Rodney Stevens, Clarence Valley Independent

A commercial airline pilot in his 30s and his five-year-old son were killed when their kit plane clipped powerlines along the Clarence River at Lilydale, about 45km northwest of Grafton last Tuesday and plummeted to the ground, bursting into flames.

While Christmas is a time for excitement, celebration, food and family for many Clarence Valley locals, with the financial crisis continuing to hit the region ... it can be a time of loneliness and despair. Charities from both the Lower Clarence and Grafton reported increased demand over past years, especially for food...

With four of the five Stephenson family members being huge fans of toys and popular culture, when Maclean Toyworld was listed for sale, Jodie Stephenson followed her lifelong dream by purchasing the popular business.

It’s been a decade long journey lifting thousands of kilos in the gym and last month Maclean bodybuilder Beccy Pateman achieved her dream when she was crowned overall winner of the Professional Figure category in the Natural Olympia contest, plus overall winner of the Professional Fit Body category at the WNBF World Championships.

After being wiped out in Lismore’s biggest flood in living memory, the Norco Ice Cream factory reopened last Friday following a $100 million dollar rebuild. Challenges faced during the rebuild included securing electrical equipment due to global supply chain shortages...

The Notaras name now ranks in Australian history amongst legendary cultural figures including Sir William Dobell, Caroline Chisholm, and Dorothea McKellar, after Ioannis (Jack) and his brother Antonios (Tony) were awarded a Blue Plaque by the NSW Government for their contribution to the state’s history through their construction of the iconic Saraton Theatre.

Concerned about the number of staff vacancies impacting the effectiveness of council operations, the Yamba Community Action Network Yamba CAN Inc has taken Clarence Valley Council to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal NCAT ... Yamba CAN Inc’s solicitor alleged there are high staff vacancy rates and turnover at Clarence Valley Council...

An online petition has been launched calling for a fair deal for Clarence River prawn trawler operators after the government offered a paltry $133 per share to buy back their trawling entitlements, leaving them without a business and a small payback for their life’s work.

In an innovative initiative to boost business, created by the Yamba Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Clarence Valley Council, both Hot Rodders and the public are invited to participate in the inaugural Hot Rod Trail this weekend with more than $2000 in prizes to be won.

A Nymboida resident who was in the middle of the Glen’s Creek Road firestorm last Wednesday says calls for council to slash about 80 acres of land adjoining his and two other properties have resulted in a limited response that placed lives in jeopardy … “Council would be having a go at anyone else whose property is putting people at risk, but council can get away with it because they’re council…it’s not good enough.”