It will soon look like a premier performing arts centre, ready to showcase live music and theatrical productions.Lismore’s City Hall – home to Northern Rivers performing Arts (NORPA) - is undergoing a transformation, complete with digital illumination. A large LED digital sign will soon be added to the corner of Molesworth and Bounty Street establishing the Lismore City Hall precinct as a prominent gateway to Lismore and the CBD. The upgrade to the building heralds a new era for NORPA, and NORPA’s artistic director Julian Louis said “we can’t wait to open the doors to our community in Lismore and beyond, when we are able to do so legally and safely”.“The upgrade is a turning point for NORPA and the community,” Julian said. Julian said the upgrade was funded by a $1.16 million dollar grant from the NSW Government’s Regional Cultural Fund.The money covered the upgrade of the audio and lighting equipment, along with outside signage and illumination at Lismore City Hall to elevate the venue to the standard of contemporary performing arts venues."The upgrade increases the profile of Lismore City Hall and awareness of the cultural activities that happen in and around the building,” Julian said. “The hall and NORPA are crucial to the nightlife and night-time economy of Lismore.“Local businesses know when there’s a show on because there are more people around and they are busier.“We’re looking to expand this even further with our live music program which will include showcasing local talent at our new Courtyard Bar and regular band and cabaret nights in the Studio. “We will continue to build on our relationship with Kate Stroud, formerly of the Dusty Attic live music venue, in making Lismore City Hall a space for our music loving community to come together."Venue and Events Manager Jumana Schriefer is excited to get the lights back on.“Lismore City Hall has gained recognition amongst national and international promoters and touring companies as a premiere venue to include on their national tours,” Jumana said.“We’re actively talking with the industry during the lockdown as touring is expected to increase dramatically once restrictions are lifted.”Production Manager Karl Johnson, who has worked at NORPA for 20 years, said the upgrades will significantly reduce electricity consumption and the costs of maintenance, equipment hire and labour. “It also provides opportunities for established technicians and young people in the region interested in technical production,” he said.Ben Franklin MLC was delighted to see the outcome of almost two years of work. “The refurbishment of Lismore City Hall is one of the most exciting things to happen in the cultural space in the Northern Rivers in the last decade," he said. "I hope once the pandemic is over the community will get behind it.“Julian Louis is looking forward to gathering the community together to mark the reopening of an important cultural and community asset for Lismore.“When the time is right, we’ll invite the community to come together and celebrate Lismore City Hall,” he said.“It holds a special place in our hearts and history as a meeting place for our community for some 55 years.“There is great pride and responsibility in managing and carrying this tradition for our town.”For information about NORPA, visit http://www.norpa.org.au

Featuring entertainment from Lismore’s own Jex Lopez, a virtual forum tomorrow, May 13, will explore how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) people in regional NSW.‘Covid-19 and Our Regional Communities’ is hosted by NSW’s leading health organisation for sexuality and gender diverse people, ACON and people are invited to join in the conversation from 3pm. ACON Community Health and Regional Services director Sarah Lambert said while COVID-19 is affecting all Australians, its impact can play out differently for a range of communities, such as LGBTQ people living outside of major metropolitan areas.“We know that COVID-19 is having an impact on LGBTQ people in regional communities,” she said.“There is also a lot of misinformation out there, and this can sometimes make understanding Covid-19 difficult.“Those that live in regional and rural settings already face unique challenges when it comes to accessing appropriate health services and support, which can be compounded by the pandemic.“The forum will deliver messages on keeping safe, accessing support and staying connected in regional and rural NSW and will provide health information and issues relating sexual health, mental health, trans and gender diverse health and Aboriginal health during the Covid-19 pandemic.”The forum’s panel features a range of clinical experts, health care professionals and community members.It will be facilitated by writer and performer Maeve Marsden, and feature performances from Newcastle entertainer Timberlina and Northern Rivers performer Jex Jopez.“As well as being a forum to get information, this virtual event is also a chance for LGBTQ people in NSW to come together and connect with others,” Sarah said.“So, we encourage everyone in our communities – wherever you are across the state – to join in and be part of the conversation.” ‘COVID-19 and Our Regional Communities’ is on Wednesday May 13, from 3- 4.30pm. For event details and registration, visit the ACON website.Speakers at the forum include:Dr Kat Taylor: Public Health Physician, Hunter New England Population HealthDr David Smith: Medical Director, North Coast HIV/Sexual Health ServicesDr Emmanual Vlahakis: Sexual Health Physician & Gender Affirming Care Specialist, Northern New South Wales Local Health District and Mid North Coast Local Health DistrictCarlie McDonald: Youth Care Coordinator & Community Engagement, Headspace BegaSimone Jordan: Community Relations Team Leader, AwabakalSarah Lambert: Director Community Health and Regional Services, ACON

