Latest WA state news
Goodbye 'cheeky little monkey' Regan Burton, killed at Donnelly Rally
Andrew Elstermann 6:14 PM Red, white and blue balloons steeped in significance where released and decorated the sky as a final farewell to "cheeky little monkey" Regan Burton who was killed by an out-of-control rally car in West Australia's south-west.
Firefighters battling Welshpool factory fire
![Smoke has been billowing from the factory since around 1.30pm](/web/20150529121728im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/h/c/r/b/a/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.ghcr0b.png/1432885914508.jpg)
Brendan Foster 5:51 PM More than 50 firefighters are battling a fire at a factory in Welshpool on Friday afternoon.
Seabird erosion: stalemate threatens to tear a community apart
![The scene where Turner Street at Seabird used to be.](/web/20150529121728im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/h/c/7/d/5/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.ghbzu7.png/1432881771261.jpg)
Emma Young 4:42 PM A governmental stand-off lasting a decade is poisoning a West Australian coastal community as residents search for someone to blame for the sea stealing, night by night, closer to their homes.
Animal lovers roast Perth nightclub for bringing live animals to a BBQ
![A rabbit being handled by a club-goer.](/web/20150529121728im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/h/c/p/i/n/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.ghcouc.png/1432881079184.jpg)
Brendan Foster 4:31 PM Animal activists have roasted a Perth nightclub for allowing partygoers to get up close and personal with animals at a BBQ last week.
Family of rally crash victim Regan Burton hold funeral in Bunbury
![generic funeral photo](/web/20150529121728im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/1/m/8/i/c/q/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.ghcl9t.png/1432876487303.jpg)
Emma Young 3:14 PM The family of 6-year-old Regan Allan Burton, killed in a crash at a car rally in the state's south-west, will farewell him on Friday at 1pm.
Perth expert: farm to plate apps may change the way we shop
![Coles home brands from the supermarket. generic groceries, home brand, food stuffs, shopping trolley. Sunday 30th January 2011 AFR photo Louie Douvis job# 141458](/web/20150529121728im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/1/m/f/9/1/m/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.ghbxjt.png/1432871584328.jpg)
Ray Sparvell 1:52 PM Tracing the origins of food has become increasingly important to consumers in WA. And an app that does just that may have us turning to our smartphones in the supermarket aisles.
WA's horror road toll grows: two dead, another critical
![generic thumbnail, police, justice, crime, law](/web/20150529121728im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/z/v/w/j/e/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.ghc78m.png/1432868568744.jpg)
Emma Young 1:02 PM A man and woman are dead and another young woman is in critical condition after three crashes outside Perth over the past two days.
Knife-wielding thieves flee Bunbury pizza store with hot loot
![<p></p>](/web/20150529121728im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/h/b/q/1/b/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.ghcdof.png/1432867533915.jpg)
Emma Young 12:45 PM Two thieves were after more than a crust when they held up a pizza store in Bunbury on Thursday night.
South West WA winter to be cool and wet as eastern states go dry, warm
![rain](/web/20150529121728im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/1/3/f/i/n/6/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.ghcdxs.png/1432866777562.jpg)
12:32 PM Australia's winter will be a tale of two climates - and warm oceans either side of the continent are to blame.
Hayley Dodd murder suspect plans to fight charge: report
![Hayley Dodd](/web/20150529121728im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/h/9/9/z/i/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.ghcdg3.png/1432865283628.jpg)
12:08 PM The convicted rapist serving time in a Queensland jail who has also been charged with the 1999 abduction and murder of West Australian teenager Hayley Dodd says he's innocent.
Rescued 'stolen' puppies homeless, charges laid after house search
![The pups are as young as just four or five weeks old, but it has been suggested they were stolen to trade for drugs.](/web/20150529121728im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/h/c/2/0/1/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.ghc9xu.png/1432864563900.jpg)
Emma Young 11:56 AM Police have charged four people after searching a home in Alexander Heights on Wednesday, but are still searching for the owners of two puppies, believed stolen, that they found there.
Police lay charges after dogs sniff out hiding spots in Leeming, Ascot
![police](/web/20150529121728im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/1/1/v/q/k/4/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.ghc82o.png/1432864193200.jpg)
Emma Young 11:49 AM Anyone hiding from police will need a better spot than bushes or atop a water tank, Dog Squad canines Rumble and Storm proved on Thursday night.
Record number of cruise passengers through Fremantle ports
![A record number of tourists are passing through Fremantle Passenger Terminal, aboard cruise ships like the Queen Mary.](/web/20150529121728im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/h/c/5/v/s/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.ghbtf2.png/1432861954961.jpg)
Brendan Foster 11:12 AM It appears West Australians are ditching hoping on a plane for their next sojourn and are choosing to spend more time holidaying on the high seas.
Nathan Charles: I control cystic fibrosis, it doesn't control me
![Nathan Charles](/web/20150529121728im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/h/v/i/q/z/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.ghbxgi.png/1432861426578.jpg)
James Mooney 11:03 AM Up to 40 tablets a day is what it takes to help treat cystic fibrosis, with 65 Roses Day falling on Friday highlighting the impact of the lung condition.
WA watchdog begins inquiry into high-rise fire risk
![The Docklands Lacrosse apartment building fire in Melbourne last year](/web/20150529121728im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/1/m/y/d/v/e/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.ghbz6j.png/1432853747877.jpg)
Leanne Nicholson 8:55 AM Flammable cladding, which is believed to have sparked a high-rise inferno in Melbourne, could be contained in buildings erected in Western Australia during the past decade.
