Toowoomba News

• Bruce Lehrmann rape case back in court as lawyers tangle over brief

  Rape charges against the former Liberal Party staffer have returned to a Toowoomba court, with a judge growing impatient at arguments between the legal teams. 

• Queensland government delays new hospital beds amid $7b budget blowout

  The review into the Queensland hospital expansion program reveals that the delivery of hundreds of public hospital beds will have to go back to the drawing board.

• Fireball that lit up night sky likely a meteor, says astrophysicist

  A bright green ball of fire that caused a sonic boom and lit up the night sky from southern Queensland to New South Wales overnight was most likely a meteor, says an astrophysicist.

• Big-hearted 12-year-old with 'cheeky grin' mourned after e-scooter crash

  A Queensland high school student killed in a e-scooter crash on Easter Saturday is being remembered as a caring young girl whose smile would light up a room.

• Australian farmers open 'next frontier' in robot technology

  A desire to spend more time with family has driven Queensland farmers Andrew and Jocie Bate to develop robots capable of operating day and night.

• Queensland set for 'lovely' camping weather for Easter

  Queenslanders can expect dry and sunny conditions across most of the state for the Easter long weekend. 

• Tourism plea as Queensland's rain creates 'brilliant' outback landscapes

  Outback Queensland tourism providers are desperate for visitors to return to the region, after record-breaking floods impacted some — but not all — communities.

• Bees on the move as varroa mite biosecurity rules are eased

  Stopping thousands of bees from starving during drought will be easier for commercial beekeepers, as Biosecurity Queensland relaxes varroa mite rules around moving hives.

• Alleged murder victim Louise Hunt remembered as 'exceptional human being'

  The death of the mother-of-two Louise Hunt has shocked the southern Queensland community of Toowoomba.

• Man allegedly staged wife's murder as lawnmower accident, court hears

  A Lockyer Valley man accused of killing his wife in a "murderous rage" allegedly staged the crime scene and sent text messages to himself to make it look like an accident, a court has heard.

• 'Frustrated' voters demand 'bold and brave' politicians with a vision

  Voters tell ABC's Your Say campaign they want courage and vision from politicians, not bickering.

• Bonza boss speaks for first time since collapse as ASIC probe ends

  Tim Jordan welcomes ASIC's decision not to take action against Bonza's directors, but laments the impact the failure of the enterprise has had on customers and staff.

• Six teals fight against history, safe seats to change Qld politics

  Deep in Queensland's blue-blood heartland, six female independent candidates aim to dismantle decades of an LNP stranglehold on power.

• Matthew Denny creates Australian discus history with record-breaking throw

  Olympic bronze medallist Matthew Denny has unleashed a historic throw in Oklahoma to join the most exclusive club in discus and shatter his own national record.

• Missing mother confirmed dead after human remains discovered

  Forensic testing has confirmed that human remains found in south-west Queensland belonged to missing mother Tayla Spies. 

• Police find human remains close to Tayla Spies's car

  Police have discovered unidentified remains near where missing Queensland woman Tayla Spies's vehicle was found on Thursday. 

• Fire ant fears not holding up flooded farmers' hay relief, charity says

  A charity tasked with supplying hay to flood-affected graziers says fears fodder drops are being held up by biosecurity concerns over red fire ants are unfounded.

• Don't shoot, flood-zone mayor begs trigger-happy camera vandals

  A Queensland shire bracing for rising rivers has lost almost a quarter of its important flood-monitoring cameras, thanks, the mayor suspects, to shooters who wrongly believe police are recording them. 

• Treated effluent water to grow crops, saving rivers and oceans

  An irrigation scheme will divert nutrient-rich, treated effluent water to crops instead of into sensitive waterways after a $120 million project secured final approval in south-east Queensland.

• 'Bloody devastating': Graziers left speechless by outback flooding

  Ferocious floodwaters in outback Queensland have not only taken homes, but entire livelihoods.

• Brisbane land valuations up 17pc, with regional increases as high as 247pc

  Brisbane City Council's re-evaluation included almost 351,000 properties with a total value of $346.2 billion, an increase of 17 per cent.

• Choppers evacuate dozens as flooding threatens a third of Qld

  Outback Queenslanders are being flown to safety by local pilots in a growing flood emergency now threatening a third of the state.

• South-east Queenslanders told to prepare for heavy rain after cyclone

  Just weeks after ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred struck south-east Queensland, residents can expect heavy rainfall moving into the weekend. Sandbagging stations are open in the Gold Coast as the region prepares for more downpours. 

• 'Short-sighted' fire ant treatment approach ditched as pest spreads

  The state government announces extra funding to help to tackle invasive fire ants, as the pests continue to take a toll on people, livestock and farmers' bottom lines.

• Outback rain a 'cocky's dream' but a nightmare for flood-hit Queensland

  After a hot, dry summer residents in outback Queensland are celebrating the weekend's rainfall. But on the north coast, more rain could prove to be disastrous.