Latest news with #Parkes
NZ Herald
6 days ago
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Derby day: Milestones to be brought up as East Coast take on Poverty Bay in Ruatōria
Ngāti Porou East Coast stalwart Sam Parkes doing what he does best in a 2023 Heartland Championship game against North Otago. Parkes will rack up his 100th first-class game in the King's Birthday derby against Poverty Bay. He has played 80 games for the Coast and 19 for the Bay. Photo / Paul Rickard Ngāti Porou East Coast Kaupoi won't lack for motivation in the 178th clash between the Coast and Poverty Bay Weka in their annual King's Birthday weekend derby at Ruatōria tomorrow. They will be doing it for two of their own - halfback Sam Parkes, who will be playing his 100th
News.com.au
17-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Parkes preview, best bets, inside mail for Sunday, May 18, 2025
Jockey Kody Nestor was successful on the Parkes Cup from a wide barrier two years ago and he hopes history can repeat when he partners Lockdown Gamble in this year's edition. In 2023, Nestor partnered the Mack Griffith-trained up and comer Osman to a three length win from barrier 10 – the outside gate. Nestor and Lockdown Gamble have the outside gate in this year's Parkes Cup (1600m) - barrier 14 of 14 – but will jump from barrier 12 under his big weight of 63kg. 'I haven't ridden him in a race before but I have seen plenty of him,' said Nestor. 'Obviously, he has to lump it again and he has drawn wide but he is the proven galloper in the field. 'He's won a Wellington Cup which is a Big Dance Qualifier. The Parkes Cup which is more of a second tier country cup. LOCKDOWN GAMBLE wins the Wellington Cup! Consolation from the Country Championships for @DJSRacing6 as Lockdown Gamble survives a protest from Danish Prince to win the @WellingtonRaces Cup and earn Big Dance ðŸ'ƒ eligibility. Sizzle Minizzle ran a close third. @tabcomau â€' Racing NSW (@racing_nsw) April 14, 2024 The Form: Complete NSW Racing thoroughbred form, including video replays and all you need to know about every horse, jockey and trainer. Find a winner here! 'He looks the one to beat on paper, no doubt.' The David Smith -trained gelding heads into the race in terrific form. He resumed this campaign with third to Osman in the Mudgee Cup on February 23 and his next run at Mudgee last Sunday when he won the Benchmark 82 over 1400m with 63kg. 'It was a good, tough win the other day with a big weight,' Nestor said. 'He's got a couple of things against him – his big weight and wide barrier- but he has the class to overcome them. 'His greatest attributes are his last 100m to a furlong along with his toughness and consistency.' Nestor was pleased with the first-up run of Kora Magic at Dubbo two weeks ago and partners the mare again when she contests the Benchmark 58 Handicap (1000m). The Mark Jones -trained mare led from barrier 11 and was only caught in the last 20m to finish third behind Cumnock and Twilight Rock. 'She was just beaten the other day first-up without a barrier trial. I thought she was really game,' he said. 'She had a good blow coming back in so she is going to improve off that run. 'We have drawn wide again but she has the early pace to offset the gate. I expect her to lead easily and with the circumference of Parkes, it will be a lot easier on her than Dubbo. The Mark Jones trained Kora Magic gives Ronald Simpson an early race to race double! â€' SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 5, 2023 'Dubbo is a very open track and you are exposed a long way from home whereas at Parkes, you can skip off the corner and it's not the longest run home. 'She will be thereabouts in the finish again.' Nestor and Queanbeyan trainer Nick Olive have enjoyed a couple of winners together in recent months including Just Go Bang in the Gilgandra Cup and combine with two good chances this weekend. Sooboogeliscious has been just behind the placegetters in two runs back from a spell and looks ready to peak in the Benchmark 58 Handicap (1300m). 'It's a nice competitive race and he is one of the chances,' Nestor said. 'It was a nice run last start and he looks ready to peak third-up. 'He should get a lovely run without doing any work from the inside gate. We just have to pick and choose our runs at the right time.' Midnight Affair will appreciate a drop in grade when she returns to country racing in the Class 2 Handicap (1600m). 'She has been competitive in Highways and better class races than what she is going around in this weekend,' he said. 'We just need an ounce of luck from the barrier. 'Egyptologist is the one to beat but he first-up over the mile. 