Stories by Jimmy Ellingham
News
Frustration building over $11m new bridge sitting idle
Frustration is mounting that a long-awaited new bridge connecting two North Island districts can't yet be used.
'At the moment, we're scared': KiwiRail yard gets thumbs-up but residents worried
A huge new rail yard proposed for the outskirts of Palmerston North is a step closer to reality. Affected residents are unhappy, but KiwiRail says the yards are much needed.
'A real balancing act': Some resthomes ditching vaccine passes
Some resthomes are no longer requiring people to show vaccine passes before visiting loved ones after the relaxation of rules this week.
Highway boxes binned as Palmerston North changes cycle path plans
A main highway into Palmerston North will no longer be lined by unpopular brightly coloured planter boxes after city councillors on Wednesday voted for their removal.
Planter boxes given thumbs down as support for cycleway grows
Dividing cyclists from traffic on a small stretch of Palmerston North highway has split opinion among city residents.
Fat studies academic's work ridiculed online days before her death
Days before her death a fat studies conference chaired by academic Dr Cat Pausé was parodied by American conservative figure Steven Crowder.
Air Force hones precision skills and timing needed for supply drops
The New Zealand Air Force can be called on at any time to drop supplies into war zones or after disaster strikes, when landing and unloading are impossible.
Soldiers badly injured after molotov cocktail use goes wrong
Three soldiers suffered burns to their bodies during a training exercise using molotov cocktails to prepare them for peacekeeping duties.
East Coast clean up underway, insurance council says 'not an issue'
A heavy rain watch remains in place for the North Island's East Coast as the sodden district recovers from last week's flooding.
Ōhakea Air Force base to hold two large hangars, workforce of 1200
Huge cranes are towering above the flat Manawatū countryside as construction of two hangars for new Air Force aircraft cruises at altitude.
Health officials apologise after elderly woman's 23-hour wait at hospital
Health officials have issued an apology after a Palmerston North woman in her 80s waited almost a day in the city hospital's overcrowded emergency department until she was moved to a ward.
'Coma, paralysed, on kidney dialysis': Serious infection serves a reminder to gardeners
As a Palmerston North woman lay in hospital in a coma while an insidious infection took over her body's organs, her family were told to prepare for the worst.
Convicted murderer makes fresh bid to clear name, victim still not found
Twenty years after Nicholas Pike was murdered, his body hasn't been found and the man convicted of killing him is still trying to clear his name, Jimmy Ellingham reports.
Elderly, students going without food to afford rent, petrol
Sharply increasing costs of living are forcing vulnerable members of society to go without food as their budgets are squeezed.
Manawatū traffic gives way to horses as equestrian community delivers petition
Cars have briefly given way to horses in the Manawatū town of Feilding as riders clipped and clopped through the CBD with a call to remember them.
Father and son play pivotal roles in fate of Kimbolton meteorite
More than 40 years ago the man who found a meteorite billions of years old hit it with a sledgehammer - unaware of its significance.
Lake Alice: Why psychiatrist Dr Selwyn Leeks was never charged
The former lead psychiatrist at the Lake Alice psychiatric hospital's child and adolescent unit died in January without facing justice or action from a professional body despite allegations against…
'There must have been a sense that all wasn't well'
Rangitīkei District mayor Andy Watson has apologised to former patients of the Lake Alice psychiatric hospital near Marton.
Regional council allows public input on proposed waste-to-energy plant
A regional council has decided to allow public input into a proposed waste-to-energy plant's resource consent application in the Manawatū town of Feilding.
Public oppose moves to turn ex Palmerston North bowling green into housing
Public opinion is against efforts to turn an overgrown former Palmerston North bowling green into housing.
Objections to housing plan for former Palmerston North bowling green
Plans to turn an overgrown former bowling green into housing in Palmerston North have been met with distaste by most in submissions.
'It's just rock bottom': Roadworks leave Shannon businesses stranded
Roadworks in Horowhenua are having a huge effect on businesses in Shannon, with some reporting drops in trade of up to 90 percent.
Emergency departments seeing 'extreme' number of patients
An experienced nurse says conditions at Palmerston North Hospital's emergency department are pushing staff to their limits.
Decision over waste-to-energy plant 'of national importance'
Concerned residents from the Manawatū town of Feilding are urging the regional council to hold public hearings about a proposed waste-to-energy plant.
Ex-Black Cap returns to cricket field after 15 year absence
Former international cricketer Andrew Penn has returned to the field after more than 15 years and will this weekend open the batting in a rep Twenty20 tournament in Palmerston North. Audio