The Northern Echo back issues from April 2008:
Brown Ale brewer to be taken over by rivals
Apr 01, 2008; ... BREWER Scottish and Newcastle (S&N) will end more than 250 yearsof history and tradition - including upwards of a century onTyneside - by falling into foreign hands.Shareholders in S&Nyesterday approved the [pounds]7.8bn takeover of the company byrival European brewers Carlsberg and ...
Go-ahead at last for [pounds]340m A1 upgrade
Apr 01, 2008; ... THE Government gave the goahead last night for a long-awaited[pounds]340m scheme that will complete the motorway link between theNorth-East and London.Work to upgrade 24 miles of the A1, fromDishforth to Barton, in North Yorkshire, from dual carriageway tothree-lane motorway will start ...
REF'S RED CARD TO FOOTBALL
Apr 01, 2008 ... AFTER years of abuse on the football field, referee Andy ...
Broken machine delays bus passes
Apr 01, 2008; ... THOUSANDS of North-East pensioners and disabled people are unableto use the Government's national concessionary travel scheme, whichstarts today, because of delays in posting passes.Officials lastnight blamed the problem on a machine breakdown at the Governmentcontractor that is sending ...
'Labour's campaign will be energetic'
Apr 01, 2008 ... TRANSPORT Secretary Ruth Kelly says she is optimistic that Labourcan win control of County Durham's new unitary council when votersgo to the polls next month.Mrs Kelly launched the party's campaignfor North-East council elections when she visited DurhamUniversity's Collingwood College, ...
30,000 reasons for optimism over region's economic health
Apr 01, 2008; ... ENTREPRENEURSHIP and enterprise in the North-East has amazed eventhe man who has spent the last year leading the drive to boost thenumber of businesses in the region.Business Link North East (BLNE)was launched a year ago today, with the aim of driving up the numberof businesses in the ...
Star helps to grease wheels of industry
Apr 01, 2008; ... HOLLYWOOD star John Travolta unknowingly had a hand in forging abusiness partnership between two old school friends.Andrew Read,from Darlington, who set up Resilient Business Systems with his wifethree years ago, lost touch with his best friend, Eddie McGee, in1986.The pair had become ...
Referee blows final whistle on his footballing career
Apr 01, 2008; ... A FOOTBALL referee has become so disillusioned with the abuse hereceives he has blown the final whistle on his career after 15years.Andy Hodgson has now decided to take up rugby, where he sayshe gets much greater respect from the players.Mr Hodgson, who is agroup parts manager for motor ...
Tougher penalties for irresponsible companies
Apr 01, 2008; ... Business editor Owen McAteer looks at the legal and insuranceimplications of a new piece of legislation relating to deaths at thehands of companies that are convicted of negligenceCOMPANIES whoseirresponsibility causes deaths will face stiffer penalties from nextweek. The Corporate ...
'I considered the abuse and hung up my kit'
Apr 01, 2008; ... Former referee Owen Amos explains why he hung up his whistleAWET, windy Saturday morning, and I'm reffing Harrogate and CravenSchools v Sheffield Schools. The 15-year-old players are fine. Theteachers are the problem.In the second half, a Harrogate playerkicks an opponent into the air, ...
On song for regional final
Apr 01, 2008 ... TEENAGE singer Kate Foley hopes to hit a high note in her questfor singing stardom this month.Kate, 15, from Pelton, near Chester-le-Street, impressed judges at auditions for the regional final ofLive and Unsigned, a talent contest giving young hopefuls the chanceto perform live in front ...
Return to nature saved the farm
Apr 01, 2008; ... JOY HENDERSON'S farm is a spectacular haven for bird life andflowers.The rough terrain has forced three generations of her familyto farm traditionally.Now experts have found 54 species ofwildflowers in one hay meadow and more than 100 overall.The NorthPennines Area of Outstanding Natural ...
Blow for bookmaker as shares hit record low
Apr 01, 2008; ... SHARES in bookmaker Neville Porter dropped to an all-time lowyesterday, as the company predicted the "challenging" marketconditions ahead would signal no end to its recent poor run.TheCounty Durham company revealed a [pounds]268,756 loss for the half-year to December 30, and admitted it ...