'I'm just hoping the fitness edge we have can make the difference.' ADAM SHERRY'S TOP SELECTIONS BEST BET Race 5 No. 10: COUGARS Will take improvement his first-up fifth. Soft track suits. NEXT BEST Race 6 No. 1: LOVE SHUCK Was good late in the Wagga Town Plate. This is easier. VALUE BET Race 8 No. 4: SOOBOOGELISCIOUS Just behind the placegetters in both runs back and ready to peak. QUADDIE Race 5: 4, 9, 10 Race 6: 1, 8, 10 Race 7: 1, 5, 7, 9 Race 8: 1, 4, 13 JOCKEY TO FOLLOW Kody Nestor has a nice book of rides and looks a good chance in the TAB Jockey Challenge. INSIDE MAIL – PARKES SPRING PROSPECT (8) lost the rider pre-race then raced keenly when fifth on debut at Mudgee in December. Has been very good in both trials this time back. Was kept under a hold to beat Egyptologist in his May 4 Dubbo heat. AMORUSO (6) is a debutant by Santos. Led by a big margin and kept on the bridle to win her Apr 1 Tamworth trial by nearly four lengths. CERONS (1) was just behind the placegetters in two recent Queensland runs. Was second in the Maribyrnong Trial on debut. BILLABONG ROSE (8) resumes without a trial. Was momentarily held up on straightening when second to Bondi Prophet at Muswellbrook first-up last campaign. TURNING CIRCLE (13) was a handy third to Oakfield Saturn first-up then raced wide when down the order at Kembla. She didn't handle the Heavy 10 when fourth as favourite at Wyong last start. SWEET KICK (12) was a two length fourth at Sale on debut on Sept 11. Changed stables and well beaten first-up before an improved run when fourth at Dubbo on May 4. MIDNIGHT AFFAIR (2) drops back in grade after running in TAB Highways at her past two starts, the latest a fourth to Canadian Ruler at Hawkesbury's stand-alone meeting. Had a win and two close seconds at her previous three runs in the country. EGYPTOLOGIST (1) was good last preparation when a first-up second at Dubbo before back-to-back wins at Mudgee and Dubbo. Given a shake up when second to Spring Prospect in his May 4 Dubbo trial. NAVAL OFFICER (4) made ground when fourth to Zoomorphic at Dubbo before winning at Wellington. KORA MAGIC (8) led from a wide gate and just run down late when third to Cumnock when resuming at Dubbo. Went in without a trial and will be better for the run. SHERIDAN STREET (6) led all-the-way for a debut win at Gundagai on Apr 6. Began awkwardly and over-raced when always well back at Wagga last start. Can bounce back. THE MOOCH (11) was a close second to All Astern at Queanbeyan last start. Gets a nice run from the draw. COUGARS (10) sat outside the leaders before racing away to a big maiden win at the Sapphire Coast to end last campaign. Copped a decent bumped at the start before working forward to be outside the leader and just faded late when resuming with a fifth to Miss Emma at Wagga on May 2. MICRO MIKKI (4) made his NSW debut with a nose win at Narromine before a good win from Joy Of The World at Wellington both over 1100m. LADY ISHIKAWA (9) resumes for a new stable. Scored back-to-back wins at Newcastle last campaign. LOVE SHUCK (1) hasn't had a lot of luck this campaign. Held up on the bend when second to Fangela at Canberra first-up. Again held up until passing the 200 when third to I Am Lethal in the Town Plate Prelude at Wagga and knuckled on jumping when sixth to Compelling Truth in the Wagga Town Plate. KEIKOKU (10) was help up until near the 70m when seventh to So You Pence at Wagga last start. Should have finished much closer. STARROS (8) tackled a Randwick Highway last start. Nice Hawkesbury win and made ground at Canterbury when seventh to Yiska. LOCKDOWN GAMBLE (1) is backing up from a solid first-up win under 63kg over Stratified at Mudgee last weekend. Has the same big weight again but is the class runner of the field. Did win the Wellington Cup last year. LOOSE LOVE (7) won over 1400m here to start his current campaign. Ran on nicely to finish a nose third behind Dark Vador at Wagga last start. ROUGE MOULIN (9) raced in the Highway at Scone yesterday. SIZZLE MINIZZLE (5) is back from a Queensland campaign. Just behind the placegetters at Eagle Farm his last two. SOOBOOGELISCIOUS (4) sat outside the leader and battled away for fifth at Queanbeyan when resuming before a half-length fourth to Capital Heart at the Sapphire Coast. Ready to peak third-up and gets an ideal run from the inside gate. RAYMOND'S REWARD (1) is shooting for a hat-trick after a handy win at Armidale followed by an al-the-way win at Gunnedah. MISS CAPRICORN (13) was badly crowded on jumping and settled a long way back when seventh to Zoomorphic at Dubbo last start. Nice win there the start before.
