The Northern Echo back issues from May 2008:
Heart and HEADLAND
May 01, 2008; ... The ancient settlement of Hartlepool, on the North-East coast, isa town with much to recommend it - a long and eventful history,first-rate shopping facilities and many attractions that rank amongthe finest in the country. KEITH PROUD reports HARTLEPOOL is a town steeped in history ....
CLASSIC beauty
May 01, 2008; ... Qualified beauty therapist Selena Blain owns the newly-openedCocoon Health and Beauty in Coniscliffe Road, Darlington. The 24-yearold tells Women's Editor JULIA BREEN about her favourite looks Describe your look I would say my style is quite classic andcontemporary. I am quite ...
Heads hit out at list of 'failing schools'
May 01, 2008; ... EDUCATION officials in the North-East have hit out at theGovernment's decision to release a list of "failing" schools. Parents and teachers feared schools on the "hit list" could close- and two headteachers are demanding a meeting with Children'sSecretary Ed Balls. Other ...
The fall of THE WALL
May 01, 2008; ... As renovation projects go, Deborah Batley's huge Victorian endterrace presented a special challenge - the house came in twohalves. JENNY LAUE takes a look inside to discover what it took to turnit back into one big family home WHEN businesswoman Deborah Batley moved into her ...
Council's vow over schools on 'hit-list'
May 01, 2008; ... REASSURANCES were made last night about the future of twoDarlington secondary schools following the Government'scontroversial decision to release a list of "failing" schools. Parents and teachers feared schools on the Government's "hit-list" could close - and two North-East ...
More than SKIN DEEP
May 01, 2008; ... If you are thinking of having a little nip or tuck to improvewhat nature has given you, you're not alone. JULIA BREEN looks at why rising numbers of women - and men - aregoing under the knife. ONCE the preserve of rich celebrities and Hollywood hopefuls,cosmetic surgery is ...
Authority under fire on [pounds]1.9m road overspend
May 01, 2008; ... COUNCILLORS will be strongly criticised today over the secondmajor overspend on a construction project in a town. Work on the pedestrianisation of Darlington town centre and theEastern Transport Corridor road, in the town, has cost almost[pounds]4m more than expected. An ...
Judgement DAY
May 01, 2008; ... MIKE AMOS visits Judges Country House Hotel IF we are to judge not lest we be judged, as St Luke's gospelsupposes, what - short of eternal damnation - is the Good Book goingto make of food critics, forever passing a few appropriate sentencesof their own? What, more ...
Peal appeal success as funds target is reached
May 01, 2008; ... THE region's oldest set of bells will get a [pounds]70,000makeover after campaigners hit their fundraising target. The bells of St Nicholas' Church, in Durham, which were cast in1687, will be removed, cleaned, retuned and reinstalled, completewith a new steel frame, wooden wheels ...
History will be made as voters go to polls
May 01, 2008; ... VOTERS go to the polls in local government elections across thecountry today - with Labour steadying itself for significant losses. Council elections are taking place throughout England and Wales,with national attention focused on the mayoral election in London,where Conservative ...
Sporty SPICE
May 01, 2008; ... Toyota's Yaris is small, practical, reliable, wellbuilt and roomyfor a supermini. Now you can add sporty to that list of epithets,reports NIGEL BURTON THE 1.8-litre SR is the new flagship of the Yaris range and itpacks a heady 131 bhp beneath the smoothly sculpted ...
Cast (away) in classic role
May 01, 2008; ... A MAJOR [pounds]13m TV production of Robinson Crusoe is to befilmed at locations across the region. US TV giant NBC has joined forces with Power productions torecreate Daniel Defoe's classic tale. Film crews are due to shoot at several locations across NorthYorkshire from ...
FIVE comes alive
May 01, 2008; ... LAST time Audi were in the coupe market, we were all doing theMacarena at weddings, Skinner and Baddiel had us believing Englandcould actually win something and Bill Clinton was re-elected to theWhite House. The year was 1996 and Audi were about to wave goodbye to the goodold 80 ....
