Scaffolding which has recently encased the facade of the Pier Arts Centre, Stromness, has been removed, revealing some of the structure behind the centre's new entrance.

While there is still considerable work to be done on the centre, a clear indication of how the street front will eventually look, after the £4.5 million redevelopment, can now be seen.

Neil Firth, director of the Pier Arts Centre, said: “We are very pleased with the progress and I am looking forward to reopening the centre next winter.”

The Tourism Industry Group have requested financial assistance towards a tourism seminar/workshop.

Committee members at OIC’s development meeting on Thursday agreed that a fifty per cent grant should be provided, for the seminar and workshop, taking place on February 15.

The total cost of the seminar will be £10,000, the other half of which will be funded by Orkney Enterprise.

Centenarian Stewart Gray cuts a special cake to celebrate his birthday. (Picture: Nic Crocker)

Almost the entire population of Papa Westray turned out for a birthday boy who was 100-years-old on Thursday.

Stewart Gray, of Bilboa, was flown home from the care home, Kalisgarth, in Westray where he is receiving respite care, on the morning’s flight, and a huge bash was laid on for him in the school hall, along with a tour of the island, before his return flight to Westray in the afternoon.

Mr Gray has spent his whole life on Papay, where he worked as a crofter and fisherman.

Members of the OIC development committee heard on Thursday that a new Orkney Economic Review is to be published, after a gap of four years.

Convener, Councillor Steven Hagan said: “The information will be of interest to everybody in Orkney, and the fact that it is the first time it has been done in four years will make it even more interesting.”

The findings of the review, which is to be published by The Orcadian, will be presented to the council as part of a proposed economic development seminar to take place in the coming months.

A seal pup which got caught in tar on the uninhabited island of Copinsay is doing well after being rescued.

Ross Flett of Orkney Seal Rescue went to the island on Monday after the pup was heard crying by a farmer who had been there the previous day.

Ross collected the seal and took her to his sanctuary in South Ronaldsay where he has been feeding the animal and trying to remove the tar, which, he says, covers her whole body, and and he rates her chances of survival as good.

Two 17-year-old youths charged with the attempted murder of Orkney teenager Ross Foubister, have been released on bail.

Amar Khadka, of Inganess Road, Kirkwall, and Graham Budge, of Annfield Crescent, Kirkwall, appeared in private at Kirkwall Sheriff Court, on Thursday morning, before Sheriff Desmond Leslie, in connection with the alleged attack on Pickaquoy Road, in Kirkwall, on Monday, January 23.

The youths made no plea or declaration, were fully committed and released on bail, with a special condition attached that they do not approach the complainer.

An incident packed January resulted in a record number of people logging on to The Orcadian website.

Statistics for the first month of the year showed that more the 44,000 visitors to the site viewed 207,000 pages.

That equated to 1,420 people a day using the site to keep up-to-date with all that was going on in the county.

To see the January site statistics in full, click here.

Three former school houses in Orkney are expected to sell for “well in excess” of the asking price.

Head of corporate property, Alan Moar, told members of the OIC education committee: “I am pleased to report that we had quite a comprehensive number of offers on each of those properties. I envisage that, in all cases, they will lead to a successful sale. In all cases the offers will be well in excess of the asking price.”

Education director, Leslie Manson, pointed out that the money from the sales would not filter into the education budget, but would be seen as corporate cash.

A staggering £16,000 has been raised in just two years by fundraisers in Stromness, in memory of a young woman who died of cancer.

Ingrid Rosie was only 25 when she died on November 29, 2003, after a 12-month battle against breast cancer.

Organisers Marc Boal and Adrian Harray are delighted with the total. Adrian said: “We have raised £10,225 since 2005 and with the previous year’s figure it comes to more than £16,000 in two years.”

Plans are in hand for another Pink Weekend fundraiser in April.

The price of school meals in Orkney is set to rise by ten pence in primary and secondary schools to £1.30 and £1.40 respectively.

Councillors at the OIC education committee meeting on Wednesday recommended that the price of a meal for adults be raised to £2.70 - a 20 pence increase. It was highlighted that Orkney has the second highest uptake of meals in primary schools and the fifth highest uptake in secondary schools in Scotland.

The increase will generate about £40,000 additional income for the School Meals Service.

Two hotels changed hands in Orkney on Wednesday.

Malcolm Stout and his partner, Lorna Reid, have sold the four-star Cleaton House Hotel on Westray, and have purchased the Lynnfield Hotel in Kirkwall, from George and Christine Currie.

Malcolm has passed on the reins of Cleaton House to Tony and Lynne Thorpe, who have moved to the county from Perth.

There could be an end to the taste and smell of chlorine in some supplies of water in Orkney - with the introduction of a new treatment system across the county.

However, there are two groups who need to take special care - kidney dialysis patients and fish and other aquatic species owners.

