Ballina Shire Council's first meeting of the year covered a lot of ground, with Cr Kiri Dicker making a number of memorable contributions.

Ballina Shire Council returns to its chambers tomorrow after an extended break. The agenda is even more hectic than usual.

Ballina Shire Council's penultimate meeting for the year covered a lot of ground. A motion regarding the establishment of a Richmond River Commissioner found support, with amendments.

Council elections are rapidly approaching, but many of those seeking election in Ballina are still a mystery to potential voters. The Echo has been trying to find out what makes the latest batch of candidates tick, beyond the statements in their PR material.

Yesterday's Ballina Shire Council meeting saw accusations and insults hurled across the chamber as councillors split down the middle on the contentious issue of conservation zones.

Accusations of gerrymandering continue in Ballina Shire owing to divisions created over a recent controversial vote to change ward boundaries.

Greens state member for Ballina Tamara Smith says she has written to planning minister Paul Scully seeking advice and counsel over controversial opt-in conservation zones in the Ballina Shire. 

Yesterday a quiet driveway off flood-prone Ross Lane in Lennox Head was the scene of an unusual moment of pre-election fervour, when political representatives and candidates from across the region and every level of government came together to announce that something was finally being done about Ross Lane, along with numerous other roads across 26 disaster-declared LGAs.

Just off the road between Alstonville and Ballina, the spectacular Duck Creek Mountain Bike Park has re-opened, bigger and better, after an injection of funding and lots of hard work from dedicated volunteers.

Ballina's beloved Jetboat Rescue Service was given temporary permission to return to the water on the weekend, with conditions. The future of the service was also one of the main items of discussion at the last Ballina Shire Council meeting, following a motion put forward by Cr Eoin Johnston.