Author name: highlandnews

A Donegal family have had a lucky escape after a charger caught fire in a children’s bedroom. Six year old Donnacha McCauley has sustained injuries after the plugged in charger set his mattress on fire on Tuesday last. His mother Nichola is warning others to be cautious of chargers overheating. She recalled the frightening experience

The Health Minister has been told the need for a 24 hour ambulance service in Buncrana needs to be looked at. Councillor Rena Donaghey met with Minister Stephen Donnelly ahead of the opening of the Buncrana Primary Care Centre on Friday. She says while a daytime ambulance service is in place in the town it

Cervical cancer campaigner Vicky Phelan has died at the age of 48. She was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2014, three years after a smear test showed no abnormalities which was later found to have been wrong. In April 2018, she settled a High Court action against CPL labs in the US for 2-point-5 million

There’s calls for high visibility crossings to be put in place at a number of locations in Letterkenny. Councillor Jimmy Kavanagh believes a similar pilot to that rolled out in the Twin Towns would greatly enhance safety for pedestrians. He says action needs to be taken before someone is seriously injured:

The Agriculture Minister says precautionary measures introduced to stop the spread of bird flu minimises the risk, but doesn’t make it go away. Despite this Minister Charlie McConalogue says he’s confident the supply of turkey and chicken this Christmas won’t be badly effected. 3 thousand 800 turkeys in Monaghan are set to be culled after

Plans are finally in motion to install public toilets at Letterkenny Retail Park. Donegal County Council has confirmed that a planning application for the Changing Places Facility will be made in the coming weeks. It’s expected works will be completed in the first quarter of next year. Councillor Donal Coyle says it is long overdue:

Donegal County Council is being asked the revisit a proposal to locate CCTV cameras at beauty spots where illegal dumping has taken place. A previous plan was shelved because of legal concerns over privacy legislation. However, Cllr Noreen McGarvey says there have been changes to the law, and the council’s legal team should reassess the

A Donegal County Councillor fears there could be a serious incident unless measures are put in place to safeguard gas cylinders installed in home bars. Councillor Martin Harley says the use of gas in conjunction with beer kegs poses serious safety concerns unless they are regularly inspected. He says it’s important that people are aware

An Inishowen Councillor believes GPS technology would greatly assist the fire service in locating fire hydrants. Donegal’s Chief Fire Officer has confirmed that an initiative to help pin point hydrants will be rolled out. Councillor Nicholas Crossan says it is vital the fire service in responding to an emergency has quick access to water:  

A Donegal Deputy has again raised the issue of hate crime legislation being rushed through the Dail. Deputy Thomas Pringle says that the Dail process was denying what he called “proper democratic scrutiny” of the new hate crime bill as it entered its second stage in the Oireachtas. The bill aims to criminalise forms of

A conference will springboard a new initiative this morning with action on Climate Change in Tourism The Minister for Tourism Catherine Martin is spearheading the campaign. Failte Ireland is putting a Carbon Calculator into place to support the tourism industry on the climate action route. Paul Kelly CEO of Failte Ireland explains what’s being unveiled

Restriction zones are in place in County Monaghan this morning after an outbreak of bird flu. The Department of Agriculture says H5N1 has been detected in a commercial turkey flock in the county after samples tested positive. Poultry keepers with flocks within the zones must comply with the requirements and confine all poultry and captive

The Government is being called on to introduce a lung cancer health check. The call is being made by The Marie Keating Foundation which wants a comprehensive assessment programme to be put in place. The Big Check Up 2022 Campaign by the charity organisation takes place each year. CEO at the Marie Keating Foundation Liz

A new tool is being launched today to help protect people from fraudulent texts. Three quarters of the adult population has a received a scam message, appearing to be from their bank, according to research by Red C. Bank of Ireland is urging its customers to ‘stop, think and check’ – by using their new

The Irish Government is being urged to take the British to the European Court if the legacy investigations bill becomes law. Amnesty International says if the bill is passed, it will close down historical inquiries and deny victims of the Troubles access to the truth, to which they are entitled to under international law. It

There’s calls for water fountains to be installed at a number of amenities in Letterkenny. Councillor Ciaran Brogan says with huge investment taking place at the Bernard McGlinchey Town Park, Market Square and An Grianan Theatre the addition of fountains for public use would greatly enhance the areas. Irish Water has confirmed that it will

There’s a call on the Government to bring in maximum prices on alcohol. The Consumers Association is making the call, after Heineken Ireland told pubs it was introducing a price rise on all of its draught products. It means the price of certain beers and ciders could rise to almost 8 euro in some Dublin

One in twelve children nationwide are on some form of hospital waiting list. New figures by the National Treatment Purchase Fund show 98,000 children are waiting for a hospital appointment. At Letterkenny University hospital, just over 2,000 children are waiting for an inpatient or outpatient appointment currently. An extreme shortage of consultants is being blamed

A Foyle MLA has hit out at a ‘Referendum Supermajority Bill’ which has been brought to Parliament in Westminster by Ian Paisley. It proposes new legislation for referendums on any country leaving the UK – including Northern Ireland. That would mean that a 50%-plus-one result in a unity referendum would not be enough to bring

The Chair of Donegal Action for Cancer Care says she was surprised at the Health Minister’s knowledge of issues facing the North West’s healthcare system, following a meeting yesterday. Betty Holmes from DACC says they had been seeking a meeting with Stephen Donnelly for almost eighteen months to put forth issues. Problems such as the

The Taoiseach says he doesn’t believe Irish people wearing a poppy is controversial. Micheál Martin wore a badge with a poppy and shamrock to mark armistice day. He also participated in two minutes of silence at the British Irish Council for those killed in the two world wars. The Taoiseach believes after the Good Friday