The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
CHARGE:
A couple from Perthshire accused of embezzling almost £ 140,000 from a celebrity-backed online fundraiser for a boy who died of cancer will go on trial in the new year. Sharyn Mcinally-Johnston, 40, and Mark Mcinally-Johnston, 45, deny taking cash...
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Plans for flats at former care home site turned down
P lans to build 42 flats on t he site of a former Bridge of Earn care home have been refused. Earlier this year Glencarse-based GS Brown Construction launched a proposal to redevelop the site of the former Moncrieffe Care Home on Main Street. The...
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Weather
Early mist will clear to sunny spells. Staying dry with light winds.
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More than 150 quality pages packed with features, interviews, news and sport Town’s high street sees retail revival KINROSS:
Independent businesses have been credited with reviving the fortunes of a town high street. Once quiet and dotted with empty units, Kinross is now flourishing, with a strong community of independent retailers and few vacant premises. In recent years...
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THIMBLEROW:
Parking sessions at a Perth car park earmarked f or a controversial new swimming pool have increased by more than 40% in three years. There has been a rise in demand at Thimblerow Car Park since 2023, new figures have revealed. Murdo Fraser, MSP for...
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Couple’s relief at U-turn on migrant carers rules
A Perth couple who both work as carers can breathe a massive sigh of relief after proposed changes to the UK settlement law were scrapped. Nawodh Jayasinghe and Lowdini Gunawaradhana told last year how proposed changes in the settlement laws had...
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PERTH:
Planning officers are recommending proposals for a £28 million care home and 100 council flats on the site of Perth Leisure Pool be approved at a crunch meeting next Wednesday. The authority’s planning committee will rule on two separate planning...
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Fraud probe football club folds for season
Youth footballers have been left “sad, frustrated and worried” after their team folded for the remainder of the season due to a deepening off-field crisis. Police are investigating claims £2,000 was taken from Wolfhill Juniors Football Club’s funds....
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Bribery claims over US town twinning deal Police receive complaint over paid trip
Police have been asked to investigate the controversial twinning deal between Aberfeldy and a pro-Trump US town, after a businessman made allegations of bribery. A complaint by Oliver Romain, pictured, made to Police Scotland relates to an offer from...
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A&E patients get £1.6m in payouts
NHS Tay s i d e paid out more than £ 1.6 million in compensation to A& E patients over the last four years, it has been revealed. The figures have come to light after the Scottish Conservatives put in freedom of information requests to Fife, Forth...
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City hotspots revealed for rowdy youth gangs
The prime hotspots for youth antisocial behaviour in Perth and Kinross have been identified. Complaints of intimidation, abuse, shoplifting, fighting, underage drinking and suspected substance misuse are all on the increase. There has also been a...
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BUDGET:
Perthshire business owners have warned the latest minimum wage rise will make it harder for young people to find work. The UK Government announced in its Budget yesterday that the national living wage (previously the minimum wage) would rise by 3.9%...
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Campaigners celebrate quarry rethink Boy’s death in Tay could have ‘been avoided’ HEARING: Sheriff recommends precautions after tragedy
The death of a 12-year-old boy on the River Tay in Perthshire could have been avoided, a sheriff has found. Kayden Walker, pictured, was taking part in a riverboarding activity near Stanley on July 28 2019 when he got trapped underwater after his legs...
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TAYSIDE:
NHS Tayside was kept in the dark about the SNP’S announcement that it wants to replace the country’s health boards with two regional “super boards”. A freedom of information request by campaigner Peter Todd showed that NHS Tayside had no documents on...
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Probe as auction house users claim £50k owed
Police have launched an investigation into a Blairgowrie auction house as residents claim the owner’s silence has left them “angry and devastated”. Locals claim they have been unable to contact the proprietor of Blairgowrie Auctions, Joseph Carnie,...
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Grandad pays tribute 10 years after toddler killed
The grandfather of a toddler who was knocked down and killed in Coupar Angus by a speeding driver has paid tribute to his “little angel” 10 years on from the tragedy. Two-year-old Harlow Edwards, pictured, was out walking with her siblings, Dionne,...
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Residents’ outrage at Trump-voting town twinning bid
Aberfeldy residents are horrified by a plan to twin with Salado in Texas, close to where a death row prisoner is facing public execution. The t own’s community council is pursuing a link with the Trump-voting town, with members saying the communities...
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Lanes proposed in bid to tackle Broxden queues
Filter lanes could be created at the Broxden roundabout in a bid to tackle “unacceptable” congestion, it has been revealed. Perth and Kinross Council leader Eric Drysdale has said he wants to create the new roadways to divert A9 and M90 traffic away...
