Sorting out a photo to go with the front page story on Chris Cresswell's death we were spoilt for choice. A personal favourite was

Being a practising non-monotheist means that I try not to get caught up in monotheist festivals, but to take it in good grace when

Sucker punches Mayor McDouall has come out swinging against councillors who wanted to call a special meeting about the sewerage scheme

TWELVE people were killed in a Christmas market in Berlin on December 19, mown down by a terrorist in a big truck. Elsewhere in Germany

How loud is too loud? And where and when is it too loud? Musician and former music venue manager JACK MITCHELL-ANYON tries to make

Time to get real Governance is a difficult task at the best of times -- even more difficult when politics gets in the way of good

RUGBY is a game of two halves, but not many know it can also be a game of four quarters. The first test against Australia in the

DONALD Trump is gonna be the prez ... the ice sheets are melting ... innocents are being killed in stupid wars around the planet ..

THE failure of the mainstream media in the United States to provide objective analysis during the recent presidential campaign is

By Margi Keys RECENTLY I was in the South Island. Being interested in the power of natural forces, I was keen to see some effects

Bulldozed We have a very special stream at Castlecliff Beach, and all of my children have played in it over the years. Our council

All of the available evidence rather suggests that the story of satire in 2016 was the old story of how satire has zero impact on

FOR ME, Christmas came early this year - and what a glorious day it was. With two lifeforms living out of town and working over the

IT'S TIME to reflect on the past 12 months ... Personally, it's been a year of change - shifting back to Whanganui, changing jobs

THE world's population can be divided into pessimists and optimists. Ideas of race, colour, religion, politics are not as relevant

Homelessness in New Zealand has been one of the big stories of the year - despite officialdom's attempts to hide the harsh reality

THE stop-go evacuation of rebel fighters and civilians from Aleppo had begun again as I write, but the reason for the last interruption

Margi Keys, an ESOL teacher and a proofreader, moved to Whanganui from the North Shore in June 2015. She was planning a six-day rafting

DEAR Uncle Bill ... Congrats on becoming New Zealand's 39th prime minister. It may only be a brief tenure, though, so here's an

IS BEING referred to police Youth Aid a slap with a wet bus ticket? Not necessarily. This week's story of seven youths aged 11-16

LAST week I highlighted 10 businesses which, in my view, stood out as excellent in 2016. I had a lot of feedback with a number of

NO TWO WEEKS are ever the same in politics, and the last couple of weeks have certainly proved the point. The unexpected resignation

ONE of the purposes of the media is to find words, music and voice -- figuratively -- to rectify the condition of that ubiquitous

Unfortunately, the paralysis of action can be fostered and manipulated to serve the interests of others.IN THE wake of the United

SAD to say, it comes as no great surprise to learn that Youi has been fined $320,000 on 15 charges of using misleading sales techniques. There

WHEN news came out that Fidel Castro (1926-2016) had died I got a call from my friend Blackie in Auckland. It has been a sad year

Modern shaman Hill-country farming was at a crisis point in 1988. I was in the Mangamahu War Memorial Hall watching punk rockers

Gallery costs I also got a fright Mr Moles (Chronicle letters; December 9) when I read that Whanganui District Council "has agreed

Flood protection Jim Ennis (letters, Dec 6), thank you for raising your concerns about possible repair work to the riverbank near

By Graham Pearson LET'S skip Christmas and all its commercialisation and the need to purchase new "things". Instead let's consider