Motorcyclist killed in crash near Margaret River
![<p></p>](/web/20150529121728im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/h/b/q/1/b/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.ghc1uf.png/1432806267346.jpg)
Ray Sparvell A motorcyclist in his 20s was killed on Thursday afternoon in a collision with a tree at Baudin about 240km south of Perth.
Pups rescued in raid on Mirrabooka home
![The pups are as young as just four or five weeks old, but it has been suggested they were stolen to trade for drugs](/web/20150529121728im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/h/c/2/0/1/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.ghc1ih.png/1432805878557.jpg)
Ray Sparvell Police want to reunite two stolen puppies with their mum and their human family after they were rescued during a raid on a house in the northern suburbs on Wednesday.
New Elizabeth Quay centrepiece footbridge locks into place
![An artist's impression of the new bridge at Elizabeth Quay.](/web/20150529121728im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/h/b/p/0/g/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.ghbnov.png/1432882998952.jpg)
A key feature of Perth's new Elizabeth Quay development is being locked into place and creating Western Australian history in the process.
Kalgoorlie wheelie bin murder: Scared prostitute helped clean up
![Court](/web/20150529121728im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/1/m/z/2/q/w/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.ghbtf7.png/1432796484202.jpg)
A prostitute who lived with a man accused of murdering a drug dealer was so scared she helped clean up the victim's blood and flesh.
The debt monster has awoken: WA Labor
![MarK McGowan and "the debt monster" make an impromptu visit to the Fairfax Media offices](/web/20150529121728im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/h/b/n/t/2/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.ghbjoa.png/1432789861244.jpg)
Brendan Foster If you see a blue monster eyeing off your wallet in downtown Perth, don't be alarmed: It's just Labor's new debt monster trying to feed his insatiable appetite.
Safety Bay beach cops millions of litres of sewage
![Millions of litres of sewage have flowed into water at Safety Bay beach.](/web/20150529121728im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/h/b/g/m/y/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.ghbed0.png/1432789279402.jpg)
Emma Young The overflow of more than an Olympic pool's worth of sewage into the water at a Safety Bay beach is "inexcusable," says Recfishwest chief executive Andrew Rowland.
Gina Rinehart court case: Bianca Rinehart appointed as trustee
![Bianca Rinehart will take control of the family trust, a Sydney court has decided.](/web/20150529121728im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/h/b/l/y/b/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.ghbnv5.png/1432800219074.jpg)
Mining magnate Gina Rinehart's eldest daughter Bianca will take control of the multi-billion dollar family trust following the family's long-running legal battle.
Bookmaker pays out on Fyfe Brownlow win
![Fremantle is firmly ensconced at the top of the ladder after eight rounds.](/web/20150529121728im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/h/a/8/o/m/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.ghbboc.png/1432712695841.jpg)
Brendan Foster A bookmaker has decided to pay out on Fremantle wunderkind Nat Fyfe winning this year's Brownlow Medal even though the AFL season in only just over a third of the way through.
Mesothelioma 'miracle' man Barry Knowles lives to tell his tale
![Given a year to live because of mesothelioma, Barry Knowles has thrived through another five.](/web/20150529121728im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/h/a/a/s/x/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.ghbfa7.png/1432778690815.jpg)
Leanne Nicholson Barry Knowles is the Perth man who has been described as a medical miracle and defied the odds.
WA... the most expensive state to renovate
![WA is the most expensive state to renovate.](/web/20150529121728im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/h/5/4/u/i/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.ghaprn.png/1432777792693.jpg)
A long-held belief among West Australian home owners has been confirmed as fact, with pricey tradies making it the most expensive state to renovate.
Lone Wolf gang member arrests could dismantle WA chapter
![Lone Wolf motorcycle gang member arrests could dismantle their WA chapter, police say.](/web/20150529121728im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/h/8/n/l/t/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.ghbeio.png/1432775956979.jpg)
Brendan Foster Four outlaw motorcycle gang members have been charged after holding a 29-year-old man at gun point.
Perth records lowest minimum temperature for 2015
![Cycling main pic.](/web/20150529121728im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/1/2/r/t/6/z/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.ghbdgk.png/1432775252230.jpg)
Emma Young Perth city shivered through its lowest minimum temperature yet for 2015, dropping to 3.7 degrees at 6.47am on Thursday morning.
South Perth death: man charged with murder after body found
![South Perh](/web/20150529121728im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/h/3/4/4/l/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.ghaz55.png/1432768094858.jpg)
Emma Young Police have charged a man with murder after a body was discovered in a South Perth unit on Wednesday.
WA searchers closer to finding meteorite
![An artist's impression of a huge meteorite striking Earth 65 million years ago.](/web/20150529121728im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/z/r/6/7/q/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.ghba4y.png/1432767941640.jpg)
Scientists at Curtin University have narrowed to 10km the area where it believes a meteorite that flashed across WA skies may have landed.
WA man who fatally pushed nightclub hugger found not guilty
![Court](/web/20150529121728im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/1/m/z/2/q/w/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.ghb26f.png/1432715676519.jpg)
A nightclubber who fatally pushed another patron to escape an unexpected hug has been found not guilty of unlawful assault causing death.