Palmer's secret Townsville visit and other top stories.

• Palmer's secret Townsville visit

  

  THE long-awaited resumption of operations at JBS Australia’s Townsville meatworks represents the city’s first ray of hope in an otherwise dreary local economy.

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• Reef bleaching extends to Townsville

  

  AAP on March 31, 2016, 4:31 pm The worst Great Barrier Reef coral bleaching event on record extends further south than first thought, a marine expert says.Professor Terry Hughes, convenor of the National Coral Bleaching Taskforce, is doing an aerial survey of the reef and says the most recent images show damage up to Townsville."There's no way to sugarcoat this ... the pictures don't lie," he told AAP."We were hoping to find a southern boundary somewhere between Townsville and Cairns. We no..

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• Townsville wants to steal Northern Australia hub away from Cairns

  

  Minister Assisting the Premier on North Queensland Coralee O’Rourke, whose Mundingburra electorate is based in Townsville, wants the city to host the CRC for Developing Northern Australia instead of Cairns. PICTURE: FIONA HARDINGCAIRNS landed the headquarters of the Federal Government’s Northern Australia Infrastructure Fund, but Townsville is trying to poach the region’s new research hub.The Palaszczuk Government has called on the Federal Government to establish the Co-operative Research Centre..

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• Townsville's JBS meatworks opens after four-month closure

  

  Townsville's JBS meatworks opens after four-month closure By Mark Jeffery and Robin McConchie Posted March 31, 2016 17:54:05 The JBS Townsville meatworks has reopened after an extended 16-week closure, with the company blaming the lack of suitable cattle for the long layoff. The abattoir is the most northerly in the state and normally closes for the wet season, but northern chief operating officer Anthony Pratt said drought and the strength of the Australian do..

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• Amphibious force home from Fiji

  

  Soldiers return from disaster relief in Fiji to Townsville. Major Rick Watting with daughter Akaelah, 4. Picture: Evan MorganMORE Townsville soldiers arrived home last night after spending more than a month providing disaster relief to Fijian residents struggling recover from the worst cyclone to ever make landfall on the island nation. About 25 troops from 2RAR and 5th Aviation Regiment flew home after disembarking from HMAS Canberra in Brisbane yesterday morning.They were among about 350 Queen..

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• Fish bar guru fries again

  

  Nick Manolis with Steve and Pauline Ridgley at the new Mundingburra Fish Bar at the IGA supermarket shops in Ross River RoadFISH and chip store operators beware, Townsville’s renowned Nick Manolis is back, heading up a new outlet at the Mundingburra shops.The amazing businessman regularly stunned Townsville’s fish and chip lovers for decades with his ability to memorise ­orders, sometimes as many as 20 at a time, not to mention his skill for cooking seafood.He retired a few years ago, although o..

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Our coral could be worst hit .	One keen man is already lining up to buy the Tesla Model 3 in Australia .
RSPCA slams 'idiot' who let dogs out of Townsville adoption centre .	French police foil planned attack, arrest suspect .