# General > Doanalsin's Diary >  Fit's in 'e Groat  'e day

## Nwicker60

John O’ Groat Journal headlines for December 6, 2013

A THURSO businesswoman criticised the lack of flood defences in the town, as strong winds and wintry weather caused widespread problems in Caithness yesterday.  Anne Swanson who, with her husband Carl runs Riverside Interiors, is unhappy Highland Council has not taken measures to help prevent flooding in the area after the last big deluge seven years ago.   *A Caithness woman has claimed it is “a disgrace” Dounreay staff did not contact her about a silo which was blown by strong overnight winds onto her property.  Deidre Henderson, who lives at Buldoo adjoining the nuclear site, said it was lucky the silo, one of three stored at the former wartime runway, wedged in a drystone dyke and did not hit a house.

A FORMER Caithness councillor, who resigned in disgrace following allegations of electoral fraud, spoke yesterday of his “real contrition and remorse”.  Alex MacLeod (21) was speaking outside Inverness Sheriff Court before his appearance in the dock where he pleaded guilty to forming a fraudulent scheme to circumvent the rules governing election expenses.

THE Highlands’ bioenergy sector is to benefit from a new international collaboration officially launched in Ireland.  BioPAD (BioenergyProliferation and Deployment) aims to help the development of local renewable bioenergy supply chains to benefit individuals and communities in remote and rural regions.

ANOTHER planning application has been submitted for a controversial wind farm at Spittal Hill but this time for seven turbines instead of the previous 30.  Spittal Hill Windfarm Ltd has significantly revised its proposals from the larger scheme which had a total capacity of 75 megawatts.  This new plan will have a capacity of up to 21 MW.

NFU Scotland is pressing for terms of reference for a review into the distribution of the UK’s convergence dividend from the new-look Common Agricultural Programme, be firmed up.  Encouraging meetings took place on Monday where NFU Scotland’s president Nigel Miller and director of policy, Jonnie Hall, met Under-Secretary of State David Mundell and deputy leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats and Secretary of State Alistair Carmichael.  The union is seeking, as a matter of priority, to get the terms of reference for CAP firmed up and to map out how an independent review group would work out.

A WICK-based has won an award for designing a camera which has been used in nuclear decommissioning work at Dounreay.   Kongsberg Maritime Ltd received the honour at the UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority Estate Supply Chain Awards held in Manchester.  The award was present for the design and manufacture of a high temperature CCTV camera system for inspection of the Dounreay fast reactor dome. The system was designed by David Craigie.

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