The Stromness writer's first novel, Greenvoe recreates a week in the life of an Orkney community as they come to terms with the destructiveness of an industrial project threatening their way of life.

Professor Willy Maley of Glasgow University selected the list, which sets Greenvoe up against books such as Trainspotting and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

A public vote will decide on which title takes the accolade, the winner announced at the Edinburgh Book Festival in August. Votes can be logged here.

Click here to buy Greenvoe from our online bookshop

The number of health staff who are taking time off sick in Orkney is above the Scottish average.

Health board members at Thursday meeting were being asked to approve an updated sickness absence policy, which they did.

Now, if a member of staff is off on two or more occasions in a two-month period, or has more than eight days short term absence in a year, then the organisation may adopt a more formal approach to managing the employee's absence.

The government wants farmers to stop farming and just manage the land for the "townies", NFUS Orkney members were told this week.

Former branch chairman George Rouse was commenting on a provision in the land management contracts scheme for farmers to be paid extra if they bind and stook crops. "We're being told to go backwards," Mr Rouse said.

In a world crisis, the UK could be left without the ability to produce its own food. Another member said the measure was an insult to modern farmers. More than 60 members attended the meeting in Kirkwall on Thursday night.

Dr Sarah Taylor has undertaken to provide NHS Orkney with Public Health leadership and support.

Although it is understood she will remain in Shetland, she will work alongside Orkney's Dr Ken Black, consultant in public health medicine.

The grant will help Lunar Energy Ltd develop the device known as the 'Rotech Tidal Turbine'. The 1MW prototype is due to be commissioned at the European Marine Energy Centre in Stromness, early in 2006.

Orkney MSP, and Deputy First Minister, Jim Wallace said: "Earlier this week I announced the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney would receive funding to develop tidal testing facilities. Lunar Energy's decision to test their pioneering technology at EMEC demonstrates that this investment is already bearing fruit."

A report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal following a disturbance in the Ferry Inn, Stromness, on Wednesday afternoon.

Around 4.30pm, police were called to the licensed premises.

Inquiries were made and a male was traced in the Stromness town centre and arrested.

The fire-gutted building at first light on Thursday morning

A barn in Holm was extensively damaged by fire in the early hours of Thursday morning.

The residents of Annfield, Holm, were awoken by a noise at 1.35am and found the building ablaze. Two fire units from Kirkwall, and the police, attended.

A suspected electrical fault is thought to have caused of the blaze.

Alistair Carmichael has called on the Government to support the northern isles' case for cheaper livestock transport.

Speaking in the House of Commons on Wednesday, the Orkney and Shetland MP said EU rules meant transport prices would rise by up to 50 per cent, though farmers in the isles were already operating on exceptionally tight margins.

"Yet again I find myself frustrated in the extreme that state aid rules, intended to ensure there is open competition, in fact operate in such a narrow and restrictive way as to exclude my constituents from participating in the market place at all."

There have been no formal complaints to NHS Orkney since the start of the NHS24 service for out of hours calls at the Scapa practice.

However, in a report before health board members, on Thursday, a senior house officer has relayed occasions when patients had been brought to the Balfour Hospital because they had been unable to get through to NHS24 in what they deemed to be a reasonable time.

Those included a patient with acute chest pains and another with significant bleeding.

NHS24 is now stressing that people should call 999 when there is a life-threatening emergency.

Cancer patients and their families in Orkney benefited from nearly £4,000 in grants from Macmillan Cancer Relief last year.

The money was handed out as part of the charity's "Better Deal" campaign, launched in November, last year, to address the financial problems affecting people with the disease.

Macmillan has also set up a dedicated campaign hotline for patients, their families or carers who may have concerns about cash, the freephone number is - 0800 500 800.

A major project in Orkney to study, and search for new treatments for, Scotland's three major killer diseases - heart disease, strokes and diabetes - is about to get under way.

A team, led by Dr Jim Wilson of the University of Edinburgh, has arrived in the county for the project, which aims to study 1,000 Orcadian adults with a bloodline stemming from the North Isles.

Based at the Balfour Hospital in Kirkwall, Dr Wilson is still keen to hear from volunteers, particularly from Westray.

Archive story: Genetic study into killer diseases

The mobile rink, which is based at the Pickaquoy Centre, will be a welcome site for many while the new skate park still awaits completion.

Gary Burton, Active Schools manager, said:"We are hoping that as many people as possible will come from all over Orkney to use the facility."

Orkney's education department has scored highly in an inspection carried out by the HM Inspectorate of Education.

The department was inspected in September and October 2004.

OIC Director of Education, Leslie Manson, said: "I'm pleased that this report identifies the Council's education service as effective and improving, with no real weaknesses. Lots of people put a lot of hard work into education and they should feel proud of their achievements. The challenge is to carry on the good work and make the service even better.

The damaged car being removed from the scene of the accident this morning

A woman was transferred to Kirkwall's Balfour Hospital on Tuesday morning, after a road accident on the Stromness-Kirkwall Road.

Her car and a tractor were involved in collision at Barnhouse, Stenness around 10am.

It is understood the woman, the sole occupant of the vehicle, was not seriously injured.

Councillors have agreed in principle to offering additional financial assistance to the project to upgrade the Cromarty Hall in St Margaret's Hope.

Cash had been raised to cover the original project costs, but after retendering the Cromarty Hall Trust now face a shortfall in funding.

Members of the OIC's Community Development Fund of the New Millennium sub-committee agreed to the trust's request for a grant for £212,818 - 95 per cent of the cash shortfall.

Orkney Islands Council is to received £470,000 from the Scottish Executive over the next four years as part of a national campaign to fight anti-social behaviour.

The cash, £225,000 in 2006/07 and £245,000 in 2007/08, is to strengthen services combating anti-social behaviour, such as Orkney's community wardens.

The Liberal Democrats have set out plans to increase the stamp duty threshold from £60,000 to £150,000, meaning that 400,000 house buyers would stop paying the tax.

Mr Carmichael said: "House prices in Orkney and Shetland have risen by two-thirds over the last five years. But for the last ten years the stamp duty threshold has remained static. That has resulted in many more people on modest incomes being hit by this tax when they buy their own home."

The 2005 Shopping Week Queen is Erika Norquoy, her attendants being Kelly Nicolson and Lauren Stanger. All three are 17 years old.

This year's Shopping Week runs from July 17 to July 23.

The motorist was stopped on Great Western Road on Sunday evening. A report is to be submitted to the procurator fiscal.

The Scottish Executive is awarding more than £1 million to the European Marine Energy Test Centre in Stromness.

The money will contribute towards a package worth £6 million to extend the pioneering work already being undertaken at EMEC.

Deputy First Minister Jim Wallace said: "We have long emphasised our commitment to all sectors of the renewable energy industry. This funding shows we are continuing to back our promises up with positive action.

"When I opened EMEC last year, the potential for generating power from the sea was made abundantly clear to me."

There was a number of arrests in Kirkwall over the weekend.

Two men were detained by police in connection with an alleged assault on a man on the Ayre Road, in the early hours of Sunday morning. Police said the alleged attack, in which the man sustained injuries, was unprovoked.

Also in the early hours of Sunday morning, another male was arrested for alleged disorderly conduct.

Reports will be sent to the procurator fiscal.

Kirkwall police have once again expressed their growing concern over the quantity of alcohol being confiscated from under-age teenagers in the town.

Sergeant Jim Pryde said: "A large amount of alcohol, both spirits and beers, was seized on Saturday night from youth around Kirkwall town centre and at the mart dance, in a number of separate incidents."