In this week’s edition of The Orcadian

This week’s edition of The Orcadian is in shops now and is also available online, here.

This week’s front page features an article about the convicted murderer Michael Ross who, on his 40th birthday, has defended his attempts to escape from prison, the most recent of which took place in July this year.

Ross, who was convicted of the murder of Bangladeshi waiter Shamsuddin Mahmood in Kirkwall 1994, has said his prison break attempts are his way of taking action to prove he did not commit the murder.

Also in this week’s paper:

• Hygiene standards with NHS Orkney are called into question by a retiring board member.

• Local cattle breeders see success at a premier Scottish show and sale.

• The St Magnus Way walking route reaches Egilsay.

• The Brough of Birsay gets a major makeover as contractors live on the island

All this and much more are in this week’s edition of The Orcadian.