Three minutes silence was observed at Kirkwall Airport. (Picture: Orkney Photographic)

Around 150 people attended a brief service in St Magnus Cathedral on Friday morning to mark the start of a day of remembrance and prayer for the victims and families of Tuesday’s terrorist attacks.

In particular, a group of American tourists visiting Kirkwall as part of a clan gathering had requested some way of paying their last respects to those who had been killed.

A candle of remembrance was lit by 88-year-old Lillian Brown, the oldest member of the party and kept burning throughout the day on the cathedral’s communion table. A Book of Condolences is available for signing in the Cathedral.

The three minutes silence in memory of the victims was observed throughout Orkney at 11am on Friday.

The Orkney Housing Association marked the completion of the first phase of the Kiln Corner redevelopment with an open day at the site on Saturday.

Association chairman, Mr Stephen Manson, commented: “We have succeeded in providing homes for people and in regenerating an important part of Kirkwall’s seafront. Additionally, we were able to work with Orkney Enterprise to enable it to create ground floor offices for new businesses.”

“We are delighted to show off the first part of the development – the flats facing the seafront.

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A two vehicle accident occurred when a Vauxhall Cavalier collided with a Scania Lorry near the entrance to St Clair farm in Holm at 8.40pm on Thursday evening.

The three passengers of the Vauxhall Cavalier were taken to the Balfour Hospital and were detained overnight. Kirkwall Fire Brigade attended the scene to assist in removing one of the passengers from the car.

The driver of the lorry was not injured.

The 2001 Orkney Food Festival began on Friday night with the Taste of Orkney Evening in The Stromness Hotel.

The evening included the sampling and judging of the home brew and wine competition, an Orkney buffet supplied by the Orkney Quality Food and Drink group and live music. It wasl be MC’d by Gareth Crichton with expert judges Emil Van Shayk (wines) and Rob Hill (home brew).

Throughout the Food Festival, catering establishments all over Orkney will be featuring the finest of Orkney produce on their menus.

Two Italian tourists escaped uninjured when their car collided with a wall at the Evie - Finstown junction at 4.30pm on Thursday afternoon.

Their hired Daewoo car rolled onto its roof before it came to rest. The driver and the passenger – both Italian – were uninjured.

Orkney and Shetland MP, Mr Alistair Carmichael, has headed back to London for the recalled sitting of Parliament which is due to take place today following the terrorist attacks earlier this week in the United States.

Commenting on the scale of the disaster but the need for a considered response, Mr Carmichael said: “For America as a nation it is a trauma of the most profound and appalling order. I hope however that President Bush will respond in a way which is consistent with Public International Law and which will not lose the moral high ground.

“I hope that the UK Government will take a lead in ensuring that the cancer of terrorism is fought wherever it is found by all democratic nations. There can be no place in the community of respectable nations for any country that promotes terrorism or harbours the terrorist. If ever there was a time for us to have an ethical foreign policy it is now.”

The £16.5 million project to build a new berth at Scrabster for NorthLink's ferry across the Pentland Firth is well on schedule to be ready for October 1 next year.

The latest contract to construct the breakwater quay has just been awarded and follows on from successful land reclamation works for the access road to the quay.

Scrabster Harbour Trust chairman Mr John Thurso said: "This is a significant milestone both for this project and the Scrabster harbour as a whole. It is expected that local companies and the local economy will benefit during this major construction project and the newly created harbour area will allow us to continue to serve the lifeline link to Orkney."

Copies of The Orcadian newspaper which are normally sent by plane to North Ronaldsay, Shetland and mainland Scotland have had to be re-routed by boat this week because of the tighter security restrictions on air freight brought in as a result of the terrorist attacks in the United States.

Production manager for The Orcadian, Ian Croy, explained: “We must apologise to some customers as they will have to wait a bit longer for their paper from now on, but the situation is outwith our control, and I hope they will understand.”

Two Orcadians are counting their blessings, having narrowly escaped being caught up in this week’s terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon in Washington.