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ANTISOCIAL:
Police in Perth say a single 13-year-old youth was linked to almost 60 crimes in the city last year. According to Police Scotland data, Perth’s most prolific youth offender had 57 crime reports against their name in 2025. They included carrying an...
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PERTH:
Police say a fire which caused a huge explosion at an industrial estate in Perth this week is not being treated as suspicious. Firefighters were called to Elder and Paton’s premises on North Muirton Industrial Estate on Thursday afternoon. Plumes of...
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Museum boss confident of finding cafe operator
The boss of Perth Museum is “very confident” of finally landing an operator for the venue’s loss-making cafe. Culture Perth and Kinross chief executive Helen Smout appeared before Perth and Kinross Council’s policy and resources committee on Wednesday...
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Business tycoon hits out at pub’s rates hike hell
A Scottish business magnate has blasted the Scottish Government’s rates system following the closure of a Perthshire pub. Sir Tom Hunter said the loss of Brown and Blacks in Scone “sums up everything wrong” with rating valuation of licensed...
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Shock as care home shuts down suddenly
A popular Perthshire care home has closed suddenly, with residents told to vacate and almost 40 staff losing their jobs. The shock closure of Glencairn House in Auchterarder has been described as “a devastating blow to residents, their families, staff...
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Profits soar at Highland Spring despite costs rise
Perthshire’s Highland Spring has consolidated its position as the UK’S largest bottled water company after posting revenues of more than £163 million. Annual accounts for the Blackford business to December 31 2025 show the company ’s pre- t ax profits...
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Call for action as probe into fuel spill continues
Environmental protection agency Sepa is facing calls to take action against whoever is responsible for the diesel spill at Loch Tay as the investigation enters its eighth month. Homes and businesses across Highland Perthshire were left without...
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KINROSS:
A Kinross-based showjumper who suffered a serious brain injury in a riding accident has left hospital after eight months. Louisa Milne Home fell from her horse during a showjumping competition in Aberdeenshire on February 27. She suffered a diffuse...
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COURT:
NHS Tayside has pled guilty to health and safety failings that led to an 82-year-old woman suffering fatal injuries in a fall at a Perth hospital. The health trust has accepted criminal responsibility for the death of patient Andrea Imrie. She had...
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Historical complaints on Eljamel ‘disappear’ INQUIRY:
All complaints against disgraced surgeon Sam Eljamel prior to 2012 may have been destroyed, a public inquiry has revealed. During the latest bombshell evidence session into the NHS Tayside scandal, the health board’s executive medical director Dr...
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Fastest civilian jet makes short stop at Dundee Airport
The fastest private jet in the world landed at Dundee Airport as Tayside and Fife prepare to host the Dunhill Links golf tournament. A Bombardier Global 8000 arrived at the airport yesterday morning following a seven- hourand-20-minute flight from...
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Future of village’s post office services in doubt INCHTURE:
The future of post office services in Inchture is in doubt as the village postmistress announces her retirement. Fifth-generation postmistress to run the business Jennifer Ford has announced her intention to retire early next year. She owns the post...
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WARNING:
Perthshire’s Enchanted Forest event is at risk of becoming “unsustainable” due to rising costs, the attraction’s new boss has warned. Chief executive Gordon Morrison said the cost of holding the Pitlochry lights show has increased by 12% in the past...
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Eljamel was ‘standout candidate’ for NHS role INQUIRY:
NHS Tayside pushed the UK Government to speed up disgraced surgeon Sam Eljamel’s work permit because he was the “standout candidate” for the job, new files have revealed. Hospital bosses who hired him in 1995 “unanimously” agreed he was the obvious...
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Opposition to centralisation of services agreed
Perth and Kinross councillors have unanimously agreed to strongly oppose further centralisation of services as talk of a possible Tayside merger intensifies. The Scottish Government has outlined plans to reduce the number of councils to between six...
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NHS: GPS say guard often calms down situations and helps vulnerable patients
Safety concerns have been raised at a Perth medical centre after NHS Tayside axed the facility’s in-house security guard. Drumhar Health Centre on North Methven Street will lose its in-house security guard on Friday after 30 years. The decision has...
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Perth residents hit with costly parking permits
Residents face an “eye-watering” £274 a year to park in Perth city centre – almost three times as much as in some other Scottish cities. The permit covers several streets in the city centre and inside the inner ring road. An outer-zone permit costs...
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Land dispute stalls city park and ride upgrade BROXDEN:
Council bosses say a “land ownership matter” is holding up plans for more than £300,000 of improvements to the Broxden Park and Ride depot. A February start date was slated for work on upgrading the entrance to the site but no works have begun – seven...
