MONEY spent on the arts can often be a controversial issue, particularly in times when public money is tight and community and voluntary groups suddenly find themselves struggling to provide vital services when public subsidies are severed.

THERE'S been great anguish in Fortrose recently over a planning application by Tulloch Homes Ltd for a new housing estate in the village, comprising 132 homes.

WHEN Strathpeffer won the bid to house the headquarters of the former Highlands of Scotland Tourist Board (HOST) in the 1990s it was a great boost to Ross and Cromarty.

A ROSS MSP proposed a novel way of boosting local farmers and food producers in the recession-hit Highlands this week.

INVERGORDON distillery owners are this week toasting bumper pre-tax profits, up from £25 million to £31.7 million.

A ROSS-shire councillor will have got his colleagues' backs up this week after voicing his opinion to the North Star over the food and drink bill for Highland councillors.

THERE is nothing like a bit of ambition and this week our local football team certainly showed they are not lacking in that department.

LIKE all of Scotland, Ross-shire is in the grip of the most severe winter weather for around 30 years and according to the Met Office there are no signs of any let-up for at least another 10 days.

ROSS-shire is ablaze at the moment with an array of Christmas lights across every town and village in the county.

THERE has been a spate of nasty thefts in Ross-shire recently, which as well as leaving people substantially out of pocket has dented their trust in their fellow people.

IT has been well publicised that cash-strapped Highland Council is facing tough budgetary decisions.

DINGWALL'S £28 million flagship new academy, which held its official opening last year, is providing a 21st century learning environment for its 1,004 pupils.

RED tape and needless bureaucracy is an issue that frustrates communities and stymies businesses possibly more than any other issue.

A PRIME opportunity to build a brand new school to serve Easter Ross or an attempt by the education authority to save money by closing three thriving local primaries by back-door means?

YOUNG people are often pilloried for their thoughtless actions and their age group came in for severe scolding a fortnight ago when teenagers trashed their own youth cafe in Fortrose and left a trail of damage throughout the Black Isle.

ASK any member of the public what changes they would like to see regarding policing our towns and invariably you will get the reply that they want to see more bobbies on the streets.

A HIGHLAND councillor who has done so much good work to provide facilities for young people on the Black Isle said he was sickened this week by the actions of youngsters who caused a trail of damage in the area at the weekend.

THERE are not many small town halls that can say legendary rockers the Beatles tread their boards, but Dingwall Town Hall has that lofty distinction.

DINGWALL'S commercial fortunes were given a boost this week with confirmation that the vacant former Woolworths store is to be occupied by a new national chain.

DEPRESSION is a debilitating condition which thankfully is being talked about more nowadays. By bringing the illness out into the open, sufferers need no longer feel stigmatised and isolated.

SELDOM can there have been so many objections to a planning proposal in Ross-shire, but plans for a quarry in a small rural location have attracted an unprecedented amount of flak.

OLDER residents in Ross-shire will remember the pre-Kessock Bridge days when all traffic travelling north from Inverness went through the village of Muir of Ord.

THE public would have been kept in the dark about a water chemical treatment overdose last year if it were not for the annual report of a relatively unknown overseer of the industry, the Drinking Water Quality Regulator.

ONE of the most depressed communities in the Highlands – it's not a good label but that's how the local Highland councillor described Muir of Ord this week.

LOCAL democracy won the day on Tuesday when Highland councillors turned down a controversial plan to build a £43 million waste incinerator in Invergordon.

JUST two years ago, the glass appeared to be half full at Invergordon Distillery.

SCOTTISH travellers have a rich and ancient culture and it should be celebrated.

THE Highlands are to have their first Asda supermarket after years of the retail giant trying to get a foothold in the North in the face of Tesco's dominance.

ULLAPOOL welcomed an historic event at the weekend – the first Caledonian MacBrayne ferry to sail into the port from Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis on a Sunday.

SCAMMERS and crooks have been operating in Ross-shire lately, targeting people's money by nicking bank cards and infiltrating their accounts.

BLACK Isle Show time is fast approaching and this year the organisers, the Black Isle Farmers' Society, are buoyed by a significant increase in livestock entries, reinforcing both the appeal of the show and the health of farming generally.

NOWADAYS we hear only too often that the younger generation don't give a jot about what's going on around them, preferring a life of fun, frivolity and countless computer games to the real issues that surround them.

THE Chief Constable of Northern Constabulary received a letter from Tain Highland councillor Alasdair Rhind this week, alerting the chief to what he perceives as a poor level of policing in his part of Ross and Cromarty.

"FIGHTING Mac's" monument towers over the town of Dingwall, a symbol of a great fighting hero and a macho man.

JOANNA Lumley is never shy to support to a well-deserved cause and while recently it was the protest to secure UK rights for Gurkha soldiers, only last year the actress lent her voice to the campaign to ban animal snares.

