matches before teaming up with the South Africa squad. more...
PACEMAN Dewald Pretorius returns to the Durham team for the match against Derbyshire starting at Riverside today, but will be available for only two more championship matches before teaming up with the South Africa squad. more...
The first question Yorkshire asked their new overseas star Yuvraj Singh when he finally arrived in England yesterday was: "Do you feel fresh enough to play in the Championship match against Glamorgan?" more...
SPENNYMOOR: Former Middlesbrough midfielder Jamie Pollock last night surprisingly quit as manager of UniBond League Spennymoor. more...
SUNDERLAND target Shaun Goater last night pleaded with Manchester City not to price him out of a dream move. more...
Michael Vaughan yesterday capped an extraordinary 12 months as an England player by winning the prestigious Vodafone Cricketer of the Year award. more...
STEVE McCLAREN has assured Gareth Southgate of Middlesbrough's ambitions and told his skipper that he is pivotal to the club's long-term plans. more...
SIR BOBBY ROBSON last night broke his silence on Newcastle's move for Lee Bowyer and promised that a switch to St. James' Park would rehabilitate the midfielder's career. more...
ENGLAND: Michael Owen has warned Liverpool that they face a ''big summer'' to arrest the club's slide out of the Champions League. more...
HISTORY is set to repeat itself at Goodwood this afternoon where Kingscross (2.10) has a terrific chance to retain the Baker Tilly Trophy. more...
Vandals have smashed windows and daubed graffiti at a community centre. The youths attacked Stanley Day Centre, in Wear Road, Stanley, overnight on Sunday, May 11. They wrote the names Kim, Vicki, Sheep and Melanie C on the building. The following night, windows were smashed at East Stanley Junior and Infants School. On Tuesday, May 13, South Stanley Infants School suffered a similar attack. Anyone with information about the vandalism is asked to contact Stanley police on (01207) 232144. more...
A top-security prisoner ended his chances of early parole by threatening to kill a guard and his family, a court heard yesterday. more...
COUNCIL tenants are getting a better deal on repairs say Government inspectors, who hailed improvements to a housing service as "a real success story". more...
Detectives are searching for a "cowardly" youth who left an 83-year-old woman badly shaken after snatching her handbag in a Barnard Castle street. more...
Six families taking part in a video-recording project in Teesdale are getting ready to screen their first short film for their friends and neighbours. more...
AMBULANCE crews from Darlington have been presented with long-service awards. more...
A DISABLED man grabbed his neighbour by the throat after their friendship turned sour, a court heard yesterday. more...
A PLAN to turn a paddock into a travellers' caravan site has been submitted to Darlington Borough Council for the third time. more...
AN essay on the Industrial Revolution has won Mark Richardson the James Barningham essay competition at Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, in Darlington. more...
A SCHEME providing free activities for over-50s in Darlington has a packed programme for the summer. more...
THIRTEEN members of Darlington's Crown Street Reading Group for the Visually Impaired and five helpers will find out what is involved in creating a book for visually impaired people today. more...
Two thieves who fled over fields to escape police, leaving behind a lorry load of stolen goods, were being hunted yesterday. more...
THREE former workmates have joined forces to open a business following a chance meeting. more...
THE scaling-down of a popular annual music event because of a funding crisis has been blamed on a lack of support for rural music by Darlington Borough Council. more...
A DARLINGTON company marketing an innovative vending machine has signed a contract to supply 1,000 sandwiches a week to North-East workers. more...
Police last night confirmed they would not be pressing charges against a Darlington pub landlord accused of indecent assault. Glittering Star landlord David Pointon was due to answer police bail on Monday after being arrested on suspicion of indecent assault in April, but was informed that the Crown Prosecution Service would not be pursuing charges. more...
A WORLDWIDE tour by young dancers stops off in Darlington tomorrow. more...
PUPILS with special needs have finally got their own school nurse - after an 11-year wait. more...
AN aerobics instructor and her ten-month-old son helped launch an aerobathon yesterday. more...
THE parents of a brave teenager who died from cancer are urging cyclists to help them raise thousands of pounds in his name. more...
A TEAM of female footballers achieved instant success in their first season. more...
ELDERLY residents learned how to safeguard themselves against falls at an open day this week. more...
A communications and marketing manager has been appointed to help promote an area and keep people informed of local affairs. more...
HELP is on the way for a group of homeless people in North Yorkshire, thanks to a pioneering partnership. more...
POLICE confirmed yesterday that a body pulled from a river at a Dales beauty spot was that of a woman reported missing on Monday. more...
FOR generations of children there was only one place to go for a woggle. The Scout and Guide Shop in North Bailey, Durham, has supplied uniforms to tens of thousands of children in the region for the past 70 years. more...
