This is no way to treat the disabled

[OPINION]: While we live in a regional area, it should not mean we cannot supply our disabled with a modicum of reliable and timely transport.

Swine flu risk too serious to ignore

WHILE some may accuse this newspaper of scaremongering on our front page today, I believe we need to start taking swine flu a little more seriously, even though many in authority are downplaying the virus.

Highway plan a big win for Casino

LOCAL infrastructure group to put the Summerland Way on the federal agenda.

Conflicting views of what is progress

[OPINION]: PROGRESS always has a price.

Nimbin’s anti violence goal is to be encouraged

Antisocial behaviour usually stems from emotions such as frustration, anger, boredom and a lack of self-esteem.

Swan points to need for further stimulus

FEDERAL Treasurer Wayne Swan visited Lismore yesterday at the invitation of Page MP Janelle Saffin and lunched with local business owners, government and non-government organisations and media at Tommys restaurant and bar.

Rate hike refusal is a relief to retirees

With so many self-funded retirees in the area, no one would have welcomed a 6.08 per cent increase in rates this year, or next.

Low-income earners bear unfair burden

YES, it was a very sensible thing for the Australian Fair Pay Commission to not give low-income workers a pay rise of $21 a week yesterday.

We ignore aged-care demands at our peril

THE Federal Government’s recentlyannounced $347 million package for aged care has provided our region with just 70 additional residential aged-care places.

Support for Thomas

IN REGIONAL areas, people don’t remember what political party you stood for, but what you gave back to the community.

Sadly missed by the community he loved

IT IS a tragic event when we lose one of our own.

Action needed to fix housing crisis

AS THE recession bites deeper, more people will find it difficult to find an affordable and accessible home to rent on the Northern Rivers.

Save our health services

IT IS time for our community to make clear to the North Coast Area Health Service, as well as the State and Federal governments, that we will not stand idly by as our health care services erode further.

In the end, all we have are our dreams

YOU have to be in it to win it they say, and the estimated 10 million Aussies who invested in the record $90 million Oz Lotto draw last night must believe this.

Ballina short of cash and ideas

WE KNOW that councils are strapped for cash, but in discouraging residents from recycling it seems they are living in a fool’s paradise.

We are failing the mentally ill

THE murder of a mental care health worker in Lismore on Saturday should put the spotlight on how we care for society’s mentally ill.

Jan Barham looks to the next stage

A DECISION by Jan Barham to try for a seat on the NSW Legislative Council at the next election would have some interesting ramifications for The Greens at both local and State levels.

Make sure you have your say on issues

ON THE official website calling for community comments and consultation on the NSW State Plan the Premier Nathan Rees says the two main issues for this State are to protect jobs and improve services.

Health issues must be faced

AUSTRALIA’S level of debt in the wake of the stimulus spending spree is not inordinately high, according to the Governor of the Reserve Bank.

Let’s drink to what community needs

[OPINION]: THE issue of fluoridated water in Ballina is a highly emotional one, as can be attested by our letters pages in the past few months.

I won’t hear a word said on deafness

[OPINION]: IT IS no wonder a recent poll has shown Australians over the age of 65 don’t blame loud music for their hearing loss.

Culture shift needed to prevent bullying

YESTERDAY I had the privilege of sitting down with State MLC Robyn Parker, chair of the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into Bullying of Children and Young People.

Northern Star takes pride in doing its job

WHEN you have a good story to tell I believe in letting the world know about it, and what better forum to use than a daily newspaper.

Parks not a place for disgusting behaviour

I AM outraged at what is going on in apublic park at Ballina.

Councils can’t treat people as milch cow

WHILE some experts are telling us we may be at the end of our economic woes, unemployment figures are still rising.

I’m big on the idea of saving the Big Prawn

WHETHER you love it or hate it, Ballina’s Big Prawn definitely has something going for it. Local developer Chris Condon wants to save it in some form.

Community workers seek better pay

AFTER a day at work supporting young people with disabilities, Renae Green often finds she is in short supply of the emotional energy.

Campaign continues to combat bullying

ON WEDNESDAY night The Northern Star held its third anti-bullying public forum, with more than 100 people attending to share their stories and suggestions.

Time to make rivers our lifeblood again

ONE of my fondest memories of the brief time my family lived at Uki when I was a child is of swimming in the Tweed River.

Surfers treat sharks with respect, not fear

[OPINION]: STAR VIEW – EARLY yesterday morning I received a phone call from a surfer at Broken Head.

Reform of our health system long overdue

WHAT price our health?

Facing increase in needs of aged care

[OPINION]: AS OUR population grows older we will need more resources to meet the escalating demands of aged care in the Northern Rivers region.

Urban development on agenda

IT WILL be an interesting meeting when Lismore councillors talk with developers and industry stakeholders about the city’s urban development strategy.

Teen drivers like to learn the hard way

At least that is what a new study of young drivers by the George Institute for International Health says.

Laws a lifeline to save us from loan sharks

IN TOUGH economic times it is easy to fall into the debt spiral.

The plight of our forgotten children

[OPINION]: BETWEEN 1930 and 1970, around 500,000 children suffered abuse in state and church-run homes and institutions in Australia.

Lismore sewage crisis creates a stink

[OPINION]: LISMORE has suddenly found itself in a precarious position with regard to future development at Goonellabah because it has reached sewage capacity.

Malcolm Turnbull visits Coast