AND that makes four: Another new Woolworths is coming to the inner city, with a West Perth supermarket in the pipeline. Another of the supermarket giant’s planned stores, on Charles Street, Highgate, was also given approval this month despite some concerns it could take away business from existing town centres. The Development Assessment Panel unanimously…

A SURVEY of WA youth has found an alarming 90 per cent believe the Covid-19 pandemic has had a “significant impact” on their mental health and wellbeing. The Youth Affairs Council of WA recently ran a Covid-19 survey on its website, which had 345 respondents from around the state.  YACWA policy and advocacy officer Stefaan…

A PLAN to form a new suburb dubbed “Meltham” around the Meltham train station will not go ahead, but building heights will be boosted in the near future. The renaming debate proved more lively than the planning changes introduced by Bayswater council, which will see five-storey buildings near the station, and three storeys about 700m…

‘Unprecedented’ or unprepared? A MEDICAL historian says today’s Covid-19 pandemic isn’t quite as “unprecedented” as politicians would like us to think, with many similarities to the Spanish flu in the early 20th century. University of Sydney honorary affiliate Peter Hobbins says during the 1918 pandemic, the most effective measures were quarantining and restricting public assembly. He…

A “VERY disappointing” Health Department response over a coronavirus case at the Terry Tyzack Aquatic Centre in March hasn’t convinced Stirling council to take responsibility for notifying patrons if another case is discovered. Internal emails obtained through a Freedom of Information request show Stirling staff butted up against non-answers from the department’s Communicable Disease Control Unit…

THE fate of the 2021 Skyworks remains up in the air, with City of Perth commissioners to make a decision at the end of June. They were scheduled to decide whether to go ahead with the Skyworks at the May 26 meeting as this is usually the time of year when they lock in the…

THE East Perth Cemeteries have been given a permanent entry into the state heritage register.  It sets in stone a process started back in 1992 when the cemeteries were given an “interim entry” on the register after former Liberal MP Phil Pendal raised concerns gravestones were being vandalised and ghouls were interfering with remains in some…

THE Forrest Park Croquet Club says its future is in jeopardy under a proposed lease policy being considered by Vincent council. The draft policy replaces individual agreements and will see small sporting clubs pay for minor maintenance and capital upgrades.  The council would pay for main structure maintenance and “capital renewal”. It says the aim…

Family grateful for South Americans’ cruisy response THE family of a WA couple who spent two weeks in a Uruguayan hospital with Covid-19 have thanked the South American country for their safe return. Madge and Jesz Fleming contracted the disease aboard the cruise ship Greg Mortimer, which was turned away from several ports before being…

VERGE collection is back on in Vincent if WA’s coronavirus infection rate remains low. April’s collections were cancelled over the contractor’s concerns about picking up potentially contaminated junk and because its small team would struggle to absorb absences in the event of illness.  The pickups will now start July 20. The council has strongly advised…