Orkney Vintage Club's annual tractor working day took place on Sunday in Firth.

The event featured demonstrations of old tractors at work, ploughing, harrowing and threshing.

An event in Kirkwall on Saturday celebrated last year's launch of the book The Faces of Orkney: Stones, Skalds and Saints.

Compiled by the Scottish Society of Northern Studies, the book did not receive an official launch at the time, so the event aimed to rectify that.

Orkney Museum's summer exhibition was launched on Saturday and is aimed at encouraging younger visitors into Tankerness House.

Hands on Orkney's Past allows visitors to try their hand at various activities linked to Orkney's past, including identifying famous Orcadians, reconstructing pottery, identifying mystery objects.

The exhibition runs until Saturday, October 2 and admission is free.

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Deputy Fisheries minister Allan Wilson said: "This will address the immediate problems in certain fisheries where non-permit quota has been exhausted."

Mr Wilson added that the changes would make it easier for fishermen to take advantage of the increase in haddock quota secured in December, while continuing to protect vulnerable cod stocks.

The restaurants on-board all three of NorthLink's passenger vessels - Hamnavoe, Hrossey and Hjaltland - offered special breakfast meal options throughout the day on March 19, with proceeds going to the charity.

Cancer research has been an issue close to the hearts of NorthLink staff and crew since Ingrid Rosie, a young member of Hamnavoe's crew, died from cancer late last year.

The development team behind the prototype 'sea snail' tidal generator have confirmed that the next launch date is set for June 25.

The 20 metre device, which was originally due to have been launched last year but which has seen a series of aborted launches, will eventually be tested in the tidal waters of Eynhallow Sound.

An exhibition focusing on Big Brother winner Cameron Stout opened in Stromness on Saturday.

The invitation only preview at Stromness Museum took place on Friday night, with the Cameron and the Big Brother Experience now open to the public during Stromness Museum opening hours.

The exhibition runs until September.

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The painting, by artist Fred Schley, is a gift to mark Sir Maxwell Davies' 70th birthday, which will be celebrated during this year's St Magnus Festival.

The Crown Estate has announced a £600,000 package aimed at supporting Scotland's troubled aquaculture industry.

The funding was announced at a salmon farming industry seminar in Shetland on Thursday and follows a Crown Estate economic analysis to see how best it could help the industry's recovery.

Among the measures being considered is funding research to provide accurate data on chemical residues in farmed fish and contributing to marketing initiatives to restore public confidence in the product.

External Link: About the Crown Estate

www.orkneynights.com - online details of what's on in Orkney

A website providing information on what's going on in Orkney's entertainment scene was launched this week.

Orkneynights.com, set up by amateur web design company Torak Design, aims to provide Orcadians with a list of events going on in pubs and venues around the county. Updated daily, it will also provide competitions and cinema listings.

The men behind the venture are Torak Design directors Robert Smith (21) and Robert Buckley (25).

The islands of Eday and Stronsay were officially added to the Initiative at the Edge (IatE) scheme on Thursday.

IatE is a community-led Scottish Executive and multi agency partnership aimed at regenerating the most fragile areas of the Highlands and Islands.

They will be joined by Sanday and North Ronaldsay in September 2004.

Orkney Islands Council could be free of housing debt within the next two years - leaving the option open to build new council houses for the first time in more than ten years.

The unique position would release about £1 million a year, which councillors would have to spend.

It is hoped that a £1.65 million cash windfall will help ease the housing crisis facing people in Orkney, with the building of 29 homes.

A national police speeding campaign took place on Thursday, with police targeting speeders across the Highlands and Islands.

Operation Brake saw police in Orkney carrying out speed checks at 'strategic' locations across the county, including Kirkwall and Orphir.

The long awaited Scottish Executive decision on the future of area tourist boards was decided last month, with boards being abolished and replaced with 'hub' marketing organisations under the control of VisitScotland.

Orkney¹s director of development Jeremy Baster told councillors at Wednesday's development meeting that the changes would have implications for funding, although not in the coming year.

Scottish Water has been accused of dragging their heels by council officials and councillors in coming up with proposals for the much in demand site.

At Wednesday's development committee meeting Orkney¹s director of technical services Brian Thomson said he had written to Scottish Water in December of last year seeking answers, but said he was still awaiting a reply.

