BY OLIVIA DILLON
Police are appealing for assistance to locate a woman missing from Maitland.
58-year-old Taylor is missing from her home in Ashtonfield and police hold serious concerns for her welfare.
She is described as being of East Asian appearance, 165cm tall, around 75kg in weight, of a medium build, and has black hair.
Anyone with information on her whereabouts is being urged to contact Maitland Police (02 4934 0200), or Crime Stoppers (1800 333 000).
BY OLIVIA DILLON
Police are asking residents to be on the lookout for a teenage boy missing from Raymond Terrace.
13-year-old Hunter was last seen at 9:00pm on Monday the 18th of December, 2023.
At the time, he was wearing a black T-shirt, black denim shorts, a black cap, and running shoes.
He's described as being of Caucasian appearance, 175cm tall, of a thin build, with a pale complexion, and short, dark brown hair.
Anyone who's seen him or knows where he may be, is being urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
BY OLIVIA DILLON
Lake Macquarie Police are appealing for assistance to locate a wanted man.
29-year-old Ayden Stott-Griffin is wanted by virtue of an outstanding warrant for domestic violence-related offences.
He's described as being of Caucasian appearance, about 175cm tall, of a solid build, unshaven, and with dark hair.
He is known to frequent the Belmont area.
Anyone with information into his whereabouts is urged not to approach him, but to call Triple Zero.
BY OLIVIA DILLON
Three men have been charged following an alleged affray at Swansea.
At about 6:20pm on Saturday the 16th of December, 2023, police arrived at a licensed club on Bridge Street and were told a man had been asked to leave after displaying aggressive behaviour.
A short time later, an argument broke out between staff and his associates.
Two men, aged 37 and 55, allegedly broke through the front doors of the premises, which had been locked, causing them to smash.
They, along with another 75-year-old man then re-entered the venue and assaulted two employees.
As a result, one 39-year-old man was taken to the John Hunter Hospital where he was treated for lacerations to his head and a dislocated finger.
The other 24-year-old employee did not report any injuries to police.
Following inquiries, the three men were arrested and each charged with multiple offences.
They've all been granted conditional bail to appear before Belmont Local Court on Wednesday the 24th of January, 2024.
BY IAN CROUCH
More strike teams are heading to the Lower Hunter on Friday morning to relieve weary firefighters battling a huge bushfire near Cessnock.
Three separate fires joined to create a dangerous fast-moving fire which threatened the townships of Abermain, Kurri Kurri, South Weston and Pelaw Main.
The fire has burnt through more than 600 hectares leaving Teasdale Tyres at Weston in ruins along with a number of homes.
Although the fire is listed at Advice level, work is continuing to bring the blaze under control.
Inspector Ben Shepherd from the Rural Fire Service says the exact number of properties lost is yet to be determined.
"We have what we call building impact assessment teams. They'll move across the fire ground today just trying to establish what exactly has been lost," he said.
Six schools are closed on Friday due to the fire threat.
They include Abermain, KurriI Kurri, Edwards, Pelaw Main and Weston Public Schools as well as Stanford Merthyr Infants School.
Almost 1600 properties remain without power around Abermain, Weston, Sawyers Gully and Neath. Ausgrid hopes to have complex repairs competed by 10.00am on Friday.
Meanwhile, a fire which threatened homes at West Wallsend has also been downgraded to Advice level overnight and is now under control after burning through more than 60 hectares.
Many residents were forced to flee their homes but there are no reports of property damage.
Both the M1 Pacific Motorway and Leggetts Drive at Richmond Vale have re-opened to traffic.
Crews will again be on alert on Saturday, with an elevated fire risk expected.
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| Teasdale Tyres and a car on fire at the height of the blaze. Picture Sky News |
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| Image: Newcastle Herald |
BY IAN CROUCH
Lake Macquarie Council is on a collision course with the state government over the future of the Myuna Bay Sport and Recreation Centre.
Councillors voted on Monday night to support a motion to try to save the centre and demand the deed of agreement between Origin Energy and the NSW Office of Sport and Recreation be released.
The state government wants the site flattened amid concerns it could be threatened in the event of an unlikely major earthquake being triggered by the nearby coal ash dam.
