Arkansas Times: Google is holding a secret meeting at First United Methodist on Wednesday to answer questions about its data center. You are not invited.. “The Arkansas Times reached out to both Google and Cooley Public Strategies to ask why some residents were invited and others were not, and to ask how the organizations got resident’s contact information and did not hear back.”

Police investigate alleged assault involving Townsville mayor
By Chloe Chomicki

Townsville Mayor Nick Dametto was visiting a north Queensland island as part of a pub crawl at the time of the alleged assault.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-11/police-investigate-alleged-assault-townsville-mayor-nick-dametto/106783332

#LocalGovernment #StateandTerritoryGovernment #ChloeChomicki

Council plan would make whole-home short-stays off limits for 20k homes
By Monty Jacka

A fresh proposal from the Hobart City Council would block about 90 per cent of the city's homes from being wholly converted into short-stay accommodation. The plan is the latest chapter in a long-running push to rein in the number of rentals being lost to platforms such as Airbnb.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-11/hobart-city-council-resurrects-short-stay-ban/106780270

#HousingPolicy #LocalGovernment #TravelandTourism #GovernmentPolicy #MontyJacka

Melbourne councils struggling to clean up rising amounts of illegal dumping
By Ethan White

Councils across Melbourne's suburbs are struggling to combat the rise of illegal dumping, despite over $21 million of funding from the Victorian state government.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-10/melbourne-councils-struggling-to-clean-up-illegal-waste/106746440

#RecyclingandWasteManagement #LocalGovernment #StateandTerritoryGovernment #EnvironmentalImpacts #EthanWhite

New 50 cent airport bus could cost disheartened Townsville business
By Chloe Chomicki and Michael Clarke

An airport shuttle taking passengers through the heart of a regional city will start competing with public transport later this month.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-10/public-bus-50-cent-fares-small-business-airport-townsville/106772252

#Transport #TravelandTourism #StateandTerritoryGovernment #LocalGovernment #TourismandLeisureIndustry #SharedTransport #ChloeChomicki #MichaelClarke

Gizmodo: A Farmer Donated Land for a Public Park and the City Sold It to a Data Center Developer for $10 Million. “When news of the sale broke, locals were initially concerned for the usual reasons one might have when learning that a 135,000-square-foot facility—the sort now known to wreak havoc on small towns—is being built next door without their approval or input. But thanks to the sharp […]