RESIDENTS who live near Russell Square are finding January’s Fringe World Pleasure Gardens didn’t live up to its name, with many complaining of rowdiness. Artrage merrily hoofed it to Perth city council this week asking to use the space again for 2016, but hit a stumbling block, with council staffers pointing out they’d “received a…

THE big Food Truck Rumble will go ahead again next year but Perth city councillors are worried the event’s competing with hard-up ratepaying businesses. Despite the misgivings, most voted to hand over $10,000 in sponsorship so it can run at the Perth cultural centre Cr James Limnios pointed out restaurateurs were worried the event would…

LOWER permit prices and better street access for food vans have been suggested at Bayswater council following complaints from vendors. Deputy mayor Stephanie Coates hopes lower permits — they’re currently $1500 a year — will form part of a permanent mobile food vehicle policy. She also wants to give vendors more space on streets, rather…

THOUSANDS of dollars may have been wasted by Bayswater council because of a failed attempt to find a better place for sports field lighting in Maylands, mayor Barry McKenna concedes. Cr McKenna acknowledged at last week’s meeting the council should have replaced floodlights at De Lacy Reserve instead of spending time and money investigating options…

LOCAL music ensemble Decibel has little hope it will finally go on a US tour to promote its new app after another “disappointing” blow to federal arts funding. The group, composed of talent from Edith Cowan University, missed out on a US tour because of Australia Council funding cuts of $105 million over four years,…

A NINE-YEAR-OLD boy with Aspergers went from being unwilling to participate in class, to being more attentive and displaying a positive attitude—in five weeks. The catalyst: a creative writing program. Lover of literature Gae Oaten says the program, run by volunteers at her not-for-profit organisation A Maze of Story, has helped children and pre-teens from…

A VAST bounty of historic photographs has been released through Vincent city council’s local history centre website. The database lets people search by topic, decade and suburb. We plugged in the topic “animals” and “the 1920s” and found this 1924 photo of Edna Robinson, the youngest member of the WA Hunt Club having joined at…

WA’s chief rabbi Dovid Freilich has spoken against Islamic fundamentalism, saying Islam should soften and its leaders formally accept other faiths in the wake of Perth’s first prayer shared by both Catholics and Jews at a synagogue last week. The Menora-based rabbi says it will make a “world of difference” if Islamic leaders take on…

WHEN Connections opened 40 years ago people were terrified of being spotted going into the place. If there was even a hint of a line, many would walk around the block to wait for it to disperse, or just go home. “Even when I started in ‘91 there was a no-camera policy in the nightclub,”…

PENSIONER Catherine Caporn says her hot water bills have soared by $200 every eight weeks because of new two-storey developments next door. The 88-year-old says it’s because the new buildings put her solar panels in shade several hours a day over autumn and winter. The Dianella resident says Stirling council didn’t pay enough attention to…