Contributor, Yanchep News Online

A major milestone in construction of the future Alkimos seawater desalination plant has been achieved, with Western Power installing 5km of 132kV underground cabling between the project site and the existing Yanchep substation.

With the first day of the 2025-26 abalone season underway on Saturday fishers, who are no doubt keen to get their hands on the delicacy, are being asked to keep safety front of mind ... Surf Life Saving WA (SLSWA) has reported an increase in incidents over the past few years, with their lifesaving services performing 118 rescues during the four hours of fishing last season and 101 rescues the previous year.

A new koala has taken up residence at Yanchep National Park and as part of a double celebration the name of the first joey born at Yanchep National Park in 15 years has been announced. The new koala called Poppy is five-years-old and comes from Ballarat Wildlife Park.

Three people have been remanded in custody and are due to appear before the Perth Magistrates Court ... after police found a missing man’s body in bushland north-east of Wanneroo ... WA Police said homicide squad detectives had charged three people with murder following the discovery of the body of 33-year-old Attadale man Jayden Selfe.

Two men – one from Butler and the other from Narrogin – have been fined for fishing for marron out of season. The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) said 22-year-old Butler man was ordered to pay $7000 and a 39-year-old Narrogin man $6500 for their involvement in marron fishing offences committed at Harris Dam in December 2023.

In the May 3, 2025 federal election Pearce voters can choose candidates from the Greens WA, Legalise Cannabis Australia, Australian Christians, Liberal Party WA, Australian Labor Party WA and Pauline Hanson’s One Nation to represent them in Canberra.

Beekeepers are being urged to check the health of their hives and be alert for unwanted pests during bee pest blitz this month ... DPIRD deputy chief plant biosecurity officer Michelle Christy said there were more than 4500 registered beekeepers in Western Australia who owned more than 53,400 hives.

Eighty firefighters were this afternoon patrolling the Nilgen bushfire area and mopping up after the fire was downgraded from emergency to watch and act yesterday at 6.09pm. The most recent alert issued by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) ... the Nilgen bushfire had been further downgraded to a bushfire advice as the fire was now contained and controlled.

Lorna Clarke has won the seat of Butler for WA Labor despite a 17.6 per cent swing to the WA Liberals, according to the ABC’s Western Australia election 2025 results ... Despite the swing away from Labor, on Monday, March 10 about noon with 63.8 per cent of the votes counted, the ALP had won 41 seats, the Liberals five and The Nationals four.

AFL legend Robert ‘Dipper’ DiPierdomenico is among those encouraging Australians aged 50 years and over to be aware of their risk of the disease during shingles awareness week, which runs from February 24 to March 2. Mr DiPierdomenico and fellow shingles awareness week ambassadors journalist Shelly Horton and news presenter Deborah Knight have all experienced first-hand the pain and impact of shingles.