Caithness Courier headlines for February 19
IT must stay!. That is the rallying call from community representatives left outraged by the decision to move an iconic piece of Dounreay to England, instead of it being preserved for posterity in Caithness. The Nuclear Decommisssioning Authority last week revealed that the Dounreay Fast Reactor control room is earmarked to end up in the National Science Museum in London.

AN airline has come under heavy criticism from passengers in Caithness after it was revealed a number of flights have been cancelled or delayed over the past four weeks due to no planes or crew members being available. Eastern Airways admitted it has recenlty experienced significant difficulties which has led to it being unable to take to the skies on a number of flights between Wick John O' Groats Airport and Aberdeen International Airport.

A CALL has been made for Highland Council to ensure no children or staff at Halkirk primary are put at risk, after high levels of radon gas were found at the school. The plea came from Landward Caithness councillor, Gillian Coghill, who said it was fortunate the discovery was made just before the school holidays.

A MONITORING group to evaluate health services at Caithness General Hospital is to be established in the wake of the news that local maternity services could be significantly reduced. NHS Highland revealed obstetric services in Wick may move to daytime hours only after the death of a consultant reduced the number of qualified doctors in the maternity unit to two.

SERVICE points in Wick and Thurso will not be affected by a review which is expected to result in 23 out of the 35 offices in the Highlands being closed. The review is being undertaken due to changing customer trends and the need for the local authority to save money. A report setting out recommendations will be presented to the finance, housing and resources committee next Wednesday.

A PLAN to appoint a John O' Groats to Land's End co-ordinator in time for the coming tourist season has been welcomed. John Green, chairman of Dunnet and Cannisbay Community Council backed the initiative which could give a boost to the local economy. The end-to-end co-ordinator will help people who undertake the marathon, to plan their trips and provide advice and information.

MORE than 50 teachers have answered an SoS call for staff in Highland schools to ward off a classroom crisis. It emerged in November that teaching the full curriculum in some schools had become a problem because of a chronic shotragte of supply teachers. One unnamed rural primary school was even forced to send pupils home, because it could not source a supply teacher to provide cover.

THE potential impact marine energy deivces may have on salmon in the Pentland Firth is to be looked at by a team of scientists. Led by the Environmental Research Institute, the Pentland Salmon Initiative aims to probe the migratory patterns of the wild Atlantic slamon, focusing on the firth because it is an important route for the fish and is of international interest with its powerful waves and strong tides.