Caithness Courier headlines for January 11, 2017

HIGHLAND councillors yesterday unanimously objected to plans for a massive electricity line and pylons running through Caithness saying it will create "a knitted blanket of steel". The council's north planning applications committee will lodge an official complaint against SSE's application for a new transmission line connecting substations at Weydale and Reaser, including 13 kilometres of overhead lines, 10 kilometres of underground cables and 52 steel grey towers each 30 metres tall.

TRAVELLING people were yesterday accused of being "selfish" after rubbish was left following a short stay at a car park on the outskirts of Castletown. The criticism was made by Brenda Herrick who chairs the local community council.

CRUNCH talks will be held between Highland Council's budget leader and the opposition as pressure mounts to balance the books. Council leader Margaret Davidson has been working with her team to decide how to plug a £26 million funding gap but opposition leader, Maxine Smith, has warned there are some proposals her group "cannot and will not support".

A FORMER soldier who received France's highest military honour for his role in the D-Day landings during World War Two, has passed away. Duncan Cormack (92) died at the Town and County Hospital in Wick, surrounded by his family, on Wednesday December 28.

FUNDING of £17.5 million has been awarded by the European Commission for the next stage of the MeyGen pioneering tidal energy project in the Pentland Firth. The money will be used to design, build and operate a six megawatt turbine array, in the Inner Sound which lies off the Caithness coast.

NEW jobs could be created at Scrabster to service a ground-breaking floating windfarm that is set to be based off the north Caithness coast. Dounreay Tri Limited has agreed a deal with Scrabster Harbour for the port to become its service base for two floating turbines planned to be based six km from the Dounreay coastline.

WICK manager Gordon Connelly said Gary Weir should not be too downhearted about having a hat-trick of goals chalked off against Fort William. He was pleased the striker was in a position to create the chances and said Weir's performance had been a major factor in Wick winning their last six games in the league. The final score - 2-0 for Academy.