Whanganui news in brief: Fashion show; dairy robbery; school band's success; tartan is tops

Police are investigating at the SUPER Clearance store. PHOTO / STUART MUNRO

Kirkin of the tartan

There's a special service at the historic St Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Turakina On Sunday at 2pm - The Kirkin 'o' The Tartan, taken by the Reverend John Peill. All welcome to join in this celebration of Scottish culture.

Fashion on show

Clothing and accessories from five Whanganui fashion houses will be on show at Whanganui Girls' College Hall on Wednesday. The Zonta Fashion Parade will include items from Noire, Footloose, Silvesters, Andersons and Eyes on Victoria. The evening will include drinks, nibbles, raffles and spot prizes.

Aggravated robbery

Two men stole cigarettes and cash from the SUPER Clearance store on Alma Road in Whanganui about 8.30pm on Thursday. One of the men carried a metal bar into the store and struck the shopkeeper on the shoulder in the aggravated robbery. T
he shopkeeper suffered a minor injury and police inquiries into the incident are ongoing. Director of SUPER Clearance Kuljinder Singh declined to comment.

8 Melodies' success

Rutherford Junior High band 8 Melodies won third place in the national finals of Bandquest. The band won the regional final in Hawkes Bay last month and entered their original song If You online for the national final.

Tropical cyclone season

Niwa forecasters say the southwest Pacific is likely to have seven to 11 tropical cyclones in the season from November to April. New Zealand is likely to get three or four of those, with heavy rain, wind and coastal damage.

Road extension hitch

South Taranaki District Council is working through the process of acquiring the land needed to extend Nukumaru Station Rd to the Waiinu Beach settlement.
The road has been designated, after an Environment Court hearing, but one landowner is reluctant to part with 2.9ha that is needed.
The council may have to go through the 18 month process of acquiring it under the Public Works Act. Once land is acquired the council will ask for tenders.
If all goes well work could begin this summer, the council's project manager Kobus van der Merwe said.

Climate change goal

People have to stop burning coal, plant more forests, eat less meat and fly less to stop runaway global warmingsays the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to the UN. To limit temperature rise to 1.5C-2C, the world must drop greenhouse gas emissions to 49 per cent of the 2017 total by 2030, and be carbon neutral by 2050.