IT was a torturous test of strength yesterday as Ireland’s strongest men broke national records lifting weights of 380kg (837lb) as part of the 10th annual Republic of Ireland Strongest Man competition.

A COCKTAIL of culinary treats will be served at the third Waterford Festival of Food in Dungarvan this weekend. More than 10,000 people are expected to attend the event, which will be worth an estimated €500,000 to the local economy.

TICKLING the taste buds of visitors with top-quality Irish food can give tourism a nourishing boost, it was suggested last night.

A COMMUNITY development centre in Dungarvan is set to provide a home for many local organisations, from childcare providers to services for the elderly.

A ROW has broken out in west Waterford following a county council decision to controversially rezone a 200-acre site — reportedly linked to a Garda investigation.

WORLD-FAMOUS cyclist Seán Kelly is inviting fellow enthusiasts to test their pedal power and join in a scenic cycle tour through Co Waterford in August — over the same terrain where he mastered his craft.

POPULATION statistics published last week prove the need for a university in the south-east, according to campaigners.

HOUSEHOLDERS in Waterford are to be asked to endure yet another refuse charge hike.

WATERFORD County Council has refuted claims that it is to blame for constant traffic congestion in part of the county which has spurred demonstrations since the Summer.

THE owner and managing director of a hugely successful Dungarvan company is promising up to 240 new jobs if Waterford County Council agrees to rezone his lands on the outskirts of the town.

WITH thousands of householders countywide continuing to resist payment of the controversial €150 annual flat charge introduced this year for refuse collection by Waterford County Council, the cash-strapped local authority may be forced into privatising the service.

MANAGERS who are interested in boosting their skills level and broadening their career horizons are being targeted by a new MBA programme run in Dungarvan, Co Waterford.

ONLY 50% of the Waterford County Council’s 11,000 customers have paid the controversial new annual flat charge of €150 for refuse collection ahead of tomorrow’s deadline.

TWO councillors have defended a controversial decision by their cash-strapped local authority to spend thousands of euro on sending and eight-member delegation to New York for St Patrick’s Day.

IT IS being dubbed the battle of the bins, with Waterford County Council locking horns with private companies to win the hearts, minds and custom of householders countywide for the privilege of collecting their refuse.

WATERFORD’S mayor and his deputy could be US-bound for St Patrick’s Day after all, despite earlier claims from city hall that nobody was venturing abroad this year.

EDDIE WALSH knows the risk involved in refusing to pay the new €150 annual flat charge which Waterford county manager Ray O’Dwyer has imposed on households for refuse collection.

PROTESTERS from across Waterford travelled to Dungarvan yesterday to protest the introduction of an annual flat charge of €150 for refuse collection service.

HOUSEHOLDERS in Waterford have warned they will go to jail rather than pay new refuse charges.

WATERFORD’S waste management plan was thrown into chaos at the weekend following the decision by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to refuse a licence for a proposed landfill outside Dungarvan.

THE threat by a member of Fianna Fáil to split ranks with his six party colleagues on Waterford County Council petered out at the conclusion of an extraordinary reconvened annual estimates meeting last night.

BUSINESSES, motorists and householders in Waterford city all face a hike in charges and fees over the coming year after the local authority announced a €51 million plan for improvement projects.

Faced with the most serious waste management crisis in its 116 year history, and a dire financial situation, there was no surprise that, at the end of a marathon annual estimates meeting yesterday, the twenty three elected members of Waterford County Council failed to adopt a county rate for 2006.

TWO Fianna Fáil members of Waterford County Council last night demanded to know if a private investigator had been hired to probe irregularities within the council’s own planning department.

WATERFORD County Council is changing its bin collection cycle from the start of next month in a crisis bid to save money.

Neans McSweeney, South-East Correspondent

WATERFORD county councillor Brendan Mansfield has broken ranks with his council colleagues by making public details of private discussions on solutions to an impending waste crisis in the area.

AS union leaders prepare to meet senior management at the troubled Waterford Crystal plant this morning, local councillors have been voicing their dissatisfaction with the way the 480 job cuts were announced last week.