Author name: highlandnews

  Up to 5,000 Irish people a year could benefit from a surplus visa scheme in the US. According to the Irish Times moves will get underway in the US Congress this week that may allow Ireland to be allocated surplus visas not taken up under an agreement between America and Australia. The E3 visa

  Taoiseach Micheál Martin starts his St Patrick’s Day trip to Washington DC today with a series of events in the US Capitol. His programme today will focus on tourist and cultural links with the USA. It’s the first time since the start of the Covid pandemic there has been in-person celebration of St Patrick’s

  95% of school bus operators say they can’t guarantee a service up to the end of the school year in June. A survey by the Coach Tourism and Transport Council of Ireland  published in the Irish Examiner, found almost all of its members say that spiralling fuel prices mean its not commercially viable to

A number of schools in County Donegal are set to take part in a Healthy Oceans project – designed to create positive actions to raise awareness and engagement about the ocean in the schools and local communities. The Explorers Healthy Oceans project aims to help primary school children to learn about the ocean and how

Police say a security alert in the Fahan Road area of Derry city is continuing this evening. The alert was put in place and the area cordoned off, after reports of numerous suspicious items were made to police at 11 o’clock this morning. 13 properties have also been evacuated as a result of the alert,

A total of 9,371 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in the Republic of Ireland this afternoon. 2,100 were confirmed via PCR test, with 7,271 positive antigen tests also registered. Figures for the weekend have also been released today, which stand at 11,253 for Saturday and 11,266 for Sunday. These case figures come as

Police say they’re appealing for witnesses after a traffic collision that occurred in the Francis Street area of Derry city yesterday afternoon. The incident involved a red Wolkswagen Golf and a parked blue Skoda Octavia, and happened at approximately 4:15pm on Sunday. The two occupants of the Golf were uninjured, but a 50 year old

  Visiting restrictions are set to stay in place at Letterkenny University Hospital, as LUH combats the largest Covid-19 outbreak of any hospital in the Republic of Ireland. Visiting will only be allowed on compassionate grounds, with such visits to be pre-arranged with the nurse manager on the ward. In a statement, LUH said that

  A number of homes have been evacuated in Derry following the discovery of a number of suspicious items in the Fahan Street area shortly after 11am this morning. To facilitate the public safety operation, Fahan Street has been closed at both ends. Cordons have been implemented and diversions are in place. In a statement

Today marks the fifth anniversary of the murder of Buncrana woman Danielle McLaughlin. The 28 year old was killed while on a backpacking trip in India on March 14th 2017. Vikat Bhagat, was later charged with her murder, which he denies. His trial, which began more than four years ago, has faced countless delays. A

Highland Radio is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Mary Conlon Fernbank Magherenan, Letterkenny, Donegal / Dunlewey, Donegal. Mary was a regular contributor to the Nine til Noon Show and previously the Shaun Doherty Show. Her vast political knowledge and unique commentary will undoubtedly be sorely missed by listeners. Our thoughts and prayers

  Donegal consumers spent the most money in pubs in February. The county recorded the biggest increase in pub spending last month. Nationally, over 1.6 million euro a day was spent in pubs during February. A new AIB survey shows it’s an increase of 49% compared to the previous month – as hospitality restrictions eased.

  Flat rent controls over long periods can reduce housing supply and increase prices. That’s the warning from a senior member of the new Housing Commission. Professor Michelle Norris says rent subsidies or grants for first-time buyers can also have “unintended consequences”. Some opposition parties have called for measures such as rent freezes. Professor Norris

Donegal County Council is proposing a grant scheme be rolled out to increase the number of overnight parking facilities for caravan, camping, campervans and motorhomes in the county. It follows a study of the sector which recommended a focus on the need to provide for additional overnight facilities. The Council aims to as a result

A series of workshops and an exhibition are coming to Derry next month, as part of the Loving Earth Project. The events, supported by the Collaboration for Change project, aim to educate and inspire discussion around the environment and the climate crisis in creative ways. The exhibition and workshops aim to make people question how

Gardaí say they’re investigating an assault and robbery that occurred in the early hours of Sunday in Letterkenny. They say a man, aged in his fifties, was assaulted in the Longlane area of Letterkenny at approximately 4:50am, where he received non-life threatening injuries. Gardaí also believe a car was stolen in the course of the

There’s been a jump in the number of patients in hospital with Covid-19. The figure’s risen from 895 yesterday to 957 today – that’s the highest figure since January 19th. The number of patients in intensive care remains unchanged at 41. Those figures come as Letterkenny University Hospital now has the joint-highest number of Covid-19

  Gardaí in Letterkenny say they arrested a motorist who was more than 30 km/h over the speed limit within the town – while allegedly driving under the influence of drugs. They say the motorist was detected driving at over 80 km/h in a 50 km/h zone, and that the driver then subsequently tested positive

The cost of a bag of coal is expected to rise by up to 4 euro 50 cents from tomorrow for some. CPL Fuels, one of Ireland’s biggest coal suppliers and distributors, said it was raising the price of coal, in response to an increase in the cost of materials, and the war in Ukraine.

Fine Gael has edged back in front of Fianna Fail in the latest political polls – however Sinn Fein is still the most popular party in the Republic of Ireland. The Sunday Times Behaviour and Attitudes survey has Leo Varadkar’s party up 4 percent, to 24. Fianna Fail has dropped two percentage points, sitting at

A security alert in Derry has ended following the discovery of a hoax. The alert began close to 10 o’clock last night, after a suspicious device was reported to be in the Elaghmore Park area of Derry city. After examination from Police as well as Ammunition Technical Officers the device was declared a hoax, and

Members of Derry City and Strabane District Council’s Environment and Regeneration committee have approved match funding of over £220,000 for the Covid Recovery Small Settlements Programme for projects in several villages within the district. This regeneration programme aims to address long standing issues such as rural poverty, isolation and access to services in small settlements

  Seven newly sworn members of An Garda Siochana will be stationed in the North West region. 70 Gardai in total have been sworn in today. They are the newest members of the force of 14,385 officers. 158 recruits are currently in training.

  A water outage is affecting parts of Letterkenny. Irish Water is currently investigating reports of a supply disruption to the area. A pump station interruption may cause supply disruptions to Killylastin, Killyclug, Kirkstown, Glencar, Solomons Hill, Letterkenny and surrounding areas in Co. Donegal. Works are now scheduled to take place until 8am on 12

  There’s been an increase in the number of new cases of Covid 19 confirmed today. There are 15,938 cases recorded, up from 11,682 yesterday. There are 9,186 PCR-confirmed cases, while 6,752 people registered a positive antigen test through the HSE portal. 907 patients are in hospital, 37 are in ICU.