'We've put brakes on parking charges'
Apr 01, 2008; ... OPPONENTS of plans to introduce car parking charges believe theyhave found a way to put the brakes on the scheme.Hambleton DistrictCouncil, in North Yorkshire, wants to charge for parking inNorthallerton, Thirsk, Bedale and Stokesley next year.Seniorcouncillors say the Government's ...
Rock withdrawals revealed in full
Apr 01, 2008; ... WORRIED savers withdrew [pounds]12.2bn from Northern Rock as itheaded into trouble, it was revealed yesterday.The bank's annualreport and accounts for 2007, released yesterday, was a "story oftwo halves", revealing just how quickly its fortunes turned.In thefirst six months of last year, ...
Making a splash for cancer charity
Apr 01, 2008; ... A GRANDMOTHER who has represented the UK six times in the WorldTransplant Games is taking part in a swimathon for a cause close toher heart.Denise Baker, 49, will be making a splash at the MarieCurie Cancer Care Swimathon at The Dolphin Centre, in Darlington, inmemory of her mother, who ...
Hear all sides
Apr 01, 2008 ... SPORTING FACILITIESI HOPE that the new sporting facilities atDarlington Football Club will be approved.The planning applicationis fantastic news for our town.Our town's sporting facilities havedeteriorated and key indoor sports halls have been demolished in thelast four years.Longfield ...
Golden couple celebrate team effort
Apr 01, 2008 ... A COUPLE have celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in thehouse they bought and renovated together when they weremarried.Douglas and Sylvia Rooney moved into their home in CemeteryGates after being married in St Catherine's Church, both in Crook.MrRooney, 73, a former builder, ...
Residents' concerns are a priority for police
Apr 01, 2008; ... PEOPLE are helping to shape policing in their communities byworking with officers to highlight specific concerns.Earlier thismonth the neighbourhood beat teams for Spennymoor and Ferryhillcalled on the public to set their agenda for the coming months.Alongwith key priorities as outlined ...
Cash boost for projects to aid young homeless
Apr 01, 2008; ... PROJECTS designed to aid homeless people have been granted[pounds]50,000 of Government funding.Hambleton District Council willsplit the money between seven schemes in its area.Up to[pounds]10,000 of the [pounds]50,000 total has been earmarkedspecifically for projects dealing with youth ...
Charity workers with the greenest fingers
Apr 01, 2008 ... A HOST of golden daffodils has helped a charity win a gardeningcompetition prize.Haswell and District Mencap was named winner ofthe Spring Into Action bulbplanting challenge, run by EasingtonDistrict Council.During the contest - part of the Pride In Easingtoncampaign - schools, community ...
Tenant shocked that his house faces demolition
Apr 01, 2008; ... A COUNCIL tenant has described his shock at finding out aboutplans to demolish his house, to make way for a housingdevelopment.Albert Wood, 62, said he was angry that the first helearned of the proposals was after a planning application waslodged.He said: "I have just spent thousands of ...
Club's future 'dire' after latest attack by vandals
Apr 01, 2008; ... VANDALS could end 100 years of village cricket following a raidon a team clubhouse.Teenage yobs smashed their way into theclubhouse at Cowpen Bewley Cricket Club, on the edge of CowpenBewley, on Teesside, at the weekend.They left a hole 10ft high by8ft wide in the concrete wall of the ...
Rolls Royce surprise for diamond couple
Apr 01, 2008 ... A COUPLE were whisked off in style to celebrate their diamondwedding anniversary.Barry and Olwyn Fitchett's family surprised thecouple on Saturday when a Rolls Royce turned up to take them totheir party.The couple, who live in the Mowden area of Darlington,celebrated 60 years of marriage ...
Homes planned for former schools site
Apr 01, 2008; ... PLANS to build 101 houses and 27 flats on the sites of a threeformer schools are expected to be approved this week.Planningcouncillors will decide whether to let McInerney Homes build thedevelopment on the site of the former Beaumont Hill senior, middleand first schools, in Glebe Road, ...
Hear all sides
Apr 01, 2008 ... CROOKRE your article on the Miller Homes development at HeatherLane, in Crook (Echo, Mar 28). My wife and I also live in the streetnot far from the ongoing demolition of a perfectly good four-bed,modern detached house, in order to put in an access road to what wasformerly a paddock for ...