Hailed as heroes by many, nurses around the world are being celebrated today, May 12, for International Nursing Day.Lismore-based nurse Christina Sharman has been a nurse for 40 years and has seen the insides of a fair few hospitals.She said while nurses are being called heroes in this time of Covid-19, they actually save people’s lives every time they go to work – and that the government is not rewarding them accordingly.“Just because the virus is here, people are lauding us as angels and heroes,” Christina said.“But it’s always a life-saving job – when you are a nurse, you are not allowed to make a mistake.“It can be a stressful eight hour shift.”Underpaid heroesDespite the new hero status, Christina said nurses are not being paid accordingly.“The NSW Government put a freeze on pay rises this year, which means we won’t get our 2.5% pay rise in July,” she said.“We are not being treated like heroes – and 95% of the nursing staff is female.“Nurses and cleaners have become so important, but who gets the pay rises?“We call football stars heroes and how much do we pay them?”Risky jobChristina said the job of cleaning staff was also an underrated one, especially with Covid-19 making infections a risk.“Hospital cleaning staff do an astonishing job with their workload,” she said. “If they clean a covid room, they get a tiny compensation per shift for being exposed to covid.”Christina has seen changes over the past 40 years in how new nurses are trained. “When I trained as a student nurse at the age of 20, I learned on the job,” she said. “I didn’t need a university degree and I trained in hospital wards.”Christina lived in the nursing quarters when she was training and loved being able to move out of her family home and finally get her own room. “I had the choice to do a new college course that had just started or train in the wards, but it would have been hard trying to work to earn money to get through college as well as study,” she said. “I got a job, got paid and got to leave home.”Nurses' and doctors' responsibilityAs the years went on, and nursing changed, Christina said the profession became more technical and nurses constantly needed to upskill themselves with courses.“While doctors ultimately make the decisions, nurses are the ones doing the work,” Christina said. “Every year I have to do an annual exam to make me eligible to work in the small hospitals in the area – like Nimbin, Bonalbo and Kyogle.“We are not paid for having this extra accreditation, or for taking on the responsibility if the doctor is not there.“I can give morphine if I have to, within guidelines – and when you work in the Emergency Department as a nurse, you need to do things more quickly and find solutions to things on the spot.Quick thinking“We need to be quick thinking and our actions need to be quicker.“Sometimes you don’t even a dinner dinner break till its nearly going home time.”Despite the stresses of working in a life saving role, and work that often requires short work (including the dreaded night shifts), Christina said she likes the interesting nature of her job and thinking on her feet.“I like finishing a shift with a sense of satisfaction of having done your best.“I enjoyed having a practical job - always moving around and not sitting down all day.“It’s also good that you can make someone day good by being lovely to them.If you want to be a nurse, Christina said you should “like science, be fascinated by the human body, and hate having a social life”.“You will often miss Christmas morning or Mother’s Day, but the shift penalty rates keep the wage reasonable,” she said. Healing Hearts of NSWA Healing Hearts initiative to honour the more than 50,000 nurses and midwives in NSW hospitals, has been launched to celebrate our front line medical staff. The next time you go to any hospital, you will find blue and purple hearts, representing the colours of nursing and midwifery, popping up in the form of stickers, posters and postcards. NSW Health Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, Jacqui Cross, said “nurses and midwives are the healing hearts of our health service”.“Nurses and midwives are there 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who has not experienced care from our nurses and midwives,” Ms Cross said.Ms Cross invites hospital staff and the community to post pictures of themselves wearing the stickers on social media, using the hashtags #everyperson and #exceptionalcare.  The Healing Heart postcards provide a way to recognise and thank nurses and midwives for their unique contribution. For more information, go to NSW Health’s dedicated Nursing and Midwifery page: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/nursing/Pages/default.aspxRead more news:Need for new nurses sees online study open and courses fast trackedKaren Troy-Smith knows there's no place like hospital at home

