Gardai in an East Cork town are investigating bogus workers who carry out shoddy repairs and threaten homeowners who refuse to pay for the work. A number of families in the town have come across the so-called workers who have promised to carry out services ranging from farm work to driveway repairs. They offer the services at reduced prices and come equipped with business cards and contact numbers.

The Samaritans in Cork have returned to full service after their premises on Coach Street was damaged in November's flooding. The charity's drop-in service was closed from 20 November until last Monday 1 March due to extensive damage caused by the flooding that resulted in tens of thousands of euro worth of damage to its offices on Coach Street in the city.

A Cork head shop owner has called for regulation of her industry rather than prohibition, as the Government moves to ban a number of substances on sale as 'legal highs'. The laws are due to come into effect in June when the products will come under the Misuse of Drugs Act. It will make the possession of head shop products an offence, but not all head shop 'legal highs' goods are being blacklisted.

Whether woman are from Victoria Road or Venus, Cork's First Lady is urging them to join her at City Hall this Monday 8 March to support a fundraising event for International Women's Day. Lady Mayoress Tanya Murphy is asking Corkettes to help her raise funds for Cork's Sexual Violence Centre and the Women of Concern in Haiti.

On Saturday 6 March, Cork Tourism providers are coming together in Cork City Hall to showcase what is on offer in the rebel county in 2010 and put an end to the myth that there is nothing to do in Cork. RE-DISCOVER CORK is aimed at letting people in Cork know what is available to them on their doorstep. It will be a family fun afternoon from 12pm – 4pm in the millennium hall at Cork City hall with face painting, African drumming, train rides, food samples and competitions throughout the afternoon.

Tuesday saw the launch of the 2010 Cork's St Patrick's Day festival by the Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr Dara Murphy and Grand Marshall Lisa Cummins. The three-day Cork St Patrick's Festival Programme for 2010 is presented by Cork City Council and sponsored by Cork Airport. This year's theme is 'Ships to Shore', celebrating Cork's maritime culture.

The Ballincollig Business Association (BBA) has organised the first St Patrick's Day Parade in the town for over 25 years and it will take place on 17 March at 3pm. Ballincollig has had so much success in recent years in a variety of fields such as business, sporting, academic and music and this year it was felt that this should be celebrated.

The final of Cork's Got Talent has finally arrived! It will be held on Saturday 6 March in the Silversprings Hotel with an audience of over 1,000 expected. The event will be hosted by Dave Mac of Red FM. The finalists include singers, dancers and martial artists. It has been an arduous journey for the talented acts that have gotten this far. Auditions for Cork's Got Talent were held in January and over 400 acts auditioned.

A Cork fashion student is cutting her cloth to fit success this week and hoping her haute couture creations will get more runway time as she has been nominated as a finalist of the Persil Irish Fashion Awards 2010. The creations by Aoife Hassett from Ballydehob came under the microscope when Irish fashion designer Peter O'Brien, Glenda Gilson from TV3's Xpose and Marketing Manager for Marks & Spencer Ireland, Carmel Breheny, judged the contest in search of eight finalists.

Gardai are still looking for witnesses to the fatal crash that killed a 21-year-old student early Monday morning. Stephen Allen from Calderwood in Douglas died when the white Honda Integra he was driving hit a wall at Carr's Hill on the main Douglas to Carrigaline road, near the Bloomfield interchange, around 3am on Monday morning.