Hunt for pit disaster hero ends at a grave
Apr 01, 2008; ... A FAMILY'S search for the grave of a heroic pitman who died in amining disaster ended yesterday.George Robson was killed 150 yearsago in an underground fire at Page Bank Colliery, along with nineother miners.The deputy overman had been at the bottom of the shaftand helped 76 fellow ...
Cathedral officials defend decision over headstones
Apr 01, 2008; ... OFFICIALS have defended a controversial decision to lay flatheadstones in a cathedral graveyard, saying they posed a "serioushealth and safety risk".Ten headstones at Ripon Cathedral werelifted and laid flat last week after they were deemed too precariousto be left standing.The move ...
Shoplifter's 'dreadful story of addiction'
Apr 01, 2008; ... A SERIAL shoplifter's "downward spiral" was sparked by herconstant need to feed her drug addiction, a court was told.StephanieHowe was yesterday jailed for a year after a court heard of herrepeated breaches of previous court orders by stealing small amountsof goods from retail premises ...
Futility of war depicted in art
Apr 01, 2008 ... AN artist has opened an exhibition of his work that explores thefutility of war.Jim Chambers, 63, said the paintings at DurhamCounty Hall were mostly done about 40 years ago, and were inspiredby his experiences as a soldier in Borneo.Mr Chambers, ofWashington, who had served in 45 ...
Controversial plan for church receives blessing from officials
Apr 01, 2008; ... PLANS for a controversial new church in Guisborough have beengiven the go-ahead.A church and community building will be built tothe south of St Paulinus RC Primary School, in The Avenue.Dozens ofpeople living nearby objected to the plans for a replacement church,claiming the building is ...
Hear all sides
Apr 01, 2008 ... BILLINGHAMIN response to Keith Dewison's letter (Has, Mar 24),last summer, Stockton Borough Council sold its freehold interest inBillingham town centre to secure the regeneration of the towncentre.The sale signified a major step forward, resolving the issuesthat multiple ownership has ...
Beneath the trees - a host, of golden daffodils
Apr 01, 2008 ... Beneath the trees - a ...
Lion's share of [pounds]8m to region's students
Apr 01, 2008; ... A NORTH-EAST university is at the forefront of a Government driveto give Britain a more highly-skilled workforce.The University ofTeesside will receive the lion's share of [pounds]8.3m, which isbeing split between three universities - Staffordshire, Cumbria andthe Middlesbrough ...
Shopping centre staff give wellie appeal a foot-up
Apr 01, 2008 ... A KNITTING club has been collecting wellies for eastern Europeanchildren.For three years, Dean Bank Chat n Craft has supportedConvoy Aid, a charity that takes donations such as clothes andbedding to communities in Eastern Europe.The group, which is basedat Dean Bank Literary Institute in ...
Post office closure plan was not my idea, says Brown
Apr 01, 2008; ... GORDON BROWN tried to shift the blame for unpopular post officeclosures yesterday, by saying the plan to close 2,500 outlets wasthe work of Post Office managers.In a Downing Street interview, thePrime Minister said the Government was saving - rather than closing -vulnerable branches, ...
Joint effort results in helpline
Apr 01, 2008 ... TWO councils have joined forces to provide a helpline for peoplewishing to complain about problems.The scheme run by Newcastle andSunderland city councils will provide help for issues that need acouncil and not a police response.Noise nuisance, vandalism,graffiti, fly-posting and smoking ...
Sixty redundant after shock announcement to employees
Apr 01, 2008; ... SIXTY people were last night made redundant after a factory wentinto administration, The Northern Echo can reveal.Employees atThrislington Products, in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, were toldyesterday the business had run into financial problems and that thesite was closing with ...
Stand by your ham
Apr 01, 2008; ... A PARADE of pink protestors trotted down to a butchers shopyesterday to raise awareness of the plight of British pigfarmers.Winnie the pig, who led a threemonth demonstration inLondon's Parliament Square, in 2000, set up camp with seven pigfollowers on the doorstep of Weeton's, an urban ...
