ST BART’S has opened its new $1.3 million accommodation for older homeless women—the first of its kind of WA. The Kensington Street facility has 36 rooms and is located beside key support services for  the vulnerable. St Bart’s CEO John Berger says women over 55 have become the fastest growing demographic of homeless people in…

FOREIGN plants were never an option for Mt Hawthorn gardeners Lisa Mazzella and Geoff Weekes. When they moved into their new house they decided to go all native in the garden and, after a once-a-week watering in the first summer, their plants don’t need more watering except in preparation for the occasional scorcher. Along with…

PLANS for an Inglewood community garden are in limbo after council mergers shifted the suburb from Stirling into Bayswater. Community group Inglewood on Beaufort had submitted an application with Stirling city council for a $20,000 grant to set up a community garden. But as of July, Inglewood will become part of an enlarged Bayswater under…

DRONES under 2kg may soon be operated without a licence so the Film and Television Instititute is running drone camera courses. Traditionally aerial shots are ludicrously expensive, putting them out of reach of budding film-makers. Even buying stock footage can cost thousands. But with a 2kg drone you can stick on a GoPro and let…

Perth federal Labor MP Alannah MacTiernan says she’s met several constituents concerned about data retention laws. “I also went to a very interesting briefing with various industry and consumer leaders,” she says.  “They were absolutely worried about the potential for this legislation to fundamentally change our way of life and they point to the irony…

PROPOSED new laws to fight terrorism could actually make it easier for cyber criminals to hack into people’s lives, says a local IT expert. The Abbott government’s proposed data retention laws require telcos to store data for two years, including names and addresses, the IP address allocated to an internet account, billing information, download and…

MAYLANDS locals are pushing for a plaque to recognise the contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service personnel at the local war memorial. Around 1000 Aborigines are believed to have served in WWI and 5000 in WWII, but the figure could be far higher, as at the time the department of veterans affairs was…

TEMPLE David in Mount Lawley has a new rabbi. Israeli-born Adi Cohen says he took on the job in Perth because it represented a challenge to strengthen the local Jewish community. “When I came here for the final interview I saw the potential in the place,” he says. “It’s very easy to take a role…

PLANS to erect a 29-metre telecommunications tower near a Morley suburban street has the local ratepayers’ association fuming. Commander Telephone Services wants to erect the tower beside its warehouse on Boag Road, 185m from houses on Drake Street and around 210m from residences on Walter Road West. The tower would be used for private communication…

THIS year’s Pride parade is set to be the biggest yet, with a resurgence of interest from the many and varied sides of the the LGBTIQ community (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer). “It’s going to be fabulous…a lot of colour and a lot more participants,” Pride co-president Michelle Rigg says. Perth’s cultural centre will…