On International Nursing Day, May 12, The Lismore App highlights the work of nursing staff, working not just in our hospitals, but in our homes too.The importance of the work of nurses in keeping us healthy and happy is not to be underestimated - as the story of Karen Troy-Smith shows.Hospital in the Home (HITH)After being diagnosed with a rare lung infection, local woman Karen Troy-Smith, thought she’d be stuck in hospital for months. Thanks to the Lismore Hospital in the Home (HITH) team, Karen, 52 is instead receiving treatment at her home just outside Lismore, with her family and home comforts close by. Karen’s diagnosis of mycobacterium, a non-tuberculosis bacterial lung infection, saw her admitted to Prince Charles Hospital, Brisbane on March 2, under the care of a specialist respiratory physician. Two weeks later, Karen was back at home, having daily check-ups by the HITH nursing team, and daily case review by her Brisbane-based doctor. “It’s brilliant,” Karen said. “To be able to be home with my family and in my garden, and I can ring HITH at any time if I’m feeling unwell.” SpecialistsHITH have coordinated Karen’s care through their small team based in Lismore, working with Lismore Base Hospital to secure the specialised testing Karen’s physician has ordered. “The respiratory specialist has been able to see me through the HITH team, with the nurses consulting with him and organising all of my tests.” With the current COVID-19 restrictions, being at home and close to family is even more important for Karen at present. “My dad, who’s 83, lives next door and if I was in hospital he wouldn’t have been able to see me at all. Still abiding by the social distancing rules, we could catch up. That’s been wonderful,” Karen said. The HITH service provides treatment and care for acute and post-acute patients outside the hospital setting, operating every day of the year. Patients can access HITH either in their home or a Residential Aged Care Facility, or by returning to Lismore Base Hospital (LBH), or a community health service for treatment. “HITH provides a comprehensive, patient centred service which includes the full involvement of the patient and carers,” Lismore Community Health Acting Nurse Unit Manager, Bronwyn Browne, said. Covid-19 responseAs part of the Covid-19 response, the HITH team are also monitoring Covid- positive and high-risk patients in their homes, with daily telehealth consultations and health screening to make sure they’re recovering well. “In the height of the pandemic we were monitoring up to 10 patients per day for Covid-19, doubling our usual patient load,” Bronwyn said.Being able to have expert medical care delivered in the comfort of their own home is one of the major benefits for patients using the HITH service.“They are able to sleep in their own beds, eat their own food and go about their everyday lives,” Bronwyn said. “As our clients often say, there’s no place like home.”Read more news:Nursing 'heroes' celebrated, but still underpaid Need for nurses sees more online study and courses fast tracked

The need for more nurses in Australia and world-wide comes as the World Health Organisation has named 2020 as the Year of the Nurse and Midwife. To quickly get more nurses into the health system, the Australian Government announced in March changes in how nursing graduates would be supported to help fast-track new graduates.The good news for anyone considering becoming a nurse, is that Southern Cross University (SCU) is now taking mid year enrollments for its Bachelor of Nursing degree.SCU School of Health and Human Sciences acting head Professor Wendy Gilleard said the degree is currently being offered online, and those studying already may be fast-tracked through the system to provide support through the Covid-19 pandemic.“Domestic student enrolments are already quite high for the mid-year intake - and final year undergraduate nursing students may have their registration fast-tracked,” she said.“The university has been in talks with local hospitals to prioritise clinical placement hours for third-year students to ensure they can meet registration requirements as soon as possible.“We are supporting these students who may experience front line Covid-19 response while on their current clinical placements and during their nursing degrees, unprecedented challenging times.“We are also in talks with the registration bodies to discuss the possibility of student nurses being supervised by teams of nurses rather than individual nurses while on placement, and also whether registered nurses working at the University may be required to join the work force to supervise students on placement – if so our team is ready to help.”To find out more about SCU’s nursing degree, visit https://www.scu.edu.au/study-at-scu/courses/bachelor-of-nursing-3007303/Read more news: Nursing 'heroes' celebrated, but still underpaid Karen Troy-Smith knows there's no place like hospital at home

A webinar for local livestock producers is ready to give options for farmers looking to regroup and rebuild their businesses on the back of recent rainfall.After a challenging time of unprecedented drought and bushfire taking its toll across the region, North Coast Local Land Services has called on one of the best minds in the business, Simon Quilty, to present the two-part webinar series Forecasting Australia’s Livestock Future.Simon will discuss global livestock markets and what this might mean for North Coast livestock producers in the first seminar, beginning tomorrow, May 13.Minister for Agriculture Adam Marshall said six months ago the forecast for the region’s agriculture sector was looking pretty grim.“But thanks to widespread rain many farmers are experiencing one of their best autumns in years and starting the monumental job of regrouping and looking to the future,” Mr Marshall said.“During the webinars, Simon will discuss global demand and supply factors including Coronavirus, African Swine Fever and competitor trade agreements, outlining how these will impact future Australian livestock prices, and importantly he will present his forecasts for the next three years.“The past three years have been a real struggle on the land, now things are starting to turn around it is vital landholders know what is happening in livestock markets both locally and abroad, and what could mean for their operation moving forward.“As primary producers start to evaluate what their options are around restocking, breeding or offering their land for adjustment we are here to help them navigate these challenging times and make appropriate decisions for their enterprises.“I encourage producers to take advantage of these free webinars. Simon is a leading expert in his field, and our local team will be hosting the webinar and are able to provide you with advice tailored to your farm.”To register for the Forecasting Australia’s Livestock Future webinars, at 7.30pm on 13 and 20 May 2020, visit http://www.lls.nsw.gov.au/regions/north-coast/events/nc-events