ABC News
14-05-2025
- General
- ABC News
Parkes residents oppose plans for $1.5b waste incinerator over health concerns
Jeromie Fitzpatrick never thought he would leave his farm in the New South Wales central west. But the proposed construction of a $1.5 billion waste-to-energy incinerator on the outskirts of Parkes has him, and many in the community, reconsidering. "It is raising some serious questions as to my future, my family's future," Mr Fitzpatrick said. The Parkes Energy Recovery facility would have the capacity to turn 600,000 tonnes of waste into energy each year with the ability to power 80,000 homes. The vast majority of rubbish, which is non-recyclable, would be transferred from Sydney to Parkes via train. It has prompted thousands of locals to join a campaign demanding to know why waste from the city should be transported more than 350 kilometres to the rural community. A similar facility was proposed for Eastern Creek in Sydney in 2018, however, the Independent Planning Commission knocked back the proposal due to health concerns. In 2022, the NSW government passed legislation banning waste-to-energy facilities in all bar four locations across the state, with Parkes, Lithgow, Goulburn and Richmond the only exemptions. Ben Stead has launched a community group, the Parkes Clean Future Alliance, with a petition in opposition to the project gathering thousands of signatures. "How is it safe here but not everywhere else?" Mr Stead said. Mr Stead said concerns over the impact of the incinerator had forced him to rethink his plans to build a house near the site of the proposed incinerator. The facility would see 60 train loads of rubbish from Sydney per day transferred to the proposed facility at the Parkes Special Activation precinct, which is owned by the state government and located 3km out of town. Mr Fitzpatrick's farm is less than 10km from the site. He said if the technology "is so safe" then the facility should be built in the city. "If it is not good enough in Sydney and Eastern Creek because it is too dangerous for the community … then it is too dangerous here." The director of the Parkes Energy Recovery project Edward Nicholas said the state government chose the location for the incinerator, but they "would be happy" to build it in Sydney if required. "The same technology to keep it safe in residential Sydney is the same technology that we will be using to keep it safe for people, land, water and livestock in Parkes." The facility uses thermal technology to burn the waste, generating steam, which drives turbines to generate electricity. The emissions from the burnt waste are filtered before being released into the air. There are more than 2,000 large-scale waste-to-energy facilities across the world, including one operational in Western Australia and another under construction. There are proposals for more than half a dozen of the incinerators to be built across Victoria, NSW and Queensland. Mr Nicholas said the facility would use "safe, proven, reliable technology" and NSW had among the strictest guidelines in the world. "The NSW Environment Protection Authority and Department of Planning have put in place a regime that is as strict as anywhere else in the world," he said. "These are facilities that are in some places like downtown Copenhagen … as close as 200 metres from residents. "The fact that it is safe in that sort of environment should give people comfort." The technology proposed for the Parkes Energy Recovery plant is the same as the two sites in Western Australia. Mr Nicholas said real-time "emission monitoring" data would be included as part of the project and publicly available for residents to view. Peter Tait is a member of the Public Health Association of Australia and was a clinical senior lecturer in population health at the Australian National University medical school. He is also the author of a study that assessed reports linking older waste incinerators with a range of adverse health effects, such as cancer clusters and birth defects. Dr Tait said while the technology posed a low risk to human health, there was "not no risk". "Old incinerators were quite toxin-producing so there is evidence of raised health outcomes including asthma, some cancers and some congenital abnormalities," he said. "There are lots of toxic products produced, mostly dioxins as well as heavy metals." Dr Tait said incinerators built in the past decade were "assumed" to be much safer due to technological developments and higher standards. The Parkes Shire Council is yet to form a position on the proposal, but Mayor Neil Westcott said avoiding any threat to human health was "non-negotiable". The project will be assessed by the NSW Department of Planning.
