The by-election for a councillor to serve the Inverness West Ward (No 14) on The Highland Council has been won by Mr Alasdair Christie, Liberal Democrat Focus Team. Mr Christie was one of six candidates, who contested the vacancy, created by the death of Jimmy MacDonald (Independent).
Dounreay's industrial safety record during the last 12 months earned a £22,500 windfall for good causes locally. Every month the site goes without a lost-time accident earns a £2500 pay-out from UKAEA Ltd, parent company of Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd.
Commenting on the Chancellor's Budget statement, Trudy Morris Chief Executive of Caithness Chamber of Commerce, said: "Businesses had a need to see some positive news out of the Budget and we are fairly encouraged by some of the measures announced. The Chancellor appears to have taken notice of some of the recommendations put forward by both the British and Scottish Chambers of Commerce.
The Highland Council has promised to work with the UK Health Protection Agency (HPA) and NHS Highland to develop a programme of action to help Highland residents, whose homes have been identified as having high levels of the naturally occurring radioactive gas, radon. The move follows the publication by the Scottish Parliament of new radon maps for Scotland produced by the HPA.
The National Council for Work Experience (NCWE) has launched a free online information and recruitment initiative to help Scottish businesses find work placement students. Currently covering several areas including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeenshire, Dundee, Perth, Fife, Midlothian, Stirling, the Highlands and Hebrides, Find Me A Student! is available on work-experience.org.
As Scottish Water writes to 4,000 households and businesses across the north to continue to raise awareness of the problem of fat clogging the sewer system, residents of one Highland village are being praised for their help tackling the issue. Appeals have been made by Scottish Water over the past year in various communities - including Aviemore, Drumnadrochit, Nairn and Thurso - for people to consider what they pour down plugholes and drains, following a spate of serious sewer blockages caused by fat.
The Highland Council has awarded a contract for construction of a new footbridge which forms an important pedestrian link over the River Thurso, at Thurso Cemetery. The new bridge will replace the structure which was destroyed by river flood flow, in the storms of October 2006, and will re-establish the river crossing which is part of a popular local walking route.
The Highland Council has put in place interim arrangements in five Highland communities to replace postbus services withdrawn by Royal Mail on Thursday. These arrangements will continue until the Council has met with local communities to identify sustainable long term arrangements.
The Highland Council's Resources Committee is backing plans to investigate further the feasibility of creating a pan-Highland credit union to provide access to affordable credit across the Highlands. Committee members were presented with the findings of a study which examined the best way to provide affordable credit in Highland.
With just over a week to go until close of entries, HSBC Bank is making a last call to all new companies to enter this year's Start-Up Stars Awards - an annual search for the UK's most promising start-up businesses less than three years old and the inspirational entrepreneurs behind them. The HSBC Start-Up Stars Awards culminates with a glittering black-tie event at London's InterContinental on November 23, where the UK's top new businesses will hope to be crowned 'Start-Up Star 2009' and to walk away with a cheque for £25,000, courtesy of HSBC.
The destruction of the liquid metal coolant in Dounreay's experimental fast reactors means that the site can say farewell to two of its firefighters, the graphex tenders. Specially built for Dounreay, the two graphex tenders are the only ones in the world.
Tamara and Charlie Inness are opening a newly built country clothing and equestrian shop adjoining their home at Borlum Farm, Reay in Caithness. The new business "Calluna Country and Equestrian" opens with a head start having taken over "Bits n Bobs" from Jean Gunn of Sibster.
Tuesday 16th June 2009 In Latheron, Caithness 1-day workshop introducing the skills of NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming). NLP offers a flexible approach that brings about positive, fast change in individuals and organisations, enabling them to adapt to an ever-shifting world.
University students and recent graduates in the Highlands and Islands are being offered a great opportunity to boost their job prospects, through an eight-week work placement during the summer holidays. Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) is supporting Shell Step - a UK-wide national placement programme - by subsidising 30 student placements with dynamic, innovative small businesses across the region this summer.
The Highland Council is supporting an HSE campaign in to prevent accidents in schools, colleges and universities. Slips, trips and falls cause 60% of serious injuries to people working in education, according to the latest statistics from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
"Pentland Tours was launched last year. Those that participated in the tours thoroughly enjoyed their trips and friends of Caithness have been made who will undoubtedly return.
Another legacy of Dounreay's commercial venture into nuclear reprocessing has been safely cleaned up and taken apart. A household proprietry cleaner "Mr Muscle" was found to be the most effective way of removing glue and fake snow use in the clean-up process.
Further details on how Scotland's hard pressed high streets will benefit from the Town Centre Regeneration Fund have been released. The new information on the operation of the £60 million scheme was issued by the Scottish Government and COSLA esterday (2 april 2009).
Multi-award winning actress Keira Knightley and Atonement director Joe Wright have teamed up once again to make a powerful landmark film to raise awareness of domestic violence for Women's Aid. Women's Aid and Grey London are launching a national domestic violence awareness campaign, which centres on a hard-hitting short film directed by BAFTA-winning director, Joe Wright and starring critically acclaimed multi-award winning actress Keira Knightley.
Mey Selections becomes first Scottish consumer goods company to put carbon labels on products Mey Selections, the Caithness based food brand, is the first consumer goods company in Scotland to be certified with the Carbon Trust's Carbon Reduction Label. Mey Selections Luxury Shortbread and two Honey products will carry the Carbon Reduction Label in stores from 1 May, demonstrating the company's work to measure and, crucially, its commitment to reduce its carbon footprint over the next two years.