KNN KNN News for month of December 2001

Christmas in County Kildare

A Child is born - Chill Mhuire, Ballymany, Newbridge.
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Teenagers want 'drop-in centre' in Naas

Members of Naas Youth Parliament who are seeking a youth club for teenagers in the town.

NAAS, 27 December 2001: by Trish Whelan. Young people in Naas have nowhere to go to chill out. This sorry fact was brought home to Naas UDC when members of the town’s Youth Parliament asked the Council for a home from home to call their own. Full Story.

Residents oppose shopping centre plans

NAAS, 27 December 2001: by Trish Whelan. Morrell Residents Association have asked Naas UDC to refuse a material contravention for Hazlemark Development Ltd that would allow a district shopping centre on the Monread Road. Their estate is directly across the road from the proposed site (above). Full Story.

Tingler stops wind-sucking

CLANE, 23 December 2001: by Bill Trapman. A Kildare-produced device is guaranteed to be 100% effective in stopping horses wind-sucking or crib-biting, without need for surgical procedures, special head collars or foul tasting substances. The TINGLER system is used successfully in equestrian centres, stud farms, and racing stables all over Ireland. Full Story.

3,001 jobs lost in IDA-East

KILDARE GENERAL, 23 December 2001: by Brian Byrne. Employment in IDA-sponsored companies in the East Region of the IDA declined by 4.4% in the year 2001 over the previous year, according to the organisation’s end-of-year statement. This represented a net loss of 3,001 jobs. Full Story.

Christmas season crime warning

KILDARE GENERAL, 23 December 2001: by Brian Byrne. The Crime Prevention Officer of the Kildare/Carlow Garda Division has asked that people should ‘be vigilant for their neighbour’s security’ and also look out for the elderly and people living alone. Full Story.

Newbridge woman wins auto award

NEWBRIDGE, 21 December 2001: by Eithne Duggan. 34-year old Pauline Walsh, from Newbridge, Co Kildare has been awarded the title ‘Woman of the Year 2001’ by the prestigious European trade publication Automotive News Europe.

Pauline is Production Manager at the Ford Genk plant in Belgium, where she has responsibility for some 1,900 staff in the assembly area for the new Ford Mondeo. The publication writes of her role as ‘one of the most important manufacturing jobs in the Ford world’. Full Story.

Dermot Weld honoured by UCD

UCD & KILDARE, 21 December 2001: by Brian Byrne. Racehorse trainer Dermot Weld was presented with the UCD Charter Day Medal 2001 at the UCD Charter Dinner held in O'Reilly Hall, Belfield, on Friday 7 December. The award was made to recognise his contribution to the Irish racing industry and for his work with the College Committee charged with raising funds for a new Veterinary College on the Belfield Campus. He is pictured (centre) with the President of UCD, Dr Art Cosgrove, and the Minister for Agriculture, Joe Walsh TD.

Naas to twin with Omaha

NAAS, 21 December 2001: by Brian Byrne. A motion that Naas twin with the City of Omaha in Nebraska barely scraped through by a 4-3 vote after a spirited debate in Naas UDC on Tuesday night. Full Story.

Saving Private Tim

OMAHA BEACH, 20 December 2001: by Brian Byrne. It was a prize worth fighting for, to ride with Mayor Mike at the head of the St Patrick’s Day Parade. To carry the flag proudly and plant it in the very heart of City Hall. To take another trophy home from another conquered territory.

Like every good soldier, Private Tim had assessed the intelligence, reconnoitered the territory, tested the surf rolling onto the beach. He had set the pre-attack propaganda rolling. Full Story.

Care cars a cause of concern in Naas estate

NAAS, 18 December 2001: by Trish Whelan. Residents of Kingsfurze estate in Naas say cars parked outside a residential care house at the entrance to their estate are causing problems to traffic going in and out from the Dublin Road.

The issue was raised by Cllr Mary Glennon (left) at UDC level.

She said the number of cars parked there varies from 5 to 13, ‘which is 6 times as many cars as you would expect in a private house’. Big security gates guard the driveway. Full story.

Stagg questions monitoring of waste

NAAS, 18 December 2001: by Trish Whelan. Labour Deputy, Emmet Stagg, has expressed his amazement that a contractor who is collecting domestic refuse in Naas has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for illegal dumping of waste.

"I am now calling for a full investigation of the actions of this contractor who is acting with the blessing of Naas UDC in the privatised refuse service.

Naas UDC Cllr Pat McCarthy (right) had previously been told by the county engineer that ‘to the best of his knowledge’ domestic refuse collected in Naas was being properly disposed of. Full story.

Major drugs seizure in Celbridge

CELBRIDGE, 18 December 2001: by Trish Whelan. Gardai from the Naas Drugs Unit were responsible for a major drugs find in the Celbridge area on Friday. Cannabis with an estimated value of £50,000 was seized in a raid on a private house in the town.

A man and woman, both in their 30s, were arrested and detained under the Drugs Trafficing Act and charged at Naas Garda Station yesterday morning. Both were taken to Kilmainham court where they were remanded in custody until tomorrow, Wednesday.

A quantity of money was also seized in the raid. Local gardai from Celbridge assisted in the operation.

Big increase in grant support for Naas

NAAS TOWN HALL, 14 December 2001: by Trish Whelan. Naas UDC chairman Willie Callaghan has welcomed the big increase in Local Government Fund (rate support grant) for Naas of almost 38%. This represents an increase from £471,854 to £650,795 giving the council an extra £178,141 to spend in 2002.

Naas UDC has long been complaining to various administrations over the inequities in the system.

“Cognisance was not taken over the years by successive administrations of the growth in the town’s population,” explained the chairman. "Consequently, the rates support grant was based on the town’s population at the time the scheme was introduced in 1977."

Doctor is this year's Hall of Fame awardee

NAAS, 8 December 2001: by Trish Whelan. Dr Brendan O’Donnell is this year’s recipient of the Naas UDC Hall of Fame Award. Dr O’Donnell received the award for his outstanding service to the people of Naas and Kildare and for his services to the elderly. Full Story.

£1.1m boost for Leixlip Youth Centre

LEIXLIP, 8 December 2001: by Bill Trapman. A grant of £1.1 million has been allocated to the Leixlip/Confey Youth Awareness Group, to fund a proposed youth centre at Newtown House. The proposal was made following the work of a committee headed by Roisin Feeney, which has raised funds from the community for the project. Full Story.

Timmy gets ministerial approval

NAAS, 8 December 2001: by Trish Whelan. More than 450 guests turned up to the launch by Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy of three new books by local author and politician Timmy Conway (PDs). Full Story.

Business and neighbours liase on Christmas crime

Garda Sgt Kevin Gralton (seated front) shows business and community leaders the operation of the Communications Room in Naas Garda Station during the Business Watch/Neighbourhood Watch/Community Watch meeting on crime. He also took them on a tour of the Cell Block in the Garda Station after the meeting.

NAAS GARDA AREA, 6 December 2001: by Michael Freeman. Business people have proposed to share information and photographs of known criminals and ‘dodgy characters’ to avoid a blitz of attempted robberies predicted by Gardai in the run up to Christmas.

Owners and managers of businesses in the Garda Business Watch scheme in Co Kildare joined with leaders of Neighbourhood Watch and Community Watch at Naas Garda Station for a special Garda briefing on crime earlier this month. Full story.

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