The Peterhead trawler at the centre of an air-sea rescue off North Ronaldsay in the early hours of Friday morning sank in the afternoon.

The vessel, which had been towed south from North Ronaldsay, sank in deep water in the Stronsay Firth, roughly between Auskerry and Shapinsay.

The OIC are monitoring the risk of diesel pollution from the wreck, a spokesman confirming that the wreck poses no safety risk to other vessels.

A limited edition facsimile copy of J. Storer Clouston's The Family of Clouston is available to the public for the first time.

The book was originally circulated privately in 1948, but a new edition, of which only 1,000 are available, has now been published.

The book begins with Hakon Havardson, war chief of Stenness, from whose nickname the surname is said to derive.

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A fishing boat that got into trouble off North Ronaldsay in the early hours of Friday morning was abandoned and the crew transferred to the Kirkwall lifeboat.

The Peterhead vessel Elegance reported a fire and that it was taking in water just after 2am on Friday. A helicopter from Shetland was scrambled along with the Kirkwall lifeboat and the coastguard emergency tug Anglian Sovereign.

All three crewmen abandoned the 90ft ship shortly before 7am and were transferred to Kirkwall by the the Kirkwall lifeboat. This was the second fire on the Elegance in less than two months.

The money, £67,000 in 2004/05 and £111,000 in 2005/06, will go to NHS Orkney's Alcohol Action Team in the county and fulfils a Partnership Agreement pledge to increase the level of resources for alcohol treatment and rehabilitation services.

The Minister also launched Alcohol Information Scotland, the first dedicated website for alcohol information in Scotland. The site can be accessed at www.alcoholinformation.isdscotland.org.

In conjunction with sponsors W. H. B Sutherland and Focus on Orkney, the competition will run for the next six months. We are inviting entries from young and old, from happy snappers to experts behind the lens.

The competition subject is simply Orkney 2004. We want to compile a snapshot of life in the county during this, The Orcadian’s 150th anniversary.

Click here for full details

Orkney Ferries has ruled out using one of Pentland Ferries' vessels as a replacement while the Earl Sigurd is out of action.

Alasdair Henderson of Orkney Ferries said: "It looks as if there are very clear technical issues related to using these ferries, basically they do not fit."

"We came to the conclusion that because of the technical configuration of the ships, it is not appropriate to use them on the North Isles linkspan."

Orkney Ferries is now considering its options and will make an announcement shortly.

The private funeral of baby Zoe Stanger took place in Stromness on Wednesday morning.

Zoe, who had been waiting for a heart transplant in Glasgow, died peacefully in the arms of her parents, Karen and Allan Stanger, last week.

The plight of the eight-month-old twin led to a campaign to encourage the carrying of donor cards - a campaign that Zoe's parents said this week should continue.

But the decision followed an objection from Councillor Roderick McLeod, who feared the facility could end up being no more than a "smart bus station."

He told the full meeting of the OIC: "There is still no clear understanding as to what the travel centre is for and there is a lack of public understanding."

Two sites have been earmarked for the centre, the Great Western Road bus station and land currently owned by Jewson on Junction Road.

This years Stromness Shopping Week Queen and attendants have been selected at Stromness Academy.

The 2004 Shopping Week Queen and attendants are pictured to the right.

Shopping Week Queen is Laura Wilson (centre), her attendants being 16-year-old Serena Harcus (left) and 18-year-old Alison Russell (right).

NHS Orkney have confirmed the appointment of a new chief executive.

After being seconded to NHS Orkney in September 2003 as Director of Operations, Mr Steve Conway will take up the post from April 1.

A selection of papers in honour of the retiring chairman of the Orkney Archaeological Trust went online on Tuesday.

The site, which pays tribute to Daphne Home Lorimer MBE, features a selection of historical and archaeological papers and pictures, including details of a newly discovered Pictish figure, incised on a bone found in Burray.

Mrs Lorimer was instrumental in setting up the Trust in 1996 and has been at the organisation's helm since its inception.

The site can be accessed at www.orkneydigs.org.uk/dhl

Until recently a committee of dedicated volunteers ran the festival, with a director working three days a week.

But councillors at a special meeting of the OIC's recreation and culture committee on Tuesday recommended approving the grant of £23,356 to fund the full time director's post, which will run until March 2005.

The tour will consist primarily of school concerts at a number of venues throughout Orkney, beginning at Papdale Primary on March 8 and ending in Orphir on March 17. As well as performing to school pupils, there will be a series of evening concerts, open to everyone.

A major renovation project on St Magnus Cathedral's rose window is now complete, with the scaffolding expected to start coming down this week.

The window, in the cathedral's south transept, had to be completely replaced after it was discovered that the existing stonework was crumbling.

The project took nine months to completely rebuild the window.

The first phase of a £1.15 million project to improve Scapa Pier is due to begin next week.

The contract for the primary work, which is expected to take 26 weeks and includes widening the pier and refacing the sea-wall, has been awarded to contractors Balfour Beatty.

The contract for the second part of the project - which involves dredging work - will be awarded in due course.

Orkney's progression towards ADSL broadband continued on Monday, with Sandwick and Harray reaching the trigger level set by British Telecom.

This follows Friday's news that broadband access for Finstown will be activated on June 23.

Orkney Islands Council has Orkney Islands Council has approved waiting restrictions in parts of St Margaret's Hope.

The restrictions follow the increase in traffic since the introduction of the Pentland Ferries service to and from Gill's Bay in Caithness.

The measures, which will be in force when weather conditions permit work to be carried out, will see double yellow lining marked at junctions, bends and narrow parts of the village.

Stromness Fire Brigade were called out to a fire in Stromness in the early hours of Monday morning.

The occupants of the Dundas Street property - a woman and her two children - were alerted by a smoke alarm and escaped unharmed.

A police spokesman highlighted that this is the second incident in recent weeks where a functioning smoke alarm has prevented a serious incident.

The Harray 'B' senior team won the national final of the Young Farmers senior speechmaking competition in Kirkwall on Sunday afternoon.

The team's victory ended the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs annual competitions weekend on a high.

At the packed out event in the Pickaquoy Centre, Christina Copland was part of the Harray team - months after she was in the winning team in the junior finals. This is thought to be the first time this has happened.