Press and Journal, The Aberdeen (UK) back issues from December 2006:
Get your party gear on for prom'n'aid
Dec 01, 2006 ... Were you a secondary pupil in wonderful Wick? If so, your presence in the capital of Caithness is requested onDecember 29 for a trip down memory lane. Billed as the Prom'n'Aid, the planned supper-dance mirrors thepopular Christmas prom which has been running for 18 ...
Community buyout
Dec 01, 2006 ... For the residents of South Uist, Eriskay and Benbecula, thesuccessful community buyout of their homes is a landmark day. Raisingthe finances was a hard task, but a potentially more difficult onelies ahead. The crofters and others who make up the population have theirdestiny in ...
Effectiveness of the ASBO system
Dec 01, 2006 ... As A FRONTLINE weapon in the war on antisocial behaviour, the Asbois proving a popular choice. The number of applications is rising by25% a year and that figure could grow further now that children canbe issued with an order. Soon we will no doubt see the effectiveness of the Asbo ...
Worthy of a le carre spy novel
Dec 01, 2006 ... If It WERE a work of fiction, it would be worthy of the spy mastersupreme, John Le Carre. The investigation into the death of formerRussian agent Alexander Litvinenko is growing ever wider, and therevelations would grace the pages of a Pulitzer prize-winning novel,such as they ...
Grateful for resort plan
Dec 01, 2006 ... Sir, - The letter (the Press and Journal, November 30) headed"Trump golf course plan", from Alastair Naughton, is beyond belief. As the owner of a 42-bedroom hotel with modest facilities, Iemploy 200 full and part-time staff, so you can imagine the numbersrequired for manning the ...
Where there's hope . . . As Chancellor Gordon Brown and his wife, Sarah, have discovered, cystic fibrosis can blight the life of any family, but Nicola Barry talks to one young woman who has refused to allow the condition to hold her back
Dec 01, 2006 ... As Chancellor Gordon Brown and his wife, Sarah, have discovered,cystic fibrosis can blight the life of any family, but Nicola Barrytalks to one young woman who has refused to allow the condition tohold her back Even although Cara Doran might only have three more years to live,she ...
Business savings Robin Parkinson, director of Escape, a north-east communication technology provider, explains how outsourcing can mean big savings for big business
Dec 01, 2006 ... Robin Parkinson, director of Escape, a north-east communicationtechnology provider, explains how outsourcing can mean big savingsfor big business What is meant by the term, outsourcing? Considered the way forward for business leaders, outsourcing isthe practice of examining ...
Security for businesses online
Dec 01, 2006 ... Keeping ahead of the competition is key to any successful businessin today's increasingly competitive marketplace. Firms not only have to focus on progressing their own business,but also have to ensure they continue to raise their game to avoidbeing overtaken by existing and new ...
Accredited training
Dec 01, 2006 ... Ensuring that employees receive high-quality, relevant training isvital for companies looking to stay ahead of their rivals in today'scompetitive business climate. Keeping up to date with new methods and legislation is crucial,particularly as industries such as the oil and gas and ...
Christmas office party do's and Don'ts
Dec 01, 2006 ... It's that time of year again and, love it or loathe it, the officeparty is just around the corner. It's a chance to let your hair downwith your colleagues, to have some fun away from the usualconstraints of the workplace, but what can you do to ensure that thisyear will be memorable for ...
Macdonald rink stays in touch
Dec 01, 2006 ... While skip Ewan MacDonald was in Canada helping Team Europe winthe Continental Cup, his brother, Ross, took charge of the MacDonaldrink and kept the pressure on league leader Ian Hay with a 9-5against Mark Fraser in round five of the Inverness Super League. Hay's late recovery ...
Top 30 is the target for mickel
Dec 01, 2006 ... Finlay Mickel is confident of finishing in the top 30 at the FISAlpine ski-ing World Cup in Avon, Colorado. The 29-year-old Scot was the first racer out of the gate inWednesday's practice session on Birds of Prey at Beaver Creek, andMickel is anticipating a tough four days for the ...
Organisers in pledge to fight for pounds100m if show is forced to move
Dec 01, 2006; ... The organisers of Scotland's biggest agricultural show insistedyesterday that they would only move from their current site near Edinburgh Airport if they get full compensation for the costs. The Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland made itsdemand as the Scottish ...
