EVERY WEEKDAY EVENING, TheJournal.ie brings you the five stories you need to know as you head home for the day.

1. #COURT: A driver who knocked down and killed Kildare councillor Willie Crowley in December 2015 was speeding and didn’t hit the brakes, a court has heard.

2. #BREXIT: Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar has hit back at the former Ukip leader Nigel Farage for claiming that EU leaders are “stoking Irish nationalism” to make Brexit negotiations difficult for the UK.

3. #BREATH TESTS: The head of the representative association for senior gardaí has said the breath test scandal is a resourcing issue, but all ranks must accept responsibility.

4. #TROLLEYS: There has been an improvement in Dublin hospitals in terms of overcrowding, but things are getting worse in other counties.

5. #EDUCATION: Around €47 million will be spent on major improvements on 438 schools over the summer.

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