Friday 3rd May

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Hello Canberra,

☁️ Weather: 17° and cloudy.

📆 Today: It’s Friday 3rd May.

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🏓 Pickleball in Canberra

Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the United States, and it's quickly spreading throughout Australia. It combines elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong. It is played on a court about a quarter of the size of a tennis court and uses a lower net. The sport is easier to pick up than tennis and is much easier on the body, so it's perfect for people of all ages.

There are plenty of ways to join in the pickleball craze in Canberra:

Pickleball ACT is a not-for-profit organisation that aims to further the sport of Pickleball in Canberra. They run Pickleball sessions at The Canberra Pickleball Centre (aka The Pickledome) in Fadden and at the Community Sports Hall in Belconnen. They hold regular intro sessions. They are also running Seniors Come and Play Days on May 7-8.

Pickleball Canberra runs coaching programs and social tournaments in Canberra at 4 different locations. They also run free trial sessions for beginners.

And finally, the region now has its first purpose-built Pickleball courts in Queanbeyan. I'm sure we'll see more of these venues popping up over the coming years.

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🌳 City Hill Ideas

The City Renewal Authority recently asked Canberrans for their ideas on what to do with City Hill. A report has been released featuring many of the submissions, and it can be viewed here.

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News: 🏗️ Proposal for Apartments in Tuggeranong Knocked Back

ACT Planning has knocked back a proposal to build more than 300 apartments on Anketell Street in Greenway. The plan was to demolish the office building Guilfoyle House and replace it with two apartment buildings eight stories tall.

In the plans, several south-facing apartments didn't have access to direct sunlight, and the size of the dwellings didn't meet the minimum size requirements as the plans included the enclosed part of the balcony as living space.

The developer Empire Global was also in the news recently when ACAT rejected their attempt at an excessive rent increase in a build-to-rent development.

Empire Global plans to amend and resubmit the plans.

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New Eats: ☕️ Howie Espresso

Howie Espresso is a new cafe on Northbourne catering to the work-day crowd. It features many grab-and-go lunch options and is open Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Details here.

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This Weekend: 🦸 Free Comic Book Day

Free Comic Book Day is an annual event held on the first Saturday of May. Comic Book Stores worldwide give away free comics and offer discounts and giveaways. Here in Canberra, both Impact Comics (City) and Dees Comics (Belconnen) are participating in the day.

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Something to do: 🎵 NFSA Vinyl Lounge

Lovers of vinyl rejoice. Bring your favourite records, share your music stories and hear what's spinning on the National Film and Sound Archive's turntables this month. Details here.

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What's On This Weekend in Canberra

This weekend there is the Museum Market Day, An Urban Wine Walk and a Questacon's Adults Only Night. Get the full rundown of weekend events here.

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Tidbits:

ACT Clubs Involved in Data Breach: Erindale Vikings and Dickson Tradies have both been involved in a data breach hack. Clubs in NSW and ACT were using a third-party software developer, OutABox, which was hacked and, for some reason, had full access to members' personal information. It is possible license scans and signatures were stolen. More

Changes Recommended for Education System: An independent inquiry into literary and numeracy at public schools has made eight recommendations to improve the education system. The ACT Government has agreed to the recommendations in principle. More.