Meat trade's new attack on FSA over rules as concessions are criticised
Dec 01, 2006; ... A Concession to relax some of the onerous demands forced onabattoirs to comply with European BSE prevention rules was brandedmeaningless yesterday. Instead the Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers renewed itscriticism of the Food Standards Agency and its interpretation of ...
Warning cuts could devastate fisheries
Dec 01, 2006; ... A Scots fishing leader warned yesterday that talks between theEuropean Union (EU) and Norway to agree annual quotas for certainspecies could result in an unviable mixed fishery in the North sea. Scottish Fishermen's Federation chief executive Bertie Armstrongwas speaking during the ...
Montrose site offering pipeline training first
Dec 01, 2006; ... Petrofac Training, the specialist operations and technicaltraining arm of the Petrofac Group, has officially opened the UK'sfirst pipeline training centre for the energy industry at Montrose. The facility is said to offer realistic training on simulatedpipeline operations for ...
Low-cost loan for north-east families
Dec 01, 2006 ... An Aberdeen credit union has stepped in to help families in thenorth-east who have lost money through the collapse of Christmashamper firm Farepak. North East Scotland Credit Union is offering a special low-costloan to those who have lost out in the Grampian region. The loan, ...
Cancer sufferer hopes p&j will bring cheer
Dec 01, 2006; ... Moray Farepak customer Alison Black knew Christmas would bedifficult this year when she was diagnosed with breast cancer justthree months ago. But the mother-of-five, from Morlich Square, Forres, wasdetermined to remain positive - and even after losing pounds1,800 asa result of ...
Highland and Caithness are looking for a league lift
Dec 01, 2006; ... Highland have home advantage tomorrow as they seek revenge forSeptember's 27-17 reverse at the hands of Linlithgow. The Inverness men have their work cut out against a side sittingjoint second in National League Division 2 but come back refreshedafter a three-week lay-off. ...
New 'weather forecast' model can predict growth of tumour
Dec 01, 2006; ... A New way of predicting the growth of tumours in the body hasrevealed that their aggression could be affected by the environmentin which they develop. The findings, developed by a team of mathematicians at DundeeUniversity, could have far-reaching imp- lications for the ...
Patient death figures: Infections in spotlight
Dec 01, 2006; ... Nearly one in five patients who died after surgery in Scotlandcaught an infection in hospital last year, it was revealed yesterday. The Scottish Audit of Surgical Mortality found 17.8% of caseswhere the patients who had died following an operation had developeda hospital acquired ...
Stephen denounces personal attack by SNP
Dec 01, 2006 ... Enterprise Minister Nicol Stephen has rounded on a Nationalist MSPfor using "misleading" figures to make a personal attack on him. North-east MSP Maureen Watt accused the Lib Dem MSP for AberdeenSouth of presiding over cuts in training budgets. It followed a parliamentary ...
Grampian accounts for more than quarter of awol sex offenders
Dec 01, 2006; ... More than a quarter of the cases of sex offenders failing to keepin touch with the police last year were in Grampian, the ScottishExecutive has revealed. It emerged earlier this month that police recorded 165 crimes ofsex offenders failing to notify them of their whereabouts or ...
Fraudster skipper who sank own boat is jailed
Dec 01, 2006; ... A Shamed north-east skipper who sabotaged his own trawler in amomentary "act of madness" was last night facing nearly three yearsbehind bars. Francis Wiseman was jailed for 32 months after sinking his boat,the Seaward Quest, 12 years ago for an insurance pay-out of ...
Ferrovial chiefs move to reassure over future of Scottish airports
Dec 01, 2006; ... The executive chairman of Ferrovial, the Spanish owner ofairport operator BAA, was in Scotland yesterday to brief ministers on the group's long-term plans. Rafael del Pino met First Minister Jack McConnell and TransportMinister Tavish Scott to outline Ferrovial's strategy for ...
Expro group well placed in key sector
Dec 01, 2006; ... Oil and gas well-technology service provider Expro International Group posted interim pre-tax profits yesterday more than double thosein its previous first half and said the outlook for the second halfand beyond was positive. Chief executive Graeme Coutts said a strong set of ...
