Police name Italian couple killed in crash near Reay

John O’Groat Journal – AN Italian couple who died in a road crash near Reay on Saturday have been named. Emanuele Nico (44) and his wife, Liana Pinotti (45), from Gavirate, were killed when the motorbike they were riding was involved in a collision with a car. It happened on the A836 Thurso to Reay [...]

Two killed in motorbike collision near Reay, Caithness

BBC – Two people have died in a collision between a motorbike and a car in Caithness. The crash happened at Drumhollistan on the A836 Thurso to Reay road at 13:10 on Saturday. The motorbike rider, a 45-year-old man, and the pillion passenger, a woman also aged 45, sustained fatal injuries. Northern Constabulary closed the [...]

Life sentence for Caithness man who abducted teenager

BBC – A Caithness man who abducted a 14-year-old girl has been jailed for nine months and given a life-long restriction order. John McPhee, 58, struck as his victim was leaving a house in Thurso, but she escaped after sending a text message to a friend who came to her aid. He earlier admitted the [...]

Barrier call for Scotland’s open level crossings

BBC – The railway regulator has called for barriers to be fitted to more than half of Scotland’s open level crossings. A Rail Accident Investigation Branch safety review said some crossings should close completely if Network Rail could not install automatic barriers. The review was prompted by a crash in Caithness in 2009, when three [...]

£20m tool to be used to dismantle nuclear site

BBC – A 16-piece tool dubbed the world’s most sophisticated Swiss Army knife is to help dismantle the Dounreay Fast Reactor (DFR) in Caithness. The device cost £20m to design and build and will operate in highly radioactive conditions inside Dounreay’s landmark Dome. Its detachable tool bits cost £100,000 each and weigh between 37-93kg. They [...]

Wick man lands £30k People’s Postcode Lottery windfall

John O’Groat Journal – A DOUNREAY worker is celebrating a £30,000 win with the People’s Postcode Lottery – just weeks after signing up to play. Andrew Malcolm, of Macrae Street, Wick, struck it lucky when his postcode, KW1 5QN, was drawn as the weekly street prize winner. The 46-year-old couldn’t believe it when TV presenter [...]

Police seek missing Dingwall teenager

STV – A 14-year-old girl has been reported missing from her home in the Dingwall area. Roslynd Barbara Kotschujew, also known as Roslynd Deary, was last seen in the early hours of Saturday, July 9, at her home. She is described as being white and five feet one inch tall with a very slim build. [...]

£30m to take Dounreay material by rail to Cumbria

BBC – Radioactive material could be moved from Dounreay in Caithness to Sellafield in Cumbria by rail at a cost of £30m, according to a new report. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) said there was a “clear and compelling” case to deal with the breeder material at Sellafield. Dounreay is being demolished at a cost [...]

Fake banknotes circulating in Caithness

Police in Caithness are warning businesses and the public that a number of reports have been received of counterfeit currency being found in the area. In particular, these relate to Bank of England twenty and fifty pound notes. The public are asked to be vigilant and to report any incidents to Thurso Police [...]

Former competitor relaunches surf school

John O’Groat Journal – THE lure of Thurso’s waves for surfers has the potential to give the Caithness town the type of lucrative spin-offs Aviemore gains from its ski slopes. The analogy is drawn by Andy Bain who, along with his wife, Natalie, has just relaunched his summer surf school business. They believe the venture [...]

Missing John McKee’s clothes found on Caithness beach

BBC – The clothes of a man who went missing from Glasgow were found on a beach in Caithness, police have confirmed. John McKee, 45, from Auldhouse, who stood as a candidate in the Scottish elections, was last seen at home at about 2200 BST on Sunday 22 May. His car, a silver Volkswagen Golf, [...]

Highlands SNP pushes out Lib Dems

BBC – The collapse of the Liberal Democrat vote in Scotland has resulted in two new seats for the SNP in the Highlands. The Nationalists have taken Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, and Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch. The party also held Inverness and Nairn and Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Western Isles), with increased majorities. The first [...]

Wave and quake report on Dounreay

BBC – The company leading the demolition of a Scottish nuclear plant has reported on the site’s ability to withstand an earthquake or tsunami. Dounreay lies on the Caithness coast at least 10m (32ft) above sea level. The report on Dounreay’s “seismic and tsunami resilience” has been sent to the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate. All UK [...]

Fisherman dead and one in hospital after falling into water

Scotsman – A fisherman has died and another is being treated in hospital after falling into water in the north of Scotland. Aberdeen Coastguard was called to the scene at Talmine, near Tongue Bay, Highland, at around 3.30am today, to reports that two men were in the water. One of the fishermen, believed to be [...]

Highland school placing request results expected

BBC- Parents in Highland expect to hear this week the results of any placing requests made for their children to go to schools outwith their catchment. Highland Council said 161 requests were made in Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey. In Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross 112 placing requests have been made for 2011-12. Here the [...]

Brother of former MSP switches to SNP

Press and Journal – The brother of a former Highland Liberal Democrat MSP has endorsed the local SNP candidate. Rory Stone — whose brother, Jamie, is not seeking re-election — said he was backing Rob Gibson in Caithness, Sutherland and Ross. Mr Stone, who describes himself as “slightly to the right of Genghis Khan”, said [...]

Dounreay offers Chernobyl advice

BBC – An employee at the Dounreay nuclear power plant has offered guidance on the decommissioning of Chernobyl. The 25th anniversary of an explosion in a reactor at the Ukrainian site will be marked on 26 April. Jillian Bundy was one of four foreign speakers at a workshop held in Slavutych on training workers on [...]

Dounreay donations for Fukushima

BBC – A Scottish nuclear site has donated equipment to Japan for use in dealing with the damaged Fukushima complex. Radiological measurement and protection equipment from Dounreay, in Caithness, has arrived at Sellafield, in Cumbria, for distribution. Dounreay Site Restoration Limited (DSRL) said it had gathered a van-load of respirators, hand-held radiation survey kit, masks [...]

Caithness fire crews rescue children and puppy

BBC – Neighbouring fire crews in Caithness have dealt with unusual call-outs within hours of each other. Wick firefighters released two children trapped in a bathroom at a house in the town at about 1330 BST on Wednesday. Thurso were then called out just before 1600 BST to free a small puppy stuck under a [...]

More radioactive iodine detected at sites across Scotland

STV – Very low levels of radioactive iodine believed to be from the crisis-hit Japanese nuclear plant have been detected at more locations around Scotland, an environment watchdog has said. The chemical was detected in the air in Lerwick in the Shetland Islands and in grass samples near Dounreay in Caithness, the Scottish Environment Protection [...]

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