Ease through your weekend by taking a look at our best stories across the network this week.
Brimbank & North West Star Weekly reports that Tennis Victoria has warned that some clubs in Brimbank faced extinction following a council proposal to increase fees by up to 1000 per cent.
Soccer fever will invade living rooms across the region as the FIFA World Cup kicked off in Brazil. Soccer fanatics, like young Caroline Springs resident Jake, will be waking up in the early hours to watch their beloved teams battle it out.
Maribyrnong & Hobsons Bay Star Weekly announced that Tottenham electrical cable manufaturer Nexans Olex would close and 90 people lose their jobs before the end of the year.
Planning Minister Matthew Guy was accused of failing to properly plan Footscray’s future and should hand control of development back to Maribyrnong council, according to critics. The controversial approval of a 28-storey riverside high-rise project ignited calls for Mr Guy to hand back the powers he has held since 2007.
Melton & Moorabool Star Weekly reported that speeding motorists were becoming a problem in the small community of Eynesbury, according to a worried resident. David Lane (below) called on Melton City Council to install traffic devices along Eynesbury Road to deter motorists from travelling above 50km/h.
A dog that brutally mauled the face of a six-year-old Balliang girl, leaving permanent scars and ripping out a tooth, was spared death. In a hearing at the Ballarat Magistrates Court, the dog’s three owners, were found guilty of owning a dog that caused serious injury. However, the magistrate refused to sentence “Mack” to death, leaving Moorabool council to impose conditions for the owners before their pet is returned to them.
In Northern Star Weekly, we report that children and family service agencies in the north are at crisis point due to falling numbers of state-funded child protection workers and steep rises in family violence reports.
In Doreen, residents lobbied for safe footpaths and a pedestrian crossing to be urgently installed on a dangerous stretch of road – the corner of Bassetts Road and Bridge Inn Road.
The Sunbury & Macedon Ranges Star Weekly reported that the Woodend RSL was struck for the second time in two years by thieves (below), and that the Kyneton Showgrounds was in urgent need of upgrades to its lights.
Sunbury Men’s Shed encouraged men to join in its activities and step up for Men’s Health Week.
The Weekly Review Bayside & Port Phillip highlighted that the notorious Cheltenham rail crossing is safer for pedestrians after a $650,000 upgrade, and that there were real concerns about the future of the South Melbourne police station.
Port Phillip Council said its young people, families living in social or emergency housing, single-parent/carer families and newly arrived Australians would be severely affected by a cut to playground program funding.
The Weekly Review Boroondara spoke to students from the Canterbury Girls’ Secondary College who are behind an app educating teenagers about the ramifications of sexting.
Theatre star Patrice Tipoki (below) told The Weekly Review City that she was living the dream by playing the heroine of the world’s longest-running musical, Les Misérables, which opens at Her Majesty’s Theatre on July 3.
The Weekly Review Eastern reported that Manningham Council may scrap its plan to charge Warrandyte residents for a controversial drainage scheme they don’t want.
Former Whitehorse mayor Bill Pemberton announced he would run for the Greens at the November state election.
The Weekly Review Melbourne Times focussed on residents who hit out at the allocation of $650,000 to build a pathway connecting the Merri Creek Trail to Rushall Reserve in North Fitzroy, which was announced in Yarra Council’s draft budget.
North Melbourne residents called for improved safety on busy North Melbourne roads and intersections.
The Weekly Review Moonee Valley spoke to Thelma Fitzpatrick, who was among the swooning crowd when Beatlemania hit Essendon Airport 50 years ago. Were you there? Post a comment below.
We reported that plans for a high-rise hotel at Essendon Airport worth tens of millions of dollars had been revealed.
Marta Cummings (below) told The Weekly Review Stonnington how St Joseph’s Primary School pupils were making a world of difference to Tanzanian children, while in Windsor, a teen smashed a car into an apartment block.
Wyndham Star Weeky exclusively reported that a new $28 million building at Werribee Mercy Hospital was in danger of closing just four months after it opened because of federal and state budget pressures.
One of Werribee Zoo’s newest and rarest arrivals was given a name fitting of her heritage. The one-month-old female Przewalski’s horse foal, a rare animal native to western Mongolia, has been named Hatan – ‘‘Queen’’ in Mongolian.
Casey Weekly reported on Brandon Ah Tong, a blind man from Lynbrook who won a major award for lending a hand to those like himself.
Frankston Weekly followed the controversy as Frankston MP Geoff Shaw was suspended from the Victorian Parliament for 11 sitting days to end a tumultuous week in state politics.
Knox Weekly highlighted the police search for a man wearing a balaclava who attempted to abduct a 12-year-old girl at The Basin
Monash Weekly told the story of a man arrested with a home-made firearm at the Springvale train station.
Peninsula Weekly announced the launch of the Endeavour Fern Gully Walking Trail guide to take visitors through a treasure trove of rare plants and animals in Red Hill.
The Weekly Review Maroondah reported on the announcement that a 90-kilometre off-road bike trail through Melbourne’s east – from Carrum to Warburton – would be finished within two years (below).
LOOK! Don’t forget to check out our Pictures of the Month for May.