WANTED: Andrew MARSHALLPolice are seeking community assistance in locating 59 year old Andrew Marshall, who is currently wanted on warrant.Mr Marshall is known to frequent the Goonellabah and Lismore areas.Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Mr Marshall is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

You can feel the positive energy returning to our community. There are more smiles, business is picking up after a very tough month of April and people are actually getting out of their homes to shop and see friends.This Friday sees another step being taken in a three step plan outlined from the Prime Minister last Friday to get back to a normal life. Remember that? A normal life with no restrictions.Step 1 for NSW was confirmed to begin this Friday by Premier Gladys Berejiklian over the weekend.If you haven't caught up on what we can do from Friday, here is a table;We have written a lot of stories about cafe's and restaurants needing our help (which you have responded to magnificently) so let's look at other areas of life that is affected.Outdoor pools offers no real change as the Memorial Baths are now closed for the season and a spokesperson for council said "We will be following the State Government protocols regarding the reopening of GSAC".Weddings can now have up to 10 guests. If you were wanting to have a small, intimate wedding then this will see you pick up the phone and getting the big day organised.When you make some enquiries you end up feeling that the Wedding Industry won't really return to normal until at least Step 3 which is where you can have gatherings of 100 people.Lindy Cooke who is a Marriage Celebrant and Wedding Planner agreed, "10 guests won't make a difference, nor will 20 (Step 2) if you want the dream wedding, 100 will see people feeling more confident about making wedding plans again".Lindy did pick up two bookings out of the blue last week one for next week and the other June 25.DJ Deb who provides music for events including weddings also feels that Step 3 will be the big change for her business. "Step 1 won't benefit my business because I need the party element', Deb said.Funerals is one area that any increase in numbers will benefit those that will suffer a loss in the days and weeks ahead.Picture a scenario where there is a death and recently you can only have 10 people at the funeral including the funeral home staff. This could mean the partner, three children and two or three others so if there are two brothers or sisters with partners, someone has to miss out and watch the service via a live stream.Warwick Binney from Binney's Family Funerals said "20 people will make a big difference to a funeral. It means that the immediate family can all attend as well as the extended family and close friends".If the funeral is held outdoors then 30 people can attend making it a much better outcome for burials. An entire family will have the chance to say goodbye to their loved one.Friday is the beginning towards a normal life.We cannot take for granted what we have been through in the last 7-8 weeks, complacency will only see us back in lockdown with more restrictions if there is another outbreak of COVID-19.Let's enjoy our new freedom but continue to practice social distancing and hand cleaning practices.

