Across the four days, 865 people were arrested and charged, with 269 arrest warrants executed. Across the four days, 865 people were arrested and charged, with 269 arrest warrants executed. Across the four days, 865 people were arrested and charged, with 269 arrest warrants executed. POLICE have charged 865 people with 2,028 offences during a […]
Growth can put spark into younger generations’ future
AUSTRALIA is failing its younger generations and the chair of the Productivity Commission believes a policymaker “growth mindset” can help. Danielle Wood says the generational bargain is in peril. “Young people today believe they won’t live better lives than their parents did,” the head of the nation’s economic think tank will say at the National […]

Progress on Hexham Straight as three-lane traffic opens in each direction
THE first widened section on the Hexham Straight is now open to traffic with three lanes in each direction. Motorists turning left onto Maitland Road from the Newcastle Inner City Bypass are now benefiting from an additional lane for about 650 metres, including an extension to the turning lane from the bypass. There is also […]
MPs call for new disaster declaration
THE Members for Lyne, Myall Lakes and Upper Hunter are calling on the state and federal governments to declare last weekend’s flooding across the region as an additional disaster event, enabling affected landholders and primary producers to access further support. With farms and paddocks across the Hunter and Mid North Coast regions once again inundated, […]
Torrential rain returns for the start of August
‘Lake Monterra’ in Hawks Nest, where floodwaters cannot drain away. Yaccaba Headland vanishes behind the southerly front, seen from the Winda Woppa Erosion Zone. Tree damage in North Arm Cove after a wild night of rain and winds on 3 August. Photo: Stroud SES. Bucketts Way road surface damage on 2 August. Photo: Stroud SES. […]

New terminal opens at Newcastle Airport
The terminal includes new swing-gate functionality, allowing for transition between domestic and international operations. The terminal includes new swing-gate functionality, allowing for transition between domestic and international operations. NEWCASTLE Airport’s brand-new arrivals area is now open. Initially slated for an August launch, the international terminal opened early, following the work of over 2,000 individuals and […]

Final weeks to nominate for Hunter Manufacturing Awards
TIME is running out for manufacturers across the Hunter, Central Coast and Mid North Coast to submit their nominations for the Hunter Manufacturing Awards 2025 (HMA 2025), with entries closing in just a few weeks. Now in its 21st year, the Hunter Manufacturing Awards shine a spotlight on the region’s manufacturing excellence, recognising businesses of […]
‘We have not forgotten you’: flood recovery coordinator reassures Mid North Coast
By Pauline CAIN Dave Owens with Minister for Emergency Management Kristy McBain, Minister for Recovery Janelle Saffin and Disaster Recovery Australia volunteers at Smithtown. Photo: supplied Dave Owens speaking with farmers at Gloucester. Photo: supplied THE Flood Recovery Coordinator for the Hunter and Mid North Coast is encouraging farmers and other […]
Court knocks back Mount Pleasant coal mine expansion
PLANS by mining company MACH Energy to substantially expand its Mount Pleasant coal mine in the Hunter Valley have stalled. The NSW Court of Appeal has found that the Independent Planning Commission’s approval of the mine’s expansion in 2022 was legally flawed. The approval would have allowed the mine to continue operating until 2048, and […]
Arrests over ‘abhorrent’ child-like sex doll imports
SEVERAL middle-aged men have been arrested for trying to get child-like sex dolls shipped to their homes in rural towns. Australian Border Force officers raided and searched properties around the Newcastle and Hunter Valley area arresting four people over the span of about a year in their crackdown on the “disturbing rise in attempted importations.” […]