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Jarrod Lucas
Kalgoorlie, WA
Jarrod Lucas is the news reporter at ABC Goldfields-Esperance, based in Kalgoorlie, WA.
Latest by Jarrod Lucas
Man who shot another in the stomach didn't aim for head as he 'didn't want to kill him', court hears
The stoush between a West Australian man who'd 'had enough' of hoons driving around his property and the man who he shot with a stolen firearm has been heard in a district court trial.
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Magistrate jails female driver left 'distraught' for causing death of father and uncle
A 30-year-old woman who was behind the wheel of a car that crashed on an outback highway, killing her father and uncle, has been jailed for eight months.
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Giant wind turbine blades take the long road to inland WA lithium mine
The first of 15 gigantic blades, which will make up five wind turbines, left Geraldton Port today on a 700km journey inland to a $951 million lithium mine being built in WA's northern Goldfields.
Kalgoorlie parents unable to return to work with childcare waiting lists up to two years long
Families in Western Australia's historic mining city of Kalgoorlie-Boulder have been on waiting lists for childcare placements for more than two years, according to a new survey.
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Premier admits to frustration with no builders in sight for $20m Goldfields hospital project
While Roger Cook says he remains committed to the redevelopment of Laverton Hospital, the state government still has no suitable tenders.
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Engineers painstakingly reattach severed head to pioneering prospector's statue in Kalgoorlie
Confronted with the severed head of Paddy Hannan, reattaching it became the ultimate "left field" job for a Kalgoorlie engineering firm.
Shire president demands answers about WA town's $20m 'neglected' hospital rebuild
A $20 million redevelopment of Laverton Hospital in WA's northern Goldfields remains in limbo, amid concerns the cost of the project has blown out.
In WA's outback, councils and miners are setting their sights on an increasingly scarce resource — water
Water as valuable as gold in Western Australia's historic Goldfields as researchers try to find alternate sources for the state's booming mining sector.
Man who torched outback real estate agency, doused woman in petrol has 'paranoid personality', court hears
A court hears 60-year-old Raymond John O'Brien, a disgruntled tenant, walked into the Kalgoorlie agency last December and told a woman behind the front counter to leave, saying "I'm going to burn this place down".
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Gold miner forks out $10.7 million for West Australian farms
Ausgold's boss says while there are mixed views on the "change of identity" that comes with a shift from farming to mining, his company doesn't want to "just drop this on top of Katanning".
US giant makes $6.6b takeover offer for WA lithium miner
Corporate activity in Western Australia's booming lithium space continues with Albemarle set to increase its takeover offer for Perth-based miner Liontown Resources.
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Delays around $2.5m study into proposed rail realignment case of 'bureaucracy gone crazy'
A WA MP and Kalgoorlie-Boulder mayor have criticised the state government for dragging its feet on a feasibility study to realign rail around the Super Pit gold mine, which could lead to the development of an intermodal freight facility.
Kalgoorlie council backs BHP plan for 1,100-bed mining camp
There are concerns increasing numbers of fly-in fly-out workers will destroy the "social fabric" of Kalgoorlie-Boulder as BHP moves forward with plans for a large-scale mining camp in the city.
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WA laboratory fined $30k over lead poisoning of four workers
A Kalgoorlie court has been told one lab worker was left with three times the recommended level of lead in his blood and had to be flown to Perth for treatment.
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'Build houses, not camps': Kalgoorlie residents object to BHP's proposed 1000-bed development
A resident is concerned their WA city is "becoming a ghost town" as mining giant BHP seeks approval to build a camp on council-owned land.
With thousands of workers flying into WA's booming Goldfields, where are they all going to live?
Major construction projects in the region have mining companies scrambling to find accommodation to house the influx of FIFO workers, with at least 600 beds required for a $1.5 billion expansion at Kalgoorlie's Super Pit.
'I hid it in my car': Self-employed driller admits to large drug haul, court hears
A court has heard a 33-year-old Perth man accused of transporting more than $4 million worth of illegal drugs into Western Australia via the state's border checkpoint at Eucla made full admissions to police.
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Gregory quit accounting in France to work in a WA gold mine — and the industry needs more like him
A worsening labour shortage and the world's growing need for critical metals are set to take centre stage this week, as mining industry representatives descend on Kalgoorlie-Boulder for the annual Diggers and Dealers conference.
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Tears for 'best brother in the world' as mourners farewell WA tourist, killed on European adventure
Hundreds of mourners have attended the funeral of Matthew Luke Borromei in Perth after the 25-year-old died in a scooter crash on the island of Sicily earlier this month.
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Family ties ensure two-up's existence is no longer just a coin flip
Punters call it the fairest game in the world — and this month marks 40 years since two-up was legalised in Western Australia's Goldfields.
WA shire spends thousands on legal letters to residents over 'attack' comments on Facebook
The Shire of Dundas spent $4,500 to ask a number of residents to delete Facebook comments that allegedly defamed its president and chief executive.
Norseman has lost its only GP and some residents fear they may have to leave town to be closer to doctor services
Residents of a small town in Western Australia's Goldfields have expressed their frustration following the departure of Norseman's "popular" and "compassionate" doctor, amid a dispute with the local council.
Crews praised for rapid response to Kalgoorlie Super Pit fire, damage bill could reach $700k
A firefighter says the blaze "definitely had the potential to spread", but was contained to a single tank and dealt with "very well" by emergency responders.
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GP closes Norseman clinic after dispute with council, leaving residents 132km from nearest doctor
With 88 vacancies for doctors across regional Western Australia, the Shire of Dundas faces a difficult task at replacing its only Norseman GP, who closed his clinic this week amid an ongoing dispute with the council.
Perth woman claims she was 'totally ignorant' of $4 million worth of drugs seized at WA border
A court has heard a passenger in a car was "totally ignorant" about more than $4 million in methylamphetamine and cocaine allegedly hidden beneath the driver's seat.