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MEDIEVAL:
Archaeologists believe they may have “struck gold” in a major dig in the heart of Perth. Researchers have spent the week excavating the grounds of King James VI Hospital in search of treasures from the Pe r t h Charterhouse – the monastery founded by...
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Museum stone hammer suspect returns to court PERTH: Man accused of attack on historic exhibit reappears six months later
A man accused of taking a hammer to the Stone of Destiny exhibit in Perth Museum has made a surprise reappearance in court – six months after failing to turn up for a previous hearing. Arnaud Harixcalde Logan, is accused of smashing open the glass...
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New drone shots of ‘ghost’ golf course Emergency meeting on possible merger plans PERTH AND KINROSS:
Perth and Kinross Council has announced an emergency meeting to discuss a possible merger with other local authorities in Tayside. More than a dozen councillors previously wrote to the provost demanding a debate on the issue in a bid to decide a...
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GP services under pressure as house building increases
GP practices in the west of Perth are being put under pressure by t he pace of housebuilding, local health bosses say. Hundreds of new houses have gone up on the edge of Perth in recent years and many more are in the pipeline. The Almond Valley...
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Villagers in path row as beavers cause flood risk
Villagers are embroiled in a bizarre dispute involving beavers, the former owner of St Johnstone FC and some missing council paperwork. For three years, Bridge of Earn residents have been trying to find out who owns the path behind homes next to the...
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LOCH TUMMEL: Bid to contain sickness bug after staff and guests fall ill Perthshire hotel shuts due to virus outbreak
A hotel in Highland Perthshire has temporarily closed after staff and guests fell ill. Loch Tummel Hotel, near Tummel Bridge, said a norovirus outbreak has spread among visitors and employees and the hotel has closed to contain the illness. A group...
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Doubts over NHS bosses’ claims on Eljamel timeline
NHS Tayside would have likely seen the results of an investigation which sparked the suspension of Sam Eljamel days earlier than it claimed. A senior surgeon told the inquiry into the disgraced surgeon that claims by the health board it first saw the...
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Kinross woman cites NHS failings after third miscarriage
John Swinney has told a Kinross mum he is “terribly sorry” after she suffered three miscarriages in 16 months – but the woman has rejected his apology until she meets him face to face. Elizabeth Crammond, pictured, wants to explain to the SNP leader...
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Patients brand evidence of NHS boss a ‘car crash’
Campaigners and survivors of disgraced surgeon Sam Eljamel have branded a top NHS Tayside boss’s evidence a “car crash”. Health board chief executive Nicky Connor was grilled on day two of the inquiry about the destruction of logbooks chronicling the...
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The day victims have waited for as Eljamel Inquiry begins
T behe Eljamel Inquiry has revealed the key questions NHS Tayside bosses will expected to answer when they take to the stand as the investigation finally started. Jamie Dawson KC, senior counsel, explained when major topics such as the destruc t i on...
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Warning tourist tax may damage visitor economy
Edinburgh’s tourist tax could have a negative effect on Perth and Kinross’s visitor economy, the owner of Scone Palace has warned. William, Viscount Stormont says he fears the capital’s visitor levy will “soak up tourist budgets, shortening visits and...
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Tayside council merger ‘possible’ says Swinney
Bringing Dundee, Angus, and Perth and Kinross back together as a single local authority is “one of the options that could be considered” under radical SNP reforms. Thirty years after the 1996 dissolution of Tayside Regional Council, First Minister...
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NHS merger could ease waiting times
Tayside could receive extra treatment capacity from elsewhere in eastern Scotland under the new NHS East health board, according to one health chief. NHS Grampian boss Laura Skaife-knight told local leaders that early work on NHS Scotland East is...
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Drug user’s toilet flood destroyed medical kits
Bosses at a Perth health clinic were forced to throw away high value medical kit after a drug addict in the flat upstairs ripped his toilet off the floor, causing nearly £15,000 of damage. Blake Smith, pictured, deliberately pulled his toilet out of...
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Taymouth ‘operations village’ seeks approval
east of the main estate, would be the location of the new “village”. It would be the base for back-of-house services at Taymouth Castle, which is being transformed into a housing complex and luxury golf resort by its US owners. A canteen, bakery,...
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Fatal XL bully attack hearing will focus on licensing rules for kennels
A legal probe into the death of an Angus kennels boss is likely to focus on issues such as the handling of potentially dangerous dogs, a court has heard. A preliminary hearing ahead of the fatal accident inquiry (FAI) into the death of businessman...
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