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Well, not just Wallsend. Powerful winds have rattled all corners of the Hunter, with trees down on homes and cars and almost day-long power outages in Gloucester.

Notorious paedophile priest Vincent Gerard Ryan, who had 37 known victims, has died at the age of 84. Ryan worked as a parish priest across the Hunter Valley until he was first jailed in 1996. The Catholic Church never removed his title of Father despite his convictions.

 A University of Newcastle study has found almost one-third of heart attacks are diagnosed late in smaller hospitals, but the paper revealed one practice helped rural hospitals recognise attacks quicker.

Shortland MP Pat Conroy has been appointed to the outer ministry, as Minister for Defence Industry and Minister for International Development and the Pacific.

Jordan Brodie Miller, 21, is standing trial in Newcastle's Supreme Court for the murder of 18-year-old Emerald Wardle at their Metford home in 2020. Miller took the stand, explaining his claims he believed he had "killed a demon", while police presented body-cam footage.

Newcastle-born actor Zac Garred was one of the stars of Occupation Rainfall, and now the action-packed dystopian drama is getting a part-two.

While his day job is working cattle, Mitch Russell has spent the past few decades finding a thrill on the back of a bucking bull. He's competed in national competitions, but says it's time to hang up the boots. 

For so many women, pregnancy is a long slog. Morning sickness, cramps, cravings and swelling are what most new mums go through. But for Emma Fitzsimmons, the first sign of a new baby… was the birth.

Getting a national call up to represent your country is a huge honour, and something Newcastle Northstars players Ethan Hawes and Connor Shultz will be doing later this year.

PFAS contamination has been a headache for Williamtown locals for years. One company from Brisbane says it’s developed a technology that can isolate and destroy the bad stuff. 

To celebrate 90 years of the ABC connecting communities, we're encouraging you to make a pledge to volunteer 90 minutes of your time. We're aiming to reach 500,000 minutes across the country, so we've partnered with Volunteering Australia to help you get creative in your community.

Pledge your time and we'll send you everything you need to get started, including an #ABC90for90 toolkit, badges and profile picture filters to share on social media.

A horse or a house?: The second most expensive horse ever sold at Queensland's Magic Millions Broodmare Sale has a local link. Hunter stud Newgate Farm's offered 'Away Game' to the sale, which went for an eye-watering $4 million.

AGL de-merger fails: Energy giant AGL has dumped its plan to split its coal-fired assets from the rest of the business, after a chorus of investors — including Atlassian billionaire Mike Cannon-Brooks — made it clear that they'd oppose the move.

Origin appointments: Newcastle Knights Captain Kalyn Ponga will be squaring up for the Queensland Maroons this State of Origin series, alongside centre Dane Gagai. Forward Jacob Safiti will take to the field for the Blues.

Plastic bag ban imminent: Single-use plastic bags are now banned in NSW, and retailers caught supplying them could face fines of up to $275,000. The ban came in on June 1.

Transport strike action: The Rail, Tram and Bus Union says planned strike action by Newcastle bus drivers this week won't affect school services. Bus drivers will walk off the job on Friday for four hours because of stalled pay negotiations with operator Keolis Downer.

Coal port turns blue: Newcastle's main coal loading terminals will light up blue from Wednesday, in support of the Mark Hughes Foundation Beanies for Brain Cancer fundraising campaign.

Festival of the Fleeces around the corner: Merriwa's biggest day, including the iconic running of the sheep, will return for the first time in two years. Organisers are already well and truly ready to roll.
 

Aerial shots provide such an amazingly different perspective compared to views from the ground, don't they? This image of Catherine Hill Bay Jetty is by UAV Squad - Aerial Imagery NSW and was shared via #ABCmyphoto on Instagram — which is how we noticed it!

You can show everyone what the world looks like where you live by using the hashtag on Instagram or by uploading your photos online here. 

One word. Brrr! Thanks to the Moonan Cottage for sharing this pic of the first snowfall of the year in the Barrington Tops. And it looks like the chill will continue during the next few days. There’ll be morning frost in the Upper Hunter tomorrow, with showers here and there for the remainder of the week across the region. Top temperature? Only 17 degrees! Dust off those coats! 

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ABC Newcastle acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn and work.