Parents and rural communities across Shetland face a whole year of fighting to try to save their schools from the most sweeping closures for over 40 years.

Shetland Islands Council and Lerwick Port Authority (LPA) are working towards a possible out-of-court settlement over the harbour trust’s multi-million pound compensation claim in the wake of the Bressay bridge fiasco.

A Shetland councillor is backing a union’s call for the police authority in the north of Scotland to scrap its planned visit to Lerwick in May due to the cost at a time when police jobs are under threat.

Shetland Charitable Trust has rejected a request from anti-Viking Energy protest group Sustainable Shetland to extend the period of consultation on its proposal to reform governance of the trust.

NHS Shetland received an excellent report of its performance in an annual review by Scottish public health minister Shona Robison, who said Shetland led the way in some areas.

Shetland Amenity Trust chairman Brian Gregson may be brought before Shetland Charitable Trust to answer claims that his organisation refuses to be open with the public.

The Scottish Conservatives have re-selected farmer Frank Nairn as their candidate for Orkney and Shetland at the General Election which has to be held before June next year. He said he aimed to double the Tory share of the vote in the constituency.

Shetland Amenity Trust is refusing to give out information about trips abroad undertaken by its staff, despite its chairman’s insistence that the organisation is “open and transparent”.

Record numbers of patients seeking appointments at Lerwick Health Centre have forced staff to start a new priority system.

Shetland would be given a seat at the top table for negotiating the share of oil revenues between Scotland and the rest of Britain if the SNP government secures independence, the SIC was promised this week.

WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SHETLAND

Friday, 12 March 2010 at 10:42

HEADLINES

TODAY: SCATTERED SHOWERS, COOL NW’LY WIND
TONIGHT: LITTLE CHANGE
TOMORROW: SCATTERED SHOWERS, BREEZY
DAYS 2-5: SOME RAIN OR SHOWERS, LIGHTER WINDS
DAYS 6-10: RAIN OR SHOWERS

Firms in Shetland are facing huge rate rises – some by as much as two-thirds – under the Scottish government’s revaluation of business property which will come into force at the beginning of next month.

Already Shetland’s Young Fiddler of the Year, Anderson High School pupil Chapman Cheng added the Young Musician of the Year title to an impressive list of achievements on the penultimate night of the 2010 Schools Music Festival on Wednesday.