NZ Herald
09-05-2025
- NZ Herald
End-to-end encryption complicates child-abuse content detection
'People will find it quite shocking to see how much child exploitation can be facilitated by those platforms,' she said. Currently, when the content is shared through online groups, it can be flagged by protection systems and subsequently investigated by police, the DIA and the international networks they work with. Parkes said that, with encryption in place, reporting would rely on those within the communication groups to pass it on to police. 'It's predicted that a huge number of those reports will dry up. The exploitation will still be there, but it won't be picked up the way it currently is.' The DIA has a Digital Child Exploitation Filtering System in place to block access to websites known to host illegal child sexual abuse material, even when those sites are using end-to-end encryption. The system led to 60 search warrants and the seizure of 235 devices last year. 'Investigators are encountering offenders who have amassed increasingly large volumes of illegal material where harm within those files is increasingly severe,' the DIA said. Parkes said encryption was being rolled out as people were increasingly worried about online privacy, but the DIA figures showed child abuse material was far more common than many people realised. 'This shows how highly vulnerable young people are to being sexually exploited online, and usually through behaviours that are really very normal ways of engaging online these days for young people. '[This is] a really huge problem, one we can't keep pretending doesn't affect us and our young people here in New Zealand.'
Irish Independent
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Galway coastal communities announce further protests after safety measures for Connemara road stall
Groups in Barna, Furbo, Spiddal and Inverin will be staging walking protests from 8am on Monday, May 12 as part of a further stand against a lack of safety measures on the R336, which stretches from Leenaun to Galway city. An initial round of coordinated protests took place in each of the villages on April 2, with over 800 in attendance across the four areas to draw attention to the lack of crucial infrastructure on the roads, which the group says is putting lives at risk every day. The communities are renewing calls for reduced speed limits and traffic calming, continuous widened footpaths and cycle lanes, as well as new pedestrian crossings and school safety zones to allow the safe passage of all locals when crossing the roads, particularly outside of schools. The group says that the initial protests have proved successful in garnering support from local councillors and TDs, with the follow-up demonstration serving to support the local representatives in prioritising road safety on the R336 and highlight the urgent need for upgraded safety measures. Data gathered by the group, in collaboration with Galway County Council, demonstrates the need for the infrastructure. Across 317 days, 1.6 million cars headed west through Furbo, of which 81% exceeded the 50kmh speed limit in the village. Similar figures showed that 51% exceeded the limit when heading towards Galway city. Joyce Parkes, who is one of the main organisers of the protests, says that funding for an improved pedestrian crossing in Furbo was granted via the Safe Routes to School Scheme in 2022, yet the community is still yet to see any further progress on the ground. As a result, she believes the protests are necessary to communicate the strength of feeling to Galway County Council and ensure that each coastal community has their voice heard. 'The purpose of walking is to see whether the process can happen in less than two years, it just seems like a very long-winded path. They haven't even confirmed with us if the pedestrian crossing is on the cards, it's been suggested but we haven't got a commitment. 'We haven't progressed a huge amount since the last protest. We're grateful for the councillors and TDs for meeting with us and supporting the cause, but this is a reminder that we're here and we're going to demonstrate our feelings about the safety of the road and the importance of better footpaths and lights.' Despite the lack of progress, Ms Parkes says the overall feeling is optimistic, owing to the power of community that has been on display in pursuit of change on the road that stretches across the Gaeltacht villages. ADVERTISEMENT 'I think we're remaining optimistic, and I think it's going to happen. I'm hopeful that this protest will encourage the process along the road and make sure we're not forgotten. It's also raising awareness in the village and also highlighting that it's not just about the school – it's about the whole village. 'We were all really positive after the last protest, we didn't come away from it thinking it was a waste of time, we saw how much people were listening to us. We know it's been spoken about an awful lot at council meetings on the back of the last protest, so I think we're not doing it out of a frustration – we're saying it more as a 'come on'. 'We're not trying to annoy anyone or get in anyone's way; we're just trying to raise awareness for people driving through Furbo to slow down. If one car slows down on the back of the protests, even if we just get that, it's great. 'There's nothing negative about people walking and showing the strength of their feeling – nothing but good can come from the demonstration.' The Irish Independent has contacted Galway County Council for comment.
