There is nothing healthier than drinking some water – or so I’ve always told my kids. It doesn’t contain sugar or colour additives – as one person used to tell us as children, ‘it’s sky juice’! What could be better?

Police say a man will face court today, charged after 12 windows were allegedly smashed in Ballina last night.   Police say, 'About 10.35pm (Thursday 9 July 2026), police were called to Martin Street following reports of a man smashing windows'.

Eclectic Selection: What’s on this week is a taste of some of the events that can be found in the Byron Shire and beyond this coming week.

On 13 July I am four years sober. I am one of a growing number of people who decided to quit alcohol. It’s one of the best decisions of my life. My only regret is I didn’t do it sooner.

This year’s festival celebrates some of the most vital and impactful storytelling in Australian literature, with a dedicated program of First Nations writers whose work spans historical fiction, picture books and Indigenous knowledge and whose voices are reshaping how this country understands itself.

A good bakery is at the heart of a country town, but Bangalow Bread don’t only make delicious organic...