NEWS

Ulster Unionist Party Leader-Elect Jon Burrows MLA, giving a press conference today at Stormont, alongside party colleagues Diana Armstrong and Mike Nesbitt Ulster Unionist Party Leader-Elect Jon Burrows MLA has announced his senior leadership team at the Northern Ireland Assembly today, Monday 26 January, ahead of his formal ratification as party leader this Saturday. In a move designed to underline stability and continuity, Mr Burrows confirmed that the Ulster Unionist Part

Residents across Mid and East Antrim, and Antrim and Newtownabbey, are being urged to take precautions as Storm Chandra is set to bring disruptive winds and heavy rain from the early hours of Tuesday, January 27. The Met Office has issued an AMBER Weather Warning for Wind, in force from 5am until 9pm on Tuesday 27 January 2026 , alongside a YELLOW Weather Warning for Rain covering the entire borough from midnight tonight until midnight on Tuesday. Council services under revi

Missing 21-year-old woman, Kayleigh Girvan Police have issued an urgent public appeal as concern continues to grow for the welfare of a missing 21-year-old woman who has links to the Ballymena area. Kayleigh Girvan was reported missing and is believed to have travelled to Belfast, specifically the Great Victoria Street area, on Sunday, 25 January. Officers say they are increasingly worried about her wellbeing and are asking the public to remain vigilant. While Kayleigh is tho

Schools across Northern Ireland remain open for now as Storm Chandra approaches, with the Education Authority (EA) confirming that there are no current plans to issue general school closure notices, with amber and yellow weather warnings coming into force. The EA said the potential impacts on schools are being kept under review, as strong winds and the risk of flooding are forecast to affect parts of Northern Ireland tomorrow. The developing situation has already been discuss

Asda Antrim colleagues, Brittany and Alan Quick-thinking Asda colleagues in Antrim have been praised for their professionalism, compassion and calm response after coming to the aid of a customer who collapsed outside the store. Alan and Brittany, both colleagues at the Antrim Asda superstore , rushed to help the woman after she suddenly fell while walking into the store with her mother, sustaining a serious facial injury. The incident unfolded rapidly, with staff and members

Sentenced: Kornelijus Bracas A man who murdered his sister and deliberately set fire to her home, placing the life of his 12-year-old niece in grave danger, has been told he will serve at least 24 years in prison. Kornelijus Bracas, 27, appeared before Belfast Crown Court on Monday, 26 January, where the minimum tariff of his life sentence was formally set. Bracas was sentenced last October after pleading guilty to murder aggravated by domestic abuse, along with a series of s

The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for parts of Northern Ireland as Storm Chandra is forecast to bring very strong winds, heavy rain and the risk of disruption on Tuesday. The amber warning will be in effect between 05:00 and 21:00 on Tuesday 27 January 2026 , covering County Antrim, County Down and County Londonderry. Forecasters warn that easterly winds will strengthen rapidly early on Tuesday morning, with gusts of 60–70 mph expected across eastern and nort

Minister Andrew Muir pictured with Newry Mourne and Down Council Chair Cllr Philip Campbell, Shane O’Reilly, Manager of Ballyward Equestrian Estate and Ceto a six-year-old mare bred at Ballyward. DAERA Minister Andrew Muir has welcomed a £7.91 million investment supporting more than 2,350 rural community organisations and businesses across Northern Ireland over the past year, describing it as a significant step towards building stronger, more sustainable rural communities. Th

Audiences are being invited to step into the past and explore shared cultural journeys through a new heritage programme at The Old Courthouse Theatre, presented by Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council. Titled Journeys , the series brings together live performance, music and storytelling to reflect on culture, place and movement through time, offering a varied programme designed to resonate with audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Counci

North Antrim TUV MLA Timothy Gaston has raised profound concerns about the state of Northern Ireland’s health service, using a tragic local case to highlight what he described as systemic failures in ambulance response policy. Speaking in the Assembly on Tuesday, January 20, Mr Gaston said the Department of Health had become “by far the most frustrating Department” he had dealt with during his first 19 months as an MLA, accusing it of ignoring Assembly contributions, delayi

View of the new central Culture Hub from the main entrance The Ulster Folk Museum is set for a major transformation after Communities Minister Gordon Lyons announced a £50 million investment aimed at securing its future for generations to come. The funding will support delivery of the Reawakening Project, a large-scale redevelopment designed to modernise facilities, improve access to nationally significant collections and strengthen the museum’s role in helping people connect

The Met Office has issued an updated yellow weather warning for rain covering Northern Ireland, with heavy rainfall and strong winds forecast to bring the risk of flooding and disruption on Tuesday 27 January. The warning is in effect from 02:00 until 21:00 on Tuesday , as a spell of unsettled weather moves across the region. Outbreaks of rain are expected to spread across Northern Ireland during the early hours, with some of the precipitation possibly falling as snow for a t

