Local News

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Slight increase in roads budgets set against £233 million repairs backlog

A 2.15 per cent increase to the roads budget for 2026/27 is set to be agreed by councillors at a meeting on Thursday.

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Check your pay: Young Caithness workers could be missing out on cash boost

Young workers in Caithness are being urged to check they are not being underpaid ahead of wage hikes coming into force.

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Sutherland Spaceport firm Orbex prepare for administration after unsuccessful ‘fundraising, merger and acquisition’ opportunities

Orbex has filed a notice of intention to appointment administrators.

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Calls for Caithness travellers to be compensated for injustices of the ‘Tinker Experiment’

A landmark report calls for financial reparations and ‘transformative’ redress for Caithness families subjected to the ‘Tinker Experiment’.

John OGroat News

‘Serious offence’ – Thurso man ordered to pay £12K fine over illegally dumped waste in Caithness

A Thurso man who illegally dumped waste on land at Weydale has been slapped with a £12,000 fine.

John OGroat News

Caithness nursing home applauded for ‘compassion, dignity and respect’ in care for elderly by industry watchdog

A Caithness nursing home has earned a glowing praise from inspectors for delivering high standards of care with “compassion, dignity and respect”.

John OGroat News

Snow and ice warning issued for Caithness by Met Office

Up to 10cm of snow is forecast locally on higher routes, but accumulations will also be possible even to low levels where showers hit.

John OGroat News

Queen’s Hotel boss slams ‘predatory’ fraudster targeting Wick and Thurso hospitality

A serial fraudster has left a trail of debt after a crime spree targeting hotels and guesthouses in Wick and Thurso.

John OGroat News

£3677 handed over from Stemster House ladies’ day in memory of Isobel

A ladies’ day at a popular Caithness wedding venue has resulted in more than £3600 being handed over to help the work of Macmillan Cancer Support.

John OGroat News

Encompass Caithness one-day information event seeks to ‘remove barriers’ in finding support

Encompass Caithness is hosting a one-stop information shop this month aimed at giving the right guidance and support to individuals and families.

John OGroat News

Inverness premiere for ‘journey in music and words from Caithness down through the Highlands’

Composer James Ross and writer Colin MacDonald are two of the collaborators in a work that will have its world premiere at Eden Court next month.

John OGroat News

Sally tells Spittal SWI about starring in This Farming Life

Sally Crowe was the guest speaker at the February meeting of Spittal SWI, telling members of her experiences on the BBC series This Farming Life.

John OGroat News

Dounreay workers among 200 allowed to leave NRS in early exit scheme

Around 30 workers at the Caithness site are understood to have been accepted for the initiative, which aims to reduce the size of the workforce.

John OGroat News

Cargo drones set to ‘revolutionise’ transport of vital supplies like medicines in the Highlands under HITRANS vision

Drones could revolutionise the delivery of vital supplies in the Highlands in a deal struck between transport strategists and a private firm.

John OGroat News

Caithness business woman with autism reaches finals of Neurodiverse Business Awards

A Caithness business woman with autism has been shortlisted in the UK-wide Neurodiverse Business Awards.

John OGroat News

Highland Council’s in-house bus service sees passenger numbers almost double in three years

It has saved the Highland taxpayer almost £2m and could lead to the creation of an external body to run the service.

John OGroat News

Raigmore Hospital ‘several month delay’ to maternity unit sparks calls from MSP

Delays to the opening of Raigmore Hospital’s new birthing unit — originally planned to open in January but now facing delays of ‘several months’.

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Thurso respite centre for families with autistic children to re-open ‘as soon as possible’

Thor House is in the throes of being readied for its former use as a respite centre for families with children with autism or a learning disability.

John OGroat News

Wick stop for Scottish Opera’s ‘The Office Party’ as part of 18-venue tour

Scottish Opera’s “The Office Party” will be coming to Wick as part of an 18-venue tour across Scotland this Spring.

John OGroat News

Caithness Family History Society welcomes ‘The Frugal Historian’ for online talk

Caithness Family History Society’s February event will be an online virtual presentation by a professional family historian.