Celebrating success of growth-focused firms
Dec 01, 2006; ... Some of the north-east's fastest growing businesses were toastedat a dinner held in their honour in Aberdeen last night. Scottish Enterprise (SE) Grampian put on the Celebrating Successevent to highlight the fact that firms it had identified as havinghigh growth potential were ...
Kilpatrick makes first big Granite City deal
Dec 01, 2006 ... Kilpatrick Property Group has acquired the Girdleness TradingEstate in Wellington Road, Aberdeen, for pounds2.65milllion, theGlasgow firm's first big investment in the Granite City. Kilpatrick said its purchase, from Edinburgh-based KilmartinProperty Group, was in line with the ...
B12 boost for axis shield after fda product approval
Dec 01, 2006 ... Dundee medical diagnostics company Axis-Shield announced yesterdaythat it had been granted US marketing approval for one of itsproducts. The company's Active-B12 diagnostic test, which measures levels ofvitamin B12 and identifies the kind of deficiencies found in people with ...
Events
Dec 01, 2006 ... Dingwall Mart. Car Boot Sale, 7am-noon, tomorrow. Drummers Corner, Peterhead. Peterhead Farmers' Market, 9am-2pm,tomorrow. Inverness Group Ramblers. Kiltarlity and Meall Mor. Phone 01463231985 for further details. Meet at Highland Council Car Park,Glenurquhart Road, ...
German businessman claimed he had bomb at airport
Dec 01, 2006; ... A Businessman claimed he had a "big bomb" in his luggage after abar worker at Aberdeen Airport refused to look after it while he wentto the toilet. The tantrum cost German IT consultant Frank Schwaak a pounds350fine and earned him a criminal record. When he appeared from ...
Fallen hero hit headlines with rescue of crew from sinking trawler
Dec 01, 2006; ... Fallen hero Francis Wiseman first hit the headlines three decadesago when he rescued the crew of a sinking Peterhead trawler. The fresh-faced teenage skipper was awarded one of the country'shighest awards for gallantry after he rescued five fishermen whobattled in vain to stop ...
Driver in a94 fatal crash named
Dec 01, 2006 ... Police in Perthshire last night named the victim of a fatal roadaccident near Coupar Angus on Wednesday. Karoline Brown, 24, of High Street, Blairgowrie, was killed andanother woman was taken to hospital suffering from chest injuriesafter the collision on the A94 ...
Benefit cheat to pay back pounds10,000
Dec 01, 2006 ... A Forfar man who previously admitted getting almost pounds24,000of council tax and housing benefit that he was not entitled to wasordered at the town's sheriff court to pay pounds10,000 compensation. Gerald Hunter, 60, of New Farmhouse, Cotton of Lownie, whoentered the dock using ...
Breach of the peace man fined pounds1,000
Dec 01, 2006 ... A Suggestion that four women return to isolated woods on theoutskirts of Dundee to have their photograph taken led a Forfar manappearing in court yesterday after he was arrested when hisbehaviour alarmed them. David Gammie, 37, of 65 Threewells Drive, hadpreviously admitted a breach of ...
McDonald's manager in court after taking pounds400
Dec 01, 2006 ... A SHIFT manager at a McDonald's restaurant on the outskirts ofForfar has admitted embezzling pounds400 from his employers after hewas said to have been overtaken by temptation. Lee Devine, 23, of 106B High Street, Montrose, was a juniormanager at the McDonalds at Halfpenny Burn ...
Assessment call of law to protect NHS staff
Dec 01, 2006; ... A Demand for an assessment of laws protecting emergency workerswas made yesterday, after it emerged that they had secured fewer than200 convictions. The Emergency Workers Act, which came into force last year, allowscourts to impose prison sentences of up to nine months, fines of ...
More than 5,000 Tayside drivers caught on mobiles since ban began
Dec 01, 2006; ... More than 5,000 people in Tayside have been caught using mobilephones while driving or supervising learner drivers in the last threeyears. Figures released by the force today, on the third anniversary ofthe legislation banning the use of mobile phones at the wheel, showthat ...
Bervie roads 'not fit for new houses'
Dec 01, 2006; ... Inverbervie residents fear they will be overwhelmed with trafficif a housing development gets the go-ahead. An application is due to be heard by councillors next week for 23houses to the west of the West Park area of the town. But with a separate proposal for 43 houses from ...
