Archive - Wednesday, 6 December 2000

Building society strengthens its board
*The Universal Building Society has strengthened its board with the appointment of a partner from a local accountancy firm. MAXINE POTT from Newcastle-based RMT is a chartered accountant. She is also treasurer of the North-East and Cumbria German…
Store openings see SCS surge
NEW store openings have helped SCS Upholstery record pre-tax profits of £5.4m, up 19 per cent.
Protest over school traffic measures
A PROPOSED traffic calming scheme near a Darlington primary school has caused outrage among residents.
Where have all the singers gone?
HAVE you got something to sing about? Probably not. We don't sing any more. At the Choir of the Year final, composer John Rutter complained that we are no longer a singing nation. Except at football matches, of course. I bet the only songs my sons know…
Co-op hands out £2,500 in grants
COMMUNITY dividend grants, totalling £2,500, have been handed out by the North Eastern Co-op.
Students join protest by university lecturers
STAFF and students at a North-East university joined forces to protest about bad pay and spiralling debts yesterday.
Youngsters on fun wavelength
RADIO station Galaxy Radio plans more fundraising under-18 party nights on Teesside next year - following a successful event in Middlesbrough.
Initiative targets festive thieves
POLICE are pointing the finger at potential shoplifters to help Durham stores in the run-up to Christmas.
Spiderboy starting his longest sentence
A PROLIFIC young criminal is starting his longest sentence behind bars, with a warning that stiffer stretches will follow unless he mends his ways.
Curlers have an ice time with presents
A SPRINKLING of fairy dust Christmas madness descended on a corner of Teesside yesterday.
Advice on avoiding the rogue traders
TRADING standards officers are on the trail of rogue traders in Darlington.
Youngsters' holiday activities
YOUNGSTERS are being invited to keep themselves busy over the festive holidays by taking part in activities organised by Thirsk swimming pool.
Advert campaign to recruit nurses
A RECRUITMENT drive for hospital nurses is being launched on Teesside this week.
Rail passenger tells of nightmare journey
A RAILWAY passenger has told of a nightmare journey which cost him two days pay and to add insult to injury, a £50 taxi fare.
Showbiz stars of future
A youth theatre production of Mother Goose in County Durham could help hatch a career or two in showbiz.
Action demand over gas deaths
MORE than a year after promising to take action, the Government has been accused of dragging its heels over ending the menace of the silent killer.
'Bearing brunt of cuts in defence'
A NEW report claims the North-South divide is alive and well within the corridors of power at the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
Support from Blair as mast is refused
VILLAGERS have won their fight against plans for a mobile phone mast near their village green, after Prime Minister Tony Blair gave them his backing.
YOUNGSTER TOPPLES WORLD BOWLING CHAMPION
TEENAGER Andrew Barkess bowled over the world's number one, when he beat the champion in his first ever proper game of indoor bowls.
Project highlights importance of wildlife
THE international importance of wildlife in Weardale is to be highlighted in a new project.
Rail passenger's anger over two-day delay -shambles'
A RAILWAY passenger has told of a nightmare journey which cost him two days' pay and a £50 taxi fare.
New roads -are threat to green surrounds'
LOCAL authorities are forging ahead with multi-million pound road building schemes without fully assessing the dangers to the environment, according to a survey by a conservation watchdog.
Police chief will not face charges
A FORMER Cleveland Police chief will not be facing criminal charges.
Curtain may come down on a Royal command performance
ALTHOUGH not the biggest of buildings, the Forum has dominated the skyline for more than 30 years and is one of the most recognised facilities in Billingham.
Opinion
IT is difficult to escape the hard-hitting and graphic images of the latest campaign warning of the dangers of drink-driving.
Opinion
'WE never closed" is the proud boast of Darlington Memorial Hospital. Even at the peak of last winter's horrendous beds crisis, the 450-bed hospital somehow managed to stay open to new emergency medical admissions.
Bulldozer threat to Forum complex
BILLINGHAM Forum - one of the North-East's best-known leisure centres - has been earmarked for demolition to make way for a supermarket.
No payout for beach fall man
A GRANDFATHER whose working life was ended by a devastating fall while taking an evening walk along a North-East beach has lost an Appeal Court bid for compensation.
interprise brings east to west
A DELEGATION from Jiangsu province, near Shanghai in the People's Republic of China, has just paid a visit to County Durham to check on the progress of the Interprise 20001 event, organised by the County Durham Development company (CDDC).
Father and son escape loft trap
A FATHER, who with his son, cheated death when they became trapped in their blazing home, spoke for the first time about the ordeal last night.
Executives resign from troubled steel firm