This is despite work continuing on an Embankment Stabilisation Project which is due for completion next year.
Council will seek approval from Lands and Property Minister, Steve Kemper to refuse the DA to demolish the site, saying it would not be in the public interest, based on the following reasoning:
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| The Myuna Bay Sport & Recreation Centre was closed without warning in 2019 |
BY LAUREN FREEMANTLE
A Hunter firefighter who lost his own home in a fierce bushfire has been recognised for his heroic efforts at a ceremony at Mayfield West Fire Station.
Steve Cox, a Senior Firefighter with Fire and Rescue NSW, was battling blazes at Kurri Kurri on October 16 when he received a call from neighbours saying his house at Givan, near Stroud, was ablaze.
The 60-year-old raced home as his wife, Lyne, gathered their dogs in the car and drove through flames to escape.
The intensity of the blaze meant Steve and Lyne's home was destroyed, along with the dozen Holden cars Steve had spent years restoring.
More than 700 hectares of bushland was scorched in the Girvan bushfire on October 16 and 17, 2023.
Despite the devastation of losing his home, Steve joined a local Rural Fire Service crew and helped to save three neighbouring properties from the bushfire.
Alongside his mother and wife, Steve was presented with replacement medals by Fire and Rescue NSW Commissioner, Jeremy Fewtrell, recognising his heroism and broader 33-year career as a firefighter.
"Steve is the epitome of a selfless firefighter," Commissioner Fewtrell said.
"To disregard the destruction of everything you own to help others takes a special kind of person.
"We are very proud of Steve's courage and dedication to duty," he said.
Colleagues said replacing Steve's medals was the least they could do to help, as Steve focuses on rebuilding his home in the new year.
"I'm very proud to receive this gesture," Steve said.
"We'll go on to rebuild our lives but I never thought I'd see the likes of my fire medals again."
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| Well deserved: Senior Firefighter Steve Cox shakes hands with the FRNSW Commissioner, Jeremy Fewtrell. |
BY IAN CROUCH
Police believe a wanted man from Sydney could be in the Hunter.
43-year-old Mohammad Mehedy is wanted on two outstanding warrants relating to alleged domestic violence offences.
He's described as being of Indian Sub-Continental appearance, about 160cm tall with a thin build, brown eye, dark brown skin and a receding hairline.
Police say he is known to frequent the Maitland area as well as several western Sydney suburbs.
Anyone who knows his whereabouts is urged not to approach him but to call Triple Zero immediately
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| Wanted man Mohammad Mehedy |
BY IAN CROUCH
A man and woman remain under police guard in hospital following an alleged pursuit which ended in a fiery crash at Rankin Park.
Around 10.30am on Thursday, officers attempted to stop a white SUV on Fowler Street at Hamilton South -it's believed the car had been reported stolen.
They gave chase when the vehicle failed to stop but terminated the pursuit for safety reasons.
The Polair helicopter tracked the car to Sygna Close at Rankin Park where a 26-year-old woman got out - she was taken to Waratah Police Station before being taken to hospital for assessment.
The car then crashed off McCaffery Drive into bushland and caught fire.
A 27-year-old man was treated at the scene before being taken to the John Hunter Hospital in a serous but stable condition.
It's expected the pair will face a bedside bail hearing today (Friday 8 December, 2023).
Police are appealing for anyone with information or dashcam footage to contact Crime Stoppers.
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| The burnout car being recovered from bushland at Rankin Park Picture: Newcastle Herald |
BY OLIVIA GOELDNER
The State Member for Upper Hunter has said he will continue to fight for the reinstatement of the Regional Seniors Travel Card.
The $250 card provided a much-needed boost to the travel budget of seniors across the Hunter, allowing them to complete daily tasks like attending medical appointments or visiting family and friends.
The card has since been scrapped in the current NSW budget, leaving many feeling left behind.
Dave Layzell says a petition debate held on Monday advocating for the return of the vital resource was gagged in Parliament.
"At the end of the day, there is one Government in charge at the moment and they are the ones who make the decision on the card and they are the ones who've decided to cut the card, so were saying to them 'reverse that decision' because it is a popular card that does a lot for the community."
