A COOLBINIA principal and the president of the WA school teachers’ union disagree over the merits of independent public schools. Next year another 178 schools in WA will become IPS, including Sir David Brand School, which caters for students with disabilities aged 4 to 18. Independence allows principals more autonomy, including control over recruitment and the…

STIRLING city council will remove 40 “non-compliant” crash barriers without consulting the public. Affected residents will receive prior notification in the post, but there will be no consultation where residents can comment on the proposal. Barriers to be removed include those in Mt Lawley (Alexander Drive, North Street, Astor Lane), Dianella (Dianella Drive, Lotus Lane,…

Love them or hate them, the Dockers are on fire! A crushing loss to Hawthorn in last year’s grand final wasn’t enough to sink the Dockers in 2014. After a roller coaster season, the Dockers finished 4th on the AFL ladder, behind Sydney, Hawthorn and Geelong,  giving them a good chance to earn this year’s premiership cup.…

CHICKEN poo will help Coolbinia primary school kids raise funds for their new playground. The school’s P&C is selling off a load of their secret formula fertiliser Fabfert for the “interactive playground” at the school. School parent Charlie Stephens says the idea came about last year when they heard Wanneroo had a huge problem with…

“DEFERRED, not deleted” is the message from Vincent’s new CEO Len Kosova as he tries to patch up a $6.4 million budget hole left by the previous administration. Already identified for deferring is $3.6 million of capital works including footpath upgrades, the Cheriton Street cottage refurbishment, the $100,000 skate park, the Anzac Cottage spend, and…

SHOULD art and politics be mutually exclusive? Can they ever be? Friends of Palestine WA will protest outside Cinema Paradiso at the opening night of the AICE Israeli Film Festival, calling on the Abbott government to expel Israel’s ambassador and enforce an arms embargo on Israel. The Israeli embassy is partially funding the festival and…

ORIGINALLY from Edinburgh, Niall Inverarity knows a thing or two about water—in Scotland it’s either falling from the sky or in a whisky. So it is fitting he works as a hydro-geologist. Recently the 30-year-old from Highgate wanted to do something more rewarding, so he quit his lucrative day job and now helps the Red…

MORLEY MARKETS may be struggling but that didn’t stop Bayswater council staff from wanting to slug a hopeful cafe owner $30,000 in lieu of three parking bays. An incredulous Cr Michelle Sutherland said the 49sqm shop would need to sell thousands of “bowls of noodles” simply to recoup the fee. Mayor Sylvan Albert agreed, saying…

ACROSS Perth recycling rates are up six per cent, but at Stirling it’ll keep going to landfill till next July, when the council moves to a three-bin system. By then more than 150,000 tonnes of rubbish will have been dumped into landfill since August 2013, when the single-bin recycling facility shut. Waste and fleet manager…

THE wrecking ball is rolling through West Perth’s Cowle Street, with established homes demolished to make way for flats. Three ancient houses were flattended this month to make way for the 48-unit Dorrien Gardens project by developer Giorgi Group. Numbers 28 to 32, once owned by Criterion hotelier John Charles Chipper who’d sat on Perth…