Scapa Distillery, St Ola

The owners of Orkney's Scapa Distillery have confirmed their plans to reopen and refurbish the facility.

Drinks group Allied Domecq Spirits & Wine Ltd announced a multi-million pound investment programme on Monday, the majority of which will be spent on significant works at the Scapa distillery, enabling it to reopen full-time.

Built in 1885, but operating on a part time basis since 1997, the Scapa distillery is expected to be fully operational in January 2005, employing three full time staff with additional part-time staff as required.

The Biffy Clyro gig in Fusion on Sunday night has been postponed due to a death of one of the band's family.

The rescheduled gig will take place at the end of May, with all tickets valid for the new date.

Councillors at Tuesday's transportation and infrastructure committee heard that the county's counter pollution equipment was being reviewed, in light of future developments as well as the nature of the oil transfers now taking place in Scapa Flow.

The new kit includes inflatable booms, oil skimmers and a pollution storage tank and is expected to cost a maximum of £203,000.

Gerry Tosh, Highland Park global brand ambassador, is delightedwith the recognition the brand is now attracting.

Orkney's Highland Park single malt has lifted a gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirits competition, one of the most prestigious events on the global drinks industry calendar.

The award continues a fantastic start to 2004 for Highland Park, which has already scooped a number of top accolades, as well as being awarded 95 points (out of 100) for its 18-year-old by the Chicago Beverage Testing Institute.

The 35 units are the first phase of approximately 100 homes that will be developed on the ten acre site.

OHA chairman Stephen Manson said "Our waiting lists for both homes to rent and for shared ownership have grown significantly. We have now completed over 500 homes for rent and shared ownership and are delighted to make this further contribution to Orkney's growing housing crisis".

The Kirkwall-Stromness road was closed for a time on Monday night following a road accident near the Brig o' Waithe in Stenness.

Around 5.30pm a blue escort van, travelling along the Orphir road, left the road at the Orphir/Stenness junction. Police, fire brigade and ambulance attended the scene and the driver was taken to Balfour Hospital with minor injuries and later discharged.

Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to contact Kirkwall Police on 872241.

Assurances have been given by NHS Orkney that GPs will be signing over to some kind of new medical services contract from Thursday.

Kirkwall’s Skerryvore practice, St Margaret’s Hope and Dounby will be signing the General Medical Services (GMS) practice-based contract, Scapa Medical Group doctors will be signing over to the salaried GMS contract, while Stromness and the outer islands have signed the Personal Medical Services (PMS) contract.

Alex Clark, assistant medical director, said at the NHS Orkney meeting on Monday: “We are anticipating all our current practitioners will have signed contracts on April 1.”

“We are appealing for anyone who may have seen a blue Ford Ranger 4x4 pick-up in Burray or on the main road between Burray and the second barrier on Saturday.”

Anyone with information is asked to call the police on 872241.

Funding to improve transport in the Highlands and Islands was announced this week by Transport Minister Nicol Stephen.

Mr Stephen revealed that HITRANS, the regional transport partnership for the Highlands and Islands, has been awarded £1.345 million for public transport developments.

Previous awards to HITRANS include the funding for a new travel centre in Kirkwall.

The launch of a prototype tidal energy turbine on Monday was postponed again - this time for up to six weeks.

The device, called SNAIL, was to have been launched from Hatston Pier on Monday, but because the weather forecast at the end of last week suggested gales, the launch was postponed.

But the 20 metre device, which was originally due to have been launched last year, will not now be launched until May 2004.

• Dounby v Stromness Athletic
• Kirkwall Thorfinn v Holm
• Kirkwall Rovers v St Andrews
• Kirkwall Hotspurs v Kirkwall Accies

These are all second round games, with all Orkney teams getting a bye in the first round.

Youth crime in Orkney has halved in the past two years according to a new report.

The new Local Youth Crime Action Plan states that offences and referrals reported to the Children's Reporter have halved over the past two years with offences reported in 2003 at 47, compared to 106 in 2001, and referrals are down from 252 to 181 for the same period.

The report proposes to continue funding four posts aimed at addressing teenage problems, including a new post for a trainee youth justice social worker and continued alcohol counselling.