:00:00. > 3:59:59It's goodbye from me and on BBC One we can now join the BBC's
:00:00. > :00:00.Tonight on Reporting Scotland: A victory for the Government over
:00:07. > :00:09.the council tax freeze as local authorities look set to sign up.
:00:10. > :00:13.But it's claimed the settlement means big cuts to services.
:00:14. > :00:16.As Andy Murray and his wife Kim celebrate the birth of their first
:00:17. > :00:27.child, we speak to a very proud great-grandmother.
:00:28. > :00:33.Absolutely delighted, as you can imagine. It seems a long time we
:00:34. > :00:37.have been waiting for this, but all's well now.
:00:38. > :00:40.Also on the programme: MSPs reject an opt-out system on organ donation
:00:41. > :00:44.but the Government says it'll look again at the law.
:00:45. > :00:47.Scotland not taking it lying down as they prepare for the game
:00:48. > :00:51.against Wales, their captain says they shouldn't be written off.
:00:52. > :00:53.And they've been stalwarts of the Scottish music scene
:00:54. > :01:12.for decades, but Runrig tell us why they've decided to call it a day.
:01:13. > :01:17.It's been the focus of bitter dispute between local authorities
:01:18. > :01:20.and Government but tonight it seems every council in Scotland
:01:21. > :01:21.will accept another council tax freeze.
:01:22. > :01:28.But many authorities are adamant the freeze -
:01:29. > :01:31.the ninth in a row - is unacceptable and will result
:01:32. > :01:33.in hundreds of millions of pounds worth of cuts.
:01:34. > :01:40.Here's our Local Government Correspondent Jamie McIvor.
:01:41. > :01:48.It was a high stakes standoff. Now it looks like the Scottish
:01:49. > :01:52.Government's won. Every council seems set to accept the Government's
:01:53. > :01:56.funding deal, even though every single council which isn't run by
:01:57. > :02:02.the SNP claims the deal is simply unacceptable. The difficulty that we
:02:03. > :02:04.have got is that despite increasing statutory duties, increased
:02:05. > :02:08.pressures that we have got, the Scottish Government have chosen to
:02:09. > :02:10.pass on what we think is disproportionate cuts to local
:02:11. > :02:14.Government. Now we had obviously prepared for a cut in our budgets
:02:15. > :02:17.because that was flagged up to us but the difficulty we have got is
:02:18. > :02:23.the cuts that we have seen have well outweighed what we expected. The big
:02:24. > :02:27.problem for many councils this year is budgets are lower than they had
:02:28. > :02:33.forecast. In Stirling they're contemplating doubling the cost of
:02:34. > :02:36.music tuition for some children. At Highland staff have been consider to
:02:37. > :02:40.cut working hours or take redundancy. Many councils are going
:02:41. > :02:43.to agree how to spend their money a little later than usual this year so
:02:44. > :02:47.they can work out just what to do. This year, there is a real
:02:48. > :02:54.possibility some councils would put up the council tax but this
:02:55. > :02:58.rebellion was snuffed out. The penalties the Deputy First Minister
:02:59. > :03:06.has introduced mean it's just too expensive to think about raising
:03:07. > :03:11.council tax by anything that would be electorally acceptable. Some cuts
:03:12. > :03:14.simply aren't an option. Councils have to maintain the ratio of
:03:15. > :03:18.teachers to students and primary school hours can't be cut.
:03:19. > :03:22.The Government calls the deal challenging but fair. This is a good
:03:23. > :03:28.deal. It puts funding forward for freezing the council tax, for
:03:29. > :03:33.delivering the living wage for social care staff, for increasing -
:03:34. > :03:36.for maintaining teacher and pupil numbers and transforming social
:03:37. > :03:42.care. Those are good priorities, good policies we hope everybody will
:03:43. > :03:48.sign up to. This is a good deal and worth taking. Tough choices are
:03:49. > :03:52.never popular. Would voters pay more to maintain services? I am not sure
:03:53. > :03:56.but I would like to think so. They're going to have to accept it
:03:57. > :03:59.and cut services, many people can't afford tax especially with the
:04:00. > :04:03.bedroom tax and other taxes that come into play. We find it a
:04:04. > :04:07.struggle where we are living. There is simple basic economies they could
:04:08. > :04:12.make to save small bits of funds from their budget. But a little bit
:04:13. > :04:16.here and there will add up to go a long way and I reckon if it was run
:04:17. > :04:20.lying the private sector you would see significant savings in budgets.
