Susanna Freymark, Richmond River Independent

Prima Stella was the main star of Saturday’s Casino race meeting, taking out the prestigious $30,000 Hotel Cecil Casino Gold Cup. The eight-year-old gelding, trained by Rocky Simonetta from Kempsey, was ridden by Matthew McGuren.

Liina Flynn. Before he headed up North Coast Community Housing, John McKenna spent his childhood growing up in public housing. ... With 3000 families currently on the region’s wait list for social housing, John was proud to announce that a new social and affordable housing development project will be built this year on Callistemon St in Casino.

The cost of a decent steak has risen. Not nearly as much as it could have – given the price of beef on the hoof today. Producers may be getting the best price for their beef but if they’re restocking the herd, they’re paying top dollar for any bought animals. This is a beef boom that doesn’t benefit the beef food chain and the meat processors and consumers are the ones bearing the brunt of the high cattle prices.

Seven sets of brothers make the Richmond Range rugby team a force to reckon with. Saturday’s 30-nil win over Iluka Cossacks means the team is set to play Byron Bay in the President’s Cup major quarter final.

In a tall shed at Fairy Hill, Andy Pleasance and Anette Hammat have big dreams as they build their first tiny house on wheels. “It’s all about wanting to help people live lighter and providing a house without a million-dollar mortgage,” Anette said.

Rous County Councillors voted 5–3 to keep the Dunoon Dam out of the region’s future water strategy and instead tap into ground water aquifers in Alstonville and Tyagarah ... “The community feedback on the council’s strategy was overwhelmingly in favour of the Dunoon Dam project with more than 10,000 of the 13,000 submissions received supporting the dam being investigated as a future water project. It is outrageous that the majority of elected councillors have completely ignored the community consultation process and Rous County Council staff recommendations”: NSW parliamentary secretary for Water Infrastructure, Sam Farraway.

The echidnas are looking for a mate, Wires said, and most of the ones spotted around Kyogle are likely to be males. “They join the echidna train where males follow a female for up to six weeks until she chooses one of them.”