Pottinger Energy Park has given $40,000 to the NSW Rural Fire Service's MIA and Mid Murray districts to buy equipment before the coming fire season. The funding will pay for e-flares, thermal imaging cameras, portable fridges and radios for local volunteers. The support reaches brigades across the MIA and Mid Murray districts, including Hay, Carrathool and Murrumbidgee. The donation followed a pre-season meeting in Hay between the energy park's community team and brigade captains, who discussed their priorities. The park is being developed by Someva and AGL.
Murray MP Helen Dalton says her bill to split the Murrumbidgee Local Health District would separate management and budgets but keep clinical links between hospitals and specialists. She said decisions across the region are currently made from Wagga Wagga and that services at the new Griffith hospital are not yet operating as promised. The proposed Western Riverina district would run from Leeton to Balranald. The Murrumbidgee district opposes the bill, as does the AMA (NSW). Health Minister Ryan Park said he is not convinced a split is the best way forward. The bill awaits a Legislative Assembly vote.
A 24-year-old Leeton man has been charged over alleged domestic violence assaults on a 22-year-old woman, who suffered serious head and facial injuries. Police also allege he was involved in a series of break-ins at a Fivebourgh Road property between 5 and 15 October, where copper, power tools and electronic devices worth about $400,000 were allegedly stolen. Police arrested him at a Calrose Street property on Thursday, 15 October, and allegedly found items believed to be stolen, as well as methylamphetamine and ammunition. He faces multiple charges and was refused bail, appearing in court on Friday, 16 October.
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A teenage boy has been charged after allegedly stealing a car and crashing it in Leeton in September. Police were called to a home on Lilac Avenue at about 4.30am on Monday, September 14, 2026, after reports a car had been taken. Officers from the Murrumbidgee Police District were told two youths allegedly stole car keys and personal items before taking a Nissan X Trail and leaving. Police later found the vehicle crashed and abandoned at the intersection of Ortella Street and Gordon Avenue, Griffith, at about 7.35am.
A 38-year-old man has been charged with eight offences after a 42-year-old woman was allegedly stabbed multiple times in the head and torso at a Leeton home. Police were called to Wandoo Street on Thursday, 15 October, and were told the woman had been stabbed several times with a kitchen knife by a man known to her. She was taken to hospital and airlifted to another hospital in a serious condition. Police arrested the man at a property in Ashmont on Saturday, 17 October, and he was refused bail.
A woman remains in a serious condition after allegedly being stabbed repeatedly in the head and torso with a kitchen knife at a Leeton home. Police allege the attacker, a man known to her, fled before officers arrived. A 38-year-old man was arrested in Wagga on Saturday and now faces eight charges, including wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. Police also allege he rammed another vehicle at Yanco and failed to stop. He was refused bail and is due to appear in court.
A 38-year-old man has been charged after allegedly stabbing a 42-year-old woman several times at a home in Leeton, in New South Wales' Riverina region. Police were called on Thursday evening and say the woman was airlifted to Canberra hospital in a serious condition. Police allege the man then drove through a front gate and rammed another vehicle at Yanco, leaving the scene. Rodney James Charles Tatt was arrested at a property in Wagga Wagga on Saturday. He is due to appear in Griffith Local Court on December 9.
A 17-year-old boy has been charged over the alleged theft of a car from a Leeton home. Police were called to a Lilac Avenue home at about 4:30 am on Monday 14 September after reports two youths had taken car keys, personal items and a Nissan X-Trail. About three hours later, the allegedly stolen vehicle was found crashed and abandoned at Ortella Street and Gordon Avenue in Griffith. Police arrested the teenager at Griffith Police Station on Tuesday 13 October.
One Nation MP David Farley has criticised a large native title claim covering areas around Wagga, Griffith, Leeton and Narrandera, calling it an expensive handbrake on progress. The Southern West Yiradyuri/Wiradyuri/Wiradjuri People lodged the Federal Court claim on behalf of descendants of 29 named ancestors. Local politicians raised concerns about development costs and the claim's scale. Griffith City Council plans to join the proceedings, with other councils coordinating a response through the Riverina and Murray Joint Organisation. The applicants declined to answer questions about the claim's aims.
Hay Magpies have appointed James McLean as first grade coach for 2027 and signed UK recruit Jack Green, Cheyne Whitelaw and Taii Tovuto. Darlington Point-Coleambally named Chaise Sergi and Thomas Fattore as first grade coaches, while Griffith Black & Whites appointed father and son William and Kodie Charles. Yenda signed Jordon Burley from Temora. Leeton, Yanco Wamoon Hawks and Waratah Tigers have scheduled annual general meetings in the coming weeks, with the Leeton meeting held tonight.
The Riverina region will host a variety of festivals and performances this week, including stage productions of The Wizard of Oz and Disney’s Frozen. Griffith will hold its Spring Festival, featuring citrus sculptures and garden tours, while Leeton celebrates its annual town show. Other events include the Spirit of the Land Festival in Lockhart, the Illabo Show, the Mirrool Silo Kick, and Hay Glow, offering activities for all ages.
Allan Wallett, a former shearer, became a beloved radio presenter in the Riverina region for over 40 years. Despite his popularity, he preferred solitude over socialising. Wallett passed away on 5 October at the age of 82, leaving behind a legacy in radio and harness racing. His weekday country music program earned him induction into the Australian Country Music Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2004.
