Author name: highlandnews

Work is commencing on the 152 bed Ebrington Hotel in Derry. The first sod on the £15 million development was cut today by First Minister Paul Givan and deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill. The hotel will encompass five buildings on the Ebrington site, including the Clock Tower, with the hotel expected to open in June […]

Agriculture and Marine Minister Charlie McConalogue is promising more money for small piers and other council run marine infrastructure in 2022. He was questioned in the Dail about what would be done in light of the report of the Seafood Task Force, which stressed the importance of public marine infrastructure in realising the potential of

Part of the Pettigo Road was closed outside Laghey is closed for a period this afternoon to allow for the recovery of a lorry which went off the road. Gardai say the operation is now over, and the road is now open again.

There were 54 people awaiting admission to Letterkenny University Hospital this morning according to the INMO. It’s the second most overcrowded hospital in Ireland today. 21 people were on trolleys in its Emergency Department while a further 33 were waiting on wards.

  The Public Expenditure Minister says it would be “incredibly difficult where to draw the line” if the pandemic bonus is extended beyond frontline healthcare workers. There’s been criticism that the likes of pharmacists, GP’s, retail workers and others who worked during the pandemic won’t be receiving the 1000 euro bonus which will be paid

  An investigation is continuing into a hit-and-run in Strabane. The incident happened yesterday. It was reported that a white Audi A4 was parked at the Derry Road area of the town between 10:45am and 2:10pm. The vehicle then drove to a carpark at the Railway Street area and was parked there between 2:15pm and

  A 31 year old Slovakian man has been charged with the murder of Ashling Murphy. Jozef Puska of Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, Co. Offaly appeared before a special sitting of Tullamore District Court last night. Kacey O’Riordan reports from Tullamore: Shortly after 8pm last night, Jozef Puska was brought before Judge Catherine Staines. He’s charged

  The National Public Health Emergency Team will meet today to discuss easing restrictions over the next few weeks. Health officials will make recommendations to Government ahead of a Cabinet meeting tomorrow. Taoiseach Micheál Martin told a meeting of his Parliamentary Party last night the country is now well beyond the peak of the Omicron

  The Letterkenny and Derry Chambers of Commerce say 2022 will be a crucial year for the North West City Region. Chambers on both sides of the border have met to discuss their shared priorities for the North West over the course of the coming year. The meeting comes as the Chambers submit their joint

Operations at Killybegs harbour will be disrupted this evening as Fórsa members at the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority take part in a 24 hour work stoppage from midnight. The action, by 110 inspectors and clerical staff, will affect operations at six sea fishery harbours across the country, including Killybegs. The action is in response to

12,138 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed this evening. 6,843 positive PCR tests have been reported along with 5,295 positive antigen tests registered through the HSE portal. 52 Covid related deaths have been reported over the past week.

The security alert in the Galliagh Park area of Derry has now ended. A suspicious vehicle in the area was examined but nothing untoward was found. It follows a report of a vehicle being hijacked in the Bracken Park area of the city around 9pm last evening. Police are asking anyone who witnessed the hijacking

A second man has been arrested in connection with the investigation into the murder of Ashling Murphy. The 23 year old teacher from Offaly was laid to rest yesterday. Gardaí have arrested a man in his 30s for potentially withholding information relating to the investigation into the murder of Ashling Murphy. He is being questioned

  Cabinet has given the go-ahead for an extra Bank Holiday on March 18th this year. It will move to St Brigid’s Day from 2023. Ministers also approved a once off, tax free € 1,000 bonus for frontline healthcare workers who were in Covid exposed clinical settings.

People aged 16 years and over are being reminded to get their Covid booster vaccine. Anyone who has had their primary course of the vaccine is now eligible for a booster. In a statement Damien McCallion, HSE Lead Vaccination Programme, said: “Nearly one million people have had a COVID-19 booster in the last 4 weeks.

  There were 34 people awaiting admission to Letterkenny University Hospital this morning. Five people were on trolleys in its Emergency Department while a further 29 were waiting on wards. Meanwhile the number of patients with Covid-19 at the hospital has dropped to 45. There are two patients with the virus in ICU.  

A police operation is ongoing this morning in the Galliagh Park area of Derry. It’s understood that the operation is centred on a white van parked in the residential area. The security alert follows a report of a hijacking in the nearby Bracken Park area of the Galliagh estate last night. A number of homes

  Local authorities in all coastal counties have been told they must keep dogs off their their Blue Flag beaches if they want to maintain the coveted international award. Dogs, apart from assistance dogs, are already banned from the country’s 93 Blue Flag bathing areas under the strict criteria set down by the Foundation for

  A man in his 30s remains in Garda custody this morning over the murder of Ashling Murphy. He was arrested at a Dublin hospital yesterday, where he was being treated for a number of injuries. Gardai investigating the 23-year-old’s death arrested the man on suspicion of the murder at St. James’ Hospital yesterday. He

A woman arrested in Derry by police investigating the activities of the New IRA has been released pending a file to the Public Prosecution Service. The 36 year old was questioned about the discovery of a suspect device in a parked car. It was found in the Creggan Heights area of Derry in September 2019.

11,683 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed this evening, 5,767 through PCR tests and a further 5,916 positive antigen tests registered through the HSE portal yesterday. As of 8am today, 979 patients were in hospital with Covid 19, 93 of them in ICU. Latest available figures for Legtterkenny University Hospital show 49 infected patients,

It’s emerged that gritter services have been withdrawn from the Ballymagroarty area of Derry until further notice following an attack on Monday evening. The gritter was pelted with stones, but the driver was not injured. Foyle MLA Mark H Durkan described it as a disgraceful attack on someone going about their job to make the

The stretch of the N15 which had been closed between Laghey and Ballintra since yesterday afternoon has now reopened. Two people were seriously injured in a collision at Coxtown near Laghey yesterday afternoon at around 4.15 ; a technical examination of the road has taken place today.

There are 4,081 new cases of Covid-19 in Northern Ireland. Six people have also died from the virus in the latest 24-hour period. 412 Covid patients are in hospital, with 28 in intensive care. Over 3.6 million vaccines have been administered in the North.