EVERY WEEKDAY EVENING, TheJournal.ie brings you the five stories you need to know before you head out the door.

1. #IRISH WATER Irish Water will spend nearly €86 million on consultants, contractors and legal advice, it said in a submission to the Oireachtas Environment Committee. Its chief executive John Tierney said the use of such expertise is “standard practice”.

2. #STORM Irish MEPs are “confident” the EU will provide storm repair funds. They met with the Commissioner for Regional Development on funding to repair recent storm damage and said the commissioner was very open to hearing what they had to say.

3. #ARREST A third person has been arrested over the death of Vincent Maher (29) at a house party in Finglas, Dublin, on Saturday. Maher died violently, and gardaí are investigating whether he was attacked during the party.

4. #COST CUTTING A train strike is ‘not inevitable’, according to Irish Rail and the NBRU, despite comments to the contrary from Transport Minister Leo Varadkar. Negotiations at the Labour Relations Commission on a plan to cut payroll costs ended without agreement before Christmas.

5. #COURT Coronation St actor William Roache (81) appears in court today charged with the rape of a girl (15) and another five counts of indecent assault. He has pleaded not guilty to all of the alleged offences.