Scottish Water has moved to a process called chloramination, which has been widely used for many years throughout the UK. Affected areas include Burray, Deerness, Evie, Finstown, Grimbister, Hatston, Holm, Kirkwall, Orphir, Rendall, St Margaret’s Hope, St Ola, Stenness, Stromness and Tankerness.

A better bus service between Kirkwall and Stromness is to be put in place.

A grant awarded by the Scottish Executive of £162,000 over the next two years, means there will now be an hourly service.

Councillor Jim Sinclair, at the OIC transportation and infrastructure committee meeting, on Tuesday, said: “At long last we will have a bus service people can actually use. It will be an extremely useful service.”

Loganair is set to improve flights in and out of Kirkwall.

Councillor Bob Sclater, chairman of the OIC transportation and infrastructure committee made the announcement that from May 1, the airline operator will increase return flights from Kirkwall to Aberdeen to four times a day and that direct flights to Edinburgh was a possibility.

Plans for a tunnel to Shapinsay were branded as a “dead duck” by one councillor. Commenting on the consultants' report into the feasibility of putting a tunnel in place from the Mainland to Shapinsay, Councillor Ian MacDonald said the whole plan was “lunacy” and a “dead duck.”

The main proposal by Donaldson Associates, geophysical experts, is to build a tunnel from the Mainland, to the island of Helliar Holm, and onto Shapinsay by marine causeway.

Councillors at Tuesday's OIC transportation and infrastructure committee meeting agreed to invite the consultant to give a detailed presentation on the report.

The ban on harvesting king scallops in Orkney waters because of high concentrations of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) has been lifted.

The Food Standards Agency have announced that the ban imposed, restricting the harvesting of King scallops from the inner part of box 018 in Scapa Flow has been revoked from Monday afternoon.

Restricted waiting times and specially marked car park spaces will be introduced in West Tankerness Lane and Great Western Road.

Councillors at the OIC transportation and Infrastructure committee meeting agreed to making the order at their meeting on Tuesday.

Councillor Ian MacDonald said the order was “either half baked or overkill” because “blocking off the whole of Great Western Road was unnecessary.”

About half the community councils in Orkney have called for the retention of the current Orkney flag design - a red cross on a yellow background.

Kirkwall Community councillors had asked fellow community councils for their views after it was claimed by Scotland’s heraldic authority, the Lord Lyon King of Arms, that Orkney’s “unofficial” flag could not be sanctioned.

To date community council members in Shapinsay, Orphir and Scapa, Stronsay, North Ronaldsay, Evie and Rendall, have replied giving their support for the existing flag.

The running costs of low-level lighting at the new skatepark in Kirkwall will not come out of the Kirkwall Community Council's budget.

A decision came down to a vote, after member Mhairi Trickett expressed concern that they would be “opening a can of worms” if they began helping out the OIC with the revenue costs of projects. “Will they ask us next to light the Pickaquoy Centre - this could go on and on an on,” she said.

Members voted five to four in favour of refusing a request for a contribution towards the costs, estimated at £300-£500 a year.

Kirkwall Community councillors have pledged their support for campaigners behind a proposed new care home for the linked South Isles.

While OIC has given its backing to a facility, officials have been unable to identify revenue funding.

Members at last night’s meeting agreed to write a letter to Orkney MSP, Jim Wallace, giving their backing to a community group set up to try and facilitate such a facility.

The scene on the Holm Road on Sunday.

The Holm Road, near St Mary's, had to be closed for a time on Sunday afternoon after a pick-up truck went on fire.

The Skoda was destroyed by the blaze, although no one was hurt in the incident at 3pm.

One appliance from the Kirkwall Fire Station attended and extinguished the fire, during which time the road was closed for the safety of other motorists.

Another seven vehicles have fallen victim to vandals in the Buttquoy area of Kirkwall - only four weeks after some were first damaged.

Kirkwall Sergeant Jim Pryde said the vehicles were scratched – similarly to an incident at the end of December when 16 cars were damaged - between Thursday and Sunday.

“Some of the cars were damaged for the second time. If anyone has any information could they please get in touch with the police on 872241.”

Kirkwall’s Skerryvore GP practice is the first on if its kind in Orkney - and one of only 68 in Scotland - to achieve the Quality Practice award.

This is a voluntary process undertaken by surgeries, which recognises high standards of quality patient care delivered by every member of the practice team. Areas explored included patient care, access to services, team working and continuing education for team members.

The practice was especially praised for the standard of evidence submitted, their staff inductions, practice website and for their team morale and cohesion.

A last gasp try robbed Orkney's First XV of a share of the points in a fiercely contested match against league leaders Strathmore.

Tries in the first ten minutes from Andrew Cromarty and Al Watson gave Orkney a 10-0 lead, but a converted try and penalty brought the visitors level by half time.

There was little to choose between the sides in the second half, and the only score came in the last minute, when the Strathmore's number eight, John Westwood, charged down an attempted clearance by John Dearness to score. The conversion was successful and the referee blew for time shortly after. The final score was 10-17 in Strathmore's favour.