A LONG-TERM blueprint for the future of Lake Cathie’s foreshore has been signed off, after months of community consultation and public exhibition. The decision was made at last week’s Port Macquarie-Hastings Council meeting, with councillors noting feedback received during the exhibition period and endorsing the final version of the plan as a long-term framework for […]

PORT Macquarie-Hastings Council will transition the Cairncross Materials Recycling Facility from a local processing plant to a large-scale transfer station. A council report says major changes across the recycling industry have made small regional facilities increasingly unviable. The decision last week confirms Council will move away from plans first flagged in 2022 to establish a […]

AS the donation period draws to a close, The Salvation Army, Newcastle Permanent, and Greater Bank are encouraging the community to support their annual Christmas Toy Drive Appeal and help share the spirit of the season. Each year the annual Toy Drive delivers thousands of gifts to children and families facing hardship at Christmas time. […]

THE NSW Government is rewriting the framework that determines road management in NSW, announcing a new road recategorisation system this week. The move comes in an attempt to provide local councils with certainty over who will manage and maintain different roads, allowing for more targeted investment where it is most needed. Road recategorisation is the […]

BEACHES across the Mid North Coast are currently experiencing a bloom of red algae. Locally known as “red weed”, this natural phenomenon is vital for marine ecosystems but can create unpleasant odours as it decomposes on the sand. Beachgoers should be prepared for the smell, though only temporary. Prawning has been the highlight of the […]

Regional Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison (in blue), Mayor Adam Roberts (l) and Port Macquarie MP Rob Dwyer (r) on Wednesday, near the new Matthew Flinders Drive traffic lights. Photo: David Heffernan. A before and during aerial view of Ocean Drive. Photo: NSW Government. How the roadway looked before Wednesday’s announcement. Photos: Deputy Mayor Nik Lipovac. […]

MICHAEL Kemp has been unanimously re-endorsed as the National Party’s candidate for the Oxley electorate in the 2027 state election. The incumbent MP again received the support of his party at the Nationals’ Oxley division State Electorate Council meeting on Saturday, 6 December. Mr Kemp said he was humbled by the confidence placed in him […]

GREENS MP and spokesperson for the environment Sue Higginson says that Forestry Corporation NSW’s (FCNSW) 2024-25 Annual Report, recently tabled in the NSW Parliament, reveals that the state has spent $76 million over the last three years to keep the native forest logging division in business. Ms Higginson said that having to pay to destroy […]

Federal Member for Cowper Pat Conaghan breaks ground alongside Steiner School founding parents Mel Ayriss and Alanna Alfaro. Photo: supplied. Steiner School students joined the celebrations with shovels in hand. Photo: supplied. Celebrating the start of work on the new Steiner School: Bronwyn Bellemore, Architect; Ruth Gallagher, Board Chair; Caetano Alfaro, Class 6 student; and […]

The PMBH children’s ward nurses with A/Deputy Secretary People, Culture and Governance, Richard Griffiths. Photo: supplied. Healing Heart Colleague award winner Katherine Martin, Nursing Unit Manager at Kempsey District Hospital with Minister for Mental Health Rose Jackson. Photo: supplied. NURSES from the Mid North Coast have been recognised for their outstanding dedication during the NSW […]