GUN offences in the Southern Grampians Shire have climbed more than five times in the twelve months to the end of June, jumping from 24.4 per 100,000 in 2022 to 140.9 in 2023.

A 23-YEAR-OLD shearer had a big day at the ‘office’ last weekend, shearing 830 lambs in a marathon effort for ‘Movember’ to raise funds and awareness of men’s health issues, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and men’s suicide.

SEVERAL OTR Hungry Jacks drive-thru workers were sent for a precautionary hospital check up on Saturday afternoon after a safety equipment failure caused carbon monoxide levels to elevate at the Coleraine Rd site.

FOLLOWING the recent release of the Southern Grampians Shire Council (SGSC) draft Small Towns Strategy (STS) and the invitation for community feedback on the document, residents of one of the towns covered in it have taken issue with multiple parts of it, one going so far as to call it “appallingly sloppy”, and another claiming parts were directly taken off Wikipedia.

THE Victorian Government has announced a groundbreaking set of reforms aimed at addressing councillor misconduct and bolstering accountability within the state’s 79 local councils.

CURRENT Western Victoria Primary Health Network (WVPHN) chief executive officer (CEO), Rowena Clift, has been appointed the next dual CEO of Western District Health Service (WDHS) and Casterton Memorial Hospital (CMH).

TWENTY-TWO out of 23 allotments at Hamilton Business Park remain unsold with questions on the future of the empty site being asked by locals living nearby.

WEDNESDAY’S Southern Grampians Shire Council (SGSC) meeting laboured at length through a planning permit application with one councillor taking issue with the potential for a risky precedent to be set concerning funding for major projects.

THE statewide shortage of police officers has hit the Hamilton Police Station with the announcement of a significant reduction in front desk reception hours.

MAYOR David Robertson has been elected for another term in the top role with the Southern Grampians Shire Council (SGSC).