Tackling the highs and lows for charity ride
Apr 01, 2008; ... THREE bikers have returned to the North-East after a journey toAfrica to raise thousands of pounds for the Great North AirAmbulance.Wagon driver Mick Blenkinsop, paramedic Craig Hay, bothfrom Stanhope, and landscape gardener Gareth Martin, from St John'sChapel, all County Durham, had to ...
Police groups clash over helicopter fate
Apr 01, 2008; ... TWO North-East police authorities last night announced they werebacking plans to ground a crimefighting helicopter, but a third isopposing the move.Durham and Northumbria police authorities saidthey favoured plans to ground one of the North-East Air SupportUnit's helicopters.However, ...
Good news, however late
Apr 01, 2008 ... THE Northern Echo has been shouting about the need to bring theregion's major roads up to date for decades.And at long last, theGovernment has finally given the go-ahead for the most important ofthose necessary improvements - the upgrading of 24 miles of the A1from Dishforth to Barton in ...
The blue yonder
Apr 01, 2008; ... Today is the RAF's 90th anniversary. Its past is welldocumented,but what of its future? Owen Amos spends the day at RAF Linton-on-Ouse and learns how pilots of the future prepare for life in thecockpitTHE plane lunges from the light clouds to the heavy ground.The altimeter falls as my ...
Hear all sides
Apr 01, 2008 ... OLYMPIC MADNESSI WAS amazed to see that the London OlympicCommittee (LOC) was considering taking legal action against a writerwho published a children's book with the word "Olympic" in thetitle.Apparently the LOC has registered the words "Olympic", "London2012" and "2012" to prevent them ...
Eating Owt - Crying over the Onion
Apr 01, 2008; ... The column spends a very unhappy 'Happy Hour' at The Purple Onionin Middlesbrough IT'S 5.45pm in Middlesbrough town centre. Rainfalls from a cold-steel sky, youths ride undersized bicycles alongthe pavement without regard for the more pedestrian users, askimpily dressed young lady ...
Eating Owt
Apr 01, 2008; ... WRONG again, to suggest in last week's column that the upcomingbeer festival at the Vintage Vehicle Museum (April 12-13) wasShildon's first.Mark Harrington in Darlington not only recalls afestival at the Civic Hall as far back as 1984 but can name the ales- Big Lamp bitter, ...
Eating Owt
Apr 01, 2008; ... THE Darlington branch of the University of the Third Age (hugelysuccessful organisation; still a naff name) meets in the municipallyowned Arts Centre. Asked once again to hold forth - and thesedaytime talks are going to have to be curtailed, you just can't getwork in edgeways - I first ...
Eating Owt
Apr 01, 2008; ... AS last week's column recorded, the last time we were in the ArtsCentre was for Darlington CAMRA's beer festival.The column alsoobserved that Ian Jackson, formerly with the Wear Valley Brewery inBishop Auckland, had taken over as head brewer at Captain Cook inStokesley - but not that ...
Eating Owt
Apr 01, 2008; ... . . . and finally, the bairns wondered if we knew the name ...
Unhappy slappers
Apr 01, 2008; ... EastEnders (BBC1, 7.30pm)The Diets That Time Forgot (C4,9pm)PEGGY and Pat sound a bit like a comedy double act, but no oneis laughing in EastEnders (BBC1) as the two strong-willed womensquare up for the latest round in the battle of Walford.Seconds out,round one. Pint-sized Peggy and big ...
Army celebrations to mark 100 years of volunteer efforts
Apr 01, 2008; ... Today marks the 100th anniversary of the Territorial Army. Eventswill take place all over the country, with many held in the North torecognise the sacrifices the people in the region have made. GavinHavery reportsTHE British Army has depended on volunteers forhundreds of years.Centuries ...
'I'm even trying to get fit - an alien concept'
Apr 01, 2008; ... To reach her target weight Lucy Richardson needs to lose 30lbs.After just eight weeks, she's halfway thereIT is funny how the smallthings in life can make all the difference. My new most favouritething is a little shiny glass nugget given to me by my WeightWatcher's leader last week to ...