A holiday retreat in North Yorkshire, with one of the finest views in the county, is set to open its doors for holidaymakers next year. more...
WOULD-BE film-makers of tomorrow have shown they already have what it takes to make their mark in the world of television. more...
A NORTH-EAST firm is fuelling the fight against crime by funding a countryside neighbourhood network for the next 12 months. more...
The Richmond branch of the Royal British Legion has been awarded a grant to help cover the cost of restoring railings which surround the Green Howards memorial, at the foot of Gallowgate. more...
A NORTH Yorkshire agricultural college has linked up with the UK's first field centre on military land to offer wildlife enthusiasts a range of educational courses this summer. more...
A PACKAGE of summer entertainment has been unveiled. more...
INCOME from car parks in the Yorkshire Dales national park suggests tourists have been returning in the wake of the foot-and-mouth crisis. more...
TWO elderly women have become the latest victims of bogus callers pretending to be from water companies. more...
Two charities will benefit from more than £35,000 raised by volunteers from commerce and industry in the region. more...
NATIONAL park chiefs are hoping the organisation's 50th anniversary next year will prove to be the catalyst which ensures its survival. more...
Rounton Gates level crossing, north of West Rounton, Northallerton, is to close temporarily for maintenance. The closure will take place between Saturday and next Wednesday, although it is expected the work will actually be carried out between 10pm on Saturday and 9am on Sunday. more...
A NURSE turned manager has been named as the new chief executive of Tees, East and North Yorkshire Ambulance Service (Tenyas) NHS. more...
PARENTS in Hartlepool are being urged to support a campaign that aims to improve safety outside schools and promote healthier lifestyles for pupils. more...
PLANS to create an outdoor skateboarding park will be discussed by councillors this week. more...
A PRESENTATION is being held later this week for youngsters in Hartlepool who have won prizes for their art. more...
AN inquest into the death of Colin Brown, 43, of Edith Street, Consett, was opened and adjourned by north Durham coroner Andrew Tweddle yesterday. Mr Brown was riding his motorcycle south along the A691, west of Durham, when it collided with a Rover at the junction of Trout's Lane, on Friday. The Rover's 55-year-old driver was unhurt. more...
A METER reader has been hailed a hero for his prompt action in stopping a fire spreading to neighbouring homes. more...
AN electricity and gas supplier encouraged Teesside youngsters to burn up their own energy yesterday by sponsoring two sporting events. more...
A PHYSIOTHERAPIST is to address an international conference tomorrow after an inviation by the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society. more...
A TOWN'S efforts to establish itself as a top tourist attraction are being hampered by a lack of basic facilities, it was claimed last night. more...
A CRIME manager has been appointed at Stockton police station. more...
YOUNG football fans have the chance to learn from qualified Premiership coaches during the school holidays. Middlesbrough Football in the Community half-term courses are being held for children next week, with nine courses to choose from. Sessions are held between 10am and 3pm. They cost £9 a day, £16 for two days, or £30 for a four-day course if booked before Saturday. For more details, contact (01642) 282182. more...
PEOPLE are being invited to celebrate a ten-year stretch with a difference. more...
A BUSINESSMAN who hoped to build a factory at a redundant cement works - creating 135 jobs - has switched his attention to another site. more...
HIGHER council tax bills meant the underlying rate of inflation remained well above the Government's 2.5 per cent target during last month. more...
ITV company Granada was riding high on the FTSE 100 Index yesterday as London's leading shares staged a partial recovery after Monday's gruelling session. more...
BROADCASTER Granada announced the start of an ITV fightback yesterday after seeing half-year underlying profits surge 35 per cent to £65m. more...
A NORTH-EAST law firm is restructuring to create two new practices. more...
YORKSHIRE food producer Cranswick - which counts Thornaby company Lazenby's among its brands - has announced a 27 per cent increase in profits to £22.2m. more...
MARKS and Spencer has revealed annual profits at the top end of expectations. more...
INTERNATIONAL engineering services company Amec has won a multi-million pound contract to improve an oil refinery in Serbia. more...
A BUSINESSMAN is promoting the North-East in Norway in a bid to attract investment. more...
CONFECTIONERY maker and retailer Thorntons said that sales of Easter eggs had fallen, prompting it to cut full-year profit forecasts. Thorntons, of Alfreton, Derbyshire, sells about 1.6 million eggs during the three-week Easter period, which represents ten per cent of annual sales. But yesterday the company warned that Easter was becoming less of a celebration than other occasions, such as Christmas, Mother's Day and Valentine's Day. As a result of the slump, and the weaker outlook for the retail sector, Thorntons cut its profit forecast to £7.1m. more...
BROADCASTER Granada announced the start of an ITV fightback yesterday after seeing half-year underlying profits surge 35 per cent to £65m. more...
