A Sligo Secondary School Teacher and County councillor is expressing concern that there has not been adequate consolation between Department of Education officials and teachers ahead of proposed changes to the leaving cert.

The Education Minister will update Cabinet this morning on starting reform of the Leaving Cert.

Major changes from the next academic year will see 40 per cent of marks in all subjects given for practical exams or end of year projects.

The change is in a bid to remove some of the pressure from the final exams students face.

The TUI is urging its members to back the deal while the ASTI will ballot members on the agreement and potential strike action if it's rejected.

Sligo Independent Councillor Marie Casserly is also a teacher in St Marys College in Ballisodare, she is worried that the changes may benefit students in some schools more than others.

Over €400,000 was left unspent from the Active Travel Scheme for 2024 in Sligo.

Half a million had been allocated by the government for the year, with the funds not allowed to be carried over.

Another €500,000 has been issued again for this year, with little of it being availed of once again.

The Government has to act to prevent publicans close due to escalating costs of doing business.

The Vintners Federation is calling for a 40 per cent rebate on the excise charged to draught products sold in pubs as well as a level playing ground when it comes to any reduction in VAT.

The call comes as the VFI gathers in Limerick for its annual general conference.

The North West region of Ireland has experienced significant pub closures, with figures claiming that in excess of 200 pubs have closed in Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal during the past twenty years.

Businesses in Killybegs have been given further reassurances that imminent works will cause minimal disruption.

The works are due to get underway this evening and had sparked controversy that it could negatively impact on local business.

A meeting was held with Donegal County Council and business owners earlier to try and reach a compromise.

Owner of the local Centra Store Kevin Hegarty hopes that things will work out well for all concerned in the days ahead:

Concerns have been raised locally over the resources available to the ambulance service.

Last week, it emerged that an elderly Kilcar man had to wait nearly two hours for an ambulance after having a fall outside his home.

The man who's in his, mid-80s, eventually arrived at hospital three hours and 40 minutes after the initial emergency call was made.

That's one of numerous instances which have been highlighted over the past few months.

Local Sinn Féin Cllr Arthur Gibbons says ultimately, it's about saving lives:

It's hoped that greater staffing resources will see a reduction in average waiting times for patients waiting in north west emergency departments.

The HSE measures patient experience time (PET), covering the entire visit from the point at which a person registers at the emergency department to when they get a bed or are discharged.

In figures published by the Irish Independent, 7.6 hours is now the PET time at Sligo University Hospital, up from 4.9 hours in 2015.

While at Letterkenny University Hospital, patients have been found to be waiting 8.1 hours, an increase from 4.4 hours in 2015.

Local Councillor and member of the Regional Health Forum West, Paddy Farrell feels issues must be addressed:

A Donegal GRA representative has warned of the dangers of Irish roads adding that the safety of road policing Gardai are also at risk.

The comments from Brendan O' Connor come in the wake of Garda Kevin Flatley's death.

The 49 year old father-of two was struck by a motorcycle while carrying out a speed checkpoint in Dublin yesterday afternoon.

The Taoiseach has promised an overhaul of speed checkpoints, following the death of an on-duty Garda.

 Brendan O'Connor says the events of yesterday provide a reminder of the dangers that members of the force face on a daily basis

The Bishop of Derry says people are "still numb" following the tragic deaths of two teenagers in County Donegal at the weekend.

16-year-old Emmanuel Famil-ola and 18-year-old Matt Sibanda died after getting into difficulty in Lough Swilly on Saturday.

Bishop Donal McKeown led a prayer vigil in Buncrana yesterday - and says the support from the local community was overwhelming:

Reassurances have been given that disruption as part of imminent works in Killybegs will be minimal.

The latest works as part of the regeneration of the town centre are due to get underway this evening and there's major concern locally that it may impact trade.

Businesses are due to meet with Donegal County Council today to seek more clarity over what's in store.

But Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council Independent Cllr Niamh Kennedy is confident that the plans in place have taken everyone into consideration:

Options such as moving some of the services currently available in the Primary Care Centre in Drumshanbo may be necessary in an attempt to meet the growing demand for GP services in the area.

The Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill recently visited the Leitrim based facility to discuss the issue.

During the visit she spoke to local GP Alan Loftus to discuss how additional patients can be catered for at the practice.

Local Councillor Enda McGloin says that although the current health centre in the town only opened in the last 27 years - the population in Drumshanbo has significantly increased in that time.