NEWS

CGI showing elevations of approved plans to create 19 town centre apartments at a historic former bank building in Ballymena. Planning permission has been granted to transform a historic former bank building in Ballymena town centre into 19 apartments. Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s Planning Committee approved the application at a meeting in The Braid on Thursday morning. The proposal will see the partial demolition of the building at 97 Mill Street, alongside its ada

A new once-daily tablet that could improve the lives of people living with a serious inherited heart condition is being considered for use in Northern Ireland after receiving approval for NHS patients in England. Aficamten, marketed as MYQORZO, has been authorised by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and simultaneously recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for adults with symptomatic obstructive hypertrophic c

Grove Road, Ballymena Drivers in Ballymena are being warned to expect up to eight weeks of disruption as a £627,000 resurfacing scheme gets under way on Grove Road next month. The Department for Infrastructure (DfI) has confirmed that resurfacing work on the C109 Grove Roadwill begin on Monday 10 August, with the project expected to continue until Wednesday 7 October, subject to weather conditions. What road is affected? The £627,000 investment will see 2.17 kilometres of Gro

A motorcyclist has been taken to hospital after a single-vehicle collision on the Coast Road in Glenarm on Wednesday night. Emergency services were called to the scene at around 9.55pm following reports of the crash in the Glenarm area. Police said the rider, a man, was injured in the collision and was taken to hospital for treatment. His condition has not been disclosed. Appeal for witnesses Officers are now appealing for anyone who witnessed the collision, or who may have c

One of London’s famous red Routemaster buses undergoing extensive refurbishment by Ballymena headquartered Wrightbus London’s famous red Routemaster buses are being given a new lease of life through a major refurbishment programme led by Ballymena-based bus manufacturer Wrightbus. The latest bus to complete the programme has returned to passenger service after a comprehensive overhaul, with dozens more set to follow over the coming year as part of a project designed to extend

Barry Cummins and Katja Mia present the new RTÉ podcast series, ‘Unsolved’. (Photo: Marc O'Sullivan) A new RTÉ true crime podcast examining some of Ireland’s most enduring unsolved criminal cases has launched today, aiming to keep long-running investigations in the public eye while giving victims and their families a renewed voice. Unsolved, released every Wednesday, explores unsolved murders and other unresolved crimes from across Ireland, with experienced crime journalist B

Ulster Unionist Party Leader and North Antrim MLA Jon Burrows The sentence imposed on a former dementia care worker convicted of abusing vulnerable patients cannot be referred to the Court of Appeal for review under current Northern Ireland law, the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) has confirmed. The update has prompted Ulster Unionist Party Leader and North Antrim MLA Jon Burrows to call for changes to sentencing laws and the powers available to the Director of Public Prosec

Young gymnasts from Elite Gymnastics Academy in Toomebridge, Katie DeNiro and Emily Rose McGuckin Young gymnasts from a Co Antrim club will make up a significant part of the Northern Ireland team at this year’s National Gymnastics League National Finals after three more athletes secured selection. Anabel McMurray, Katie DeNiro and Emily Rose McGuckin, all from Elite Gymnastics Academy in Toomebridge, have been chosen to represent Northern Ireland at the British Gymnastics-bac

Photo: D Harrigan Images Ballymena will become the centre of Northern Ireland motorsport next week as the Modern Tyres Ulster Rally celebrates its 50th anniversary with a new home and the return of some of the country’s most famous stages. For the first time in seven years, the rally has moved north from Newry, with Ballymena Showgrounds serving as the hub for the landmark event on Friday 7 and Saturday 8 August. The venue will host Rally HQ, the service park, scrutiny, media

A suspected stolen car was brought to a stop by specially trained police officers after a high-speed pursuit along the A1 on Tuesday afternoon, following what officers described as a dangerous attempt to drive the wrong way towards Newry. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said the incident began at around 1.49pm, when officers received a report that a grey Volkswagen Passat CC had been stolen in the Tates Avenue area of Belfast. Officers from the PSNI’s Auto Crime

Pictured at an event in the Great Hall, Parliament Buildings to mark Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2026were the Assembly Speaker, Edwin Poots MLA with dancer Laila Hendrick and musicians Riley McAuley and Michael McErlane; Labhrás Ó Murchú, Director General of Comhaltas Ceóltóirí Eireann and Attracta Ní Bhrádaigh, President of Comhaltas Ceóltóirí Eireann. Traditional music and dance from across Northern Ireland took centre stage at Parliament Buildings on Wednesday as the Norther

A leading County Armagh historian will visit Broughshane this week to give a public presentation examining one of the most significant events in Irish and British history ahead of the annual Relief of Derry commemorations next month. The Broughshane Branch of the Apprentice Boys of Derry is hosting historian Quincey Dougan for an evening exploring the Siege of Derry and the history of the Apprentice Boys, with the talk taking place on Wednesday 29 July at Broughshane Orange H

