Council bribes locals with civic dollars to spend time in parks
For spending 15 hours in a park, users could be rewarded with one month s free gym membership
3 April 2021 • 3:00pm
Belfast City Council is proposing to reward local residents to get back outdoors after lockdown by cashing in the time they spend running around local parks for free transport and gym membership.
In an attempt to corral the city s residents to embrace more active lifestyles once Covid restrictions are relaxed, the council is planning to trial an app in mid-April that would pay people between two and six civic dollars for every hour they spend outdoors.
Candidate filing closed Tuesday for a number of governmental positions that are up for election April 6, setting up several competitive races across South County. One of the trends this year is that many incumbents did not file to run again, so there are a number of new faces across local city and school boards.
The Mehlville fire board and the Green Park mayoral seat will see competitive races this year. Incumbent fire board Treasurer Bonnie Stegman is being challenged by a former firefighter.
Aldermanic seats in Crestwood, Green Park and Sunset Hills are also up for election, along with three seats on the Grantwood Village Board of Trustees. Green Park and Crestwood will have a number of new faces on the Board of Aldermen, but no competitive races, while Sunset Hills will have competitive races in all four wards. And for the first time in recent memory, Grantwood Village will have competitive races.
Sen. Kevin Corbin
Violence and looting by anyone, for any political cause, is wrong and illegal. The riot yesterday as well as the riots that have taken place over the past few months have been well documented by television stations as well as dozens of cell phone recordings. These people should be easily identified and held accountable for damages and charges like breaking and entering.
The time has long passed for the microphone to be passed to those who want civility and honest conversations. In the past few months, including yesterday in Washington, there have been sincere people who truly want their cause heard. In addition to the sincere protesters, there have been instigators or “agitators” that have escalated the events to property damage and injury to persons.
Nurses from Ireland who served during the First World War have been honoured with a memorial plaque at Belfast City Hall.
It comes after research discovered more than 100 names of those who served in battlefields across Europe, Africa and the Middle East between 1914 and 1918.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Northern Ireland History of Nursing Network previously produced a book telling their stories. The group has now successfully applied to the council for a plaque to be installed at City Hall.
Attending the unveiling on behalf of the History of Nursing Network, Heather Thompson said: It was a privilege to attend Belfast City Hall for the unveiling of this important plaque by the Lord Mayor, Alderman Frank McCoubrey.