Ballina's Julie Beavis has risen from being told she wasn't good enough to becoming Australia's top-ranked women's over-35 pickleball players after winning state titles across the country

ENV Solutions claimed six awards, including Ballina Shire Business of the Year, as innovation, leadership and outstanding employees were recognised at the 2026 Ballina Business Excellence Awards.

Missing Ballina man Caine Tierney has been found safe and is being treated in hospital. His family has thanked the community for its support.

Lennox Head's Ocea Curtis reflects on her quarter-final finish at the Soundboks Oz Grom Open as Australia's top junior surfers compete at Seven Mile Beach

A 29-year-old Ballina man has been granted bail after allegedly smashing windows at the Ballina courthouse and a nearby law firm before approaching police with a bat.

A 20-year-old Northern Rivers man has been refused bail after being charged over alleged violent extremist material linked to online posts.

Seven Ballina students have turned months of designing, building and programming into a place at an international robotics championship in Sydney.

One accused was refused bail after a judge cited “total ruthlessness and inability to obey the law”, while his co-accused faces a separate string of charges.

A major weed control project at Lake Ainsworth is helping restore native vegetation and improve biodiversity after the successful removal of one of Australia's most aggressive coastal weeds.

A man in his 60s has been airlifted to Gold Coast University Hospital after a tractor rolled and pinned him against a fence near Tenterfield.

A proposed outdoor education hub at Skennars Head for up to 200 students has won in-principle support from Ballina Shire Council.

Registrations are open for the 2026 NAB Darrel Chapman Fun Run in Lismore, with organisers hoping to attract more than 1,500 participants.

A 50-year-old East Coraki man and a 52-year-old Ballina woman have both been refused bail after being charged following a Child Abuse Squad investigation in the Northern Rivers.

Australian Seabird and Turtle Rescue is urging people to stay alert after New South Wales recorded its first case of H5 bird flu in a migratory seabird.

Local rugby union clubs are being encouraged to apply for funding from a statewide $2.15 million pool through the NSW Government's NSW Rugby World Cup Legacy Program.

The NSW shark drone program now provides year-round, frequent surveillance at Ballina's Sharpes, Shelly, and Lighthouse beaches, along with Lennox Head's Main Beach

Ballina twins Jack and Luke Oliss are back in the community after spending weeks in jail, with both now serving court-imposed sentences under strict supervision.

Under half-mast flags, Ballina remembered Bill Ewen and Frank Petsch in a moving service that became a powerful tribute to volunteering and community.

Two teenagers were allegedly assaulted while walking along The Ridgeway at Cumbalum, with witnesses urged to contact Ballina Police or Crime Stoppers.

Alstonville’s historic 116-year-old Crawford House is hosting its traditional Airing of the Quilts exhibition this weekend, featuring exceptional stitch work from 27 regional quilting groups spanning from Tweed to Yamba.

CSIRO hydrologist Dr Jai Vaze explains how proposed flood engineering works could have cut Ballina's 2022 flood levels by 73 centimetres and prevented flooding in about half the affected properties.

NSW country mayors have come together in Ballina, vowing to fight federal government plans to scale back disaster recovery funding to the states.

Family of victims with links to Ballina gave vital testimony at parliamentary inquiry focusing on unsolved murders and unexplained disappearances.

Mullumbimby comedian and writer Mandy Nolan has been preselected as the Greens candidate for the NSW state seat of Ballina, following the retirement announcement of long-serving MP Tamara Smith.