Nwicker60
13-Apr-11, 13:40
Caithness Courier review: April 13, 2011-04-13
POLITICS take centre stage on the front page of this week’s issue with Secretary of State for Scotland, Michael Moore fully confident that the Liberal Democrats would win the Caithness, Sutherland and Ross seat in next month’s Scottish Parliament elections. He remained unconvinced by opinion polls which suggested the party will be affected by a backlash from the electorate over its role in the UK coalition Government with the Conservatives. Mr Moore stated: “I have seen polls predicting different things over the years” he commented while on a visit to ABSL Power Solutions factory, in Thurso,, with local Scottish parliamentary candidate, Robbie Rowantree and area MP John Thurso. Mr Moore, who is a member of the UK Government, described Mr Rowantree as “a first-class candidate who knows the area well”.
ONE of the supporting stories has promising industrial news. Bower-based NES Engineering Ltd has been relaunched as Numax Energy Services Ltd and is part of the Texas-based Numax Group, which is currently trying to secure major projects in West Africa and other parts of the globe. However, as part of the restructuring, eight people have had to be paid off, although, in the longer term, the company hopes to increase its workforce.
CONTRASTING the industrial and political news and completing the front-page, is the announcement that Christian rock group, the Chip Kendall Band, went down a storm with young audiences, last week. Over 300 attended the Manchester-based band’s shows in Wick and Thurso high schools, as part of a week of events entitled “Test of FAITH: Live”. Over 1700 pupils from both schools, enjoyed the music-based, multi-media approach to exploring the relationship between faith and science.
INSIDE, the local election for a new Ward 3 councillor was something of cauld kale as the news of Gail Ross’s success fell on the wrong day of the week, Friday, for the Courier and the Groat, and by this time, the story had been well covered elsewhere. But the Courier, dutifully recorded the excitement and the facts and figures of the count as well as Mrs Ross’s aspirations.
THURSO’s Wave North Festival got off to a “tremendous start”, at the weekend with well over 150 people turning out for its opening Party in the Precinct. The crowds were entertained with performances from Thurso junior and senior players and local bands, The London Gentlemen, Running with Scissors and NoExitWound. Marion O’ Brien, one of the assistant co-ordinators for Wave North for Caithness Horizons, said: “Feedback has been tremendous for our opening day, the sun shone and we had a brilliant party.”
HIBERNIAN Football Club was represented at Saturday’s funeral, in Thurso, of teenage cancer victim Liam Munro. Operations adviser Jim Pryde was among the throng of mourners who came to pay their last respects to the 19-year-old who lived at Springfield, Glengolly. He succumbed to a four-and-a-half fight with an incurable brain rumour. A Hibs fanatic, Liam was guest of honour at several of their Premier Legue matches, leading the players out, in their home match against Inverness Caley Thistle in November 2008
THE local Citizens Advice Bureau manager has warned that people are being “ripped off” by some unscrupulous phone and internet providers. Jill Smith said this week that the CAB offices in Wick and Thurso have dealt with a number of cases and they are on the increase. CAB has backed a report issued this week by Citizens Advice Scotland, which shows that many people are being ripped off by telecommunications companies through sharp practices such as mis-selling service and switching a customer’s provider without their knowledge.
A CAITHNESS campaigner has produced a report which argues the average output of wind turbines across Scotland is “well below” the rates claimed by the industry and the Government. Stuart Young, of Caithness Windfarm Information Forum, carried out his study over a 26-month period between November 2008 and December last year. He found there were periods of time when all the wind turbines in Scotland, linked to the national grid, mustered less than 20 megawatts of energy, enough power for 6667 households to boil their kettles for a cup of tea.
TWO best friends will be heading for an African adventure this summer to work with orphans. Carol-Anne MacKenzie (22) of Thrumster and Carly Simpson (21) of Watten, will be flying to Kenya in June to work at the Kenya Children’s Home in Nairobi. The orphanage is home to over 180 children who have lost their parents through either illness or conflict. It provides youngsters with somewhere safe to stay and offers them the chance of an education. The former Wick High School pupils became involved with the project through Carol-Anne’s uncle Alan MacKenzie.
LOCAL patients are to benefit from a new scanner that will help in the early diagnosis of osteoporosis. Based at the X-ray department at the Ross Memorial Hospital, in Dingwall, the new machine, called an dual energy X-ray absorptiomentry scanner is the most accurate and reliable method of assessing bone mineral density currently available. The hospital is also one of the first places in Europe to use the most up-to-date computer software for analysing the results of these scans.
AND finally..a happy Easter event. Tina, a black Suffolk is the proud mother of not one, not two, not three, but FOUR lambs. They were born at the weekend a ta holding at Hawkhill, near Thurso. Quads are apparently quite rare.
