A youth representative is being sought to sit in on meetings of the Kirkwall Community Council.

Community councillors are keen to have a young person present as matters discussed often relate to the younger folk of the town.

The local youth council is to be asked whether they are interested in sending a representative.

The OIC has commissioned and donated an Orkney chair for the main public space in the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh’s Royal Mile.

The chair will stand beside the George Mackay Brown memorial window honouring the Stromness poet and storyteller who was founding patron of the centre.

The chair will be created by Orcadian craftsman Robert H. Towers and will follow the traditional design.

Police in Kirkwall apprehended a 52-year-old man on Friday morning for alleged drink driving.

A report is to be submitted to the procurator fiscal.

The largest international shipping conference to be held in Scotland ended in Orkney on Saturday.

More than 100 delegates arrived in the county on Thursday for the "Motorways of the Sea" event.

Organiser, Dr Alf Baird of Napier University, said: “Bringing the international shipping community and policy makers together in Orkney can only assist OIC and HIE Orkney in their objective to develop a major international container port at Scapa Flow.”

Depute Finance Minister George Lyon MSP, Jim Wallace MSP and Graham Robertson of the Local Government Finance branch met with OIC representatives on Friday to discuss a range of issues.

They visited the Smiddybrae care centre in Dounby and met with the council’s election team as well as discussing financial issues.

Members of the OIC's development committee have approved £40,000 worth of grants for a number of archaeological projects hoping to take place this year.

For the first time in recent years, the money for work in the isles exceeded that recommended for Mainland projects.

Highlands and Islands MSP Jamie McGrigor has warned that Thursday’s £10 increase in domestic flight tax, could hit tourism in northern Scotland.

Speaking at Ministers’ Question Time, he said: ”As well as being an extra burden on those who live within the Highlands and Islands, it’s my concern that, on top of already sky high prices to fly within the region, this extra tax will be a real disincentive to all those who might be considering visiting some of the remoter parts of Scotland – many of which are so reliant on tourism.

An Eday “resident” has been ordered to hand over £154,550 – or face 12 months imprisonment.

Maureen McHugh was involved in a £3.5 million debt collection fraud with her husband David, and narrowly avoided a jail sentence in 2003.

After a two day Proceeds of Crime confiscation hearing at Liverpool Crown Court, Judge David Swift ruled that 58-year-old Maureen McHugh had benefited by £375,000 and has realisable assets of £154,550. David McHugh, 49, had benefited by £4,748,000 - but only has realisable assets of £40,192.

They must hand over the cash within six months – by selling assets such as their Eday property, South Park, or face a custodial sentence.

Archive story: English police travel to Eday to arrest recent arrivals

Councillors backed a decision to move ahead with three school upgrade projects.

Director of education, Leslie Manson, told Wednesday’s meeting of the OIC education committee that preparing business cases for upgrades, or replacement, of Kirkwall Grammar School, Papdale Halls of Residence and Stromness Primary can no longer be broached with the “softly, softly” approach.

He explained the £50 million promised by Scottish Executive will be reduced by £250,000 every month the projects are delayed within the timetable.

Councillors agreed to recommend that they should declare the buildings “not fit for purpose” so the projects can move ahead.

Pierowall Junior High School is to change its name to Westray Junior High School.

Councillors at the OIC education committee on Wednesday agreed that the name should be changed after they were told that a survey on the island showed that 69.2 per cent of staff, pupils and parents were in favour of changing the name.

Teachers and organisations supporting Orkney’s schools attended a training session on the Risk Watch safety programme in Kirkwall on Wednesday.

Introduced to the county last year, the programme is a school-based safety education programme to develop the risk assessment skills of children aged 3 to 14 years.

The Orcadian has learned of a phone scam currently targeting entries on our online business directory.

A man has been contacting advertisers, claiming to be from The Orcadian, informing them of a planned paperback version of the Online Business directory.

One advertiser was told the cost was £190, payable in advance, but the caller hung up upon being questioned further.

Scapa Flow is to become the venue for the next generation of ship-to-ship transfers.

