NEWS

Another major order for electric buses has been placed with Ballymena manufacturer Wrightbus, strengthening the company’s growing role at the centre of the UK’s transition to cleaner public transport and securing further work for Northern Ireland’s manufacturing sector. Transport for Greater Manchester has confirmed an additional order for 125 electric buses for the Bee Network, with the fleet to be built by Wrightbus as the region pushes towards a fully electric bus network

Nine-year-old Ballymena boy Joshua Mairs who underwent emergency surgery in the Royal Victoria Hospital after being hit by an e-scooter in Cullybackey A nine-year-old boy has undergone surgery for a shattered elbow after being knocked down in a collision involving an e-scooter in Cullybackey — forcing his family to cancel a long-planned holiday and prompting a fresh warning to parents about the dangers of the illegal machines. Joshua Mairs was walking back from Cullybackey Pa

A man was taken to hospital after being stabbed during a motorcycle event in Carrickfergus on Wednesday evening, prompting a major police appeal for witnesses and footage from members of the public. Detectives said the incident happened in the Rodgers Quay area of the town shortly after 7.30pm during the popular ‘Storming the Castle’ bike meet near Carrickfergus Castle. Police said the victim suffered a stab wound to the chest along with head injuries following an altercation

At the launch of the new Chatty Bench at Devenagh Way, Ballymena: Mid & East Antrim Mayor Jackson Minford; Councillor Brian Thompson; Roy McClean, Housing Executive; Marjorie Hawkins, Chair of the Loneliness Network; Councillor Bréanainn Lyness; with some local residents. Two new ‘Chatty Benches’ have been installed in Ballymena as part of an ongoing effort to tackle loneliness and social isolation across Mid and East Antrim. The latest benches — located at The Rectory Estat

Police are investigating after a man was stabbed in a Ballymena housing estate during the early hours of Thursday morning. Emergency services were called to the Dunclug Park area shortly before 7.45am on Thursday 28 May following reports of a stabbing. It is understood Northern Ireland Air Ambulance also was tasked to the incident. The male victim received medical treatment at the scene before being taken for further care. His injuries are not believed to be life threatening

Police are investigating after a pipe bomb exploded outside an occupied home in Broughshane late on Wednesday night, causing extensive damage and leaving residents shaken but unharmed. The attack happened in the Rectory Gardens area at around 11pm on Wednesday, May 27, when a device was reportedly placed on the living room window ledge of the property while three people were inside. The explosion caused major damage to the home, blowing out windows and damaging the living roo

Children at Ski Ability NI – a Craigavon-based charity that provides ski instruction on a dry ski slope for children with additional needs. The charity benefitted from Fibrus funding in 2025. Northern Ireland broadband provider Fibrus has launched a new £50,000 funding programme aimed at helping grassroots sports clubs across Northern Ireland secure vital equipment, improve facilities and expand opportunities for young people. Now entering its fourth year, the Fibrus Play it

Portrush RNLI Inshore Lifeboat ‘The Ken Blair’ Two kayakers were rescued off the north coast on Wednesday afternoon after getting into difficulty in the water near Ramore Head in Portrush. Volunteer crew members from RNLI were called into action after reports that two people had ended up in the sea alongside their kayaks just off the popular coastal headland. The incident prompted the launch of the Portrush RNLI Inshore Lifeboat, with the rescue operation unfolding shortly af

Kilrea Primary School Kilrea Primary School is set for significant changes under newly-submitted plans that would bring a temporary specialist teaching unit to the site alongside major safety upgrades aimed at tackling what planners describe as “significant safeguarding concerns”. The proposals, lodged with Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, centre on growing educational needs at the school as well as long-standing worries over pupil safety linked to access arrangement

Miss NI Carly Wilson (bottom right) recently joined NI Hospice staff to launch Purple Dash Northern Ireland Hospice is calling on families across Northern Ireland to “dash for a cause” this June as the charity launches a major public campaign to celebrate 25 years of Children’s Hospice care — while also confronting the harsh financial reality facing one of the region’s most vital services. The charity is turning the entire month purple as part of a large-scale awareness and f

