ACT News

Parents stress over amnio risks

EWA KRETOWICZ The Dunstans made the difficult decision to have two amniocentesis tests performed.

Whale of a day for families at G-G's open house

MATTHEW RAGGATT Government House was the place to be on Saturday, with Skywhale and skydivers joining the more familiar sausage sizzle.

Department rebranding costs millions

PHILLIP THOMSON MANDARINS should not be precious about using outdated letterheads to save money under the Abbott government, says one former high-ranking public servant.

Soldier walks tall for his mates

PHILLIP THOMSON A roadside bomb in Iraq robbed Liam Haven of his sight in 2008 and the road to recovery was hard.

Lib's lobbyist wins seat of power

PHILLIP THOMSON He has been criticised for quips about kicking Julia Gillard to death and calling Leigh Sales a cow.

Electric capacity makes cycling a pushover

PHILLIP THOMSON Maurice Wells cycled across Australia but says he only came across a handful of dangerous drivers.

Libs demand disclosure on child visits

EWA KRETOWICZ The Liberal Party has accused the ACT government of obfuscation.

Neglect haunts the caseworker

EWA KRETOWICZ Cathy* is a rarity. In the midst of an Australia-wide caseworker shortage and high turnover.

Baby, guess what dad started?

PHILLIP THOMSON 10:20pm Opportunity knocks as many public servants face the axe, reports Phillip Thomson.

Civic assault, three in custody

11:44am There was a man lying on the ground and police had to solve the mystery.

ACT Marriage bill is talk of the country

HAMISH BOLAND-RUDDER Equality is now firmly on the national agenda, writes Hamish Boland-Rudder.

'Open your eyes to capital's underclass'

MEGAN DOHERTY St John's Care director Sue Jordan has scoffed at the idea Canberra is largely a comfortable and middle-class city as her organisation prepares to team up with youth homeless service YouthCARE Canberra.

Big duck floats in for Yellow Van food rescue appeal

MATTHEW RAGGATT The flowers aren't the only thing that will catch your eye at Floriade this year.

Dogs are barking as 30 years roll over

MEGAN DOHERTY For 30 years, the commands of ''sit'', ''stay'' and ''drop'' have rung out from the paddocks of Symonston at the ACT Companion Dog Club.

Lender's collapse forces sale of unit complex while still on drawing board

MEREDITH CLISBY The proposed 12-storey Aalto Apartments development in Phillip is being offered for sale following the collapse of the Queensland financiers of the project.

Liberals to block 'cowboy' Green

LISA COX The Canberra Liberals have declared they will block legislation Greens MLA Shane Rattenbury introduces to the ACT Legislative Assembly.

Pay parking to go plastic as Barr calls for tenders

ROSS PEAKE Canberra motorists will soon be able to forget carrying coins for parking in government car parks.

Porn collector says he saw children as actresses, not victims

MICHAEL INMAN A Canberra man arrested for possessing child pornography did not see the youngsters as victims, a court has heard. Matthew Charles Dummett, 34, initially described the children depicted in his collection of 12,879 images and six videos as ''actresses''.

Power games: why incentives won't sway these wind farm opponents

JOHN THISTLETON Offers of rooftop solar panels and solar hot water heating will not sway neighbours of a proposed $700 million wind farm west of Yass.

School in gay marriage lobby

LISA COX Parents at a territory school have been called upon to lobby against the ACT government's marriage equality bill.

Tenants buy way out of eviction

NOEL TOWELL Middle-class public housing tenants marked for eviction under an ACT government crackdown are simply buying their homes from the housing department rather than move out.

Tribunal crosses St Patrick's off heritage list

TOM MCILROY The ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal has added a new chapter to long-running debate on the future of St Patrick's Church in Braddon, overturning its heritage listing on Friday.

Driver airlifted after truck crash

STEPHANIE ANDERSON A driver has been airlifted to hospital following a crash south of Canberra on Friday.

Private Capital

Women's winning ride for Amy

MEGAN DOHERTY There was a slight hint of delighted incredulity as a group from Canberra took to the podium of last weekend's Amy's Grand Fondo in Victoria.

Family still searching for answers one month after Corey Power's death

Corey Power has been farewelled by his family, almost one month after he was found badly injured and unconscious in Young.

Cycling race starts in controversy

LEE GASKIN The opening stage of the National Capital Tour has been thrown into chaos after a traffic mishap forced results from the women's time trial to be erased.

Police hunt alleged bag snatcher

Police have released a facefit of a man believed to be involved with a bag snatching in Braddon on Tuesday.

Husband's 'nasty' sexual assault on wife

MICHAEL INMAN Marriage does not entitle a husband to demand sex from his wife against her will, a Canberra judge has warned.

Cruelty charges laid over animal starvation, deaths

A Gunning man who allegedly starved his stock to the point of death has been charged with more than 80 animal cruelty offences.

More clan labs in the ACT 'a concern' for police

TOM MCILROY As criminals increase domestic drug manufacturing in communities around Australia, police have called on Canberrans to be on the look out for signs of clandestine laboratories.

Jail likely for man who forced girl to touch his penis

MICHAEL INMAN A young girl’s childhood was destroyed after a man she considered an uncle forced her to touch his genitals, a court has heard.

'Are you man enough for that woman?': Penis-grabber fined for drunken act

The Queanbeyan Age A Bungendore man has expressed his shame and remorse after he grabbed another man's penis and testicles during a night of drinking at the Royal Hotel, Bungendore.

Canberrans get first bite of the Apple

HAMISH BOLAND-RUDDER The cult of Apple continues to thrive as Canberra became one of the first cities in the world with new iPhones, although even one of the capital’s biggest fanboys admits the fanfare was a little awkward.