Midlands Today with Will Faulkner

Seven non-native skunks were captured and destroyed after being discovered near a protected raised bog, amid concerns over the potential threat they posed to native wildlife and breeding birds.
Westmeath and Longford have emerged as Ireland’s strongest broadband hotspots, with both recording 96% coverage for gigabit fibre broadband, as rural counties outperform many urban areas.
A woman has appeared before Athlone District Court accused of allowing her Westmeath home to be used for drug-taking during an incident in which a two-year-old girl consumed cocaine and was left critically ill.

Mullingar businesswoman Una Leonard shares the story of her late mother Pauline and the vital support her family received from the Irish Cancer Society’s Night Nursing service, which provides free end-of-life care at home.
US President Donald Trump is expected to visit Ireland next week, with plans for meetings with President Catherine Connolly and Taoiseach Micheál Martin before travelling to Doonbeg for the Irish Open.
A strengthening “supersized” El Niño is expected to bring increased risks of extreme heat, drought and flooding around the world, with its effects forecast to continue well into 2027.

Public service unions are warning of potentially widespread industrial action, with Fórsa backing strikes amid demands for measures to protect workers’ pay against rising prices.
TUS has unveiled an ambitious €750 million development masterplan to 2040, including major new research, teaching, student and sporting facilities at its Athlone campus.
The HSE has been fined €645,000 over serious data protection failures involving sensitive medical records, including documents stored in poor and insecure conditions at St Loman’s Hospital in Mullingar.

Ireland’s pub industry continues to decline, with a quarter of pubs closing since 2005. Offaly has lost more than a third of its pubs, while Laois and Westmeath have also seen significant closures.
A new recruitment drive is creating 30 caregiver jobs across Laois and Kildare, as demand grows for home care services that allow people to live more independently.
Parents of young people involved in criminal activity need greater support rather than punishment, according to former prison governor John Lonergan, amid calls for penalties to tackle youth antisocial behaviour.

The Government is considering tougher prison sentences for motorists caught intentionally driving the wrong way on motorways, following a 32% increase in reported incidents this year and the fatal M9 crash.
New research into the historic Stations of the Cross at Multyfarnham Friary has revealed some of its figures were modelled on famous faces, including Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.
A new State-backed savings and investment account is being developed to encourage Irish people to invest more of their savings, with a similar scheme for children also being considered for the future.