It's been a busy day of news in the Leader office so we thought we'd share what we've been working on with you.

If you have a news tip you'd like to share, send it to hsheridan@fairfaxmedia.com.au

Here's what our readers clicked on today.

A young child is in a stable condition in a New England hospital with  meningococcal disease. 

This  is the seventh case of meningococcal disease in the Hunter New England Health region this year.

Hunter New England Health says close contacts of the child will be prescribed clearance antibiotics. There are no links between  this case and any previous cases.

Public Health Physician Dr Tony Merritt said seeking medical attention quickly may prevent the  development of serious complications. 

Dignity for the dying: Historic step towards medical marijuana reform  A TAMWORTH family’s crusade to have medical marijuana legalised took a historic step forward yesterday when the state government snatched control of a bill to decriminalise the drug for the dying.

Man dies after fire pit fall near Uralla AN ELDERLY man has died after falling into a fire pit near Uralla. About 6pm on Monday, emergency services rushed to Eastern Ave at Kentucky after reports a man had fallen into a fire. The man was pronounced dead shortly afterwards by ambulance paramedics and police.

Kittens in the drawer: tidy job A FRANTIC search for missing kittens came to a delightful end when a local woman reached for a tea towel, only to find the two Burmese nestled in the drawer. Rebecca Webb said the kittens – Chai and Latte – had been missing for 24 hours, and she had stuck up posters and appealed to social media  in the hope of finding them. 

Tony Abbott stripped Kevin Rudd of staff and travel entitlements after winning office Tony Abbott stripped Kevin Rudd of travel entitlements he had granted his prime ministerial predecessor just one month prior, documents show.But the Prime Minister's office defended the action on Tuesday night and said the Coalition had simply unwound special deals cooked up by the Labor Party.

Tamworth: 20  Gunnedah: 17  Armidale: 17.1

Inverell: 22.9 Glen Innes 17 Moree: 24

If you're a fan of seafood then imagine how many squid rings would come from this beauty. A 50kg colossal squid has been discovered. Click on the tweet to view.