Councillors at Tuesday's meeting of the OIC transportation committee recommended that a trial ship-to-ship transfer of liquid natural gas (LNG) in the Flow take place in February.

Suggested amendments to the Kirkwall traffic management proposals have been deferred until March, to allow Kirkwall Community Council comments to be studied.

The matter was due to be discussed at Tuesday's meeting of the OIC’s transportation committee.

The Harray Young Farmers Club speechmaking team have won first place in the North Region Senior Speechmaking Elimination competition.

The team, chairman Christina Copland, speaker Emma Grieve and Vote of Thanks, Leona Coghill, pictured right, competed against three other teams from the region.

Harray’s winning topic was “Human Rights are sacrificed when you break the law”. They go on to compete in the national finals on March 25.

Christina Copland was also presented with the trophy for Best Member Under 21 years for the second year in succession.

Radio-activity from “man made” particles around Orkney are no cause for concern, according to a report before islands councillors today.

As part of a three-yearly survey, commissioned by the OIC, the particles found around Orkney's coasts were “not expected to be hazardous to the public”.

The report suggests the particles were probably due to emissions from the Chernobyl accident, the Sellafield and Dounreay nuclear power plans and atmospheric weapons’ testing in the 1950s.

Councillors have agreed a three per cent rise in Council Tax bills.

A special meeting of Orkney Islands Council’s policy and resources committee on Monday afternoon discussed the authority’s budget and council tax levels for the next 12 months.

The increase will see the Band D Council Tax rise from £1,007 to £1,037.

A minute's silence was observed in the council chamber on Monday afternoon, in memory of former councillor Sandy Annal, who died at the weekend.

Mr Annal, 99, from Myre, South Ronaldsay, joined the county council in 1969 and subsequently became a member of the first Orkney Islands Council in 1974, where he remained until 1982.

Orkney Islands Council is to receive an additional £300,000 from the Private Sector Housing Grant, Communities Minister Rhona Brankin announced on Monday.

Loganair is to introduce twice-weekly flights between Orkney and Fair Isle this summer.

From May 25 until October 7, passengers can fly from Kirkwall to Fair Isle, via North Ronaldsay, on Thursday and Sundays.

Jim Cameron, chief executive of Loganair, said: “We believe the link between the two bird-watching centres of Fair Isle and North Ronaldsay will encourage eco-tourism to the islands as well as improving links between Fair Isle and Orkney.”

Jewellery firm Ola Gorie has confirmed 16 staff are to be made redundant.

In a statement on Friday, managing director, Duncan Maclean said: "With regret, and after talking over all possible alternatives, we have concluded that we must close down our Kirkwall workshop. Accordingly, people in 13 full-time and three part-time jobs have now had their redundancies confirmed."

He added: "We are currently in negotiation with a trusted colleague, who we hope will be supplying us with continuing locally-made stock of Ola Gorie jewellery to sell exclusively in The Longship and through our website and mail-order catalogue."

Skipper Davie Irvine on the deck of the Otter Bank

Efforts to return one of Orkney’s best-known boats - the Otter Bank - to the county have had a significant funding success.

The National Fund for Acquisitions has agreed to grant the OIC £10,000 towards the cost of bringing the old ‘bank boat’ home.

Along with money already raised by the Friends of the Orkney Boat Museum, this sees that over half the estimated cost of acquiring and refurbishing the vessel has been reached. A bid has been put forward to the Heritage Lottery Fund to cover the remaining costs.

The Otter Bank was operated as a mobile bank travelling to the North isles in the 1960s.

Alistair Carmichael has received an award at the annual Road Safety Parliamentarian of the Year Awards in Westminster.

The Northern Isles MP received the National Campaigner award for his work to promote effective road safety measures through the Government’s Road Safety Act.

The Register of Electors for Orkney is republished this week week.

Those eligible to vote should check the register - to ensure their names are included and to see in which new electoral ward they are entitled to vote.

These are: Kirkwall East (4 councillors to be elected); Kirkwall West & Orphir (4 councillors); Stromness & South Isles (3 councillors); West Mainland (4 councillors); East Mainland, Burray & South Ronaldsay (3 councillors); North Isles (3 councillors).