He says he will continue to present the matter to Parliament next year, saying the needs of our seniors should no longer be ignored.
"The enormous good this card does for our community means that we will continue to fight for our seniors."
BY IAN CROUCH
Cessnock Council is looking for state and federal government support for road improvements as the city faces a population explosion.
Population forecasts from 2018 have been revised, with Cessnock seeing an annual growth rate of 3.8%, to be one of the fasted growing areas in the state alongside Maitland.
Mayor Jay Suvaal says remote working flexibility, lifestyle and cheaper real estate are proving to be big drawcards for new residents.
By 2041, Cessnock's population is tipped to reach more than 112,000 residents, an increase of 67 per cent.
Council's placed it's 2023 Traffic and Transport Strategy out for public comment.
It includes upgrades to Wollombi and Maitland Roads, the addition pf northern and southern link roads into the CBD, duplication of the existing Main Road corridor to Maitland and investigations into the best use of the Cessnock Branch Railway corridor.
BY IAN CROUCH
Two teenage boys have been left shaken but unharmed after getting into trouble off Newcastle Beach on Sunday night.
Police say just before 7.00pm, the 15-year-olds entered the water but swam out too far and caught caught in a rip.
Two board riders on the shore noticed them struggling and paddled out to rescue them.
The pair were checked over by paramedics before heading home.
It comes after the search for a man in his late teens or early 20's was called off last week after he got caught in a rip and disappeared off Stockton Beach.
BY IAN CROUCH
Investigations are continuing into a head-on crash at Seaham which has left two men in hospital, one with life-threatening injuries.
Emergency services were called to New Line Road about one kilometre south of East Seaham Road just before 4.00pm on Thursday where two utilities had collided.
A 57-year-old man driving one of the cars was airlifted to the John Hunter Hospital with critical abdominal injuries.
The other driver, a 60-year-old man, was taken by road ambulance to the John Hunter with soft tissue injuries and bruising.
Crash investigators and specialist units from Sydney examined the scene for several hours, with New Line Road re-opened to traffic at about 10.00pm.
BY HOLLY FISHLOCK
Additional places in STEM courses will be open at the University of Newcastle next year, in a bid to help grow the skilled workforce required to deliver AUKUS nuclear-powered submarines.
The Albanese Government is investing $128 million to fund an additional 4,001 university places across Australia. In Newcastle, 140 places have been allocated.
These additional places will apply to 38 STEM-related courses, designed to attract more students to train in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Federal Member for Patterson Meryl Swanson said she's celebrating the move.
"I'm delighted to say that the Albanese Labor Government has funded 140 additional places at the University of Newcastle over the next four years for STEM related subjects such as mechanical engineering and chemical engineering," says MP Swanson.
Ms. Swanson says it is important to increase training in STEM-related fields, as careers in these industries in Newcastle are in high demand.
"It's incredibly important that we do grow the workforce that is needed for the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarines. In addition to that, it's also important that we constantly work with our businesses in the local area.
"The reason it's so important that we increase people taking up STEM courses is because that's where the jobs of the future in our region are going to lie. As a government we've recognised that, and that's why we've supported and funded these 140 places at Newcastle University over the next four years,," she said.
Eligible students are able to apply and commence studies for STEM courses from the beginning of 2024.
BY IAN CROUCH
Hundreds of Lake Macquarie residents remain without power on Thursday morning after a wild storm tore through the region late on Wednesday afternoon.
Several trees came down in parts of Cessnock, Morisset and Southern Lake Macquarie and there were reports of flash flooding.
More than 700 homes and businesses are still without power in Buttaba, Arcadia Vale, Wangi, Dora Creek, Morisset and Martinsville.
In one incident, the roof of a carport was blown off at a home in Baker Street, Dora Creek which blew across the street, cutting power lines.
120 volunteers from 30 SES teams have been busy attending to 158 calls for help in the Northern Region of NSW which includes the Hunter.
The SES says there were 30 jobs in Cessnock, 35 in Wyong, 30 in Cooranbong and 18 in Taree.
Most of the calls were for fallen trees, leaking or damaged rooves and downed power lines.
