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Asbestos contamination from the Wickham woolstores fire has forced the temporary closure of a local school and park, and hundreds of residents are unable to return home. The fire-damaged buildings are being demolished, but there's a painstaking clean-up taking place in surrounding streets.

Kenneth Wayne Grant (pictured middle), the father of former New South Wales police minister Troy Grant (pictured left), has been sentenced to nearly four years in jail for a drunken hit-and-run death in Maitland in 2019.

Gerard Daniel Lazarus will spend up to six-and-a-half years in jail, after pleading guilty to 12 offences relating to two teenage girls. He also admitted to impersonating a school teacher, who had no idea what was going on until he was confronted by one of the victims.

The Prime Minister says Newcastle is one of three possible locations for a base for the future fleet of nuclear-powered submarines. The announcement has been criticised by the Lord Mayor, who says Newcastle has been a nuclear-free city since 1982.

The Ukraine invasion has prompted the United States to ban Russian coal imports, and some other nations are considering similar action. That means demand for Australian coal has increased — and so has the price.

When COVID-19 caused an increase in the waiting time for grommet surgery, local parents became worried about the impact on their kids' development.

Anglican Care has told the residents of Bulahdelah's Cedar Wharf Lodge and Greenmount Gardens at Mt Hutton that it's preparing to close both aged care facilities. The Anglican Bishop says the pandemic, workforce shortages and the age of the facilities are to blame.

We've had our fair share of natural disasters in the Hunter region, so we know what our neighbours to the north are going through right now.

The glitter has washed away, but the spirits are still high from the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade. Local group Newcastle Pride marched through the SCG in rainbow colours, celebrating the diversity of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Did you watch the Mardi Gras parade? ABC Newcastle was proudly cheering on staff members Grant Wolter, Bridget Murphy and Nathanael Little (pictured), who marched with the ABC contingent.

Want more LGBTQIA+ news in your inbox? Subscribe to our ABC Queer newsletter.

Local AFL player signs six-year Swans deal: Hunter-born AFL star Isaac Heeney has signed a long-term deal that could result in the 25-year-old spending his entire career with the Sydney Swans. Heeney thanked his family for contributing to his success, saying the effort they took to drive him to and from Sydney has played a huge role in his career.

Baths heritage bid: A community group has stepped up its efforts to stop the natural rock floor at the Newcastle Ocean Baths from being covered with concrete. Just days before the $14 million upgrade is due to start, the Friends of the Newcastle Ocean Baths have lodged an urgent interim heritage order with Heritage NSW in an attempt to stop the work.

Show time in Newcastle: Organisers of the Newcastle Show say they've been blown away by the turnout to this year's event, despite a rainy lead-up. More than 55,000 people visited the show during three days.

Sportsground upgrade: Newcastle Council has applied for a $5 million grant from the state government to complete refurbishment works at Number One Sportsground. If its bid is successful, the funding will be used to increase the size of the existing grandstand to provide upgraded amenities for players, officials and spectators. It's hoped that a refurbished grandstand will help attract first-class cricket and AFL matches to Newcastle.

Morisset link promise: Federal Labor says it would spend $30 million upgrading a major road link between Morisset and the M1 Pacific Motorway. Modelling undertaken by Lake Macquarie Council suggests the upgrade to Mandalong Road could unlock more than 6,000 new jobs and 4,500 new homes, as well as more than $1 billion in capital investment.

Karen Soper took this top shot of the sea foam whipped up at Merewether Beach at the weekend. Thanks Karen! You can show everyone what the world looks like where you live by sharing your images via #ABCmyphoto on Instagram or by uploading your photos online here. 

Days of severe weather have brought flooding to the Hunter. The Hunter River and Wollombi Brook saw the highest flood levels, bringing road and school closures and some evacuations from low-lying areas. The east coast low causing all the weather problems has now moved away, although damaging winds and heavy seas are still affecting the coastline. The heavy rain has cleared to showers, which will persist into the weekend. Temperatures will sit around the mid-20s.

This image of rising floodwaters at Singleton was supplied by Tom Lidden, SES.

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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.