Caithness Courier headlines for June 28, 2017

A FRESH row has blown up, over the annual arrival of the sideshows in Thurso this week. Yesterday, Wallis funfair manager, Warren Wallis, claimed he and his team were subjected to racial abuse from some residents who objected to the new venue at the former Bridgend Building supplies yard.

A SYMBOLIC event will take place in Wick next month that will see the release of butterflies into the wild. Simba, Simpson's Memory Box Appeal, is a charity that was established in 2005 to respond to the needs of those affected by the death of a baby.

THE Highlands still faces losing its dedicated police control room despite senior Highland councillors saying they felt reassured by face-to-face talks with officers. Council leader Margaret Davidson had called for a full review of Police Scotland's decision to close the Inverness control room.

SAFETY fears have been allayed after it was revealed that cladding on a number of Caithness homes is unlikely to be the same material used on the blaze-hit Grenfell tower in London which was gutted by a fire that has left at least 79 dead and hundreds homeless. Since the tragedy, the Scottish Government has been reviewing its procedures and local authorities throughout the country have been carrying out checks on properties.

THE Thurso public has given a collective vote of confidence to the alternative to the town's traditional gala celebration. Organisers took the bold step of doing away with the long-established ritual of appointing and crowning a gala queen and have her and her 'royal' court lead a parade of carnival floats and street collectors through the centre of the town. In place of the ceremony, which launched a week-long programme, Thurso Town Improvements Association offered a weekend of Midsummer Madness at Sir George's Park.

ANGRY parents have said they will not give up the fight for education for their children with autism despite being "ignored" during a protest. It is the second time the group has campaigned outside HIghland Council headquarters in Inverness, calling for better support at school for children with additional supports needs.

HALKIRK Gala was "one of the best in years" according to the organisers. Billy Manson, chairman of Halkirk Village Council, which runs the event, said the crowd that turned out for the final night was the biggest he had seen. The gala raised around £5000, though that figure does not include the costs.

ABDUL Mkith had the official launch of his biography, The Locked and Five Taka Note, at Tesco's store in Wick on Saturday. Working in conjunction with established author Catherine Byrne, Mr Mkith's story reads like some dramatic piece of fiction until you realise that everything in the book is based on some very disturbing truths.