Wollongong's Rising Stars: photos and other top stories.

• Wollongong's Rising Stars: photos

  A child star of Les Miserables, two singers and a filmmaker showed how much young talent there is in Wollongong at a recent Illawarra Women In Business lunch. Greg Ellis was there and heard their stories. Wollongong’s Rising Stars: photos exitIn 2014 many dreams came true for 10 year old Mikayla Okely when she made her professional stage debut in the national tour of the blockbuster musical Les Miserables.The Figtree student was selected from a field of more..

  >> view original



• Shark nets breach Commonwealth environmental laws, says NSW ...

  

  Shark nets breach Commonwealth environmental laws, says NSW minister Updated February 29, 2016 13:24:37 The New South Wales primary industries minister says the shark nets along the east coast of Australia cannot be rolled out elsewhere as they breach Commonwealth environmental laws.There were calls from board-riding clubs on the state's north coast to have the nets, which are in place on beaches in Newcastle, Sydney, Wollongong and the Gold Coast, installed following l..

  >> view original



• Kidnapping victim forced into degrading sex act to be freed, police say

  

   A man accused of kidnapping and torturing a drug associate at a warehouse on the NSW South Coast early last month allegedly carried out two other violent kidnappings in the month, including one in which he apparently forced a victim to perform a sex act on another man to be released.Police have arrested and charged Mark Reihana, 22, with a string of offences, alleging in documents before the court that he was behind the violent, degrading acts that occurred during the kidnappings.The documents..

  >> view original



• Peter Fox turns up at Pell testimony

  

  Former police inspector Peter Fox, who alleged church and police cover-ups of pedophile priest offending in NSW's Hunter Valley, has turned up to support abuse victims attending the testimony of Cardinal George Pell in Rome.Mr Fox, who calls himself a "self-funded retiree", is in Rome on holiday with his wife, Penny, but on Monday will be at the elegant Quirinale Hotel to hear Australia's senior Catholic cleric give evidence by video link to the child abuse royal commission sitting in Sydney.Ca..

  >> view original



• 'It's almost like a trick at first': Young Australians lead a surge in ...

  

  Video will begin in 5 seconds. Ice: 'the biggest threat to our society' Nationals Senator John 'Wacka' Williams says more must be done to combat crystal meth, but Labor's Terri Butler says the government is cutting crucial spending. PT1M20S 620 349 Regular users of the drug ice have more than doubled in four years, placing acute pressure on treatment services across the country.More than one in 100 people are addicted to the drug and one in 50 are regular monthly users, accord..

  >> view original



• Meth use has skyrocketed

  The total number of regular methamphetamine users in Australia is 270,000 - greater than the populations of either Hobart or Townsville. The statistic is a key finding of two scientific reports, both featuring Professor Wayne Hall from The University of Queensland’s Centre for Youth Substance Abuse Research. “There has been ongoing debate about whether the number of methamphetamine users in Australia has increased significantly or whether it is a small percentage of the population using a lot mo..

  >> view original

Coroner blames Wollongong teen's asthma death on child ... .	Vocus, M2 profits rise in final months before merger .
NRL All Stars match: Joel Thompson backs push to stage game in ... .	China appears to have built radar gear in disputed waters .