Vice-chairman of Okrney Meat, Mr Scott Harcus from Quanterness, St Ola, and Orkney Meat general manager, Mr Edgar Balfour, flew from Boston to Denver on Monday on a plane bound for Los Angeles, the very same scheduled flights which were hijacked to crash into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

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The OIC convener, Councillor Hugh Halcro-Johnston, has sent a letter of condolence on behalf of the people of Orkney to the US Ambassador in London, William Farish.

In the message, Mr Halcro-Johnston said: “The people of Orkney wish to join with all the sane and civilised people in condemning the barbaric acts of terrorism and the inhuman fanatics, whoever they may be, responsible for these acts. Our thoughts and prayers are today with the American people.”

Kirkwall lifeboat was launched on Thursday afternoon to aid a cargo vessel which suffered engine failure just south of Fair Isle.

Shetland Coastguard say the Marneborg was carrying a cargo of zinc at the time and was able to restart her engines after about an hour.

The lifeboat was then sent back to Kirkwall before reaching the scene.

Rumours that the Balfour Hospital’s Piper Ward rehabilitation facility is facing closure, have been scotched this week by chief executive of Orkney Health Board, Mrs Judi Wellden.

Fears about the future of rehabilitation services within the ward were sparked off after a meeting on Tuesday between medical staff and those involved in the development of the board’s integrated care model.

A working document appeared to suggest the option of reducing beds in Piper Ward, with the need for a dedicated rehabilitation ward ceasing longterm.

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Marinas in Kirkwall and Stromness look set to go ahead next year while a publicly funded ten-pin bowling alley gets shelved in favour of a private project.

The decisions on Orkney Islands Council's capital programme for the next two years were taken at yesterday's finance and general purposes committee using a new points scoring system to prioritise projects.

Projects next year are being paid for by the council's general fund for which £7.6 million is available, while a new strategic reserve fund which is contributing £4 million.

Scottish Hydro-Electric have appointed a new manager to run its operations in Orkney.

Mark Rough, who has worked in a number of locations for the company over the past 15 years including a two year spell in Kirkwall as a Team Engineer before becoming New Business Manager in Wick, will replace former Manager Ian Wood.

Mr Rough, who is married with two young children, is currently house hunting in and around Kirkwall.

Flags flew at half mast on the OIC offices yesterday as a mark of respect for those lost in the terrorist attacks in which two planes destroyed the World Trade Centre in New York and another hit the Pentagon in Washington yesterday.

Many people in Orkney have been contacted by relatives and friends in the United States, to reassure them that they are safe.

On Orcadian on holiday near Cleveland, Ohio, just 70 miles from where a fourth hijacked aircraft came down south of Pittsburgh, is Angus Windwick, visiting relatives along with his cousin Thora Fettes.

Speaking on Tuesday at 3pm American time (8pm British time), he said everyday life was slowly grinding to a halt as the scale of the catastrophe became clear.

A transmission problem in both the BT Cellnet and Vodafone mobile phone masts on Sanday and Westray was resolved on Tuesday, after workmen from the transmission providers, Thus, arrived.

A spokesperson for BT Cellnet said that the transmission problems in both the masts were caused because of a piece of equipment which was missing from the BT Cellnet mast.

The spokesperson said: “BT Cellnet would like to take this opportunity to apologise to our customers in Orkney who are being affected by this problem.”

The Varagen stuck on the linkspan in Kirkwall. Picture: Orkney Photographic

Delays were caused to Orkney Ferries’ North Isles ro-ro service on Tuesday afternoon when hydraulics within the linkspan at Kirkwall pier failed, causing the left side of the ramp to sink into the water.

The Varagen was on the linkspan at the time of the failure and couldn’t be moved until the problem was dealt with.

A spokesman from Orkney Ferries said that engineers dealt with the problem and that the Varagen’s sailing to Stronsay was delayed by only 40 minutes.

Transport Minister Sarah Boyack has approved Orkney Islands Council’s plan to extend the 15mph speed limit in Stromness, to include Christie’s Brae and Springfield Crescent.

Ms Boyack said: “Slowing traffic in this area of Stromness will improve safety for pedestrians and other road users, particularly children and elderly people, as well as enhancing the quality of life for local residents.

“The Scottish Executive is committed to reducing the numbers of people killed and seriously injured on Scotland’s roads each year and slowing traffic makes a significant contribution to this.”

