(Bank) Roll Of Honour

Monkstown man, George Campbell, left, who along with Betty Magill and Pat Moore organised and ran last month's highly successful Help for Heroes fundraiser in Whiteabbey Royal British Legion, are pictured handing over the final sum of £1,500 pounds raised for the worthy cause to John Dumigan, Legion Club Manager, who acted on behalf of the national servicemen's' charity to receive and forward the cash that local people raised at the February function.

Derry Shotting Victim Buried

There was strong support today for the grieving family of Derry man Kieran Doherty, who was murdered by the Real IRA on Wednesday. His funeral took place this morning, attended by hundreds of people. The dissident republican group said it killed Mr Doherty, who was one of its members, with the body of the 31-year-old being found naked and bound on the Braehead Road on the outskirts of the city, near the Irish border. His family have called on the Stormont First and Deputy First Ministers to investigate whether MI5 had tried to recruit him as an informer. See: Murdered Man 'Was MI5 Agent' Say Killers

Heroes Honoured

A service has been held in bomb hit Newry to mark the passing of 25 years since a tragic IRA attack on the local police station. Lagan Valley MP Jeffrey Donaldson, - whose cousin, Chief Inspector Alexander Donaldson, was one of those killed in the attack - was among those attending. "We should all be standing together at this time," he said, before the service of remembrance. The IRA mortar attack on Corry Square RUC base killed nine police officers in what was the single biggest loss of RUC life in the Troubles. The service was to be held at Downshire Road Presbyterian Church, which was damaged in last Monday's republican bomb attack on the nearby courthouse and instead took place at Sandys Street church.

Sentence For Guest House Death

The minimum sentence was last week imposed on the man who knifed a Bangor guesthouse owner to death in a "frenzy". He will have to serve just 12-and-a-half years before even being considered for release. Lord Justice Girvan imposed the minimum tariff on James William McCoy, 21, at Downpatrick Crown Court on Friday. He said there was "significant medical evidence" that McCoy was suffering from Aspergers Syndrome, which would have impaired his judgement. The victim, William Spence, 68, was stabbed 19 times during the June 2008 attack and was found dead in the laundry room of Tara Guesthouse on Bangor's Princetown Road.

Tate's Avenue Blaze

Part of Tate's Avenue in south Belfast was closed to traffic following the fire which was reported at about 6am on Saturday. The blaze was started on the first floor of the property and is being treated as suspicious, police have said. Three people were evacuated from an adjoining house by firefighters, but there are no reports of any injuries.

Asda Progress

East Antrim MP Sammy Wilson has welcomed the progress made at the ADSA store at the Redlands site in Larne. He was visited the site this week with Sergio McKenzie who is developing the site. "I am pleased at the great progress that has been made here in such a short period of time. A few months ago this site was empty and but it is now nearing completion. Sergio McKenzie and his team deserve credit for getting the project delivered so quickly. And during a difficult time, the construction of the store has of course kept many people in their jobs – at its peak 190 people were employed on the site. have been informed that the ASDA store should be open by June, with a new cinema and new restaurants to follow in September. This is great news for the town and the wider area, as it will not only provide great new shops and facilities for people to use, but it will also mean hundreds of new local jobs. I look forward to the opening of the new food store, restaurants and cinema. This is real step forward for the town and I welcome the benefits that they will bring," he said

US Diplomats Briefed On Magee

The US Consul General paid a recent visit to the University of Ulster's Magee campus and was briefed on major expansion plans for the site last week. Professor Deirdre Heenan, Dean of Academic Development at Magee, briefed Belfast-based Kamala Lakhdhir and her deputy, Kevin Roland, on the plans for the campus and their potential impact for North West regeneration.

(BMcC/GK)