:04:21. > :04:23.Ultimately, the Government holds the trump cards but this has badly
:04:24. > :04:27.strained relations with some councils. Over the next few weeks
:04:28. > :04:31.many of them will be deciding just how to spend their money.
:04:32. > :04:34.Andy Murray and his wife Kim have announced the birth of their first
:04:35. > :04:39.During the recent Australian Open, the British Number One said he'd be
:04:40. > :04:41.on the first plane home if his wife went into labour,
:04:42. > :04:44.but in the end the baby came only a day or two early,
:04:45. > :04:51.Aileen Clarke spent the day in Dunblane.
:04:52. > :04:58.It's a girl. The pink ribbon around Andy Murray's gold post box in
:04:59. > :05:03.Dunblane said it all today. While locate ls hung up the bunting Andy's
:05:04. > :05:07.gran couldn't have been more proud when the text arrived announcing the
:05:08. > :05:12.birth of her great-grandchild although she did have to text back
:05:13. > :05:17.to check. Oh, the baby must be here! I immediately texted back and said,
:05:18. > :05:26.what's happened? Sounds fantastic. But let me know. I got a text back
:05:27. > :05:32.from Andy to say, sorry, forgot you had an old phone. But baby girl here
:05:33. > :05:37.and everyone doing well. Absolutely delighted, as you can imagine. It
:05:38. > :05:41.seems a long time since - that we have been waiting for this but all's
:05:42. > :05:45.well now, as far as I know, don't have any details. I just know that I
:05:46. > :05:50.have got a great-granddaughter so that's just lovely.
:05:51. > :05:53.On the high street more ribbons were appearing and even full window
:05:54. > :05:56.displays completed. Just as people here wished the couple well at the
:05:57. > :06:00.time of their wedding, today they're keen to pass on their
:06:01. > :06:04.congratulations on the arrival of their baby daughter. We had some
:06:05. > :06:08.little girl things put downstairs and boy things, so it was a case of
:06:09. > :06:12.just racing out and getting a pink balloon this morning because we had
:06:13. > :06:17.everything else. The weather this while has been down, but it's perked
:06:18. > :06:19.everybody up now. After the Australian Open final Andy Murray
:06:20. > :06:24.was clearly desperate to get back to his wife's side in time for the
:06:25. > :06:28.birth. To my wife, Kim, you have been a legend the last two weeks.
:06:29. > :06:33.Thank you so much for all your support. I will be on the next
:06:34. > :06:36.flight home. And today some advice for the new
:06:37. > :06:43.parents from new mums back in Dunblane. Sleep when you can. Eat
:06:44. > :06:49.when you can. Keep good friends. Enjoy it, maybe that would be my
:06:50. > :06:54.advice. Hopefully he will come up here and see all us oldies, I can't
:06:55. > :06:59.wait! You forget how small they are, don't you?
:07:00. > :07:01.You're watching Reporting Scotland from the BBC.
:07:02. > :07:02.Still to come on tonight's programme.
:07:03. > :07:06.We speak to some of the people who live and work along the A9 -
:07:07. > :07:10.in the first of a series of special reports on Scotland's longest road.
:07:11. > :07:13.In sport, Scotland rugby skipper Greig Laidlaw promises we'll be fine
:07:14. > :07:16.Elsewhere, the SFA say they will review procedures
:07:17. > :07:17.after last night's Cup draw malfunction.
:07:18. > :07:19.And, we meet Scotland's firefighting athlete,
:07:20. > :07:21.bidding for Commonwealth Games success in the Gold Coast.
:07:22. > :07:31.Find out who, in the sport very soon.
:07:32. > :07:37.The First Minister has written to David Cameron accusing
:07:38. > :07:41.the Treasury of trying to systematically cut the Scottish
:07:42. > :07:43.budget in the negotiations over future funding of the Scottish
:07:44. > :07:46.The UK Government maintains its funding offer is fair.
