Higher cost of fuel in our area and the substantial mileages racked up for business or pleasure means car ownership is an expensive outlay for many.
An SNP MP has secured further discussions with a UK Government Minister on creating fairer energy prices for the Highlands and Islands.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt called it a 'budget for long term growth' with a boost for the drinks sector and a blow for oil and gas.
The Highland MP says 'VAT-free streets is not just about economic revival but also about ensuring fairness.'
The Labour MSP says 'local benefit from these developments has not improved and communities are losing out.'
Unison has 'grave concerns' about violence in schools and the EIS has lashed out at proposals to cut 70 principal teachers.
Safety concerns have been raised in a Black Isle community amid fears that the narrow road and increasing traffic are an accident waiting to happen.
Education secretary Jenny Gilruth has agreed to meet with north-west coast parents to discuss "detrimental" issues within Highland high schools.
The council is investigating more than 300 land owners and property developers for breaching planning rules, without publishing any details online.
The agreed proposals are branded 'nebulous, vague, hazy, obscure, indistinct, unclear, indefinite, murky, blurred, formless and featureless.'