Volume 20

Recently there have been two bad accidents on Centralian roads involving small tour buses. Is this happening because the companies operating three day tours are not giving their solitary drivers sufficient down time while on tour?

Individual control over land can wipe out welfare dependency. Will our governments have the bottle to make it happen?

As a Single Female Bicycle Rider I like to be as independent as self-sufficient as I possibly can and not rely on Bicycle Repair Man, because everybody knows that BRM wears his underpants over his pants and therefore causes shame.

Editor Erwin Chlanda and Chief Reporter Kieran Finnane, our columnists and freelancers extend to you the Season's Greetings.

Updating of the Alice Springs News Online will continue over the Christmas and New Year period, and we look forward serving you in 2014, our 21st year in publication.

UPDATED with new photos (see FULL STORY), January 2, 11.20am.

There are still surprises to be discovered in the unfolding redesign of Todd Mall. KIERAN FINNANE comments. 

Some artists and suppliers to the Mbantua Festival in October are still waiting for their money as it appears the organisers have spent in excess of government funding commitments and their own resources. One of the festival's creditors is musician and performer Jacinta Price (in the centre of the photo, performing at the festival with band and folk singer Bill Chambers). She says Arrulka Business Aboriginal Corporation is in breach of its contract with her. ERWIN CHLANDA reports.

Single Female Bicycle Rider # 3

The only occasion when I do miss a car is when I go out to a pub or bar to drink alcohol.

In the Northern Territory’s remote communities only 13% of kids are attending school 80% of the time, says Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Nigel Scullion. 80% is generally regarded as the minimum required to make learning progress. Describing the situation as “horrific” Senator Scullion has announced a two-year strategy to break “the cycle of non-attendance”.

Alice Springs is well represented in the Top 20 (actually 21)  results for the Northern Territory Certificate of Education and Training (NTCET). The students received their results yesterday.

Our Chief Minister Adam Giles is moving about the community letting it be known in no uncertain terms that the days of socialist government, where government is expected to provide everything, where a new project is never started before applying for and receiving funding, are gone.

Applications have been made for the purchase of a "reasonable number" of blocks in Stage One of the new Kilgariff suburb, according to a reliable source. ERWIN CHLANDA reports. PHOTO: Work on the suburb earlier this year.

Public housing stock the Territory does still have is often allowed to remain vacant for long periods of time. Why?