The Dominion

Thursday, 23 March 2000, 9:44 am
Article: Alastair Thompson

Petrol Prices Fall – Pope’s Viper – MPs Polled On Cannabis – Woman Alive – Eating and Driving – Scholarship - Peter Ellis – Inside Political Headlines – Editorial: Cannabis Reform

PETROL PRICES FALL: The Dominion leads today with a report that petrol market minnow Challenge sparked a round of price cuts yesterday by lowering the price of 91 and 96 octane by two cents a litre and diesel by 1 cent.

POPE’S VIPER: The front page photo shows the Pope’s tree pit viper found in Chirstchurch yesterday.

Also on the front page:

- BERT POTTER: a report that Bert Potter and his followers have been paid $1.35 million to leave the Centrepoint community, which will be rebuilt and renamed;

- MPS POLLED ON CANNABIS: a report that decriminalisation of cannabis would be likely to be passed by a conscience vote in Parliament, a television poll of MP’s suggests. The TVNZ poll questioned 98 of 120 MPs and found 42 were in favour, 35 again and 21 unsure or unwilling to comment;

- WOMAN ALIVE: a report that Auckland police thought a woman had been killed when her car was hit by a stolen car last night. After calling for a photographer they found the woman was still breathing;

- EATING AND DRIVING: a report that a man seen driving his car using his knees while eating a meal with chopsticks would probably be charged with careless use of a motor vehicle;

- SCHOLARSHIP: a report that when he was growing up in some of the poorest and toughest of Napier’s neighbourhoods, Haora Smith dreamed of being a soldier – just like his dad and his dad before him. Later he decided he wanted to be a geneticist and now he has received a scholarship to pursue his dream;

- PETER ELLISa report that convicted paedophile Peter Ellis has been given $385,000 in legal aid to pay for his court appearances during the past eight years.

Inside Political Headlines:

- Hawkesby payout, digital cut hurt TVNZ by $12 million;
- Merger means battle for top health jobs;
- Government “Muldoonist” – Business Roundtable;
- Labour “bullies” attacked;
- ABOUT THE HOUSE: Harken to the word of Winston;
- Cancelled F16 deal disappoints Clinton.

EDITORIAL – CANNABIS: Any change to the cannabis laws requires careful thought.

© Scoop Media

Alastair Thompson

Scoop Publisher

Alastair Thompson is the co-founder of Scoop. He is of Scottish and Irish extraction and from Wellington, New Zealand. Alastair has 24 years experience in the media, at the Dominion, National Business Review, North & South magazine, Straight Furrow newspaper and online since 1997. He is the winner of several journalism awards for business and investigative work.

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