THE newspaper leads on its front page with concern expressed by Thurso Community Council over a forthcoming shake-up in Highland Council’s service point arrangements.
Community Councillor Don Smith claims people have been kept in the dark and that they will be forced to pay rent and other council charges at commercial cashpoints which could compromise their confidentiality. His allegations were flatly rebutted by the authority’s ward manager, David Sutherland, who said that people were already using other points to settle bills and the new arrangements would give them more options, enabling them to settle the accounts where and when it was convenient for them to do so.
The launch of Marie Curie’s Great Daffodil Appeal in Caithness, on Wednesday, is also featured on Page 1 with a story and a picture of volunteers. They hope to raise more than £30,000, this year.
A picture/story below, tells of friends’ floral and Facebook tributes to 17-year-old Connor Craigie from Dunnet, one of two men who died in Monday’s terrible crash near Castletown. The story makes mention of their planned remembrance of him...a motor cavalcade scheduled to take place on February 13 from Thurso to John O’ Groats. The article also advises people of the funeral arrangements and the service to take place at St Peter’s and St Andrew’s Church, on Monday.
Inside, the Rev. John Nugent’s induction to the charge of Wick St Fergus, is extensively reported and in separate piece on the same page, reporter Jean Gunn records local concern over a lack of information about the current schools review in Caithness following a meeting with education officials. Dr Ewen Pearson, chair of Hillhead Primary School, claimed that they received “no clear answers” and were left with “a feeling of frustration.”
Police stations in Lybster and Bettyhill look set for closure, under cost-cutting measures being proposed by Northern Constabulary’s Chief Constable, Ian Latimer.
There certainly doesn’t appear to be any reduction in crime, however, according to P4 of the newspaper, mainly devoted to a series of cases from the Wick Justice of the Peace Court and a two-page picture spread of Burns events, further back, indicate that the Bard’s birthday was well celebrated in Caithness.
Richard Hughes, Wick Academy’s co-manager, bemoans the backlog of games that has built up because of the winter weather but expresses the hope that the teams can shake off the disappointment of having had only three games in eight weeks by giving a good account of themselves against Fraserburgh today. (Saturday) Come on you Scorries!