So far so good - exam results arrive at Orkney schools for checking

The head teachers reported no untoward problems on Friday, with results e-mailed through to the schools on schedule.

Following last year's fiasco when students were left waiting for results - some still are waiting - and incorrect results being sent out, schools have been drafted in to check through the papers before students receive them next week.

No live sale permission yet but mart remain optimistic

Orkney Auction Mart are still waiting to hear whether they can resume live sales following the foot-and-mouth crisis.

They were expecting to hear on Friday whether they would be able to resume sales but details regarding some of the regulations had still to be clarified.

After around six months of no sales, the mart are still hoping that permission will be granted in time for a sale on August 20 or 27.

NorthLink ferry names shortlist selected

A panel of judges have selected the shortlist of names for NorthLink's three new Orkney and Shetland ferries.

Before the final announcements can me made, the names have to go before NorthLink's board of directors for approval and then cleared by the Shipping Registry.

Over 400 suggestions were submitted by reader from readers of The Orcadian and The Shetland Times and BBC Radio Orkney and Shetland listeners. The judges charged with this task were John Horton, NorthLink's commercial director Gareth Crichton, Vaila Wishart, editor of The Shetland Times, Robert Leslie, news editor of The Orcadian and Richard Whittaker of BBC Radio Shetland.

Orkney visit for NFU Scotland president

The meeting is to be held on Friday, August 17, at Orkney College with video links to a number of the islands, including Westray and Shapinsay.

The meeting begins at 8pm and all members are welcome to attend.

Boyack urges islanders to air views on disabled transport issues

Transport Minister Sarah Boyack has called for island residents to air their views on transport issues affecting disabled people.

The minister appealed to islanders to put their names forward to serve on the new Mobility and Accessibility Committee for Scotland.

She said: "I believe that the mobility and accessibility committee will make a real contribution to ensuring that our transport policies do not discriminate against people with disabilities by giving people - including residents from island communities - an opportunity to give me their views on Scotland's transport system first hand."

OIC yet to send off views on udal law threat

The Scottish Law Commission are still receiving responses to their discussion paper on the law relating to the foreshore and the seabed, which could see the scrapping of udal rights in Orkney - but the OIC have yet to make a response.

Although the official deadline for comments closed on July 31, a spokesman for the Law Commission said: "We know of parties who intend to respond but who have not yet done so, and we will continue to accept those responses if they arrive in the near future.

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Speakers from 11 different countries will take part in this year's Orkney Science Festival, running for the seven days from August 31 to September 6.

The festival has over 70 separate events with topics ranging from astronomy to alchemy, and architecture to archaeology.

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Kirkwall woman is made honorary Cree

An Orkney woman has been made an honorary Cree Indian, after visiting distant relatives on a reserve in Canada recently.

Kim Foden of the Herald Printshop, travelled to Saskatchewan last month to meet members of the Sturgeon Lake First Nation - descendants of one of her own ancestors, Magnus Twatt, who left Orkney with the Hudson Bay Company in 1771.

As a 'sister', Kim has now been adopted as one of only 2,000 members of the Sturgeon Lake First Nation, and is taking a keen interest in the history and traditions of the nation.

Brankin due to visit next week

Scottish Fisheries Minister, Ms Rhona Brankin, is due to visit Orkney next week - scheduled to visit on Wednesday and Thursday.

During her visit, she is due to have talks with members of the Orkney Fisheries Association, Orkney Fish Farmers Association and the Orkney Trout Fishing Association.

Ms Brankin is also planning to visit a number of fisheries-related projects while she is in the county.

St Ninian Ward celebrates £5,000 boost

St Ninian Ward at the Balfour Hospital received almost £5,000 on Wednesday, thanks to the efforts of two local people who organised events to raise money for the 30-bed care of the elderly ward in Kirkwall.

Rena Johnston of Twatt in Sandwick raised a total of £3,357.36 and just over £1,500 was presented to the ward by George Burdett, who ran the London marathon at the end of April this year.

