Police are seeking information about a series of recent incidents.

A white Vauxhall car had its windows smashed while parked off-road in Wellington Street, Kirkwall, between the evening of April 11and April 12. While a tow bar and braking system were removed from an Ifor Williams horsebox while it was parked and unattended at Innertown, Stromness, between March 22 and 23.

On Monday, April 9, in Kirkwall, a white transit delivery truck was damaged whilst the driver was making deliveries.

Anyone with any information on any of the above is asked to call Kirkwall Police Station on 01856 872241.

A one-off screening of the renowned Al Gore documentary An Inconvenient Truth, arranged by the Energy Efficiency Advice Centre in Kirkwall, was shown at the New Phoenix Cinema on Friday night.

The showing was followed by a discussion among the audience which the centre hoped would give them an idea on how Orkney can focus on improving its carbon emissions.

Deputy chief executive of the OIC, Elaine Grieve, also signed Scotland's Climate Change declaration in support of a national programme to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Orkney firm Andrew H. Wilson has joined forces with housebuilders Tulloch Ltd to form a new company.

Scottish Sustainable Homes will build modular houses using a factory on the mainland, possibly at Brora.

David Sutherland, of Tulloch Ltd, and Terry O'Hara, of Andrew H. Wilson, said they hoped to have a significant impact on both the social and private housing markets in the UK, with the technology, expertise and manufacturing being retained in the Highlands and Islands.

The Orcadian Ltd has announced plans for a major £500,000 investment programme to expand its commercial printing services, creating five new jobs.

The development entails the installation of a new, bigger colour printing press at the company's print centre at Hatston.

The proposed project has been backed financially by both HIE Orkney (formerly Orkney Enterprise) and Orkney Islands Council, with HIE providing a grant of up to £98,000 and the islands council offering a grant/loan package of up to £20,200.

As expected, at the close of nominations on Wednesday, five candidates were announced as standing for election as the member to serve in the Scottish Parliament for the Orkney Islands Constituency.

The five candidates are:

• Helen Gardiner, Scottish Conservative and Unionist.
• Barrie Johnson, Independent.
• Iain MacDonald, Scottish Labour Party Candidate.
• Liam Scott McArthur, Scottish Liberal Democrats.
• John Mowat, Scottish National Party (SNP).

The Scottish Parliament elections, which will also include the election of seven Regional Members of the Scottish Parliament, will be held on Thursday, May 3, and will be combined with the Orkney Islands Council elections.

Almost half the current members of Orkney Islands Council - including vice-convener Sinclair Scott and social work chairman Keith Johnson - have decided not to stand for re-election on May 3.

The deadline for candidates to register for the election ran out at 4pm on Wednesday.

In all, nine current members have stood down. They are: Jim Sinclair, Cyril Annal, Bryan Taylor, Angus Hutchison, Keith Johnson, Ann Sutherland, John Hamilton, Sinclair Scott and Bob Sclater.

Click here for the full list of candidates standing for election to Orkney Islands Council on May 3.

Kirkwall police are seeking information after damage was caused in Tankerness House gardens in Kirkwall, overnight on Tuesday/Wednesday.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Kirkwall Police Station, on 872241.

North Isles and inner North Isles farmers face an increase in ferry fares starting from Thursday, after the OIC inter-isles transport sub-committee on Wednesday, agreed that the fare system should be changed to help hauliers.

Under the old system, farmers paid the price of a car for their tractor and were charged per metre for their trailer, but hauliers were charged per metre for their vehicles, but the meeting decided that tractors and hauliers will both now be subject to tarrifs based on length

The changes in tariffs take place with immediate effect, although anyone who has already bought a book of tickets will have them honoured.

Women's Aid Orkney has been granted £30,000 towards employing a support worker.

The charity is the only one in Orkney to receive money in the latest round of awards from the Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland. Almost £1 million has been distributed to organisations across Scotland, including just under £250,000 for groups working with children and young people affected by drug and alcohol misuse.

Just under £150,000 went to charities working across Scotland, including Cruse Bereavement Care and Dogs for the Disabled.

Bus users in Orkney have received a boost with the award of grant funding for new accessible buses.

