Publication
Swinney vow to fix housing shortage
FIRST Minister John Swinney said he will look to tackle the housing crisis in the north if his party returns to power after next month’s Holyrood election. Mr Swinney hit the campaign trail in Inverness yesterday and paid a visit to construction firm...
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Labour ‘must end delay and give go-ahead to Rosebank’
LABOUR should already have approved the new Rosebank oil field off Shetland, according to an ex-prime minister’s think tank. A new report published today by the Tony Blair Institute (TBI) says the UK Government is risking the nation’s energy security...
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‘Wildfires could destroy wildlife’
AN out-of-control fire could decimate the Cairngorms, an expert has warned. Ross Watson, pictured, who lives in Strathspey and works as an adviser for Forestry and Land Scotland, has voiced his support for the new campfire and barbecue ban in the...
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Survivor: Abuser’s jail time is ‘justice’ for me and others
A WOMAN who was targeted by a Highland paedophile when she was a child has said that she is happy she helped “take him off the streets”. Kenneth Polus, pictured, was jailed for nine years after he was convicted of a number of sexual abuse offences...
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‘Crippling’ new business rates spark closure fears in the hospitality sector
Highland hospitality businesses have warned soaring business rates will force firms to shut their doors. Ginny Knox runs two self-catering properties in Dornoch which are currently below the nondomestic rates threshold. However, she faces a £9,000...
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Plug is pulled on China plan...and up to 4,000 jobs
The UK Government says it “cannot support” a Chinese plan to build turbines at a factory at Ardersier, which was expected to generate thousands of jobs. The update follows “rumours” in the Scottish Parliament that Energy Secretary Ed Miliband was...
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Elgin hotel joins hospitality giant IHG’ s portfolio
AN Elgin hotel will reopen next year as part of a globe-spanning hospitality portfolio. The Eight Acres is currently undergoing a swish £250,000 makeover. And The Press and Journal can reveal it has joined up with the multinational IHG Hotels &...
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‘It’s time to bring home Renee and her son Andrew’
A Highland councillor said it was time to “bring home” Renee MacRae and her toddler son Andrew as the police and armed forces searched for their bodies at the former home of their killer. It has been almost 50 years since the Inverness mum and her...
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Army and police to renew search for Renee’s body
A NEW search to find the bodies of murdered Renee MacRae and her son is due to be launched. Nearly 50 years after they were killed by William MacDowell, specialist investigators are set to examine land at his former Highland lodge in...
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‘No outcome can ever make up for our family’s loss’ Wife’s tribute to Andrew, 34, as woman walks free over death crash
THE devastated wife of a motorcyclist killed in a head-on collision on the A96 has told The Press and Journal that the “future has been robbed from” her and her young son. Elgin dad Andrew Wright, 34, pictured, died after driver Dawn McIntosh’s...
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Neighbourhoods ‘being erased by short-term lets’
RESIDENTS in Inverness neighbourhoods with a high percentage of short-term lets have told The Press and Journal how close-knit communities are slowly vanishing across the city. We hit the streets of the Highland capital to discover the human impact of...
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‘More wind farm funds should go to communities’
COUNCILLORS are poised to fight for more community funding from onshore wind farms in a showdown with Holyrood. The Scottish Government has proposed increasing the recommendations from £5,000 per megawatt per year from the energy projects to £6,000 as...
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Region in running for UK city of culture title
INVERNESS and the Highlands is one of nine places on the longlist to be named the 2029 UK City of Culture. Highland Council convener Bill Lobban said: “This is an extraordinary moment which recognises the creativity, resilience and cultural richness...
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Man, 55, in court after £600,000 drugs find
A MORAY man has appeared in court after police seized cocaine with an estimated street value of £600,000 in the Highlands. Officers arrested a 55-year-old man after discovering a “significant” amount of the Class A drug in a car near Fort William....
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Tycoon sold city venue to himself in £14m package
A HIGHLAND property tycoon sold a former music venue in Inverness to himself as part of a £14 million deal, The Press and Journal can today reveal. It was widely reported that businessman David Cameron had acquired the Ironworks in 2016 for just...
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We join police in crackdown on drug gangs
“It was a fire door, they’re a nightmare,” said an officer after his colleague impressively smashed a six-inch-thick wooden and metal door to gain access to a property in the Merkinch area. Despite having arms the size of traffic cones, it took him 14...
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Parents ‘kept in the dark’ about blade incident
PARENTS have hit out at school bosses after a pupil brought a knife on to the premises. Staff at Ness Castle Primary in Inverness sent a letter to parents after the incident on Tuesday morning. However, some adults were not happy that they only...