Doctor cleared of murder has suspension extended
May 01, 2008; ... A NORTH-EAST GP cleared of murdering three patients with morphineoverdoses has been suspended from practising medicine for anotheryear. A jury at Teesside Crown Court acquitted Dr Howard Martin of thecharges in December 2005 following a six-week trial. Dr Martin used to ...
Plans to expand grouse project
May 01, 2008; ... A CAMPAIGN to save the rare black grouse from extinction has beensuch a success in the NorthEast that a plan was announced yesterdayto repeat it in other parts of the country. The population of the bird has risen steadily in recent yearssince experts launched a project to protect ...
NIGHT vision
May 01, 2008; ... GAVIN HAVERY visits Durham by night and finds a vibrant city withexcellent food, lively and sophisticated bars and extensive plansfor the future BY day, Durham is overflowing with history and visitors. It'sbeen that way ever since the monks carried Cuthbert's body to thehigh, ...
BOOKS
May 01, 2008; ... MEMENTO MORI: Churches and Churchyards of England. A PersonalSelection Simon Marsden (English Heritage, [pounds]25) AT first sight one cannot but be struck by the startlinglylifelike appearance of the effigy. Lying in quiet repose, thesculpture in the purest of white marble is ...
Families raise money for vital hospital services
May 01, 2008 ... THE family of a lung disease victim have helped other sufferersby raising money for hospital equipment. Bus company founder Leonard Garnett's children and formercolleagues have raised [pounds]3,500 in his memory for the unitwhere he was treated in Bishop Auckland General ...
Cafe owner gets licence despite pub's objections
May 01, 2008; ... A CAFE proprietor has been granted a drinks licence, despiteopposition from a neighbouring pub landlady. Gillian Quigley will be allowed to sell alcohol from Tilly's, inStation Road, Ushaw Moor, near Durham, despite claims by CatherineLowerson, landlady of The Flass pub, the move ...
THEATRE
May 01, 2008; ... ICELANDIC sporting champion Magnus Scheving (pronounced Skeving)couldn't find a TV programme to promote fitness for children, so hewrote one himself. He penned LazyTown and changed the world bybecoming the personal trainer to millions of children as thebrightly blue and white coloured ...
Town welcomes 19 new citizens
May 01, 2008 ... DARLINGTON welcomed 19 new British citizens in the town's largestcitizenship ceremony to date. The group, which included two children, officially became Britishcitizens during a ceremony in the council chamber, in DarlingtonTown Hall, on Tuesday. All 19 were required to take ...
Living My North
May 01, 2008; ... Actor Hugo Speer was born and raised in Harrogate, returning lastyear from London to live in a nearby village. He made his name asGuy, one of the stripping steelworkers in the hit film The FullMonty. His TV work includes roles in Hearts And Bones, Sorted andBleak House. His latest stage ...
Compromise found in village land dilemma
May 01, 2008; ... A DISPUTE between a parish council and a neighbour which hastroubled a village for more than two years may have finally reacheda compromise. Gary Orpen has threatened Hurworth Parish Council and HurworthCommunity Association with legal action because he says they havefailed to ...
Sporty prisoners go all out for charity
May 01, 2008 ... A PRISON handed over nearly [pounds]6,000 to a children's cancercharity yesterday. The money was raised after six prisons across the country agreedto join Northallerton Young Offenders' Institution (YOI) in its bidto help charity CLIC Sergeant. Sean Shelton and Susie Campbell ...
Learning the score of anti-social behaviour
May 01, 2008; ... SCHOOLCHILDREN are being asked to sign up to an agreementpromising to be well behaved. About 500 teenagers at one Middlesbrough comprehensive schoolwere yesterday invited to put their names to a charter promising notto get involved in anti-social behaviour, or drop litter, ...
Drill hall decision expected to be deferred
May 01, 2008; ... FEARS have been raised about the impact of a scheme designed tohelp the regeneration of a market town. Private developer Amicon (Europe) wants to demolish a formerdrill hall in Bridge Street, Bedale, and replace it with a ground-floor shop and nine two-bedroom flats on three floors ...
