The North East | Archive | 2004 | May
A SCHEME to bring the best out of pupils in deprived north Durham communities is under way. more...
A YOUNG athlete is celebrating after she made it into the North-East record books for the second time. more...
PLANS to create a snooker hall in Chester-le-Street have been rejected by councillors. more...
NEW facilities for technology companies in north Durham have won a regional award. more...
A FRESH drive to improve life for people with chronic debilitating conditions gets under way next month. more...
A MAN who intervened in a domestic dispute was attacked, a court heard. more...
PARENTS and teachers told of their disappointment last night at the approval of a controversial plan to merge two schools. more...
More than 80 charities will share £33,540 this year from the Darlington Mayor's Charitable Trust. more...
Students at a Darlington school have put their cycling skills to the test in a national search for talent. more...
A DARLINGTON couple celebrating their diamond wedding anniversary today put their success down to being two individuals in love. more...
PEOPLE are being warned to avoid unlicensed taxis after a woman was raped. more...
PUPILS have helped construct a new seat of learning using old colliery bricks. more...
A CHARITY that helps people cope with debt is celebrating its first anniversary in Durham. more...
A CHARITY working with people with mental health problems is more than £1,000 better off after embroiderers got weaving. more...
SOLDIER Stephen Richardson is making a round trip of more than 7,000 miles to try and encourage others to follow his lead. more...
A CRACKDOWN on problem drinking in public areas has come into effect with the introduction of a ban on boozing. more...
A NEW awards scheme has been launched to recognise some of the county's best food and drink producers. more...
CHURCHES have been hit by a spate of thefts from offertory boxes. more...
A SCHEME that allows civilian police staff to gather evidence and interview suspects has saved 12,872 hours of police officers' time in only six months. more...
A PUB is planning a charity fundraising spectacular over the forthcoming Bank Holiday weekend at the end of the month. more...
The Dogs Trust is to stage roadshows at three supermarkets in Hartlepool to promote dog micro-chipping. more...
A HARDWARE store in Middlesbrough is closing for the final time on Saturday, temporarily ending its long association with the town. more...
WANNABE entertainer Natalie Hallet is dancing on air after taking a step towards her ambition to have a stage career. more...
TAXI passengers are being warned to avoid getting into unlicensed cars after a spate of incidents across Middlesbrough - including one case of rape. more...
POLICE are asking a community to help them to tackle problems of anti-social behaviour. more...
NEW trials could speed up the arrival of a broadband internet connection in Weardale, attracting business and creating jobs. more...
POLICE have smashed one of the largest counterfeit music and video rings ever found in the UK, after raids on a market town. more...
POLICE chiefs have vowed to crack down on 'yob culture' by launching a county-wide scheme aimed at tackling anti-social behaviour. more...
A YOUNG athlete is celebrating after jumping into the North-East record books for the second time. more...
COUNCILLORS paid tribute to their town clerk who is retiring this month. more...
A TEAM of cyclists is planning to ride coast-to-coast in a just over half a day. more...
THE mother of Leslie Elkington, 11, who died after collapsing at his Stanley school, has talked for the first time about her family's loss. more...
A SUPPORT team behind an innovative scheme teaching youngsters citizenship has been put forward for a national award. more...
A TOWN centre church is to close later this year because the £200,000 needed for its transformation cannot be justified. more...
OFFICIALS fear fly-tipping will increase as the tax on burying waste rises. more...
POLICE chiefs have vowed to crack down on 'yob culture' by launching a county-wide scheme aimed at tackling anti-social behaviour. more...
CHILDHOOD sweethearts who grew up next door to each other celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary. more...
DETECTIVES are preparing to make several more arrests over a brutal murder, after fresh evidence placed five men at the scene. more...
THE Famous Flying Scotsman will be greeted by hundreds of well-wishers when it arrives in the region for the opening of a national museum. more...
TOWN planners have been hired to give an estate in Pelton Fell a facelift. more...
BASKETBALL playing twins who won scholarships to the same American university have graduated with distinctions. more...
YOUNG stars of the stage lent shoppers a helping hand at the weekend to raise cash for much-needed equipment. more...
