RATEPAYER-FUNDED gifts of up to $1000 for retired and defeated councillors are under scrutiny from a new Bayswater councillor. Catherine Ehrdhardt, elected in October, wants the council to look into whether the practice should continue. Her move comes as Michael Sabatino, defeated last year, received $1000 for his more than 10 years’ service. Fellow departees…

IT’S been 100 years since Mount Hawthorn locals banded together to build a house for a wounded World War I veteran. Anne Chapple is the granddaughter of Private Cuthbert John Porter, one of the first to return from Gallipoli. Shot through the left leg on the first day of the landing and unable to work,…

VINCENT council is thinking about leaving the WA local government association. Mayor John Carey is disappointed WALGA — the peak body for councils in WA — failed to show leadership on improving transparency in councils. Before Christmas his motions to improve transparency in local government were roundly shot down by the vast majority of WALGA…

ANYONE suffering a drone buzzing overhead has almost no legal recourse, with rules hazy and enforcement near impossible. Last week we reported Bayswater councillor Chris Cornish had endured a drone hovering near his backyard swimming pool for three days straight, putting a dampener on swimming plans. But it’s a game of pass the buck when…

• THE saucy parade’s over, now the more family friendly side of Pride comes out this Sunday February 7 with the Pride Fairday at Hyde Park. Pride’s Michelle Rodgers says Fairday’s aimed at being “an inclusive event where everybody feels comfortable — a key part of this is it being a family friendly event”. There’ll…

AN underground train station at Bayswater should be the WA government’s transport priority in the northern suburbs says Bayswater mayor Barry McKenna. Like most Western Australians, Cr McKenna was gob-smacked to learn that WA transport minister Dean Nalder has been secretly working on plans to dig heavy-rail tunnels between Perth and Morley (as an alternative…

GAY characters in 1980/90s Perth theatre and TV were camp best friends, drag queens or drug addicts, Adriano Cappelletta says. “I’d never actually seen a story about two men falling in love that didn’t involve turmoil, disease, violence or moustaches.” This Boy’s in Love is what he wishes he’d seen growing up. It’s the world’s first one-man gay…

NORTHBRIDGE traders say they’ll lose business, and some may need to close or relocate, because of a proposed bus layover. Paul Farinosi, who owns the Mitre 10 on James Street, isn’t happy 1200 buses are expected to use the road once a bus bridge and layover is built nearby. Buses would use the bridge and…

EXERCISE is now banned on the Bellevue Terrace strip of grass at Kings Park because nearby residents are complaining about noise. “ATTENTION, in the interests of neighbours NO fitness/sporting activity is permitted on Bellevue Tce Lawn,” the Kings Park Botanic Gardens and Park Authority warns. “Please use the approved lawn areas for these activities.” Muso…

PIPE-SMOKING English gents, a leather-clad Mexican siren puffing on a cigar suspended on a single strap high overhead, and wearing not a lot. Welcome to La Soiree, where everything is challenged — even WA’s stringent anti-smoking laws. It’s vaudeville with a thoroughly modern take, a series of acts at a head-turning speed that kept the…