Nwicker60
23-Sep-11, 09:53
John O’ Groat Journal: September 23, 2011
THE paper’s lead story story is a chilling, background analysis following this week’s fatal accident at Auckengill in which a woman cyclist died. It states that almost half of all road deaths in the Highlands and Islands this year, have taken place in Caithness. The shocking statistic comes after the latest incident in which cyclist Elaine Dunne (30) from Leicester was killed after being hit by a car near Auckengill, on Wednesday morning. Northern Constabulary said that the fatality, is the 16th in the force area this year, and the seventh road death to take place in Caithness. The county’s total also contributes to the majority of deaths which have occurred in the Caithness, Sutherland and Ross command area, which has so far totalled nine in 2011. A separate page one story reveals that Elaine had been celebrating her first wedding anniversary, with her husband and fellow cyclist, Chris. He suffered severe injuries and was taken by ambulance to Caithness General Hospital, at Wick, and was later transferred to hospital in Glasgow. The couple had been on a week’s camping trip in the area and were heading back to Wick from John O’ Groats, to catch the train south. The female driver of the car, which landed on its roof, was treated for minor injuries and shock at Caithness General.
INSIDE, firms have enjoyed a strong showing at Scotland’s largest marine energy conference and exhibition in Inverness this week. Scottish Renewables Forum staged the event in the capital for the third time, on Monday and Tuesday at Eden court Theatre. It was attended by the new minister for energy, Fergus Ewing, who reflected on his plans to work with businesses to secure the future of wave and tidal power across the North. Louise Smith, director of Caithness Renewables Ltd which had a presence at the conference, picked up on the minister’s plans for early actions aimed at stabilising the future of marine energy off the Caithness coast. It reinforced the need for the original Pentland Firth and Orkney water seabed leasing area, to be opened up by the Crown Estates to provide locations for pre-commercial size arrays of wave and tidal devices, ahead of the commercial scale deployments, which may not appear until 2015
NEW regulations which will ban the sale of alcohol at discount prices, are discriminating against sensible drinkers, according to a local councillor. Highland Council’s licensing board committee member David Flear said that the new rules, which will prevent alcohol being sold cheaply, will leave some people feeling they are being penalised. Changes to the Alcohol Scotland Act 2010, are due to come in on October 1. They will see new restrictions on how the public can buy alcohol and the way in which promotions are advertised.
TWO vets have been honoured for their dedicated service to livestock producers in the Far North. Frank Stephen and Sinclair Manson were guests at a presentation hosted by Halladale Common Grazings committee. The do, in Halladale community hall, was held to mark the pair’s retirement as Thurso-based partners in D.S. MacGregor & Partners. Each has worked nearly 40 years there and, while no longer partners, continue to have an involvement in the practice. Tributes to the two “exceptional individuals” were led by committee chairman Derek Mackay.
THE Ministry of Defence is being pressed to give a statement on the future of its longtime base at Vulcan. The station, which adjoins the defunct fast reactor site at Dounreay, has a guaranteed future up to April 2014 under the terms of its currents contract. In the absence of any follow-on to its support of the country’s fleet of nuclear submarines, the base would be decommissioned. Disquiet is growing about the lack of any definitive statement from the MoD. Successive heads of its small Royal Navy presence have failed to enlighted community representatives about whether the base has an operational future beyond 2014.
THE Church of Scotland presbyteries need to work closer together. That was the considered opinion expressed at last week’s meeting of the Caithness presbytery in Thurso West Church. Members backed a call to “engage imaginatively with their neighbours to develop and strengthen the life and work of presbytery”. A report by former clerk, James Houston, pointed out the original Panel on Review and Reform Pilot Scheme, was not supported at this year’s General Assembly in Edinburgh. He said: “It was not seen as the way forward” said Mr Houston but he stressed inter-presbytery discussions are taking place and that is leading to closer co-operation.
IT’S Cup time again and a confident Wick Academy boss, David Kirkwood, says that if his team keep playing the way they have been, he doesn’t think they can go far wrong. The Scorries face Coldstream in the first round of the Scottish Cup, at Harmsworth, tomorrow, and they will be hoping to avenge the clubs last encounter with the Borders side, which beat them 4-2, in 1954.
