Caithness Courier headlines for February 6, 2013

A WIND
farm developer has suggested moving a war memorial to accommodate the errection of three turbines near the Causwaymire, it has been claimed. The move - which was yesterday denied by RWE npower renewables, has been branded as offensive to the memory of those killed. It is alleged the company was looking into the possibility of moving the Halsary war memorial to accommodate Bad a Cheo Wind Farm which will comprise 13 turbines covering around 360 hectares The memorial was built in tribute to six crewmen of the 519 Met Reece Squadron who were killed in a Fortress aircraft Z9-A crash in February 1945.

HIGHLANDS and Islands Enterprise is being asked to spell out what role it foresees Wick Harbour having in servicing the clusters of offshore wind turbines earmarked to be installed in the Moray Firth. Caithness, Sutherland and Ross MSP Rob Gibson wants the development agency to make clear its strategy so the port authority can play a part in a fast-growing industry.

TALKS are at an early stage to organise latter-day tributes to two Caithness soldiers who were awarded the Victoria Cross for services to their country. Thurso Community Councillor Alexander Glasgow is keen to raise funds to install public benches in Thurso, in tribute to Jock Campbell and David Mackay, the only servicemen from Caithness, known to have received the honour.

A CAITHNESS Highland councillor has hit out at plans by the local authority to cut its budget by almost £24 million over the next two years. Wick member Bill Fernie claims the move will affect jobs as well as a number of voluntary youth and arts groups and museums which will have their funding cut by three per cent. He said the cuts are being made at a time when the council has reserves of around £24 million.

HORSE events in Caithness will be taken to a whole new level next month when the county is set to host its first ever stunt show. Riders Storm are set to dazzle the crowds when they display their gymnastic abilities on galloping horses at Dale Farm, Halkirk. But the show is not part of a current tour by the Perthshire outfit but that of six enterprising Caithness students who are organising the event as part of their studies.

WICK High School pupils have collected a bucketful of Brownie points for their involvement in an anti-litter offensive. A small army of school volunteers teamed up with refuse workers and several local businesses last week to help reduce the amount of debris which ended up strewn on the streets surrounding the school. And it is hoped the blitz will have a lasting impact in countering what ranks alongside dog fouling as one of the most popular public grouses.

THE estimated bill to build a new Highland prison has jumped by more than £10 million in less than two years it has emerged. And efforts by the Scottish Prison Service to find a site to replace the overcrowded Porterfield facility in Inverness, are continuing almost five years after plans were first announced.