Bus operator Orkney Coaches has received funding from HITRANS, the Highlands and Islands regional transport partnership, to help them buy two, new, low-floored buses.

The new buses will operate on the Kirkwall town service and the Kirkwall to Stromness route.

Charlie King, HITRANS Chairman, said: “By 2015 all buses must be accessible by law. This funding helps kick-start the process for bus operators, enabling them to buy new buses more quickly."

Flotta-based Opus Plus Ltd, which provides a range of services to the offshore oil and gas industries, has announced a major investment which will allow the business to expand its operations and take on more skilled staff.

An investment programme costing £280,000 will result in a comprehensive upgrade and expansion of the facilities at Flotta. The firm currently has a 17-strong workforce and now plans to take on four more staff.

HIE Orkney, the local enterprise company, is providing funding worth £70,000 for the project.

Orkney’s potential as an outdoor activities destination was recently showcased at the three-day Ordnance Survey Outdoors Show at Birmingham’s NEC, Europe’s biggest outdoors consumer show.

The event, which attracted more than 40,000 outdoor enthusiasts, was attended by VisitOrkney who were there to promote what the county has to offer the outdoor-loving visitor.

Carly Simpson, Marketing Executive for VisitOrkney, said: “As the biggest meeting place in Europe for the outdoors industry and its consumers, the Outdoor Show is a key event in the calendar for VisitOrkney, with the great majority of visitors falling directly into our target market." 

Despite a wet and windy weekend, sea cadets from all over the North of Scotland enjoyed a Highland district regatta, in Orkney, at the weekend.

Orkney Sea Cadets hosted the weekend which saw young people from Thurso, Wick, Moray and Inverness visiting for training and sailing all weekend at Scapa.

Chief Petty Officer, Lewis Dunnett, said: "The kids are really enjoying their time here, despite the weather."

Police are looking for information after a vehicle was stolen from a shed at Stromness golf course and then driven around the greens damaging them, and the vehicle, in the early hours of Friday morning.

Police are following a positive line of inquiry but anyone with information is asked to call Kirkwall Police Station on 872241.

Also in Stromness, a male was arrested for alleged drink-drive offences in the early hours of April 6. A report is being sent to the procurator fiscal.

Kirkwall police are seeking information about unlocked cars, after doors were left open on April 7, at 5am, in Hordaland and Earl Thorfinn Street. Youths were seen in the cars and police would like help in identifying them.

Police are also looking for information about a bicycle which was removed from the back garden of 35 Kirklands Road, Kirkwall, between 4pm on March 30, and 9am on Sunday, April 1, and about an incident which happened between 12am and 12.30am, on April 7, at 10 Buttquoy Park, Kirkwall, when a garden spade was used to smash a window.

Anyone with information on any of the above is asked to call Kirkwall Police Station on 872241.

Skara Brae has been named as one of the contenders for Britain’s Best – a new television series searching for the nation’s favourite historic site, which began on Monday.

The prehistoric village is one of 25 sites across the country chosen to kick off a major event aiming at encouraging the public to get involved and visit heritage sites in their area.

An event being held this week, will challenge the stereotype of fast food being laden with unhealthy additives, fats sugars and salt, and show that it is possible to prepare healthy and fresh fast food locally.

Local food producers, suppliers and retailers will meet at Orkney College, on Friday morning, to hear about some of the good practice already happening locally, and to discuss some of the challenges faced by local businesses in providing healthy fast food.   

The event is being organised on behalf of Orkney’s Community Planning Partners by representatives from Orkney Islands Council, the Orkney branch of the SNFU, Orkney College and NHS Orkney. 

Carol Richardson has been appointed as Orkney's NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) Strategy co-ordinator, and will help produce a directory of services, arrange partnership training, identify vulnerable young people and build links between services.

The development the strategy continued recently, when representatives from organisations across Orkney met to discuss how to identify young people who have become disengaged or excluded from education, work, or training.

This NEET Forum, which included representatives from Orkney Islands Council, the voluntary sector, enterprise agencies, NHS Orkney, training providers and support agencies also discussed how vulnerable young people can be supported in the community.