The owners of the Taj Mahal Indian Restaurant are back in business after their small restaurant in Castletown was destroyed by an arson attack. Only weeks after being put out of business they have restarted but this time in Halkirk.
David Whiteford has been appointed as the new Chairman of The Prince's North Highland Initiative. Mr Whiteford will take up the position on 1st June 2009.
Like a giant Meccano set, some 1500 parts are being fitted together to create a new ventilation system that will protect workers decommissioning some of Dounreay's most hazardous facilities. The network of fans, electrical infrastructure, supports, ducts, chambers and stacks will vent the airflow during the next stages of cleaning out and dismantling the key plants that made up the Fuel Cycle Area.
Funding to transform a derelict site in Pulteneytown, Wick, into high quality houses has been awarded this week by The Highland Council's Planning, Environmental and Development Committee. Members have approved £297,836 of funding from the Pulteneytown Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme to the Highland Housing Alliance towards a £1,512,836 redevelopment project, which will transform a derelict site into 11 residential properties and bring new life into Pulteneytown's historic streets.
Work on the refurbishment contract in the Thurso Pedestrian Precinct has now been completed apart from the laying of coloured bitumen over the tarmac area running through the centre of the precinct and a few other minor works. The project which cost just over £370,000 was financed by The Highland Council's T.E.C and Planning & Development Services was designed by the councils Wick based engineering team who consulted with the Community Council and members of the public before finalising their plans.
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd has received planning consent for two of the biggest construction projects needed to complete the site clean-up. The new facilities will look after low and intermediate-level radioactive waste from the remainder of the site closure programme.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (May, 14th) sold 946 sheep of all classes. Store lambs (168) sold to £84.50 gross for a pen of Texel crosses from Balrailan, Dingwall.
Caithness company, Berry Good were absolutely delighted with their very first award from the Scottish Food and Drinks Excellence Awards held recently in Glasgow. The awards which are hailed as the 'oscars' of the Scottish food and drink industry were held on the 7th May in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery.
The Highland Council is joining in with the UK-wide campaign Foster Care Fortnight which starts today (Monday 11 April), to attract more local people into fostering. The fortnight is co-ordinated by fostering charity Fostering Network, to raise the awareness of fostering and highlight the shortage of foster carers across the whole of the UK.
Students from Robert Gordon University, the University of Aberdeen and Aberdeen College have successfully completed the BP Tutoring Scheme, a 14 week volunteering experience as student tutors in primary and secondary schools throughout Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. A total of 87 students from the three institutions took part in the Scheme, which aims to improve education in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire - 46 students from Robert Gordon University, 21 students from the University of Aberdeen and 20 from Aberdeen College.
57,639 enthusiastic and passionate volunteers blitzed litter across Scotland in April as part of Keep Scotland Beautiful's National Spring Clean 2009 - and 2,768 of those volunteers carried out clean ups in the Highland council area. To honour and support this immense achievement, Highland Council officers will be out on 12th May to enforce the message that dropping litter is a crime.
The Council's Trading Standards service have issued a warning to the public to take great care before agreeing to any work on their house or garden by any itinerant businesses. Chairman of TEC Services, Councillor John Laing said: "Every year we receive a number of complaints from people who have experienced poor workmanship, inflated prices and aggressive behaviour in connection with home and garden repair and maintenance works undertaken by this type of trader.
There are just two weeks left for business heroes to enter the 2009 Barclays Trading Places Awards - a national award celebrating men and women who are turning their lives around by choosing to start up a business. The Government backed Barclays Trading Places Awards recognise business heroes who are no strangers to overcoming adversity - whether it's dealing with illness or disability, facing challenging family responsibilities head-on, or turning their back on benefits.
The Highlands and Islands Museums Forum (HIMF) worked in partnership with the Highland Council to organise 'The Past Presents' on May 4th at the Highland Folk Museum Newtonmore especially for Show Scotland 2009 weekend. The event, which was free and open to all, officially launched HIMF's new directory.
The Highland Council has issued a clear warning to irresponsible dog owners that it will not tolerate owners allowing their dogs to foul public areas without clearing up after them. The Council this week announced that during a crackdown week in April, officers issued eleven fixed penalty notices to members of the public and warned that this was just the start of the clampdown with other enforcement weeks to follow.
In order to pull out the innards of the redundant reactor which once fed power into the national grid, DSRL's design engineers have had to come up with some pretty ingenious inventions since the reactor was switched off. Now a giant seventy-five tonne prehistoric looking device with two large pincer arms and roving photographic eyes, affectionately nicknamed 'Reactorsaurus' by the project team, has been designed to dismantle the plant.
James Martin is back leading the search for the nation's most talented Young Chefs Through the Quality Standard Beef and Lamb Young Chef Challenge 2009 The ultimate cookery competition - The Quality Standard Beef and Lamb Young Chef Challenge is back! Now in its fourth year the Challenge has been given a makeover and promises to be bigger and better than ever, so don't miss out on your chance to get involved. Launched by EBLEX*, the free to enter competition is open to all secondary schools in England, with students able to submit their original and favourite recipes using Quality Standard beef and lamb mince.
The Highland Council has won a top European Award in recognition for the work it has done to raise awareness amongst staff of energy and water consumption in its buildings and for championing the need to cut CO2 emissions. The Display Towards Class A award was presented as part of the Energie-Cités and Climate Alliance conference held in Brussels at the end of April.
From Tuesday 5 May, 2009, three more schools in the Highlands will have part time 20 mph speed limits in operation for children's' safety. The new limits are being introduced at Tongue Primary, Sutherland and at Bualnaluib Primary, Aultbea and Inverasdale Primary in Ross.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (May, 6th) sold 164 adult head of breeding cattle including dispersals from The Crofters Commission, Knocknagael of 22 adult head averaging £2,430, Messrs W C McBean & Co., Milton of Gollanfield of 63 adult head averaging £1,451, and from Mrs J Patience, Brae of Balnabeen of 22 adult head averaging £1,778. Heifer with male calf (4) sold to £1,900 for a Simmental cross cow from Upper Muckovie, Inverness.