Last Top Stories: Battle brewing over pop culture expos Townsville Comic Con, MagnetiCon and ...

Battle brewing over pop culture expos Townsville Comic Con, MagnetiCon and ...

A BATTLE more fierce than Batman v Superman has been brewing over rival pop culture conventions being held in Cairns and Townsville next year. Following the overwhelming success of the inaugural Tropicon in Cairns last month, there are now potentially ... >> view original

Townsville police reward non-drinking drivers with pub vouchers

Townsville police are rewarding drivers who record a zero blood alcohol reading during random roadside breath tests with a trip to a pub. But organisers of the week-long scheme insist the drinks won't be on them. The Townsville Liquor Accord has given ... >> view original

Townsville police reward Random Breath Test motorists with pub vouchers

Townsville Police have come up with a unique way of stopping drivers from drink driving - rewarding those who 'blow zero' with the chance to win a $50 pub voucher. The radical plan, which is part of Road Safety Week, is aimed at combating the drink ... >> view original

Magical mystery tour

The five-day tour commenced this morning, with the group departing Manheim Car Auctions in Townsville for the first leg of the journey that will take the 150 dolled-up participants from all over Australia in their 75 decked-out cars to destinations ... >> view original

Townsville attempted abduction suspects' comfit images released

Police have released comfit images of two men wanted over an attempted abduction in far north Queensland. A nine-year-old boy was walking home from The Willows State School in Townsville on July 23 when the two men approached him. Police said they ... >> view original

Mates on Mountain Bikes: Day 1, Townsville to Hidden Valley

11865080_960440700686182_56853039_o This is the first stage of an epic mountain bike from Townsville to Port Douglas - the hard way, raising money for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. At dawn 12 riders and three support cars prepare to depart from the ... >> view original

Australian police detainees using ice at record rates: survey

Australian prisoners are using amphetamines at record rates, and the most potent form, methamphetamine, is driving this rise, a survey of police detainees by the Australian Institute of Criminology has revealed. As part of the annual Drug Use ... >> view original

Soaring rates of mental illness, substance abuse for children in care: report

Children in care are suffering significantly higher rates of mental health problems than their peers and are far more likely to smoke, drink and abuse drugs, a damning new report has revealed. They are also five times more likely to be admitted to ... >> view original

Young swear off booze as middle-age binge drinking grows - often on the quiet

It's 4.30 on Friday afternoon and Nick Swifte​ is cracking open a beer with colleagues. By his own admission, the 45-year-old advertising executive is a "drinker of some renown". "I like getting drunk. I'm a big fan of it. Working as a media buyer ... >> view original

Vegemite home brew: Minister Nigel Scullion defends warning

Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion says he received evidence from police, public servants and health workers on Mornington Island that Aboriginal people were using Vegemite in home brews, in what he called a “serious issue” that should not be ... >> view original