Orkney’s young and old gathered together in solidarity on Sunday, to remember those who gave their lives in the two World Wars and later conflicts.

As usual, Remembrance Day parades and services took place in Kirkwall, Stromness and across the county.

In Kirkwall, the Remembrance Day parade mustered at the Royal British Legion before making its way to Broad Street for the wreath laying ceremonies and the service in St Magnus Cathedral.

Two members of the Kirkwall City Pipe band celebrated their 50th anniversary of their joining on Sunday.

Together Arnold Calder and Brian Findlay have played for a century for the band - a staggering 50 years each committed to the “family”.

Somewhat appropriately, a presentation was held following the Remembrance Day parade on Sunday - a parade both pipers take great pride in being part of.

The 2007 Orkney Homecoming – an event which will see hundreds of North Americans descend on the county to discover their ancestral roots - is having its numbers boosted by passengers from a Canadian cruise ship.

Tour operator Adventure Canada has offered all its travellers the opportunity to join in the Homecoming.

A spokesman said: “Alongside the Homecoming, we have also planned an itinerary which will take in the magnificent Ring of Brodgar and Maeshowe, as well as revealing further Canadian connections by exploring the life of Arctic explorer Dr John Rae. 

Orkney’s sporting Oscars were handed out on Friday night, and it was double delight for Doris Leonard and Karen Wood.

Both picked up two awards, Doris for veteran sportswoman and senior sportsperson of the year, Karen for junior female sportsperson and junior sportsperson.

There were two awards for Orkney Pony Club – the team prize and Sarah Reid, who was judged best coach.

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Businesses in the Orkney are being warned to be on the lookout for a telephone scam currently targeting the county.

The scammers telephone a local business claiming they have seen their advert in The Orcadian. They then ask the business whether they would be interested in paying for advertising in a journal published on behalf of the emergency services.

A 57-year-old man was arrested in the Papdale area of Kirkwall, just after 7pm on Thursday night.

Two books with a definite Orkney flavour have been shortlisted for this year’s Saltire Society Scottish Literary Awards.

Orcadian author Alison Miller, who now lives in Glasgow, has been selected for her book Demo. In the same category, Scottish First Book of the Year, is Maggie Fergusson’s biography of George Mackay Brown , George Mackay Brown: The Life.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Edinburgh on November 30.

Meanwhile, Preferred Lies, by Stromness-based author, Andrew Greig, is shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year.

Previous winners of the £15,000 award, which will be announced on November 27, include Seabiscuit and Lance Armstrong's It's not about the bike.

NorthLink is considering installing extra cabins on its ferries covering the Aberdeen/Orkney/Shetland route.

It is hoped the additions would alleviate the shortage of berths on the vessels at peak times.

Orkney will have a unified presence at the All Energy conference in Aberdeen next year.

Last year the exhibition saw 2,800 people visiting with 220 exhibitors, including six Orkney companies and agencies.

The OIC’s development committee has agreed to support a plan to extend the Initiative at the Edge scheme that currently includes North Ronaldsay, Sanday, Stronsay and Eday.

Councillors agreed on Thursday that £13,018 be made available from the Strategic Reserve Fund to extend the designation until December 31, 2008.

A 22-year-old student from Kirkwall has won joint second prize in the UK and Ireland Trinity House National Safety at Sea Awareness competition.

Lorna Petrie, who started training as a deck officer at Glasgow College of Nautical Studies in September, 2005, proposed an inflatable cot made up of two self-inflating chambers with additional buoyancy chambers at the top to ensure the raft would right itself if it overturned.

Her prize-winning idea came about because she felt there was a lack of lifejackets for babies and very small children.

The OIC looks set to carry out an in-depth study into migrant and immigrant workers in Orkney.

Councillors at Thursday’s meeting of the development committee agreed to allocate a maximum of £1,500 from the reserve fund for the first phase of the study, which will look at the attitudes, opinions and experiences of local employers.

A documentary film by a Russian TV producer was premiered in the New Phoenix Cinema, Kirkwall, on Thursday night.

Who Am I follows TV producer Alexander Korobko's journey after DNA research revealed he had Orcadian ancestry.

Orkney schools look set to return to a seven week summer holiday and a shorter October break.

A week-long survey of the sunken German High Seas Fleet in Scapa Flow has produced the most detailed 3D images of the wrecks available to date. 

The latest, high-resolution multibeam sonar was used to record the wrecks and the surrounding seabed. This allowed the production of 3D images, which will now be compared to similar maps compiled in 2001.

