Traditional good time
CLUBÂ Astoria's 11th annual Oktoberfest celebration has been touted as a "beer-guzzling, potato pancake-munching success" with everybody having a "great time" despite the rainy weather.
Family battles with mental illness
WHEN the phone rings at the home of one local family these days, it is enough to trigger anxiety in the household - such is the severity of the mental illness affecting the family's mother and grandmother, who tends to relentlessly phone them in a "very disturbed" state.
Widespread challenges
BALANCING the wishes of mentally ill people with the wishes of their families, while weighing up safety and risk factors and assessing community support sounds to be an overwhelming task.
Trains back on track
V/LINE train services east of Moe are set resume operations on Monday, seven-and-a-half weeks after a sunken track embankment crippled the service, sending Latrobe Valley commuter routines into disarray.
Statewide weapons amnesty begins
THE first firearms and weapons amnesty in more than two years has commenced, with a local police member urging members of the public with unregistered or prohibited weapons to hand them in without fears of prosecution.
CGCA washed out
Rain ruined the first day of the Energy Australia Yallourn Cup in Central Gippsland cricket with all matches washed out after only a few overs.
Investors keen for coal
CHINESE investors will be keen to access the Latrobe Valley's brown coal reserves when the State Government opens tenders for new coal allocations, possibly by the end of the year.
Trailer struck by train
Police news
Police trained to respond
LATROBE Valley's police contend with the "pointy end" of dealing with people with mental illness regularly and are often in "risky and vulnerable" positions as a result.
Mental health housing drought
A CHRONIC shortage of supported accommodation for Latrobe Valley people battling mental illness is plaguing the region, according to key service providers.
Water scams
Gippsland Water customers have been reminded to check identification following incidences of "bogus" operators claiming to represent the authority.
Campaign protests dental scheme axing
ONE of the country's leading oral health experts has called on the Latrobe Valley community to protest the imminent axing of a Medicare-funded dental scheme.