| Program celebrates 500th joey: A Tasmanian devil-breeding program in the Barrington Tops, which has been operating for 10 years, is celebrating the birth of its 500th joey. The joey was discovered recently during a regular pouch inspection at Aussie Ark's Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary. It's been named Milo the Milestone Devil. Watch a video Aussie Ark posted of the baby.
More modular homes to be built: Inmates at five rural New South Wales prisons, including Cessnock, have been asked to ramp up their home building efforts to address a housing crisis in First Nations communities. Correctional Services NSW has agreed to increase the number of modular homes it builds. The work benefits the community and research has found prisoners involved in traineeship programs are less likely to reoffend when they leave jail.
Former Charleston MP remembered: Federal and state Labor figures have paid tribute to former NSW Charlestown MP Richard Face. Jack Richard Face died aged 80 last week. Mr Face was a state member between 1972 and 2003 and was the Gaming and Racing Minister in Bob Carr's cabinet from 1995 until his retirement.
Sand wanted at Blacksmiths: A community group campaigning for the improvement of sandbanks at Blacksmiths Beach says sand dredged from Swansea Channel could be piped onto the beach regularly. The dredging of Swansea Channel will begin soon, to allow for safer movement of boats in and out of the lake. The Bring Blacksmiths Back group says sandbanks have been disappearing off the beach, weakening the natural breakwall and affecting surf conditions.
Disturbing shark net data: New data shows a majority of all animals caught in NSW sharks nets in the past 12 months were entangled off Hunter and Central Coast beaches. The state government's annual figures show a total of 228 animals were trapped in nets along the NSW coast between last September and April this year, including 59 threatened or protected species. Between Stockton and Patonga more than 100 were entangled, but just 21 were target sharks. Dead marine life found in the nets included two mako sharks, two leatherback turtles, two green turtles and a bottlenose dolphin.
Gastro outbreak: Hunter New England Health says residents should be on alert for gastroenteritis symptoms as it circulates in the community. The ABC understands a New Lambton primary school had more than 100 cases of gastro among its students and as many as 20 teachers were off work sick with the illness last week.
Varroa zone expanded: Authorities have confirmed the Central Coast and Newcastle varroa mite eradication zones have now merged after a new detection at Wyee. A small Central Coast corridor had been in the surveillance zone until the latest detection last month.
New EA agreed on by uni staff: After two years of negotiations, University of Newcastle staff have overwhelmingly voted in favour of a new enterprise agreement. Some 93 per cent of academic staff approved the offer, which includes a 13 per cent pay rise. It also includes the introduction of life leave for activities such as weddings and school concerts.
Plans to demolish sport and rec centre: A development application has been lodged with Lake Macquarie Council to demolish the Myuna Bay Sport and Recreation Centre in Lake Macquarie. The centre closed in 2019 after findings from an independent review found it wasn't safe to reopen because of risks from the potential failure of Eraring power station's ash dam wall in the event of seismic activity. Plans are under way for a new centre to be built on land previously part of Morisset Hospital.
Knights double: The Newcastle Knights men's team are into the NRL top eight after notching up their fifth consecutive win. The 30-28 win over the Dolphins puts Newcastle in seventh spot, with four rounds remaining. Meanwhile, the Knights' women's side scored a convincing 38-4 win over the Parramatta at the weekend. | 