A 16-year-old boy was banned from driving for a year and fined £900 at Kirkwall Sheriff Court on Thursday.

Appearing from custody, Sam Lennie of Penthouse, Front Road, St Margaret’s Hope, admitted driving on the St Margaret’s Hope to Kirkwall road on Wednesday while banned from driving.

Honorary sheriff John Flett told the accused he would be jailed if he drove again while banned.

A team of bomb disposal experts was back in the county on Thursday after a suspected World War Two torpedo was netted by a fishing boat in the early hours of Thursday morning.

The Rebecca M was working in an area of Scapa Flow when the object became caught in her nets.

The suspected ordnance, in Waulkmill Bay, had been buoyed.

The “costly” old string Christmas lighting used in Kirkwall, Stromness and St Margaret’s Hope could be set to disappear.

An OIC spokesman said: “These decorative lights are very expensive to erect and maintain in working condition.”

He added: “The council has a number of options open to it, including the possibility of investing in new festive lighting on a spend to save basis in Stromness and Kirkwall but reducing the coverage of streets.”

A consultation process would be held with community councils, and other representative groups, before any decisions are made.

Kirkwall's Glaitness Primary School is the first in Orkney to achieve ‘green flag’ status after a visit from a senior Eco Schools assessor.

The Eco Schools Programme is part of an international scheme designed to encourage schools to take action for the environment.

To work towards gaining their ‘green flag’, pupils at Glaitness formed groups were then created with different areas of responsibility such as recycling in school, health promotion and raising awareness of road safety.

A wreath laying ceremony in Kirkwall on Wednesday morning marked Anzac Day.

Australia and New Zealand commemorate the Anzac Day holiday on 25 April every year to remember members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who landed at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I.

Problems with a sub-contractor have pushed back the reopening of the Pier Arts Centre to the summer.

The gallery was to reopen in spring but hopes to open its doors in time for Stromness Shopping Week. However, part of the centre will open early next month – as the ticket office for this year’s Orkney Folk Festival.

“A Glasgow based specialist sub-contractor went into liquidation earlier this year and that’s caused some last minute problems for us,” said Neil Firth, centre director.

“Our main contractor, Casey Construction, have more than risen to the challenge and are putting in sterling efforts to ensure this doesn't knock us too far off course.”

NHS Orkney plans to reopen the waiting list for dental registrations by August 2007.

Two thirds of the 1,800 people on the registration waiting list since 2004 have now been given the opportunity to register with a dentist and the remainder will be offered registration within the next six months.

Chief Administrative Dental Officer for NHS Orkney Moya Nelson said: “We are still short of two dentists but recruitment is constrained by current premises provision. Unfortunately, it may be some time before there are enough surgeries for dentists in Orkney to provide a full NHS dental service.”

Orkney’s potential as a premium tourism destination was showcased at VisitScotland Expo, Scotland’s only business to business event for the international travel and tourism industry, in Edinburgh last week.

Representatives from VisitOrkney, and other Orkney businesses, joined exhibitors from across Scotland to highlight the range of products and services available in the county.

Pharmacy company, W.H.B. Sutherland Ltd, is set to buy the premises of draper and home furnishing business, James M. Croy, at 43 Victoria Street.

The move into Croy’s much larger building will enable W.H.B. Sutherland to greatly expand the range of services it provides to the local community.

Both W.H.B. Sutherland’s present Victoria Street building and Focus on Orkney’s premises will be vacated, with all the firm’s services contained in the former Croys building.  

Stromness Academy will welcome a new Head Teacher after the summer.

Hilda Learmonth has been appointed to the post after interviews took place last week.

She is a former pupil of Kirkwall Grammar School and currently works for Orkney Islands Council as a Service Improvement Officer (Pupil Support).

NHS Orkney has confirmed that former Rousay GP, Dr Garry Mearns, has terminated his contract and intends to "pursue his medical career on the mainland of Scotland".

Last week, the General Medical Council (GMC) lifted a suspension imposed on Dr Mearns but applied a number of conditions.

An NHS Orkney statement said that the present temporary arrangement for Rousay, Egilsay and Wyre will continue for the foreseeable future.

Plans for the redevelopment of the old ferry terminal in Stromness have gone on show in Stromness, from 9am to 4pm every weekday.

An open evening will be held at the same venue on Thursday at 7pm, to allow further consultation with the community on the best way ahead for the project.

Public consultation has led to wish list of ideas people would like to see incorporated in the final plans. These are outlined at the exhibition, along with artist’s impressions of a multi-purpose building that could form the centrepiece of the redevelopment and a list of responses which show what people don’t want for the Pierhead.

The winners of this year's Taste of Orkney awards were announced at a gala dinner in the Kirkwall Hotel on Saturday night.

They were:

• Best evening meal - The Sands Hotel, Burray.
• Best lunch/high tea - Appie’s Tearoom, Sandwick.
• Best takeaway - Argo's Bakery..
• Best retailer - E. Flett Butcher, Stromness.
• Best supplier - The Orkney Creamery.

A 17-year-old motorist has been charged with dangerous driving after a road accident on Sunday evening.

The one-vehicle incident occurred on New Scapa Road, at the junction with the Holm Branch Road, around 6.25pm last night.

Police are seeking witnesses to an alleged assault in Kirkwall in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The incident took place on Burnmouth Road at 2.25am and anyone with information is asked to call 872241.

Marwick Bay in Birsay has been voted Orkney's best beach.

The VisitOrkney survey results were announced on Saturday morning at Scapa beach, ahead of the annual Bag the Bruck beach clean-up.

Last year's winner was Waulkmill Bay in Orphir.

Yesnaby became the unconventional site of a new exhibition on Sunday, which runs until April 28.

Orkney based artists Clare Gee, Sheena Graham-George, Rik Hammond and John Shapter are exhibiting some of their recent work, in the old MOD buildings at Yesnaby, which includes work influenced by the site itself.

The title of the exhibition comes from the name ‘Cape White Handkerchief’ – the coastal landmass in Labrador, Canada, almost exactly due west of Yesnaby across the Atlantic.

Pupils from Glaitness Primary School are among those preparing for the 20th Primary Schools’ Cross Country Championships at the weekend.

The primary six and seven pupils from Glaitness P.S. will be competing for gold on a 1,600m track.

Over 1,500 children aged between nine and twelve will gather at Kirkcaldy High School for the ScottishPower-sponsored event on Saturday, 28th April.