The Llangollen International Eisteddfod is set to welcome live audiences once again after two years of virtual events due to Covid-19. Celebrating its 75th anniversary, the festival will be shorter, running for four days, and scaled down to reflect Covid guidance and lower ticket sales in the arts industry. Executive producer Camilla King highlighted the challenges of planning during the pandemic and the decision to allow for digital entries. Despite a smaller venue and no parade for safety reasons, the event will feature notable performers such as Aled Jones, Russell Watson, and Anoushka Shankar, and has been updated with a freshened-up site design.

Parents in Wales are keeping their children out of school to avoid the risk of COVID-19 self-isolation before summer holidays. Heddwen Lois Williams has chosen to keep her children home, prioritizing a family trip. Unauthorised absences have increased, with the lowest classroom attendance rate since Easter. Education Minister Jeremy Miles emphasizes the importance of school for children's education and support. The Welsh government aims to continue education with minimal disruption.

In Wales, campaigners have criticized the government's response to the second homes crisis as vague and unambitious. Hundreds protested at Llyn Celyn in Gwynedd, where 20% of Wales' second homes are located. The Welsh government is working on solutions, including a pilot for new policies and closing tax loopholes. Official figures show 24,873 second homes in Wales, with 44% of homes sold in Dwyfor Meirionnydd subject to higher land transaction tax. The Welsh Language Communities Housing Plan is set to launch in the autumn.

Plans are underway to build a new affordable housing estate by Cymdeithas Dai Clwyd Alyn on a site in Rhuthun, Wales, previously hit by major floods in 2012. Local councillor Huw Hilditch-Roberts supports the need for housing, while resident Iola Jones expresses concerns over flood risks due to inadequate river maintenance. Another resident, Emma Logan, worries about increased traffic. Clwyd Alyn's CEO, Craig Sparrow, states that infrastructure has been upgraded to mitigate flood risks. A consultation on the plans is open until November 27.

There is opposition in Ruthin to plans to move the county archive from the town to a new £16.6m purpose-built facility in Mold, which would unite the collections of Denbighshire and Flintshire due to space shortages in the current archives. Councillor Emrys Wynne, representing Ruthin, is against the idea, suggesting an alternative solution using another building at the old Ruthin Jail site. The relocation plans indicate little hope for expanding the Ruthin site, and Flintshire's archive in the Old Rectory in Hawarden is also full, with the county paying for commercial space to store documents. Local history society secretary Gareth Evans expressed concerns about the empty building that would be left in Ruthin if the collection were moved.

An old village school on Anglesey has been reopened as a community center. A community committee came together to establish the center as a replacement for a previous aging facility. Local councilor Carwyn Jones expressed that the school means a lot to many people and its sale for housing development would have been a tragedy. The new center is seen as an opportunity for the community, potentially housing a shop and post office. Rhian Hughes, chair of the committee that worked to establish the center, shared her emotional response to the reopening, especially upon seeing former teachers of the school.

An internal audit of the financial control at Tŷ Pawb, conducted in February and March, revealed gaps in the process that expose the service to risks and highlighted the need for improved financial management efficiency. Although no financial losses were disclosed, 13 recommendations were made, including five with high priority. The center was expected to incur a loss of £173,000 during the period, and there was a public dispute between the council and some of the traders at the site.

Dozens gathered at a historical building near Wrexham on Friday afternoon to hear the Stiwt clock chime for the first time in over a decade. The clock in Rhosllannerchrugog has been restored as part of a £100,000 expenditure on the building, originally erected for local coal miners. Local schoolchildren who raised funds for the clock's restoration turned on its mechanism. The Stiwt holds significant sentimental value for the community, with memories of weekly cinema visits and games. The clock, which has been silent since around 2007, was traditionally used to wake miners at the start of their workday before the Hafod coal pit closed in 1968. The restoration appeal began in 2018, marking 50 years since the Hafod pit's closure.

Around 50 people attended a public meeting in Bodffordd, Ynys Môn, to discuss the future of their community center, which shares a site with the village school set to close due to Ynys Môn Council's primary school reorganization. The council legally owns the building, but the community raised thousands of pounds to establish the center in the 1980s. The meeting highlighted the local community's lack of formal ownership but significant investment in terms of labor and funds. The potential cost of purchasing the building could be up to £400,000, considering repair costs and the need for parking. Ynys Môn Council has not set a price yet and is asking interested parties to submit expressions of interest by March 15. Councillor Bob Parry stated the local authority is willing to support the community if they wish to purchase the site. Villagers decided to establish a committee to explore the possibility of acquiring the center for free from the council, as well as the option to purchase the rest of the site.

A controversial housing development of 33 homes on agricultural land in Llanrhaeadr, near Denbigh, was approved with 11 votes to 7. Local councillors, including Elfed Williams of the Community Council, raised concerns about the potential impact on the Welsh language, noting that over half of the village speaks Welsh. The planning company Cadnant argues that population growth ensures sustainable Welsh communities. The development site is earmarked for housing in the Denbighshire Local Development Plan, which also considers potential linguistic impact. Welsh speakers in the village decreased from 60.9% in 2001 to 51.2% in 2011. Williams, also a governor at Ysgol Bro Cinmeirch, fears a negative impact on the language. Cadnant states there will be a financial contribution to address any increase in school pupils and emphasizes the inclusion of affordable homes and a mix of housing types to meet community needs.