News blog, March 3: Four people hospitalised following Kialla crash; concerns growing over housing proposal

I’m Max Stainkamph and I’ll be taking you through the highs and lows of March 3. We’re set for a sunny top of 32 degrees and — it seems — hardly a cloud in the sky.

UPDATE, 5.45 pm: Calling it for the night

It’s been a busy afternoon in Shepparton News office. There’s no more information on the crash at Kialla, with thankfully no-one seriously injured.

We’re going to call it for the day — have a splendid evening and we’ll catch you tomorrow.

UPDATE, 4.30pm: Four people taken to hospital following Kialla car accident

Anna McGuinness jumping in quickly, Max Stainkamph is on the scene of a two-vehicle crash in Kialla and has been told four people have been taken to hospital.

They don’t appear to be in a critical condition.

Southbound traffic on the Goulburn Valley Highway is being diverted at Sanctuary Rd, but the northbound lane is unaffected.

Police, Fire Rescue Victoria and paramedics are all on scene.

UPDATE, 4.20pm: Emergency services at Kialla car accident

Emergency services have been called to a crash near the corner of the Goulburn Valley Highway and River Rd in Kialla about 3.45pm.

According to Ambulance Victoria, there appears to be four people requiring treatment and none appear to be critical.

We’ll have more on this soon.

UPDATE, 2.45pm: How to take care of indoor plants

Resident garden reporter Caitlyn Grant had a “moment of reflection” recently when she realised a lot of her indoor plants were looking more than a little unhealthy.

“And yes, the irony is not lost on me as I sit down weekly to write about our readers’ luscious growths, cultivated with passion and dedication, when mine are, for lack of a better word, shrivelled,” she wrote.

She also included some tips on how to care for them (from Riverside Gardens owner and manager, not her) which you can read here.

UPDATE, 1.50pm: Tinto Kitchen opens

Hey all, Georgia Rossiter here popping on while Max is out and about.

Some big news that has caused a stir in the pastry loving community is that Tinto Kitchen has opened the doors to it’s shiny new cafe!

I been there twice today already (don’t judge me) and can attest the coffee is good, the pastries are good, and the sandwiches are good.

They’re about to close for today, but they’ll be open Wednesday to Saturday from 7am to 2pm.

UPDATE, 1.00 pm: GV families fearing for Ukrainian relatives

If you’re just sitting down and want something long to distract you for a little while, this is the story for you.

Gianni Francis has sat down and put a lot of hours into writing this story speaking to a Ukrainian family who are living in Numurkah.

Their relatives are still over there, and have been trying to flee Kyiv ahead of the Russian advance.

You should read this piece. If not now, open it in a tab and have a read tonight.

I’m having lunch and ducking out to a few other jobs, as a head’s up.

UPDATE, 11.45 am: 7-Eleven not the only thing opening up

It’s been a big couple of weeks for Shepparton on the new business front.

We had the new gelato joint open a few weeks ago and there are a few other stores opening their doors, but on thing which piqued my eye (and the eye of fellow reporter Georgia Rossiter) was Tinto, a new bakery on High St.

Their instagram game looks very good, and they’ve opened their doors today!

As mayor Kim O’Keeffe said at the 7-Eleven today, it’s incredibly exciting to see businesses opening up and things getting moving again.

UPDATE, 11.00 am: Krispy Kreme, slurpees galore as 7-Eleven opens up

It’s open!

If you’re fanging for a slurpee or a Krispy Kreme, you’re in luck — 7-Eleven at the top of Numurkah Rd has opened today.

Shontae, Mia, Clint and Bentley Cameron all ducked down for a gander — Clint to look at the petrol prices and the kids to get their hands on some of 7-Eleven’s goodies.

“Shepp needs something good like Krispy Kreme, it’s been years since we’ve had something like this,” Mr Cameron said.

Shontae and Mia said the slurpees were “really good” and it was nice to have something they always grabbed on trips to Melbourne.

UPDATE, 9.40 am: Have a laugh at the GV Hotel

Free stand-up comedy shows are coming to the GV, with Melbourne comedian Elijah Deis making his way up to Shepparton for a free weekly show.

They begin on March 12, and Mr Dries said there is plenty of hunger for comedy shows regionally but few on offer.

Check out the full story here.

UPDATE, 9.15 am: Council to hear in-person submissions over Maude St

Greater Shepparton City Council will now hear in-person submissions from residents who wish to be heard on the proposal to sell or gift the land above the Maude, Nixon and Edward Streets Car Park.

Community consultation on the proposal closed on Monday, 28 February 2022, with Council officers now working through each of the submissions to be considered. As part of the feedback process, residents and business owners were able to request for their submission to be heard by Council in-person.

It follows this morning’s story from Darren Linton talking about concerns from residents that they wouldn’t be heard in the process.

UPDATE, 8.50 am: Housing proposal concerns, 7-Eleven opens

It’s all about development this morning, with a new development opening up and another one facing backlash.

The long-awaited opening of the city’s first 7-Eleven will occur this morning, and I’m heading out there to check it out (and taste-test the slurpees). Stay tuned for updates from out there.

However, on the flipside, a residents group opposed to the sale of the airspace above a Shepparton car park for a social housing development is concerned that the process for hearing complaints has been botched.

Kevin Hicks, who chairs the R4GS committee said other members who made formal submissions and asked to be heard in person have not received any notification.

Darren Linton has the full story, check it out in full here.

Also making news this morning, more rain is on the way for inundated northern NSW and Queensland communities and parts of Sydney are being evacuated following flooding threats there.

Meanwhile, for the first time in two years, Australia has no internal borders as Western Australia dropped entry requirements from this morning.