Every morning TheJournal.ie brings you the nine stories you need to know a little before 9am.

1.#HOUSES: The asking price of Irish homes has increased nationally for the first time in eight years. RTÉ reports that the  average asking price for a house is now €190,000.

2.#RIP: Dermot Healy, described as “Ireland’s greatest writer”, has died aged 66.

3.#MISSING: 41 Chinese nationals remain registered as missing in Ireland, but the number of missing teens has dropped dramatically since the system was reformed.

4.#EDUCATION: Principals have called on the government to audit education resources. The call comes in light of new figures that show the number of students rising, but student-teacher ratios is falling.

5.#GARTH: Residents of the Croke Park area could go to court to stop the Garth Brooks concerts. Eamon O’Brien of the Croke Park Streets Committee says that the residents “have a legal team ready to go“.

6.#DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: The Department of Justice is reviewing laws surrounding the supports for victims of domestic abuse. There

7.#BRIGHT FUTURE: The majority of Irish software companies say that they will increase staff numbers over the next 12 months. The Irish Software Association says that most also expect to be more profitable.

8.#IRAQ: The ISIS militant group has declared a new Islamic state in Iraq and Syria. The state will be made up of lands that ISIS has seized in recent weeks.

9.#SAVING MICKEY: A number of 999 calls were made to rescue a paraglider who went into the sea yesterday. It turned out, however, to be a giant Mickey Mouse balloon.