Invercargill's hottest day on record was this Sunday, when temperatures soared to 32.3 degrees Celsius.

Southland is in the grips of one of its driest summers on record, and temperatures are expected to stay high for some time.

A Southland man is being hailed a life-saver after putting himself at risk to save three swimmers in early January.

Shane Malloch of Omaui, 20 km southwest of Invercargill, battled rough waters to save three swimmers who were being dragged out to sea.

A Southland family have been left injured and out of pocket after an attack by a dog – and its owner.

The Williams’ family dog was attacked by a pitbull mastiff on a Riverton beach, but when Bruce Williams attempted to stop the attack, he was assaulted by the dog’s owner.

A new website called Can I Swim Here is making water quality results accessible to everyone, and despite Southland’s intensive dairy industry, only two rivers have areas where there are risks for swimmers.

Hundreds of anxious farmers attended a meeting in Winton last night about the cow disease Mycoplasma bovis.
Three Winton farms are in lockdown after testing positive, and the Ministry for Primary Industries had some questions to answer.

The murder investigation of former Invercargill constable Ben McLean was a difficult and shocking time for his ex-colleagues, according to a police spokesman.

McLean was sentenced to life imprisonment yesterday for murdering his estranged wife, Verity McLean, and the attempted murder of her partner Garry Duggan - crimes carried out while McLean was a serving police officer.

A Southland woman has stepped in to ensure Invercargill’s big Christmas Day lunch event carries on this year.

Melissa Aitken has picked up the job after Mayor Tim Shadbolt, who has organised the lunch for the past three years, dropped out due to personal reasons.

[ Anyone wishing to donate food to this event should contact melissa@melissafitness.co.nz ]