Seminary hotel plan 'too high a price'
Dec 01, 2006; ... Plans to resurrect a crumbling former seminary as a massive hotel,leisure and residential resort have been recommended for refusal bycouncil officials. Aberdeenshire planners are advising local councillors to throw outJW Muir Group's scheme at Blairs College on the outskirts ...
Former Dons goalkeeper reggie dies at 73
Dec 01, 2006; ... A Former star of Aberdeen Football Club has lost a bravely foughtbattle against cancer. Goalkeeper Reggie Morrison, 73, died peacefully in his sleep athis home in Peterhead on Tuesday with his wife, Thyra, by his side. He was at Pittodrie for eight years during the 1950s and ...
Fan bob on target with pounds4.5m win
Dec 01, 2006 ... A Rangers fan from Falkirk who was engrossed in a televised Fridaynight game took some persuading that he had scooped more thanpounds4.5million on the Lotto. Bob Worgan, 60, counted his Lotto success as third time luckyafter two recent wins at his local bingo. Originally from ...
Breast-feeding mums in remote areas may get help by being filmed
Dec 01, 2006; ... Breast-feeding and bottle-feeding mothers could get advice viawebcams and video phones under new plans mooted by Scottish doctors. Women in remote parts of the Highlands would be filmed feedingtheir new-born babies if the proposals were given the go-ahead. Medics believe the ...
Wife killer's lawyers get more time for appeal
Dec 01, 2006; ... Lawyers representing wife killer Nat Fraser have been given moretime to prepare for his long-awaited appeal against conviction. At the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh yesterday, they weregranted a further 10 weeks to study a report which they hope willundermine the ...
Lenetta celebrates special birthday milestone
Dec 01, 2006; ... A North-east woman has celebrated a very special birthday - her105th. Orkney-born Mrs Lenetta Phillips who lives at Inverurie's GariochNursing Home, may now be the oldest woman in Scotland. With relatives sharing the special celebration, the GariochFiddlers also dropped in ...
Man tried to kill guest with spade
Dec 01, 2006; ... A Fundraising concert turned to near tragedy after a sleepingguest was savagely beaten on the head with a spade. Neill Stewart was left brain damaged and now struggles to evencomplete a sentence. The injuries inflicted on him were so horrific that relatives whovisited him in ...
City aim to make it a hard slog for the title contenders
Dec 01, 2006 ... Inverness City may have slipped out of the race for the MSIS NorthCaledonian League title, but they are planning to make life difficultfor the teams above them. City make the long trip to league leaders Halkirk tomorrow, withgoalkeeper Ian Young their only doubt - although deputy ...
Successful young chefs cook St Andrew's feast
Dec 01, 2006; ... Training and experience were both on the menu for a St Andrew'sDay feast at Perth College last night, after pupils who haverecently left two local secondary schools donned the chef's whites. Four former pupils of Breadalbane Academy in Aberfeldy andBlairgowrie High School, who ...
SNP election victory quip lands Duke in hot water
Dec 01, 2006; ... The Duke of Edinburgh was in hot water last night afterapparently predicting the SNP will win next May's Scottish Parliamentelections - and a subsequent separatist referendum. During a tour of London's plush Caledonian Club he joked: "I'mjust wondering what happens when ...
Dundee near top for ASBO applications
Dec 01, 2006; ... Dundee is among the leaders in seeking and securing antisocialbehaviour orders (Asbos) but Argyll and Bute has yet to get off themark, according to statistics released yesterday. The number of orders imposed on people guilty of persistentnuisance and intimidation in Scotland has ...
Nairn residents' fight to save leisure area seems doomed
Dec 01, 2006; ... A Heavily backed residents' campaign to save a Nairn green spacefrom housing development appears doomed despite the intervention oftwo local MSPs. Highland planning chairman and Nairn councillor Sandy Park hasinsisted the widely used leisure area, known locally as the ...
City law firm ups sticks and leaves clients in the lurch
Dec 01, 2006; ... Clients of an Inverness law firm have been left in the lurch afterits sudden closure and the apparent disappearance of its owners. There is speculation that the husband-and-wife team behindMcGinness Fraser Solicitors have moved to France after their firmceased trading. But ...
