Caithness Courier headlines for June 10, 2015

MORE than half a million pounds is to be spent improving the fast-failing Killimster Moss road in Caithness, over the next three years. Concern about the state of the half-mile stretch of the B876 between Castletown and Wick, has led to it being allocated a sizeable chunk of the £3.6 million Highland Council has to spend on upgrading minor roads.

A THURSO ex-serviceman is questioning why roadworks on the town's road bridge could not have been carried out at night to avoid so much disruption. Rob Jolly says himself and many older folk have been affected by the bus route changes and delays caused by the work on the A9 and, as a result, some had missed GP appointments.

A MULTI-MILLION pound contract for work at the Dounreay shaft and silo has been awarded to a company based in England. M & W High Tech Projects Ltd, part of the German M & W Group but based in Wiltshire, beat off competition from five other companies to land the £17.5 million seven-year contract.

THE Caithness Music Festival has launched in impressive style with some classes already seeing outstanding marks from the county's young performers. The accordion and Scots fiddle groups have been particularly high scores, but adjudicators say all classes have impressed them, some for the number of entries and some for the talent on show.

AN annual Caithness Day has been mnooted to celebrate the impending creation of the county's first modern-day flag. It is one of a number of spin-offs which could result from the raising of what will be the first registered area flag, on the Scottish mainland.

ALCOHOL will be the subject of a live Facebook chat which is taking place online today. The event, which is being hosted by the Highland Alcohol and Drug Partnership, will be looking at some of the key issues relating to drink.

AN archaeological project, which is thought to be the first of its kind in Scotland has been launched in Castletown. A window on the Hidden Bronze Age Landscape of Caithness will involve a new exploration of the county's prehistoric past, using modern technology.

VISITORS from as far afield as Kinross converged on John O' Groats for the 46 annual Caithness and Sutherland Vintage and Classic Car Club rally. By midday, many exhibitors and visitors had arrived at the showground, the use of which was provided by Natural Resorts to be joined by a procession of exhibits that had assembled and driven north from Lybster.

NEWTONHILL Croft Cottage officially opened at the weekend for use as a community shelter by groups using Wick's Newtonhill woodland. The cottage, built in 1884, has been done up under the guidance of the Friends of Newtonhill Woodland, to create somewhere the area's many visitors can gather.

PUPILS from Thurso donned their wellies to enjoy a lesson in the great outdoors. The peatlands of Caithness acted as a classroom for the Pennyland Primary youngsters who were takeing part in the Alan Joyce Young Environmentalist which this year is being organised by Strathnaver Musem, in partnership with the Heritage Lottery -founded Flows to the Future Project.

STAXIGOE United kept their dream of landing their first Highland Amateur Cup title on track after producing a first class performnance to book a place in the quarter-final, with an emphatic 5-1 win over their Inverness visitors, Scotrail.