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Council officials are to investigate using wind turbines and ground source heat pumps in an attempt to alleviate the escalating fuel costs in Orkney’s schools.

Islands councillors have agreed to write to the Scottish Executive, keen to know the position regarding their cash bid for a new Kirkwall Grammar School.

Members of the OIC’s education committee discussed a perceived lack of response from the Executive.

Orkney MSP Jim Wallace made another call for an air ambulance to be based in Orkney in the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday.

Mr Wallace tabled a motion asking that the Scottish Ambulance Service be instructed to base an aircraft in Orkney urgently.

This followed reports – dismissed by the SAS – that there were restrictions being placed on the number of missions flown by the Inverness-based helicopter.

This, says Mr Wallace, is the result of the reduction of air ambulance aircraft in Scotland, in particular the loss of the Orkney air ambulance, which has left the Inverness aircraft covering a much-enlarged area.

The head teacher and staff at Orkney’s largest primary school are to be formally commended by the OIC’s education committee following an “excellent” inspectors’ report.

Risk Watch, a child accident and injury prevention programme, has been introduced in Orkney.

Cathie Way, from the Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service, was in the county last week to introduce the programme to school representatives.

The installation of a temporary bridge over the Millburn in Hoy was completed on Wednesday, and the road reopened from 3pm.

The original bridge over the burn was badly damaged in the recent floods, leaving north Hoy cut off from the rest of the island.

Barry Jones' photograph (right) shows the bridge being lowered into position on Monday afternoon.

Just over £27,000 worth of grants were approved by Orkney Enterprise in October.

Among the £27,288 worth of grants were £6,000 to the Orkney Fishermen’s Society for the acquisition of additional water supply and storage equipment and £2,020 to the Orkney Seaweed Company Ltd to allow attendance at an exhibition in January 2007.

The OIC was awarded £4,816 of Community Economic Development Funding to go towards the George Mackay Brown writing fellowship.

Wednesday's planned strike by Orkney Coaches' drivers over pay was suspended.

According to T&G union rep Tommy Campbell, talks through Acas have led to a meeting with Rapsons management the following Monday.

He said: "The revised offer, and any  outcome of the further negotiations, will be subject of a ballot amongst the union members which will determine whether the other strikes planned go ahead or not. "

A Stromness man was remanded in custody at Kirkwall Sheriff Court on Tuesday afternoon.

Allan Stanger, 36, of Pumpwell Park, admitted breaching bail conditions previously set by the court by repeatedly telephoning his estranged wife.

Islands councillors have agreed to employing an additional crew for the south and inner isles ferries.

Orkney Ferries had asked for the five extra Mainland-based crew in an effort to increase the level of ferry service to the islands. If approved, the new crew will allow additional sailings to the south isles during the summer, and Sunday services to the south isles and Rousay, Egilsay and Wyre in the winter.

Members of the OIC's transportation committee agreed to recommend that the extra crew be employed - at a cost not exceeding £156,000 per annum - subject to funding being sourced.

The Kirkwall lifeboat was launched on Monday after signals from a distress beacon were picked up to the north west of Westray.

The lifeboat, with five volunteer crew, launched just after noon but were asked, en route, by the Coastguard to stand down and return to base as the source of the signal had been traced.

The satellite originally picked up the signal some 20 miles west north west of Westray’s Noup Head. A second pass, however, received a more accurate signal which traced the beacon to a fishing vessel tied up in Scalloway, Shetland.

From December 1, motorists will have to pay to use the car park outside the Stromness ferry terminal.

Councillors on the OIC’s transportation committee agreed to adopt the pay-and-display policy at the car park

Eleven islands councillors have filled in the form regarding the one-off severance payment offered by the Scottish Executive.

All councillors eligible for a severance payment were advised to complete the form. They can still change their intention and stand for election as normal, but completing the form means they are eligible for a severance payment if they decide not to.

Anyone wishing to stand at the 2007 local government elections must be nominated no later than the sixteenth working day before the date of the poll.

A report is to be submitted to the procurator fiscal after a man was allegedly found to be in possession of a number of screwdrivers in the early hours of Saturday morning.

A bomb disposal team travelled to the county at the weekend and carried out a controlled explosion of suspected ordnance.

Two men were arrested for allegedly fighting with others and thereafter struggling with police officers in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The 18-year-old and 21-year-old men were picked up by police at 2.30am on Junction Road in Kirkwall.

A report is to be submitted to the procurator fiscal.