The majority of those attending a public meeting in Stromness on Friday night night don’t want wind turbines on the hills running from the town to Yesnaby.  As such, they want the Stromness Development Trust to object to a proposal to erect three turbines at Merranblo.

As well as gauging public opinion on the Merranblo project – a public inquiry into which is taking place in January 2008 - the meeting outlined the trust’s plans for a community wind farm. This could see another three turbines erected at the site of the Stromness waterworks, a  kilometre or so to the south of the Merranblo site.

Chairing the meeting, Graham Bevan said: “There’s obviously a very strong feeling at this meeting that people don't want to see windmills in the area and that the trust should consider seriously going to the inquiry and objecting to the windmills at Merranblo.”

The annual wreath laying ceremony to commemorate the men of HMS Royal Oak took place on Sunday.

On the night of Friday, October 13, 1939, 833 lives, out of a total crew of 1,208, were lost after the ship was torpedoed by a German U-boat while in Scapa Flow.

In the annual ceremony, Royal Navy divers replace the the White Ensign on the World War II wreck.

See also: The Tragedy of HMS Royal Oak
A Survivor's Memories of HMS Royal Oak

A seminar to discuss the future of football in Orkney is due to take place next month.

Motorists are being warned of a crackdown on the illegal use of red diesel.

Customs and Excise officers are stepping up its action against illegal fuel use following a recent operation when one in five vehicles challenged tested positive for the rebated fuel.

Red diesel is a rebated fuel for use in agricultural machinery and not for use in road vehicles. It is much cheaper than "normal" diesel as it has a reduced rate of excise duty.

Previous campaigns in Orkney saw between six and 20 vehicles caught and charged for the illegal use of red diesel.

The skills of an Orkney hairdressing student have been recognised at a national awards ceremony.

Gemma Taylor, from Kirkwall, won a gold for Scotland in advanced hairdressing at the Scottish 'Worldskills UK' Awards 2007.

The Pier Arts Centre is looking for submissions for an exhibition to celebrate the breadth and diversity of art produced in Orkney today.

Artists working in Orkney are being invited to submit up to three original works of fine art or craft - in any medium.

Entry forms are available from the Pier Arts Centre or can be downloaded from www.pierartscentre.com.  Work should be submitted for exhibition by Wednesday, November 14.

The exhibition opens to the public on Saturday, November 24, and runs through to January 26, 2008.

The Italian consul general for Scotland and Northern Ireland, Mr Gabriele Papadia de Bottini, met with OIC representatives on Friday morning.

The consul general met convener Councillor Stephen Hagan and deputy chief executive Elaine Grieve in the council offices. Among the items on the agenda was Orkney’s links with Italy, through the creator of the Italian Chapel, Domenico Chiochetti, and his family.

Mr Papadia de Bottini is being accompanied by members of COMITES – the committee for Italian citizens residing outside Italy – was also to be visiting the Italian Chapel as part of the two-day visit.

A fibre-optic cable to link the Faroe isles to mainland Scotland, via Orkney and Shetland, arrived in South Ronaldsay on Thursday morning.

The SHEFA-2 cable, which is hoped will improve telecommunications from Orkney and  Shetland, beached in Manse Bay, South Ronaldsay, on Thursday

The stretch of cable, running from Banff to Orkney, will be connected to a cable already laid between Shetland and Faroe.

Champion sheep at the 50th anniversary show and sale of breeding rams at the mart on Thursday morning went to a Beltex shearling, shown by Charles Copland, Overhouse, Harray (pictured right).

The champion Beltex, sired by Vender Hoveke and out of Vander Gansermeesch, also clinched the title in the any other breed section.

The results of the consultation into the replacement of Kirkwall Grammar School, the Papdale Halls of Residence and Stromness Primary School are now available to the public.

Regarding KGS, the majority of those consulted would like to see the new school rebuilt on the present site. In Stromness, a rebuild at the site of the Stromness lorry park was most favoured, although staff would prefer a new school at a different site. The preference for the Papdale Halls of Residence was a rebuild as close to the new KGS as possible.

The consultation also asked for views on a leisure pool and the results indicated a high level of support for a facility, irrespective of the new schools programme.

The results were discussed by islands councillors at a special seminar on Thursday.

Education director, Leslie Manson explained: “It was really to bring information on the various options to the members’ attention and explore whether they felt they had enough information to give council officials some political direction.”

