Lynda van Kempen

Redundancies are already starting to bite for Central Otago WasteBusters.

Providing showers for freedom campers and fruit pickers is a ''growth industry'' for the Cromwell Swim Centre.

The Dunstan Golf Course at Clyde is a cut above its opposition.

The Maniototo Bards, Ballads and Bulldust Festival is gaining momentum and has the potential to become a major drawcard, one of its organisers says.

Families are often reluctant to talk about death and dying and the type of treatment and care they want at the end of their lives, but ''Conversations That Count'' communicator Susan McDonald (57), of Cromwell, says it is best to start these talks early. 

Home and business owners were mopping up yesterday ready to assess the damage after an hour long thunderstorm hammered Alexandra, doubling the town's fire brigade calls for the year.

Yachting and quality red wine are two of the passions of Bald Hills' new owner, Japanese businessman Isao Mita.

Repairs costing about $30,000 to a walking and cycling trail are one of the effects of a deluge which hit Alexandra in March.

Clyde's underpass is taking shape, with the boxed section running under State Highway 8 almost completed.

More than 18 months after the hillside slumped on to Fruitgrowers Rd, work may soon begin on clearing the landslip.

One of the Central Otago District Council's top executives is going to a job where she will be giving out money instead of collecting it.

The Maniototo Public Library may remain on its existing site after all. A compromise is being worked out between those involved in the debate over the future location of the facility, which should result in the library remaining based at the Maniototo Area School.

Presbyterian Support says it is ''ahead of the game'' in meeting demand for aged-care accommodation in Alexandra and has an expansion planned to its Ranui complex.