A 55-year-old woman has been charged with allegedly breaching the lifetime anonymity protecting alleged victims in the ongoing court case involving former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson. Detectives from Newry Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested the woman in the Ballynahinch area on Tuesday, 28 July, as part of their investigation into an alleged breach of reporting restrictions linked to the high-profile case. She has been charged with breaching a lifetime ban on r

Inset: Health Minister Mike Nesbitt Northern Ireland shoppers could soon see fewer multibuy offers on unhealthy food and drinks under proposals aimed at tackling the region’s growing obesity problem. The Department of Health (DoH) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) have launched a public consultation on introducing new restrictions on the promotion and placement of foods high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS), bringing Northern Ireland into line with measures already in place el

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Alderman Thomas Gordon joins Walk Leaders from Ballycarry who are bringing neighbours together through walking as part of the new Walking for All initiative in the area. A community walking group in Ballycarry has quickly grown into one of the largest in Mid and East Antrim, with organisers now encouraging more people to lace up their walking shoes and get involved. Since launching earlier this year, the Ballycarry Walking Group has attracted aro

Action from the Budget Energy SuperCupNI Girls' Premier Section meeting between Liverpool and Manchester United at Dixon Park, where Manchester United claimed a 1-0 win. Manchester United took a significant step towards the Girls’ Premier Section title at the Budget Energy SuperCupNI after edging rivals Liverpool 1-0, while Linfield produced one of the standout performances of the day with an emphatic Belfast derby victory over Glentoran. Tuesday’s fixtures delivered drama ac

Thousands of young people across Northern Ireland are being urged to book a free MenB vaccination from this week, as the Public Health Agency (PHA) launches a programme aimed at protecting those most at risk before they start university or residential college this autumn. The vaccination programme opens on Thursday 31 July and will be available through GP practices and participating community pharmacies. Health officials say the vaccine could help prevent life-threatening men

Five newly trained volunteer Walk Leaders are set to help more people in Cushendall enjoy free weekly community walks aimed at improving health, wellbeing and social connection. The volunteers, all members of the Cushendall Development Group, recently completed Walk Leader training and will now support the local Walking for All group, which meets every Tuesday at 1pm. The initiative is designed to encourage people of all ages and abilities to get outdoors, enjoy gentle exerci

Motorists in the Larne area are being warned to expect significant disruption from next week as a major £854,000 road resurfacing project gets underway, bringing a continuous five-week closure to part of the B99 Waterfall Road and Watch Hill Road. The Department for Infrastructure scheme will resurface almost 3km of road between the Ballyrickard Road/Waterfall Road junction and the New Line junction, with work due to begin on Monday 3 August. Five-week closure planned To allo

Inset: North Antrim MP Jim Allister Northern Ireland should introduce its own university training programme for dental hygienists and therapists to help ease pressures on dental services, according to North Antrim MP Jim Allister. The Traditional Unionist Voice leader has written to Health Minister Mike Nesbitt calling for the creation of an undergraduate Dental Hygiene and Therapy degree, arguing that the absence of any local training route is contributing to workforce short

Electrical recycling point at one of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s Household Recycling Centres (HRC) Residents across Mid and East Antrim are being urged to take extra care when disposing of batteries, vapes and electrical items after a series of potentially dangerous fire incidents at the borough’s Household Recycling Centres. Mid and East Antrim Borough Council says several recent near-misses have been caused by items being placed in the wrong recycling containers,

Inset: Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows MLA The leader of the Ulster Unionist Party has called for the sentence handed to a former healthcare assistant who secretly filmed and mocked vulnerable dementia patients to be reviewed, arguing it may be unduly lenient. Jon Burrows MLA said he has written to the Director of Public Prosecutions asking that the sentence imposed on Ciara Corvan be considered under Northern Ireland’s Unduly Lenient Sentence Mechanism, which allows

Police officers conducting an enforcement operation as part of “all-out” Day of Action across South Area district in Northern Ireland. Police have launched an intensive road safety crackdown across the PSNI’s South Area today (Tuesday 28 July) after almost half of Northern Ireland’s road deaths this year occurred within the region. A total of 42 people have died on roads across Northern Ireland so far in 2026, with 19 of those fatalities recorded in South Area, prompting offi

A model of Lightning McQueen, commissioned by Disney Pixar will make a visit to Ballymena this week Families across Ballymena will have the chance to meet a real-life Lightning McQueen this week as a remarkable Disney-commissioned replica of the much-loved Pixar character arrives at Raceview Karting for a special charity fundraising event. The famous fibreglass car, which was originally created in the United States as a promotional vehicle for the Cars 2 film premiere and lat