Northern Rivers News

Police have charged a Tabulam man with deliberately lighting a fire near Casino, on Wednesday afternoon. It comes as fire fighters continue their efforts to fight an out-of-control blaze in the Ellangowan area.

A 52-year-old man has been charged with deliberately lighting a grass fire west of Casino. The blaze near the Bruxner Highway at Tabulam burned through around 12 hectares of bushland, with RFS crews able to extinguish the fire on Thursday afternoon. Following investigations, police arrested a man at a property at Tabulam. He was charged with intentionally causing a fire and being reckless to its spread. He remains in custody to face court in October.

On the North Coast, a fire just south of Casino remains at a ‘watch and act’ status tonight. Authorities fear the blaze, which is threatening properties, could have been deliberately lit.

The older we get the more difficult it becomes to stay active, but a new purpose-built gym in Ballina is hoping to change that. The centre’s fitted with specialist gym equipment aimed at getting our ageing community moving. Included is massage therapy, allied health treatment, healthy eating programs, even seated yoga. It’s the first of it’s kind in regional Australia. “It’s made a huge impact in people’s lives in regaining their strength, regaining independence, being able to get out and about in the community so we know there’s an unmet demand.” The Wellness Centre also works to improve mental health in elders.

The state government has called new regulations for short-term holiday letting a win-win deal. However, a group of Byron Shire residents is concerned the laws will cause misery for local businesses.  

More than 100 people gathered outside the Member for Lismore’s office this morning, to demonstrate against the state government’s anti-protest laws. They’re calling them an “affront to democracy.”  

It’s been revealed a man with down syndrome has died from a suspected case of hypothermia, while receiving treatment at Byron Central Hospital. It comes less than a year after an inquest was launched into the death of a woman in a mental health unit in Lismore.

One of Ballina’s youngest CEOs is blazing a trail in the beauty industry. Holly Somerville Knott is a go-getting teenager with Aspergers, who’s also the head of her own eco-friendly soap company.  

It was a senseless death caught on camera – an injured koala run over as it tried to find a way out of a road tunnel on the state’s North Coast last year. Now, questions are being asked about the handling of that incident and others like it. The following story may be distressing to some viewers.

A Ballina Shire councillor who once supported shark nets has now changed his tune. Phil Meehan is calling on other councillors and the state government to invest in all other options for the Ballina coast.