BAYSWATER city council has backed down from issuing $100 fines in zones that only warn of $50 pings. On May 8 the council doubled fines and dead-keen rangers have been pinging parkers the higher fee despite some of the city’s 400-plus signs not warning of the change. Voice reader Caroline needed a stiff drink after…

HIGHGATE’S Janine Wells and friends are busy working away, making dolls to send to Africa. They’re part of the Uthando Project, an Australia-wide network making dolls for children of KwaZulu-Natal, a province of South Africa. Ms Wells, a retired teacher, has been making dolls for about five years. They each take five or six hours…

CHRIS CORNISH wants Bayswater council to develop a “report-it” app so people can more easily notify the council about infrastructure that needs repair. The central ward councillor says residents often spot graffiti and potholes but by the time they get back home they’ve forgotten about it, or can’t be bothered contacting the council by email…

FOTI has fizzled. The pyrotechnic wizards behind the Australia Day fireworks for six years, Foti International Fireworks has lost the contract for next year’s event. Perth city council awarded the $450,000 tender to Howard & Sons Pyrotechnics, which outbid both Foti and Fireworks Australia. “Howard and Son’s had the greatest spend on the supply of…

PET owners dump animals in greater numbers before public and school holidays because they “can’t be bothered” boarding them an animal rescuer says. Sue Campbell, president of SAFE Perth—a group that saves animals from euthanasia—pleads with readers to think carefully before committing to a furry friend and to plan well ahead before going on holidays.…

MORLEY LIBRARY will temporarily move to the Les Hansman Community Centre from January—for up to eight years. The lease for the current library building, located at The Galleria, expires December 27 and will not be renewed. Bayswater mayor Sylvan Albert says he’d have preferred the library stay put. “We weren’t paying commercial rates and it…

ALANNAH MacTIERNAN has backed Tony Buti to replace Ken Travers in WA Labor’s shadow cabinet. Mr Travers resigned as transport shadow suddenly a fortnight ago and WA Labor leader Mark McGowan is mulling over whether to add the portfolio to another shadow’s workload or appoint a successor. Ms MacTiernan, now the federal Labor MP for…

PETER JEFFERY has compiled a lifetime’s worth of his poems in his new tome “True to Poetry in my Fashion”. A patriarch of Perth’s arts scene he was awarded an OAM for his work in multiculturalism, arts, film and TV education. Eighty now, he’s dropped in and out of writing poetry over the years, tapering…

A CONVOY of mobile food trucks could be heading for Bert Wright Park in Bayswater. StrEats is looking to locate six food trucks in the park as part of the council’s 12-month mobile food trial. The companies proposed are Comida Do Sul Brazilian Food Truck, Miam Miam (A bite of France), Rancho Sombrero, Uncle Chops…

THE CBD looked like an American tourist’s dream this week with a score of kangaroos populating Central Park and the Enex 100 building. Turns out the 20 fibreglass roos being painted was a publicity stunt by the owners of Miami Bakehouse, Simone Sanders and David Palmer, who plan to install the finished pieces along Forrest…