Orkney Islands Council and the Pickaquoy Centre Trust officially signed a partnership agreement with the Highland Institute of Sport on Thursday.

The agreement will mean that Orkney’s top athletes, who fulfil the selection criteria, will have access to coaching programmes, technical and tactical expertise, sports science and sports medicine and athlete career and education services.

Alan Clouston, assistant director of community and recreation at OIC, said: “OIC welcomes the opportunity of entering into partnership with the Highland Institute of Sport and we hope that many young Orcadians will benefit from this.”

Junction road on Thursday morning. Picture: Kenny Pirie

Junction Road in Kirkwall remained closed for a large part of the day on Thursday, as Scottish Water located the source of a burst water main.

The section of road affected, between Castle Street and West Tankerness Lane, which was closed again on Friday, while resurfacing work was carried out, re-opened just after 3pm.

Kirkwall police have renewed their warning for householders not to hand over cash to door-to-door salesmen.

Acting Sergeant Andy Hill said: “We have had several reports of Polish nationals currently in Orkney selling pictures door-to-door and asking for donations towards their schooling.

“We strongly advise householders not to purchase any goods from them. They do not have the relevant sales documentation. We would also advise all windows and doors are kept secured.”

The behaviour of binge-drinking youngsters in Orkney has been condemned by Junior doctor and senior house officer, Simon Brownleader, the doctor on duty at Kirkwall's accident and emergency department last weekend.

Six "very intoxicated" kids, all aged 16 and 17, were admitted to the Balfour Hospital on Saturday night.

The youngsters, both boys and girls, arrived at the hospital within a couple of hours of each other and had all been at a dance, which was held at the Orkney Auction Mart.

Art work from an asylum seeker is Glasgow will be exhibited in the Stromness Library from June 13 to 16.

As part of refugee week, Pavel Romanov will exhibit nine scientific paintings, which were made in detention centres, assessment centres and prisons.

Pavel said that he is not interested in selling his paintings, but says they are his “own response to the circumstances I have found myself in.”

Kirkwall lifeboat was launched on Thursday morning after a creel boat sank off the west shore of Rousay.

The alarm was raised by a member of the public on Rousay who called Shetland Coastguard on 999 to say that the Piscatio had sunk and that one person was ashore, but another was in the water.

MV Eynhallow, the Rousay, Egilsay and Wyre ferry, went to the scene, after hearing an emergency call on the radio, and picked up the person in the water. He was taken to Rousay where he was checked by the island’s doctor. Both victims were taken to Balfour Hospital at around 9.30am.

Sanday School will join five others to present its Plantation Project at the Barclays New Futures conference in Edinburgh on Tuesday, June 14.

The community-focused project in the school grounds includes art, planting, a weather station and bird boxes with monitoring cameras. In November, the project will be taken a step further, with the planting of 150 trees in the grounds.

The project was made possible by £5,000 of Barclays New Futures funding.

The length of the school day for pupils starting primary one in Orkney looks set to change.

OIC councillors want to see all children start school full-time after two weeks - instead of the current system, which sees most only begin all-day education following the October break.

Members of the education committee further recommended that schools be given the discretion to decide if pupils are ready to start full-time from the offset.

The airport bus service has been halved to save money.

Councillors at the Orkney Islands Council transportation and infrastructure committee on Tuesday were told that monitoring of public transport revealed the need for cuts to the service.

The number of trips have been cut from 107 to 50 with no Sunday service at all.

This will save £21, 926 a year.

Orkney Enterprise approved just over £50,000 worth of grants for May.

The largest grant out of the £50,978 total was £10,000 to the South Ronaldsay Golf Club who will put the money towards the construction of an equipment store and car park.

Others included £7,500 to D. and Y. Harrold, Dounby, to upgrade fuel pumps, and £4,978 to the Orkney Traditional Music Project which will go towards the costs of visiting tutors and a summer school.

A report is to be submitted to the procurator fiscal after an attempted break-in in Kirkwall town centre on Tuesday evening.

According to acting Sergeant Andy Hill, an adult male was detained, following a report by a neighbour.

“He was arrested a bit further down the street,” acting Sgt Hill said. “He has been charged with housebreaking with intent.”

The man has also been charged with resisting police and a breach of the peace.

Work on the extension to the north pier in Kirkwall will be starting at the end of this month.

Contractors Edmund Nuttal Ltd who built the original breakwater have been appointed to carry out the work.

Dredging work in Kirkwall Bay is continuing.

OIC councillors are considering taking back Kirkwall, Stromness and Westray marinas into their own control.

Currently, Orkney Marinas Ltd, leases and runs the facilities from Orkney Islands Council.