IT is a worrying sign of these troubled economic times when a volunteer organisation like the Citizens' Advice Bureau is struggling to cope with the huge rise in people afraid of losing their homes.

A ROSS-shire transport firm has been put off the road by Scotland's Traffic Commissioner for major vehicle maintenance breaches.

THE North Star's website is busy this week with readers reacting to controversial comments made about Dingwall by an English newspaper columnist.

ROSS-shire's caravan parks, hostels and self-catering providers look like being in for a bumper tourist season, according to hugely encouraging early season booking figures.

WIND farms – two words which inevitably spell controversy.

THE theft of fuel would seem to be Ross-shire's fastest growing "business" and local police this week urged people to be vigilant against the gangs who are targeting householders and businesses alike – and using some fairly desperate measures to obtain their booty.

THERE were two appalling instances of animal cruelty in the Easter Ross area which came to light this week and display just how inhumane man can be to our four-legged friends.

EASTER is widely regarded as one of the most important festivals in the Christian calendar, but the actions of some individuals over the past weekend could be described as anything but Christian.

IT might be the biggest settlement in Ross and Cromarty but, officially at least, you can't be born or die in Alness.

DINGWALL'S groaning west end traffic system was given a green light this week with confirmation from the Highland Council that the long-awaited new Kinnairdie link road is proceeding apace.

YOUNGSTERS being found in possession of drugs in schools is a worrying trend that is being reported increasingly in the country's large towns and cities.

ILLEGAL it might be but poaching is an age old country activity which has helped keep many Highlanders alive when they were scratching a wretched existence in years gone by.

HIGHLAND Council is facing a £500,000 loss in its catering trading account because kids are apparently voting with their feet and going down the town for snacks at lunchtime instead of eating the healthy school dinners on offer.

WHAT a farce the whole Tain supermarket wrangle has been.

THE rise in women seeking cervical cancer screening across the country is being attributed to the "Jade Goody effect" as the reality TV star wages her own very public battle with cancer.

INVERGORDON received a major bounty this week with the award of almost £200,000 of Lottery cash for a community public art project.

A SHEER act of madness was seen on our TV screens this week when a young man escaped death by a hair's breadth by racing a train over a railway level crossing.

APPARENTLY there was a "severe weather event" in south Britain this week – a phrase which the Met Office has come to regret.

TRAVELLING man Peter Stewart went to his final resting place in style this week.

IT seems to be getting easier with every passing day to come to the conclusion that today's youth is going to hell in a handcart.

A RUN-down battery is a pain when you're fruitlessly flicking a remote control at the TV, or using a laptop computer and the screen goes blank.

ALL credit to local MSP Jamie Stone this week for highlighting the dangers of a main route through Ross-shire and for leading calls to the Scottish Government for it to be made into a dual carriageway – the stretch of A9 between Tore and the Cromarty Bridge.

BRITISH Telecom has been a part of the Easter Ross community for several years now, as a major employer at its call centres in Alness.

IT was a story emerging from terrible tragedy and sadness, but in Easter Ross this week community and humanity was at its best.

COULD the true spirit of Christmas shine through the credit crunch this year?

RETAIL chain Woolworths is in big trouble, with debts of around £385 million. Along with hundreds of others up and down the country, the axe is hanging over its store in Dingwall.

TRADITIONALLY, men from the seafaring Highland communities didn't learn to swim.

THE comedian Frankie Boyle is known for his acerbic wit and his cruel one-liners.

AS people gather to pay their respects to those who lost their lives in the the two world wars and other conflicts across Ross-shire on Sunday, the Royal British Legion has pointed to a "cultural shift" in remembrance.

IT'S little wonder that folk get frustrated with rail travel, not least the pricing structure for making a train journey.

THE news that the speed limit has been reduced on the "killer" Shore Road between Invergordon and Alness is to be welcomed.

AT this time of year, everybody is looking forward to Guy Fawkes' Night.

A PETITION is being raised through the Scottish Parliament at the moment and everybody in Ross-shire who runs a business, orders from online retailers or mail order companies, or indeed buys from their small local shops, should make it their urgent business to sign it.

THERE was a sad story in the news this week of a 73-year-old widow who went to scatter her husband's ashes on Schiehallion, one of Scotland's best known hills. It was her late husband's dying wish.

THE banking crisis caused by the takeover of HBOS by Lloyds TSB and the subsequent financial fall-out is being felt throughout the country – and Ross-shire is no exception.

SEA eagles are big business now in Scotland. The reintroduced species, which had been extinct in Britain since 1918, are drawing increasing numbers of visitors to their new habitats in Wester Ross, Mull, Rum and, most recently, Fife.

LOCAL and national media descended on Cromarty this week when it opened its new outdoor "pensioner playground", a range of gym equipment in a local park designed to keep senior citizens fit into their golden years – a first for Scotland.