Northern Ireland Justice Minister Naomi Long The Department of Justice has pulled its controversial consultation on firearms licensing fees following mounting opposition from rural and sporting communities across Northern Ireland, in a move being welcomed as a significant climbdown by critics of the proposals. The consultation had proposed changes aimed at achieving full cost recovery for firearms licensing, potentially increasing the financial burden on certificate holders a

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons pictured with Bryan O’Donnell, President, Cricket Ireland and Sarah Keane, Chief Executive Officer, Cricket Ireland at day one of the Ireland v New Zealand test match at Stormont. Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has said the future of cricket in Northern Ireland is “bright” as Belfast hosted a major international test match between Ireland and New Zealand at Stormont. The match marks only the second ever men’s test hosted at the famous east

A major new cross-border attempt to tackle bovine tuberculosis across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland has secured £4 million in public funding — but questions are already being raised over whether it will deliver real change for farming families living through repeated herd breakdowns. DAERA Minister Andrew Muir confirmed the funding allocation on Tuesday as part of a wider research programme focused on reducing bovine TB in cattle across the Derry and Strabane a

The Garron Plateau, part of the Antrim Hills. (Image: GOA Insta) North Antrim MLA Paul Frew has warned that more must be done to protect the North Antrim Hills from the threat of wildfires this summer, arguing current measures are not enough as dry conditions increase concern across Northern Ireland. The DUP representative raised the issue directly with Andrew Muir, questioning what action the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) is taking to reduc

EA’s Chief Education Officer, Eve Bremner is pictured with Shane O’Neil, EdIS Lead; Nettlefield Primary School Principal, Simon McLean; and St. Comgall’s Primary School Principal, Jim Matthews. Schools across Northern Ireland are set for one of the biggest digital overhauls in years as a new cloud-based management system begins rolling out across every school sector, promising faster communication with parents, improved pupil safeguarding and less administrative pressure on t

16-year-old Jaidyn Rice was tragically killed in a road traffic collision in Bangor, Co Down on the evening of Tuesday 8th July 2025. The family of 16-year-old Jaidyn Rice are backing a push to change Northern Ireland’s road traffic laws after the teenager was killed in a collision that has left loved ones campaigning for tougher drug testing powers. Proposed amendments to the Justice Bill — being described as “Jaidyn’s Law” — would bring drug testing much more to the forefro

Two people were inside a flat in Antrim when a fire was deliberately started at the property on Tuesday evening in what police are treating as arson with intent to endanger life. Emergency services were called to the incident in the Kilgreel Road area at around 7.05pm on Tuesday, May 26, after reports that a flat was on fire. The blaze had already been extinguished by the occupants before officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland and crews from the Northern Ireland

Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, Jon Boutcher The Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland has issued one of his starkest warnings yet over the future of policing, saying the PSNI is facing a “dangerous” financial crisis that risks undermining frontline services, neighbourhood policing and support for victims. Jon Boutcher said the organisation remains “structurally underfunded” and revealed projected shortfalls of around £57 million

UFU Beef and Lamb and Hill Farming chairs on their visit to the British Wool depot in Bradford last week. Sheep farmers across Northern Ireland are being urged to take advantage of the strongest wool market seen in more than a decade after prices for the 2025 wool clip jumped by around 70%. The Ulster Farmers’ Union says wool — once widely regarded as a low-value by-product barely worth collecting — is now covering most shearing costs for many farmers and, in some cases, deli

Design image for the proposed new £5.3 million filling station and retail development in Ballyclare Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council has received a planning application for a proposed new £5.3 million filling station and retail development in Ballyclare, prompting dozens of objections from nearby residents. The proposal is for the construction of a petrol filling station with a forecourt featuring three pump islands, alongside two retail units and a hot food unit, bulk