St Magnus Festival project readings

This weekend saw the casting readings for St Magnus Festival's large scale community project for 2004 - a music theatre production of the Norwegian tale Peer Gynt.

Festival director Glynis Hughes said the production was an ideal project involving a large cast of adults and children.

Readings were held in the King Street Halls on Saturday and Sunday and the Stromness Church Hall.

"Not proven" verdict in councillor's trial

Councillor Jim Foubister

A jury took two and a half hours on Friday to return a verdict of "not proven" in the trial of Deerness councillor Jim Foubister.

The verdict brought the trial, which began on Monday, to a close.

Mr Foubister had always denied assaulting Ian Eunson at the eclipse party at Stove in Deerness last May.

Orkney tops council tax collection table

The annual report from the Accounts Commission shows that Orkney Islands Council's 97.7 per cent collection rate is the best in the country. Bottom of the table was Glasgow with a collection rate of 83.7 per cent.

Titanic exhibition at Orkney Museum

A new exhibition on the Titanic opened at the Orkney Museum on Saturday.

Titanic, Honour and Glory is a large and exciting exhibition about the ill fated luxury liner RMS Titanic, as well as her sister ships Olympic and Britannic. The exhibition unveils many historic and rare treasures that have never before been seen outside a private collection.

The exhibition runs until February 21.

Green light to farmers' market

The farmers’ market in Kirkwall’s Broad Street was given the green light to continue by councillors at the licensing sub-committee on Thursday.

Concerns had been raised by the planning department over advertising consent and a change of use of the car park beside the Kirkwall Tourist Office. Planners felt the market required planning permission.

However, councillors gave their backing to the market, which sells local food and crafts direct from the producer, by renewing the licence and calling on the planning department to “sort out” the matter internally.

Residents meet over quarry proposal

Orkney Aggregates, who operates the quarry, is looking to carry out work at the site which would see it extended and blasting work carried out on the south side.

The plans have been criticised by some householders who live near the site, so a public meeting has been called to canvas opinion and concerns about the proposal.

TV programme reveals murder motive

A young actor plays the part of the killer escaping down Bridge Street in Kirkwall after the shooting during filming of tonight's documentary. (Picture: Kenny Pirie)

The events and the subsequent police investigation surrounding the death of the waiter and restaurant manager of the Mumutaz Indian restaurant in Kirkwall’s Bridge Street was the subject of the half-hour programme on Grampian TV on Thursday night.

The killing of Indian waiter Shamsudden Mahmood in Orkney ten years ago was a racist crime, according to the current head of CID at Northern Constabulary.

The police chief was interviewed as part of a series of seven programmes for Grampian TV – Unsolved: Getting Away With Murder.

Click here for full story

Aberdeen date for Orkney folk duo supporting Pogues frontman

Brian Cromarty (left) and Douglas Montgomery.

Orkney folk duo Saltfishforty performed alongside one of their greatest musical influences on Thursday night at The Lemon Tree in Aberdeen.

Brian Cromarty and Douglas Montgomery supported former Pogues frontman Shan Macgowan at a gig the duo claimed was too good to turn down.

After the Lemon Tree date Saltfishforty head to Glasgow on January 23 to play at King Tuts Wah Wah Hut and record a live session for BBC Radio Scotland.

Visit official Saltfishforty website

Hebridean Isles returns to provide annual maintenance cover

The Caledonian MacBrayne ferry Hebridean Isles will return to the Pentland Firth route next month to allow routine maintenance on the Hamnavoe.

NorthLink will operate a revised timetable from February 7 until February 29 while the Hamnavoe, Hjaltland and Hrossey travel to Germany for their annual dry-dock maintenance.

As a result calls at Kirkwall will be reduced - with two southbound and two northbound calls each week. The Scrabster-Stromness timetable will also be altered to take into account the Hebridean Isles' longer crossing time.

View revised timetable details

New housing development for Westray

The one-bedroom, self-contained flats at Howanbreck, Pierowall will be suitable for wheelchair users and will form part of the new Westray Care Centre.

The £1,165,000 development saw contributions of £815,000 from Orkney Islands Council towards the non-residential parts, £237,146 from Communities Scotland and the balance funded by Orkney Islands Property Development Ltd.

Islands Council and and NHS appoint first joint communications officer

Lynette Webb has extensive experience of working in a partnership basis within health and local government structures.

Ms Webb is expected to take up her post on March 1, 2004.

Carmichael presses for action on post office bank access

Although the Royal Mail has made arrangements with most banks, agreements have not been reached with the Royal Bank of Scotland, Halifax Bank of Scotland or the Clydesdale.

Stressing that many communities in the Northern Isles can not access bank branches. Mr Carmichael said: "It is vital that such an agreement is made both to ensure the viability of the Post Office network in the Isles and to improve services for local people."