The Lismore City Council has a 'rat in the house' to quote Councillor Nancy Casson and according to Councillor Neil Marks' 'Notice of Motion' for tomorrow nights Lismore City Council meeting, he wants to find out who it is and stop the leaking of confidential council documents to various public persons and the media.The Lismore App itself has received a leaked confidential document on April 21 this year. The document was from the General Manager Shelley Oldham to all councillors which outlined councils precarious financial position this year.Cnr Marks said "This motion is not to withhold information that may be pertinent to the community in regards to illegal doings. It is more about protecting the information that needs to be given to councillors that is delicate".When asked if the motion will get support from other councillors, Cnr Marks said "I have no idea, I haven't canvassed anybody. It's up to them if they want to work in a trustful environment".A call to to other councillors gives the impression that this will be a sizeable debate at tomorrow nights council meeting.Cnr Gianpiero Battista said "I support the first part of the motion but we have a cashflow budget deficit of $287,000 so the cost is uncalled for. We shouldn't be spending any money on where the leak is coming from", he said. To clarify Cnr Bautista's statement, the motion has three parts;Condemns the leaking of confidential information.Councils asks the General Manager (GM) to conduct a forensic workplace investigation.If a person is found guilty of leaking information or documents the GM is instructed to undertake all relevant action.Cnr Elly Bird said "It’s important for Council to be able to consider some items and issues confidentially. This is particularly important in matters that are ‘commercial in confidence’. Sometimes we consider contracts and financial matters that should not be in the public domain in order to protect the interests of the companies that are engaging with Council, but also it’s important that we protect Council and ratepayers interests as well.""Councillors need to be able to have frank discussions with staff and with each other on a whole range of issues. It’s not appropriate for some of these communications to find their way into the public domain. For example we may be told about a matter that relates to an individual staff member. This should never be made public because as employers we have a duty of care to protect the privacy of our employees.”"I we had money I would love to find the rat in the house", said Cnr Nancy Casson. "This a two edged sword", She added, "if you vote against the motion then you are tarred with the guilty brush".Cnr Darlene Cook said she is distressed by the amount of leaks to media and social media that are occurring."We have had correspondence from the GM that has found its way on social media within twenty minutes", Cnr Cook went on. "this behaviour is destroying trust between councillors and staff".When asked the question about funding for the motion, Cnr Cook replied "the Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee provide an internal auditor for four to five audits per year, this is allocated in the budget so it is only a matter of identifying an audit we can swap with or replace".Cnr Marks confirmed this was the case during his research of putting the motion together.It appears there is a fine line between what is public interest and what should be kept confidential until it is ready for publication. For councillors to receive all the relevant information to make decisions in the best interests of the community there needs to be trust that councillors and staff will all adhere to the requests for confidentiality.Obviously that is not the case right now.You can view and hear the next Lismore City Council meeting tomorrow night (Tuesday) at 6pm from the council website (https://www.lismore.nsw.gov.au/cp_themes/default/page.asp?p=DOC-DVR-70-64-45).

Following all the doom and gloom that coronavirus has caused us as a community in the past 7-8 weeks, we can report some good news today.Mothers Day provided a shot in the arm to some retailers in the CBD as people flocked to spoil mum after weeks in lockdown.Flowers, mugs, tea pots, slippers, earrings and glass animals were the popular items that you bought for mum either directly or indirectly through your children.Lismore Florist and the Enchanted Florist both had record days with Jenny Jones saying "it was a very, very busy Mothers Day. We sold out and had to stop taking orders for the first time ever".Jenny also said "we weren't sure if we were going to keep our doors open at the start of the pandemic and now this".Jolene Ward from the Enchanted Florist agreed with Jenny that it was their busiest day ever too and said they were still working hard this morning on back orders for Mothers Day.Kitchen items was the consistent theme at Shoppe One 17 in Keen Street. "mugs, tea-pots and anything in the kitchen was what people were buying mum", said Janice Palmer, owner of Shoppe One 17.For Shoes On magellan it was slippers, slippers and more slippers as people bought mum something warm for the cold nights ahead. "Melinda Turner said "it was quite good last week, a lot of people were out looking at ways to treat mum. It was better than I expected".While the big ticket jewellery items aren't being purchased for Mothers Day there was some smaller items finding their way into some local homes on Sunday the Jewel Centre on Molesworth Street selling earrings, rings and glass animals.There were many happy mothers in Lismore on Sunday plus it was good to hear that business owners are in a positive mood on a Monday. With the restrictions easing to Step 1 on Friday which includes 10 people at cafe's and restaurants, hopefully there is more good news on the way.

