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3 weeks ago | 
abc.net.au | Georgia Loney |Cameron P. Simmons
Townsville's sewerage system is at capacity after more than two metres of rain fell this year. The council has received about 600 complaints relating to sewerage and water infrastructure issues. Efforts are underway to upgrade infrastructure, but ongoing heavy rain is hampering repair efforts. Raw sewage is running through properties in Australia's largest northern city after months of record-breaking rain.
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2 months ago | 
abc.net.au | Christopher Testa |Chloe Chomicki |Georgia Loney |Julia Andre |Adam Stephen |Aaron Kelly | +1 more
Several North Queensland rivers are flooding and warnings are in place from Tully to Ayr. A woman died today when an SES boat capsized in Ingham and thousands of people have been told to evacuate their homes. More heavy falls are forecast across parts of North Queensland that have already recorded more than 500 millimetres of rain in recent days. Heavy rain is forecast to continue drenching North Queensland for at least another day as thousands flee from floods that have already claimed a life.
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2 months ago | 
abc.net.au | Cameron P. Simmons |Lily Nothling
Queensland's north tropical coast is set for more drenching rain, with days of heavy falls causing flooding around the region. A low pressure system has dumped more than 200 millimetres of rain on some areas in the past 24 hours, including 290mm at Clyde Road near Babinda. The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) says some locations have received between 600 and 700mm of rain since Monday morning. Heavy rain is forecast between Bowen and Mackay today, with severe thunderstorms possible.
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2 months ago | 
abc.net.au | Elizabeth Cramsie |Cameron P. Simmons |Sam Bradbrook |Shannon Pearce
For many Aussie kids, swimming lessons are a rite of passage... but it's not the case for everyone. In regional and rural areas getting to a swimming pool may not be easy. And the cost of lessons may be another hurdle.
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2 months ago | 
abc.net.au | Cameron P. Simmons
A Charters Towers business owner has partnered with the local pool to offer free swimming lessons to children who might otherwise miss out. Parents and swimming teachers have praised the program with more drownings recorded per 100,000 people in remote regions than elsewhere in Australia according to Royal Lifesaving Australia. Swimming Queensland's Kathi Britton says she would like to see the program implemented across Australia.
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Jan 15, 2025 | 
abc.net.au | Cameron P. Simmons |Chloe Chomicki
Homicide detectives have renewed the investigation into the death of 56-year-old man with Down syndrome in North Queensland. Isaac Oar was pronounced dead by emergency services after they found him unresponsive at a residence in Ayr, south of Townsville, in August 2023. A post-mortem examination found Mr Oar was malnourished and weighed 29 kilograms at the time of his death. Homicide detectives say they are investigating how the man was treated in the lead-up to his death.
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Dec 23, 2024 | 
abc.net.au | Cameron P. Simmons
Looking to make the best out of a clear December day, two mates ventured off the north Queensland coast in a tinnie for a fish. As they laid idle more than 10 kilometres out from Magnetic Island near Townsville, a large shark swum up to their boat. On board, mechanic Andre Stagnitto decided to launch a drone to catch a better glimpse. The perfect scene revealed more than a dozen sharks were circling their boat, explaining why the fisherman were often losing so many fish.
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Nov 28, 2024 | 
abc.net.au | Cameron P. Simmons
Police have recovered a gun and ammunition allegedly stolen from an unmarked police car in Townsville. Four men, aged 18 to 40, allegedly broke into five cars at a secure apartment complex early Sunday morning. It is alleged the group stole a firearm and ammunition from an unmarked police vehicle, before fleeing the scene in a stolen BMW and the silver Holden sedan they arrived in. Police confirmed the police-issued gun and ammunition were found on Thursday after an extensive search.
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Nov 25, 2024 | 
abc.net.au | Cameron P. Simmons
Four people are now in custody over the theft of a police officer's gun and ammunition from an unmarked police car in Townsville in north Queensland. One of them, a 28-year-old man, has been charged with a string of offences, including unlawfully possessing weapons. Police allege four people broke into five vehicles at a secure apartment complex in Townsville early on Sunday morning before stealing a BMW sedan and ramming the car park gates.
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Nov 24, 2024 | 
abc.net.au | Georgia Loney |Lily Nothling |Cameron P. Simmons
Police are ramping up the search for an officer's gun stolen in Townsville on Sunday morning. One of the stolen vehicles allegedly used by the thieves has been recovered, but not the gun. The Queensland Ethical Standards Command has been called in to determine if gun security rules were breached. Queensland Police's internal ethical standards unit has launched an investigation into the "extraordinarily" rare theft of an officer's gun and ammunition from an unmarked police car in Townsville.
