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A woman and her two children were flown to Dunedin Hospital yesterday morning with serious injuries after a head-on crash between two vehicles near Taieri Mouth.

Balclutha has got in behind the campaign to raise $3 million for neurosurgery positions in the South, holding two fund-raising sporting events.

The Ministry of Justice is looking for new places to hold court hearings in Balclutha, to the relief of town leaders worried the town would no longer host district court sittings.

The embattled chief executive of Environment Southland, Ciaran Keogh, yesterday announced his resignation.

The Catlins will have not one, but two new cellphone towers by the end of this year - a move which has delighted residents.

A new sports activator will soon be seen at schools around the Clutha district.

Clutha residents fighting to keep court services in Balclutha are appealing for public support before an expected Ministry of Justice announcement on the issue on Monday.

Sunny weather drew crowds to Lawrence during the weekend to celebrate the township's annual arts festival.

More than 100 climate-change campaigners from around the country will gather near Mataura from tomorrow to support Southlanders concerned about the potential impacts of lignite mining on their communities.

Power generation at the Mt Stuart wind farm may have got off to a slow start, but the new installation is on track to record a good result this month.

Non-violent ways of protesting about lignite mining in Southland and developing strategies and tactics to stop mining were thrashed out at the "Keep the Coal in the Hole Summer Festival" near Mataura at the weekend.

Anti-lignite coal campaigners began arriving in Southland yesterday and many spent their first hours touring Solid Energy coal sites in the province.

"Bull Creek - it's one of the best kept secrets," says camper Ian Mckay. Well, the secret is out now.