NI newspaper review: Bank closures and death threats

Bank closures, missing cats and death threats all feature in Northern Ireland's weekly papers.

The Ulster Star reports that there are new concerns over road safety after planning approval was given for a new supermarket in Lisburn.

The site is at the junction of the Ballinderry Road and Knockmore Road.

Some people have welcomed the news as a jobs boost for the area, while others want the road itself to be upgraded.

The paper reports that more than 1,600 people have signed a petition calling for improvements to be made.

An 11-year-old girl has been grabbed by her throat by a man in Armagh, according to the Ulster Gazette.

The paper reports that the girl was attacked at about 15:30 GMT as she left St Catherine's College on Convent Road last Friday.

The girl, who was grabbed and then pushed into a hedge, was not badly hurt but was left shaken.

Her mother told the Gazette: "I normally pick my daughter up from school and this was the one time I was unable to do so.

"I am just so angry that this has happened but we wanted to speak out so other parents can be aware that this person is around."

She also thanked the school for the support they had shown the family, and has reported the incident to the police.

In County Fermanagh, a proposal to close a rural high school has been withdrawn.

The Impartial Reporter says that there are now no plans to close St Mary's High School in Brollagh.

The proposal had faced opposition from parents and students.

Sinn Féin MLA Jemma Dolan, a former pupil of the school, welcomed the news and said it was "fantastic for all those involved with St Mary's".

Over in the Newry Democrat, there's a striking front page headline: "Attackers threaten to 'burn house with children still inside'".

Last week a family from Carraig Way in Cullyhanna received a warning that they would be shot and their house would be burned down.

Sinn Feín Councillor Barra Ó Muirí told the paper the victim was followed home from a wake by assailants who threw something at his jeep.

The perpetrators then broke the windscreen of the vehicle, kicked in the front doors of the house, and attacked the victim and his father before making the chilling threats.

The men then returned with a third man before resuming the attack. An ambulance was called to the scene.

Mr Ó Muirí described it as a "disgraceful incident", adding he was "glad it didn't result in more serious injuries or worse".

Another newspaper with a striking front page is the Tyrone Courier, which has a full page picture of a still-smouldering warehouse in Dungannon following a fire.

"Completely gutted!" is the headline after the premises was destroyed in a fire that is believed to have been started deliberately.

The PSNI have appealed for information.

Elsewhere, the paper reports on the ordeal of a Moygashel grandmother who was one of 56 people on board a flight that had to make an emergency landing at Belfast International Airport last week.

Kay Smith, 88, was said to be "shaken and distressed" after the plane landed without its nose gear.

"It took a bit of time for her to understand what had happened," said Andrew, Kay's son.

"I have asked her what the landing was like, and she said it was OK, so the pilot must have done a very good job of getting the plane down gently."

Ulster Bank is to close 11 further branches across Northern Ireland causing concern for residents in Moira and Dromore, according to the Ulster Star.

The banks managing director of personal banking in Northern Ireland, Sean Murphy, said the closures were a result of changes in consumer behaviour.

Branches impacted will include Moira and Dromore - with the Lisburn branch taking over their remit.

Lagan Valley MLA Edwin Poots told the paper: "I know this is a difficult situation, but I will be contacting Ulster Bank to discuss this and asking them to reconsider."

Other branches facing closure are Ballyclare, Portrush, Draperstown, Dungiven, Killyleagh, Rathfriland, Castlederg, Irvinestown and Stewartstown.

A shop in Coleraine has apologised after a manager asked an employee to remove their poppy, according to the Chronicle.

Eason's, based on Church Street in the town, confirmed that a manager, who was unaware of company guidance on the wearing of poppies, had mistakenly asked a member of staff to remove theirs.

The incident came to light following a post on social media which received more than 100 Facebook comments, reports the paper.

It is understood the staff member will receive an apology and an investigation has been launched into "the genuine oversight".

Meanwhile, never mind the bollards?

Not in Newry, where there is uproar over the structures that were placed outside the Newry west campus of the Southern Regional College during the Halloween period.

A local resident who wished to remain anonymous told the Newry Democrat: "It's like the Brits are back in town.

"They must have had trouble with students parking, which I well believe because they're tortured with that issue around here," she said.

"It's like something out of Omaha Beach, or Hitler's reinforced concrete bunker."

A spokesperson for the Southern Regional College (SRC) said the bollards were put in place following a recent incident in which the Northern Ireland Fire Service (NIFRS) struggled to access the site due to "the hazardous manner" in which cars were parked outside.

Feline lovers are distraught in Armagh, after 27 cats have been reported missing, according to the Ulster Gazette.

The figures came to light after a local pet shop made a map plotting missing cat's who had gone missing in the area since August.

Emma O'Hare, who created the map, said: "Cats wander away all the time, but the same cats come back eventually.

"These cases aren't that, these cats are disappearing, and they're not coming back and their bodies aren't being found."

A total of 292 cats have disappeared across the island of Ireland, with County Down recording the highest number - 103.

And in Fermanagh this weekend, a special event will remember those killed in road crashes according to the Impartial Reporter.

The event at Castle Saunderson on Sunday will mark World Day of Remembrance for road traffic victims.

The event is open to all of those affected by road collisions in counties Fermanagh, Tyone, Cavan, Monaghan and beyond.

Martina Crudden, whose son Daniel died in an accident in 2011, told the paper that the she lobbied for a local event after attending a similar remembrance service in County Westmeath.

"I felt a local event would help the many families and friends unable to travel to Mullingar whose lives had been changed forever as a result of a road traffic collision," she said.