John O' Groat Journal headlines for August 14, 2015

A CAITHNESS mother has claimed her nine-year-old son was treated unfairly by Pulteneytown People's Project because he is autistic. But the claim by Sara Scollay who lives in Kirkhill, Wick, was yesterday "strongly rejected" by the organisation's chief executive, Katrina MacNab.

VOLUNTEERS have hit out at vandals who targeted the memorial garden for the 18 people who lost their lives in two aird raids on Wick during the Second world War. The damage to a plinth, which holds an information panel in the garden on Bank Row, was discovered on Sunday.

A SERIOUSLY disabled man is in despair about Highland Council's decision not to trim roadside verges this year. Anthony Steven lives along a single-track road running to Canisbay from Freswick and walks his dog along it twice a day using his buggy.
CYCLISTS from Wick got on their bikes to help record-breaking cyclist Mark Beaumont complete a non-stop ride over the North Coast 500 route. Beaumont completed the 516-mile journey in less than 38 hours when he arrived back at his starting point at Inverness Castle, on Tuesday evening.

VISITORS to Wick cemetery have been told a section of the main boundary wall which was damaged in January's severe storms, will be rebuilt. The wall was one of many structurers which collapsed in the face of hurricane-force winds that blasted the far north and left parts of Caithness without power for up to four days.

DUNNET surfer Chris Clarke is set to make his international debut next month after he was called up to the Scotland squad along with two other Caithness surfers, to take part in the European championships. The Scottish longboard champion, along with Thurso-based pair, Shoana Blackadder and Mark Boyd, are part of the seven-strong Scottish squad which will fly to Morocco for Eurosurf 2015. Casablanca will host the competition from September 12-20.

A VIDEO taken by a Caithness teenager has gone viral on the internet and attracted more than one million views in less than a week. The video, taken by 14-year-old Stephen Forbes using a drone, has become a sensation and was used this week as part of news item on BBC Scotland The aerial footage shows Armadale sheperdess Joyce Campbell gathering her lambs in preparation for the Lairg lamb sales.

THURSO-based O' Brien Construction has landed a second contract as part of the multimillion pound project being led by the Peatland Partnership at RSPB Scotland's Flow nature reserve. The firm is to build a £1.3 million state-of-the-art field centre which will serve as the hub for research into the tracts of blanket bog which make up the internationally important Flow Country.

SAM Mackay's last-gasp penalty kept alive Wick Academy's dream of winning their first piece of senior silverware as they progressed to the last four of the North ofScotland Cup in Inverness, on Wednesday evening. The match look to be heading for a penalty shoot-out after the home side conjured up an injury-time penalty. But the Lilywhites's lack of composure after the restart, cost them dear as Mackay concerned a spot-kick clincher at Grant Street Park.