PLANNERS have refused to allow a mobile phone company to erect a mast in Sacriston. more...
DURHAM'S smallest publishing company is celebrating after turning out its 100,000th publication. more...
MORE than 50 jobs are being created at a County Durham company that is developing new construction techniques. more...
A PARTNERSHIP between a chef, a plant specialist and a farmer has led to the creation of one of the biggest commercial herb gardens in the North. more...
THE chairman of troubled mutual Equitable Life said yesterday the Parliamentary Ombudsman was "duty-bound" to reopen her investigation into the society's regulators. more...
THE region exported more than £10bn of goods and services last year, according to figures released yesterday. more...
A MANAGEMENT shake-up is under way at Sainsbury's, which has seen its profits slide by 2.9 per cent. more...
THE chairman of troubled mutual Equitable Life said yesterday the Parliamentary Ombudsman was "duty-bound" to reopen her investigation into the society's regulators. more...
CATERING group Compass said strong growth in its defence, health and education businesses helped it post a 29 per cent rise in half-year pre-tax profits to £145m. more...
CHEMICALS group ICI and British Airways benefited from a fall in oil prices last night as hopes grew that Opec would sanction an increase in production. more...
housebuilder Persimmon remained confident about the housing market yesterday after reporting an "excellent" forward order book for the year. more...
The Trades Union Congress yesterday stepped up its campaign for shorter working hours with an attack on the Government for maintaining an opt-out from a European directive that limits hours to 48 a week. more...
A TOURING actor has returned to perform in his home city for the first time since his teenage amateur dramatics days. more...
YOUNG ballet dancers took to the stage last night for a final sell-out performance of Sleeping Beauty. more...
THIS column has noted previously, with disapproval, the increase in lawlessness in Soapland. Next week violence reaches new levels with punch-ups breaking out all over the cobblestones in Coronation Street (ITV1). more...
GLAMOUR queen Joan Collins will visit a North-East museum tomorrow. more...
Eight Little Greats by Opera North has captured the attention of opera-goers. Singer Mary Plazas talks to Viv Hardwick about taking the starring role in little-seen one-act work La Vida Breve which is part of Newcastle's eye-opening season. more...
A FESTIVAL celebrating the work of North-East film-makers will take place next week. more...
When German director Wolfgang Petersen saw fellow countywoman Diane Kruger he knew he'd found the face that launched a thousand ships. Steve Pratt talks to Petersen, Kruger and Rose Byrne, who was cast as Brad Pitt's love interest. more...
From green comic book character to sword-fighting with Brad Pitt was quite a transformation for Eric Bana, who nearly turned down the role of Hector in $200m epic Troy. He and Sheffield-born actor Sean Bean talked to Steve Pratt about big bidget battles. more...
The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King (12, Entertainment In Video, also available to buy DVD £27.99/DVD trilogy box set £49.99, VHS £12.99) Stars: Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, Billy Boyd more...
Bizzy Lizzy, a tribute band to rock legends Thin Lizzy, are in concert at The Emporium, High Street, Stockton, on Thursday, June 10 at 7pm. more...
The Mystery Of The Self-Made Mummy: Stranger Than Fiction (five): HERE was a real life detective story more compelling than any fictional whodunit although, strictly speaking, this was more of a mixture of howdunit and whydunit. more...
HAVING often complained that films, plays or TV shows are too long, perhaps it's churlish to complain this theatre piece about cellist Beatrice Harrison left me feeling short-changed, artistically rather than financially. more...
The next big thing in the pop world is destined to be V, about to burst into the charts complete with Tynesiders Kevin McDaid and Mark Harle. The duo talked to Viv Hardwick about life in a boyband. more...
THIS production must be close to what it was like to see a Shakespeare play in the sixteenth century. In contemporary dress, with few props, the occasional musical interlude, and a cast of working actors doing a great job. more...
In the male-dominated world of early 20th century politics, some of the North-East's MPs blazed a trail for the fairer sex. more...
TO isolate our parliamentary procedures from the public would represent a victory to the terrorists. more...
