Shopping desire postoned
Greg Dutton and his team tried hard to gain financial support from our wealthiest to purchase Mullum’s IGA. While commendable, it is not entirely surprising that it didn’t get up......
Issue 26.48 – May 15, 2012
| Latest News | Updated May 15, 2012 |
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Council’s 2012-13 belt- tightening budget
Rates and childcare are up, community donations cut The Byron Shire Council (BSC) has announced massive cuts to community donations and an increase in childcare costs to balance its 2012–13 budget, on top of a 3.6 per cent rate hike. But Council has defended the budget, with a media spokesperson saying, ‘Council has worked hard to create a budget that continues to provide important community services like roads, without placing too much pressure on household finances.’ In what BSC’s general manager Graeme Faulkner described as... Read more»
Rally calls for gas-free region
A big rally in Lismore on Saturday saw communities across the northern rivers making a strong stand against coal-seam gas (CSG) exploration and mining. The Rock the Gate rally was part of... Read more»
Mullum hospital’s night doctors to be replaced by video-link
Rumours of Mullumbimby Hospital losing its emergency night doctor appear well founded after its administrator announced video-link technology is being trialed. The Echo had received several calls from concerned residents who said they understood that there would be no doctor available in Accident & Emergency (AE) from the hours of 11pm to 7am from the end of June. When asked to confirm or deny, chief executive of Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSW LHD) Chris Crawford said the only decision that has been made is to introduce a telemedicine system that will link the... Read more»
Business lobby, councillors disagree on amalgamation
The amalgamation of neighbouring councils has been suggested by Byron Bay’s chamber of commerce president, Paul Waters. The idea, however, has been knocked back by both the mayor and deputy mayor. Mr Waters is seeking feedback from his members, which he says could create ‘economies of scale’ that would alleviate the Shire’s deteriorating infrastructure. The comments come after Council’s 2012/13 budget and long-term outlook, which sees Council continue to struggle financially with a relatively small rate-base. Mr Waters told The Echo,... Read more»
Dennetts IGA community bid fails
Plans to purchase Mullum’s IGA supermarket as a community-run business have failed to gain enough private equity. And it was close, with the bid short of around $250,000. Mullum Community Gardens president Greg Dutton had called on wealthy local investors to buy the supermarket as founding stakeholders, and in return they would be bought out by the community in the form of shares. ‘In hindsight maybe I needed to test the investment proposition more thoroughly with our über wealthy,’ he said. ‘However, in reality I didn’t have the... Read more»
Aspiring writers share mentorship week
In the lead-up to Byron Bay Writers’ Festival, four emerging Northern Rivers writers were selected to spend an intensive week under the mentorship of acclaimed local novelist Marele... Read more»
Child abduction claims have no basis say police
After a reported ‘wave’ of attempted child abductions in Sydney last week, Byron Shire residents were given a scare last Friday when a post began circulating on Facebook about an attempt in the area. ‘Byron Bay police have confirmed that there was an attempted child abduction in Baywood Chase in the past couple of days,’ said the social media post. ‘A woman and a man tried to take two boys, aged 8 and 10. Please pass this message on to other local parents and keep an eye on your midgets – there have been a number of attempt ranging from Lismore... Read more»
Recyclers – beware the bin stickers
Garbage warrior Kate Pye takes a peak in our bins and reports the findings If you’ve had a blue sticker on your recycling bin of late, you’ve been very naughty... Read more» |
| Features | Updated May 15, 2012 |
| Opinion and Analysis | Updated May 14, 2012 |
A Swan balanced between two horses
In spite of all the rhetoric about the budget being Labor to its bootstraps (whatever they are) many of those in real poverty have been treated with contempt.In his classic dialogue Phaedrus, the.....
Thy Protesteth
There is nothing like a good old-fashioned protest. It’s better than a family fun day. Nothing brings a community together like dissidence. While we join our fellow anti-CSG campaigners to show.....
Cinema Reviews – May 15, 2012
Dark Shadows It was only a matter of time before cinema’s most-celebrated ‘quirky’ director, Tim Burton, got together with his favourite actor, Johnny Depp, and partner Helena.....
Opals to baklava
His secret is to caramelise the syrup before pouring it over the immensely buttery, spicy baklava, then at the very end flavour it with fresh local lemon juice and orange juice. It was the tray-loads.....
Do think tanks think?
In recent years ‘think tanks’, originally intended as the repository of brain power in researching important issues, have gained a dodgy reputation as many of them are lobbying forces for.....