Author name: highlandnews

Three cars have been taken from a commercial garage in Ballyraine, Letterkenny during an overnight break in, with a garda investigation now underway. One of them was later found crashed across the border. On the Community Garda Slot on today’s Nine til Noon Show, Garda Grainne Doherty issued this appeal for information……….. Garda appeal in

Donegal County Council is to look at establishing a helpline for people whose homes are affected by Mica, as well as advice centres in three of the county’s five municipal districts. An emergency motion signed by a representative cross party group of 12 members was moved at yesterday’s reconvened council meeting by Cllr Gary Doherty.

The quality of drinking water in private supplies is not as good as it should be, with E. coli found in 1 in 20 private water supplies. No supplies in Donegal were affected. Meanwhile Trihalomethane failures were identified in 22 supplies, one of them, Townawilly, in Donegal. The report also shows that over one quarter

The North West and West has been hit by the strongest rent inflation in 15 years. Average rents in the region increased by almost 20% year on year. Donegal experienced one of the highest increases, with average rents jumping by an unprecedented 24.3%. In early December, Daft.ie listed just 63 homes to rent in Donegal,

The government will face fresh calls to scrap its planned carbon tax hikes in the Dail later. The cost of home heating fuels is set to rise from May, while transport fuels will go up in price from October. The government says the increases are needed to deal with climate change, and there are no

A decision on the Letterkenny Development Plan has been deferred until the March meeting. During what was a lengthy debate, members of the Letterkenny MD claimed officials had not been listening to their priorities. At one point, Cllr Patrick McGowan suggested other areas are suffering because planners are focussed on Letterkenny. Cllr John O’Donnell says

Donegal County Council hopes to put proposed Variations to the County Development Plan in respect of a Wind Energy Policy Framework out to public consultation by May. The council had already proposed that turbines not be allowed in areas visible from Glenveagh National Park, and this week, Cllr Marie Therese Gallagher proposed a number other.

The chair of Donegal County Council’s Mica Redress Committee says the weekend’s storms in Donegal are a stark reminder of the perilous conditions in which some people are living. Cllr Martin McDermott says some people in North Inishowen stayed up all night, and in some cases, houses affected by Mica were damaged. Calling for the

  A Mica homeowner has described the last few days as an absolute nightmare. Three storms inside a week is said to have left Sharon and her family frightened to live in their Mica affected home. The family is still unsure as to how and if the recent weather events have damaged their house further.

  Thousands of homes and businesses are still without power in Donegal this afternoon, as ESB crews continue to tackle the large number of faults due to Storm Franklin. There were roughly four thousand customers without power south of the county while around five thousand homes and businesses are still without power in north Donegal.

  The Director of Emergency Services at Donegal County Council says that Storm Franklin has had a huge impact on Donegal. It’s the third storm to hit the country inside a week. The Council is continuing a clean-up operation right across the county this morning following a substantial amount of fallen trees and debris. Garry

Johnny McGuinness has been formally co-opted onto Donegal County Council. The co-option was proposed by Martin Harley, seconded by Jimmy Kavanagh. Newly elected Cllr McGuinness told the council he is honoured and humbled to replace his late father Bernard. He also praised the council for its support after Bernard’s death:

ESB crews are continuing to carry out repair works as a significant number of Donegal homes and businesses remain without power due to Storm Franklin. Milford, Rossgeir and Convoy are among the worst affected areas. Brian Tapely is from the ESB:

  The Minister for the OPW has agreed to meet with Donegal County Councillors to discuss a number of planned flood relief projects for Donegal. It’s after the OPW was heavily criticised in recent weeks by a number of Councillors over refusing to attend meetings. Local representatives had been concerned that important projects are effectively

  The Government’s announcing a number of new initiatives to support remote working. The Government’s already re-purposed buildings like old train stations and cinemas into remote working hubs. A new mobile app is being launched today to allow people to book work spaces in their local hubs, while a new 5 million euro fund will

  The Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council says he is confident that today’s delayed meeting of the council will go ahead as planned at the third attempt. The meeting was originally scheduled for the 31st of January – but numerous disruptions paused both meetings, meaning that none of the planned business could be discussed. Cllr

  A local Councillor says that the issue of a floating water pipe leading to Gola Island is “ridiculous”, after a boat struck the pipe over the weekend. It’s believed a ferry struck the exposed water pipe on Saturday, which stretches for several hundred metres on the surface of the water. No injuries or substantial

Parents can book a Covid-19 vaccination appointment for 5 to 11 year olds online from today. The HSE has given the option to book appointments for vaccine clinics on the web – with mid term coming for many schools next week. There are separate vaccine clinics for 5 to 11 year-olds compared to those aged

A Professor of Immunology says the success of Ireland’s vaccination campaign is to thank for ending the need for mask wearing. Taoiseach Micheal Martin accepted NPHET’s advice that masks will no longer be needed in shops, public transport and schools from February 28th. It’s also recommended not to PCR test healthy people under the age

Global Oil and natural gas prices are the main drivers of inflation which currently is at 5 percent for January according to a leading economist. The slow down in worldwide production of natural resources is leading to a strain on demand which in turn is driving up prices. Housing, water, electricity and gas made up

The Foreign Affairs Minister says world leaders will spend this weekend attempting to de-escalate tensions between Russia and Ukraine. Simon Coveney is at the Munich Security Conference where he’s due to meet the Ukrainian Foreign Minister this evening. NATO’s General Secretary says it is not too late for Russia to ‘step back from the brink.’

There’s ‘huge scope’ for Ireland to ramp up development of offshore wind energy. That’s the view of Green Party MEP Ciaran Cuffe who says ocean energy will be a significant part of Ireland’s renewable energy mix in the future. The European Parliament this week voted for a report that calls for a faster deployment of

A Donegal GP says it would be ‘inappropriate’ for people to go into a doctor surgery without a mask. That follows the news that masks will no longer be made mandatory in shops, on public transport and in schools from February 28th. They will only still be recommended in medical settings. It’s also been recommended

The Social Protection Minister says she doesn’t anticipate any Leader Companies getting into financial difficulties if key negotiations on Ireland’s CAP programme are not concluded this year. While the current Leader programme is set to run until 2027, funding for next year will not be released until the EU accepts the CAP plan submitted by