The St Margaret¹s Hope Post Office branch is relocating into new premises a short distance away from its current site.

Post Office Ltd plan to move the office just 15 yards along Back Road, into The Trading Post.

The current branch will close at 5.30pm on Monday, September 22, and the newly located branch will open at 9am on Thursday, September 25.

People in Orkney were invited to an open day at the Links of Noltland, in Westray, on Sunday

Historic Scotland has funded extensive research and rescue excavations at the site where ancient structures are threatened by severe wind erosion of the sand dunes which have protected them for thousands of years.

An eight-week season of excavation started on July 28, led by Graeme Wilson and Hazel Moore of EASE Archaeology.

Recently, the archaeologists discovered a substantial semi-circular wall, the extent to which is yet to be determined. Scattered across the site were finds including stone knives, pottery, bone beads and bone tools.

A 20-year-old man has been placed under curfew after admitting assaulting another man.

Gordon David Docherty, who has been bailed to the Sacro address, appeared from custody at Kirkwall Sheriff Court on Friday and pled guilty to punching a man while on Kirkwall¹s Junction Road on Thursday night.

After imposing the standard bail conditions, honorary sheriff, Bill Groundwater, said that Docherty must observe a curfew from 7pm-7am in the Sacro hostel.

Sentence has been deferred until September 3.

Chugg performing in Fusion Nightclub on Thursday night. (Picture: Kenny Pirie)

Thrash metal band Chugg are the winners of Fusion and The Orcadian’s Battle of the Bands 2008. 

The four piece act rounded off the show at Thursday night’s final with a blinding set, and, in the end, they had done more than enough to win the judges over. 

Runners-up were Superego and wildcard act, Killing Tuesday, took third place. 

Judges said the decision was difficult, because all of the bands had upped their game. The trophy was presented by The Orcadian’s Kerry Scott. 

The next competition is expected to take place in 2010.

Loganair officials have given assurances over their commitment to the people of Orkney, ahead of the franchise changeover from British Airways to Flybe on October 26.

At a public meeting on Thursday evening, hosted by Orkney MSP, Liam McArthur, in the St Magnus Centre, Kirkwall, Loganair representatives pledged to continue "a reliable and efficient service"².

Around ten members of the public turned up to air their concerns which centred around baggage rules, online availability and pricing.

The name "Orkney the Brand" is set to be replaced by "Orkney Marketing", following councillors¹ recommendations.

An amendment, by Councillor Jim Foubister to have the initiative known as "Orkney Excels", was defeated by seven votes to two at Thursday¹s OIC development committee meeting.

The creation of a forum and website promoting Orkney new and established events and festivals in the county moved a step closer on Thursday.

Councillors at the Orkney Islands Council development committee heard that the development department hopes to encourage new events outwith May-August, attracting additional visitors to Orkney.

The committee has previously agreed a budget of £50,000 be set up from the reserve fund towards the costs.

Councillors noted that the Orkney Tourism Group have submitted a proposal to carry out a study, costing nearly £2,000, to gauge interest among event and festival organisers to develop a new site.

Two paintings by the renowned Orcadian artist Stanley Cursiter were sold for a total of £20,000 at an auction on Tuesday evening.

Cursiter¹s 1954 oil painting, The Old Man Of Hoy (pictured), sold for £11,250,while his 1924 watercolour picture, Rolling Waves, Orkney, fetched £8,750.

The two Cursiter paintings were among around 250 Scottish pictures, which sold for £4,893,900, at the Sotheby¹s sale at the Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire.

Scottish Government ministers will decide whether plans to alter and extend Kirkwall’s Ayre Hotel should go ahead, after Orkney Islands Councillors went against objections from SEPA on Wednesday afternoon. 

OIC may have made history, as it is believed that this is the first time that any planning authority in Scotland has ever overruled an objection from SEPA.

SEPA objected to the plans on the grounds of potential flood risk, however uncertainties over SEPA’s facts and figures were raised by Stephen Kemp of Orkney Builders. 

Stromness lifeboat carried out a search of the Scapa area on Wednesday morning, following a report of what was thought to be an empty dinghy near the Royal Oak buoy.

However, a spokesman from Shetland Coastguard said that it was a false alarm with good intent.

Council house tenants face a rise in rent of 5.3 per cent next year.

Councillors at the Orkney Islands Council social work and housing committee meeting recommended the increase on Tuesday.

If approved by full council, it will be equivalent to the current rate of inflation, plus one per cent - or an average increase of £2.66 a week - bringing the average weekly rent to £52.78.

A red and black mountain bike was removed from a communal stairwell in Kirklands Road, Kirkwall, on Tuesday, August, 26, between 8pm and 11pm.

Anyone who has information at to the whereabouts of the bike, or who may have taken it should contact Kirkwall Police Station.

On the Saturday night of Shopping Week (July 26), a lady's jacket was removed from the Flattie Bar in the Stromness Hotel. The jacket was described as Top Shop make, green and black in colour.

There is nothing to suggest that the jacket was taken deliberately and police would ask that anyone who may have it, or knows of its whereabouts contact either Stromness or Kirkwall police.

The Skerryvore Practice in Kirkwall have announced the appointment of an additional partner to the practice.

Dr Iain Craighead, who will start in mid-October, graduated from Aberdeen University in 1992, where he completed GP training before taking up a post in general practice near Oxford.

For the last five years he has, together with his wife and two children, been involved in leprosy and rehabilitation work in Nepal, before returning to the UK in June, 2008.

Dr Craighead said: "I¹m very excited at the prospect of starting work here in Orkney. I¹ve been really impressed by the standard of care and the range of services available here and look forward to moving up over the next few weeks."

House prices in Orkney would need to fall by nearly a quarter before becoming affordable to a household on the 'average' Orkney income.

That¹s according to the findings of a housing needs and market assessment undertaken in the county recently, and which came before councillors at Tuesday's OIC social work and housing committee.

The aim of the study is to provide an up-to-date understanding of the housing market, and to produce estimates of housing need over a five to ten year period.

A number of ornaments were removed from a garden in Reid Crescent, Kirkwall, sometime between Sunday evening and Monday afternoon.

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

The sentencing of Orkney soldier, Michael Ross, has been deferred again. Ross, who in June was found guilty of murdering Bangladeshi waiter, Shamsuddin Mahmood, at Mumutaz Indian Tandoori restaurant in 1994, appeared at the High Court in Glasgow on Monday.

Ross' sentence was previously deferred for social inquiry reports as he is a first-time offender. It was delayed again due to Judge Lord Hardie taking ill while on holiday in Italy.

The jury also found him guilty of attempting to defeat the ends of justice by changing his clothes and footwear after the shooting, and disposing of the weapon used.

Sentencing is now due to take place on October 17.

Four contractors have responded to the invitation to tender for the construction work to merge the acute wards at Balfour Hospital.

The revised plan is with Orkney Islands Council for planning approval and Pentarq are evaluating the tenders on behalf of the health board.

The earliest start date for the build remains the beginning of September, with an estimated completion date of the end of January, 2009.

Police are appealing for information after a group of people were involved in damaging a car on Friday night.

According to police, the silver Peugeot car was park on Great Western Road, Kirkwall, about 10.05pm, when a female was seen to kick it three times. She was with two other females and a male.

Between 9pm on Friday and 10am on Saturday, two flags were removed from a flagpole at Roadside in Westray.

One, a Welsh flag, was destroyed, while the Orkney flag was stolen. Damage was also caused to the flagpole itself.

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 872241.