FUEL FEARS: Community car scheme  volunteers from Newtonmore, Roy Whitton and  Hilda Saunders. David Whittaker-Smith

High fuel prices puts vital service for OAPs and disabled under threat

A lifeline volunteer service for the elderly and disabled in remote rural areas is under threat from rocketing fuel prices.

Published: 16/05/2008

WINNER: Sophie McKenzie, who travelled from London   to pick up her award. Kevin Emslie

Author chosen by youngsters to win award

A NOVEL which addresses the complex issue of adoption has won the Grampian Children’s Book Award.

Published: 16/05/2008

 EYE-CATCHING OUTFIT: Selkirk girl and former Big Brother contestant Shell Jubin models the soup label dress

Baxters open fifth Scottish store

A DRESS created from Baxters soup labels was paraded on a catwalk yesterday to mark the opening of the Moray-based company’s new £1million store at Selkirk.

Published: 16/05/2008

Tayside bikers urged to stick to speed limits

MOTORCYCLISTS heading out on Tayside roads this summer are being warned to abide by speed limits.
Published: 16/05/2008

Tax-credit cheat jailed for 13 months

A father who fraudulently pocketed almost £80,000 of child tax credits by claiming he had 36 children was jailed for 13 months yesterday.
Published: 16/05/2008

Former diving star jailed for abusing girls as young as six

A former Olympic diving star was jailed for nine years yesterday for sexually abusing girls as young as six.
Published: 16/05/2008

Research to probe MS links to the Northern Isles

A new study aims to understand why Orkney and Shetland have some of the highest rates of multiple sclerosis in the world.
Published: 16/05/2008

Major honour for Dingwall champion of Gaelic music

A Dingwall man who has dedicated much of his life to choral and Gaelic music is to be made a Freeman of Ross and Cromarty.
Published: 16/05/2008

Concern over changes in help for disabled

Highland Council is being asked to explain proposed changes to the provision of services to people with learning disabilities to worried users and their carers.
Published: 16/05/2008

Watchdog makes claim over brewery

AN AWARD-WINNING north-east brewery could see its beers blacklisted from outlets across the country after a national watchdog group said its promotions and packaging could encourage antisocial behaviour.
Published: 16/05/2008

Charity hopes to strike gold at fundraising event

A DIAMOND jubilee charity is hoping to strike gold at a fundraising event this weekend.
Published: 16/05/2008

Royal visitor for new Loch Ness lifeboat station

A LIFEBOAT station miles from the sea was given a royal seal of approval yesterday during a visit by the Duke of Kent.
Published: 16/05/2008

Violent criminal claims he is reformed character

A VIOLENT criminal, deported from Australia to Scotland after serving time for a vicious attempted murder, was yesterday allowed back on the streets of Inverness.
Published: 16/05/2008

Isles girls pull out over Sabbath final

A Western Isles girls football team look likely to miss out on playing in a national tournament because it is being held on a Sunday.
Published: 16/05/2008

Brechin resident is fined £225

A TARGET shooting session resulted in a £225 fine for a Brechin man at Forfar Sheriff Court yesterday.
Published: 16/05/2008

Probe into care home ‘closure’ communication breakdown

A council is investigating a “breakdown of communication” after relatives of vulnerable old people at a care home were wrongly told it would have to close.
Published: 16/05/2008

Man ran on to A90 in suicide bid

An Angus man who ran on to a dual carriageway in an attempt to kill himself was yesterday put on probation for 18 months at Forfar Sheriff Court.
Published: 16/05/2008

Twinkle little star, your light does not shine so far

THE universe is twice as bright as was previously thought, according to new research conducted by a team of astronomers.
Published: 16/05/2008

Cruise liners boost for Skye tourism industry

SKYE’S tourism industry will receive a boost of more than £250,000 this summer, with the expected arrival of 10 cruise ships and record passenger numbers.
Published: 16/05/2008

Festival fare gets sophisticated as revellers can expect best

When it comes to food at most of Scotland’s big music festivals, revellers normally have to make do with burgers and chips.
Published: 16/05/2008

Pupils may lose their learning support

HUNDREDS of special-needs pupils in Aberdeen could be left without learning support as city schools struggle to cope with budget cuts, it emerged last night.
Published: 16/05/2008

Jobs go at Argyll firm after order lost

Jobs have gone at an Argyll science laboratory after it lost a contract worth £1.2millon to a company in the south of England.
Published: 16/05/2008

Bold imagery on show in student artworks

BOLD imagery and evocative finger painting can be seen in a series of artworks to be unveiled in Dundee.
Published: 16/05/2008

Experts unearth Strathspey settlement

EVIDENCE of an abandoned 18th-century settlement has been uncovered on the site of proposed plans for a water treatment plant near Aviemore.
Published: 16/05/2008

Store reveals £600,000 upgrade

RETAIL giant Somerfield will officially unveil a £600,000 refurbishment of one of its stores at Turriff next week.
Published: 16/05/2008

