The family of the Mirani father killed in a crash opens up about the toll his tragic death has had and what charges filed against the alleged driver mean.
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A police blitz at Mackay shopping centres uncovered 22 unlocked vehicles including one with the keys in the ignition ready to drive away.
The checks of 976 vehicles across Mount Pleasant Centre and Caneland Central took officers a few hours but one unsecure car could be a day’s pay for a criminal spotting a valuable possession on the back seat.
Caneland Police Beat Acting Senior Constable Kate Ward said public complacency was why officers were placing “Don’t gift your keys to thieves” postcards on windscreens across the state.
Constable Ward said common security failings included unlocked tradie’s toolboxes, wound down windows making it easy to jimmy open doors and the formerly trusted keys on top of the tyre.
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Mackay residents are clutching onto memories of their bustling city heart with many passionate about how it could thrive once more.
South Mackayâs Roxanne McKenzie said she felt âreally stronglyâ about the issue, asking: âWhat are we doing to bring people here?â
âItâs sad, I have to say, I grew up here and it used to be the hub of the city,â Ms McKenzie said.
She said the council had to seriously consider treasuring the historical buildings, and proposed commercial landlords let pop-ups open for free, albeit temporarily, to liven retail trade. South Mackay resident Roxanne McKenzie speaking at Mount Pleasant Centre about what needs to change in the Mackay city centre to bring shoppers back. Picture: Heidi Petith
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Mackayâs major shopping centre is not to blame for an exodus of retailers from the city centre, a retail expert says.
National Retail Association chief executive officer Dominique Lamb said the assertion was a âcop outâ with the real synopsis for the lull of trade in the Mackay CBD a more complex picture.
Ms Lamb said Caneland Central and other shopping centres needed to rejuvenate their offerings every five years to keep customers coming back.
And she said while large investment structures backed centres, they did not have the âauthenticâ ecosystem of strip shops or CBDs that consumers celebrated as âtruly localâ.
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Subscriber only Mackay residents are spoiled for choice this May Day long weekend with a social calendar chock-full of events. When: 7.30pm, Sunday May 2 Where: Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre, Alfred Street, Mackay What s happening: Renowned Emmy-winning and Grammy-nominated artist Toni Childs will perform in Mackay to support the Daily Mercury s Hub for our Heroes campaign. Toni Childs will appear at Tanks Art Centre. Picture: supplied. Inspired by her father and her own mental health struggles, Toni Childs backs PTSD Frontline s mission alongside Sir Peter Cosgrove and Australia s oldest surviving Victoria Cross recipient Keith Payne to develop a first responders and veterans treatment centre at Kinchant Dam.