The official opening of the Hoy Outdoor Centre after its £600,000 revamp and extension, took place on Saturday.

Delegates from the OIC as well as members of the Hoy Trust attended the ceremony, which was originally scheduled for March. However, bad weather at the time meant the Graemsay was unable to put in to Moaness pier.

John Montgomery outside Kirkwall Sheriff Court

A Belfast man who moved to Stromness was jailed for one year at Kirkwall Sheriff Court on Friday.

John Mongomery, 48, of Hamnavoe, Stromness, was found guilty earlier this year of assaulting two police officers, leading to concerns they had contracted Hepatitis C.

He was also found guilty of a breach of the peace in the Ferry Inn, when he hurled abuse at staff and struck the bar with an extendable baton.

Speaking at the sentencing, Sheriff Desmond Leslie said: “It is clear to me, from the evidence and from you, that you are a person that shows complete disregard for people’s authority.”

He added that the sentence would have been longer had the injuries inflicted on the police officers’ been more serious.

A Faroese vessel with 20 people on board was towed safely into Kirkwall on Friday morning by the Kirkwall lifeboat..

After suffering engine problems, the fishing smack, Johanna, turned pleasure cruiser, had been drifting south of Egilsay when the Orkney Ferries mv Eynhallow went to assist.

After the lifeboat arrived on the scene, a line was put on board the drifting vessel and she was taken under tow.

A Stromness man found in contempt of court while appearing as a witness in a court trial last month, was fined £750 in Kirkwall Sheriff Court on Thursday.

Brian Ratter, 19, of Greenvoe, Hillside Road, was found in contempt when providing evidence during a trial at Kirkwall Sheriff Court in May.

Ratter was locked up for a few hours during the trial of John Montgomery, after Sheriff Graeme Napier found inconsistencies in his evidence.

The OIC’s social services department could face legal action if more staff are not employed at St Rognvald House.

OIC social work director Harry Garland gave the dire warning at Thursday’s meeting of the social services and housing committee.

Reporting on the pressures on services for older people in Orkney, he told members the Care Commission, the watchdog for social services in Scotland, had warned him to get more staff into the care home or face court action.

Mr Garland said the shortage of staff was due to a lack of cash, staff sickness levels and difficulties in recruiting staff.

An Orkney yacht sailed to victory last weekend in Scotland's premier yacht racing event, the Bell Lawrie Scottish Series.

Orkney Sailing Club’s George Ratter and his crew, John Ratter; John Wallace, John Mainland, Bob Farrer, Robbie Bruce, aboard the X332 Exile were among the 191 boats competing in the four-day regatta in Tarbert.

The Exile was the clear winner of CYCA Class 6, taking first or second place out of the seven races sailed.

A spokesman said that with average windspeeds across the four days of racing rarely below 18 knots and regular gusts and squalls to 30 knots it was one of the most memorable Scottish Series regattas for many years.

A grieving family is threatening legal action against Orkney Islands Council after a chain of events they claim lead to the death of a 61-year-old man.

The council has admitted reducing care cover for father-of-two, Bob Pritchett, at times when they were short staffed. On one occasion, a night support worker failed to carry out an agreed night visit and Mr Pritchett was left lying on the floor for hours following a fall.

The next day, he suffered a second fall and was admitted to Balfour Hospital, where he died a month later.

Permission to build a holiday home in Birsay caused parish councillor, Keith Johnson, to speak out on Wednesday.

Members of the OIC planning committee approved Diane Grieve’s plans to build tourist accommodation at Northside – a site outwith approved development areas.

However, because the building will be used for tourists only, it was considered under OIC’s tourist accommodation policy and approval granted.

Highlighting the number of young people being continually refused permission to build property, Councillor Johnson said they were being left confused on occasions such as this.

A former salmon farm at Inganess Bay is to be transformed with the erection of seven holiday cottages.

Councillors at Wednesday’s meeting of the OIC planning committee gave their backing to Currie Brothers plans for the tourism development.

A world first achieved by EMEC, the European Marine Energy Centre, was officially recognised at a ceremony in Stromness on Wednesday afternoon.

EMEC's test facilities gained an international quality benchmark when they were officially ratified by UKAS, the United Kingdom Accreditation Service.

The UKAS accreditation - a world first - means that renewable energy developers can use EMEC's Atlantic test bed off Orkney to secure independent verification of the performance of wave energy converters.

Orcadian scientist, writer, and broadcaster, Howie Firth MBE, has been awarded an honorary degree by The Open University.

Mr Firth was awarded his degree, for his "Notable contribution to the educational or cultural well-being of society in Scotland", at a ceremony in Glasgow.

The founder of the Orkney Science Festival, he is also Patron of the biennial International Festival of Philosophy, Science and Theology in Grafton, New South Wales.

He has a public awareness award from the Institute of Physics for services to the communication of Science in the UK, and in 2004 was awarded the MBE for services to popular science

A 29-year-old man and a 22-year-old woman have been detained by police under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

Following a tip-off, four police officers met the MV Hrossey as it docked at the Hatston Pier on Tuesday night. The pair were stopped and searched as they disembarked.

As a result, a quantity of suspected drugs have been sent to the police forensic laboratory in Aberdeen.

A report is being submitted to the procurator fiscal.

Two Kirkwall men, who committed a “horrendous catalogue of offending” were told they can expect to go to jail when they are sentenced later this month.