Countdown starts for opening of festival

The final countdown is under way for a new visual arts festival in the north-east that supporters hope will generate £2million for the local economy in future years.
Published: 16/05/2008

£5,000 of road signs a boost for Banffshire

Supporters of efforts to keep alive the old county name of Banffshire have welcomed moves by a local authority to put up road signs on the former boundaries.
Published: 16/05/2008

Community centre plans tabled after 15 years

Long-anticipated plans for a new £1.5million community centre at Mintlaw have finally been tabled – more than 15 years after fundraising began.
Published: 16/05/2008

Museum brings cinema back to the Broch

A WEEKEND of movies at a landmark museum at Fraserburgh is expected to reignite a local campaign for permanent, regular cinema nights.
Published: 16/05/2008

Make-up artist’s husband arrested after body find

The husband of an Emmy award-winning make-up artist was last night arrested, hours after human remains were found hidden in woodland.
Published: 16/05/2008

Class A substance discovered worth almost £25,000

Class A drugs with a street value of almost £25,000 have been seized in Aberdeenshire.
Published: 16/05/2008

Royal opening for skateboard park that united a village

A skateboard park that was accomplished through the joint effort of older and younger residents in a Moray community will have a royal visit at the end of this month when the Duke of York officially opens the facility.
Published: 16/05/2008

Taste of Grampian school finalists announced

THE finalists have been announced for three school competitions being held at the north-east’s annual food and drink showcase.
Published: 16/05/2008

North-east woman opens X-Factor winner’s city show

A NORTH-EAST music student enjoyed a taste of success when she opened X-Factor winner Shayne Ward’s show in Aberdeen.
Published: 16/05/2008

Artist inspired by visits abroad picks up prestigious title

A WESTERN Isles artist has scooped a prestigious art award in Edinburgh.
Published: 16/05/2008

Group clashes with council over event

A CAMPAIGNING roads group and a council were last night at odds over the UK’s only closed road cycling event.
Published: 16/05/2008

Moray Council praised for backing road signs appeal

Supporters of efforts to keep alive the old county name of Banffshire have welcomed moves by Moray Council to put up road signs on the former boundaries.
Published: 16/05/2008

Dean saves diabetic dad from drowning

A DEESIDE man who became unconscious when he suffered a diabetic fit in the bath says he was saved from drowning by his quick-thinking son.
Published: 16/05/2008

Expert turns up heat for biodiesel plant

Scotland’s first commercial-scale biodiesel plant capable of turning oilseed rape into fuel for cars could be built in the north-east.
Published: 15/05/2008

‘Failed’ city leader vows: I’ll fight on

The under-fire political leader of Aberdeen City Council last night vowed to fight on despite claims she had failed the people.
Published: 15/05/2008

Moray musicians are silenced by council’s decision against funding

Disappointed musicians will not be able to resume their practices at a music centre at Elgin after it was decided yesterday that funding will not be provided to instal soundproofing upgrades.
Published: 15/05/2008

Bonanza for schools and sports in Moray

A record £1billion is to be spent on delivering services to Moray over the next four years, with improvements planned for schools and sports facilities.
Published: 15/05/2008

Aberdeen and Stirling lead way in fight against fraud

The councils of Aberdeen and Stirling have emerged as the most successful in a national anti-fraud initiative, according to Scotland’s main public spending watchdog.
Published: 15/05/2008

Gunpoint raid by Fife man recalled

A MORAY woman who was held at gunpoint during a raid on a filling station more than four years ago last night broke her silence over the traumatic event.
Published: 15/05/2008

Holiday airline helps passenger figures to climb

An early start to the summer schedule helped to boost passenger numbers at Aberdeen Airport last month, its operator said yesterday.
Published: 15/05/2008

Law catches up with thief-turned-Samaritan

The long arm of the law finally caught up with a young Inverness man yesterday – five years after he committed a catalogue of crimes in the city and absconded to Glasgow.
Published: 15/05/2008

£700,000 Buckie unit is hit by shortfall of dentists

A dental unit in Moray has opened to the public with only one of its surgeries in operation.
Published: 15/05/2008

‘Belfast’s Bob Dylan’ set for Cromarty gig

A TOP Irish singer-songwriter is to perform at two north venues this week, as part of his European tour.
Published: 15/05/2008

Stonehaven anger as housebuilder starts work

A north-east town has accused a housebuilder of “riding roughshod over planning laws” and “social irresponsibility”.
Published: 15/05/2008

Gaelic courses return to Inverness College curriculum after two years

GAELIC courses will be back on the curriculum at Inverness College this autumn after an absence of two years, the Press and Journal can reveal.
Published: 15/05/2008

Housing plan for Inverness hotel is rejected by Holyrood

Plans to convert an Inverness hotel into a private home and build three houses in its grounds have been rejected by the Scottish Government.
Published: 15/05/2008
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