The plans for Stromness' Pier Arts Centre's ambitious refurbishment and extension plans went on show to the public on Saturday.

Scale models and plans of the new building at the heart of the £4.2 million project went on show at the Pier as part of an exhibition called 20th/21st Century.

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Over 100 photographs celebrating Orkney Camera Club's 25th anniversary went on show on Saturday in an exhibition at the Orkney Museum.

In the winter of 1976 a group of people met in the South Ronaldsay home of Mr John Cartmel-Crossley, drawn together by the same interest – photography.

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The first of the five Orkney fishing boats accepted for the Scottish Executive’s £25 million decommissioning scheme leaves Orkney on Sunday to be scrapped.

The whitefish trawler River Dee owned by Albert and David Reid is heading for a shipyard at Grenå in Denmark. The shipyard estimates that breaking up the trawler could be completed within a week.

Albert Reid, who is sailing the River Dee on her final journey to the scrapyard, commented: “It’s sad to see her go, but she was doing no good lying idle. It’s a pity that she’s not going to somebody else to be used for fishing. It’s a perfectly good boat, but it’s just a sign of the times.”

Councillors are not against the idea of advertising on taxis as long as alcohol, cigarettes and “wild, wild women” are excluded from any signs.

Members of the licensing sub-committee meeting failed to decide on a policy, and instead, asked the clerk, Elaine Sinclair, to come back with more information from other councils who do allow advertising on the vehicles.

Following allegations made in a national newspaper story yesterday, Orkney police have said they are treating the discovery of the childrens' bones at a Harray house as a very sensitive issue.

They also stated it was their responsibility to "peel away" the rumours and folklore that have surrounded the house for years.

Inspector Paul Eddington said: "We are not carrying out a murder enquiry. We are currently involved in information gathering to put all the pieces of this puzzle together. These bones cannot be proved to have come from any particular member of a family, as they are too small and fragmented, and to suggest ownership would be insensitive."

Archive Story:House may be hiding more child remains

The amount of rent owed by council house tenants in Orkney has fallen below £25,000.

The figure in Orkney has fallen every year since 1996-97 and means Orkney Islands Council is one of four semi-urban and rural Scottish councils to meet set targets.

According to details included in the Accounts Commission performance indicators for housing services in Scotland, 3.2 per cent of Orkney tenants have arrears of more than 13 weeks.

A four car collision occurred in Stenness on Wednesday night.

A Vauxhall Astra and a Rover 420 collided near Linklater Engineering, just west of Stenness village around 9pm. Around 15 minutes later a Ford Escort struck the Rover car before a Ford Transit van heading towards Stromness collided with the Escort.

A police spokesman confirmed that two people were taken to Balfour Hospital and that one of them was detained overnight. A report is being submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.

Farmers to hear latest on Less Favoured Area scheme

Mr Bob Howat, chairman of the National Farmers’ Union Less Favoured Areas Committee, is to address local farmers on the vexed issued of the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme.

Mr Howat is to be the guest speaker at the annual general meeting of the Orkney branch of the NFU, which will be held at Kirkwall Hotel on Monday, January 28.

Orkney cartoons appear in national Drinkwise calendar

Some illustrations from Orkney are featuring in a new national calendar from Drinkwise Scotland.

Six of the 12 popular “Myth of the Month” illustrations, which appeared throughout the year in The Orcadian, have been included in the new calendar.

Devised by the local Drug, Alcohol and Smoking Action Team, the illustrations were drawn by Sanday artist Bill McArthur.

MSP optimistic that progress is being made with NorthLink livestock handling system

After a meeting with NorthLink in Edinburgh on Tuesday, Orkney MSP, Mr Jim Wallace, has welcomed news that plans for the livestock cassettes scheme is progressing.

He said that the company were satisfied that arrangements were being put into place to allow completion of the cassettes' design and that a funding mechanism had been identified for the delivery of the system.

"I fully recognise the need for swift progress on this and am keeping in close contact with officials on these issues. However, I am now optimistic that a positive way forward has been identified." he said.

Orkney and Shetland MP, Mr Alistair Carmichael, has called for an improvement in telecommunications links between mainland Scotland and the Northern Isles.

Shetland wants to see a microwave digital system installed to assist Internet connections, something Mr Carmichael believes could replace the existing analogue link which is proving inadequate for broad-band communications.

He told the House of Commons that Shetland Islands Council appeared to be taking a lead in the provision of a high technology link adding: "This is a situation which I believe should be rectified urgently. The Government’s pledge to grant universal access to technology appears to apply to all parts of the UK with the exception of those parts with water around them.”