:07:47. > :07:53.Here's our political correspondent, Glenn Campbell.
:07:54. > :08:03.There we go, well done! Pancakes are not the only thing worth giving a
:08:04. > :08:08.toss about. This -- about this Shrove Tuesday. The big talk is the
:08:09. > :08:12.lack of agreement with the UK and Scottish governments in their talks
:08:13. > :08:17.over Holyrood's future budget. When Holyrood takes on the extra tax and
:08:18. > :08:22.welfare powers recommended by the Smith Commission, Smith said there
:08:23. > :08:26.should be no detriment to either the Scottish Government or the UK
:08:27. > :08:30.Government. In other words, neither side should be worse off
:08:31. > :08:36.financially. Sounds straightforward. But Ministers in Edinburgh and
:08:37. > :08:40.London can't seem to agree exactly what those words mean. Over pancakes
:08:41. > :08:42.in Edinburgh the First Minister used her monthly news conference to
:08:43. > :08:47.in Edinburgh the First Minister used accuse the Treasury of trying to use
:08:48. > :08:51.extra devolution to raid Scottish finances. We were promised
:08:52. > :08:54.additional powers, not addition agriculture powers in exchange for
:08:55. > :09:02.an room and systemic reduction in our budget. She's worried that after
:09:03. > :09:05.nine meetings with the Scottish Finance Secretary and the Chief
:09:06. > :09:11.Secretary to the Treasury there is still no sign of a deal. But
:09:12. > :09:13.following talks in Number 10, the Scottish Conservative leader
:09:14. > :09:16.suggested the Scottish Government might be underplaying the progress
:09:17. > :09:20.made. I think that there is a deal there to be done. I think it's a
:09:21. > :09:23.deal that's good for the UK and Scotland. I want to see the powers
:09:24. > :09:26.come to Scotland. I would be disappointed if the SNP used the
:09:27. > :09:31.grievance narrative to walk away from these talks. The Scottish
:09:32. > :09:36.Government says it stands to lose around ?3 billion over ten years
:09:37. > :09:39.under current proposals. But UK Government sources say Scottish
:09:40. > :09:43.Ministers have to accept the risks that come with extra tax powers.
:09:44. > :09:47.It's so hard to know exactly what's going on because neither party, the
:09:48. > :09:49.Scottish Government or the UK Government, are being particularly
:09:50. > :09:53.transparent about the detail. I would urge them to get around the
:09:54. > :09:57.table, to make sure we secure that deal because we need those powers in
:09:58. > :10:00.Scotland. The SNP have my support but they cannot walk away from the
:10:01. > :10:05.table. Unless there is a deal for Holyrood to discuss in the next week
:10:06. > :10:09.or so, MSPs won't have time to rubberstamp the new powers before
:10:10. > :10:11.they break for the election campaign.
:10:12. > :10:14.A man who murdered his first wife in a staged car accident and tried
:10:15. > :10:17.to kill his second in a copycat crash has lost a bid
:10:18. > :10:21.to have his conviction referred back to the High Court.
:10:22. > :10:23.Malcolm Webster was jailed for a minimum of 30 years
:10:24. > :10:25.for killing Claire Morris in Aberdeenshire in 1994
:10:26. > :10:27.and attempting to kill Felicity Drumm in New Zealand
:10:28. > :10:37.The Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission has confirmed Webster's
:10:38. > :10:39.application for a review has been refused.
:10:40. > :10:42.Deciding whether or not to donate your organs when you die
:10:43. > :10:46.is a difficult decision - and one many of us may well put off.
