Alice Springs and Katherine local news briefing, October 5, 2026 - ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Here's what's making news in Alice Springs and Katherine today.

A Gillen resident was allegedly threatened with an axe during a car theft just after midnight.

NT Police said the victim's keys were stolen in a burglary a week ago, and when the youths returned and gained access to his car, the victim confronted them.

One of the group allegedly produced an axe before driving away.

The stolen car's wheels were later spiked by police, and four youths, aged between 11 and 13, were taken into custody after a short foot pursuit.

Southern watch commander Andrew Dunnage said no-one was hurt.

The mother of a Queensland woman who died in Kakadu National Park three years ago is seeking court orders to force the Northern Territory coroner to hold an inquest.

Jessica Stephens went missing in Kakadu in October 2023 after her mother, Karon Evans, said she was discharged from Royal Darwin Hospital, where she had been receiving mental health treatment in the preceding days.

Documents filed with the NT Supreme Court claim NT Health did not follow its own policies and seek to have her death examined as a death in care.

NT Health has been contacted for comment.

A horse trainer from Walkabout Bore says the Santa Teresa races are about bringing families together following the annual event on the weekend.

Peter Kenny has been attending the annual amateur race meet in the Indigenous community of Santa Teresa, or Ltyentye Apurte, about an hour south-east of Alice Springs, since the 1990s.

His horse Trinity won the first race of the weekend and he said while he loved riding horses and watching them race, the main attraction was seeing children and families come together.