This week’s Manx Independent leads on bad news for Douglas town centre.

Two big shops are closing - and there is a question mark over others.

The main photo on the front page is of the new vaccination base at the airport, where the first jabs will be administered today.

Also this week:

Paul Clint Shields, who smuggled drugs into the prison inside a Kinder egg inside his body, has had his jail term cut on appeal.

Scammers are attempting to exploit the island’s vaccine roll-out to find victims and extract personal details from them.

The Education Minister would like to see all teachers vaccinated.

Arrangements for transporting the elderly to vaccination hubs prompted a heated exchange in the House of Keys.

A UK charity initiative aiming to provide schoolchildren with access to laptops and tablets for remote learning is extending its operations to the island.

An elected local authority member is unhappy that a rates meeting is still taking place during the lockdown.

We hear from people of colour about what it was like for them to grow up in the Isle of Man.

Do you fancy being the island’s next lieutenant governor? The job is being advertised.

A group of students have been challenging themselves to get active every day of January for charity.

One of the island’s leading hotels has stopped taking in key workers and people isolating on health and safety reasons.

The public are being asked for their views on a proposed tree planting scheme designed to help the island meet its climate change goals.

Green-fingered Tanya Anderson believes that women are at the forefront of gardening. She tells us why.

The RSPB offers a guide to the more unusual birds you might see in your garden, and the types of feed that will help attract a variety of species.

The wild exploits of a team of Manx adventurers as they attempt to cross India in a vehicle, affectionately compared to a glorified lawnmower, is to be shown in a full-length film. Our Island Life section has more.

New dates have been announced for the latest musical to hit the stage, following the postponement of the original times. We hear the latest from Douglas Choral Union.

On the back page, we report that Adam Long, a professional footballer from Douglas, has signed a new deal with Wigan Athletic.

There is also plenty of community news, as well your letters, a page of photos from the past, our new puzzles pages and a seven-day television guide.

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