The world’s first ever floating mini power station is due to take to the waves in Orkney next summer, when it is launched from the new Scottish Marine Energy Test Centre.

Energy Minister Brian Wilson announced the plans during a visit to Islay, when he committed £1.67 million to developing the machine, which will turn wave power from the seas into megawatts for the national grid.

Orkney was chosen as the site for the Scottish Marine Energy Test Centre in July. Councillors heard last week that the Government want the facility up and running by June, 2002.

Orkney continues to have one of the lowest rates of unemployment in the Highlands and Islands, according to latest monthly figures.

The figures for July show that Orkney had a 2.4 per cent rate with 260 people registered as unemployed. This is 0.8 per cent down on the same time last year when there were 262 people registered.

Shetland had the lowest level with a 1.3 per cent rate in July – well below the Scottish average for the month which stood at 4.1 per cent.

Police are seeking information after Stromness Fire Brigade were called to deal with a fire in the public toilets at Mayburn Court in Stromness on Sunday afternoon.

The fire brigade extinguished the fire at around 4.15pm after toilet paper held in a plastic dispenser was set alight.

Anyone with any information should contact either Kirkwall Police on 872241 or Stromness Police on 850222.

The new ro-ro ferry service from St Margaret’s Hope to Gills Bay in Caithness fell foul of the weather at the weekend, with all sailings on Saturday cancelled.

One attempt was made to cross on Sunday, but the Pentalina B was forced to return to St Margaret’s Hope after 45 minutes at sea. The passenger ferry service from Burwick to John O’Groats was also hit by the weather.

The St Ola managed to operate the Stromness to Scrabster service by taking the route through Scapa Flow.

The Orkney brewed strong ale Skullsplitter has been showing its strength on the south coast by beating rivals at the Portsmouth Beer Festival this month.

The Orkney Brewery beer is this year's Supreme Champion Winter Beer of Britain and it demonstrated its winning form in Portsmouth after taking the strong beer of the festival title. It has a strength of 8.5 per cent.

Head brewer Rob Hill summed up the latest award in one word: "Tremendous!"

All football fixtures were postponed at the weekend due to the weather. The fixtures for the early part of this week could also be affected and will be subject to pitch inspections.

For further information contact OAFA secretary, Mike Berston on 874778.

Orkney won 17-12 in their BT Cellnet Cup first round tie away to Blairgowrie at the J. J. Coupar Park on Saturday afternoon.

Captain Rodney Spence, who scored two of Orkney’s three tries, said it had been a very close game and one which an inexperienced travelling side, hit by several call-offs, had been lucky to win.

Orkney scored first with an unconverted try, but were at one stage down 12-5 before two further tries and a conversion gave them their 17-12 win. Orkney’s other try scorer was Derek Robb, with Martin Snell adding a conversion.

There is a urgent need for additional school space for children with special educational needs in Orkney.

Orkney’s director of education Mr Leslie Manson told councillors at an education committee meeting that he was attempting to kill two birds with one stone within the objectives of the project to provide more school places.

He said they hoped to provide a new children’s services resource centre to replace Glaitness Aurrida Special School and to refurbish the Glaitness site in order to accommodate the increased roll at Glaitness Primary School. This would be at a cost of £2.1 million.

A group of Norwegian photographers arrived in Orkney on Friday night for a ten day workshop, “The Isle of the Vales”, led by famous Norwegian “guru”, Morten Krogvold.

The group, which holds the event in different parts of Europe every year, have set up studio in Orkney Arts Theatre, with developing facilities and a large screen and projector already in place.

They will spend the next ten days touring the county, getting inspiration from Orkney’s landscape and people. The results of their work will then be publicly screened in the Orkney Arts Theatre on Sunday, September 16.

A portable building has been moved to St Andrews Primary School in an attempt to alleviate some of the pressure on space, councillors at the education committee have been told.

“The numbers have risen dramatically,” Orkney’s director of education Mr Leslie Manson said. “More than we could have foreseen. Now we have a school which is too small for its pupils – we have to extend it.

He added: “If we had one project we would ask the technical department to start planning it would be this one.