| Harry Potter fever grips Orkney |
| |
 Ten years, six books and several thousand pages later the waiting is over.
At one minute past midnight this Saturday, the seventh and final Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was launched worldwide.
In Kirkwall, hundreds turned out after The Orcadian Bookshop opened at the witching hour to allow Orcadian readers to get their hands on the eagerly awaited book. |
| Sichel tackles Austrian 24-hour event |
| |
Ultra-distance athlete, William Sichel, is in the Steiermark region of south-west Austria this weekend for the Austrian 24-hour championships.
The event has attracted a strong field of over 170 entries in the men’s event, with over 20 nationalities being represented. This extreme endurance event is being run on a 1.4-mile road circuit around the town of Worschach and forms part of the town's Festival of Running.
In order to allow more people to be involved, William has arranged for his website - www.williamsichel.co.uk - to be updated regularly during the event. |
| Award for Orcadian crime author |
| |
Orcadian writer Allan Guthrie has been awarded The Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2007, for his novel, Two-Way Split.
The award was announced last night at the opening of Harrogate Crime Writing Festival.
Allan, who now lives just outside Edinburgh in Portobello, has won with his first novel, published in paperback earlier this year. |
| Maggie J launched in Stromness |
| |
 The latest addition to the Orkney fleet was launched in Stromness on Thursday.
Owned by Robbie Hutchison of Westray, the Gemini Catamaran, Maggie J, was fitted out at Ian Richardson’s boatyard in Stromness.
The vessel will be used to fish prawns and scallops, working out of Orkney and Shetland. |
| Appeal for witnesses after road accident |
| |
Police are appealing for witnesses after a road accident in Firth on Wednesday night saw four people taken to hospital.
The incident occurred around 8.35pm, when a silver Citroen Saxo car left the road on the Old Finstown Road, near Zion’s Loan, Firth. The vehicle rolled, before coming to rest on its roof. According to police all four occupants were taken to Balfour Hospital, where three were treated for cuts and bruises and the fourth for a broken collarbone.
Inquiries into the cause of the accident are ongoing and police would like to hear from any witnesses on 872241. |
| Police inquiries ongoing after body found on Calf of Flotta |
| |
Police inquiries are ongoing after human remains were found on the Calf of Flotta on Wednesday night.
A police spokesman said that the family of missing Stromness man Alex Moar have been informed of the inquiry.
Mr Moar has been missing since June 16, following the discovery of his capsized boat in Hoy Sound. |
| Airport industrial action looks certain |
| |
Industrial action looks set to disrupt Kirkwall Airport after talks between Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd and the Unite union on Wednesday failed.
Unite members voted for industrial action over the HIAL’s 2006/07 pay award. They will now stage 24 hours of industrial action on Monday, July 30, and every subsequent Monday until resolution.
Inglis Lyon, managing director of HIAL said: “We now face the prospect of Unite members effectively closing down the region’s air network on July 30, which will inconvenience thousands of passengers and cause significant economic loss to the region as a whole in the middle of the peak tourist season.” |
| Finance Minister coming to Orkney |
| |
The Cabinet Secretary for Finance, John Swinney MSP, is to visit Orkney on August 15.
Mr Swinney will meet with OIC convener, Councillor Stephen Hagan, before returning to Edinburgh the following day.
Councillor Hagan confirmed he will be discussing, among other things, the Council's financial settlement from the Executive with the Minister. |
| Orkney Ferries board reject union proposal |
| |
The board of Orkney Ferries Ltd has voted against a settlement proposal put forward by the RMT Union.
Speaking after a special board meeting on Tuesday, Orkney Ferries chairman, Councillor John Eccles said: “The board, after considering all aspects, voted against this proposal from the union.”
He added: “The offer made by the Company on July 14, therefore, remains for consideration.”
This offer was for 3.5 per cent for the 2007/08 year, with a tie in to the Orkney Islands Council annual pay award for the following two years. |
| Sea Stallion reaches Kirkwall |
| |
 The Sea Stallion Viking longship arrived in Kirkwall in the early hours of Wednesday morning after being plagued by poor winds in the North Sea.
The 30-metre ship, a replica of a longship excavated from the bottom of the Roskilde Fjord in Denmark, left Eigersund in Norway in the early hours of Monday morning. However, the forecast favourable winds didn't materialise.
As a result she was taken under tow until about 40 miles east of Orkney when the crew were able to hoist the sail again. She finally pulled into Kirkwall at 2.30am on Wednesday morning. |
| Crofting inquiry meets in Kirkwall |
| |
The national inquiry into looking at the future of crofting held a public meeting in Kirkwall on Tuesday afternoon.
The committee, led by Professor Mark Shucksmith, are holding a series of public meetings across Scotland looking for views on the role and functioning of the Crofters’ Commission and other issues surrounding modern-day crofting.
Anyone wishing to put forward their opinion can do so via the inquiry website at www.croftinginquiry.org. The deadline for submissions in July 31. |
| Executive announce extra schools cash |
| |
Scottish schools, including those in Orkney and Shetland, look set for improvements thanks to a share of a national £40 million cash boost from the Scottish Executive.
Orkney Islands Council will receive an extra £25,000, bringing its total for the year to £680,000. Shetland Islands Council is to receive and additional £535,000, bringing its total for the year to £1.294 million.
Annoucing the allocation of cash, Children and Early Years Minister Adam Ingram said that councils would be encouraged to bring forward plans to invest in upgrading community facilities such as playing fields, as well as to improve energy efficiency. |
| Police launch summer drink driving campaign |
| |
Kirkwall police launched its summer drink driving campaign on Monday.
The local force will be taking part in the national two-week enforcement campaign, which will see officers breath test not only those drivers who are involved in road traffic collisions, and those suspected of drink driving, but also drivers stopped in relation to any moving traffic offence.
This get-tough policy is aimed at underlining the message in relation to the dangers of drinking and driving. |
| Driver reported to procurator fiscal |
| |
A report is to be submitted to the procurator fiscal after a car left the road and collided with a section of wall on Dundas Crescent, Kirkwall.
The incident occurred around 11.45pm on Saturday night.
According to police, the driver left the scene but was subsequently traced. |
| Police inquiries continue after harbour death |
| |
Police have named the man whose body was recovered from the Kirkwall Basin on Sunday morning.
He was Ronald James Swanney, 46, from 1 Burnside, Kirkwall.
Police received a report of a body in the water around 11.15 am on Sunday morning. Police attended and recovered the remains.
Police would like to hear from anyone who may have seen Mr Swanney on Saturday evening or the early hours of Sunday. |
| Military exercise could see low flying |
| |
Military aircraft could be flying over Orkney this week as part of a major military exercise taking place in the UK.
Exercise Wycombe Warrior will take place on Wednesday and Thursday, with aircraft from the UK, USA, Germany, Norway, France, Italy and Belgium taking part.
The exercise will include medium and low level flight over land and sea.
The RAF has provided telephone numbers and an e-mail address for any complaints about low flying. Contact Squadron Leader John Gilbert on 013873 81156 or at rcro.southernscotland@stc.raf.mod.uk, or call the MoD on 020 7218 6020. |
| Shopping Week's official opening |
| |
Stromness Shopping Week was officially launched by Graham Garson on Monday morning.
The formal opening was followed by the crowning of this year’s Shopping Week Queen, Helen Norquay, by Shona Stanger, 2006’s queen.
This year's attendants are Katie Stevenson and Lorraine Nicolson. Youngsters
Ryan Chalmers and Tobin Skinner are the pageboys, while this year’s flower girl is Freya Hibbert. |