Windfarm cynicism accusation
Dec 01, 2006 ... Objectors to a pounds53million windfarm in Wester Ross haveaccused the developer of cynically timing its planning application tocoincide with Christmas and publicity of the Beauly to Denny pylonline inquiry. They have also criticised developer, Infinergy Ltd, of Wimborne,Dorset, ...
Woman's lucky escape when lightning hits
Dec 01, 2006 ... Lightning blasted a woman off her feet when it came down atelephone line and blew up a phone next to her. If Lynn Parker, of Stoer, near Lochinver, Sutherland, had been onthe phone at the time she could have been killed. She said she was blown several feet across the room when ...
Delight as callous thief who stole school Xmas party money jailed
Dec 01, 2006; ... Last Christmas, pupils at an Inverness school for children withspecial needs had their festive season ruined by a thief who tookmoney set aside for their annual party. But this year, the culprit is facing Christmas behind bars afterbeing jailed at Inverness Sheriff Court this ...
Manager says former worker was 'challenging'
Dec 01, 2006; ... The former general manager of a Lochaber care scheme which hasbeen taken to an employment tribunal by a former employee yesterdaysaid that she had found her former colleague "challenging". Sandra Bolton, 58, of 40 Banff Crescent, Fort William, is claimingconstructive dismissal ...
Grant aid for Oban firm
Dec 01, 2006 ... The Oban-based Scottish Association for Marine Science (Sams) hasbeen awarded a grant of pounds35,000 from Argyll and the IslandsEnterprise to help fund a variety of marketing and promotional work. Sams is to spend a total on ...
Move to join army keeps youth out jail
Dec 01, 2006 ... An 18-YEAR-old Lochaber youth escaped a custodial sentenceyesterday after a sheriff heard he intends joining the army. JohnMacLennan, of 29 Clerk Drive, Corpach, admitted at Fort WilliamSheriff Court breaking the peace at the town's Cameron Square onSeptember 9. He caused a further ...
Dingwall team talks its way to Gaelic success
Dec 01, 2006; ... Ross-shire pupils proved they had the gift of the gab after theywon a prestigious Gaelic debate at the Scottish Parliament. The Dingwall Academy pupils hotly contested the BT Gaelic debateagainst 16 other secondary schools from throughout Scotland and metStornoway pupils from the ...
Youth with knife jailed
Dec 01, 2006 ... A Youth found in possession of a "vicious looking" eight-inchbladed knife was sent to a young offenders' institute for two monthsyesterday as courts continued to clamp-down on the blade culture. Patrick Rodgers, 17, was told by Sheriff Douglas Small at FortWilliam Sheriff Court: ...
Kerbside recycling scheme proving a success
Dec 01, 2006 ... Highland Council is hailing a new kerbside recycling scheme whichwas launched in Inverness and Ross and Cromarty last month as a greatsuccess. In the first two weeks of the scheme around 86tonnes of gardenwaste was collected from households along with 63tonnes of paper andmore ...
Wind and rain causes havoc on west coast
Dec 01, 2006; ... Ferry travellers along the west coast were hit by masscancellations and disruptions yesterday as exposed coastalcommunities went on storm alert. Gales, high tides and heavy rain caused a catalogue of problems atsea leaving would-be travellers stranded away from home. Islay ...
Man to lose gun he pointed at friend in Fort William street
Dec 01, 2006; ... A Lithuanian will return home this weekend without a pounds35replica flint lock pistol he bought in Fort William as a souvenir. It was yesterday confiscated on the order of a sheriff, who alsofined its owner, Mindaugas Vaicikauskas, 27, whose address was givenas c/o the Fishermen's ...
Man jumped from window to avoid police
Dec 01, 2006 ... A Fort William man made a quick getaway when police called at hishome to execute an arrest warrant. On the pretence of getting a jacket, Kenneth Livingstone hoppedthrough the kitchen window of his Kennedy Road home. The warrant had been issued after the 23-year-old failed to ...
Band hope to rock their way to global title
Dec 01, 2006; ... A North-east classic rock band are in the running to win 100,000and embark on a world tour. Aberdeen-based Estrella have been selected to represent Scotlandat the prestigious Global Battle of the Bands final in London onDecember 12. The five-piece band won the Scottish final ...