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Safety fears for Moray pupils as free buses axed
PUPILS in Moray face trudging up to four miles to school and back each day alongside an unlit road after their bus was axed. The council has changed its free school transport rule from two miles to three miles for youngsters going to secondary. That...
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Noise row thug’ s eye attack on neighbour
A VIOLENT brawl erupted at a supported accommodation block in which a man jammed his fingers into another resident’s eye sockets, a court heard. George Dow, 54, was convicted of assault following the fracas at the Blue Triangle complex in Oban over...
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Council bosses ‘very excited’ by Station Quarter
PLANS to transform Inverness city centre have council bosses “very excited”. The proposed “Station Quarter” will connect the city’s bus and railway stations, incorporating active travel as well as car parking. The relocation of the bus station will...
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North businesses in cruise control
THE positive impact of cruise ship passengers to Highland tourism was highlighted this week at a summit for local businesses. Port of Cromarty Firth staged the event in Invergordon to get feedback from traders in the region – and also to help them...
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£500k extra ‘is not enough’ to fix north roads
A ROW broke out over funding for roads yesterday as Highland Council agreed its budget for 2026-27. Members voted through a range of measures to tackle the £46.7 million gap in the local authority’s finances – including a 7% rise in council tax. A...
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‘North residents deserve cheaper and safer buses’
FIRST Minister John Swinney pledged a crackdown on violent young bus passengers yesterday as he announced a £2 fare cap will be rolling out across the north. It is hoped the money-saving scheme will encourage more people to hop on coaches across the...
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Teenager in court over murder bid in Dingwall
A 16-YEAR-OLD and an 18-year-old have appeared in court in connection with an alleged attempted murder. The teens’ arrests follow a weekend disturbance in Dingwall. Leo Simpson and a 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared in...
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Anger over toilet ‘ban’ on pupils at city school
THE head teacher at a school in an Inverness suburb has come under fire after blocking pupils from using toilets during classes. Culloden Academy rector Claire McGonigal has ordered the loos be locked outwith lunch breaks and recess in a crackdown on...
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Revealed: 999 gritting fears as snow chaos swept region
Documents have revealed how ambulance crews were pushed to breaking point as several feet of snow smothered the north-east at the start of the year. Days of extreme weather caused chaos across the region shortly into 2026, leaving some people unable...
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Aldi loses fight on alcohol ‘ban’
ALDI has lost a legal battle with Highland Licensing Board after the company claimed it was unfairly banned from using more shop space to sell alcohol in one of its Inverness stores, documents have revealed. The supermarket chain wanted to expand its...
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Arlene’s sister: Family has been on ‘torturous journey’
The sister of murdered Elgin mum Arlene Fraser says her family has endured a “torturous journey” in their ongoing 28-year battle for justice. Arlene disappeared in April 1998 and her body has never been found. Her husband, Nat Fraser, was eventually...
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Inverness practice reveals vision to create ‘flagship’ one-stop shop
AN Inverness dental practice has revealed exciting plans to expand and create a “flagship” treatment hub for the Highlands that will treat thousands of patients. Dr Archie MacLellan and his business partner Dr Diana Inkster have outlined their...
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City families flee homes in terror in street siege
A MAN was arrested after a stand-off with armed police which saw terrified residents forced to flee their homes. Officers swooped around Mackay Road in Inverness, pictured, at 7pm on Wednesday and forced entry to a property. A 61-year-old man will...
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Moray facing back-to-back 10% increase in council tax
MORAY residents are facing a 10% rise in council tax for a second year in a row. Councillors are due to meet next week to set the budget for 2026-27. More than £4 million of savings have already been agreed ahead of the talks. Council tax rates for...
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Driver guilty over killing biker in A96 horror crash
A 54-YEAR-OLD woman has been found guilty of killing a man on the A96 in Moray. Dawn McIntosh hit motorcyclist Andrew Wright, pictured, on the road near Alves while she was trying to overtake a campervan in summer 2023. Mr Wright, from Elgin,...
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City group pins hopes on reviving Rollerbowl
INVERNESS residents have launched a bold bid to resurrect a popular former bowling alley. Rollerbowl closed its doors in October after more than 35 years in business. But now locals are exploring the possibility of purchasing the £1.5 million site...
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Thousands caught ‘wild toileting’ at tourist traps
AROUND 300 people per week were caught short on trips to north beauty spots last year – with a lack of public loos being blamed for contributing to the problem. Highland Council’s Access Ranger Annual Report for 2025 revealed a total of 6,428...
