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Go inside Newcastle's ammonium nitrate plant

Orica's Kooragang Island plant has come under scrutiny following the Beirut explosion that killed more than 200 people. Located 800 metres from homes and within 4 kilometres of Newcastle's CBD, the company says the comparison with Lebanon is "chalk and cheese".

City pharmacist Bob Lundy goes social

When retired pharmacist Bob Lundy started mixing medicines there were three basic types — white, brown and red. Now Bob is explaining the history of pharmacy using ancient vials on the less than ancient Instagram, with Bob's Bottle of the Week.

Coal price plummet leads to mass job losses

Workers at the Wambo underground mine are facing an uncertain future, with half facing job losses. Union officials say as many as 150 workers could be affected.

One road in Cardiff reveals the Covid cost 

Small businesses in the Cardiffd industrial estate have so far survived the coronavirus downturn. But they've told Liz Farquhar that another lockdown in NSW would be disastrous.

Solar bowlos make the switch for Planet A

Meet the coal miners and port workers who changed their mind about renewables, in ABC TV's Your Planet. They're members of bowling clubs in Carrington and Wickham who have crowd-funded solar panels.

Cockatoos carrying on like flamin' galahs

Turns out it wasn’t vandals — this time — but cockatoos who tore up the surface of the Fearnley Dawes Athletics Track in Newcastle West. Listeners told Dan and Jenny their stories of cockatoos being disruptive around their homes.

Hunter artist captures zookeeper for the Archibald

Upper Hunter artist Lord DJ Stief met and painted Mogo zookeeper Chad Staples in the early 2000s. Stief has used the tattooed hunk/zoologist Staples as a muse not once now, but twice.

Rats as big as cats prowl Stockton

Listeners told Paul Turton about native water rats as big as cats spotted at Stockton Breakwall. So we talked to Damien Cook, who told us about the rakali — "a native water rat that's more like an otter".

What else made news this week?

Thursday:

• Scientists have questioned whether the justice system gave enough weight to evidence that children of convicted Hunter Valley murderer Kathleen Folbigg may have died of natural causes. Read more here.
• A NSW detective says new technologies and techniques are being used to investigate rural crimes. A mid-north coast man has been charged with possessing a stolen meat carcass as part of investigations into the illegal shooting of an Angus cow at a Tea Gardens property. Detectives used DNA testing to link remains found on the property with offcuts of the meat found at another property.

Wednesday:

• A freshwater fish species in the NSW Hunter is in danger of becoming extinct because of "alien" fish and weather events. The Hunter galaxias (pictured above) is only known to remain in six locations in the Hunter River catchment. Read more here.
• A Hunter Valley winemaker, whose biggest export market is China, has expressed concern at an anti-dumping investigation by Beijing. Wine is the third Australian industry to be hit by China this year, with beef and barley exports already facing trade sanctions. Bruce Tyrrell from Tyrrell's Wines says the fact there's a number of Chinese-owned wineries across Australia may help the situation because they'd be damaging their own.
• A former Hunter volunteer scripture teacher, serving time for the sexual abuse of boys, has died in prison after serving only half of his minimum 15-year jail sentence. Donald Victor Greenaway was sentenced in 2016 to a maximum 21 years in jail for abusing 21 boys at the Woodlands Boys Home. A spokeswoman for Corrective Services NSW says the 88-year-old was found unresponsive in his cell at Long Bay on Monday.
• National Parks and Wildlife says it will start fining people who take their dogs to Newcastle's Glenrock State Conservation Area. It's urging pet owners to leave their dogs at home, after receiving feedback from the public about the number of dogs in the area, particularly on Dudley Beach and Burwood Beach.

Tuesday:

• Police are examining a fishing boat, intercepted off Newcastle, which they say was carrying a commercial quantity of cocaine. Three men were charged and refused bail over the alleged importation, after a tip-off from an international partner.
• A Lake Macquarie man who ended up in hospital with COVID-19 after disembarking the Ruby Princess says he's still having some breathing problems months after taking the cruise. Jim Hamilton has welcomed the Premier's apology for her Government's handling of the cruise ship outbreak, which saw passengers allowed to travel home without health checks. But Mr Hamilton said it was disappointing that no-one had been held accountable for those mistakes.

Monday:

• A campaign to save the Butterfly Cave in West Wallsend has reignited, with claims the housing developer Roche Group is ignoring the cave's status as a significant Aboriginal site. The cave is sacred to Awabakal women and last year the Federal Government issued a protection declaration over a small parcel of land surrounding it. Annie Freer from the Save the Butterfly Cave campaign says Roche Group still plans to expand its Appletree Grove housing estate up to the edge of the declared site.
• A Newcastle Lebanese family has thanked the community for its support in donating items to send to Beirut, as recovery efforts continue. Madaline Fakhoury, who has relatives and friends impacted by this month's catastrophic explosion, has been collecting essential items such as canned food, baby formula and clothing. The donation drive finished on Sunday and she says the response has been overwhelming.

How's the weekend weather looking?

Will the weather be as delightful as this two-hour-old calf enjoying Vacy's beautiful sunrise this morning? (Thanks to Capt Cow for the pic!). Mmm, not so much. We're in for a windy day on Saturday and a mostly sunny one on Sunday, with minimums in the single digits.

Meet the team: Producer Michael Byrne

The best thing about producing the Drive program, according to producer Michael Byrne, is becoming a part of the local conversation in Newcastle. "And telling stories that matter to the everyday experiences of local listeners," he says.

When not at work you'll find Michael spending time with his four-year-old daughter Lucy and going to gigs, the cinema and the theatre. He's also a beast in the kitchen: "I have messed with many kitchens, trying to make ultimate Indian curries from scratch," says Michael. "And foolishly experimenting with home-grown chillis.

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