TROUBLED steel giant Corus is facing fresh turmoil after two of its joint chief executives resigned last night and left the company immediately.
Still a poplar entertainer
GETTING on three decades ago, Vin Garbutt wrote a song called John North, about this grand young lad who drank the best ale in the land. Chance would be a fine thing...
Suicide bid man jailed
A FATHER-OF-TWO who tried to steal a car so he could kill himself with its exhaust fumes, left it ablaze in the narrow street when failed to get it started, a court heard today.
Double blow dealt by weather
Darlington's game at York City was postponed with both sets of players standing on the waterlogged Bootham Crescent pitch.
Former pit village fighting to revive community spirit
FISHBURN is a village which is fighting back.
Consortium's £2m deal for theatre
ONE of the North-East's best known music and concert venues has changed hands after its sale was agreed to a business group.
Irish take the honours as Falcons fail to take advantage
London Irish gained a psychological boost before Sunday's Tetley's Bitter quarter-finals by beating opponents Newcastle in the Zurich Premiership last night.
Campaigner challenges snares conviction
A WIILDLIFE campaigner admitted yesterday he had cut dozens of snares and handed them in at a police station to invite prosecution.
Hope's op dream is granted
THE appeal for surgery to treat a North-East youngster now stands at £100,000.
Families urged not to overload NHS resources
HEALTH bosses have urged the North-East public to be sensible about how they use the NHS this winter - as it emerged that operations have already been cancelled in the run-up to Christmas.
Fury as drinker who ended three lives gets eight years
Angry relatives have attacked an eight-year sentence handed to a drunk kerb-crawler who killed three friends.
north-east -king' aims for crown
NORTH-EAST boxing coach Gary McCrory is hoping to see one of his charges win the British Super-Middleweight Championship, on Saturday.
Poison-pen letters man gets jail term
A MAN launched a poison-pen letter scam and framed his brother-in-law in a bid to be re-housed away from his family.
Fuel allowance stolen by thief
A thief stole a 92-year-old woman's pension book and winter fuel allowance in the middle of a packed post office.
N-E university to lead research on universe
DURHAM University scientists are getting £3m funding for their world-class physics research.
Murder trial told of argument and gunshots
A CANNABIS smoker who used a wood around a field to smoke joints, told a murder trial jury that he saw two people arguing on the night a man was shot dead.
Quinn in a dream world
VETERAN Republic of Ireland international Niall Quinn - labelled "irreplaceable" by Sunderland boss Peter Reid - admitted: "I'm playing in a dream world and it's absolutely fabulous."
Mo steps in over refuse deadlock
INDUSTRIAL action by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's refuse collectors could soon be coming to an end, thanks to the intervention of Redcar MP Mo Mowlam.
Oh baby, just look at you now
A BABY'S fight for survival has amazed her family and doctors.
Close, gentleman of the cue game, dies at 65
BILLIARDS is mourning one of its top players.
CHILDREN get road safety message
A WEAR Valley police force has wound up its biggest ever road safety campaign.
Youngsters take part in safety campaign
A MEDIEVAL fortress in Teesdale was the setting for a police road safety campaign yesterday.
Crackdown on town centre litter louts has early success
A COUNCIL crackdown on litter louts, aimed at cleaning up Darlington's town centre streets, has achieved its first success.
Curlers have an ice time with presents
A SPRINKLING of fairy dust Christmas madness descended on a corner of Teesside yesterday.
Art display blossoms
AN exhibition of watercolours of plants opens at a North-East museum this weekend.
Town's image set to blossom
AN east Cleveland town is taking a leaf out of its neighbour's book and is attempting to spruce itself up.
Backing for road humps in square
PLANS for six traffic humps on roads surrounding Ripon Market Place have been backed by the city council.
Cowdrey - most eminent
Colin Cowdrey will be remembered as the fourth highest scoring batsman in English Test history. But the former England and Kent captain, who has passed away at his home at the age of 67, could have left an even greater mark on the game he loved.
Lesbian rape case man is cleared
A WEARSIDE man has been cleared of raping a woman after she accused him of kissing her lesbian lover.
Pair deny murder over cider bottles
TWO men have appeared in court charged with the mugging and murder of Tyneside father David Bruce.
S&N sales buck the ale trend
BREWING and leisure group Scottish & Newcastle is set to continue its "significant progress" in transforming the business, after bucking the trend with an eight per cent jump in pre-tax profits.
ICI in £325m Industrial chemicals sell-off
CHEMICALS group ICI has all but completed its massive three-year transformation by agreeing the sale of its industrial chemical operations for £325m.
Scouts promise delivery of festive cards
COMMUNITIES in east Cleveland will get an extra helping hand with the delivery of Christmas cards this year thanks to local Scout troops.
Pupils get it write after school is out
