NT

Most people in town would be familiar with the huge personality and smiling face that is Amy James and see her frequently at events like Do it for Dolly, RU OK, and Women’s Health Week events ... Amy’s contributions have earned her a nomination for the NT Young Achiever Awards in the Somerville Community Service Award People’s Choice category...

Out now!

The Northern Territory Government has announced the establishment of a technical working group to assess the impacts of, and approaches to buffel grass management in Central Australia, which will include consideration of declaring buffel grass a weed under the Weeds Management Act 2001. While buffel grass has provided valuable fodder as well as dust suppression and erosion control in desert areas since the 1960s, there is increasing concern about its role in heightening wildfire intensity, and associated impacts on biodiversity.

Rod Moss. Good rains recharged  Lhere Mparntwe (Todd River) drawing crowds to its banks for the infrequent spectacle. When its rushing subsided waterholes became an unparalleled recreational attraction. In full rage it is perilous as friends, Johnathan Rodd and Rowley Hill, would discover, drowning near Wigleys Gorge.

Chief Minister Natasha Fyles announced urgent bail legislation will be introduced to parliament which will see a new presumption against bail for violent offences involving a weapon. There will also be a presumption against bail for co-offenders who participate in violent offences involving a weapon, even if they do not possess the weapon themselves.

NT Health is urging Northern Territory (NT) residents and visitors to protect themselves from mosquito bites, following detection of the potentially fatal Murray Valley encephalitis (MVE) and Japanese encephalitis (JE) viruses in mosquitoes. Mosquito numbers are currently high in the Barkly region due to the recent rains, and are expected to increase in the Top End, with numbers already at high levels in areas close to swamps, creeks and wetlands.

A new exhibition showcasing works by artists with disability will open in Alice Springs on Saturday, 25 March. Strong Feelings, which will take place at Red Hot Arts, includes a mixture of portraiture and storytelling, using costume, digital art, song, soundscapes, video and photography.

The frequent claim by police that it cannot act on street kids unless they are committing a crime does not seem to hold water for the person in the street when they look at Territory legislation ... These issues have been broadly discussed in Alice Springs for years, including in an ongoing campaign by Tourism Central Australia (TCA), representing the region’s economic lifeblood. “If a child is on the street at 2am or even later, they should come under the care of the Government,” says TCA’s CEO, Danial Rochford.

Founder and CEO of Balanced Choice Adam Drake has been in Tennant Creek presenting his program to participants thanks to funding by RN Employment. Adam has a long connection with Tennant Creek and the Balanced Choice program aims to use his experience in many fields to connect mind body and spirit to help participants be the best version of themselves.

Unruly youths have struck Tennant Creek’s most vulnerable again, this time a much-respected volunteer of the community. Adrian Calyun is well-known around Tennant Creek as a volunteer, teacher and youth worker, and last Friday night he was victim to theft and vandalism.

Out now!

While the Centre is facing what experts say is likely to be the biggest bushfire season in recorded history, the question is not what the NT Government is doing about it, but what it is not. The first blaze is already under way, in the Ormiston Gorge area of the West MacDonnells.

Dr Simon Quilty. Today,  National Close the Gap Day, while there is a lot of focus on alcohol, crime and violence in communities such as Alice Springs, it is the long-term, underlying issues that are the real problem here. We are definitely experiencing difficulty in attracting, retaining and housing health professionals right across the NT, addressing this issue in isolation of the greater social disparity only makes the problem worse.

The Memo Club Manager has called for action after the windows of the Club’s courtesy bus were smashed by youths throwing huge rocks, for the third time in months. Now the Memo has no choice but to halt its popular bus service out of safety of its staff and patrons and is now looking at the expense of installing plexiglass over the windows.

Catherine Grimley. For those who do not know, the canteen runs a daily meal program which supplies students with breakfast, recess and lunch each day. The menu is on a three-week rotation and almost everything is made in the canteen by Merrin and her three wonderful assistants.

Out now!

Lindsay "Linz" Johanssen. Buffel grass (Cenchrus Ciliaris) is not just invasive. Environment-wise, it is  utterly transformative ... Buffel thrives on being burned. Vigorous new growth follows subsequent showers of rain, so recreating (and episodically contributing-to), a new fuel load ... Buffel’s burn / rapid-growth rebuild / ready to burn again fire cycle will, over time, simply kill or destroy everything that is not protected or cannot evacuate ...

The Warumungu community is in mourning after a community leader sadly passed away ... Mr R. Plummer was a Warumungu Traditional Owner, a Cultural Advisor to the Legislative Assembly and a member of many organisational boards ... The senior songman was just 62 years old and he definitely left a lasting legacy in the community of Tennant Creek.

Local Narelle Bremner toiled for hundreds of hours to create this stunning mosaic table she generously donated to the Tennant Creek Women’s Refuge. Unveiled at the International Women’s Day celebration at the Refuge’s Peace Garden Wednesday evening, the massive round table is a stunning piece of art.

Out now!

When it comes to dealing with social and crime problems in Alice Springs, what are the legal obligations of government departments and publicly funded NGOs? How well are they following their mission statements? How much taxpayers’ money do they get and how are they spending it?