POLITICS take centre stage on the front page of this week’s issue with Secretary of State for Scotland, Michael Moore fully confident that the Liberal Democrats would win the Caithness, Sutherland and Ross seat in next month’s Scottish Parliament elections. He remained unconvinced by opinion polls which suggested the party will be affected by a backlash from the electorate over its role in the UK coalition Government with the Conservatives. Mr Moore stated: “I have seen polls predicting different things over the years” he commented while on a visit to ABSL Power Solutions factory, in Thurso,, with local Scottish parliamentary candidate, Robbie Rowantree and area MP John Thurso. Mr Moore, who is a member of the UK Government, described Mr Rowantree as “a first-class candidate who knows the area well”.
ONE of the supporting stories has promising industrial news. Bower-based NES Engineering Ltd has been relaunched as Numax Energy Services Ltd and is part of the Texas-based Numax Group, which is currently trying to secure major projects in West Africa and other parts of the globe. However, as part of the restructuring, eight people have had to be paid off, although, in the longer term, the company hopes to increase its workforce.
CONTRASTING the industrial and political news and completing the front-page, is the announcement that Christian rock group, the Chip Kendall Band, went down a storm with young audiences, last week. Over 300 attended the Manchester-based band’s shows in Wick and Thurso high schools, as part of a week of events entitled “Test of FAITH: Live”. Over 1700 pupils from both schools, enjoyed the music-based, multi-media approach to exploring the relationship between faith and science.
INSIDE, the local election for a new Ward 3 councillor was something of cauld kale as the news of Gail Ross’s success fell on the wrong day of the week, Friday, for the Courier and the Groat, and by this time, the story had been well covered elsewhere. But the Courier, dutifully recorded the excitement and the facts and figures of the count as well as Mrs Ross’s aspirations.
THURSO’s Wave North Festival got off to a “tremendous start”, at the weekend with well over 150 people turning out for its opening Party in the Precinct. The crowds were entertained with performances from Thurso junior and senior players and local bands, The London Gentlemen, Running with Scissors and NoExitWound. Marion O’ Brien, one of the assistant co-ordinators for Wave North for Caithness Horizons, said: “Feedback has been tremendous for our opening day, the sun shone and we had a brilliant party.”
HIBERNIAN Football Club was represented at Saturday’s funeral, in Thurso, of teenage cancer victim Liam Munro. Operations adviser Jim Pryde was among the throng of mourners who came to pay their last respects to the 19-year-old who lived at Springfield, Glengolly. He succumbed to a four-and-a-half fight with an incurable brain rumour. A Hibs fanatic, Liam was guest of honour at several of their Premier Legue matches, leading the players out, in their home match against Inverness Caley Thistle in November 2008
THE local Citizens Advice Bureau manager has warned that people are being “ripped off” by some unscrupulous phone and internet providers. Jill Smith said this week that the CAB offices in Wick and Thurso have dealt with a number of cases and they are on the increase. CAB has backed a report issued this week by Citizens Advice Scotland, which shows that many people are being ripped off by telecommunications companies through sharp practices such as mis-selling service and switching a customer’s provider without their knowledge.
A CAITHNESS campaigner has produced a report which argues the average output of wind turbines across Scotland is “well below” the rates claimed by the industry and the Government. Stuart Young, of Caithness Windfarm Information Forum, carried out his study over a 26-month period between November 2008 and December last year. He found there were periods of time when all the wind turbines in Scotland, linked to the national grid, mustered less than 20 megawatts of energy, enough power for 6667 households to boil their kettles for a cup of tea.
TWO best friends will be heading for an African adventure this summer to work with orphans. Carol-Anne MacKenzie (22) of Thrumster and Carly Simpson (21) of Watten, will be flying to Kenya in June to work at the Kenya Children’s Home in Nairobi. The orphanage is home to over 180 children who have lost their parents through either illness or conflict. It provides youngsters with somewhere safe to stay and offers them the chance of an education. The former Wick High School pupils became involved with the project through Carol-Anne’s uncle Alan MacKenzie.
LOCAL patients are to benefit from a new scanner that will help in the early diagnosis of osteoporosis. Based at the X-ray department at the Ross Memorial Hospital, in Dingwall, the new machine, called an dual energy X-ray absorptiomentry scanner is the most accurate and reliable method of assessing bone mineral density currently available. The hospital is also one of the first places in Europe to use the most up-to-date computer software for analysing the results of these scans.
AND finally..a happy Easter event. Tina, a black Suffolk is the proud mother of not one, not two, not three, but FOUR lambs. They were born at the weekend a ta holding at Hawkhill, near Thurso. Quads are apparently quite rare.