:10:47. > :10:48.Enshrining such a decision in legislation is something our
:10:49. > :10:51.politicians have been wrestling with - one MSP proposed a bill
:10:52. > :10:52.which would make organs automatically available
:10:53. > :10:57.But it was voted against by MSPs, with the Government pledging
:10:58. > :11:16.Alison is backing changes to the rules on organ donation. She knows
:11:17. > :11:21.the toll it takes waiting for a transplant. It's an endless limbo,
:11:22. > :11:25.mentally and physically, you are in limbo and there's not a lot you can
:11:26. > :11:29.do. She received two kidneys, once on the transplant list, the other
:11:30. > :11:33.came from her family. If I hadn't got the kidney from my mum in 1981,
:11:34. > :11:39.I wouldn't be here. There wouldn't be grandchildren. At the moment, you
:11:40. > :11:44.must sign up to be an organ donor. The transplant bill suggests a soft
:11:45. > :11:49.opt-out, meaning organs can be removed after death unless someone
:11:50. > :11:53.objects. Today, in Scotland, 535 people are waiting for an organ
:11:54. > :11:56.transplant. Doctors and politicians agree that something needs to be
:11:57. > :12:00.done to increase the numbers of people willing to donate organs but
:12:01. > :12:05.they don't all believe that an opt-out system is the best way to do
:12:06. > :12:09.it. The British Medical Association backed the changes saying it makes
:12:10. > :12:12.it an easier conversation for medical staff and families. The
:12:13. > :12:16.family would be approached in a slightly different way which I think
:12:17. > :12:21.would make it easier for both sides. The family would be approached to
:12:22. > :12:26.ask if they were aware of any objections that person had to giving
:12:27. > :12:32.their organs for transplantation. Today the debate was brought to
:12:33. > :12:39.parliament by a Labour MSP. We have the opportunity today to save more
:12:40. > :12:43.lives, please take it. Some argued opting out isn't always the answer.
:12:44. > :12:47.In Spain with opt-out legislation in place, it's only when discussion
:12:48. > :12:50.takes place with the family at the point of death that rates begin to
:12:51. > :12:54.show real improvement. The public health Minister said today's
:12:55. > :12:58.proposals are unworkable. They're not against soft opt-out in
:12:59. > :13:04.principle but we have a duty... We have a duty to ensure that it's
:13:05. > :13:07.introduced in a way that improves donation rates and does no harm.
:13:08. > :13:11.Instead the Government wants to look at Wales, the first country in the
:13:12. > :13:13.UK to introduce an opt-out system, saying it will introduce a new bill
:13:14. > :13:18.on organ donation in 2017. A look at other stories
:13:19. > :13:21.from across the country. Polaroid's Vale of Leven factory
:13:22. > :13:24.is to close with the loss The company's Italian parent firm,
:13:25. > :13:30.Safilo, says it's planning A consultation with staff
:13:31. > :13:34.is underway and the site looks set The plant, opened in 1965,
:13:35. > :13:43.once employed 5,000 people. A man's appeared in court
:13:44. > :13:46.charged with shooting a man near St Helen's Primary School
:13:47. > :13:48.in Bishopbriggs on the outskirts 55-year-old William Burns,
:13:49. > :13:55.from Paisley, is charged with the attempted
:13:56. > :13:57.murder of Ross Sherlock. Prosecutors claim he acted
:13:58. > :14:00.with another and that the incident was aggravated by serious
:14:01. > :14:02.and organised crime. Mr Burns made no plea or declaration
:14:03. > :14:05.at Glasgow Sheriff Court Business Minster, Fergus Ewing,
:14:06. > :14:12.has visited Lochaber amid concern Rio Tinto has started a review
:14:13. > :14:18.of its Fort William aluminium smelter which employs
:14:19. > :14:21.more than 150 people. There's also concern over jobs
:14:22. > :14:24.at Marine Harvest's sites A conference in Perth has been told
:14:25. > :14:31.members of Scotland's minority ethnic groups can find it hard
:14:32. > :14:33.to access public services A new report is calling
:14:34. > :14:45.for more to be done. If they're unable to access
:14:46. > :14:50.services, if it's a health service, it's going to cause them anxiety and
:14:51. > :14:53.going to cause more serious issues so we need to make sure that the
:14:54. > :14:57.people access services at the point when they need it.
:14:58. > :14:59.The unique seaweed-eating sheep of North Ronaldsay could be
:15:00. > :15:01.about to receive a special "protected status."
:15:02. > :15:02.Islanders are applying for the classification
:15:03. > :15:07.If the bid is successful, the sheep would join the likes
:15:08. > :15:15.of Abroath Smokies and Stornoway Black Pudding.