YORKSHIRE food producer Cranswick - which counts Thornaby company Lazenby's among its brands - has announced a 27 per cent increase in profits to £22.2m. more...
Hideous Crimes: Secrets From The Black Museum (five) more...
For months Martin Platt has been wandering around Weatherfield looking like a lost soul, only cheered up by knowing that his ex-wife, Gail the hamster, deserted him for a serial killer. more...
TONY BLAIR more...
WITH unalloyed thanks to the readers who make these columns perpetually possible, the Press awards went well again - but with a salutary note from Andrew Smith. more...
TONY BLAIR: I FEEL compelled to write to you after reading Alan Benn's letter (HAS, May 7). He made reference to the Blair Bashers having more than their fair share of space in your columns. It could be, of course, that there are more of them. more...
AS a trainee reporter almost half a century ago, one of my tasks was to meet people who called in at the front office. Usually they wanted publicity for some forthcoming event, like a church "Fayre", or a family success, perhaps a son or daughter gaining a degree. more...
'FAT cat: applied derogatorily to someone who is privileged because of their wealth; latterly in Britain applied specifically to business executives who are unjustifiably highly remunerated' (Oxford Dictionary of Slang). The phrase may have been born in the US on the brink of the Great Depression, but in the last ten years it has taken on a whole new lease of life over here. more...
Ploughing the depths of centuries of depravity more...
THE Fire Brigades Union general secretary Andy Gilchrist is adamant the 16 per cent pay offer he recommended for acceptance yesterday differs significantly from previous proposals. more...
THIS is a real Challenge Annika... Annika Sorenstam is to be the first woman golfer for 50 years to play the men at their own game. Tomorrow she's competing on the men's professional circuit. more...
WILLIAM Gilbert Grace was the greatest cricketer who ever lived, and twice in his long and distinguished career he graced the ground of Feethams. more...
AS CARS whizz out of Darlington in their mad dash along the A66 towards Middlesbrough, they pass a handful of brick bungalows low down on the left-hand side. more...
A DRUGS user died after he was given the heroin-substitute methadone, an inquest heard yesterday. more...
THE parents of a North-East soldier who died in suspicious circumstances have made an emotional visit to the spot where he was found dead. more...
MUSICIAN and campaigner Bob Geldof will visit Ethiopia with the charity Unicef. more...
French police are investigating after a British baby was killed by a Belgian shepherd dog. more...
A PACKED events programme is being lined up for the 15th annual Sunderland International Airshow. more...
A BRIDGE dating back to the Victorian era has been totally refurbished at a cost of more than £300,000. more...
A MONTHLY music event to showcase new acts is being launched. more...
THE trial of a soldier accused of criminal damage has been delayed until the end of the year because he is serving abroad. more...
THE elderly are becoming increasingly afraid to venture on to the streets as their fear of crime grows, Age Concern has warned. more...
A ROW broke out last night after parents said children were being robbed of top grades at a flagship North-East school. more...
THE self-confessed killer of a North-East mother could soon face justice after a landmark vote in the House of Commons. more...
The Princess Royal used the traditional Gurkha namaste greeting yesterday as she met relatives and soldiers from the 2 Signal Regiment, at Imphal Barracks, York, after their return from the war in Iraq. more...
THE Government's chief medical officer is to give evidence at the Richard Neale inquiry, it was confirmed last night. more...
ABOUT £20,000 worth of property stolen from across the North has been recovered by police. more...
DRUG-DEALERS are to lose their homes under plans to combat the menace on North-East streets. more...
A TASKFORCE has been created to boost tourism in the region. more...
A JILTED lover was jailed for life yesterday after he was found guilty of murdering one police officer and unlawfully killing another by deliberately ramming their car during a high-speed pursuit. more...
A SOLDIER walked free from court yesterday so that he can fly out to Iraq next month. more...
THE British embassy in Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh will close to the public today because of an "imminent" terrorist threat, the Foreign Office said. more...
AN AUDACIOUS conman set up his own maintenance company which hired unsuspecting workers to steal two-and-a-half miles of railway track worth £250,000. more...
A TRIBUNAL investigating allegations of bullying and intimidation within Newcastle United's youth squad has been adjourned. more...
SINGERS from the North-East have the chance to enter a national contest to find new talent. more...
AN END to the bitter firefighters' dispute was in sight last night after union leaders urged acceptance of a peace deal, nine months after the conflict started. more...
WITH unalloyed thanks to the readers who make these columns perpetually possible, the Press awards went well again - but with a salutary note from Andrew Smith. more...
THERE was a highly significant link between the MMR jab and autism compared with another triple jab given to children, US researchers said yesterday. more...
THIS is a real Challenge Annika... Annika Sorenstam is to be the first woman golfer for 50 years to play the men at their own game. Tomorrow she's competing on the men's professional circuit. more...