Click here to access OIC consultation results

Industrial action at Orkney Ferries means that until Monday, October 22, tickets can’t be sold or taken on board the mv Earl Sigurd.

Instead, for those travelling from Kirkwall, a member of Orkney Ferries shore staff will take tickets before passengers board the vessel. For inbound passengers, tickets will be collected on leaving the ferry in Kirkwall.

For those without tickets, names and addresses from the company’s booking system, or given to the Kirkwall shore staff, will be used to issue invoices for the travel undertaken.

Tickets however can be bought from the Orkney Ferries Kirkwall office - a recommended option, they say, to reduce delays and remove the need for invoicing.

Police would like to hear from anyone with information relating to a vehicle theft in the Hatston Industrial Estate.

The small, blue hatchback was stolen from Gladiator Road between 10.30am on Tuesday and 12.30am on Wednesday morning. It was later found accident-damaged nearby.

Police in Orkney are to clamp down on so-called “boy racers”, members of the Kirkwall Community Council heard this week.

Member Alistair MacLeod said he had written to Sergeant Gregor Hay following a number of representations, expressing concern about the youngsters, speeding around the town.

Mr MacLeod said at Monday night’s meeting that Sgt Hay explained that they had put in place measures to deal with the boy racers, and were planning on doing more.

OIC  representatives joined island partners for discussions with the Minister for Energy, Malcolm Wicks MP, in Glasgow on Tuesday morning.

Council convener, Councillor Stephen Hagan, and head of economic development, Shona Croy, discussed key energy issues with the Minister.

Stromness-based Scotrenewables (Wind Power) Ltd is to assist eight groups community groups develop income-generating commercial wind turbine projects that will feed revenue back into their communities.

The company has been awarded a contract by HICEC, the Highlands and Islands Community Energy Company, to advise each of the communities on environmental considerations as they put together planning applications for their projects.

Communities in Stronsay, South Ronaldsay, Eday, Rousay, Hoy, Sanday, Shapinsay and Stromness are developing plans to put up individual wind turbines. Each would have an output of around 900kw and be similar in size to the wind turbine already generating power in Burray.

A quantity of copper has been removed from the rear of Somerfield supermarket in Pickaquoy Road.

The copper was stolen some time between 6.30pm on Sunday and 8.30am on Monday morning.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Kirkwall police station.

Councillors have given the go ahead for a plan to apply a width restriction on Kirkwall's St Catherine's Place.

Members of the OIC’s roads and transportation sub-committee heard on Monday that in one section of St Catherine's place, the road narrows to such an extent that lorries and cars cannot pass safely without mounting the pavements.

Islands councillors have backed a proposal to scrap the tour bus stop on Kirkwall’s Palace Road.

At Monday's meeting of the OIC’s roads and transportation sub-committee, members approved the official recommendation that the two-space bus stop, used solely by tour operators, be removed and a service bus stop added further up Palace Road, outside the St Magnus Centre.

It hoped a new bus stop here, near the council offices, will encourage OIC employee to travel to work by bus rather than car.

Orkney Ferries has been notified by the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers that they will be carrying out industrial action consisting of an overtime ban from 0001 on Thursday.

This means that services to the Outer North Isles may be subject to short notice alteration, or cancellation, as of Thursday.

The Company has also received notification from Nautilus UK that they will be carrying out Industrial Action consisting of an overtime ban from 0001 on Saturday, October 13.

Kirkwall police are still seeking information following an incident in Lynn Crescent, Kirkwall, on Wednesday, September 12, when a parked Mercedes van was damaged by persons unknown.

The bonnet of the vehicle was scrawled on with lipstick, causing minor damage.

Anyone with any information is requested to telephone Kirkwall 872241.

After a year out of commission, the Our Lady and St. Joseph, Roman Catholic Church in Kirkwall is to be reopened later this month.

The church and priest’s accommodation, on the corner of Main Street and Junction Road, was one of the properties in Kirkwall devastated by last October’s floods.

After 12 months of extensive repair work, the church will be formally reopened by the Catholic bishop of Aberdeen diocese, Rt Rev Peter Moran on Sunday, October 28.

The Scottish Government has announced a scheme to extend broadband in Orkney to those who want it but can't get connected.

Orkney individuals and businesses who still have no broadband access have been asked to come forward.

The scheme will address the so-called "reach" problem, where people cannot access broadband technology, mainly due to the distance from ADSL-enabled telephone exchanges.

Full details and a form for highlighting access problems are available at: www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/People/BroadbandforScotland/Register