Alleged victim returns to witness box

The trial of Deerness councillor Jim Foubister continued in Kirkwall on Wednesday morning, with the man who claims to have been assaulted back in the witness box.

Ian Eunson was called for questioning yesterday where he was cross-examined by Mr Foubister's defence agent, Mr Nigel Beaumont.

The court heard of the bad relations between the two men and how Eunson had contacted police some days after the alleged assault to change his version of events - which he claimed he had forgotten when his statement was first taken.

Mr Foubister denies the charges against him and the trial continues.

Berstane shellfish licence renewed but studies required for Westray plans

Members of the OIC marine development sub-committee unanimously agreed the renewal application for the mussel farm in Berstane Bay in St Ola - although concerns were raised by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and Scottish Natural Heritage.

Meanwhile, a developer planning six shellfish farming sites in Westray must carry out individual environmental studies on each site before the application will be progressed further.

The plans earmark the Bays of Skaill, Brough, Swartmill, Tafts, Twiness West and Tuquoy.

Orkney MSP heads to the USA

Mr Wallace is undertaking a packed programme of meetings in Boston, New York and Houston before returning to the UK on Saturday.

In New England and Texas he has been talking to Scottish companies which have expanded and succeeded in US markets, supported by Scottish Development International.

Councillor's trial begins in Kirkwall

The trial of an OIC councillor facing assault charges is under way in Kirkwall.

The trial of James Foubister started on Monday afternoon and follows an alleged incident at an eclipse party held at Stove, Deerness, in May 2003.

Claiming he was acting in self-defence, Mr Foubister denies assaulting Ian Eunson by seizing hold of him, repeatedly throwing him on the floor, pulling him along the floor, sitting on him and placing his hands around his neck and squeezing, all to Mr Eunson's severe injury.

Orkney Ferries run to timetable despite Varagen problems

Orkney Ferries is running as per timetable again, after an electrical fault on Monday forced the Varagen out of service.

The fault reduced the north isles service to one ferry - with the Earl Sigurd also out of action pending engine repairs.

But following temporary repairs on Monday night, the Varagen was returned to service and is expected to carry out all her trips as per schedule.

NHS reach final stage in re-registering dental patients

NHS Orkney is opening its books for all the remaining people in Orkney who want to register with an NHS dentist.

This will be the final step in re-registering the 7,000 people who lost their NHS dentist when the Scapa Dental Centre went private. NHS Orkney has since equipped new dental surgeries and appointed dentists to run an expanded service.

Anyone wishing to register can call at the Station Dental Centre on Great Western Road, Kirkwall. Forms are also available from the NHS Dental Surgeries in Stromness, King Street, Kirkwall and the Balfour Hospital.

Micro wind turbine tested at Hatston

The portable wind turbine in place at Hatston

The two bladed, 6kW turbine - which will meet the heating and power demands of a typical home or small community facility - has been set up for testing by electrical engineers, Bryan J Rendall (Electrical) Ltd.

After an evaluation period, the generator, which has been designed to be portable, will be moved on to more testing sites such as Burgar Hill. Once it has been proven in some extreme winds, it should be ready for commercial installation.

Harray young farmers are national speechmaking champions

A Harray team has scooped the honours at the national finals of the Junior Speechmaking competition.

The Harray 'B' team, made up of Christina Copland, Julia Price and Charles Copland, beat seven other teams from across Scotland - two of which were from Sandwick, Orkney.

Emergency services attend Holm road accident

All the emergency services attended a road accident in Holm on Saturday afternoon, after a Fiat Uno car left the road at the first Churchill Barrier.

Initial fears that the occupant might have to be cut from the vehicle were unfounded and the woman, who was taken to the Balfour Hospital, was later released.

Police say her five-year-old son was also in the vehicle but was unhurt.

NHS Orkney is to receive £22.386 million funding from the Scottish Executive - an increase of 6.75 per cent.

The figures for 2004/05 were announced on Friday by Health Minister Malcolm Chisholm, who said record investment in the NHS would bring better services, more doctors and nurses and reductions in waiting times.

NHS Board allocations are calculated using the Arbuthnott formula which was introduced in 2000.  This formula is updated annually to take account of population, age structure, deprivation and remoteness.

TV programme reveals police suspect racism behind Mumutaz murder

A television programme re-examining the murder of Shamsudden Mahmood, who was shot dead in the Mumutaz Indian Restaurant in Kirkwall in 1994 is to be broadcast this week.

And the programme makers have revealed that the current Head of CID at Northern Constabulary believes the motive for the Bangladeshi waiter killing was racism.

Unsolved: Getting away with murder is to be broadcast on Grampian TV at 7.30pm on Thursday, January 15.

See also: The Mumutaz Murder