Bollywood breaks the bubble
May 01, 2008 ... BOLLYWOOD came to North Yorkshire yesterday, when youngsters at aRichmond school tried their hand at Indian henna painting, art anddancing. Year seven, eight and nine pupils at St Francis Xavier Schooltook part in dance workshops hosted by Leedsbased professional dancecompany ...
Housing plan inquiry due to conclude today
May 01, 2008; ... A PUBLIC inquiry into controversial plans for homes on factoryland is due to conclude today. The inquiry had been called after Barratt Homes appealed againstWear Valley District Council's decision to turn the former CatkinWay industrial site, in Bishop Auckland, into a housing ...
Blooming good effort from green pupils
May 01, 2008 ... GREEN-FINGERED youngsters are making sure their school groundslook blooming lovely. Pupils at Kelloe Primary School, in Kelloe, near Coxhoe, belongto the school's gardening club and over the past four years havedevoted themselves to developing a school garden. The site, ten ...
Row over free bus travel for pensioners
May 01, 2008; ... DARLINGTON Borough Council has been asked review its policy onfree bus travel for pensioners after a resident said the town'selderly people got the worst deal in the region. John Crawford is urging the authority to change its stance on bustravel after it emerged it was the only one ...
Author treat for bookworms
May 01, 2008 ... THE authors of a novel that has sold millions of copies visitedDarlington to encourage children to read more. The One Book for Darlington initiative, run by libraries andschools, has seen children across the borough reading the same bookand creating artwork and illustrations to go ...
Gifted saxophonist praised for passing tough exams
May 01, 2008; ... AN 11-year-old's musical career has reached a crescendo afterbecoming one of the youngest in the country to pass exams normallytaken by university students. Alexander Bone has just achieved 86 per cent in his saxophonediploma - making him one of the most talented saxophonists in ...
Appeal judges to rule over babysitter's freedom bid
May 01, 2008; ... A WOMAN jailed for killing a toddler three years ago could walkout of jail today if appeal judges agree to quash her conviction. Convicted murderer Suzanne Holdsworth will hear this morningwhether judges at London's Court of Appeal believe she has been thevictim of a serious ...
Council accused of bullying at inquiry
May 01, 2008; ... A COUNCIL has been accused of bullying and intimidating residentswho objected when they were told they would have to sell their homesas part of a multi-million pound regeneration scheme. The claims were made at a public inquiry into compulsory purchaseorders (CPOs) issued as part ...
Warning after garage tragedy
May 01, 2008; ... HEALTH and safety officials have issued a warning to garageowners following the death of a mechanic who became trapped in anaccident with a car ramp. Jason David Raine collapsed and died days after an accident athis car repair business, Club Motors, in Easington, County ...
Sporting gesture. . .
May 01, 2008 ... AN Olympic paralympian and dance diva were among dozens of peopleattending a conference placing the spotlight on inequality in sportyesterday. Hosted by the Regional Sport Equity Network, the conference, heldat the Riverside, in Chester-leStreet, addressed issues ...
British Museum hopes to acquire brooch find
May 01, 2008; ... HISTORIANS hope to acquire a Roman brooch found on North-Eastfarmland to exhibit in London. It was discovered by a man with a metal detector in 2000, but wasleft forgotten in his drawer for six years. This week, an inquest heard that the item is attracting theinterest of the ...
Costly lessons to be learned
May 01, 2008 ... THERE is no denying that the debacle surrounding Darlington's newEastern Transport Corridor road link is a serious matter. The long-awaited project is running [pounds]1.9m over budget.When complete it will also stand 7ft too high because buildersmistakenly laid it on a two-metre ...
Fair Game?
May 01, 2008; ... In 100 days' time, China's Olympics will be under way, but peoplefrom film stars to football coaches are not happy. Owen Amos givesfive reasons to boycott Beijing - and three reasons not to DARFUR WHEN Steven Spielberg complains, you know you're introuble. Spielberg, director of ...
