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BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Ross County relegated: How will it affect life in Dingwall?
Highland club Ross County's battle for survival in the Scottish Premiership fizzled out with a 4-2 defeat to Livingston on Monday has left the Staggies - and its home town of Dingwall - facing a potentially challenging season in the Championship, both on and off the and pubs have enjoyed a boost to takings from hosting large crowds of visiting fans from teams like Celtic, Rangers and Aberdeen. Will a move into the lower leagues have an impact beyond football? Raffael Santos owns The Mallard - a pub on Dingwall Station's platform and a few minutes walk from the stadium. It is regularly packed out on home match days, with about 35-40% of business coming from visiting fans. But like many Ross County fans, he is hopeful their spell in the Championship is short-lived. "A lot of the town's businesses survive from big games like Rangers, Celtic and Aberdeen," Mr Santos said. "We'll need to work hard to make the business keep going, but hopefully next year they are back into the Scottish premier league." Big games were also profitable for The Legion chairman Mike Murray said: "We got coaches of supporters booked in - like Hearts, Aberdeen and Hibs. They'd tend to phone two-three weeks before a game. "We could have 150 to 200 supporters through in the function room, and a good Saturday was a boost to the club." Leia Stephen, co-owner of the National Hotel, is experiencing the effects of relegation for the first time. County was last relegated in Stephen said home games have been helpful to the business during quieter winter tourist seasons."Football fans usually just stay one night but sometimes make a weekend out of it," she added."Our bar and restaurant host away and home supporters." The Championship is a highly competitive league, but experts say it will not match the financial benefits of playing in the big league brought to a small Maguire, a University of Liverpool football finance lecturer, said County will miss the revenue near-capacity attendances that visits by bigger clubs said the Staggies could lose at least £500,000 because of lower gate receipts, having fewer televised games and less prize with an already tight wage bill, he warned there is "not a lot of fat to cut" to help make savings. But councillor Graham MacKenzie said one of County's strengths was that it was deeply rooted in the he worked as a teacher he was impressed by how many young people chose the Staggies over a bigger club."It's come as a bit of a blow to everyone," Mr MacKenzie said of relegation."It's not so many months ago we had high high hopes we could finish in the top six."But he believes both town - home to about 5,500 people - and club have the resilience to cope with the coming season. Bruce Ritchie, one of many Staggies fans in Dingwall pondering the future outside the Premiership, said football was important to the town. "I'm really proud of the fact that we've been in the top division for so many years. "It's going to be a big miss."Other Staggies fans might be hurting, but they are far from sore losers. "I just felt Ross County weren't good enough, I'm afraid," conceded fan Panja Bethune."It's a shame that they've been relegated. "Livingston were the better team on the day."George Meiklejohn agreed his club were beaten by a good, strong added: "But they've bounced back once before and I'm sure they will again." Another fan, County Kebab takeaway manager Alex Toward, says regardless of where the club is in the leagues it should be proud."This area is not big and not very well-known - yes, everyone knows of Scotland and the Highlands - but not many think of Dingwall specifically," he says."I think the fact they (Ross County) are trying so hard to make a name for themselves and have come so far, they should be impressed and proud of their achievements."
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
When Portland removes snow, where does it go?
Feb. 20—Portland's had a blanketing lately — just look at the snowbanks. The glorious return of a traditional Maine winter has brought roughly two feet of snow to Portland in less than three weeks, according to the National Weather Service. A Presidents Day weekend storm dropped more than 9 inches onto Portland, piling on top of the remnants of another storm, which blanketed the city with more than 10 inches a few days earlier. In response, the city has issued total and targeted parking bans to clear and remove the graying sleet before it overwhelms the roads. So where does it all go? Portland uses three dumping sites across the city to store its excess snow, said Mike Murray, director of the Public Works Department. There's one by the Portland International Jetport's pink parking lot, another in the median of Franklin Street and a third just off the intersection of Somerset and Chestnut streets, he said. "We dump at a site until it reaches capacity, then move to the next location," Murray said in an email Wednesday morning. All told, the city had hauled roughly 800 truckloads worth of snow in 2025, which amounts to more than 29,300 cubic yards, as of Wednesday morning. That's enough to cover a football field, including the end zones, with nearly 14 feet of snow — or enough to fill more than 402,000 Boat and Tote bags (size XL). About 500 of those truckloads, or 18,300 cubic yards, came after the latest winter storm, Murray said. Most of that snow ended up at the Somerset Street lot, he said. There, chalk-gray snow and sleet stood in a lopsided triangle formation Wednesday afternoon. It's peak, topped with some of the dirtiest snow, stood taller than nearby retailers. Excavator tracks scarred its long side. That dumping site is nearly at capacity, Murray said. After last week's storm, city workers hauled more than 250 truckloads worth of snow — roughly 9,400 cubic yards of the stuff — over an eight-hour period. "It's a tremendous amount," Murray said in a phone call the following day. "It was a busy night." During that removal, workers piled snow into a lot off District Road by the Portland International Jetport, Murray said. Both the city and airport store snow there, he said. Signs with red arrows and lettering directed drivers to the "SNOW DUMP": a handful of white and gray dunes dotting the lot. None appeared to be more than 10-15 feet tall Wednesday. Though all roads in the city are plowed, only some are selected for snow removal, once the streets become so narrow that they create hazardous driving conditions and hinder the travel of public safety vehicles, Murray said. Things hit that point earlier this week, according to the Portland Fire Department, which urged residents to be mindful of where they park their cars in a post on social media Tuesday. "Following this weekend's storm, our crews have encountered numerous impassable streets in Portland due to improperly parked vehicles," the department said. The next day, parking was banned on roughly 40 roads for targeted snow removal, though that figure fluctuated as the day went on, Murray said. Crews dumped snow from that day's cleanup effort in the Franklin Street median, he said. Some residents on the streets and online have questioned why workers can't simply push snow into the water, but doing so could violate state law. City spokesperson Jessica Grondin said the city has a set of "very specific regulations" to follow regarding dumping snow in the water. "We are allowed to dump clean snow from the waterfront piers and lots in the water, but only for up to 72 hours after a storm," Grondin said in an email Tuesday. "We do not truck any snow to the waterfront nor do we dump any snow from Commercial St. in the water." Copy the Story Link