The combined cheques will be used to buy two special profiling beds for the ward and other equipment.

History in stained glass - the new West Mainland Day Centre window. (Picture: Orkney Photographic)

Placed above the entrance to the West Mainland Day Centre in the old Stenness School, the window was designed and created by Orcadian artist Shona McInnes.

Chairman of the Stenness and Harray Community Council Mrs Lilias Mathers described the finished window as "Really fantastic and a work of art, telling the whole story of Stenness. It's a dream come true and a momentous day for Stenness."

Council e-survey gets under way this week

Sixty per cent of local households will be asked for their views on the delivery of key services using e-mail, the Internet and video conferencing. The results will help the council and its public sector partners meet targets to have all appropriate public services available electronically by 2005.

Anyone who has not received the survey form by Wednesday, August 15, 2001, and who would like to take part, can obtain a copy from OIC's website, www.orkney.gov.uk, or from ICIT's website, www.icit.demon.co.uk.

Visitor figures reveal difficult start to Orkney's tourism year

Despite a gloomy start to the year's tourist figures, Kirkwall's Earl's Palace has seen an increase in visitors.

The figures show most transport routes showing a decline, with P&O Scottish Ferries reporting numbers of passengers and cars down by around 14 per cent.

A number of visitor attractions were badly hit by the foot-and-mouth crisis - most notably Corrigall Farm Museum, Kirbuster Museum, the Tomb of the Eagles and Westray Heritage Centre.

In contrast, those that remained open throughout the crisis saw increased visits with the Bishop's and Earl's Palaces seeing visits up by more than 30 per cent and the Fossil Centre more than 20 per cent.

Cathedral congregation win fight for dedicated minister

Following Rev Ron Ferguson's announcement last year that he was to step down from St Magnus at the end of October this year, the congregation have fought against moves to only allow them to call a minister on reviewable tenure. This would have meant that the minister's duties could be changed or added to after a set number of years.

The matter was considered by a General Assembly committee, four members of which were in Orkney last week for discussions with Presbytery and Cathedral representatives.

The members decided unanimously in favour of an unrestricted call for St Magnus, with the news communicated to the Cathedral congregation on Sunday morning.

MS sufferer's home raided by police

The 53-year-old woman said four officers arrived at her home at Herston in South Ronaldsay at 4.45pm on Monday night and took away several items.

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Douglas Raymond Adam (38) of 40 Grieveship West, Stromness denied assaulting Isobel Mary Morrison or Leslie at another address in the town. He further denies assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a 15-year-old girl at the same address on the same day.

Honorary sheriff John Flett released Adam on bail, with special conditions that he does not contact any of the witnesses named in the charges and that he does not go within 30 yards of their house. A trial date was set for September 25.

Peacock announces £3 million cash grants for Orkney

More than £3 million of European Structural funding for projects in Orkney was unveiled on Monday by Deputy Finance Minister Peter Peacock during his visit to Orkney.

As well as a grant of £450,038 to Orkney College for the extension to house cultural studies, art and archaeology courses, the Minister announced that £143,000 is going towards developing tourism marketing.

In addition to the previously announced £2.5 million for the new Hatston terminal, £130,000 is also going towards agronomy research into alternative crops at Orkney College.

Divers agree to co-operate over HMS Exmouth

Controversy surrounding the World War Two wreck, HMS Exmouth, seems to have been resolved with the two dive teams involved agreeing to present a united front.

Mark Reeves from the European Technical Dive Centre, in Burray, and amateur diver, Stewart McDermott, both said they had found the destroyer earlier this year.

Following recent press coverage highlighting their dispute, the divers have decided to share all research information and keep each other fully informed of all future activities.

Mr Reeves said: "The story of the HMS Exmouth is one of great tragedy. Controversy, bad press, squabbling and bickering over such a story is both disrespectful and distasteful and does nothing but insult the memory of the 189 brave lads who died on that cold January night some 61 years ago."

