Twenty people evacuated after flat fire

Inverness Courier – FIRE tore through a flat in the Merkinch area of Inverness last night. About 20 people, including children, were evacuated from the three-storey block of flats in Quayside Court after a fire broke out at around 6.30pm in one of the top floor apartments. A man was believed to be in the [...]

Merkinch pupils protest over danger drivers

Highland News – PUPILS from Merkinch Primary School in Inverness made their point on the opening day of an initiative to get drivers to take the foot off their accelerators when passing their school. So concerned are the children at Merkinch over the dangers that they are holding their own demonstration to make the route [...]

Woman’s £4000 bank fraud

Highland News – A MERKINCH woman duped bank staff into transferring £4,000 of cash into her bank account by pretending she had authorised use of another woman’s account. Caroline MacBean (41) of Maclennan Cresent, Inverness, admitted the fraud which saw money paid into her account from that of Barbara MacDonald, who has since died. Inverness [...]

Knife teen claims his mum slashed him

Highland News – A MERKINCH teenager who surrendered a knife to police claimed he was carrying it after being slashed and wounded by his mum. Jonathan Reid (17) of Dunabban Road, Inverness, ended up in court on Tuesday after he presented the lock-knife from his pocket to police who were at Waterloo Place, attending another [...]

Home care firm faces second probe

Inverness Courier – A PRIVATE company brought in to take over some council services in Inverness is facing a second local investigation by the Care Commission. It is claimed that Independent Living Services sent insufficiently trained carers to help multiple sclerosis sufferer Mairie Harvie, who lives in Merkinch. The complaint comes two months after the [...]

Merkinch pupils’ waste tally helps cut landfill dumps

Press and Journal – PUPILS at an Inverness primary school got their hands dirty in the fight to reduce waste yesterday. Children at Merkinch Primary carried out their third waste audit, analysing the rubbish generated in one school day. The pupils were kitted out in aprons and rubber gloves and worked with staff from Ross-shire [...]

Victorian Market superintendent shuts up shop

Press and Journal – AN INVERNESS grandfather will swap one “family” for another as he retires after more than two decades of overseeing the city’s Victorian Market. Harry Lawless, 64, of 54 Kilmuir Road, Merkinch, retired yesterday after 23 years as superintendent at the historic market. He said: “It’s a wee home really. I’ll be [...]

Addictions aid group goes into print in fundraiser

Press and Journal – AN INVERNESS charity for recovering drug addicts is branching out into the world of publishing in an effort to raise more funds. For The Right Reasons, which is based in Merkinch, has printed and published three original books which it hopes to sell in bookshops across the region. The charity’s director, [...]

Concerns over dangers in city one-way road system

Inverness Courier – LOCAL people are calling for action to improve safety on what they believe to be one of the busiest residential roads in Inverness. A survey revealed that in one 20 minute period 100 cars turned the corner from Lochalsh Road into Dunabban Road, Merkinch. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that [...]

Two injured at Merkinch as blasts shake builder’s yard

Press and Journal – Two men were injured and gardens were showered with debris when a box full of detonators exploded at a builder’s yard in the Merkinch area of Inverness yesterday. Locals described hearing two blasts – one that sounded like a firework and a second several minutes later that sounded like a bomb. [...]

Inverness arts project pays off

Press and Journal – AN INVERNESS community arts project is staging a highly popular two-week programme of workshops, exhibitions and hands-on artwork.

Brother’s brutal attack in shop

Highland News – TWO men wearing Highland dress, who had just attended a friend’s funeral, beat a man up in front of customers in a shop in the Merkinch so severely he was left with permanent scarring.

Newsagent cleared of alleged drinks licence breach

Inverness Courier – A FATHER and son who ran a well-known city newsagents have been found not guilty of selling vodka, larger and cider to customers outwith their licenced hours.

Police probe suspected drug death

Press and Journal – Police are investigating the suspected drug death of a 21-year-old man whose body was discovered in an Inverness flat yesterday morning. His body was removed from a property at Madras Street in the city’s Merkinch area. A spokesman for Northern Constabulary said: “One of the lines of inquiry police are considering [...]

DJ faces fresh child cash dodge claims

Highland News – A CITY DJ who agreed in court to cough up child maintenance cash has failed to make the payments and moved to Spain, his ex-partner has claimed. Alistair McLoughlin (28) appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court in March after the Child Support Agency (CSA) raised a civil action for non-payment of arrears.