:15:16. > :15:17.The A9 is Scotland longest road, running down the spine
:15:18. > :15:20.of the country, and an enormous engineering project is under way
:15:21. > :15:24.So what's it like to work on such a project, or even
:15:25. > :15:29.Our reporter, Ian Hamilton, has been meeting some of the people
:15:30. > :15:31.most affected and, in the first of a series of reports,
:15:32. > :15:34.he's been to see the project manager tasked with upgrading one part
:15:35. > :15:50.At 273 miles, the A9 is the longest road in Scotland and the fifth
:15:51. > :15:53.longest in the UK. It was first designated an A-road in 1923 and ran
:15:54. > :15:58.from Edinburgh to Inverness originally. The route now begins in
:15:59. > :16:05.sterling shire and end at John O'Groats. I'm project sponsor with
:16:06. > :16:11.Transport Scotland working on the A9 project. It's ?3 billion worth of
:16:12. > :16:15.investment the Scottish Government has committed. It's a really
:16:16. > :16:21.exciting opportunity to be involved in taking these projects forward. By
:16:22. > :16:31.the 190s the A9 was heavily congested. 139 miles were upgraded.
:16:32. > :16:40.One of the upgrades was the Keswick Bridge. Over the next decade it will
:16:41. > :16:47.be upgraded in 12 different sections. Up upgrading the A9 could
:16:48. > :16:53.be a challenge. The ski centres can get cold in the winter. Snowfall in
:16:54. > :16:59.this site. We had significant snowfall three times this year. It's
:17:00. > :17:06.a sensitive area we are working in. We are within the Cairngorms
:17:07. > :17:10.National Park. The site has otters, red squirrels and wood ants we need
:17:11. > :17:17.to understand the affect on the local environment. The fact the A9
:17:18. > :17:19.needs to remain open through construction influences how we
:17:20. > :17:26.undertake all the works. We have a new bridge we need to construct
:17:27. > :17:31.while at the same time has to carry the A9 over the top. It's ten years
:17:32. > :17:35.of my working life now, I'm excited by it. Upgrading is not just about
:17:36. > :17:42.road safety. It's about opening up the heart of Scotland, offering more
:17:43. > :17:47.economic opportunities. Ian Hamilton, reporting Scotland, A9. He
:17:48. > :17:53.with want to know what a hairy wood ant is now. I dare say you have
:17:54. > :17:55.hairy rugby players for us now? I'm not going to respond to that. Good
:17:56. > :18:01.evening to you. "You're writing us off,
:18:02. > :18:03.but we'll be fine!" That's the message today
:18:04. > :18:05.from Scotland rugby captain, Greig Laidlaw, as he and his
:18:06. > :18:07.players prepare to take After defeat by England
:18:08. > :18:10.in their opening game, Laidlaw says there has been been
:18:11. > :18:13.a frank assessment of the players' performance, and they will be,
:18:14. > :18:22.all the better for it. 72-hours on disappointment lingers
:18:23. > :18:27.in the Scotland camp. The captain says the rehe view has been brutal
:18:28. > :18:31.into that defeat. Absolutely. We are men enough to take things on the
:18:32. > :18:35.chin. The boys reacted well. That is all you can ask. It comes down to
:18:36. > :18:41.what we produce this Saturday. This game is massive for us. The 59 loss
:18:42. > :18:44.generated a number of headlines with some ex-players calling for strong
:18:45. > :18:49.Kongs kwenss for the current Scotland side. There is a message
:18:50. > :18:54.for the media. You guys are are wrooing us off. We will keep
:18:55. > :18:57.in-house, one game into the tournament we are not going to
:18:58. > :19:02.panic, stick together as players and coaches we believe we'll be fine.
:19:03. > :19:15.Amid the frank talk though came tributes today or to one of modern
:19:16. > :19:19.rugby's greatest. Paul forced into retirement He's a class act.
:19:20. > :19:23.Annoying to play against. That is is the template they will be following
:19:24. > :19:29.this weekend to get their Six Nations Championship back on track.
