8.15am:
GUNNEDAH: Answers have been sought why a regional development plan which aims to drive agricultural and resource productivity in our area, has largely omitted Gunnedah from its focus.
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8am:
TAMWORTH: Mourners including Lee Kernaghan gathered in Tamworth on Tuesday to farewell the late John Minson. Mr Minson was one of the founding fathers of the Tamworth Country Music Festival.
7.45am:
Are you willing to save a stranger’s life? You might not know Joe, Leonnee or their son, but this is their story. Read more here.
7.30am:
ARMIDALE: NEW England police are appealing for public help to find the owners of a rare medal found in Armidale. Detectives have been trying to find the owner of the Order of the British Empire medal, which was found earlier this month.
7.15am:
REGIONAL POLITICS: Barnaby Joyce has wiped his hands of Tamworth airport’s struggle to get more flights into Sydney, saying his portfolio had no oversight of the laws governing aircraft slots at Sydney Airport. Read more here.
7AM:
Good Morning and welcome to Wednesday, It’s Hump Day! And there’s plenty of news about, here’s your latest national news.
Need a national news snapshot first thing - well, we have you covered.
► NEWCASTLE: One of Newcastle’s busiest roads was brought to a standstill on Tuesday as a man suspected of a triple stabbing and two armed robberies in the same night held police at bay in a siege that lasted hours. Read more
► COOTAMUNDRA: A little boy has died after he was unknowingly hit by a car at a Cootamundra home on Tuesday afternoon. Police say a car was leaving the driveway of a home when the three-year-old was struck. Read more
►KATHERINE: Today marks 75 years since Katherine was bombed by the Japanese during World War II. The Katherine raid came at the tail end of the wet season in 1942, a hail of shrapnel and high explosive from high in the sky. It was the furthest encroachment of enemy invasion ever recorded on mainland Australia but most people have never heard of it. Read more
► TAMWORTH: Hundreds packed out Tamworth Regional Entertainment and Conference Centre to farewell former Great Britain rugby league representative and long-time Tamworth resident Michael Adams on Tuesday afternoon. Michael has been remembered as a sporting hero, devoted family man and a fiercely loyal friend to all those he met in his 65 years. Read more
►BALLARAT: Clunes looks set to be the next town to embrace plastic bag-free living thanks to a push from Wesley College students to implement a boomerang bag system throughout the town.
National news
►Former prime minister Julia Gillard has been appointed as chairwoman of the national depression initiative beyondblue, replacing former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett. Read more
►Police minister Troy Grant has been fined $325 for taking a photo of a sheep with his mobile phone while he was behind the wheel of his car. Mr Grant was stopped for road works and snapped the picture of a ewe, which was in the boot of the car ahead of him. He later posted it to Twitter. Read more
►Kate Zizys, 46, has been underemployed her entire working life in Australia. Earning less than $20,000 a year from casual work, she is one of 1.1 million Australians who want more hours of work than they are getting. New figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show the official unemployment rate has increased from 5.7 to 5.9 per cent. Read more
► Food companies are being accused of hiding the unhealthiness of products by keeping the packaging void of health star ratings. Read more
National weather radar
What’s coming your way ...
International news
►WASHINGTON: There was the first formal revelation that the FBI is investigating possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign; and there was a new benchmark in fact-checking - the President's real-time tweets were being checked with intelligence chiefs even as they continued to testify before the House Intelligence Committee. Read more
►DILI: A veteran guerrilla commander is heading for a decisive victory in East Timor's presidential elections and is expected to be sworn in as the country's next head of state in May. Read more
►LONDON: Britain has set its date with destiny confirming its two years of negotiations to split from the European Union will begin next Wednesday, March 29. Read more
On This Day
1802: Matthew Flinders names Kangaroo island in South Australia for the fresh food it provides his crew.
1897: Edmund Barton heads a conference to discuss the proposed constitution for the Commonwealth of Australia.
1923: French mime artist, Marcel Marceau, is born.
1942: Nine Japanese aircraft bomb the town of Katherine in Australia's Northern Territory.
1974: Tasmania records its highest rainfall within a single day.
1987: A barge carrying 3,200 tons of trash leaves New York Harbor in search of a dumping ground, only to return months later, still carrying the trash.
The faces of Australia: Richard Turner
Yenda Public School farewelled an icon on Friday afternoon as veteran teacher Richard Turner wrapped up a 37-year career in teaching.
Teaching staff, students and community members paid tribute to Mr Turner’s years of teaching at a community picnic held in his honour, a mark of respect for a man held in high-esteem in education circles.
