Officers travelling from down the country are being putting up at a hotel because there is no room at Finner Camp according to a local councillor.

Councillor Martin Harley says he’s been told by an officer in Finner that this is the case and he will be looking into the situation further.

He says the lack of space at Finner raises further questions about the closure last year of the barracks at Lifford and Rockhill…….

Highland Radio continues to be the country’s most listened to local radio station.

Newly published independent figures show that 7 out of 10 adults who listen to the radio during the week listen to Highland Radio

Its market share, a key indicator for advertisers is 63.4% – almost 10 points clear of any other local radio station in the country.

Around 300 holiday-makers have been stranded after some flights to and from City of Derry Airport were cancelled.

A strike by air traffic controllers in France led to the cancellations today.

Ryanair cancelled four flights to and from Faro in Portugal and Alicante in Spain.

Passengers, who were due to travel on those flights, have been advised to check with the airlines.

Gardaí investigating dissident republican activity in Co Donegal last February found cable ties in a car and arrested three men from the North, the Special Criminal Court in Dublin heard yesterday.

58-year-old Desmond Donnelly of Drumall, Lisnarick, Co Fermanagh, 46-year-old Gerard McGarrigle of Mount Carmel Heights, Strabane and 61-year-old Jim Murphy of Floraville, Enniskillen pleaded not guilty to membership of an illegal organisation, namely Oglaigh na hEireann, on February 22 last.

Opening the prosecution case Ms Una Ni Raifeartaigh Senior Counsel said that a darkly coloured Mercedes was stopped by gardaí at a checkpoint at Oldtown, Letterkenny shortly after midnight on February 22 last.

Gardai had a conversation with four men in the car and the men were asked for identification. When it was ascertained that the driver was the accused Desmond Donnelly, each of the four was told that they were being detained for the purpose of a search.

A search of the car revealed nine cable ties in the boot. When other gardaí arrived, including senior officers, each of the four men was arrested and conveyed to Letterkenny and Milford garda stations.

A full search of the car was carried out and other items were found including an imitation firearm, four pairs of gloves, a black beanie hat and black bin liners.

Ms Ni Raifeartaigh said that the court would hear the belief evidence of a Garda Chief Superintendent that each of the accused was a member of an unlawful organisation on the date specified in the charge.

The trial is continuing.

It’s emerged that ministerial discussions on funding a cross border radiotherapy unit at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry will take place in a matter of weeks.

Details of the imminent meeting were revealed when a delegation from Cooperating for Cancer Care North West met with Health Minister Mary Harney in Dublin last evening.

It followed assurances from civil servants in Stormont last week that the unit was a top priority.

CCC-NW Spokesperson Noelle Duddy says their discussion with Mary Harney was a very positive one, and real progress is being made…….

Local authorities in Donegal are being urged to regenerate local authority housing by transfering it to a housing association.

Cluid Housing Association, a not for profit group develops housing for people on low incomes and those with special needs.

The organisation argues that it is more cost effective to focus on the regeneration of estates that have fallen onto decline rather than opt for new builds.

Brian O’Gorman of Cluid, says with local authorities facing funding cuts, the regeneration option makes more sense:

The mother of a 27-year-old man who killed himself after being discharged from the psychiatric unit at Letterkenny General Hospital has lost her negligence case against the HSE in the High Court.

Ellen Ann Orpen argued that the HSE had failed to provide adequate care to her son Michael when he presented himself at the hospital in November 2006.

Mrs Orpen, from Dunkineely, claimed that given a history of suicide in the family, the HSE was negligent in discharging him from Letterkenny General Hospital into his sister’s care on November 14th 2006.

Earlier, the former Naval officer had taken tablets and driven to the pier in Bruckless intending to drive in to the water. Instead, he voluntarily went to the hospital. Two days later, he returned to Bruckless and drove off the pier.

In his ruling, Mr Justice Iarfhliath O’Neill said he had come to the conclusion that neither the senior psychiatric officer on duty that night nor the consultant psychiatrist involved failed in their duty of care, and he was satisfied the approach taken was entirely consistent with psychiatric practice.

Mr Justice O Neill said Michael had denied any psychiatric illness in the family when questioned at the hospital.

The Department of Agricultures delay in processing agri-funding applications is crippling farmers, according to Donegal North-East Deputy Joe McHugh.

And Deputy McHugh has now called on the Minister for Agriculture, Brendan Smith, to divert staff in the Department to process all outstanding payments.

He says farmers can’t afford to wait to January for these payments.

And if the backlog isn’t sorted, then farmers in Donegal and elsewhere could go under:

Donegal County Council is to adopt new by-laws to allow it deal with abandoned horses, but more discussions will take place before a final draft is agreed.

Outgoing county vet Frank Mc Rory told members last evening that the economic situation has led to a serious increase in the number of horses being abandoned in the county, but at present, the council has no power to dispose of abandoned horses.

Charlie Healy will take over as Chief Veterinary Officer in Donegal when Frank Mc Rory retires in December.

He says the council’s decision to refer the by-laws back to the strategic policy committee is an indication of the seriousness with which the authority is taking the issue:

A judge has described the conditions at a court as “laughable” after prisoners were held all day in a prison van because there was no room for them in the courthouse.

Judge John O’Hagan said the physical conditions at Letterkenny Circuit Court in Donegal were simply not good enough.

The judge said the legal profession, Gardai, court staff and prison officers deserve a well-deserved ‘pat on the back’ for working under such conditions.

Judge O’Hagan slammed the conditions at the busy court which has just one small holding cell for prisoners being brought from jail to stand trial.

“It is laughable. The physical conditions in this court are just not good enough in my opinion.

He said we only have one holding cell and sometimes that cannot be used because court staff have no choice but to store stuff there.

Yesterday’s first day’s sitting of the circuit court, which is expected to last three weeks, was described as in chaos.

Dozens of witnesses, defendants and jurors spilled out of the courthouse onto the street because there was simply not enough room.

Judge O’Hagan said the legal profession deserved to be treated better and commended all involved for getting through case after case each day.

He added that he had raised the matter with the ‘higher authorities’ but said he was still waiting to hear a response.