Police are appealing to locate the driver of a car after a theft and crash in Wagga Wagga yesterday.

About 11pm (Friday 30 January 2015), a blue Holden Commodore station wagon vehicle was stolen from Wodonga, Victoria, and later reported seen in Ashmont, Wagga Wagga.

Police were notified and following inquiries and calls from witnesses, they located the vehicle in front of a home on Adams Street, Ashmont, where it had hit a tree.

Two women, aged 18 and 27, were found injured nearby. They were treated at the scene by Ambulance Paramedics and taken to Wagga Wagga Base Hospital with minor injuries.

Two men, aged 16 and 23, were also taken to hospital suffering minor injuries. They have since been discharged.

All four are believed to have been passengers in the vehicle.

Officers attached to Wagga Wagga Local Area Command are investigating the circumstances leading up to the incident and are appealing for the driver of the vehicle, as well as any witnesses to come forward.

A man is assisting police with their inquiries after another man was stabbed in the throat in Wagga Wagga this morning.

About 3.15am (Saturday 31 January 2015), officers attached to Wagga Wagga Local Area Command were called to Baylis Street, near Edward Street, following reports of an injured man.

Police have been told a man approached and attempted to break up a verbal argument between a man and a woman, not known to him.

The man involved in the argument then allegedly assaulted the Good Samaritan with a glass bottle, causing the bottle to break and cut the man’s face.

The man armed with the bottle ran towards a taxi rank on Station Place; however was stopped and detained by witnesses.

Emergency services were called and the injured man, aged 28, was taken to Wagga Wagga Base Hospital in a serious, but stable condition. His injures are not life-threatening.

No one else was injured during the incident.

The alleged offender, a 37-year-old man, was arrested and taken to Wagga Wagga Police Station, where he was charged with malicious wounding causing grievous bodily harm.

He has been refused bail, to appear at Wagga Wagga Local Court tomorrow (Sunday 1 February 2015).

DRIVERS have been praised for their “generally good behaviour” on Wodonga roads over the Australia Day weekend.

Acting Sgt Mal Burdett, of Wodonga highway patrol, yesterday said the fairly low number of offences recorded was pleasing, given the enormous number of vehicles on the roads as people enjoyed the holiday break.

Police nabbed 35 drivers for speeding and five for drink-driving or driving under the influence of a drug.

There were 63 other traffic-related bookings for such offences as driving an unregistered car.

“We have had no fatalities — just one serious collision at Eskdale,” Sgt Burdett said.

A speed camera set up in Wodonga along the Hume Freeway for a three-hour period on Monday checked more than 2000 vehicles and caught just six speeding motorists.

Sgt Burdett said, overall, motorists had been well behaved.

“It’s pleasing to see generally good behaviour over a long weekend. There’s always a few who will disappoint, especially drink-drivers or those who drive under the influence of drugs,” he said.

It was a different situation on the other side of the Border.

Top of the list was a motorist clocked travelling at 186km/h on the Hume Highway north of Holbrook.

Albury police also nabbed a 54-year-old man in Moore Street, Lavington, who was heavily intoxicated.

He recorded a blood alcohol reading of 0.290 — almost six times over the legal limit.

Acting Sgt Don Qvist said police involved in the weekend-long blitz had caught 10 drink-drivers, 84 speeding drivers, 10 people not wearing seatbelts. There were 102 other offences.

Sgt Qvist said among the drink- drivers nabbed, two recorded high-range readings, four had mid-range readings and another four recorded low-range readings.

The Hume Local Area Command Detectives are appealing to the community for information about graffiti damage and a house fire in West Goulburn during October last year.

During the week from Tuesday 21 October 2014, a home and property on Faithful Street, West Goulburn, was sprayed with graffiti.

Officers from the Hume Local Area Command were contacted, attended, and commenced an investigation into the damage.

On Saturday 25 October 2014, officers were called back to the home on Faithful Street after reports the house was well alight.

Police and Fire & Rescue NSW attended the location however the home was completely destroyed by fire. Officers have determined that the fire was deliberately lit and are investigating the circumstances surrounding it.

Investigators continue to make inquiries into both incidents, and are investigating whether the graffiti and fire are linked.

Images have now been released that depict a number of the items that were maliciously damaged by graffiti.

Detectives are urging anyone who may have witnessed the malicious damage incidents or recognises the graffiti, or has information about events leading up to the home being destroyed by fire to contact police via Crime Stoppers or Goulburn detectives on (02) 4824 0703.

The Wonderful Lizard of Oz is a fantastic locally written, produced and directed outdoor family production. The show has been created by the makers of Backyard Ashes, Mark Grentell and Peter Cox and is staged outdoors at the Wagga Wollundry Amphitheatre.

Featuring a fully professional, all-star Wagga cast with some of our finest performers and crew returning from the capital cities to perform for you. Jamie Way will be there and Karla Hillam, Michelle Brasier, Jacqui Irvine and Andrew Strano will all be back to perform in this amazing event.

Its definitely a show for the whole family!

Performances run nightly at 6:15pm.
Thursdays through Sundays – until Sunday the 8th February.

A supermarket fresh produce supplier in Wangaratta, Victoria, will install a 100 kW solar system at its refrigerated warehouses and cool-rooms.

Nu Fruit Pty Ltd will install the solar system using finance from the Commonwealth Bank (CBA) and Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) Energy Efficient Loan (EEL) program.

Wangaratta-based Nu Fruit Director Dean Campagna said the business had accessed approximately $220,000 through the Energy Efficient Loan, covering the upfront cost of installing the solar PV system.

“We have already invested in modern, high humidity refrigerated fresh produce warehouses and cool-rooms, but our electricity demands are still a key expense for us.

“This Energy Efficient Loan helps us by generating over 10 per cent of our own energy, reducing our grid electricity needs and benefiting from the long term savings of solar PV,” said Mr Campagna.

CEFC CEO Oliver Yates said “Many regional businesses have experienced significant energy cost increases and through this loan program we’re working with them to unlock energy productivity gains and cost reductions.

“This EEL finance for upgrades is targeted at helping accelerate many types of smart energy improvements, including new purpose built processing equipment, improved industrial ovens, refrigeration upgrades, energy efficient tri-generation equipment and solar PV installation.”

Energy Efficient Loan program

The CBA and CEFC are each providing $50 million towards the $100 million EEL which is designed to help businesses, particularly those from the manufacturing sector, upgrade equipment to reduce energy costs.

The loans are typically for amounts over $500,000 and can be used to finance up to 100 per cent of the purchase price, allowing businesses to preserve working capital for other purposes.

An apple and pear supplier, Radevski Coolstores, in the Goulburn Valley, NSW, is also installing solar PV financed through the EEL product.

The CEFC recently announced it will provide up to $20 million to accelerate the uptake of large-scale commercial solar.