The much talked about 'Black Spot' on the Bruxner Highway is in Lismore MPJanelle Saffin's sights as she lobbies the NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole to find a solution that will save lives.The two notorious intersections include the Alphadale Road intersection and the Cowlong Road intersection further north. The stretch of road has a terrible history with 36 accidents and five fatalities since 2000. Ms Saffin said "it instills fear in the traveling public including myself".Ms Saffin is lobbying the NSW Government to invest the underspent Restart NSW funding into a major realignment of the Bruxner Highway between Goonellabah and Wollongbar hill to bypass these intersections. This week Ms Saffin wrote to NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole, calling for Transport for NSW to expedite the new alignment, which has languished on the drawing board despite partial resumption of a land corridor to enable it.“The Bruxner caters for about 15,000 vehicles a day, reflecting strong population growth over recent decades, but this stretch of highway is no longer fit for purpose and it is endangering lives. “I see this as a legacy issue which demands bold action rather than tinkering around the edges with band-aid treatments such as more safety signs, an acceleration lane for eastbound traffic, or a roundabout, for which Lismore City Council has made three unsuccessful funding nominations in the past three years. “Retired Lismore Base Hospital Chief Radiographer Denys Wynn, recently approached me and told me he was sick of the loss of human life on this stretch of highway, including the Richmond Hill turnoff to where he lives. “Denys says he spent too much of his 36-career taking x-rays of badly injured crash victims, and like me, he favours the more strategic approach of a major highway realignment which would bypass this black spot altogether. “This approach also has the backing of the chairman of Lismore City Council’s Traffic Advisory Committee, Cr Bill Moorhouse, a civil engineer with 45 years’ experience.” Ms Saffin said that while a realignment would require political will and major funding, it was a perfect fit for the NSW Government’s Restart NSW Fund, established in 2011 to fund high-priority infrastructure projects. “Thirty per cent of Restart NSW funding was meant to be targeted in regional and rural areas, and that target has never been met in any year since its inception. There is an underspend of $1.75 billion,” Ms Saffin said. The new alignment would run from Oliver Avenue-Ballina Road roundabout (Pineapple Road area), swing south of the Richmond Hill turnoff and north of Macadamia Processing Company Limited’s plant and the Alphadale crossroads (Lindendale geographically) towards the approaches to Wollongbar hill. It probably would require a local overpass to be built on Cowlong Road, just north of the processing plant. The bypassed section of the former highway would become a local road. In the meantime, Ms Saffin has suggested that Transport for NSW should be investigating options to reduce traffic speed in this section from 80kmh to 60kmh as an interim safety measure. Ms Saffin said she stood ready to work with Minister Toole, his Parliamentary Secretary and State Member for Clarence Chris Gulaptis, Transport for NSW and Lismore City Council to make the Bruxner Highway safer for generations to come. She has also asked that Transport for NSW include two other sections of the highway as part of a current major review of the Bruxner’s safety between Lismore and Ballina: ·         Straightening of the highway within an existing road reserve to eliminate a dangerous bend near Sunrise Crescent, west of the Goonellabah Media Centre – the scene of several truck rollovers which have nearly ended up in local residents’ yards. Linked to this is the equally pressing need to build a pedestrian walkway-cycleway on the western side of the highway from Sunrise Crescent to the Kadina roundabout, which serves as the entrance to The Rivers Secondary College’s Kadina High campus. ·         Finding an engineering solution to reducing worsening traffic congestion on the roundabouts either side of the Ballina Street Bridge, at the gateway to Lismore’s CBD, which is particularly heavy approaching the South Lismore roundabout during peak times. 

If you intend to drive on Bangalow Road next week, be prepared for some delays.Traffic NSW advises motorists of changed traffic conditions from Monday on Lismore Bangalow Road at Nashua for maintenance work to be carried out at Wilsons Creek Bridge. Work will be carried out at the bridge, about seven kilometres southwest of Bangalow, between 6.30am and 6pm from Monday, May 11, for up to five weeks, weather permitting. Some lane closures will be in place with minor delays of up to five minutes expected. Traffic control and a reduced speed limit will be in place for the safety of workers and motorists. Motorists are advised to drive to the conditions, and follow the directions of signs and traffic control. Transport for NSW thanks motorists for their patience during this time. For the latest traffic updates download the Live Traffic NSW App, visit livetraffic.com or call 132 701.

Happy Mother's Day to all mums in Lismore and surrounds.Make the most of this perfect autumn weather today because another change is about to come through this afternoon or evening.Gabrielle Woodhouse from the Bureau of Meteorology says that winds will turn west to southwest pretty quickly notifying the change is here.The result will be a significant drop in temperatures from our recent balmy 25 degrees down to 20. We will feel the minimums drop too with some 9 or 10 degree mornings on the way.The down side is that the change will not bring any significant rainfall with it. The coast will get the best of it again while the best we can hope for is a coupe of millimetres.It will be a cooler week ahead with temperatures rising to 22-23 degrees and some very patchy showers at best.