However, after a request for cash to cover this year’s rental of the marinas at the OIC transportation and infrastructure committee meeting on Tuesday, Chairman, Councillor Bob Sclater, said: “We are not saying it will not continue the way things are going, just that we should have another look at it.

A feasibility study for putting tunnels in at Rousay and Shapinsay was given the go-ahead by councillors on Tuesday.

Councillors at the OIC transport and infrastructure committee agreed to investigation hiring a consultant to find out about building a tunnel to Shapinsay and Rousay. Councillor James Stockan asked if the study could also include the feasibility of a tunnel to Graemsay and Hoy.

Another report will go the November meeting of transport and infrastructure about the costs of the study.

A report published on Tuesday, by the HM Inspectorate of Education gave Shapinsay Primary Schools a mixed response.

The report, published following an inspection in March, highlighted that school staff are “caring and committed” and made good use of the local environment.

The report also highlighted weaknesses in the school saying that “too many pupils were not attaining sufficiently well in aspects of English language and mathematics,” and that “staff did not always ensure that the pace and challenge of pupils’ work was appropriate.”

Orkney and Shetland MP, Alistair Carmichael, is supporting plans to introduce a system of road pricing - which could be introduced within the next ten years.

Plans to charge drivers variable rates and to abolish road and fuel tax were outlined by the Government earlier this week. Charges could start at 2p per mile in rural areas and increase to £1.34 on congested roads.

Mr Carmichael, who said that the current pricing system is unfair on Northern Isle's residents said: “Road pricing would make it far easier to make polluters pay an appropriate level of taxation.”

OIC councillors at the transportation and infrastructure committee on Tuesday, have agreed that a new road in Kirkwall be named Ingavoe Drive.

Kirkwall Community Council suggested that it should be named Berstane Kloss but the contractors, Orkney Builders Ltd, suggested Ingavoe Drive.

Councillor Bryan Taylor said: “I have every sympathy with the community council, I was on the community council for 16 years and was peeved many a time when decisions were overturned. We were big enough then, and they are big enough now, to realise that we make mistakes and I think this is one of them.”

A study to find out how much small boat berths in the outer isles was given the go-ahead on Tuesday.

Councillors at the OIC transportation and infrastructure committee meeting decided to spend £110,000 on the study, which will dictate the feasibility of putting pontoons, or moorings, in place in the outer isles.

The facilities would be intended for visiting boats in the summer only.

Visitors to some of Orkney’s most popular tourist destinations are benefiting from a new ranger service.

Sandra Miller, a full-time ranger, and Elaine Clarke, a seasonal ranger for six months of the year, are now in post and hope to enhance visitors’ appreciation, enjoyment and knowledge of Orkney’s World Heritage Sites.

Elaine said: “Up until now, visitors have been free to walk over, and potentially damage areas with sensitive archaeology and ecology. Our new ranger service will enable us to monitor the situation and advise on solutions to prevent any damage to the area.”

First-time voters in the Northern Isles would rather see more police officers than identity cards, according to Orkney and Shetland MP, Alistair Carmichael, who published results of a questionnaire on Monday.

Mr Carmichael questioned first time voters throughout the constituency during last month's General Election - 70 per cent of respondents agreed that the alleged £3 billion being spent on identity cards should be invested in expanding police services.

Mr Carmichael said that “the best way to tackle crime is to invest in police for our communities.”

Broad Street was closed on Sunday whilst work was carried out on Kirkwall Town Hall, after masonry fell from the building last Thursday.

Orkney Islands Council insisted that immediate action was taken to ensure the safety of the building.

Keith Foubister, customer services manager in corporate property, said: “A small section of the building fell off at the end of last week. We took immediate action, we had an inspection due to take place later this summer but we brought this forward to Sunday to make sure the building is safe.”

Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) published its corporate plan on Monday, setting out its development priorities for the next ten years.

Key targets for HIAL, who operate Kirkwall airport, are to increase passenger numbers, develop new air routes and services and to make strategic investment.

Inglis Lyon, HIAL’s managing director, said that the new plan will be “the catalyst for innovation, dynamism and development within the company.”

A full-scale search was undertaken by the Kirkwall lifeboat, police and coastguard after a report of someone seen jumping off Kirkwall pier at the weekend.

A member of the public called the police, claiming that they had seen a person jumping into the water, near the ice plant, at about 1.40am on Sunday. The police, HM coastguard and the lifeboat carried out a search of the area, but the teams were stood down at 3.45am, after nothing was found.

No-one has been reported missing, but Kirkwall police are appealing for further information on 872241.