BAD news for West Perth residents: the chances of your house being burgled are nearly four times higher than for folk in Northbridge. The good news is the odds of your car being stolen are only double. At a Perth city council planning meeting this week councillor Reece Harley pointed out dire police statistics illustrating…

OWNERS of rundown heritage buildings on Barrack Street may get some financial support from Perth city council after all. The new $135,000 plan is a watered down version of one rejected two weeks ago by Perth city councillors, which would have seen ratepayers stump up $321,000 towards repairs, with owners pitching in another $1m. Cr…

BAYSWATER ratepayers will get a note with their rates kindly informing them a big chunk of their rate hike this year is because of the state government’s failed council amalgamation process. Baysy councillors were split 6-5 over whether to include the note which tells people “the city spent over $1 million, in good faith, in…

THE bones of the past have been used to liven up Vincent’s streets, with new parklets in Mount Hawthorn and William Street built from timber reclaimed from the town depot and century-old turnstiles from Perth oval. Craftsman Andrew Christie from A Good Looking Man (who works out of the MANY building in Fremantle) constructed the…

A FOOD van trial at Bert Wright Park has gotten off to a good start. About 250 people fuelled up on street food at Bayswater StrEats’ three-month trial at the park last Friday. Catherine Ehrhardt, the group’s co-ordinator who organises rosters for street vendors, says it’s promising when two traders sell out on the first…

TEARS flowed last week over the sudden closure of a children’s care centre in Highgate, which had been helping women and children affected by domestic violence and low-income families. Twenty-two children and their parents and nine staff are directly impacted by the federal government’s decision to withdraw $400,000 in funding from the Gurlongga Njininj Child…

THERE are few things funnier than small children falling over so Voice photographer Matthew Dwyer headed to the Perth cultural centre this week with his camera at the ready in case any young tackers took a spilling. Sure enough, on Tuesday morning they were diving like French footballers but there were still plenty of smiles.…

  THE idea’s been floating around for years but a small group of local history buffs has come together to found a Museum of Perth to tell our city’s forgotten stories. The private museum down in Grand Lane is being started up by Reece Harley, Two Feet and a Heartbeat walking tours founders Ryan Zakich…

VINCENT city council is raising management fees for its Leederville Gardens retirement village almost 300 per cent. The council says it’s been subsidising the centre, housing 66 elderly residents, for years and following a review the fee is tripling from $56,650 to $150,000—the amount it says it costs to run the village. Each unit currently…

A DRY creek bed, “mud kitchen”, garden maze and jungle gym made from tree branches are part of a proposed $110,000 playground at Coolbinia primary school. The school’s parents and citizens association is planning to open a nature play area—complete with pink river sand, gardens and a pint-sized outdoor kitchen for making mud pies. It…