Vaughan Elder

It was a fun-filled family day at the Waikouaiti Rodeo yesterday, with plenty of cowboy hats, spurs and belt buckles on display.

After an afternoon of equestrian entertainment, the audience at Forsyth Barr Stadium was last night delighted by the smooth sounds of one of the United Kingdom's leading bands of the 1960s and '70s, the Hollies.

The death of Sir Paul Holmes yesterday morning likely signals the passing of an ''old-school'' style of broadcasting based on forthright views as opposed to ''market research'', a University of Otago media lecturer says.

A further four University of Otago buildings have been found to be prone to damage in the event of a major earthquake.

A University of Otago professor is set to join such esteemed company as Bill Clinton and Jane Goodall after being chosen to take part in a set of conferences which have racked up more than a billion views online.

A new method of treating tooth decay, which does not involve the use of needles or drills, reduces children's anxiety about going to the dentist, University of Otago research has found.

Presbytarian Support Otago (PSO) will decide this week whether to go ahead with a legal challenge over a decision to dump the organisation as a home support provider, its chief executive says. This comes after the Southern District Health Board declined a PSO request asking to meet board members, on the basis of a legal opinion.

A Dunedin postgraduate student is calling on the University of Otago to change a bureaucratic process which she says has stopped her from getting a student allowance this year.

A University of Otago student says she feels ''duped'' after a Government change meant her student allowance was taken away halfway through her postgraduate study.

The future of historic Dunedin student watering hole the Captain Cook is unclear.

Anyone taking over the Captain Cook Tavern would face a difficult task changing people's perception about the student watering hole, the owner of another North Dunedin pub says.

An increasing number of students appear to be waiting for the start of the academic year to find accommodation, University of Otago director of accommodation services James Lindsay says.

A Mosgiel resident says something has to be done about ''grey racers'' stalking the town's streets.

Otago national body representative Dave Witherow is again offside with the Fish and Game New Zealand council after sending out a questionnaire accusing its chief executive of incompetence.

A visit to Dunedin by Greenpeace's new Rainbow Warrior has been cancelled because the ship is too tall to fit under aerial cables across the harbour near Port Chalmers.

A University of Otago study into the health effects of sugar is set to be used as part of the basis for international guidelines on sugar intake.

Seven brothers from the United States touring the South Island riding classic Triumph motorcycles on ''a trip of a lifetime'' have been struck by the island's natural beauty and the warmness of the people.