Good news falls off the radar
May 01, 2008; ... AMID the deepening gloom surrounding Gordon Brown is a speck oflight that deserves to shine far more brightly - the dramatic fallin crime. Most of the country may not realise it, but we are experiencingan historic decline in the offences - robbery, burglary and carcrime - that ...
Hear all sides
May 01, 2008 ... WATER BILLS YORKSHIRE Water (YW) raised prices by 7.5 per cent atthe beginning of April - three times the rate of inflation asmeasured by the Government's preferred index. Unlike other utility providers, you cannot switch from YW,therefore it is outrageous it has invented a dubious ...
Heavy rainfall spells new flooding misery
May 01, 2008; ... A HOMEOWNER says he is sick of condoms and effluent being strewnacross his back garden whenever there is heavy rainfall. James Wilkinson was again left powerless to stop drainsoverflowing and flooding his land when stormy weather hit the regionon Monday. The flooding is bad ...
New plea in hunt for store raiders
May 01, 2008; ... ARMED robbers who raided a NorthEast supermarket got away with afive-figure sum, it has been revealed. At least three masked robbers threatened security staffdelivering cash cassettes for a cash machine at Somerfield, inHealaugh Park, Yarm, near Stockton, shortly after 1.30pm on ...
Esther truly is a rose by any other name. . . .
May 01, 2008 ... AN elderly flower lover is now, officially, a rose by any othername - thanks to a friend. Esther Ruth has been registered as the title for a strain of redrose with the International Rose Naming Registry, in London, thebody responsible for personalising the many species of the ...
Inquest told of gaps in patient's hospital record
May 01, 2008; ... OBSERVATION charts kept on a mental patient who was supposed tobe checked every ten minutes showed gaps hours long, an inquest wastold yesterday. Paranoid schizophrenic Jonathan Ferguson stood his bed on its endand hanged himself with bedsheets while on the Stephenson ...
Vital medical supplies on their way
May 01, 2008 ... A CONTAINER of medical equipment has left the region to helpdisadvantaged people in West Africa. The charity mission was organised by Darlington Rotary Club.Among the equipment were 100 pairs of crutches, electrocardiogrammachines, blood pressure monitors and drugs. The ...
Tonight's TV - The In crowd
May 01, 2008; ... The Invisibles (BBC1, 9pm) The Inbetweeners (E4, 10pm) MEN behaving badly or teenagers behaving disgracefully. Take yourpick between The Invisibles and The Inbetweeners. The former has the better pedigree with a cast led by AnthonyHead, Warren Clarke and Dean Lennox ...
Theatre critics - Romeo and Juliet
May 01, 2008; ... Romeo and Juliet, Georgian Theatre Royal, BARRIE Rutter's Northern Broadsides company never seems todisappoint, and this new production of Shakespeare's romantictragedy is no exception, as the young audience last night cantestify. You could have heard a pin drop as Romeo ...
Region is the least popular with East European migrants
May 01, 2008; ... POOR job prospects have made the North-East the least populardestination in the country for Eastern European migrants, a reportsays. Researchers estimate that only about 5,000 migrants from theeight Eastern European countries that joined the EU in May 2004 livein the ...
Name Game
May 01, 2008; ... TIN ANGEL ON SEA On the pathway To the east it sounds And a district of that nameNoted for its collieries 'Angelina notes' it down? WORK out the North-East ...
Hunting for the elephant in the sitting room
May 01, 2008; ... The Ogden Centre, Durham University's world-leading site forresearching fundamental physics, celebrated its fifth anniversaryyesterday. Mark Tallentire reports CARLOS FRENK and Nigel Glover know more about how the universebegan than almost anyone living today. And they can ...
Rowers preparing for universities clash
May 01, 2008 ... STUDENT rowers yesterday took up the challenge to compete againsteach other in an annual university boat race. Dave Clasper, the greatgreat nephew of North-East rower HarryClasper, presided as Dan Cupit, the president of NewcastleUniversity Boat Club, issued the challenge to Rob ...
