FORMER Vincent mayor Nick Catania says he’d gladly take up the role of commissioner during mergers—if offered the job. If a merger goes ahead in July 2015, the city’s elected members could be sacked and replaced by an appointed commissioner. Rumours are floating around town that Mr Catania—a former state Labor MP whose son is…

LOCAL artist Matt McVeigh will be paid $25,000 for his artwork, effectively cancelling a decision by  Vincent city council last year to sack his commission. Last year the council had voted to pay McVeigh $30,000 for public artwork Togetherness. He’d been given a down-payment of $5000 and got to work, but there were disagreements over…

ALANNAH MacTIERNAN has been promoted to federal Labor’s front bench in a junior role, calling the move a “small bump up the food chain.” The Perth MP—formerly a senior minister in the former state Labor government—was appointed shadow parliamentary secretary for WA and regional development and infrastructure. The rise followed Fremantle MP Melissa Parke’s decision…

THE Sonlife church is hoping to turn a run-down industrial shop on West Perth’s Cleaver Street into a new house of worship. Pastor Binh Nguyen started the independent church in his living room three years ago, having been with the Anglicans for three years. He had about a dozen people at his first sermon, and…

FOR Szuszanna Herenyi it was like silent spring all over again. When the Stirling resident moved in 16 years ago, one of the joys in her life was watching and listening to birds early in the morning. Then her neighbours started chopping down their trees, complaining about the hassle of cleaning up fallen leaves. Now,…

IN an extraordinary display of solidarity, 155 staff at Vincent city council—81 per cent of its workforce­—have signed a petition to save the job of their CEO, John Giorgi. Last week the council voted 7–1 to not renew Mr Giorgi’s contract when it expires December 31 (Voice, February 22, 2014). Mayor John Carey was amongst…

ELBOW and knee smashes are all fair game in the brutal kickboxing sport Muay Thai. For her second fight Inglewood’s Alana Neal travelled to Darwin to fight in front of a 2000-strong crowd overwhelmingly backing her opponent. Neal went on to break the poor bugger’s sternum with a knee to the chest, putting her out…

VINCENT council has a problem with crabs and it could cost thousands due to a one-sided contract. Last year NSW artists Gillie and Marc offered the council a trio of sculptures featuring dog and rabbit people riding giant river crabs. The same artists did the popular nude bike buddy sculpture on Beaufort Street. The crab…

AROUND 300 gathered in Perth last weekend to protest the death of an Iranian asylum seeker at the Manus Island detention centre. Organised by the Refugee Rights Action Network, the crowd called on the Abbott government to be transparent about the circumstances surrounding the death of Reza Berati, 23, who died a week ago in…

BAYSWATER councillors are frothing with anger after neighbouring Stirling appeared to mock them in a cartoon shown at an anti-amalgamation rally. The animated video shown at the Stay in Stirling rally refers to an “irresponsible neighbour” that gets to enjoy its more prudent neighbour’s riches: it’s been taken to be a thinly disguised reference to…