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Jobs axed at island shipbuilding firm
A COMPANY which brought shipbuilding back to Stornoway for the first time in 100 years has gone into administration. All jobs have been axed at Coastal Workboats Scotland Ltd, which set up on the Isle of Lewis in 2023 after signing a 10-year lease...
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Companies interested in saving space firm
A MORAY space firm set to go into administration has received 20 expressions of interest as it is revealed a lack of expected funding led to the company’s problems. MSP Richard Lochhead and MP Graham Leadbitter visited Orbex in Forres yesterday to...
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More than 150 jobs in jeopardy at space firm
A FORRES-BASED space business looks set to appoint administrators, with 154 jobs on the line. Orbex had been slated to hold test flights for its low-carbon rocket later this year, but a failure to find Series D funding means the company has been...
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Family fighting for answers two years after Linda’s death
AN Inverness widower has accused Highland health chiefs of ignoring complaints and failing to fix basic problems two years on from the death of his wife. Linda Macdonald became ill in 2023 and was just 65 when she died in November of that year. What...
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Historic bridge closure would be ‘disastrous’
AN Inverness councillor has warned that if work isn’t carried out on the Waterloo Bridge it may be forced to close, which would spell disaster for the city. Michael Gregson told The Press and Journal he is worried that despite experts labelling the...
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Epstein asked to move to ‘beautiful’ Highlands
Sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was encouraged to move to the “very beautiful” Highlands less than two years before his death. Well-known British neuropsychiatrist Peter Fenwick, who died in 2024, suggested to the disgraced financier he could “come to...
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Dores Inn revamp ‘will be for locals’
SCOTLAND’S richest man Anders Holch Povlsen has unveiled his latest vision for a a pub on the banks of Loch Ness. The fashion tycoon’s WildLand company is planning a major transformation of the Dores Inn. Designs, pictured, were shared at a public...
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Substation snub ‘is victory for all of the Highlands’
OBJECTORS to plans for a controversial substation in the Highlands shed tears of relief yesterday after councillors voted to reject the proposal. SSEN Transmission wanted to build the 550-acre energy hub at Fanellan near Beauly as part of its 400kV...
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Fears north ‘will lose out on jobs’ if SSEN hub rejected
FIVE major north businesses have issued a last-ditch plea to Highland councilors to approve SSEN’s plans for the Fanellan substation. The group of firms – Global Infrastructure, John Gunn and Sons, BAM, Murphy and RJ McLeod – say the energy hub is...
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Driver jailed for causing drug-fuelled fatal smash
A DRUG-DRIVER has been given a prison sentence after causing the death of an Invergordon carer. Jamie Little was under the influence of cocaine when he hit Margaret Sutherland’s car in a head-on smash on the A9 in 2024. The 59-year-old mum of four...
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Widow’s terror as Keith’s killer is set for parole
THE grieving wife of Moray bus driver Keith Rollinson is living in fear that her husband’s teenage killer could be released in just a matter of weeks. Mr Rollinson, 58, pictured, was fatally attacked by a youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons,...
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Six arrests after police drug raid at old school
SIX people have now been arrested and charged in connection with the discovery of a cannabis farm at an old school in the Highlands. Three men appeared in the dock on Friday over the drugs bust at the derelict former Wick High building,...
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New Eastgate boss eyes opportunities
THE Eastgate Centre’s new manager Jon Carter is confident the shopping mall “is going to continue to be an active central heartbeat of Inverness in the city centre”. Mr Carter, pictured, has only been in the role for a few weeks but told The Press and...
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Food giant cites cost increases as it posts a loss of £7.2 million Baxters chief executive says firm facing ‘higher tax and recycling levies’
FOCHABERS food giant Baxters is battling a “continuous treadmill” of rising costs after suffering another loss-making year. Newly filed accounts for Baxters Food Group for the year ending March 2025 show a pre-tax loss of £7.2 million. This follows a...
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Lying killer shoved loving dad into path of ambulance
A TWISTED brute has finally admitted killing an Oban dad by pushing him in front of a moving ambulance. Lying Lewis Budge, pictured left, initially tried to claim that his victim, Robert Bromell, stumbled into the road after a night out with mutual...
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Substation site visit hit by shortage of safety kit
HIGHLAND councillors were shut out of the site during a visit to the proposed location of the controversial Fanellan substation near Beauly due to a lack of PPE. Energy transmission firm SSEN – which has lodged the planning application – was told 20...
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‘North must reap benefits of switch to greener energy’
A MAJOR survey today shows 55% of people across the north and north-east support the move to renewables – but they also want to see the rewards from the influx of projects and grid upgrades coming to the region. A total of 3,235 people from areas...
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