In this week's Westmeath Independent
This week's Westmeath Independent has hit the shelves and is packed with news, sport and photos, including: * Details of a multi-million euro retail and office development planned for the Roscommon Road area of Athlone. * The Twist soup kitchen in Athlone fed 19 people on Christmas day. We speak to its owner, Oliver Williams. * TV stars Brax (from Home and Away) and Charlotte Crosby (from Geordie Shore) visited Athlone last week. We have a series of photos from the two visits. * Could Athlone's future include waterbuses on the River Shannon and a light rail system? These are possibilities mentioned in the Draft Athlone Town Development Plan 2014-2020. * We have a report on Padraig Pearses' one-point defeat at the hands of Strokestown in the Roscommon Under-21 Division One final, along with details of Athlone Town FC's latest signings. * We reflect on 2012, with special coverage of the photos and quotes of the year in both news and sport, as well as a look back at some of the biggest stories of the last twelve months. All this and more in this week's paper, which 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)