Support grows for Cathedral silent protest

The protest outside St Magnus Cathedral earlier

St Magnus Cathedral saw another silent protest on Saturday afternoon, against the threat of war on Iraq.

The hour long protest began on the Cathedral steps at 12 noon and, with an estimate 90 protesters, support seems to be growing.

Drug man is electronically tagged

Ross John Spence (23), Wideford Cottage, St Ola, was told he had escaped prison "by the skin of his teeth" at Kirkwall Sheriff Court on Friday morning.

As well as the three-month "restriction of liberty" order placed on him, Spence was ordered to carry out 240 hours community service.

Workman injured at Kirkwall demolition site

A workman was hospitalised on Thursday night after an accident at the former North Eastern Farmers premises in Kirkwall.

Huw Davis from Holm is understood to have fallen and landed on top of an 18 ft wall. Police, Ambulance and Fire Brigade attended the rescue and the injured man was taken to Balfour Hospital. His condition on Friday was described as "comfortable".

Roads surrounding the building, which is currently being demolished, were closed as engineers made the remains safe.

May opening on the cards after Fusion nightclub licence granted

The opening date for Kirkwall's new nightclub - Fusion - looks set to be in May 2003.

The Orkney Area Licensing Board granted a 2am Friday and Saturday night licence for the Ayre Road premises at a meeting on Thursday afternoon.

The condition of the late licence is that no-one is to be admitted after midnight on those nights.

February date for bowling alley

Kirkwall's new ten-pin bowling alley is due to open next month.

An opening date of Monday, February 10, has been set by the owners.

Concerns as Orkney designated fighter jet testing range

The Eurofighter Typhoon - prompting fears of sonic booms over Orkney.

A row erupted this week over news that Orkney is one of the areas designated a danger zone for test-flying the new supersonic Eurofighter jets.

But the lack of consultation has prompted Orkney and Shetland MP Alistair Carmichael to raise the matter with the Ministry of Defence.

But an MOD spokesman told The Orcadian this week that local authorities were not told as there was "nothing to affect them or offend them" and as such "no requirement to inform them".

Minor incidents but Orkney escapes major weather damage

Wednesday's high winds came went, and although there were a number of relatively minor incidents across the county, the islands escaped any serious damage.

The highest gust recorded in Rendall on Wednesday was 92 mph, with an average wind speed at 3pm of 56 mph.

£5,000 fine for Evie wildlife offences

Inspector David Miller with some of the recovered eggs. (Pic: www.orkneyphotographic.co.uk)

Three men who committed a number offences relating to wild bird eggs in Orkney were fined a total of £5,000 at Kirkwall Sheriff Court on Wednesday.

The men, from Merseyside, were caught in June last year on the Hillside Road in Evie.

Archive story: Three questioned over wildlife offences

Rise in unemployment figures

The number of people out of work and claiming benefit in Orkney in mid-December was 238, 29 more than the previous month..

However, the figure is still 31 fewer than in December, 2001. The current level of unemployment represents 2.1 per cent of the possible workforce.

Orkney battens down the hatches

Orkney braced itself for the severe gale force winds forecast for Wednesday afternoon, but fortunately things were not as bad as expected.

Two teams of Scottish & Southern Energy electrical engineers travelled to the county to help with storm damage, while a bulk carrier en route to Iceland with 4,000 tonnes of wood has took shelter off Sanday until the weather abated.

Travel hit by storm forecast

Not surprisingly, the weather forecast took its toll on travel in and out of Orkney on Wednesday.

All Orkney Ferries' North Isles sailings were cancelled. Although NorthLink's Pentland Firth ferry Hebridean Isles sailed in the morning, the rest of Wednesday's sailings were cancelled.

Flights to and from Kirkwall Airport were also affected.

No fatal road accidents but less serious incidents on the rise

For the third year in a row there were no fatal road accidents in Orkney in 2002.

But despite the drop in fatal incidents, the number of 'non-serious' casualties has increased to the highest level in five years, with 54 recorded in 2002. This, says an OIC report, is due to an increase in the number of accidents involving more than one car.

There were also nine serious casualties in 2002, slightly higher than 2001 but considerably down on the 24 recorded in 1999.

SNH "throttling" Stromness say community council

The claim was made at Monday night’s meeting of Stromness Community Council as members commented on the recent public inquiry into the Orkney Local Plan where appeals to allow sites in the town to be used for housing were opposed by SNH.

One community councillor commented: “Stromness is being throttled by these people who don’t appear to be accountable to anybody.”

Stromness backing for Orphir wind turbines

A presentation about the Gruf Hill scheme was given to the community council by wind energy consultant, Richard Gauld.

Two local farmers, former NFU branch chairman, Cliff Bichan, and OIC convener, Hugh Halcro-Johnston, are promoting the development in association with wind power company, National Wind Power.

Community wardens take to the streets

Four "community wardens" will be employed by the OIC's environmental health department to go out on 3-4 hour foot patrols in both towns.

Money to pay for a three-month trial has come the Scottish Executive's "Quality of Life" fund.

Three injured as car leaves road in Stenness

Three people were injured when their car left the road near Tormiston Mill on the main Kirkwall to Stromness road on Friday night.

The car, driven by a 19-year-old male and with two passengers, crashed through a fence around 9.20pm to come to rest in a field.

All three were treated for minor cuts and bruises.

Killer whale targeting seal colonies?

Although Orkney's seals seem to have escaped the worst of the deadly virus, PDV, it now looks like the seals are facing an altogether different threat - a killer whale.

According to Ross Flett of Orkney Seal Rescue Centre, over 40 dead seals have been found washed up on two beaches over the past week.

All, he says, show signs of killer whale attack, probably somewhere around the island of Copinsay.

Mobile drugs campaign begins

A campaign highlighting the risks of drug misuse took to Orkney's roads on Monday.

For the next month, six Orkney Coaches vehicles will sport adverts promoting drug awareness as they drive around the Mainland.

This is only the second time advertising has been used on the back of Orkney buses.

Tory calls for MP's resignation

A leading Northern Isles Tory has called for Orkney and Shetland MP, Alistair Carmichael, to resign – and has invited him to join the Conservatives.

Mr John Firth welcomed Mr Carmichael's denunciation of the euro in last week's The Orcadian.

He said: "So total is Carmichael's rejection of Lib Dem national policy, that if Carmichael wants to be taken seriously, he must resign the Lib Dem Whip and offer himself for re-election as an Independent or a Tory."

Carmichael calls for local ownership of sea beds

Orkney and Shetland MP Alistair Carmichael has called for the ownership of the seabed to be taken from the Crown Estate commission.

Mr Carmichael said the ownership should be placed into local hands to alleviate the Crown Estate's "stranglehold".

"It remains unacceptable that the Crown Estate Commissioners should be able to extract money from local industries such as fish farming." he said. "The Crown Estate puts our fish farming industry at a significant operating disadvantage."

Freezing temperatures halts seal virus

The recent cold weather is being credited with halting the spread of the deadly seal virus PDV.

Orkney's first confirmed victim was recorded on October 30 but the virus, which is sensitive to cold, has not been as virulent as once feared.

Archive story: Deadly seal virus confirmed in Orkney