Mini 'twister' spotted over Orphir

A Kirkwall resident and her family witnessed an unusual weather phenomenon around midday on Monday.

Mrs Barbara Bruce, who runs the Royal Oak Guesthouse on Holm Branch Road, saw what looked like a mini-twister over Scapa Distillery towards Orphir.

She said: "I ran inside to tell the bairns about it and to grab the video camera to try and capture it on film. It lasted for about a minute or a minute and a half. It had a long skinny bit leading down from the sky. I've never seen anything like it before."

Water spouts over the sea are a more common sight in these latitudes than twisters over land.

Scapa Flow shellfish ban imposed

An immediate ban on scallop fishing in Scapa Flow has been introduced by the Food Standards Agency because of a build-up of three naturally occurring shellfish toxins.

Already this year, areas around the Inner North Isles and to the south of South Ronaldsay across to Caithness have been closed to fishing for king scallops because of the presence of unacceptably high levels of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP).

Police seek information on Kirkwall car theft

Police are appealing for information after another car theft in Kirkwall at the weekend.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, a red Rover 414 car was found to have been involved in an accident on Berstane Road, Kirkwall. It was later discovered that the car had been stolen from a car park at Castleyards in Kirkwall.

Police would like to hear from anyone with any information on the theft of the vehicle or the subsequent accident. They can be contacted on 872241.

A coastguard spokesman confirmed this morning that the small cruiser, Margeurita, was having difficulty steering so a lifeboat launch was requested. The Margeurita was then towed safely into Stromness.

NFU urge Executive to fight for LFA safety net

NFU Scotland has called for the Scottish Executive to fight Scotland's case for the 90 per cent safety net within the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS) to be carried forward next year.

NFU LFA committee chairman Bob Howat said: "We have a strong case to make for the extension of the LFA safety net in Scotland. Scottish agriculture has been crippled by the foot-and-mouth outbreak, and the closure of the export markets will have untold ramifications on our livestock industry."

He added: "With over 85 per cent of Scottish land classified as LFA, any drop in LFA support will have a devastating effect on hill farming business across Scotland at this critical time."

Week of St Magnus Festival on Radio Three

BBC Radio Three are broadcasting a week of highlights from the 25th St Magnus Festival this week.

At 11.30am, from Monday until Friday, excerpts from this year's festival will be highlighted by the Morning Performance programme.

Among those featured will be the Nash Ensemble, Natalie Clein (cello), Julius Drake (piano). John Mark Ainsley (tenor) and a reading from festival poet Vikram Seth.

Pickaquoy Centre switched on to energy efficiency

The Pickaquoy Centre has received the first ever award of its kind to be given in Orkney - an energy efficiency award issued by the Northern and Western Isles Energy Efficiency Advice Centre.

The first of its kind to be given in Orkney, the award recognises the significant and consistent measures that the centre has undertaken to reduce its fuel and electricity consumption.

Feed firm acquisition completed

Friday was the last day of operation as an independent animal feed supplier for Sunnybrae Feeds, with the acquisition of the firm by North Eastern Farmers now completed.

The new business will operate as North Eastern Farmers from Sunnybrae's premises at Hatston Industrial Estate, Kirkwall, from Monday.

Partner in the family-owned Sunnybrae Feeds, Mr Brian Corse, who will take on a managerial role in the new setup from Monday, said: "It's a good strong move, not a takeover, but giving Sunnybrae strength."

Council lose £400,000 in ill-fated Orcargo deal

Orkney Islands Council have revealed they have lost nearly £400,000 as a result of Orcargo going into liquidation.

The OIC had given the company a loan of £202,500 and were owed over £193,000 in unpaid harbour dues when Orcargo went into administration.

The total figure owed to the council by Orcargo was £396,673.34 and they say that they are not now expecting to see a return on any of that money. This makes OIC one of the biggest single losers as the shipping company is formally wound up.