NRL stars support Indigenous health expo: Singleton welcomed NRL stars Bradman Best (pictured above left) and Latrell Mitchell (centre) to town as part of a health expo aimed at Closing the Gap in engagement with medical services. Best caught an early morning flight from Brisbane on Thursday morning after the NSW Blues's historic State of Origin win to attend the Ungooroo Aboriginal Corporation Health and Wellbeing Expo. Its focus was bringing the local Indigenous community together and raising awareness about the free medical services offered by the corporation.
Image credit: ABC News/Bridget Murphy
Dam's flood earthquake risk: Hunter Water says it needs to undertake more engineering and design work around the Grahamstown Dam after a risk assessment found nearby properties could be flooded in the event of an earthquake. The capacity of the region's largest drinking water supply dam will be reduced to 90 per cent as an interim response. Hunter Water says it will take five to 10 years for a more permanent solution. Residents living near Grahamstown Dam will receive letters about the potential risk of flooding in the event of an earthquake.
Former Labor member to run as Independent: Former Labor party member Ross Kerridge will run for lord mayor of Newcastle as an Independent in the September local government elections. Mr Kerridge lost to Nuatali Nelmes in Labor's lord mayoral pre-selection earlier this year and says the council has been overly focused on privatisation and commercialisation. He spent almost five decades with the Labor Party.
Bridge upgrades complete: More than a dozen bridges have been replaced across the Upper Hunter as part of the New South Wales government's fixing country bridges program. The Dartbrook Bridge near Aberdeen was officially opened last week, marking the final step in the bridge replacement program. Under the program 14 local timber bridges have been replaced with new concrete structures. Upper Hunter Shire Council general manager Greg McDonald says it's a testament to what can be achieved when the state government works collaboratively with councils.
Former bowls club to be revamped: The Awabakal Local Aboriginal Land Council says the former bowling club at Whitebridge will be turned into a community space for the organisation. The Burwood Colliery Bowling Club premises have been sitting vacant since it closed in 2015,and the land council took control of the site in 2018 after a successful land claim. Land council chief executive Kumarah Kelly says the site is being cleaned up and it's aiming for the space to be partly completed by mid next year.
Knights to open NRLW season: The Newcastle Knights will host the Sydney Roosters at Hunter Stadium on Thursday night to open the 2024 NRLW women's competition. The Knights are chasing a third consecutive premiership. Newcastle's playing squad is mostly unchanged, with the biggest change new coach Ben Jeffries.
Finals hopes fading: The Newcastle Knights men's side went down to the Brisbane Broncos 30-14 in front of a home crowd of more than 26,000 people on Saturday night. The loss puts a dent in the Knights's chances of making the NRL finals. Newcastle is four points outside the top eight with just seven rounds remaining. The team has a bye this weekend.