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Tex Hoy creating his own path with the Newcastle Knights | |
| Tex Hoy, the son of former professional surfer Matt Hoy, recently made his debut for the Newcastle Knights. Tex tried surfing but discovered it wasn't for him, deciding team sport was the way to go. | |
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Former MP in court over historic child sex offences | |
| Former NSW Labor MP Milton Orkopoulos has this week faced court charged with 15 historic child sex offences, with the prosecution alleging Orkopoulos repeatedly raped a young boy.
The former Swansea MP spent more than 11 years in jail after he was convicted of 30 drug, child sex and child pornography offences. He was released from jail in December but his freedom was short-lived after he allegedly breached parole on two occasions. | |
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New report shows how climate change will affect Australian wine regions | |
| "We can make plans on what we need to do and how we need to approach the next few decades." That is how winemakers are describing a new research document detailing how Australia's famous winegrowing regions, including the Hunter, will be forced to adapt due to climate change. | |
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Upper Hunter Council elects new mayor | |
| Maurice Collison has been voted in as the new mayor of the Upper Hunter Shire Council. He replaced Wayne Bedggood, who resigned suddenly last week after five years in the role. | |
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Jury trials start again in Newcastle | |
| "One family's case was supposed to start in March, but now they don't know when it's going to start. They're desperate." For victims of crime and their families, the resumption of jury trials could not come soon enough. | |
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What else made news this week? | |
| Monday: - A driver who received a hefty jail sentence after he rammed buildings and cars in a stolen truck three years ago has lost his bid to appeal. In March last year Rodney Johnson was sentenced to more than 12 years jail for the fiery rampage in Singleton. See dashcam video of the incident on our Facebook page.
- The beachside cafe Lexies, closed due to fears it could slip into the sea amid an erosion crisis at Stockton, has re-opened.
Tuesday: - The price of water for Hunter residents will depend on dam levels under a new I-PART plan, which aims to give households incentives to save on their consumption.
- Knights star fullback Kalyn Ponga signed with the club for an extra three years, meaning he will be with Newcastle until the end of the 2024 season.
Wednesday: - There were calls for Upper Hunter MP Michael Johnsen to be sacked over a social media post about Black Lives Matters protestors. The Premier Gladys Berejiklian said while she had not seen the tweet, she urged caution for anyone using social media.
- Police have charged a Hunter Valley man with murder, alleging he deliberately ran over another man with a four-wheel-drive in a Cessnock backyard in 2018.
Thursday: - A public health doctor says flu levels in Australia are beginning to climb now that social distancing measures are being relaxed. Dr Craig Dalton from the University of Newcastle is the co-ordinator of the Flu Tracking surveillance website.
- Finding a car park at Newcastle beaches could be a little easier this summer with Newcastle Council rolling out more smart technology to assist motorists. Read more on our Facebook page.
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Meet one of our Drive producers, Laurise Dickson | |
| Laurise likes that no two days are the same in her role as one of the producers on the Drive show. She says she never knows what's going to happen when she walks into the office and every day is exciting.
Laurise loves to spend time with her dog Gus, down at the beach, at a dog park or in the backyard. She also loves to take the boat out on Lake Macquarie with her boyfriend Jack.
She found it difficult to name her favourite food because she loves everything. But she is partial to a crumbed cutlet and has eaten them at almost every pub in Newcastle!! | |
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