ARTWORK and creative writing by children from across east Cleveland is to be featured as part of an exhibition in Loftus.
Road safety issues to be debated
A ROAD safety group will respond to complaints from the public at a meeting on accident prevention in Teesdale.
A golden day for rescue hero Meg
A SEARCH and rescue dog has received a rare award for saving the life of a depressed man after he went missing from home.
Churches take the vows out of new-style Christenings
BIG changes have been introduced into baptism services in the North-East in a bid to give parents more choice.
Bennett opts for a strong LDV line-up
Darlington manager Gary Bennett intends fielding his strongest possible team for the LDV Vans Trophy game at York City tonight.
Rae sets up Sunderland for leap into sixth place
SLICK Sunderland completed a hat-trick of Premiership victories last night to move into sixth place with a well-deserved win over Everton at the Stadium of Light.
Let there be lights... eventually
THOUGH it may prove akin to the youthful realisation that Santa has several billion little helpers, needs must that we recount another salutary story for Christmas.
Boro win one at last - new coach Venables
TERRY VENABLES finally linked up with Middlesbrough last night and admitted the fight to save the club from relegation is one of the biggest challenges he has faced in his colourful football career.
For some drivers, there's a fast-track pay rise
BRITAIN'S fastest train operator - GNER - gave its drivers a 20 per cent pay rise last night.
Durham on the trail of Law
DURHAM'S search for an all-rounder has put them on the trail of Danny Law, who specialises in producing his best performances against them.
Students are rewarded for being positive
NINETEEN students from Darlington College of Technology received certificates at a Positive Young People Awards presentation.
Let there be lights . . . eventually
THOUGH it may prove akin to the youthful realisation that Santa has several billion little helpers, needs must that we recount another salutary story for Christmas.
Grandmother donates kidney to save pal's life
A grandmother has become a "a friend for life" to her best pal after giving her a kidney.
Musical police aid disabled youngster
POLICE musicians hope to make life better for a disabled youngsters.
Elevated debate of no consequence
IN A debate in the House of Lords on leylandii hedges, a source of great distress to many, Earl Ferrers, a former Tory minister, said: "At the moment you have got hedgerow officers who tell you what hedges you may and may not remove. You have got tree…
Home marks 25 years' work
A RESIDENTIAL home is celebrating a milestone after 25 years of caring for elderly people.
Seconds out in fight for votes
HARTLEPOOL MP and Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Mandelson faces a fight at the next General Election - from a boxing promoter.
Quarry plan sparks fears over traffic
PLANS to extend a quarry near Ripon have been opposed by city councillors.
N-E university to lead research on universe
DURHAM University scientists are getting £3m funding for their world-class physics research.
PC in line for national award
A POLICE officer is in line for an award for his efforts in setting up a community police house on a troubled estate near Bishop Auckand.
Children in Need charity effort praised
ORGANISERS of a fundraising effort which brought in £3,000 for Children In Need have paid tribute to the tremendous efforts of those involved.
Pool boss is hoping for third time lucky
HARTLEPOOL United boss Chris Turner tonight tries to get the better of Scunthorpe at the third time of asking.
Pay boost for GNER drivers
BRITAIN'S fastest train operator - GNER - has handed a 20 per cent pay rise to its drivers.
Councillor goes blind for charity
SEDGEFIELD borough councillor David Newell raised more than £1,800 for charity by going blind for a week.
Reminder for parents in choice of schools
PARENTS of youngsters in Hartlepool who will move up from primary to secondary school next autumn are being reminded that time has almost run out for them to make a very important decision.
Drugs tsar launches scheme to help village youngsters
THE Government's drugs tsar Keith Hellawell yesterday launched a pioneering scheme aiming to tackle drugs and alcohol abuse in rural areas.
Lead mine taken over for Santa's grotto
CHILDREN in Weardale will be able to meet Father Christmas on Sunday, when an old lead mine is transformed into a fairyland grotto.
National Lottery backs bid to renovate park
THE multi-million pound refurbishment of a Darlington park has moved a step closer.
Headset and shoulders in front
A COMPANY that is tapping into the ever growing call centre business in the region has scooped two major prizes in the annual North-East excellence awards.
Appeal marks hospice target of move into £2.5m premises
AN APPEAL is being made to a town today to construct a custom-built hospice.
Jewellery shop elves sparkle in fancy dress competition
IT was chocs away for Durham shops staff who got into the festive spirit and donned fancy dress for the city's Christmas Festival.
Executives resign from troubled steel firm
TROUBLED steel giant Corus is facing fresh turmoil after two of its joint chief executives resigned last night and left the company immediately.

