Caithness Courier headlines for May 11, 2016

HEARTBROKEN Lesley Thain blames vandals for the death of her family's pet dog which plunged 25 metres down a cliff after running though a broken gate at a Caithness castle. Misty, an Australian shepherd dog broke free from her leash and loped off, running through the padlocked gate at Castle Sinclair
Girnigoe which had been forced off its hinges.

THE local citizens advice service is engaging in a battle of wits aiming to beat fraudsters amid a rise in scams targeting Caithness households. Caithness Citizens Advice Bureau launched its scams-prevention guide, yesterday, in a bid to help people who are contacted by con artists pretending to represent banks and IT companies and attempt to fool residents into parting with their cash.

VITAL repairs to the B876 at Killimster Moss are not scheduled to begin until the start of next year it has emerged. Highland Council has allocated £525,000 for the work which it intends to carry out without the need to divert traffic.

GAIL Ross made history by becoming the first woman and first Caithnessian to be elected as an MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross after receiving the most votes from the electorate. The born and bred Wicker saw off the challenge of Liberal Democrat Jamie Stone, to retain the constituency for the SNP by over 3900 votes and will now represent an area the same size as Northern Ireland.

A RECRUITMENT drive to staff the building which will become the home of the UK nuclear industry archive, is under way. Up to 20 staff are being sought for the development which has cost the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority £20 million to build and is due to open early next year.

FOUR Scottish sports starts from yesteryear have reached the halfway point in their John O' Groats to Paris marathon cycle, having already raised almost £110,000 for charity. The Duchenne Dash Max challenge is being fronted by former rugby internationalists Andy MacDonald, Gordon Hunter and Rob Wainwright along with Olympic slalom skier Alain Baxter.

CAITHNESS has a new vice-deputy lieutenant and two new deputy lieutenants. Paul Cariss has been promoted to vice-deputy lieutenant to replace Angus Mackay who has retired from the honorary post, Kevin Mackay from Thurso and Evelyn Bremner from Wick have meanwhile been appointed deputy lord lieutenants to fill a vacancy and the space left by Elizabeth Richard-Jones who has left the county.

WOMENS' football in Caithness was the winner as a crowd of 300 people celebrated the first Scottish Cup game to be played in Thurso. Caithness Ladies asked fans to come out in force to support them on Sunday and their calls were answered, as the club played in front of its biggest crowd.