IN my experience, mums have lots of shoes - whole wardrobes full. And growing children seem to need a new pair every week. For us poor dads, this means our shoes have to be nearly falling off before we can afford a new pair. more...
In an age of high-tech agri-business, one man's decision to go back in time to work with horses has been recognised with a top award for the second year running. John Dean meets him. more...
TRANSPORT: THE Government is now considering transport spending priorities ahead of its July Comprehensive Spending Review, and finalising its vision for the next decade in the review of the ten-year Transport Plan. more...
The Mystery Of The Self-Made Mummy: Stranger Than Fiction (five) more...
IT took just two little words for newlywed actress Kate Beckinsale to spell out her devotion to her man this week. Embroidered across the back of her white bikini bottoms, the message was loud and clear: "Mrs Wiseman", it said. more...
IN my experience, mums have lots of shoes - whole wardrobes full. And growing children seem to need a new pair every week. For us poor dads, this means our shoes have to be nearly falling off before we can afford a new pair. more...
A WOMAN in her 90s has been conned out of £60,000 by bogus lotteries and competitions run from abroad. more...
The Darlington Football Club opera continued yesterday with the adjournment of a heated creditors' meeting. The Northern Echo looks at what could happen next in the Quakers' saga. more...
A US helicopter fired on a wedding party in Iraq yesterday and killed more than 40 people, Iraqi officials said. more...
A BODY was recovered from the River Tees last night after a search operation. more...
A JAPANESE fighting dog was ordered to be destroyed yesterday after it grabbed a girl's head in its jaws. more...
THE crisis surrounding Darlington Football Club deepened last night after a stormy creditors' meeting left the Quakers' survival hopes hanging by a thread. more...
YOUNG offenders in the North-East are the least likely of any in the country to be locked up when they commit crime, latest figures show. more...
MARK HALL had to deliver his baby at home after his girlfriend was sent home from hospital. more...
TWO North-East leisure centres were closed last night after the potentially deadly legionnaires' bug was found in the hot water systems. more...
THERE was relief for motorists in the region yesterday with the news that disruption on the A66 is to end. more...
A POLICE officer and former international water polo player used his swimming skills to save a drowning teenager in a late-night river rescue. more...
A FORMER North-East boss of one of the country's biggest housing firms is facing jail after he admitted stealing £378,000 from the company. more...
A PARTNERSHIP between a chef, a plant specialist and a farmer has led to the creation of one of the biggest commercial herb gardens in the North. more...
IT sounds an unlikely tale, but now it can be told - how an ancient Yorkshire ruin played a crucial role in the build-up to D-Day. more...
A MAN who sparked a £20,000 rescue mission when his van was stranded in a river has been charged with dangerous driving. more...
INVESTIGATORS are celebrating a major success in their continuing battle against electronic counterfeiting. more...
A BID to ban cold calling for home repairs and maintenance has been launched in the Commons. more...
A DISTRAUGHT mother has backed police moves to seek a longer prison sentence for the doctor who sexually assaulted her seven-year-old daughter. more...
From Brendan Foster, managing irector of Newcastle-based Nova International, organisers of the Great North Run. more...
A MOTHER appealed to people to save her toddler as fire swept through a house. more...
BRITAIN'S leading extreme altitude mountaineer Alan Hinkes has successfully climbed Dhaulagiri, the world's seventh highest peak. more...
PETERS Cathedral Bakers will resume production and reopen its chain of shops next week, a month after its bakery headquarters was devastated by fire. more...
GLIDER pilot Linda Martindale's attempt at a forced landing in poor weather ended in tragedy when her aircraft plunged nose-first into a field, an inquest jury heard yesterday. more...
A tearaway who terrorised a neighbourhood with a stolen six-tonne dumper truck has been banned from driving. more...
THE driver of a fire engine was caught speeding while showing his new station officer around the area, a court was told. more...
A DOMESTIC violence counsellor attacked his former girlfriend with a picture frame, a court heard yesterday. more...
COMPLAINTS against officers in Cleveland Police force have risen for the second consecutive year - and assault allegations account for nearly half of them. more...
Police were called in when cuddly toys started to disappear from cemetery graves. But it turns out the culprit could be a mishievous moggie called Jess. more...