It’s not just Lismore App reader Ellen Kronen who’s been making soup as the autumn weather grows cooler - it seems soup making ingredients are the newest growth sales items at our supermarkets. Read Ellen’s recipe: Winter warmer soupAs The Lismore App’s search for recipes from the local community continues, Woolworths reported today that dried soup mix packets sales have “exploded” and are up by up 200% as people make more warming soup at home.Adventurous cookingThe supermarket chain also reported that people are becoming healthier and more adventurous in their cooking, with ingredients such as cardamom, saffron and dried sesame seeds doubling in sales. “Roasted peppers are up 65%, Asian and hot chilli sauces are both up 40% and capers are up 35%,” Woolworths reported.“Vitamin sales, plus ground ginger and turmeric sales are up 120% and sauerkraut sales are up 76%. However, it reported that "sales of cough and cold products are much lower this year compared to last year”.Buying limits liftedIn happy news, the supermarket chain also reported that with the panic buying now easing, product buying limits have been lifted on cleaners, eggs, dried noodles, pasta sauce, rice and sugar.No surprises that toilet paper still has a purchase limit (and if you haven’t yet taken a strange selfie at the toilet paper isle when it’s full of product – there’s still time!)Only six items still have product limits attached to them: hand sanitiser and toilet paper still have a limit of four; while antibacterial wipes, disinfectants, flour and handwash have a limit of two.Winter warmer soup recipeThe Lismore App reader Ellen Kronen sent in her winter warmer soup recipe and invites you to try making it at home."With the weather getting cooler (and having time to cook) I've been making lots of pumpkin soup - the ultimate comfort food," Ellen said."This recipe I think came from a Women's Weekly cookbook about 20 years ago but it's morphed quite a bit since then!"It's pretty free-form and really easy to cook."Read the recipe in the Coronavirus > Recipes section of The Lismore App: Winter warmer soupSend in your recipes to The Lismore AppIf you have a recipe you'd like to share with your community, email it to liina@lismoreapp.com.auPlease include ingredients, method and why you like to make it, or where it came from and a picture of it if you have one.

A very Happy Mothers Day to all Lismore App readers for this Sunday. It will be one of the strangest with the one family limitations on visiting another home so instead of one large family gathering some mums will be getting two or three visits on Sunday making it a busy day.To be purely selfish for a moment, a Happy Mothers Day to my amazing wife who is a brilliant mother to our daughter and her three step-daughters. She has made our isolation home a harmonious place to live filled with love. Now to deliver the presents on Sunday!If you have purchased Mothers Day gifts, I hope you shopped locally. If you are still to do the shopping (yes, you will see me out tomorrow morning with my daughter) then, again, SHOP LOCAL. Our businesses need our help as life gets slowly back to normal.You will find some last minute gifts at the Lismore Farmers Markets and Blue Knob Community Markets tomorrow from 8am and 8:30am respectively. As well as the fresh fruit and vegetable produce on offer there is also seedlings for winter veggies, fire pits for the cold nights ahead or a lantern for the Virtual Lantern Parade coming up on Saturday June 20.Weather wise, pretty perfect autumn days are ahead until Sunday late afternoon or evening so soak it up. Temperatures of 25 glorious degrees after minimums around 12.A reminder that school is back to some sort of face to face teaching on Monday so be vigilant of the 40k school zones. This does vary from school to school as we wrote yesterday What does face to face teaching look like from Monday?.As is usual for the Weekend Wrap, let's end with some coronavirus jokes.If you see any more jokes during the week, send them through simon@lismoreapp.com.au.

Emergency services were called to the scene of a car rollover at McKees Hill this morning, on the Bruxner Highway between Lismore and Casino.Richmond Police District Inspector David Vandergriend said police and ambulance services responded to the scene of the incident with initial suspicions that people were trapped in the car - but he confirmed no one was injured.Live Traffic NSW reported the crash happened before 8am and traffic was affected in both directions, but has now been cleared. Read more news: Cross border police chase ends in Lismore arrest

From this coming Monday, May 11, schools around NSW are encouraged to return to some sort of face to face teaching. This is moving from Phase 0 to Phase 1 in the State Governments back to school model.The NSW Government has outlined a 5 Phase approach to get back to normal pre-coronavirus school days. Those five phases are;Phase 0. Where we currently are, schools are open for families who need itPhase 1. Students at school at least one day per week.Phase 2. Students at school at least two days per week.Phase 3. Students at school five days per week, with social distancing measuresPhase 4. Students at school five days per week, with full school activitiesGiven the suggested model by the State Government the Lismore App wanted to see what that looks like for a range of different schools in our community.Lismore Public has said that students will return one day a week for Weeks 3 , 4 and 5. Their days will coincide with their sports house colours;Monday Bing-ingTuesday JullumWednesday GurramanThursday NgumahlFriday: children of essential workersLismore Heights Public School will stage their return over four days with classes split into small 8-9 person groups. As an example some Kindergarten students will return on Tuesday and some Year 3 students on Wednesday.Nimbin Central School is inviting their Stage 6 students (Year 11 & 12) to attend 5 days a week from Monday. Principal Kath Marshall said the rest of the stages for face to face learning is being staggered for 1 day a week;Monday Kindergarten 1Tuesday Class 1 & 2 and Year 10Wednesday Class 3 & 4 and Year 9Thursday Class 4, 5 & 6 and Year 8Friday Year 7Caniaba Public School is a different approach to staggered learning with all students returning to School this Monday May 11 for one day. Week 4 will see all students return two days per week (Monday May 18 and Tuesday May 19), Week 5 will be three days for that week, Week 6 four days and by Tuesday June 9 all students returning to face to face learning five days a week.Lismore High, Richmond River and Kadina High Schools are linked so have the same plan from Monday. Executive Principal Ian Davies said that Year 12 students will be returning for face to face teaching Monday through 3 one and half hour sessions over four days, this will be combined with the existing on-line learning. Year 11 will also be returning Monday but will have 2 one and half hour sessions. While Years 7-10 will return for one day a week from Monday with the days varying week to week. Classroom sizes will be restricted to 10 students.Weeks 5 onward are yet to be decided.While the plan suggested by the State Government is for public schools operated by the NSW Department of Education the Catholic and Independent Schools in NSW are required to formulate their own plans.Trinity Catholic College sees Years 7 and 12 return to face to face teaching from Monday with Year 11 one day a week in weeks 3 & 4 and Years 8, 9 and 10 continuing with their blended on-line learning in Weeks 3 & 4 then one day a week face to face teaching from Week 5. The goal for students at Trinity is to return to full time face to face classes by Tuesday June 9.St John's College Woodlawn has taken a different approach with all year 12 students returning this Monday, Year 7 and 11 the following Monday (Week 4) with the rest of the school starting face to face classes on Monday May 25 (Week 4).As you can see the face to face learning timetable varies from school to school.Whatever the plan, we can all hope for Phase 4 to be reached as soon as possible because that will mean life is back to normal and the coronavirus pandemic is all but over.