HARDLY a day goes by without stories in our newspapers or on TV about tragic deaths caused by stabbings or savage beatings with offensive weapons.

THE bonnie Black Isle is one of the jewels on Ross-shire's east coast, with gently rolling hills, sweeping farmland and some wonderful sea views.

SIX village halls in Ross-shire – the hubs of the communities – are facing an uncertain future this week.

PRO-Tibet protester Iain Thom had never heard of Tibet and the plight of its people until he went to university in Edinburgh four years ago.

HUNDREDS of thousands of words have been written about Gerry and Kate McCann, the parents of five-year-old Madeleine who disappeared in Portugal in 15 months ago.

THE road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

FOLLOWING on from fuel and food, the price for scrap metal is now going through the roof.

ROSS-SHIRE is experiencing a lacklustre tourist season this year and visitor numbers are noticeably down.

THIS week we were all urged to eat more prudently, store food properly and plan meals to avoid waste – not by Delia Smith or the like but by the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown.

HATS off to Ross-shire police this week for organising the first officially drug and drink free disco in the Highlands.

LOW-flying jets screaming overhead have become part and parcel of Highland life over recent years.

BAD driving is endemic on the roads these days and sadly even in the Highlands, despite having very little of the congestion of the cities in the south which apparently causes drivers to "road rage" their fellow motorists.

THE departure of the dedicated and hard working lollipop lady at Dingwall's West End has left a big gap in provision for getting children to school safely in that part of town and parents have been forced to rethink their daily routines.

FOR over a decade people in Conon Bridge and Maryburgh have had to live with a carbuncle in their midst – the ruins of the former Pescanova fish processing factory on the banks of the beautiful River Conon.

INVERGORDON - the Noble Harbour as it is known - has a proud industrial and naval past having played host over the years to a vast variety of enterprises and acted as a vital wartime base.

A SURVEY is ongoing on the Black Isle, which apparently has a burgeoning over-75 population, to determine what services will be needed to care for the area's elderly people in the future.

IN these days of political correctness, it must be be particularly galling for local folk who find themselves homeless in their own town or village, only to learn that someone from outwith the area had been awarded a council or special housing association property in front of them.

WITH news this week that plans are in the pipeline for a red kite feeding and observation centre on the Brahan Estate, which it is predicted will bring some 8,000 visitors a year to Ross-shire, the huge pulling power of the creatures we share the area with is not be under-estimated.

IT is only mid-way through the controversial post office closure programme and already a case has been highlighted in Ross-shire where elderly people have suffered hardship and humiliation as a result of the decision to shut their local branch.

DOES taking hundreds of peak-time commuters a week off the bottle-necked Kessock Bridge sound appealing?

AN institution of nearly half a century – Dingwall Gala – looks likely to have its swan song this summer as public interest wanes for the annual week-long programme of events and entertainments.

SUMMER, it would seem, is just around the corner.

FOR the many householders who have probably just stumped up their April council tax payment this week, any suggestion of logical solutions on how to save tax payers' hard earned money will no doubt be as welcome as a pay slip at the end of the month.

CLOCKS go forward this Sunday and after many of us get over the initial thought of losing a precious hour in bed, thoughts will quickly turn to the relief of lighter nights.

EASTER Ross people had the opportunity this week to learn for the first time details of a new waste incinerator – or a combined heat and power plant from residual waste to give it its proper term – which is planned 1km from Invergordon town centre.

THE age old saying that school days are supposed to be some of the best of your life may not ring true for all of us.

BEBO – it's the social networking site to which millions have been signing up, making contact with friends via the internet.

THERE was a shocked reaction across Ross-shire this week to the news that a local pensioner had lain dead for more than a year in his home without being discovered.

ANY parent reading the words of Reg Turner – who lost both his sons in separate accidents on Invergordon's notorious Shore Road – will surely sympathise with his pain and loss, but his opinions about taking the road safety message into primary schools will be much harder to swallow.

THE future of a number of Ross-shire services should finally become a lot clearer tonight following months of uncertainty in the run up to the much anticipated budget debate but one thing has been obvious right from the start – the SNP/Independent administration won't emerge untarnished from its "efficiency saving" cuts.

ALL roads lead to Dingwall Academy this week – and that is unfortunately all too evident by the trail of litter that the young students leave in their wake.

THERE can be little comfort for law abiding citizens in Easter Ross this week after confirmation that there is to be no more senior officer than a sergeant actually on the ground to cover the most-populated area in Ross-shire.

PARENTS in Maryburgh, and indeed the whole community, have new reason to feel aggrieved over the proposed closure of their local primary school.

DINGWALL Highland Councillor Margaret Paterson has been inundated with complaints from local residents over the past week.

THERE will no doubt be dismay in Ross-shire this week over the news that the axe is set to fall on six of our lifeline Post Offices, all but one of them in rural locations.