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SWEEPING changes have occurred at WA Newspapers Holdings this month, with a number of arrivals at the state's biggest media outlet and publisher of The West Australian.

THE million dollar renovations to The Western Australian Club's St Georges Terrace home have been unveiled, with the fresh look hoping to breathe new life into the 115-year-old private facility.

UWA Professor Peter Quinn has been appointed the director of a new $20 million radio astronomy research centre, headquartered at UWA.

A SPATE of mergers in the property valuations sector could be a sign of things to come, as the downturn in the property market forces greater consolidation within the sector.

Mount Magnet South non-executive director Fred McMurray has been issued with 4 million convertible notes at a total cost of $200,000, with each note holding a conversion price of five cents each.

LAST year, in a deal which was value destroying for the shareholders of base metal miner Oxiana Limited, that company merged with Zinifex Ltd to become Oz Minerals.

Port Hedland consortium named THE state government has selected a consortium comprising Satterley Property, Leighton Contractors and Ngarda Civil and Mining as the preferred proponent to investigate t

THE buying and selling of securities by directors appears to have softened as the year draws to an end, but not without some last-minute grabs.

THE number of housing finance commitments in Western Australia rose 5 per cent for the month of October, seasonally adjusted, compared to the previous month, but remains almost 20 per cent down on the

WESTERN Australia is one of the worst-performing states in the take-up of renewable energy, with just more than 8,000 customers signed up to an accredited GreenPower product in 2007.

AUDITOR General Colin Murphy has called on the WA Department of Health to improve the way it buys services from non-government and not-for-profit organisations, following an audit of the department's purchasing practices.

REGIONAL energy supplier Horizon Power has teamed up with Darwin-based PowerCorp and Perth-based SunPower Australia to build two hybrid solar-diesel power stations in the Pilbara, at a cost of $25 mil

A PERTH jazz pianist, inspired by the young artists he teaches daily, has overcome challenges from two local councils and the liquor licensing authority to successfully pursue his dream of opening a jazz club.

DARKENED windows, limited space, musty odours, a long, crowded bar, and thick shag carpet infused with cigarette ash and stale beer from decades worth of gigs - all treasured memories of one of Perth's favourite live music venues.

Alliance Resources Ltd Patrick Mutz has been appointed managing director. The group's current CEO Steve Johnston will remain as general manager.

THE state government is looking to add a new layer of planning expertise to sit above local government as part of its bid to streamline approvals in the land development sector.

THE Vintage Concert, as part of the 2009 Margaret River Wine Region Festival, will be headlined by two of Australia's biggest musical artists at the Leeuwin Estate Amphitheatre on Sunday April 19 2009.

FAMILY owned small business Casa Dairy Products has won the best retail product category at the inaugural Westpac Food and Beverage Industry Awards, organised by the Food Industry Association of WA.

A WESTERN Australian technology company that specialises in down-hole survey tools is making headway in Australia and on the international market, despite the global economic turmoil forcing resources projects to shutdown.

What does a typical day at work involve? I check e-mails and answer those that need immediate action, then check appropriate articles in scientific journals.

CHANGE is not in the air, it has hit the ground running, or should I say running rampant. If it hasn't affected you or your business in some way, you are in the minority. Change is here.

WITH mining activity in the Pilbara forecast to double over the next ten years, demand for water in West Pilbara could outstrip long-term supply within the next two to six years.

WE'VE gone beyond the old boom-bust cycle." How many times did we hear that comment over the past year or two? "We're in a new paradigm."

Finsia Residential Property Outlook The strength of Australia's economy has been highlighted in recent years by its ability to withstand a number of internal and external events, including a major dro

THE All Ordinaries is at levels approaching 3,500 and Colin Barnett is premier of Western Australia.

I THINK it was Keith Suter who compared the global financial crisis to a 'big weekend' - too much to drink on Saturday, hangover on Sunday, cleansed and ready for work on Monday, the social commentator told a recent Technology and Industry Advisory Counci

NEXT year may be the year of the insolvency practitioner but the sector was certainly gearing up for business in 2008 as the older hands of the sector recognised the signs of a stumbling bull market.

I WAS pleasantly surprised to see a job vacancy advertised in the window of a restaurant last week.

AT first it seemed Western Australia, riding the mining boom, was digging a hole all the way to China.

THIS is State Scene's eighth year-in-review column and, like the first, it features a change of government.

Four years after winning a boardroom stoush, St Barbara chief executive and managing director Eduard Eshuys has tendered his resignation with former Newcrest Mining executive Tim Lehany to take over.

The state opposition is calling on the government to release the royalties for regions formula after some of the needier regions, such as Halls Creek, were allocated less money.