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Former Inverness councillor Thomas Prag, who was involved in the riverside arts project in the days of the Tilting Pier proposals, welcomed the news that its successor has finally got the green light.Attending the Inverness committee meeting as a spectator, he said that despite the strong negative feelings that had been expressed by protesters, he still welcomed public participation in the process.“There is a positive in getting many people excited about public art,” he said. “I am a great believer in public art, though I wish it wasn’t called that – you give it the term ‘art’ and somehow people shy away from it.“It is about public place, it is about design, it is about doing things well so that people can interact with it and enjoy it and it was great to have so much involvement in it.“It is a great relief that it has been passed. I am not a particular fan of this particular project, but we need to finish it.”Related … [Read more...] about Ex-councillor: We need to finish project

A PREDICTED overspend for Highland Council’s care and learning revenue budget will be slightly less than last year.Members of the council’s care, learning and housing committee were asked to consider the latest forecast made at the end of the first quarter of the current financial year.According to a report, which was presented to councillors, a statement forecasts an overspend of £0.572 million in the budget for this year.Brian Porter, the council’s head of resources, told members the financial position had improved slightly on last year and added: “This is a significant improvement but there there is more still to be done. It is an improved position relative to where we were last year.”Graham MacKenzie felt they were still in the same position as last year and there were “significant underspends” in other areas which could be used to make up the difference.The council report urged caution over the forecast, as there remained “a … [Read more...] about £500k overspend for service?

Little belter Blossom Crosby is celebrating becoming a world martial arts champion – at the age of five. The cute youngster has beaten kids twice her age to win a string of jiu-jitsu titles. Blossom won three gold medals at this year’s Elite Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Junior World Championships. She stormed to victory, winning all her fights without dropping a single point. Brazilian jiu-jitsu, or BJJ, involves grappling, ground fighting and trying to control an opponent through moves which force them to submit. Blossom, from Rochdale, near Manchester, said: “I was very nervous before the competition because it is such a big event. “But after my first match I was excited about winning. “I love doing BJJ, mixed martial arts and kickboxing because I have fun.” Blossom – pictured in first place on the podium, inset – trains three times a week at a youth academy in Morley and every weekend at a gym in Pontefract, West Yorks. Her main coach is her … [Read more...] about Girl, 5, becomes world martial arts champion

An ex-con says crooks are getting locked up on purpose so they can smuggle drugs and phones into jails. Simon Grundy, 48, was sentenced to 11 months in prison last year for perverting the course of justice. And he said he was shocked at what went on behind bars. The former ministry of Defence worker, right, said he met around 10 inmates who claimed to have got themselves jailed deliberately after being offered up to £1,000 a time to bring in contrabrand. Simon claimed one , who he met in September last year, had been jailed for a month for shoplifting. He said: “He had been in prison nine times before and had come in on purpose. “He told me he had been paid £1,000 to bring a phone in with him. It was one of those really small phones and he shoved it inside him to get it past the prison officers. “This sort of thing is happening every week. They know they’ll only get a month, max, for something like shoplifting, so to them it’s worth it for the … [Read more...] about Lags getting jailed on purpose for cash, ex-convict says

TWO glamorous sisters surprise strangers who think they run a beauty salon by revealing that they are in fact undertakers. Rachael Ryan, 24, and sister Louise, 30, love watching people’s faces drop when they reveal the truth. Mum-of-two Louise said: “People say it’s great that I’m in business with my sister, but if I ask them to guess what we do they always think we run a beauty parlour or a hair salon. The look on their faces when we tell them what we actually do is priceless. “Some people talk down to us because we’re young and female, but a lot of people say they prefer dealing with a female undertaker.” The pair, from Newport, south Wales, love getting glammed up at the weekend but their working week consists of polishing coffins, counselling grieving relatives and planning memorials. The sisters followed their dad into the family business. Rachael said: “I’ve helped around the office since I was 13. I felt comfortable working … [Read more...] about Glamorous undertaker sisters run family funeral firm