News from around the 32 counties of Ireland

Fermanagh

A petrol bomb has been thrown at a house in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, in an attack over the Christmas period. Scorch damage was discovered to the wall of the property on Corban Avenue in the Kilmacormick area shortly before 8am. Police say it is unclear at this stage whether the home was occupied during the attack.
(Source: UTV)

Galway

Nurses have demanded the Health Service Executive (HSE) reopens the 140 beds that are closed in Galway City’s two public hospitals, to help alleviate pressure from the Emergency Department, where up to 80 patients endured a night on a trolley in the past three days alone. An Irish Nurses Organization (INO) survey recently showed that 70 beds are closed in Merlin Park, including 34 medical ward beds, nine in the orthopedic day ward, as well as a further 27 general beds.
(Source: GalwayBay Fm)

Kildare

The law giving same-sex couples the right to register their relationships came into force on new year’s day and the registrar’s office in Naas revealed that four couples had enquired about the procedure in recent weeks. Any couple wanting to tie the knot, however, will have to wait until April as the statutory three-months’ notice will have to be given, just as with civil marriage.
(Source: The Kildare Nationalist)

Kerry

The number of Kerry-owned vehicles on the county’s roads has reached 86,998, according to the Irish Bulletin of Vehicle and Driver Statistics released by the Department of Transport. The bulk of these licensed vehicles, some 64,408, are in the privately owned category, with 3,215 licensed on the basis of their CO2 emission values. Since 1 July 2008, CO2 emission values were introduced as a basis for the assessment of motor tax in respect of all private cars.
(Source: The Kingdom)

Kilkenny

Concern is mounting that fodder beet left in the ground during the recent cold spell could be rotting. Individual farmers have found that the crop has been damaged following the extremely cold Christmas night when temperatures in Kilkenny plummeted to -12 Centigrade. A large number of farmers could be affected. Fodder beet is used to feed animals during the winter because it is the highest yielding forage crop you can grow at this time of year.
(Source: Kilkenny People)

Laois

An investigation is underway into a drive by shooting in Portlaoise which has left a family traumatized and the residents of a quiet estate worried for their safety. The incident, which has led to armed gardai (police) manning checkpoints in the town, happened in the Highfield Meadows housing estate at 8pm on New Year's Eve when a car pulled up outside a house. Two shots were fired with a shotgun, miraculously nobody was hit but there were children in the house at the time.
(Source: Leinster Express)

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Nster.com