Poet's tribute to iron past chosen for art project
May 01, 2008; ... A POET'S tribute to a town will be immortalised in a [pounds]200mdevelopment. Ian Horn won a [pounds]500 poetry competition with his salute toMiddlesbrough's industrial past. The discovery of ironstone in the Eston Hills in 1850 made theTeesside town prosperous and led to ...
Sight-saving treatment for some - but miles away others lose out
May 01, 2008; ... THE UK's main charity for the blind has praised North-East healthbosses for agreeing to fund a new sight-saving drug ahead ofnational guidance. The decision means the North-East is the first NHS region toagree to fund the drug, called Lucentis, which can save the sight ofpatients ...
Business park plan delayed - by newts
May 01, 2008; ... A MULTI-MILLION pound business park that may create up to 1,200jobs could be held up - by a protected species of newts. Plans for 11 two-storey office blocks on a brownfield site atDurham Tees Valley Airport, near Darlington, had been expected to beheard by council planning ...
Farm shop's forbidden fruit
May 01, 2008 ... A GROUP of butchers, farmers and technicians have bared all for acheeky WI-style calendar shoot. Staff at Mainsgill Farm and Farm Shop, at East Layton, NorthYorkshire, posed with strategicallypositioned farm implements andproduce for the calendar, which they hope will raise ...
Builder predicting another record year
May 01, 2008; ... BUILDING company Redworth Construction has won seven contractsworth [pounds]26m since the start of the year. The North Yorkshire firm said the deals have seen it nearly reachits [pounds]35m turnover target for the year, with a busy order bookup to 2010. After only six years ...
Closure leads to job losses
May 01, 2008; ... A CEMENT company closed yesterday with the loss of 31 jobs. Despite having to turn down orders, it is understood the Cemexplant, in St Helen Auckland, County Durham, was still running at aloss. The company had already laid off 12 staff, with most of theremaining 19 leaving ...
John North - Hedley has his day
May 01, 2008; ... This week we delve deeper into the history of the three carveddogs' heads at Darlington's railway museum and discover a link to afamous North-East artist TO the dogs, as usual, last week's column puzzled over the threecarved canines now on sentry turn at the reborn North Road ...
John North - Resistance was futile
May 01, 2008; ... MENTION last week of "Battling" Bessie Braddock, from 1945-69 theformidable Labour MP for Liverpool Exchange, reminded Stan Wilson inSowerby, Thirsk, of National Service days in the 1950s. "If anyone got picked on by the sergeant major, it was alwaysBessie Braddock they were going ...
Dad at large - Dancing to her iTunes
May 01, 2008; ... WE'RE getting old, my wife and I. There's no denying it - and theageing process is an increasingly alarming experience. My 17-year-old son gets more and more hair while I'm getting proportionatelyless. Nearly as depressing is the fact that I now have to wearreading glasses over my ...
Artist among first to back station contest
May 01, 2008; ... A PAINTER from the region is among the first artists to confirmplans to submit entries for an eagerly-anticipated competition. Ed Kluz, who is based in Richmond, North Yorkshire, will enterthree examples of his work in the A1 Open Summer Art Exhibition. The show will take place ...
Stevie Thunder needs to show a lightning turn of foot
May 01, 2008; ... STEVIE THUNDER (3.00) bids to improve an already excellent strike-rate by winning Redcar's Straight-Mile Championship Qualifier. The drinks will once again be on Alan Swinbank's money-spinnerif, as expected, he makes it three wins from five starts in theBoddington's sponsored ...
Higginbotham to fight for his place
May 01, 2008; ... AHEAD of what promises to be a busy summer in the transfer marketfor Sunderland manager Roy Keane, Danny Higginbotham has revealedhis determination to fight for his place in the Black Cats team. Having secured their Premier League status with last Saturday's32 win over ...
NO HEADLINE
May 01, 2008; ... IT is not quite as ludicrous as his suggestion that femalefootballers should wear tighter shorts, but FIFA president SeppBlatter's proposal for reducing the number of overseas players inthe English game invites just as much ridicule. The horse hasn't so much bolted as disappeared ...