Monty Jacka
Wagga Wagga, NSW
Monty Jacka is a journalist in the ABC Riverina newsroom. He might one day tweet from @montyjacka_ (but probably not).
Latest by Monty Jacka
Builders are waiting 'absurd' amounts of time for approvals, so councils are turning to AI
As people reportedly wait months just to get approval to build sheds and signs, councils across NSW look to jump on board an artificial intelligence program that aims to revolutionise the development process.
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With each empty beer bottle and drink can, Emily is 10 cents closer to a space camp in the US
Emily McLaren needs $12,000 to go to an American space camp. Recycling about 60,000 containers will help her save for half of it.
Man accused of murdering his mother by lighting her house on fire faces court
Shannon James Doble, 42, appeared via video-link less than 12 hours after his mother, Nerol, died from injuries suffered in the blaze in southern New South Wales.
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Police say alleged sex attack on 76yo aged care resident 'horrendous' as man faces court
The woman was treated by paramedics at the Coffs Harbour care home before being taken to hospital with minor injuries and is now in the care of her family. Police have charged a 29-year-old man over the alleged attack.
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One of NSW's largest wind farms given the green light for construction
The project involves the construction of 208 wind turbines, each with a maximum height of 270 metres, on the outskirts of Jerilderie in New South Wales' Riverina region.
Gifts, sentimental items, envelopes of cash stolen from underneath great-grandmother's Christmas tree
87-year-old Betty Murphy is "frightened and upset" after gifts for her family and friends were stolen during the night from her unit in a retirement home.
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'Surprise': Three lemurs born out of the blue as search for mystery father begins
The black-and-white ruffed lemur triplets will undergo DNA testing after zookeepers at Altina Wildlife Park in southern NSW were caught "very unaware" by their arrival.
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Mum says country hospital staff made no attempt to gain consent during birthing
Mothers have cried while telling a NSW inquiry into birth trauma of being ignored and mistreated by hospital staff.
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Aunty Donna knows something about breastfeeding. She's fed more than 20 babies, including six of her own
At Wagga Wagga in New South Wales, 70 per cent of First Nations women opt for formula for their babies over breastfeeding. The city's Indigenous community is trying to tackle the issue.
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Man pleads guilty to charges committed minutes before crash killed woman, three children
Tanya Murphy and three boys were killed in a single-vehicle crash which occurred just 15 minutes after the domestic violence offences.
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Janine still gets surprised looks while on her motorcycle, but that's starting to change
Female motorcyclists are outnumbered by their male counterparts in New South Wales, but the gap is becoming smaller each year, which some have credited to riding groups and social media.
Farmers take water buyback fight to the streets to keep communities alive
Irrigators who have for more than a decade been fighting "death by 1,000 cuts" water buybacks say it won't just be those on farms who are hurt by proposed changes to the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.
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Shanul used to sing in a heavy metal band. He's now dazzling audiences at the opera
By Monty Jacka and Sally Bryant for Make Me Feel Good
While growing up in India, Shanul Sharma was teased by classmates for his high-pitched voice. After a brief stint in heavy metal, he's now using that voice to star in opera performances across the world.
Could you feed yourself on $9 a day? A pensioner says that's all he can afford due to rising rates
The NSW pricing regulator has released a final report into its rate peg review. It comes as rising rates add to the cost of living crisis.
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'Spate of violence': Prisoners use 'loophole' to search news articles about each others' crimes
By Alexander Lewis and Monty Jacka
Corrective Services NSW has turned off three websites, including two news sites, as prisoners use a function on their tablets to search inmates' crimes and carry out violence.
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How 92yo Bob Holder hangs on to the title of 'world's oldest competitive cowboy'
Bob Holder, also known as "the Cootamundra Cat", won his first event in 1945 when he was 14. Now 92, he rides in an arena that was named in his honour.
Shocked by 'horrendous' war, a farmer has inspired his country town to befriend a Ukrainian city
Deniliquin has become sister cities with a Ukrainian agricultural hub, thanks to a passionate plea from a local who urged his council to support the war-ravaged nation.
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Small southern NSW town loses 56-bed aged care home as staff shortages bite
Southern Cross Care is closing its facility at Moama in the southern Riverina, leaving residents devastated.
Contamination from a RAAF base was supposed to reach this city's water supply in the 2070s. It's already almost there
Chemical run-off from the Forest Hill RAAF base has been found just 650 metres from Wagga Wagga's water supply, despite recent studies by Defence claiming it would take at least 50 years to reach the bores.
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This shy lemur is being urged to overcome his fears and woo his female companion
Two critically endangered black-and-white ruffed lemurs named Tsiky and Kintana are paired together at a zoo in southern NSW, in the hopes they will breed and help preserve their "stunning" species.
Is it disrespectful to sell kava in supermarkets?
A critic says the commercialisation of the drug is potentially dangerous and culturally insensitive, but others say the "great alternative to alcohol" has never been hard to source in the west.
This equestrian sport for 'adrenaline junkies' involves balloons, socks and tennis balls
Acrobatic dismounts, dramatic handovers and furious galloping are common in this niche sport, which is being played regional Victoria right now as part of a world championship event.
'Timely and lovely' rain puts smiles on the faces of NSW farmers
Some in the state have endured the driest periods in decades and say the falls will put them in good stead for the summer to come.
Prime minister urges Bega community to dig deep as homes are lost on NSW south coast
By Monty Jacka and James Tugwell
A man has been hospitalised and at least three homes have been lost as New South Wales south coast residents wait to see the damage left by a fire burning since Tuesday.
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Footy gave Leigh his identity, but the head knocks have started to strip away his personality
Leigh McDonald's depression and anxiety have "gone through the roof" over the past five years — a result, he believes, of the large number of concussions he suffered while playing amateur Aussie Rules football.
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