The chair of the Public Accounts Committee is calling for a criminal investigation into what he called a cover-up of deaths at Portlaoise Hospital.

The county's new manager will have to make do without 2018 captain Ross King and club hurler of the year Ciaran Collier. Cahir Healy is also expected to switch to the football panel.

Willie Penrose says calls for a new party leader are less than helpful.

Latest: A 17-year-old boy being questioned in connection with a fatal stabbing in Offaly has been released without charge.

90 judges, drawn from the industry in Ireland and Europe, judged 282 hours of submissions from the 700 entries across 37 categories and today they announced the shortlist.

Love in a hopeless place!

Kelly O’Brien has been getting increasingly obsessed with the chemicals in cosmetics. So this month, she decided to bin her regular routine and go 100% organic

The General Secretary of the INMO, Liam Doran, says patients are suffering in silence in Mullingar Hospital.

An obstetric consultant has apologised to a pregnant woman who was incorrectly told this week her baby had been dead for five weeks.

The referee appointed to oversee this Saturday’s All-Ireland hurling final replay has slammed RTÉ’s analysis of Barry Kelly’s handling of the drawn fixture.

Kildare 1-22 Westmeath 0-8

The man who died as a result of a house fire in Co Roscommon has been described as a very popular man in the region.

Pat Flanagan has spoken of his disappointment at the way he was let go as manager of the Westmeath senior footballers, with Dubliner Paul Bealin voted in to replace him earlier this week.

A prayer service will take place in Offaly this evening to remember Fiona Pender on the 17th anniversary of her disappearance.

Gardaí in Co Westmeath are searching for three men who broke into the home of an elderly couple over the weekend and robbed them at knifepoint.

Another Fine Gael TD has said he cannot give a firm commitment on the Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill.

Long-serving goalkeeper Gary Connaughton, who won an historic first Leinster SFC title with Westmeath in 2004, has announced his retirement from inter-county football.

A cat is mothering three ducklings in Co Offaly.

Justice Minister Alan Shatter has criticised the judiciary for sending too many people to prison.

A Laois garda, who helped bring a baby boy back to life, has said he did nothing more than any garda would have done.

Opportunities to compete to operate a radio station are set to become available across the country next year as a number of the current batch of radio licences expires in 2014.

Oulart-the Ballagh (Wexford) 0-11 Kilcormac/Killoughey (Offaly) 1-12

Three men have completed their 131 mile run from Sligo to Dublin.

Longford Westmeath TD Willie Penrose has said Roisín Shortall's resignation as Junior Health Minister was a warning to the Coalition.

Katie Taylor has said she hopes facilities at her gym will improve in the coming weeks.

Homeowners across the Midlands and the North East are being told to be vigilant after reports of bogus council workers attempting to collect the household tax.

The Taoiseach says costs will have to be driven down to ensure a better standard of living for those on social welfare or in receipt of the minimum wage.

A midlands auction house will hold a sale today to raise money for Christ Church, in Dublin.

Ciaran McManus has hit out at Offaly GAA officials for the procedures they used which led to Gerry Cooney being installed as the new Offaly senior football manager.

The son of a soldier shot dead by the IRA in the 1980s has confronted presidential hopeful Martin McGuinness.

Laois County Board chairman Brian Allen says they will have to adopt "a more long-term approach" for the county's next senior hurling manager.

Fine Gael TD Charlie Flanagan has said the Midland Regional Hospital in Portlaoise will not see any curtailment of services because of the junior doctors crisis.

Fine Gael's Denis Naughten has today branded a proposal to reduce Accident and Emergency hours at Roscommon Hospital as "totally unacceptable".

Midfielder Padraig Clancy has failed to recover in time for Laois' Leinster SFC opener against Longford in Portlaoise on Sunday (throw-in 2pm).

A Laois Fine Gael councillor wants corporal punishment brought back with stripping and whipping dealt out to the culprits of crime.

Athlone-based pharmaceutical company Elan is selling its Westmeath unit to US biotechnology firm Alkermes.

The Data Protection Commission and Microsoft is warning of a phone scam operating in Ireland.

Longford Westmeath TD Mary O'Rourke is the latest Deputy to pledge support to the Taoiseach as leader of Fianna Fáil ahead of tonight's confidence motion in Brian Cowen.

THE country’s most senior road safety advocate has described as “murderous” the behaviour of parents who don’t have their children properly strapped into cars.

A SUSPECTED gas leak is thought to have caused a massive fire which destroyed a pub and auctioneers shop in the centre of Athlone yesterday.

Derek Heavin has launched a scathing attack on GAA authorities after the Westmeath player was forced to announce his retirement from senior inter-county football earlier this week.

Rumblings of a possible leadership challenge within Fianna Fáil are being described as the "subplot" to yesterday's Budget.