A BLACK Isle town is now glowing with stunning lights in memory of a much-loved resident — three years after her bequest was made.

SCORES of shoppers bade a fond farewell to a Dingwall High Street institution on Monday.

THE last remains of the old imposing Dingwall Academy building which has been a dominating feature in the town for nearly 70 years was cleared last week, bringing an end to an era.

A ROSS-shire lifeboat station has seen a drastic cut in the number of call-outs its crew has tackled this year.

THREE Tain residents received an unexpected pre-Christmas windfall this week when they found out they had won £25,000 of the People's Postcode Lottery between them.

Angus Purden, the People's Postcode Lottery Street prize presenter, caused huge excitement when he arrived at Upper King Street with his TV crew to hand out the winning cheques.

AN acclaimed Black Isle artist behind one of the most famous gardens in the Highlands — and a painting that generated over £5 million for charity — has died at the age of 93.

AROUND 14 members of staff at the Dingwall High Street branch of Woolworths face imminent redundancy after a store closure programme began this week.

WITH the passing of Murdo John Finlayson at his home, 2 Heathmount Road, Kyle, the village has lost one of its oldest residents. Murdo was 87.

A WELL-known Ross-shire establishment believes two heads are better than one when it comes to running a community centre.

DINGWALL residents were out in force at the weekend to have their say about the town's planned High Street revamp.

THE health and wellbeing of patients and staff at a Ross-shire hospital will be boosted thanks to a pair of new initiatives launched in Invergordon last week.

PUPILS from an Easter Ross primary school are having a cracker of a time as their Nativity DVD proves to be a Christmas hit.

AN Easter Ross distillery targeting a burgeoning world market was a hive of activity last week as Scotland's tallest whisky still was winched into place.

THE mother of a highly respected police officer who died whilst trying to save his brother's life has paid tribute to the "top cop" — and others like him — who put their lives on the line to help others.

A ROSS-shire councillor this week hit out at the "appalling" tactics used by a company rep trying to get a "foot in the door" of an elderly woman's home.

A SKYE-born businessman will be the Liberal Democrat candidate for Ross, Skye and Inverness West at the 2011 Scottish Parliament elections.

Chosen by Lib Dem members across the constituency, 37-year-old Alan MacRae beat four other candidates to become a prospective MSP.

ENTERPRISING primary schoolchildren in Easter Ross have dealt shoppers seeking Christmas stocking fillers a real boost.

As part of a school project aimed at sharpening their entrepreneurial acumen, pupils at Knockbreck Primary in Tain came up with the idea of producing a Top Trumps-style pack of cards featuring local landmarks.

A POWER failure at a village level crossing meant a train had to come to a halt to enable the driver to get out and stop the traffic.

ADMINISTRATORS handling the affairs of troubled High Street chain Woolworths Plc — which has a store in Dingwall — launched a store closing sale this week and confirmed some shops may even vanish before the end of the month.

AN Easter Ross MSP has expressed his "deep disappointment" that the new blueprint for investment in Scottish transport for the next 20 years does not include plans to upgrade roads north of Inverness.

A ROAD policing chief this week urged members of the public to continue shopping friends and relatives who drink-drive and warned drivers over the risks of the "morning after".

YOUNGSTERS at a Ross-shire primary this week unveiled a Christmas card with a difference.

A POPULAR Ross-shire venue faced with a Christmas conundrum is hitting back against the credit crunch — by throwing a party!

PUPILS at a Wester Ross school will spend a full day Scottish country dancing in their school hall next week to raise money for a toddler who is suffering from a rare form of cancer.

POLICE are investigating the sudden death of a 26-year-old man in Alness.

A CHRISTMAS song and carol book is set to delight music-loving Gaelic speakers this festive season.

And Highland Council's Mairi Mhor Gaelic Song Fellowship officer Fiona Mackenzie, who comes from Dingwall, believes the new publication, Duan Nollaig, is the first of its kind produced anywhere in the world.

ROSS-SHIRE suffered the coldest temperatures in the UK this week when the mercury dipped down to 8C which caused treacherous conditions and resulted in the police coming to the aid of an ambulance crew to help rescue an injured, hypothermic 80-year-old man who fell during a blizzard.

THE Royal Bank of Scotland has strengthened its management team in Alness with the appointment of a new business manager, Suzanne MacKay.

AN INQUIRY is continuing into the death of an Easter Ross scaffolder who fell 130ft from a rig docked in the Cromarty Firth last week.

TWO contentious Ross-shire planning applications recommended for approval by officials were thrown out by councillors this week at an unusual meeting debated by members in Dingwall and Skye using video-conferencing facilities.

ROSS County players swapped football kit for Santa suits last week as they got in training for a challenge with a difference.

A VALUED service which helps improve the homes of 600 elderly and disabled people each year across Ross-shire is celebrating its 20th anniversary.

WOULD-be successors to Ross MSP John Farquhar Munro set out their stalls at a well-attended hustings meeting at Ross County's Victoria Park.

DINGWALL residents will have the choice of three different design options on the planned revamp of the High Street which is expected to get underway next year.