News from around the 32 counties of Ireland

Roscommon

Roscommon County Hospital has been allocated a budget of just over €19 million this year, representing a reduction of seven percent or €1.5 million on last year’s budget. The HSE West confirmed the reduced budget allocations for all hospitals in the region this year when it presented details of its service plan for 2011 at the Regional Health Forum meeting last week.
(Source: The Roscommon Herald)

Sligo

The Tubbercurry river is one of the 20 most polluted rivers in the country and the town’s overstretched sewage treatment plant is to blame. And while plans for an upgrade of the plant are in place Sligo County Council say they are awaiting approval and funding from the Department of the Environment. The Tubbercurry river is listed among 20 “seriously polluted” rivers in the country in a new national report on water quality from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

(Source: The Sligo Weekender)

Tipperary
The prospect of a second major mining project bonanza just outside Thurles is currently being explored with high hopes of a Lisheen type lead and zinc discovery close to Littleton. Connemara Mining, the Irish AIM listed zinc explorer, has announced that drilling has begun on their three licence Thurles block near the Lisheen zinc mine. The initial programme will consist of three 300 metre holes.
(Source: Tipperary Star)

Tyrone

A mother and her three-year-old son have escaped injury in a shooting in County Tyrone. Two shots were fired at the back of a house in the Ballycolman area of Strabane at about 1915 GMT on Saturday February 27. The 22-year-old woman and her child were in the kitchen at the time and the shots hit the door. Two men were seen running away from the house. A man, who is 35 years old and a 25-year-old woman were also in the house. They were not hurt.
(Source: BBC News Northern Ireland)

Waterford

A Waterford man who was held up twice at gun-point as he affected his escape from Libya has spoken of his overwhelming guilt at leaving work colleagues behind as rebels increased their hold on Muammar al-Gaddafi’s ailing regime. Speaking to the Waterford News & Star last Friday last only hours after arriving home in the aftermath of a terrifying ordeal, he told how a gun had been put to his head while the car he was travelling in had been stopped and searched on the road to the airport in Tripoli.
(Source: Waterford News & Star)

Westmeath

Westmeath and Roscommon County Councils and Athlone Town Council will now have to make monthly and quarterly reports to the IMF, European Commission and the ECB, as part of the last Government's bank bailout deal, it has emerged. The councils will have to submit two types of reports, firstly to the Department of Finance, which will then be sent on to EU/IMF headquarters.
(Source: Westmeath Independent)

Wexford

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