In this week's Westmeath Independent

This week's Westmeath Independent is now on the shelves and features 40 pages of the best local news, sport and photos. FREE with this week's paper is 'Inspire' - a 40-page lifestyle magazine which includes interviews with pop star Bressie and RTE's Midlands correspondent Ciaran Mullooly.

Among the stories you'll find in this week's edition:

* Drug addicts are now injecting heroin in the toilets of Athlone District Court, according to Judge Seamus Hughes. His comments came during last week's court sitting. We also explore the issues raised by a recent RTE Prime Time programme which referred to drug use in Athlone.

* Gardai have renewed a warning to the public to keep their dogs under control after the latest canine attack resulted in nine lambs being killed in Curraghboy.

* Less than four months into 2013, all of this year's funding for Disabled Persons Grants in Westmeath has already been spent, Cllr Kevin 'Boxer' Moran has stated.

* Madonna, rugby star Shaun Edwards and Picasso all feature in the latest book by Athlone-based Franciscan priest Fr John O'Brien, who speaks to our deputy editor Karen Downey.

* Joe Digan's shop and Topaz service station in Moate has been targeted by thieves for the second time in less than six months.

* Resourceful students from Our Lady's Bower in Athlone and Moate Community School have reached the grand final of Junk Kouture - a competition in which second-level students are asked to create fashionable outfits out of everyday rubbish.

* Artist Rosemarie Langtry, who has contributed to the current exhibition in Athlone's Luan Gallery, is profiled in our Independent People series.

* Our 12 pages of sport are packed with reports and photos, including coverage of: Westmeath's promotion to the top tier of the National Football League, a €40,000 funding boost for Moate boxer Joe Ward, and Athlone Town's 1-1 draw with Cobh Ramblers in which the team was 'robbed' according to manager Roddy Collins.

All this and much more in this week's paper, which is available in local outlets and can also be accessed in the ePaper format (for more on this option, see: http://www.westmeathindependent.ie/epaper#undefined)