THE paper’s lead story story is a chilling, background analysis following this week’s fatal accident at Auckengill in which a woman cyclist died. It states that almost half of all road deaths in the Highlands and Islands this year, have taken place in Caithness. The shocking statistic comes after the latest incident in which cyclist Elaine Dunne (30) from Leicester was killed after being hit by a car near Auckengill, on Wednesday morning. Northern Constabulary said that the fatality, is the 16th in the force area this year, and the seventh road death to take place in Caithness. The county’s total also contributes to the majority of deaths which have occurred in the Caithness, Sutherland and Ross command area, which has so far totalled nine in 2011. A separate page one story reveals that Elaine had been celebrating her first wedding anniversary, with her husband and fellow cyclist, Chris. He suffered severe injuries and was taken by ambulance to Caithness General Hospital, at Wick, and was later transferred to hospital in Glasgow. The couple had been on a week’s camping trip in the area and were heading back to Wick from John O’ Groats, to catch the train south. The female driver of the car, which landed on its roof, was treated for minor injuries and shock at Caithness General.
INSIDE, firms have enjoyed a strong showing at Scotland’s largest marine energy conference and exhibition in Inverness this week. Scottish Renewables Forum staged the event in the capital for the third time, on Monday and Tuesday at Eden court Theatre. It was attended by the new minister for energy, Fergus Ewing, who reflected on his plans to work with businesses to secure the future of wave and tidal power across the North. Louise Smith, director of Caithness Renewables Ltd which had a presence at the conference, picked up on the minister’s plans for early actions aimed at stabilising the future of marine energy off the Caithness coast. It reinforced the need for the original Pentland Firth and Orkney water seabed leasing area, to be opened up by the Crown Estates to provide locations for pre-commercial size arrays of wave and tidal devices, ahead of the commercial scale deployments, which may not appear until 2015
NEW regulations which will ban the sale of alcohol at discount prices, are discriminating against sensible drinkers, according to a local councillor. Highland Council’s licensing board committee member David Flear said that the new rules, which will prevent alcohol being sold cheaply, will leave some people feeling they are being penalised. Changes to the Alcohol Scotland Act 2010, are due to come in on October 1. They will see new restrictions on how the public can buy alcohol and the way in which promotions are advertised.
TWO vets have been honoured for their dedicated service to livestock producers in the Far North. Frank Stephen and Sinclair Manson were guests at a presentation hosted by Halladale Common Grazings committee. The do, in Halladale community hall, was held to mark the pair’s retirement as Thurso-based partners in D.S. MacGregor & Partners. Each has worked nearly 40 years there and, while no longer partners, continue to have an involvement in the practice. Tributes to the two “exceptional individuals” were led by committee chairman Derek Mackay.
THE Ministry of Defence is being pressed to give a statement on the future of its longtime base at Vulcan. The station, which adjoins the defunct fast reactor site at Dounreay, has a guaranteed future up to April 2014 under the terms of its currents contract. In the absence of any follow-on to its support of the country’s fleet of nuclear submarines, the base would be decommissioned. Disquiet is growing about the lack of any definitive statement from the MoD. Successive heads of its small Royal Navy presence have failed to enlighted community representatives about whether the base has an operational future beyond 2014.
THE Church of Scotland presbyteries need to work closer together. That was the considered opinion expressed at last week’s meeting of the Caithness presbytery in Thurso West Church. Members backed a call to “engage imaginatively with their neighbours to develop and strengthen the life and work of presbytery”. A report by former clerk, James Houston, pointed out the original Panel on Review and Reform Pilot Scheme, was not supported at this year’s General Assembly in Edinburgh. He said: “It was not seen as the way forward” said Mr Houston but he stressed inter-presbytery discussions are taking place and that is leading to closer co-operation.
IT’S Cup time again and a confident Wick Academy boss, David Kirkwood, says that if his team keep playing the way they have been, he doesn’t think they can go far wrong. The Scorries face Coldstream in the first round of the Scottish Cup, at Harmsworth, tomorrow, and they will be hoping to avenge the clubs last encounter with the Borders side, which beat them 4-2, in 1954.