PICTURES from the earliest days of photography are casting a new light on church figures in the mid 19th Century. more...
STAGE and screen star Paul Nicholas posed for photographs before his latest opening night in the region. more...
A FORMER school lab technician was jailed for six months yesterday after admitting having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl. more...
THE mother of a teenager who was set upon by a gang in an unprovoked attack last night appealed for those responsible to come forward. more...
THE Government has pledged to continue monitoring moves aimed at tackling fat cat pay-offs as unions stepped up demands for further action. more...
EIGHT North-East council projects have been given a share of £1.9m to promote innovative e-projects. more...
EIGHTY-year-OLD Joan Naylor always makes sure her doors are locked and almost never ventures out at night. more...
A MAN suffered horrific injuries after walking into the path of a car in rush-hour traffic, a court heard yesterday. more...
A COUNCIL has confirmed the expulsion of a councillor for not attending meetings. more...
A THIEF snatched a pensioner's handbag as she did her shopping. more...
A BRITISH teacher who was jailed for 12 years with hard labour in Malawi for molesting street children has been pardoned by President Bakili Muluzi. more...
THERE were gold, silver and bronze awards yesterday as 17 North-East and Yorkshire local authorities, companies and individual entries took the world's greatest flower show by storm. more...
GOVERNMENT plans to publish a new offence of corporate manslaughter in a draft Bill drew a sceptical response yesterday. more...
CONTROVERSIAL tests for primary school children will be overhauled and performance tables reviewed under wide-ranging plans announced by Education Secretary Charles Clarke yesterday. more...
ENTERTAINER Keith Chegwin accepted a public apology yesterday over a newspaper claim that he hatched a plot to bribe a police officer. more...
A ROW broke out last night after parents said children were being robbed of top grades at a flagship North-East school. more...
DRUG-DEALERS are to lose their homes under plans to combat the menace on North-East streets. more...
ORGANISERS of the Cannes Film Festival dismissed claims by Tourism Minister Kim Howells yesterday that Hollywood stars were too scared to fly. more...
WOMEN from across the region are being asked to walk, jog or run 5km to raise money for Cancer Research. more...
THE number of North men admitted to hospital for skin cancer treatment has increased by more than 40 per cent in five years, according to a new report. more...
THE Asda supermarket chain lost its legal battle yesterday to carry on selling Italian Parma ham - because it is packed and sliced in Britain. more...
ANOTHER weapon in the fight against heart disease is available in the North-East. more...
POLICE in the North-East are to launch a tyre safety campaign later this month. more...
CRICKET authorities in the North-East were still hoping last night to reach a compromise with pro-democracy protestors prior to the region's historic first Test match - to be played in a fortnight. more...
EXPERTS are meeting tomorrow to discuss ways of combating the sick trade in Internet child porn. more...
A NORTH-EAST MP has spoken out against Government law reform plans. more...
PINK FLOYD star David Gilmour, right, has told why he had donated more than £3m to a project aimed at creating a community of affordable housing and lifetime residences for the homeless. more...
FOOTBALL legend Peter Beardsley launched a drive to raise cash for the region's premature babies yesterday. more...
ROCK star Meatloaf has proved he would do anything for love - including moving to a North-East fishing town. more...
A LIFEBOAT tragedy which claimed nine lives has been immortalised with the naming of a road. more...
A PACKED events programme is being lined up for the 15th annual Sunderland International Airshow. more...
RENEWED efforts are being made to make the roads of North Yorkshire safer for motorcyclists. more...
A 15-year-old schoolboy spent secret hours on the Internet visiting a gay teen chat room while his family slept, a court was told yesterday. more...
Guns spreading 'like a cancer' more...
A mother-of-two who was held at knifepoint during an armed robbery has won a case for constructive dismissal against her employers. more...
Council chiefs are launching a bid for £1m of Government cash in a move which will go a long way towards ending the region's railway bridges scandal. more...
Hundreds of jobs could be created if plans to build a supermarket on the site of a manufacturing company goes ahead. more...
A TEAM of young boxers are hoping to follow in the footsteps of world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis after fighting off the threat of the Sars virus. more...
ALLOTMENT holders will be offered a compensation and transfer package as they make way for the construction of homes. more...
PEOPLE who have grasped a second chance to learn helped Bishop Auckland College mark 11 years of commitment to a national education campaign. more...
A TOWN council has made history by meeting for the first time without any Labour councillors. more...
A TOTAL of 1,500 people have applied for 70 jobs at a new store in Bishop Auckland. more...
A SMUGGLER who helped set up a bogus company to ship more than £1m worth of cannabis into the UK was jailed yesterday. more...
A PRISONER who escaped from the clutches of the police during two separate incidents was jailed for 15 months yesterday. more...
© Newsquest Media Group 2008