Concerns have been raised at Stormont that no public authority is currently responsible for toy safety in Northern Ireland, leaving a critical gap in oversight for products designed for children. MLAs on the Assembly’s Windsor Framework Committee have warned that they were unable to scrutinise proposed EU toy safety rules after no evidence was provided by the UK Government, Northern Ireland departments or local councils — because none of them hold formal responsibility for th

Rising rents in Ballymena and across Northern Ireland are being fuelled by a chronic lack of housing supply, failures in waste water infrastructure and the use of taxpayer-funded accommodation for asylum seekers, North Antrim MLA Timothy Gaston has claimed. Speaking during an Assembly debate on housing affordability on Monday, January 19, Mr Gaston said pressures being felt acutely in Ballymena and surrounding areas were the result of structural failures that have been ignor

A lethal fungal pandemic once blamed for driving amphibians towards extinction may now be losing its grip in tropical regions, according to a major new global study led by Queen’s University Belfast. The research suggests that many tropical amphibian species have evolved resistance to chytridiomycosis – the most destructive wildlife disease ever recorded – raising cautious optimism that some populations may be stabilising or even beginning to recover. Chytridiomycosis, caused

Claire McCleery, JAM Card Director (centre) at the Housing Centre customer reception with Rosanna McSorley (left) and June McGrath from the Housing Executive’s Tenancy Support and Sustainment team The Northern Ireland Housing Executive has reaffirmed its commitment to being a JAM Card-friendly organisation as part of the NOW Group’s JAMuary awareness campaign this month, highlighting ongoing efforts to improve accessibility and inclusion for customers across its services. The

Antrim Area Hospital Emergency Department Five beds were placed adjacent to fire safety doors at Antrim Hospital as a “last resort” to ease pressure in the emergency department, the Northern Health and Social Care Trust board has been told. Speaking at a meeting of the Trust board at Antrim Hospital on Thursday (22 January), Gillian Traub, director of operations , said additional bed capacity had to be “created”. She explained that five in-patient spaces were identified, enab

North Antrim MLA Sian Mulholland Ulster Scots language classes are set to begin in Armoy later this month, with North Antrim MLA Sian Mulholland welcoming the initiative as a meaningful celebration of local culture, heritage and community identity. The free course, titled Dinnae houl yer wheest! , is being delivered by the Ulster Scots Agency and will commence on Thursday 29 January 2026, running for six weeks at the Tilly Molloy Centre in Armoy. Classes will take place week

NI Youth Assembly Members Raphael, Tomila and Erynne holding the voting boxes in the Assembly Chamber Members of the Northern Ireland Youth Assembly have voted to prioritise health, rights and equality, and education as the key focus areas for their two-year mandate, following a landmark debate at their first plenary sitting. The decision was taken during a session held in the Assembly Chamber at Parliament Buildings on Saturday 24 January, where 90 Youth Assembly Members deb

Waterstone’s Ballymena has revealed its latest Top 10 bestselling books, with psychological thrillers, literary fiction and popular self-help titles continuing to dominate readers’ choices as January draws to a close. Freida McFadden claims three places in this week’s chart, reflecting sustained local demand for fast-paced, twist-heavy thrillers, while acclaimed novels by Roisín O’Donnell and Maggie O’Farrell also feature strongly. This week’s Top 10 bestselling books 1. The

Back in the Game Ballymena representatives Ian Getty (right) and Gary McFetridge (left with Mayor of Mid and East Antrim Councillor Jackson Minford Back in the Game Ballymena has underlined the importance of community connection and men’s mental wellbeing after attending a major wellbeing event in Ballymena. The local group was invited to take part in the annual ‘Wellbeing Monday’ event, hosted by Radius and Triangle Housing Associations, working in partnership with Turning P

Murdered: Coleraine man Wayne Reid Detectives investigating the murder of Wayne Reid in Coleraine have carried out further searches in the town as part of ongoing enquiries into his death. Officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Major Investigation Team were conducting searches on Saturday, 24 January, in the Lisnablagh Road area and surrounding locations. Mr Reid, aged 43, was pronounced dead at an address in the Society Court area of Coleraine on Monday, 12 J

Slew of offences uncovered when Nissan Micra vehicle stopped by PSNI Road Policing Interceptors in Ballymena town centre A routine stop by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Road Policing Interceptors has uncovered a catalogue of alleged motoring offences after officers intercepted a Nissan Micra in the Ballymena area late last night (Friday 23 January). Police say the driver appeared to be missing several of the most basic legal requirements for being behind the w

Northern Ireland is set to face a spell of unsettled weather over the coming days, with two yellow weather warnings for rain issued amid concerns about localised flooding, difficult travel conditions and further disruption. The first warning comes into effect from 18: 00 on Saturday 24 January until 09:00 on Sunday 25 January , as a slow-moving area of low pressure brings a prolonged period of rain across the region overnight. A band of rain and showers, heavy at times, is ex