:19:30. > :19:31.The SFA will review its Scottish Cup draw procedures.
:19:32. > :19:34.That's after the selection of teams for the quarter-finals had to be
:19:35. > :19:37.The initial draw, which ws televised live, was declared void,
:19:38. > :19:39.because of what's been described as an equipment malfunction.
:19:40. > :20:01.Three men, eight balls, what could possibly go wrong? Dundee United...
:20:02. > :20:05.Will play Celtic. No, they won't because if you look closely, one of
:20:06. > :20:13.the pieces of paper containing a team name has popped out of its
:20:14. > :20:19.container. The draw continues. Until SFA President spots the Mall
:20:20. > :20:26.function. I'm sorry, we'll have to re-do this last two ties. We have a
:20:27. > :20:36.problem here. The functionality of the equipment restored, the draw
:20:37. > :20:47.resumes, but not without comment. Scotland international
:20:48. > :20:56.DarrenOD joined in: The SFA get the message and it's considering
:20:57. > :21:06.switching to a numbered ball system. The SPFL use that for the League Cup
:21:07. > :21:09.it's not full proof either. In the 2007-2008 semi-final draw Holyrood's
:21:10. > :21:14.Presiding Officer read out team names that didn't correspond to the
:21:15. > :21:26.numbers. Number one, Rangers... Ouch!
:21:27. > :21:27.The woman who broke Scotland's longest-standing athletics record
:21:28. > :21:30.is aiming for medal success at the next Commonwealth Games,
:21:31. > :21:34.Jade Nimmo broke Scotland's 39-year-old long jump record,
:21:35. > :21:36.but is now training for the seven events of heptathlon.
:21:37. > :21:38.She's also showing her strength and fitness as a retained
:21:39. > :21:51.On your marks, set. It's a different kind of starters orders for this
:21:52. > :21:55.Commonwealth Games athlete. When the painer goes off, that excitment. The
:21:56. > :22:01.same adrenaline almost of competing. Applying for the Fire Service has
:22:02. > :22:06.had added benefits. After a hip injury threatened to derail her
:22:07. > :22:10.athletics can rear. I had been through surgery, a few months before
:22:11. > :22:15.I applied to get in as a retained firefighter. I had that extra
:22:16. > :22:20.motivation and a goal to aim for. I never knew how I was going to be
:22:21. > :22:24.after the surgery. I never expected it to be that horrendous. There was
:22:25. > :22:29.a price to pay in terms of funding. Missing a competitive season meant
:22:30. > :22:34.no performances for consideration. After surgery I'm no longer on the
:22:35. > :22:39.Scottish Institute of Sport. I will look to get on that when I get back
:22:40. > :22:43.competing. It is a case of me focussing on my goals and
:22:44. > :22:47.progressing and ticking them off to get back to where I was. A talented
:22:48. > :22:52.all-rounder she has Commonwealth Games potential in a brand new
:22:53. > :23:00.discipline, or rather seven of them! I'm looking to medal for Scotland in
:23:01. > :23:06.the Gold Coast in the heptathlon, it's a different event for me. The
:23:07. > :23:10.Fire Service plays its part. The money she earns is a life line to
:23:11. > :23:15.help finance the next steps in her Commonwealth Games journey. We were
:23:16. > :23:19.very impressed by that, weren't we? We worked out we could do one of
:23:20. > :23:25.those. In case you are interested, the programme editor told me a hairy
:23:26. > :23:30.wood ant has a fringe over its eyes. Someone has clearly got nothing
:23:31. > :23:35.better to do! . OK here is a species that is endangered.
:23:36. > :23:38.For four decades, Runrig have been one of the stalwarts
:23:39. > :23:41.They've toured across the world and released more than
:23:42. > :23:45.But the band says its latest record is going to be its last.
:23:46. > :23:47.They've been speaking to our arts correspondent,
:23:48. > :23:52.Pauline McLean, on why they're calling it a day.
:23:53. > :24:02.A lot has changed since Runrig first began, yet something has remained
:24:03. > :24:11.the same, the desire to keep on performing. Was like a It circle was
:24:12. > :24:15.being completed. 40 years and the ex-band members came and played. A
:24:16. > :24:18.wonderful night. An end of something, but nobody wanted
:24:19. > :24:25.anything to end. The place to go was a new studio album.
