Lidl Foodstores will host a recruitment open day later this month with the hope of catching potential store managers, deputy store managers and store assistants for their branches in Orkney and throughout the rest of Scotland.

Lidl are looking for candidates with strong people skills, a “can do” attitude” and a proactive approach.

The open day will be held in the Pickaquoy Centre, on March 17, from 10am to 7pm.

Grimbister Farm Cheese was the runner-up in this year’s national NFUS innovation awards.

Hilda Seator was presented with second prize by the farmers’ union’s chief executive, Andy Robertson, at the NFUS AGM at St Andrews, Fife, on Thursday night.

The winner was Sandyknowe Yogurt Drinks, a business run by dairy farmer Alistair Stewart, near Kelso in the Borders.

Mr Robertson said the top two businesses showed it was possible to find innovative ways in which farmers could diversify their businesses and add value to products.

New paths and a viewing platform are being created at Skara Brae prehistoric village, as part of a series of improvements to the site.

The changes are being carried out in several stages, to avoid disruption to visitors, and are due to be completed by October, 2007.

It is hoped they will provide better views and easier access for visitors, including those using wheelchairs.

Stephen Watt, Historic Scotland district architect, said: “Skara Brae is of world importance and we need to protect if from harm, while making sure it is as open and accessible as possible to visitors.”

Orkney MSP Jim Wallace has had to make do with a written answer to an air ambulance question, when the troubles with the Scottish Executive chamber roof saw business abandoned on Thursday.

Mr Wallace had planned to ask how many petitions the Executive had received from Orkney opposing the proposed withdrawal of the Kirkwall-based Islander.

He has received a written reply instead showing that two petitions were handed over - one from North Ronaldsay with 59 signatures, and one from Westray with 287 signatures.

The Orcadian continues to be the county’s best read newspaper, according to official figures released today.

The Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC), released figures for the local newspaper sector covering the six months from July to December last year.

The Orcadian’s weekly circulation was confirmed as 10,628, slightly down on the first six months of last year.

According to the ABC figures, Orkney Today’s circulation figure is 6,370, which includes 507 sold at less than 50 per cent of normal cover price.

A house in Egilsay was completely destroyed by fire on Wednesday night.

The alarm was raised at 2.27am and two fire engines, one from Rousay and one from Kirkwall, attended the fire at Midskaill on the island, which is owned by Edwin Dick. The flames were doused by 6.23am. No-one was injured.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but it is believed that it started in the roof space.

While the anticipated deadline on the preferred bidder status for the Northern Isles has passed, it is expected an announcement will be made within weeks.

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Executive said on Wednesday: "The minister, Tavish Scott, had said he hoped to make an announcement by the end of February, however the tendering process is taking slightly longer. It is not appropriate to rush these things.

"We hope to make an announcement very soon, within weeks."

Only Caledonian MacBrayne and V.Ships remain in contention to run the lifeline ferry services to Orkney and Shetland.

A mussel farmer in Hoy has expressed his disappointment that he cannot shoot Eider ducks eating his shellfish.

Neil Mathieson of Orkney Mussels was granted a licence for a mussel farm at Mill Bay, Hoy at the OIC marine sub-development committee on Wednesday.

However, he is concerned that if the main predators of the mussels, Eider ducks, became a problem in future, he would not be able to apply for a lethal licence to shoot them, whereas salmon farmers are allowed to shoot “rogue” seals which eat their fish.

It was pointed out that nets could be used to keep the ducks at bay rather than shooting them.

The OIC is to undertake a cost cutting exercise which will have far reaching implications for services and for the community, Chief Executive Alistair Buchan confirmed on Wednesday.

Announcing a programme of budget reviews, Mr Buchan warns OIC employees in their staff newsletter that the council cannot continue to rely on its reserve fund to shore up the grant shortfall from the Scottish Executive.

Findings from the budget reviews will be reported to the council in October. Mr Buchan stressed that every effort would be made to protect, as far as possible, vulnerable service users and the livelihoods of existing staff through maximising efficiency savings and working in better ways.

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Increases in burial charges in Orkney have been limited to 10 per cent following Tuesday's meeting of the full council.

Islands councillors at the January meeting of the OIC environment, planning and protective services agreed to increases of 33 per cent and 17.5 per cent for burial services.

But at Tuesday's meeting, Councillor Angus Hutchison, asked for the increase to be limited to 10 per cent so people could have the "dignity of a burial they can afford."

Councillors voted nine to eight in favour of reducing the increase.

