The psychologists say telling children fibs even about something fun could undermine their trust in parents and leave them open to 'abject disappointment' when they find out that magic is not real. Bah! Humbug!

Do we tell kids the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy aren't real? Harry Potter isn't real. Batman isn't real. Superman isn't real.

Stop Press was lucky enough to be able to have a quick phone interview with Santa at the North Pole.

"Hey Santa, they say you're not real. Is that true?"

"Ho ho ho. Do I sound like I'm not real? I go back hundreds of years to Saint Nicholas, the patron of children and magical gift bringer."

"They also say some parents use you as an excuse not to give presents to kids who are naughty."

"Being good and doing the right thing is important for all of us. I can tease children if they aren't good and bring them underwear and socks."

"Have things changed for you in the past few years?"

"All those newfangled online retailers want to be the new Santa. All people have to do is go click and their gifts arrive by mail. Delivering gifts is my thing and I'll keep doing it."

"Any advice for parents?"

"Yes. I wish they wouldn't eat the biscuits left out for me."

Crossing the street in Orange can be a perilous exercise but pedestrians do it every day, seemingly without a care in the world.

And if you're driving and you knock over one it's your fault and Future City plans to lower the CBD speed limit to 40km/h to supposedly make it more pedestrian friendly isn't going to change things.

Impatient people won't wait for a minute or so for a green 'walk' light so they ignore the red 'don't walk' and wander across busy intersections whenever they feel like it despite the busy traffic.

Pedestrian crossings, too, are mostly ignored, unless of course it's that fool thing in Anson St, while people cross streets, many jaywalking, wherever they like, dodging in and out of cars as they go.

But what's the answer? We could have a copper standing at intersections handing out fines to pedestrians walking against the lights although that's obviously out of the question because there's barely enough police to go around now on some shifts.

So that fence the RMS once proposed down the middle of Summer Street is looking good.

COVID-19 is a global pandemic affecting millions of people but we still have people out there acting like total irresponsible idiots no doubt believing it's all a conspiracy.

We've got Health Department tracers working 24/7 to track and contact people who attended the hot spots in the Northern Beaches and greater Sydney to avoid further transmission of the virus.

But their efforts are being hampered by nutters who have been signing into pubs and cafes with wrong phone numbers and fake names like Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse.

As the health minister said: 'That's as stupid as it gets...'

The Central Western Daily relies on your support to keep doing what we do. If you're not already a subscriber, please consider coming on board. For as little as $3 a week for full digital access, a subscription represents great value.