If you have livestock, now (Autumn) is the most important time of year to treat animals for liver fluke.North Coast Local Land Services District Veterinarian Jocelyn Todd said liver fluke (Fasciola hepatica) is a widespread parasite of the North Coast Region, particularly in high rainfall, swampy or poorly drained areas.“The disease can lead to poor growth rates, reduced milk production and even death in susceptible animals such as sheep, goats, camelids and cattle,” she said.“It also has an economic cost to the meat industry due to condemned livers.”Damage may be caused by the immature stages of the fluke migrating through the animal's liver.These immatures develop into adults that suck blood from the lining of the bile ducts, causing significant blood loss and liver damage in heavy infestations. Death usually occurs due to blood loss from haemorrhage within the liver.Clinical signs indicating animals have Liver Fluke include: bottle jaw (swelling of the tissues below the jaw); weight loss or failure to gain weight; jaundice (yellowing of mucous membranes such as gums, eyelid conjunctiva and vagina; anaemia (loss of red blood cells characterised by the paleness of mucous membranes as above).“The good news is that there are several effective flukicides that target different stages of liver fluke infestation” Jocelyn Todd. “Now is the time to eliminate infestations picked up during summer and spring.“All classes of stock should be drenched for liver fluke with an effective product, containing Triclabendazole or Nitroxynil, to target both immature and adult fluke.“Products vary in their suitability for different species and classes, and have variable withhold periods, so be sure to read the label before treating.“There is some resistance forming to Triclabendazole, if you use a product with this ingredient and don't see symptoms improve, consider further testing to assess its effectiveness.”Many tests for liver fluke infestation are available.Other control options for liver fluke includes:•    fencing to exclude some or all livestock from swampy areas•    quarantine and drench all animals that come from a liver fluke area•    grazing management of swampy areas only by less-susceptible stock (adult cattle)For more information on identifying and controlling liver fluke on your property, please contact your North Coast Local Land Services District Veterinarian on 1300 795 299 or your local vet.

In a turn for the unusual, the numbers of coronavirus cases dropped in our local health district.The news comes on the same day as the NSW Premier announced visiting restrictions in NSW will not be eased in time for Mother’s Day. Read more: No easing of restrictions in time for Mother's DayThe Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD) reported that there are now 55 (not 56) confirmed cases of Covid-19 in local residents. The reason given in the reduction of one case was that the case was excluded after further testing. It has now been three weeks since the last recorded case. Of these 55 cases, 46 are now recovered. One Covid-19 patient is being cared for in hospital, none in ICU.By source of infection, 52 acquired it from overseas or interstate, 2 from a confirmed case or in a known cluster and 1 was not identified. More information and statistics for Local Government Areas can be found at https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/diseases/Pages/covid-19-lga.aspxThere are also expanded hours for Byron Central Hospital fever clinic, due to high demand for testing. Opening hours are 9am to 5pm daily. There is no need to make an appointment. Anyone with flu-like symptoms, however mild, is encouraged to get tested for Covid- 19. Other hospital-based testing clinics are located at Lismore Base Hospital, The Tweed Hospital, and Grafton Base Hospital.