Stromness housing boost as development land goes on the market

The lack of housing sites in Stromness look set to be alleviated somewhat, following the news that acres of fields earmarked for housing development in Stromness went on the market this week.

The 8.25 acres of land at Sunnybank, owned by Mr Frank Johnston, Enfield, Stromness have been included in Orkney Islands Council's local plan as an area for housing development.

Separate plots for 36 houses have been drawn up and the site is being advertised this week as a prime opportunity for a developer.

Agricultural shows get the go ahead

Orkney’s agricultural shows were given the go-ahead this week, with the Scottish Executive hoping to exempt show stock from certain foot-and-mouth restrictions.

Members of Dounby and County Agricultural Societies were told by SERAD representatives that the government were keen to see the resumption of annual shows – which had to cancelled last year because of foot-and-mouth. As a result, they were considering allowing livestock shows to take place, subject to certain conditions.

Police have confirmed that bones found during renovations to a Harray house belong to three new born babies who died around 80 years ago.

The residents of the parish now want to give the tragic infants a proper funeral service and reburial, according to parish minister, Rev Andrea Price, who is meeting with the Kirk Session on Tuesday to discuss the possibility of a service.

It is widely rumoured that a woman, who lived at the property around World War One, was seen to be pregnant many times but only ever had one child. As such, local folklore suggested that there could be the remains of up to 11 children in the area near the house.

However, police have no plans to continue a search in the surrounding area.

Archive story: House may be hiding more child remains

Residents form action group after boatyard meeting

Residents in Burray have formed an action group in a bid to get their local boatyard up and running again.

The group of four residents will be involved in talks with the council to try and get the yard, which was closed last year, back in business. Improvements to the Burray pier and the possibility of a marina are also be flagged up during the talks.

The issues were raised on Thursday night when up to 60 people packed into the Burray Hall for a public meeting to find a way forward.

Archive story: Meeting debates boatyard future

Orkney and Shetland MP Alistair Carmichael has called on Energy Minister Brian Wilson to consider the feasibility of connecting the Northern Isles to a proposed power cable running from the Western Isles down the west coast of Britain.

Mr Carmichael said: "I do not see why at the stage of a feasibility study the cable does not go further north than appears to be proposed. At least the feasibility of taking the interconnector round to Orkney and on to Shetland demands investigation."

He pointed out that a recently published list of 44 tidal streams identified by the Government as suitable for generating electricity included 12 in the Northern Isles as well as a number along the north coast of Caithness.

Celebrations in Kirkwall as Caithness win sees Orkney remain at top of league

A 19-0 win against Caithness in Kirkwall on Saturday, sees Orkney remain on top of the national Division Five North league rugby table.

In a very close game in which "Orkney had the edge", the first half saw two tries - from Derek Robb and Erlend Hutchison - both of which were converted.

The win puts Orkney at the top of the league by seven points, although Caithness have a game in hand.

Taxi advertising scheme to be considered by councillors

Islands councillors are to consider a policy allowing advertising on taxis and private hire cars in Orkney.

The licensing sub-committee, which meets on Thursday, have received a letter from Transport Ads in Greenock who say that the concept of advertising on taxis has become very popular.

Acting for clients, Transport Ads submit advert designs to the council for consideration. If the image is approved it is applied to the vehicle and the vehicle details forwarded to the council with the appropriate fee.

Members will be told that the council has not had any policy on advertising before as the issue has never arisen.

NFU Scotland still concerned over livestock shipping arrangements

Despite Scottish Executive assurances last week, NFU Scotland have expressed concern that the proposed new system for shipping livestock won't be ready in time to meet the peak demand.

Vice-president, John Kinnaird, is worried that uncertainty over the performance and finance of the new livestock carrying "cassette" proposed by NorthLink could mean the system is not in place by the handover date of October 2002 - when responsibility for the Northern Isles franchise passes from P & O Scottish Ferries.

Mr Kinnaird has also expressed concern that too much reliance on one service, could put animal health and welfare at risk, in the event of breakdown or bad weather.

Talisman outline plans to extend life of Flotta terminal

The Flotta oil terminal

Talisman Energy (UK) Limited have confirmed their commitment to continued investment at the Flotta Oil Terminal. Speaking on Friday, the facility's 25th anniversary, Talisman's UK general manager Paul Blakeley outlined the company's intention to extend the life of the terminal by a further quarter century.

"We are investing significantly to ensure the terminal's lifespan is as long as possible - perhaps even reaching into the mid-2020s," he said.

"Talisman has a demonstrated track record of extending the life of mature assets through investment in facilities, drilling and satellite development and Flotta and its catchment area is no exception. We are looking forward to continuing to operate in Orkney for many years to come."