Hunter roads: All Hunter roads are clear this morning.
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Hunter trains: There is a good service on the Central Coast and Newcastle line and the Hunter line.
Hunter weather: Partly cloudy and windy in Newcastle (21 degrees), windy day with clouds in Raymond Terrace (21 degrees), windy day with clouds for Maitland (22 degrees) and a cloudy day with winds in Scone (21 degrees).
Hunter beachwatch: Strong offshore winds will create some nice clean conditions for surfing, however the swell is expected to fade away quite quickly. The wind will be north to north-west in the morning heading to the west later with the swell from the east around 1 to 1.3 metres. There is a lack of good sandbanks and the waves may get a windblown later in the day. Around town try the reef breaks at Nobbys, the Cowrie Hole, Newcastle, Bar reef, Dixon Park and Redhead. Down south try Hams, Catho and Frazer Park. At Port Stephens try Samurai and One Mile. There’ll still be a few tricky edges if swimming with Nobbys, Bar Beach and Merewether having lifeguards on duty. The water temperature is 17 degrees.
► PETER Andrews has returned to Tarwyn Park to squat in protest until its significance is recognised by a multinational coal mining company and the Federal and NSW governments. More here.
► LORD mayor Nuatali Nelmes is in Singapore this week to attend the World Cities Summit, a conference described as a gathering of key players in the ‘smart cities’ space. However, the timing of her trip has been questioned by some councillors. More here.
► THE all-time favourite childhood game, Pokemon, is back and with a vengeance in the form of an app, which has taken over the streets of Newcastle with Pokefans in a battle to “catch ‘em all”. More here.
► Hunter Development Corporation (HDC) general manager Bob Hawes has resigned after deciding not to reapply for his job under new procedures introduced for senior public service executives. More here.
► TWO black swans have been found dead in a suburban street in Cameron Park, laid out by the footpath in what bird-lovers suspect is a deliberate killing. More here.
► NEWCASTLE’S housing market is expected to buck a national trend that will see falling house prices in most capital cities over the next three years, according to a new report. More here.
► JOSH Howard has no trouble fuelling his appetite for circuits and machinery on his family’s poultry farm in the Upper Hunter. More here.
► A Hunter Valley man who was abused by an Anglican priest in Cessnock in the 1960s is urging others who experienced the same trauma to share their stories with the Royal Commission into institutional responses to child sex abuse. More here.
► BEWARE the stubborn newsagent with a handful of pens and a heart full of courage. A 30cm-long carving knife was not enough to persuade the Hamilton business owner from giving up some cash and cigarettes during an early morning raid on Saturday. More here.
► A FATHER’S complaint about a “blokey” mural at Bar Beach has prompted Newcastle City Council to adopt a new policy on inclusiveness in public art. More here.
► FIRST the house flooded. Then they were out. A Merewether couple has experienced a dose of some of the hard truths of rental agreements, having been told to pack up their Berner Street flat, initially with nowhere to go, because it was deemed “uninhabitable” after a water pipe burst. More here.
► Jarrod Mullen shapes as the likely replacement for Jack Cogger in the halves on Sunday when the Knights host Melbourne at Hunter Stadium. More here.
► Unless you have been hiding under a rock the past few days, you would have heard of Pokemon Go. One of the most popular video games of all time, a childhood favourite for millions across the world, is back with a vengeance in the form of the new app. And now it’s all everyone’s talking about. More here.
► IT’S now nine months since the Rathmines Community Hall was closed due to asbestos concerns, and local frustration is growing at the prolonged shut-out. More here.
► Blackbird Artisan Bakery at Maitland Gaol will host a new monthly event highlighting exceptional people in Maitland and the wider community. More here.
► MASKED men have allegedly held two women against their will for an hour as they ransacked their Medowie house looking for cash and other items. More here.
► Lake Macquarie and Newcastle are set for a cash injection this week as some of the country’s brightest sporting talents converge on the area for the Australian Invitational Youth Games. More here.
► RUSHED to hospital and treated immediately, Tyler Mackersey, 10, was close to a diabetic coma. Outwardly, there appeared little wrong other than his increased thirst and urination that his mum, Megan, had put down to dehydration. More here.
► MARIA’S Farm Veggies at Williamtown has entered into voluntary administration. More here.
