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.

The Ballina Concert Band will perform a fun-packed set of jazz, blues and New Orleans favourites at a free gig at the Cherry Street Sports Club in Ballina, this Sunday, 28 June, from 2pm to 3pm.

Prepare yourself for a deep dive into the heart of a quintessentially Australian sound with indie rock revolutionaries The Cruel Sea at the Beach Hotel this August.

What is it with billionaires and islands? Donald Trump wants to resurrect the notorious prison island of Alcatraz to house ‘America’s most ruthless and violent offenders’. Perhaps subconsciously he is preparing his future island residence.  The sordid Epstein network is divided into those who did and did not travel to Epstein Island where, undoubtedly, heinous crimes occurred.

I had the opportunity to speak to the NSW Reconstruction Authority (NSW RA) last month. One of the matters I brought up was the proposed 57 Station Street, Mullumbimby development. It was clear that the only ‘community feedback’ they would be listening to supported housing development on that site.

The Minns government says it's handed down a budget which locks in major funding for North Coast health infrastructure, alongside targeted cost-of-living relief designed for regional households and disaster recovery, as locals continue to face higher costs.

There is something quietly remarkable about LisAmore! Every year, thousands of people make their way to a corner of the Northern Rivers and, for a few hours, swap the everyday for something altogether warmer – the aromas of fresh pasta and cannoli in the air, the sound of an accordion drifting across the grounds, children twirling spaghetti with the kind of concentration usually reserved for far more serious pursuits.