8.50am: 

8.40am:  A fruit juice with more sugar than coke, you say? - Click here to find out what it is before you pack those school lunches.

8.30am:  TAMWORTH Regional Council is hopeful the state’s new water minister can help solve the Peel Valley’s ongoing problem of crippling water prices.  More here.

8.20am: 

THE rule requiring residents to display water restriction exemption signs might be scrapped amid fears it makes them a target for criminals.

A report to go before Tamworth Regional Council tomorrow night recommends shifting from a compulsory to voluntary display system.   Read all about it, here.

8.10am: and a certain police force up North was a little  bit cheeky on Facebook this morning.  Are you a fan of Game of Thrones - word is you won't have to wait long to find out what happens next!

8AM:

7.50am:  A well known Tamworth businessman and loving father and grandfather will be farewelled at a service tomorrow.  Here's what Shane Dewhurst's family had to say.

7.40am:

7.30am: Another President Clinton in the White House? It could happen if Hillary Clinton gets her way.

Click on the tweet below to find out why.

7.20am: A FATHER and son have been arrested for allegedly assaulting police after the son was pulled over for a random breath test in Tamworth at the weekend.   More on this story here.

7.10am:

A WEEKEND joy flight turned to tragedy yesterday when a light plane crashed at a property near Glen Innes, killing the two people onboard.  - We have the details here.

7AM: YOUR WEATHER:

NORTH WEST SLOPES: Partly cloudy. Winds east to southeasterly 15 to 25 km/h becoming light in the middle of the day. Daytime maximum temperatures 23 to 28.

NORTHERN TABLELANDS: Partly cloudy. Areas of fog early this morning. Winds east to southeasterly 15 to 20 km/h becoming light in the middle of the day. Daytime maximum temperatures between 18 and 24.

Good morning. Need a national news snapshot first thing - well, we have you covered.

It's AFL grand final day and we've got plenty of coverage to keep you going ahead of the big clash on Saturday afternoon. You can send your team a message, find out who's playing where, or take our quiz. But first: Saturday.

7.45am: Former Victorian Government weed eradicators have made startling new claims of appalling safety standards when working with dangerous chemicals in the Ballarat and wider goldfields region. See the special investigation here. 

7.40am: When AFL grand final action kicks off in Melbourne, Bathurst's fanatical Sydney Swans fans Mark and Liz Kennedy will be in the thick of the action. Their AFL grand final pilgrimage to the hallowed Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) started on Thursday with a nine-hour road trip south ahead of the decider between the Sydney Swans and Hawthorn. Read more.

7.30am: A truck driver has died in a crash between two heavy vehicles on the Hume Freeway near Woomargama. The driver’s truck, believed to be carrying a cargo of magazines, caught fire soon after colliding with a tanker, at about 7.30pm on Friday night. Read more.

7.27am: A remote camera has captured an elusive marsupial that hasn’t been seen in the Grampians for 30 years. Read more.

7.20am: In the NRL, South Sydney have ended the Sydney Roosters’ NRL title defence to surge into their first grand final in 43 years with a stirring comeback win over their century-old rivals. Read more. 

7.18am: A Newcastle boy who died due to morbid obesity was the victim of ‘‘medical neglect’’ at the hands of his drug-addicted parents while health workers and government agencies failed to enact a plan to save him, Newcastle Coroners Court heard on Friday. Read more.

7.15am: Work has started on a development to restore a Bendigo landmark to its former glory. Crews from Hopley Demolition on Saturday started dismantling the interior of the Hopetoun Hotel, at the corner of Mitchell and Wills Street. Watch the video here.

7.10am: A doctor has been suspended from Dubbo Hospital following an investigation into his behaviour and clinical practices. Read more. 

7.06am: After more than 30 years as a security guard in Australia and overseas, John Mokomoko is used to the unexpected. But he said delivering a baby in the Launceston General Hospital car park was something else. Read more.

7.04am: In Orange, staff at the Millthorpe Post office and Pharmacy saved Forest Reefs resident Bill Sovdat from being ripped off $1350 when he almost fell victim to an overseas scam. Read more. 

7.02am: Where is the best place to watch the AFL grand final if you're overseas?

7.00am: In Tamworth, the search is on for the Hottest Tradie. Do you have someone to nominate? See who has entered already. 

6.50am: We'll be fair - one for Sydney, one for Hawthorn. And while you're there, why not test your AFL knowledge? Take our quiz

6.45am: In the US, it's #NationalPancakeDay. Here's some breakfast inspiration:

► The pilgrimage has begun. Up to 15,000 Swans fans travelled down to Melbourne on Friday for the biggest day in Australian football this year. Read more. 

► A cabinet decision to sign off on military action in Iraq is just days away, Prime Minister Tony Abbott has revealed. After meeting world leaders at the United Nations in New York, Mr Abbott was flying home to brief cabinet on Australia's participation in joint military action. Read more. 

► Australia is poised to install some of the toughest penalties in the world for disclosing the identity of an intelligence agent as the first raft of national security reforms are set to pass Parliament. Read more. 

► Vodafone is developing a scheme to store details of the websites its customers have visited for up to 90 days. Read more. 

► If you haven't seen this heart-warming video already, watch little baby Lachlan receive a hearing aid and hear sounds for the very first time. 

► West Africa's Ebola virus outbreak was "preventable" and is on the hands of "complacent" institutions that failed to heed stark early warnings, says an Australian aid worker who has returned from Monrovia. Read more. 

► A coalition of 21 organisations working to promote human rights in Cambodia described Australia's refugee deal as a cynical attempt to place refugees who had already suffered persecution in their home countries into further hardship. Read more. 

► Yes, we know the internet is full of cat videos - but if you just can't get enough, here's one that's gone viral this week. 

Two stranded hikers rescued from Mount Bogong have had a chance to thank their rescuers in person. The three civilian search and rescue teams who brought the duo to safety with police were recognised at a Victoria Police awards ceremony in Wangaratta on Friday. Read more.