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An elderly man was asleep in the front room of this Hunter Valley home when the unthinkable happened on Sunday afternoon. 

Adam McCluskey's story is basically your worst nightmare. You're fit and healthy. Then your life is turned upside down by cancer. The treatment was cruel – he even had to learn to walk again.  

It was a surprise move that certainly got the region talking. We all know poker machines are guaranteed money-spinners for hotel owners and the government.  

Domestic violence support groups have joined forces to create a louder voice ahead of the federal election. They say there's an urgent need for safe, temporary social housing for people escaping domestic violence.   

We don't often hear a lot from the Hunter Valley's vegetable growers. But a recent "silly" change to irrigation rules had farmers hot under the collar.  

Let's face it, being an umpire in any sport can be a tough gig. Mark Gilmour became a baseball umpire quite by accident. He never expected that one day he'd be holding the whistle on the world stage.   

Local professor Jenny Martin has been elected president of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. It's an influential role – and she has some strong opinions about the way new doctors are trained. 

These days you have so many options to find out about local issues, including our own newsletter and brand new daily podcast.   

Speaking of the new podcast, are you on top of our Newcastle Hunter Catch Up? Hosted by our very own Kia Handley, it drops each weekday afternoon on the ABC listen app.

The ABC's You Ask, We Answer project collects your questions and puts them to local politicians ahead of the May 21 federal election. Whether you are a voter in the marginal seats of Hunter, Shortland or  Paterson or in our other electorates of Newcastle, New England or Lyne, we'd love to hear from you.

Supercars date doubts: This year's Supercars race in Newcastle's east end seems more unlikely by the day. That's because it's getting too hard to find a suitable race date that works for everyone, including Newcastle Council and Destination NSW. Council says stakeholders like accommodation providers need a lot of lead time ahead of a confirmed race date, which makes a 2023 season opener more likely. The event hasn't been held since 2019, before the pandemic. 

Fatal crash: A man in his 70s was killed in a crash on the New England Highway just north of Muswellbrook on Monday. Police say a ute and a truck collided and the accident caused lengthy delays. A man and a woman aged in their 30s survived the accident and were taken to Muswellbrook Hospital in a stable condition. 

Teacher strike: Teachers from the Upper Hunter travelled to Newcastle as part of the Teachers Federation's second strike in six months. President of Muswellbrook Teachers Federation Jade Lenton says they want a pay rise that keeps up with inflation.

Knights woes: It's a tough time being a Newcastle Knights fan with the team slumping to a sixth straight loss. They went down to the Melbourne Storm 50-2 at the weekend. The team is down on confidence and troops, with a number of players sidelined.

Jets chase the finals: Newcastle Jets coach Arthur Papas has committed to the A-League club until the end of the 2023/24 season. The Jets' chances of making the A-League finals are slim but the team isn't giving up. They're coming off a 3-nil victory and need to win their remaining two games and have other results go their way.

Mat Spillard snapped this stunning bird at Ash Island recently. He was pretty chuffed to have spotted it because apparently the black-necked stork is very elusive. As a number of locals pointed out on our ABC Newcastle morning briefing it's also known as Jabiru. 

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

As the song goes, we've seen some "bright sunshiny" days so far this week but you may have noticed that autumn crispness creeping in during the early mornings. Keep your umbrella handy on Thursday because there's a high chance of showers. Then we should be back to sunny conditions on Friday and right through the weekend. Those daytime temperatures are dipping though. Friday may see maximums of only 15 to 19 degrees.  

And thanks to Sara Dowling for this lovely floral shot!

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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.