Well-known local solicitor, Mr Bob Shaw, is to join Kirkwall solicitors Lows Orkney.

Mr Shaw, 59, first came to Orkney in 1980 to work with solicitors Shepherd and Wedderburn and latterly worked with Kirkwall law firm, Drever and Heddle.

Stromness Academy has received a successful follow-up report from HMIE inspectors, showing that the school has met most of the main points highlighted in the original inspection in 2004.

However, the follow-up report declares: "The headteacher had taken no action to introduce religious observance. As a result, the school was not providing appropriate opportunities for the promotion of pupils' spiritual development."

The full report is available from the HMIE website

Christina Bichan is the new co-ordinator for the Orkney Drug Alcohol and Smoking Action Team (DASAT) – a multi agency group which aims to enable individuals, families and communities in Orkney to minimise the harmful effects of drugs, alcohol and smoking.

She takes over from Gaynor Jones, who has taken up the post as Executive Director of Voluntary Action Orkney.

Poultry keepers in Orkney are being reminded of the deadline to join the Great Britain Poultry Register.

Anyone owning, or responsible for, a commercial premises with 50 or more birds should have signed up to the register by today - Tuesday, February 28.

The register will help the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) manage any potential outbreak by targeting resources where they are needed most.

See www.defra.gov.uk or phone 0800 634 1112 for more information.

Primary school children are to benefit from a new poster produced by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), which celebrates the beauty and diversity of the county’s landscape. 

The poster launch took place on Monday at Stromness Primary School with a presentation of the first poster to pupil Naomi Taylor. 

The posters are being distributed to local primary school children and secondary school geography classes in order to raise awareness of the landscapes of Orkney.  An activity pack on landscapes for schools, prepared by the Highland Environmental Network is also being made available.

A woman appeared in private at Kirkwall Sheriff Court on Monday in connection with an alleged assault of a man.

Sharon Jeffries, 34, Quilco, Dounby, is accused of injuring the man on February 23 in Kirkwall.

Orkney has been named as the most popular cruise destination in Scotland and the fourth most popular in the UK overall, according to figures from Cruise Europe.

The islands' popularity as a cruise destination has grown considerably in the last five years, with the Orkney harbours registering some 75 cruise liners and almost 31,000 passengers during the 2005 season alone, making it a record year.

The Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) is once again seeking to reassure people in Orkney that the loss of the locally-based Islander aircraft will not mean a reduction in the quality of service.

An SAS spokesman said: “There have been many allegations and comments made about the new service which are misinformed and incorrect and have contributed to raising fears unnecessarily.”

Claims that doctors were being pressurised into recategorising air ambulance cases were also strongly refuted.

An 18-year-old, who drove while three times over the alcohol limit, was released on bail at Kirkwall Sheriff Court on Monday.

Robert William Kettle, of Bayview, Longhope, pleaded guilty to a series of driving offences in Kirkwall on February 25.

Kettle, a provisional licence holder, drove without a qualified driver, without an insurance policy and with an alcohol reading of 105 microgrammes in 100 millilitres of breath.

Sentence was deferred until March 22.

Orkney MSP Jim Wallace has raised “serious” concerns about the Orkney air ambulance service since the introduction of the EC 135 helicopter – arising from figures outlining air ambulance activity since 1998.

According to Mr Wallace, with the introduction of the helicopter, in 2005 the percentage of flights classed as “emergency” dropped from 27 per cent for 2004 to nine per cent. A drop he feels has more to do with a "recategorisation" of cases than a decrease in incidents.

In a letter to the Health Minister, Mr Wallace wrote: “I have raised concerns that the inability of the helicopter to cope with its increased workload and the weather was causing the SAS air desk to put pressure on doctors to categorise flights as “planned”, rather than as “emergencies”, so that the dispatch of the helicopter could be delayed.

“I believe that these percentages raise very serious questions about the quality of the air ambulance service provided by the helicopter, and demonstrate that Orcadians, particularly in the North Isles, are receiving a second rate service."

The continuing refurbishment of the Pier Arts Centre in Stromness will see and number of road closures in the town over the next few months.

The section of Victoria Street between Church Road and Bank Lane will be closed at various times from February 27 for roughly five weeks.

Diversions and alternative routes will be signed as necessary. The road will not be closed for the full length of the works, which will be carried out in the following phases:

• Phase 1: Access to Nautical College to Pier Head
• Phase 2: Pier Head to Bank Lane
• Phase 3: Bank Lane from Victoria Street to electricity sub-station