AS a few rank-and-file creditors slipped out of Darlington Football Club's home yesterday afternoon, the fiery debates between the key players continued inside. more...
FIREFIGHTERS who brou-ght a blaze at a North-East pub under control have been praised. more...
A US helicopter fired on a wedding party in western Iraq yesterday and killed more than 40 people, Iraqi officials said. more...
I never thought I would utter the words but it is time for the UK to draw a line under the farce that has become the Eurovision Song Contest. more...
NEWCASTLE United yesterday moved to ease fears that defender Jonathan Woodgate will miss the start of next season. more...
MIDDLESBROUGH chairman Steve Gibson is determined to hold on to history-making manager Steve McClaren. more...
DESPITE the imminent departure of Barnsley-bound Barry Conlon, assistant manager Martin Gray last night allayed fears of a player exodus, writes Lee Hall. more...
Kevin Pietersen, one of the brightest young stars in county cricket, gave Yorkshire's second-string attack a pasting at Headingley yesterday when he totted up 167 out of a Nottinghamshire total of 393 on the first day of the Frizzell Championship match. more...
MIDDLESBROUGH chairman Steve Gibson is determined to hold on to history-making manager Steve McClaren. more...
FANS of Mark Johnston are in for a field day because the Middleham ace today sends strongly-fancied runners to Newcastle, Goodwood, and Doncaster. more...
DEVASTATED Hartlepool boss Neale Cooper has called on his defeated men to pick themselves up immediately and turn their attentions to life in Division Two in August. more...
THE crisis surrounding Darlington FC deepened last night after a stormy creditors' meeting left the club's survival hanging by a thread. more...
IT was less than half an hour into yesterday's play at Riverside before the question arose: "How many will Glamorgan set Durham to win in the fourth innings?" more...
SUNDERLAND boss Mick McCarthy yesterday began work on his retained list in the wake of Monday's play-off semi-final heartbreak. more...
FANS of Mark Johnston are in for a field day because the Middleham ace today sends strongly-fancied runners to Newcastle, Goodwood, and Doncaster. more...
AFTER enjoying some fun in the sun in the West Indies this winter, it would be easy to assume that England simply have to turn up to win their forthcoming home series with New Zealand. Easy - but wrong. more...
HARTLEPOOL United were last night three minutes from a play-off final and a possible place in Division One. more...
FURNITURE group MFI was under renewed pressure today after UK sales declined further in the wake of a disappointing three-week Easter promotion. more...
Supermarket chain Morrisons outlined the scale of its challenge at Safeway today after sales at the £3 billion acquisition remained in the doldrums. more...
A retired consultant psychiatrist has been cleared by the Court of Appeal of raping a woman patient in a hospital photocopying room. more...
A schoolboy knocked down by a car in Newton Aycliffe at the weekend has died. more...
A single mum was smashed in the face by her domestic violence counsellor after she turned to him to help deal with her turbulent past. more...
CANCER survivors have joined with research scientists to celebrate a major advance for the region. more...
AN investigation into the suspension of the director of finance for the North East's most controversial police force has been criticised by its authority members. more...
THE ROW between Cleveland Police Authority and the force's new Chief Constable over a £7.m budgetary black hole has deepened. more...
LIBERAL Democrats deputy leader Sir Menzies Campbell is in the North-East tomorrow. more...
SIR Jimmy Savile fixed it for himself when he fulfilled a childhood dream on a trip to the North-East coast. more...
SIX high flying Teesdale Scouts have completed all the requirements for a top Scouting award. more...
THE Durham Dales have been chosen as a test area for a scheme to encourage children to take up sport. more...
A £1m investment could trigger a big shake-up of community and leisure facilities in the Wear Valley. more...
TWO Thai boxers are preparing for the biggest fights of their lives at a Bishop Auckland gym. more...
STAFF at a town centre veterinary practice are desperate to find homes for two of their feline patients. more...
TAXI passengers are being warned to avoid getting into unlicensed cars after a woman was raped by two men. more...
AN anti-EU campaigner said his vote could suffer because he is last on a ballot paper of European election candidates. more...
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