Latest News
Ballina Shire Council supports application for new croquet club
The Ballina Croquet Club is hoping to receive up to $300,000 in funding for a new club house at Cawarra Park.
Other News
Editorial – Free fi fo dumb?
Hans Lovejoy, editor
Scientists have warned that now the UK has come out of lockdown on ‘freedom day’ (July 19),...
Kingscliff’s new ambulance station won’t be on State Significant Farmland
Concerns over the new Kingscliff Ambulance station being placed on State Significant Farmland were raised following the announcement of funding for the new ambulance station by Health Minister Brad Hazzard earlier this month.
Entertainment in the Byron Shire and beyond for the week beginning July 28, 2021
It's amazing what you can still go and see and do. Check it out!
Bangalow health food staff fined for failing to mask-up
Anyone who cannot wear a face mask because of a disability, physical or mental health illness or condition must now carry proof of exemption.
Sovereign citizens have ‘zero’ legal status in Australia, says former magistrate
Can we really tell authorities we ‘don’t consent’ to rules around mask-wearing, public gatherings or, as was more common before the pandemic, traffic and drug offences, and be excused?
Riverland Wine: A hidden gem
Julz Recsei*
As I navigate the vast world of wine, I am constantly looking for something new and I found...
Stories about "sewage":
Byron wastewater clear of COVID on December 30
After the startling news of an ‘operational error’ in their sewage testing, Byron Shire Council welcomed confirmation from NSW Health late yesterday afternoon that testing of wastewater, as at 30 December 2020, revealed no trace of COVID-19.
‘Operational error’ over Byron Shire’s sewage surveillance program
An ‘operational error’ has resulted in Byron Shire’s sewage surveillance results being unreported since the week ending December 5.
Sewage clear of COVID-19, say NSW Health
While sewage testing on the Gold Coast has indicated the presence of SARS-CoV-2, it appears locally there are no traces in the region’s sewage treatment plants (STPs).
Clearing blockages for better sewers in Mullum
The council has scheduled an immediate clean-up team to clear laneways and gutters in Mullumbimby, in response to residents’ reports of blocked drains.
Nothing clear or transparent about Mullum’s sewage system
Alan Dickens, Brunswick Heads.
‘Clear and transparent’. These were the words put forward by the Byron Council’s citizens jury, – words that the community should...
Council answers on sewage beg more questions
Alan Dickens, Brunswick Heads. In Echo 24 February, Byron Shire Councils' utilities manager Peter Rees states ‘In 2015 council completed an independent capacity assessment of Byron Bay Sewage Treatment plant’.
Byron STP ‘will take 4,000’
Byron Shire Council says its Byron Bay Sewage Treatment Plant has capacity for another 4,000 premises, rejecting recent public comments about the plant.
Byron council to cop hospital’s sewage
Sewerage arrangements for Byron Central Hospital have been decided, with NSW Health Infrastructure set to plug into Byron’s sewage treatment plant instead of disposing of waste onsite. Eventually that treated waste will finish up in Belongil Creek.
Byron Council looks to sell community land
Byron Shire Council is considering selling two pockets of rural land in Myocum and Mullumbimby, which are currently zoned community, and is calling a public hearing to consider the rezoning.
Residents take ‘magical mystery tour’ of Byron’s waterways
The Belongil Catchment sub-group of Byron Residents’ Group is going on walkabout throughout the catchment to get a picture of the Byron water infrastructure in town and country.
Storylines
Storylines: Growing hope
Hope is a fragile thing in 2021. With the current pandemic and the uncertainty in so many aspects of life, our hope is being shadowed by fear. It is profoundly affecting our humanity.
Local News
Northern Rivers responds to cal for COVID-19 testing
Following the flight of a COVID positive traveller from Sydney to Ballina and the detection of COVID fragments in the Byron Bay Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) both locals and visitors have responded to calls for more testing in the region.
Local News
Open-air art walk by the river at Murwillumbah completed
Aslan Shand - 0
The Ages of the Tweed mural that accompanies the open-air riverside art walk has now been completed.
Science Goes Viral
Cherry-picked COVID-19 statistics: Were the weekend’s ‘Freedom Rallies’ based on science?
A flyer recently dropped into the letterboxes of some New South Wales residents urged people to attend the controversial ‘Freedom Rallies’ – Let’s break it down and present some context.
