DOGS and cats can make great Christmas presents however it is after the novelty of a new pet has warn off that Gwydir Park Animal Refuge is inundated with animals that have been dumped.

A POWER outage in the local area left more than 7000 homes and businesses in the dark for up to three hours on Sunday.

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FARMERS in the Delungra area have been left extremely disappointed after a decision was made on Wednesday to not grant Exceptional Circumstances (EC) status to the region.

Inverell-based Nationals Senator John Williams says the rejection of Delungra's Exceptional Circumstances drought assistance application is disappointing.