GOOD MORNING. HERE’S everything you need to know as the weekend gets underway.

ABORTION

1. The US Supreme Court has preserved women’s access to a drug used in the most common method of abortion, rejecting lower-court restrictions while a lawsuit continues.

Yesterday the justices granted emergency requests from the Biden administration and New York-based Danco Laboratories, maker of the drug mifepristone.

Operation Slow Down

2. Gardaí detected 211 vehicles speeding on roads across the country yesterday and this morning, including vehicles driving in excess of 50 km/h above the limit.

Gardaí conducted Operation Slowdown – a 24-hour national speed enforcement operation – from 7am yesterday morning to 7am this morning.

Over the course of the operation, GoSafe – the operator of speed cameras – checked the speed of 140,720 vehicles and clocked 211 breaking the speed limit.

GSOC

3. An investigator the Garda Ombudsman (GSOC) has resigned following concerns over a “potential conflict of interest” at the body.

It is understood it arose out of the investigator allegedly attending a party attended by Gerard “The Monk” Hutch after Hutch was cleared by the Special Criminal Court of taking part in the murder of David Byrne at the Regency Hotel in 2016.

In a statement, a spokesperson for GSOC said it had commenced an internal investigation into the issue, but that the officer has now notified it of his resignation.

Tathony House

4. Tenants of Tathony House in Dublin 8 will hold another demonstration outside the building today in protest of their impending eviction.

The 34 households were served eviction notices last October when the landlord decided to sell, but the remaining 15 households say they have “no intention” of leaving on the 2 June deadline.

Earth Day

5. An assembly of children and young people on biodiversity has called for Ireland to “treat the Earth like family” as it publishes a list of far-reaching calls to action to protect the environment.

35 children and teenagers between the ages of seven and 17 met over two weekends in Wicklow and Killarney last October to learn about biodiversity loss and decide on recommendations for policymakers.

Stryker

6. The workplace safety regulator has been called upon to account for the oversight it carried out at a major plant in Co Cork which was the scene of a serious fire this week.

A man in his 40s was left on life support following the blaze at Stryker in Carrigtwohill, east Cork on Tuesday, and a local TD has alleged there were previously 11 incidents of concern covering an 18-month period at the site.

The medical devices facility was evacuated in the course of this week’s incident.

Alec Baldwin

7. Manslaughter charges against Alec Baldwin over a fatal shooting on a movie set were formally dropped by prosecutors in the US yesterday.

A New Mexico court filing said the case against Baldwin “is dismissed without prejudice”, but investigations remain “active and on-going” into the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during the filming of the Western “Rust” in New Mexico in 2021.

Baldwin was holding a Colt .45 handgun during rehearsals when it discharged, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.

Accommodation 

8. Officials in the Department of Children and Equality were left praying for a “Hail Mary” as they put a call out for additional accommodation for the growing number of refugees arriving in Ireland.

In situation reports from last autumn, officials describe a deepening crisis and desperate efforts to relieve acute “immediate pressures” at the Citywest transit centre in Dublin.

Weather

9. Met Éireann reports that it will be a wet day ahead, with rain covering most of the country. This is set to ease into tomorrow, with fewer showers expected. Next week will start cold, with temperatures climbing as the week progresses.