All Mainland schools plus North Walls school remained closed on Friday. Orkney College was also closed to students.

All inner and outer North Isles schools plus Flotta Primary School were due to reopen, with school transport operating as normal.

Stromness Primary School parents' evening was cancelled and Stromness Academy S4 prelims scheduled for last Wednesday will now be held on Monday, February 2.

Due to the disruption in the postal service caused by this week’s cold snap, the deadline for the two competitions currently running in The Orcadian has been extended.

Friday January 30, was due to be the deadline for entries to our competitions to win a city break for two to Paris and the National Lottery Holiday Bonanza scratchcards.

The closing date will now be put back to Wednesday February 4, by which time, the backlog should have been cleared. The draws will then be made on Friday February 6 and winners notified immediately thereafter.

ADSL broadband for some of Orkney's rural exchanges could be some way away, unless more people register an interest.

In November 2003, British Telecom announced broadband triggers for seven Orkney exchanges - 'triggers' being the number of customers who must register an interest before an exchange is upgraded.

But figures from Orkney Enterprise show that although Westray has reached its trigger level, Stromness, Sandwick, Holm and St Margaret's Hope still have some way to go, with percentage registrations varying from 20 per cent (Sandwick) to 35 per cent for Stromness.

For up-to-date registration level figures see: http://www.broadband.orkneyenterprise.co.uk

Ambitious plans are in the pipeline which could see the library in Stromness move to a new location.

The current library, based at the foot of Hellihole Road, is too cramped for the service it provides, according to Stromness community councillor Dr John Brown.

At the recent community council meeting, he told his fellow members that new facilities were urgently needed. The current public library has been housed in the same building since it was built in 1905.

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An Orkney man could have died after being stabbed in the stomach, the High Court in Inverness heard yesterday, Wednesday.

Simon Rendall, 25, faces jail after he admitted assaulting Darren Nicolson to the danger of his life in a flat in St Olaf's Wynd, Kirkwall, last September.

The court heard that Rendall, a prisoner in Inverness, had previous convictions for assault and had been on probation at the time of committing the offence.

Judge Lord Brodie deferred sentence for the preparation of background reports to the High Court sitting in Edinburgh on February 19.

The Groattie Hoose, Kirkwall

A monument in Kirkwall is finally being relocated to an area where the public can see it.

Pirate Gow's Folly, also known as the Groattie Hoose, is hidden from sight in Kirkwall 's Bridge Street . The folly was built in 1730, incorporating ballast from Pirate Gow's ship, in what was considered one of the finest gardens in Orkney.

Kirkwall Community Council has been working on plans to move the structure for the past two years and islands councillors have now given their backing to the £61,000 project.

External link: John Gow - The Orkney Pirate

Orkney Traditional Dance Association's weekend of dancing events with visiting tutor Jessie Stuart has been postponed.

The event will be rescheduled for later in the year with the new dates confirmed nearer the time.

NHS Orkney's director of finance, Roger Dart, is to take early retirement.

It was announced on Wednesday that Mr Dart, who joined NHS Orkney in April 2000, will retire at the end of January.

The post of finance director has been advertised as a two-year secondment in all NHS Trusts and Boards in Scotland.

Drifting snow and gale force winds caused chaos across Orkney.

The severe weather caused chaos in Orkney on Wednesday, with drifting snow and gale force winds making driving conditions treacherous.

Police were warning motorists not to travel, but a number of vehicles were left stranded in snow this afternoon.

Orkney Islands Council's offices in Kirkwall closed for business, with council officials asking members of the public not to risk travelling into the offices.

Air traffic ground to a halt, forcing Kirkwall Airport to close and the weather also saw power supplies to Rousay and Stronsay hit.

The Orkney Islands Council planning meeting in Kirkwall on Wednesday fell victim to the weather and was cancelled.

The meeting, at which a decision was to be made on the application to extend works at the Heddle Quarry in Firth, will now be rescheduled.

Archive story: Opponents blast Heddle Quarry plans

A snow plough had to escort and ambulance from Stromness to Kirkwall on Wednesday afternoon.

The ambulance was carrying a man injured after falling on ice in Stromness. His injury was not believed to be serious.

The opening of the new care centre in Westray looks set to create a number of jobs on the island. 

It is anticipated that there will be 13 full time equivalent posts across the staffing group but the actual number of staff required will be greater, due to the number of people employed on a part time basis.

A public meeting is to be held in the community classroom of Pierowall Junior High School on Friday, January 30 to outline the range of job and training opportunities that will be on offer.

Schools and community groups in Orkney are being urged to apply for a share of £300,000 earmarked to improve literacy by promoting home reading.

The cash, allocated as part of the Scottish Executive's Home Reading Initiative, is to provide start-up funding for local projects which support children's reading.

One of last year's successful applicants was Orkney Library who received a grant to fund Orkney Book Worms, a scheme designed to encourage primary school pupils to read more.

Application forms are available from the Scottish Executive Education Department on 0131 244 0080.

NHS Orkney slash budget deficit but admit further savings will be difficult

Significant reductions have been made to NHS Orkney's budget deficit, but it looks like further cost cutting exercises will have to be made to bring spending back on target.

The board was over £1 million overspent at the end of the November 2003, but after a series of cuts to save money has reduced this to an estimated £320,000.

Speaking at NHS Orkney board meeting on Monday, finance director Roger Dart explained that the savings made so far were "non-recurring" which will make further savings next year even more difficult.

Trading standards warn of mail scam

Orkney Islands Council's Trading Standards Department has issued a warning regarding a current mailing 'scam'.

The scam - which goes under the name of "Prize Power Promotions" - tells recipients they have won a prize or a cash sum and asks for an administration fee to be sent to an address in England. But this is merely a mailing address, where the mail is collected and forwarded to South Africa.

Consumers are asked to be wary of these types of mail and inform the OIC's Trading Standards Department if there are doubts over the validity.

Police begin Stromness fraud investigations

Inspector David Miller said he was unable to release more details at this time.

Orkney Islands Council's Director of Harbours has stressed that every effort is being made to return the ferry Earl Sigurd to service as soon as possible.

Captain Nigel Mills' statement was issued on Monday to counter claims that the OIC were not pressing for the early return of the vessel, which suffered engine failure in December 2003.

Captain Mills said the OIC was taking a "very proactive approach and doing everything they can" to bring the ferry back into operation, adding that they are also widening the search for a suitable stand-in for the Earl Sigurd.

Click here for full statement

Union raises concerns over NHS Orkney board papers

The trade union UNISON raised concerns about papers to be submitted to Monday's NHS Orkney Board meeting.

The union is concerned about the "inadequate time" being given to read papers that, they say, could have far reaching implications for health services and staff in Orkney.

UNISON also took the unusual step of asking for two papers to be withdrawn from the agenda, claiming the reports outlining new sickness absence procedures, and an agreement outlining how unions and the NHS work together, have not been agreed with them.