State of the nation
Need a national news snapshot first thing - well, we have you covered.
► LAUNCESTON: The story of three-year-old Zara Tuckerman, diagnosed with leukaemia, has touched the hearts of Tasmanians after her relatives in Launceston launched a fundraising campaign. Zara, who lives in Geelong, was diagnosed with the cancer last Tuesday after feeling unwell for a number of weeks.More here.
► BENDIGO: A Judge has refused to allow a man accused of murdering three people in Wedderburn to change his guilty plea. Ian Francis Jamieson, 65, pleaded guilty to the murders of Greg Holmes, Peter Lockhart and Mary Lockhart, but has since attempted to change his plea to not guilty to one of the murders. More here.
► FLETCHER: A couple from Fletcher has had a lucky escape after an eight tonne runaway truck and trailer ploughed into their bedroom, a few hours before they were about to turn in for the night. More here.
► VICTORIA: Victoria Police has used the 40th anniversary of the introduction of breath testing to discuss extending the zero blood alcohol limit until the age of 26. More here.
► TUMUT: Expectant mother Naomi Williams arrived at Tumut hospital on January 1 complaining of a headache. She was sent home and died hours later of cardiac arrest. An autopsy revealed she had died of meningococcal and septicemia.More here.
► ILLAWARRA: A crim has stolen $3000 of goods from a home at Warilla, including a 70-kilogram bathtub. More here.
► MOUNT ISA: State Member for Mount Isa Robert Katter, 39, has popped the question. ABC journalist Daisy Hatfield, 26, announced her engagement to Mr Katter on Facebook Sunday, with many congratulations to the happy couple from family and friends. More here.
► LAVINGTON: Phone records put before a Supreme Court murder trial jury have confirmed Lavington man Luke Hargrave was on the phone at the time he was fatally shot. More here.
► WARRNAMBOOL: Which region takes the gong for being home to the slowest train service in Victoria? More here.
► MARGARET RIVER: In the wake of call for public comment on a proposed rehabilitation facility in Metricup, residents have voiced both their support and concerns over the planned hospital. More here.
National news
► Marriage equality will be the first test of Bill Shorten and Malcolm Turnbull's commitment to find common ground in the new Parliament – but don't hold your breath on a joint approach. More here.
► According to a new report, most Australians think parenting is all about raising happy kids, which comes naturally to happy, "normal" people. Parenting experts warn this is an unproductive view, and parents should instead focus on cultivating their child's social, emotional, intellectual and physical capabilities. More here.
► Mail theft and identity fraud has been on the rise, with organised crime syndicates taking advantage of Sydney's apartment boom and targeting the clusters of letter boxes. More here.
► All job interviews can be nerve-wracking, but the applicants who queued from 6am on Monday to apply for a gig at a boutique hotel faced a particularly daunting challenge. They had to re-enact the scene from Zoolander where the male models competed against each other in a catwalk "walk off" challenge. More here.
National weather radar
International news
► LOUISIANA: As the lone woman stood in front of a row of riot police in the US, her flowing dress and bare arms in sharp contrast to the officers' armour, she gave off an air of peaceful determination and defiance. More here.
► VATICAN: Pope Francis has appointed former Fox News executive Greg Burke to head the Vatican's press office. More here.
On this day
The magnetic-driven, red-framed drawing tool Etch A Sketch is celebrating its 56th birthday today.
The concept of the Etch A Sketch came from Frenchman Andre Cassagnes, who experimented with various mediums for some years before partnered with American Paul Chaze, who owned a plastic modelling company, and Chaze’s accountant Arthur Granjean.
More than 175 million Etch A Sketchs have been sold across the world.
The faces of Australia: Rob Gibbs
Landscape artist and The Big Issue vendor Rob Gibbs is continuing to overcome all hurdles to pursue his dreams.
Gibbs, who lives with an acquired brain injury and was was born without a fully-formed right hand, will hold his second exhibition at Mattelles Cafe from now until November 1.
He said he hoped the artworks would capture the attention of diners and patrons of the Block Arcade.
Gibbs trained as a painter about 20 years ago and has since undertaken private tuition with a local art teacher.
He describes his works, which he paints with both hands, as self-taught and solo. Read more here.