Caithness Courier headlines for November 16, 2015

AFTER it was revealed just two ambulance crews cover Caithness at night-time, a local Highland councillor is seeking reassurance that lives are not being put at risk. Gillian Coghill said the issue needs to be addressed urgently, given that more mothers-to-be in the far north are now being referred to Raigmore hospital, in Inverness, rather than Caithness General.

"SICKENED" by the game she used to love. That is how a former junior rugby committee member described her decision to walk away from the game after claiming her side had been cheated out of a national tournament. Lorna Miller has been left fuming by a decision not to play a semi final game involving Caithness which was played without posts.

A FRESH outbreak of complaints from far north motorists was triggered by a spate of accidents on the A9 caused by wintry weather. In one, a lorry hit a telegraph pole and brought down a power line onto the busy road. Fortunately no-one was injured in the incident at Spittal, early on Saturday.

JUST a handful of pupils attending secondary schools in Caithness and north Sutherland are choosing a foreign language at Higher level. An investigation by the Caithness Courier has revealed that classrooms in Thurso and Wick, which teach French and German, are only populated with a maximum of three children.

A TOTAL of £250 million has been made available by the UK government for research into small modular nuclear reactors, members of the Dounreay Stakeholder Group have been told. Developers claim the the reactors would be much cheaper and quicker to build, than conventional nuclear power plants with components manufactured in factories and then assembled on site.

THE Scottish Government is being pressed to underwrite the urgently-needed improvements to Berriedale Braes in their draft budget for 2016/17. Highland Labour MSP Rhoda Grant claims it would be "disastrous" for the far north were the projected £2.4 million realignment of the north hairpin on the switchback stretch of the A9, delayed due to finanical constraints of a public local inquiry, which is due to be held into the scheme.

DAVIE Allan should be fit to face Linlithgow Rose in the Scottish Cup third round tie tonight when Wick Academy hope they'll finally beat the weather for the fixture to take place. Allan missed out with a bug after the Scorries played their first match in three weeks when Harmsworth Park was given the all clear, to host the 3-3 draw with Turriff United on Saturday.