Townsville, Australia News

RED ROCK NOTES by Liz Harvey-Foulds It was more than a decade ago that a group of Red Rock residents got together and decided to form a group to document and celebrate the history of their community.

Staff at Townsville's turtle hospital say there has been a significant drop in the number of turtle strandings in north Queensland.

TOWNSVILLE service stations are putting the brakes on car and petrol thieves, refusing to allow motorists to fill up without pre-purchasing petrol.

DAVID MARK: A failed $10 million program to reduce alcohol-fuelled violence in Queensland has prompted renewed calls for more effective action.

Health experts have warned unless there is serious intervention from State and Federal governments, the rising cost of the city's obesity epidemic could reach $118 million a year.

A leading Queensland maxillo-facial surgeon says Queensland's Drinksafe trial to reduce alcohol-fuelled violence could be successful if the nightclub curfew is brought forward.

EMILY BOURKE: Three years ago, the Queensland Government introduced specialised entertainment, or Drink Safe Precincts, to cut alcohol-related violence and improve community safety.

TOWNSVILLE could be the birthplace of a world-first exhibition celebrating tattoos and their role in shaping contemporary art, if the City Council secures $60,000 in grant funding.

HE may be better known as Baldrick, the character with "a cunning plan" on Blackadder, but Tony Robinson has a plan to share Townsville's unique history with the world.

TOWNSVILLE Hospital's new sub-acute facility is still on track for a mid-2014 delivery, despite the imminent end of federal funding for the nation's sub-acute healthcare services.

A $10 million Queensland government initiative designed to curb alcohol-fuelled violence in the state's biggest nightspots has been labelled a flop.

Cancer Council Queensland has voiced concerns over the lifestyle habits of Townsville residents, fearing locals are on a fast track to preventable diseases.

JAMES Cook University vice-chancellor Professor Sandra Harding has moved to allay fears Townsville will be overlooked in favour of Cairns for a multimillion-dollar innovation precinct.

Muster HQ in Deniliquin has been buzzing since Sunday's announcement that US country superstar Alan Jackson will be headlining this year's Ute Muster.

The Townsville Hospital and Health Service Board says the north Queensland hospital has been able to meet its budget for the first time in several decades.

TOWNSVILLE City Council could receive a multimillion-dollar pay day if it proceeds with plans to redevelop the North Yards former rail workshops in the CBD.

A HORROR weed that has rendered entire farms in the Caribbean useless has been found in Townsville, the first location in Australia.

RENTAL vacancies across Townsville are rapidly climbing for the first time in years as some agents experience their biggest lull in two decades.

TOWNSVILLE'S number of confirmed dengue cases has climbed to 16 with fears a different mosquito-borne virus found in Papua New Guinea will soon reach North Queensland.

PROMINENT North Queensland cane farming families have secured the remainder of the former Burdekin Agricultural College properties from the State Government for $12 million.