Both David Philip Webb, 20, of Otterswick, and Raymond Rosie Wilson, 17, of Warrenfield Drive, appeared from custody at Kirkwall Sheriff Court on Tuesday, where they pleaded guilty to a series of offences involving the taking of four cars on Monday.

The cars were taken from the Kirkwall, Finstown and Stenness areas.

Sheriff Graeme Napier said: “I will explore alternative options to custody, but you could count yourselves very lucky if you didn't receive custodial sentences for this.”

Both men were released on bail and sentence deferred until June 28.

Scottish Communities Minister Malcolm Chisholm has announced record £5.5 million spending for affordable housing in Orkney this year.

The investment through Communities Scotland, the Executive's housing and regeneration agency, will enable 135 new homes to be built for rent or low-cost ownership in Orkney.

Orkney projects which will benefit include the improvement of the water and sewerage infrastructure in Kirkwall and the Citadel housing project in Stromness.

Other new homes in Orkney will come from smaller projects or individual Rural Home Ownership Grant applications -  these are aimed at first-time buyers and on low or modest incomes.

A new book focusing on Orkney's World Heritage Site was launched in Kirkwall on Tuesday evening.

Between the Wind and the Water, by Orkney-based archaeologist Caroline Wickham-Jones, looks closely at Skara Brae, the Ring of Brodgar, the Stones of Stenness and Maeshowe, exploring what how they fit into Orkney's history and their significance today.

Published by Windgather Press, in association with Orkney Museums and Heritage, the book was launched in the St Magnus Centre.

Click here to buy online

Northern Isles MP, Alistair Carmichael, is organising a seminar in Kirkwall next month on the future of local Post Office services.

Mr Carmichael said: “The Chief Executive of the Post Office said recently that he believed the vast majority of Post Offices would have to close over the next few years.  In Orkney and Shetland there are currently 25 Post Offices serving over 40,000 people – closures of the scale being talked about would leave just seven.”

The seminar, which will provide an opportunity to ask questions of representatives from both the Post Office and Postwatch, is open to the public and takes place in Orkney College on June 15 from 6- 8.30pm. 

School pupils from across Orkney descended on the Pickaquoy Centre on Tuesday for the Choices for Life 2006 roadshow.

Organised by the Scottish Drugs Enforcement Agency in partnership with the Scottish Executive and ACPOS (Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland), the event aimed to promote lifestyle choices on issues such as alcohol, drugs and peer pressure.

In attendance were X-Factor hopefuls Pacific Avenue, dance act Scorcher (pictured) as well as the director of the SCDEA, Mr Graham Pearson.

Two Kirkwall brothers were remanded in custody at Kirkwall Sheriff Court on Monday afternoon.

Michael Budge, 18, and Brian Budge,21, of Kirkland’s Road, Kirkwall, were charged with breach of the peace, resisting arrest and "uttering racist remarks" on Saturday.

A delegation from the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain arrived in Orkney on Tuesday for a short tour of the county.

The group of 24 veteran cars and 48 people are in Orkney until June 3, visiting sites such as Skara Brae, Skaill House and Stromness before heading to the East Mainland, Hoy, Burray and South Ronaldsay.

On Saturday, members to the public will be able to get a close look at the cars, which will line up on the Kirk Green in front of St Magnus Cathedral from 4.30 until 6.00pm. 

Orkney Islands Council has released details of islands councillors' Register of Payments for 2005/2006.

The total figure of £425,620 shows an increase of £7,100 or 1.7 per cent over the total payments of £418,520 for 2004/05.

At the top of the list is convener Stephen Hagan with £48,967.86, followed by vice-convener Sinclair Scott on £34,781.67 and Councillor Keith Johnson with £28,005.67. Claiming the least amount was Councillor Alistair Gordon with £12,142.55.

Four Orkney-based artists will have their work showcased at a Welsh exhibition from this weekend.

Supported by VisitOrkney and entitled Artists from Orkney, the display will form one of the main exhibitions at the Llantarnam Grange - Canolfan y Celfyddydau Arts Centre in South Wales and will run until July 22.

Artists from Orkney will feature work from local artists Sam MacDonald, Alan Watson, Kerry Watson and Doug Muir.

Speaking ahead of the exhibition, Sam MacDonald said: “I’ve recently been exhibiting more and more of my work in the Wales and Bath area, and the audiences there do find the Orcadian approach to art very different and exciting. Maybe it’s because of our remoteness and our landscape, but Orkney art is definitely gaining a strong reputation as something that’s quite unique.”

On Monday morning, eight people were being held in police custody, with five of them expected to appear at Kirkwall Sheriff Court.

Meanwhile, two males were arrested at the weekend in relation to an alleged breach of the peace, resisting arrest and a racial incident. In a separate incident, two males were charged with vandalism and breach of the peace in Kirkwall.

A man has been charged with a series of house and boat break-ins in St Margaret's Hope over a period of months.

A four-month expedition to chart climate change is looking for additional crew.

Dave Hammond plans to sail his vessel Zealander, plans to film the effects of climate change and rising sea temperature, including interviews with fishermen and other people who are living in close contact with the sea.

The journey will take Mr Hammond and his crew from his home in Shetland via Westray and Kirkwall onwards to Spain, before the boat calls at Porto, Cascais, both in Portugal, the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Isles, and Casablanca in, in Morocco.

He still has room for one or two crew or visitors and there are no costs involved.