Author name: highlandnews

An essential homeless service in the northwest is in danger of closing before Christmas. That’s according to Deputy Thomas Pringle who today spoke in the Dail and asked if funding for the Northwest Simon community early intervention and homeless prevention pilot project will be included in the upcoming budget. Homeless figures published in August revealed

There appears to be no end to the school transport issue in Donegal. 8 children were once again denied a place on a bus on the Clonmany to Carndonagh route yesterday and were told to find an alternative bus. Jennifer Doherty’s daughter secured a place on another bus but at the end of the school

Concerns continue to be raised over potential delays to the Four Lane Project in Letterkenny. Works have been ongoing for over a year, and have resulted in much disruption to traffic with it being the main artery into the town. The road works were due to be complete by November this year. At the latest

Donegal County Council is being urged to review traffic management in Buncrana. An increase in traffic in the area is said to have had a negative impact on congestion in the town. Councillor Rena Donaghey is calling for a new traffic management plan to be put in place and for works to commence on establishing

A Donegal Deputy has called for an urgent response from the Government to the cost of living crisis. Speaking in the Dail last night, Deputy Padraig Mac Lochlainn suggested the government should cut and cap electricity charges to pre-crisis levels and make targetted payments to those most in need. In response to the motion on

There have been reports of a fireball shooting across the Donegal sky last night. Many people from across the region and as far as Scotland observed the object. The UK Meteor Network says it is investigating to establish whether the object is a meteor or space debris. David Moore is Editor of Astronomy Ireland Magazine.

A local Councillor has welcomed progress on the €9.5m Tús Nua project but says the delay in works starting is disappointing. The Tús Nua  project in Carndonagh is due to commence this month with the tender process for the professional design and supervision team services and a valuer. Work on the project is expected to

A Midlands-North-West MEP has expressed her disappointment after her proposal to have 2023 designated as the European Year Dedicated to Mental Health was unsuccessful. Maria Walsh had been optimistic that her proposal would be ratified in Parliament yesterday, but instead it was announced that 2023 would be the Year of Education and Training. Walsh says

A Cloughaneely councillor says lives are being lost because of a lack of footpaths in the area. Cllr Michael McClafferty told a meeting of Glenties Municipal District this week that Transport Infrastructure Ireland is not providing adequate funding to Donegal for the development of greenways and footpaths, and the county must demand its fair share.

The Dail has been told that a number of children from Donegal are among 35 nationally who are not being oven access to a vital drug for those with Cystic Fibrosis. The issue was raised by Deputy Thomas Pringle, who pointed out that families were protesting outside the Dail today, and their demands must be

Taoiseach Michael Martin has defended the decision to offer free school bus transport in the current school year, denying a claim from opposition TDs that the move was not thought out and has led to chaos. In Donegal, pupils and students with valid tickets have been left on the side of the road in a

The Cabinet has approved an 80c increase in the national minimum wage. The rate will be 11 euro and thirty cent an hour from January 2023. It’s part of a move towards a living wage by 2026 which will be set at 60 per cent of the median income in Ireland. Tánaiste and Minister for

The Government has turned it’s back of Mica affected homeowners. That’s according to campaigner, Paddy Diver who is encouraging people to travel to Dublin for the cost of living protest on September 24th. He says he has resigned himself to the fact that an acceptable redress scheme will not be delivered until there is a

Donegal County Council is to increase its efforts to restore an air service from Donegal Airport to Glasgow. At a meeting of Glenties Municipal District this week, Cllr Noreen McGarvey urged officials to contact the Transport Minister for an update. Cllr McGarvey says a Public Service obligation is in place, and the real challenge is

The Minister for Foreign Affairs is in Ukraine today ahead of a meeting of the UN Security Council next week. Simon Coveney will meet with the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, to get an update on the war and territorial gains against Russia in recent days. Minister Coveney will also visit the port city of

A free contraception scheme for young women, aged 17 to 25, begins today. They can register for forms of birth control through their GP, while women who access contraception through a medical card can also avail of the new scheme. The cost of removing a current contraceptive device is also covered. Alana Ryan, from the

A local Councillor is calling for a permanent traffic warden to be appointed in Donegal Town. Cllr Tom Conaghan says Donegal Town is chock-a-block and it can take up to 15 minutes to get into the town centre due to traffic parked on either side of the road. He says a traffic warden needs to

Tusla has issued an urgent appeal for foster carers as the system in Donegal nears full capacity. The Covid pandemic and the arrival of Ukrainian refugees is said to have resulted in a surge in requests and in the number of children being placed into care. Of the 213 children in care in the county,

Glenties Municipal District has been told that money must be provided for flood relief and prevention in the West of the county. Cllr John Sheamais O’Fearraigh told a meeting there’s been flooding in several areas in recent weeks, and money for immediate works came from the council’s own resources. He also says the river at

People are being urged to look out for the symptoms of sepsis. Slurred speech, confusion, shortness of breath, joint pain, and a fever are among the signs being highlighted as part of World Sepsis Day. The condition, which is a life-threatening reaction to an infection, was the cause of death in 12-thousand people who died