MOLYCOP – Newcastle Council Urges State Govt to Use Local Steel

 Newcastle Council will write to the State Government urging it to change its requirements around train wheel procurement.

Council unanimously endorsed an amended motion which calls on the Government to secure local contracts for fleet maintenance.

Operators of Mayfield steel manufacturer Molycop have warned jobs are at risk if the State Government doesn’t stop buying cheap wheels from China, instead of preferencing local suppliers.

Deputy Lord Mayor Charlotte McCabe says Council wants to see heavy manufacturing stay open.

“We’re advocating for our State and Federal Governments to make sure their procurement decisions support local manufacturing and local jobs.

“There was a bit of talk about the work that’s already been done by the Federal Government on things like dumping of cheaper goods into the state, but just continuing to advocate for protecting local jobs,” she said.

Credit / Molycop

E-Motorbike Rider Facing Court After Arrest In Carrington

 BY IAN CROUCH

A Newcastle e-motorbike rider has a date in court next month after being arrested for high range riding on the same afternoon he'd been warned about the legality of his bike.

Officers from Operation Shore Safe spoke to the 35-year-old after stopping him on Wharf Road at about 3.30pm on Sunday and issued him with a warning after educating him about the illegalities of his bike.

Later, the same man was stopped in Cowper Street, Carrington after being spotted riding the bike.

He was subjected to a roadside breath test and arrested after returning a positive result.

He was taken to the Newcastle Police Station where its alleged he returned a reading of .178 - more than 3 times the legal limit.

The man's been charged with 5 offences including high range PCA, never licensed to drive on the road and rider and passenger riding without a helmet.

He's due to face Newcastle Court on December 11.

 

BOLTON POINT – 83 Cannabis Plants Seized From Home

 A 60-year-old man will face court after a hydroponic cannabis crop was located inside a Bolton Point home about midday yesterday.

Police from the Lake Macquarie Proactive Crime Team made the discovery yesterday as part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged illegal cultivation of cannabis.

Electricians attended and discovered power to the house had been allegedly re-routed to avoid the meter box.

The man was arrested and taken to Toronto Police Station and charged with a string of offences to face court today.

Credit / NSW Police

BREAKING! Fatality Stops Trains At Sandgate

 BY IAN CROUCH

Trains have been stopped on the Hunter line following a fatality on Tuesday morning.

Police and ambulance paramedics were called to the overpass near Sandgate Station at about 4.45am to reports a person had been struck by a train.

Police have confirmed a person has died at the scene.

The Transport Management Centre says no trains are running between Maitland and Newcastle Interchange and buses are being organised to replace passenger services.

 

Man to Face Court Following Singleton House Fire

 Court today for a 41-year-old man accused of throwing fuel on a 68-year-old man known to him and lighting a house fire on Castlereagh Street at Singleton yesterday afternoon.

At 5:30pm on Sunday, police were told the older man had rinsed the fuel off and ran from the scene uninjured. A short time later, flames were seen coming from the home, which was later destroyed.

During a search of the 41-year-old man police allegedly located methamphetamine. He was charged with a string of domestic violence related offences to face court today.

File / Wikimedia Commons

CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL – Roof to Get Multi-Million Dollar Upgrade

 The heritage listed Christ Church Cathedral will undergo a major roof restoration over the next 18 months.

The Anglican Diocese says multi-million dollar works include repairing 28 copper roofs, drainage systems and repairing water damaged fabric.

Newcastle Anglican Bishop Dr Peter Stuart says the Cathedral is exposed to all kinds of severe weather.

“Through the storms that we’ve had in recent years and hail damage, there are pock marks all across the Cathedral roof. And so this project is about addressing that rain and water damage and ensuring that the Cathedral is watertight,” he said.

“The wind carries salt water, the salt water gets into the bricks and into the mortar. Effectively, the Cathedral is a building which will need ongoing maintenance, not dissimilar to cathedrals around the world,” he said.

Senior Project Manager at construction firm Duratec MJ Van der Vyver says the Cathedral will remain open.

“We’re starting at the back of the church next year in January, and then anticlockwise around the church up until 2027.

“We’ll be working in stages, so all the work won’t be happening continuously,” he said.

Newcastle Anglican Bishop Dr Peter Stuart

Truck Crash And Fire Closes Southbound Lanes Of M1 At Morisset

 BY IAN CROUCH

The southbound lanes of the M1 Pacific Motorway are closed at Morisset following a truck crash and fire.

Around 11.30pm on Sunday 9 November, 2025 it's understood a semi-trailer loaded with onions crashed into guard rail and caught on fire.

Newcastle Fire Command says the driver was shaken but otherwise unharmed.

Six fire trucks and a duty commander from Newcastle are still at the scene.

An excavator has been brought in to help pull the load apart to allow crews to fully extinguish the blaze.

Crews are currently cleaning up the site and it's hoped the freeway will re-open shortly

In the meantime, motorists can use the Mandalong Road southbound exit to pass the crash scene and rejoin the freeway.