Poems
Apr 01, 2008 ... MAN'S SELFISHNESSRain pouring down on grey pavements Drainsoverflowing, too much volume Of water, flooding roads and homesHabitats destroyed, possessions lost Memories forgotten as photosare soaked Rivers' banks bursting With muddy waters Soaking fieldsand meadows Wildlife dashing for ...
ARMY OF TWO
Apr 01, 2008; ... Publisher: Electronic ArtsPlatforms: PS3, Xbox 360Price:[pounds]39.99 Family friendly? 18FOR the most part, console gamesare still solitary affairs, a battle of wits between the player andthe machine.Army of Two positively demands co-operation based, as itis, on co-ordinated strategies ...
Top games
Apr 01, 2008; ... 1Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 - XBOX 360/PS3 2Cooking Mama -DS 3Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games - Wii/DS 4Army of Two - XBOX360 5Ben 10 - DS 6Bully: Scholarship ...
Woman spared jail after stabbing partner
Apr 01, 2008; ... A MOTHER-TO-BE who stabbed her boyfriend after she accused him offlirting with other women was spared jail yesterday.Sharon Lynch,41, pulled on gloves to stab Joseph Roach, 22, with a kitchen knifeat their flat in Middlesbrough.He was wounded on the left side ofhis chest, close to his ...
Afuture bright and blue
Apr 01, 2008; ... It started life in mobiles but Bluetooth has jumped severalevolutionary rungs of wireless data transferIT may only be a shortrange frequency for data transfer that started life living in mobileearpieces, but Bluetooth technology has now embedded itself in allmanner of electronic ...
Plan to change government in the regions
Apr 01, 2008; ... CONSULTATION begins next week on an overhaul of regionalgovernment in the North-East.The Sub-National Review of EconomicDevelopment and Regeneration, which was published in July, will leadto the abolition of the North-East Assembly as part of moves tostreamline regional government.The ...
Embarrassing moment is costly for Dinwiddie
Apr 01, 2008; ... A FIRST top ten finish is far from something to be upset about,but Robert Dinwiddie was left thinking 'what might have been' aftermaking two cuts of a different kind in Spain.Dinwiddie landed inLisbon yesterday morning ahead of this Thursday's Estoril Open dePortugal in confident mood ...
Backtrack - Greener and Sharp make debuts as Harry edges closer to century
Apr 01, 2008; ... AILING fellows, well met, we again gathered to celebrate thebirthday - 87, and accelerating - of Harry Clarke, the only man toplay professionally for Darlington at both football and cricket.Itseems to come around ever more quickly - or, like Easter, to be amoveable feast."Young" Harry ...
Backtrack
Apr 01, 2008; ... SHARON Gayter, athlete extraordinary, has completed a 190km raceacross the Libyan desert in just 36 hours - first woman, fourth (of100) overall, loved (she says) every minute.Sharon, fromGuisborough, carried her own pack, had to do her own navigation,some of it in total darkness, and ...
Backtrack - . . . AND FINALLY
Apr 01, 2008; ... THE only Englishmen apart from Ryan Sidebottom to have taken awicket with their first ball in a Test match (Backtrack, March 28)are Maurice Tate (1926, Leeds) and Geoff Arnold, at Birmingham in1974.After much debate in the pub, John Briggs in Darlington todayinvites the ...
MCC pick Onions and Adil
Apr 01, 2008; ... DURHAM pace bowler Graham Onions and Yorkshire leg-spinner AdilRashid have been named in the MCC side to face Sussex in the openinggame of the domestic season next week.But England internationalAndrew Flintoff will not be involved in the four-day fixture atLord's.England's selectors had ...
Keltie calls on older heads to lift Quakers
Apr 01, 2008; ... FIT-AGAIN midfielder Clark Keltie has called on the squad's moreexperienced players to pull Darlington through their most difficultperiod of the season.Poor form and a lack of available players ishampering Quakers' promotion dream.The fourth-placed side thisevening aim to climb back into ...
Sunderland can be a force, claims Jones
Apr 01, 2008; ... HAVING seemingly overcome their lack of Premier Leagueexperience, striker Kenwyne Jones last night suggested thatSunderland are ready to show the top flight just what they areabout.A first season back in the topflight has been one ofinconsistency, which has left the Black Cats struggling ...