:24:26. > :24:28.# I'm still dreaming of the Hebrides... #
:24:29. > :24:34.This last album tells the story of the band itself formed in 1973 when
:24:35. > :24:38.gaelic music was far from cool. Runrig took it beyond Scotland to an
:24:39. > :24:45.international audience, which still follows them 43 years later. I
:24:46. > :24:49.wanted this album to be a very nostalgic piece of work. A flavour
:24:50. > :24:56.of everything the band is known for as well as being a fresh, energetic
:24:57. > :25:02.burst. Almost a surprise after the 40th anniversary almost like a fresh
:25:03. > :25:09.start in the game, first album feel. Few bands can claim toll have their
:25:10. > :25:15.music played in space. Their music was played on the ill-fated Columbia
:25:16. > :25:21.Space Shuttle in 2003. What was found intact was the Runrig CD in a
:25:22. > :25:27.field in Texas. Her husband came to Scotland and gave us a presentation
:25:28. > :25:34.of it ins Glasgow City Chambers it. Was a story. The band pay tribute to
:25:35. > :25:40.her in their closing track of their last album. Their last studio album,
:25:41. > :25:47.but not the end of the road for this band much they will back on tour
:25:48. > :25:51.from here at Aberdeen this week and at festivals across Scotland this
:25:52. > :25:56.summer. Let's see what the weather holds. Gillan has the latest.
:25:57. > :26:04.Favoured spots were basking in sunshine for most of the day. This
:26:05. > :26:09.picture of Blairgowrie sent in by one of our weather watchers. Most
:26:10. > :26:12.places seeing some sunshine across central and southern Scotland as
:26:13. > :26:18.cloud filtered to the south. Across the north it has been going somewhat
:26:19. > :26:22.down hill, thickening cloud bringing rain in from the north. We will see
:26:23. > :26:28.snow on hills and higher level roads. Tricky driving conditions for
:26:29. > :26:32.the east highlands and Aberdeenshire. Most places will
:26:33. > :26:35.become dry by morning. It will be chilly, enough of a breeze to keep
:26:36. > :26:40.temperatures from falling away too far, certainly a touch of frost in
:26:41. > :26:45.sheltered rural spots. A cold start to tomorrow with a risk of ice first
:26:46. > :26:51.thing as you head out. Dry and bright weather. A scattering of
:26:52. > :26:54.showers, mainly the northern and western isles, northern coast, West
:26:55. > :27:00.Coast, central and southern Scotland seeing the best of the sunshine.
:27:01. > :27:03.This is the picture around 3.00pm. Glorious sunshine, looking good
:27:04. > :27:12.through the central belt. Showers to Argyll, not too many. Showers for
:27:13. > :27:16.the Murray coast the highlands. Showers will become more frequent as
:27:17. > :27:21.the afternoon goes on. For Shetland they will rattle in on near gale
:27:22. > :27:25.force winds. That band of wet weather will work southwards. We
:27:26. > :27:28.will see snow for the hills and higher level roads. It will push
:27:29. > :27:32.south as we head overnight into Thursday. Actually, a good deal of
:27:33. > :27:36.dry weather as low pressure pulls away to the east, high pressure
:27:37. > :27:39.builds in from the west. Thursday is looking like a decent day. Still a
:27:40. > :27:44.few showers mainly around the coasts. A lot of fine, dry bright
:27:45. > :27:47.weather for central and southern Scotland in particular. It will be
:27:48. > :27:50.chilly. It will be breezy for the northern isles and east coast. For
:27:51. > :27:53.Friday and easterly breeze bringing showers to the east, best of the
:27:54. > :28:04.sunshine in the west. That's the forecast. Thank you.
:28:05. > :28:06.Now, a reminder of tonight's main news.
:28:07. > :28:09.Every council in Scotland looks set to accept another council tax freeze
:28:10. > :28:12.But many authorities are adamant the Government's terms
:28:13. > :28:15.are unacceptable and will result in hundreds of millions