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Archive - Wednesday, 6 December 2000

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Building society strengthens its board

Store openings see SCS surge

Protest over school traffic measures

Where have all the singers gone?

Co-op hands out £2,500 in grants

Students join protest by university lecturers

Youngsters on fun wavelength

Initiative targets festive thieves

Spiderboy starting his longest sentence

Curlers have an ice time with presents

Advice on avoiding the rogue traders

Youngsters' holiday activities

Advert campaign to recruit nurses

Rail passenger tells of nightmare journey

Showbiz stars of future

Action demand over gas deaths

'Bearing brunt of cuts in defence'

Support from Blair as mast is refused

YOUNGSTER TOPPLES WORLD BOWLING CHAMPION

Project highlights importance of wildlife

Rail passenger's anger over two-day delay -shambles'

New roads -are threat to green surrounds'

Police chief will not face charges

Curtain may come down on a Royal command performance

Opinion

Opinion

Bulldozer threat to Forum complex

No payout for beach fall man

interprise brings east to west

Father and son escape loft trap

Executives resign from troubled steel firm

Still a poplar entertainer

Suicide bid man jailed

Double blow dealt by weather

Former pit village fighting to revive community spirit

Consortium's £2m deal for theatre

Irish take the honours as Falcons fail to take advantage

Campaigner challenges snares conviction

Hope's op dream is granted

Families urged not to overload NHS resources

Fury as drinker who ended three lives gets eight years

north-east -king' aims for crown

Poison-pen letters man gets jail term

Fuel allowance stolen by thief

N-E university to lead research on universe

Murder trial told of argument and gunshots

Quinn in a dream world

Mo steps in over refuse deadlock

Oh baby, just look at you now

Close, gentleman of the cue game, dies at 65

CHILDREN get road safety message

Youngsters take part in safety campaign

Crackdown on town centre litter louts has early success

Curlers have an ice time with presents

Art display blossoms

Town's image set to blossom

Backing for road humps in square

Cowdrey - most eminent

Lesbian rape case man is cleared

Pair deny murder over cider bottles

S&N sales buck the ale trend

ICI in £325m Industrial chemicals sell-off

Scouts promise delivery of festive cards

Pupils get it write after school is out

Road safety issues to be debated

A golden day for rescue hero Meg

Churches take the vows out of new-style Christenings

Bennett opts for a strong LDV line-up

Rae sets up Sunderland for leap into sixth place

Let there be lights... eventually

Boro win one at last - new coach Venables

For some drivers, there's a fast-track pay rise

Durham on the trail of Law

Students are rewarded for being positive

Let there be lights . . . eventually

Grandmother donates kidney to save pal's life

Musical police aid disabled youngster

Elevated debate of no consequence