The storms brought more welcome rain to parts of the Upper and Lower Hunter, with 40mm recorded at Broke and 31mm at Dora Creek.
BY IAN CROUCH
A man is due to front court today (Wednesday 29 November, 2023) accused of assaulting a woman at Scone.
Police were called to Waverley Street in the early hours of Sunday morning following reports an 18-year-old woman had been followed and assaulted by a man before she was able to escape and run home.
Officers searched a home on St Aubins Street on Tuesday and seized several items for forensic analysis.
They also arrested a 26-year-old man and charged him with sexual touching, common assault, choking and intimidation.
He's been refused bail to face Singleton Local Court today.
BY OLIVIA GOELDNER
A cheque for $1.3 million has been presented to Newcastle Council to assist with the expansion of the Newcastle Art Gallery.
The payment was drawn from the Art Gallery Redevelopment Fund, consisting of funds raised by various community donations over a decade, held by the Newcastle Art Gallery Foundation on behalf of the City of Newcastle.
Closed for construction in January 2022, the Newcastle Art Gallery's long-awaited expansion is set to double its size, allowing more of its nationally-recognised collection to be displayed to the public.
Construction is expected to be completed at the end of 2024.
Upon accepting the cheque, Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the development would not have been possible without the public's help.
"The committed could only be supported by very exceptional philanthropic donations that were a mixture of grassroots foundation funding that has occurred over the last decade."
Former Lady Mayoress Cathy Tate added, the expansion is a much-needed development.
"The best regional collection in Australia could not be denied an extended home; we've waited so long, but it is so wonderful to see the hoardings up and see the construction has started.
BY JACK SEYMOUR
The Newcastle Supercars Supporters Facebook group is questioning a motion set to be tabled for tomorrow night's City Council meeting which would effectively abandon any future races.
The proposal would see the removal of key infrastructure used in the East End for the Newcastle 500.
Group administrator Mitchell Griffin said a successful motion would go against comments made Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes and NSW Premier Chris Minns, praising the event's success and calling for an contract extension.
"We've seen Supercars come out and say they're open to a contract renewal. We've heard from the Premier who's keen for the event to go ahead and even back in September, the Lord Mayor said she'd be happy with a five year extension," he said.
"So it really does bring the question "Why shut the event off completely?" when there is the opportunity there to have those discussions and look at the potential of a much longer event should negotiation go ahead next year."
The motion notes the City's decision last month to support Cessnock's bid to host the V8's at the proposed Wine Country 500.
BY IAN CROUCH
The search continues for a teenage girl reported missing from the Hunter Valley.
15-year-old Sophia Holden was last seen travelling in a white Holden Cruze with the NSW registration DZX 29U driven by an 18-year-old woman known to her in the Paxton area at about 3.30pm on Saturday.
It's believed the pair may be travelling to Victoria
Police and family hold concerns for her welfare.
Sophia is described as being of Caucasian appearance, 160cm tall with a thin build and long brown hair.
She was last seen wearing glasses, white hooded jumper and grey shorts.
Anyone with information is urged to call Cessnock Police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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| Missing teenager, Sophia Holden |
BY IAN CROUCH
A search will resume at 8 o'clock on Monday morning for a man missing in the water off Stockton Beach.
At about 3.00pm om Sunday emergency services were called after a number of swimmers were in difficulty.
Three were rescued from the water, however one man couldn't be located.
One of the swimmers was taken to hospital as a precaution - the others were not injured.
Police, surf lifesavers and the Hunter's Westpac Rescue Helicopter searched the water and surrounding beaches until the search was called off for the day at 7.00pm.
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| The Westpac Rescue Helicopter joined the search for the missing swimmer |
BY IAN CROUCH
A man has died in a two car crash at Ravensworth.
Emergency services were called to the New England Highway just after 4.30pm on Thursday to reports a ute and a sedan had collided.
The driver of the sedan, a 60-year-old man was treated by paramedics; however he died at the scene.
The driver of the ute, a 57-year-old man , was taken to hospital for mandatory testing.
Investigations into the cause of the crash are continuing and report is being prepared for the Coroner.
