Man pulls gun on chef over pork row in Branxton

In a statement issued outside the Newcastle Local Court, Brett Button said he was "devastated" by the 2023 crash.

From his footy club to his father's political opponents, the NSW Hunter Valley community is paying tribute to the 33-year-old and sharing words of love for his grieving family.

A 62-year-old man has been sentenced to three and a half years' jail for wielding a loaded gun in a NSW Chinese take-away, claiming his sweet and sour pork tasted like "rocks".

A love of surfing and the sea runs particularly deep for the Simon family. At the weekend in Newcastle, they got to show off the skills that seem to run in their blood.

A man who killed a woman eight weeks after meeting her at a Central Coast drug rehabilitation centre has had his bid for freedom rejected.

There was not enough evidence to support a charge of murder against a man who had pleaded not guilty to killing a drug dealer in 2021, a court has heard.

With rising costs of fuel, vehicle prices and insurance, combined with a rising cost of living, driving is becoming increasingly unaffordable, especially for those in regional Australia.

Mothers have given tearful accounts of being ignored and mistreated by hospital staff while birthing at public hospitals.

Very low prices for wine grapes and low demand is putting excessive pressure on the wine industry, leading to the formation of a government taskforce to report on the challenges faced by Australian growers and winemakers.

It was a routine army training exercise that went terribly wrong. Three men died and eight amphibious vehicles sank when a convoy encountered bad weather and heavy seas at the Stockton Bight on March 8, 1954.

Six months ago, a freak accident left Manning Gregory wondering if he would ever walk again, but his dreams of a professional surfing career are back on track.

Surf's up: The 38th Surfest Pro is underway in Newcastle. The event will run throughout this week at Merewether Beach, with the final of the men's and women's pro events set to be held on Sunday.

Image: Reporter Keely Johnson speaks with a very happy 18-year-old Queenslander, Riley Munro, after he finished second in his early round heat.

Battery fire warning: The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission says a fatal Lake Macquarie house fire is a tragic reminder of the need to observe safe lithium-ion battery charging practices. The ACCC says such batteries are more volatile than traditional batteries and can present safety risks such as overheating and fire.

Call for more police: Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper says it's not good enough that no general duties police are stationed at Morisset. A new $3.6 million police station was opened in the fast-growing town in 2016. Another 12,000 people are set to move to the area, with housing earmarked for a former golf course site. Mr Piper says there's an inequality in the ratio of police to population between the city and the regions. But Police Minister Yasmin Catley says officers are not confined to their rostered stations so they can respond to incidents right across their local area.

Veterans hub for the Hunter: A veterans and families hub to be established in Maitland will service the wider Hunter region. The federal government has awarded $5.44 million to RSL Life Care for the new hub. It'll act as a one-stop-shop for veterans and their families, offering advocacy, welfare, employment and mental health services, and peer support. Potential locations are being shortlisted.

Teacher shortage concerns: An Upper Hunter school is grappling with a chronic shortage of teachers, prompting calls for state government intervention. Merriwa Central School's Parents and Citizens Association has written to Upper Hunter MP Dave Layzell over concerns about a quarter of positions at the school are vacant. That equates to six teachers and the association says subjects have been cut and some senior students are forced to study via distance education. In a statement an Education Department spokesperson says its school recruitment and placement team is continuing to work closely with Merriwa's principal and director educational leadership to fill the vacancies as soon as possible.

Mayor calls time on political career: Lake Macquarie City Council Mayor Kay Fraser has announced she won't contest the next local government election in September. In a statement Ms Fraser says she's been discussing departing politics with her family for several months and feels it's the right time. Cr Fraser has served on the council since 2004, and as mayor since 2016.

What's next for Morpeth train station? NSW Crown Lands is asking for community ideas on what the former Morpeth train station should be used for. Trains ran between East Maitland and Morpeth from the late 1800s till the early 1950s, but ceased when driving became popular and the Morpeth River Port became obsolete. The station building remains on Swan Street and rail lines have been removed. An online survey on the government's website closes on March 14.

Knights go down in season opener: Newcastle men's coach Adam O'Brien says his team's loss to Canberra last Thursday night lacked grit. The Knights went down to the Raiders 28-12 in front of more than 22,000 fans at Hunter Stadium. Canberra's Hudson Young was sin-binned for a late shot on Kalyn Ponga. O'Brien says the team didn't recover after a Ponga-Gamble try was disallowed in the first half.