This week’s Manx Independent reveals a planning mistake that means that more houses than originally intended can be built in one island village.

The full story is inside the paper.

Also this week:

A dog owner tells us about an incident in which a couple tried to steal her dog from her garden.

The surge in house prices is bad news for first-time buyers who will find it even harder to get on to the property ladder. We look at their options.

The latest on the Covid-19 situation.

Financial support for the tourism industry has been extended to the end of the year.

We are likely to see more extreme weather events on the Isle of Man in the coming decades, the island’s top meteorologist tells us.

Reporter Emma Draper goes to the island’s biggest high school to chat to students about their A-level results.

A project to track small sharks in Isle of Man waters is being carried out by the Manx Wildlife Trust.

Marilyn Cannell of Kirk Michael has picked up her British Empire Medal after being named in Queen’s birthday honours list.

A police surveillance campaign - Operation Strongbox - has resulted in more than 10 arrests at Manx ports since borders reopened.

Magistrates have rejected a plea for leniency after delivery driver Vincent Gregory Magee, who already had nine points on his licence, admitted careless driving.

A pub in Peel wants longer opening hours.

Labourer George Arthur Horner, drink-driver whose vehicle collided with roadworks on Douglas promenade has been sentenced.

An arts festival encompassing every corner of the island gets underway this weekend with a larger-than-life display of the creative process in action. Details are in Island Life, our leisure and pleasure section.

Live comedy returns to the island next week with two shows from some of the loudest and most outrageous comedians around. Sarah Millican is the first.

Organisers are urging audience members to ’consider’ the government advice about face masks.

Alice Crellin, a 12-year-old art student from the north of the island, has opened her first exhibition. It is a collection of wildlife-inspired paintings and drawings.

Two carnivals happened at the weekend. We have lots of pictures from both Castletown and Peel.

There are 10 pages of sport. On the back page we preview FC Isle of Man’s foray in the North West Counties Football League continues with another away fixture this weekend.

There is also plenty of community news, a page of your letters, our puzzles pages, Pullyman, the gig guide and a seven-day television guide.

The Manx Independent is in the shops now.

But you don’t have to go to a shop to buy a copy.

You can also read it online if you buy the digital edition. It should be uploaded by 7.30am.

To find out how to buy it, go to the ’Digital Editions’ section of the website on the grey line near the top of this site or watch the video below.

www.iomtoday.co.im/subscribe.cfm