BREAKING! Teen Glassed During Street Altercation In Newcastle West

 BY IAN CROUCH

A man is due to face court today accused of glassing a teenager during a street altercation in  Newcastle.

Police say the 18-year-old victim was walking along Hunter Street near Steel Street with a young female at about 4am on Sunday when 3 people in a car started verbally harassing the young woman.

They drove off but returned a short time later with a 34-year-old passenger allegedly getting out of the car and hitting the young man over the head with a bottle.

Police say a 27-year-old man in the car was also involved in the altercation - he's been charged with affray and granted bail to face court on June 23.

The older man's been refused bail to face Newcastle Court today charged with affray and actual bodily harm.

Police say the driver, a 27-year-old man, has been charged with unlicensed driving and low range drink driving.

The 18-year-old victim received stitches for a cut above the eyebrow.

Police say all three people in the car had been drinking.

Hunter Street Turns Single Lane For Bike Lane Trial

BY DAKOTA TAIT

Hunter Street will rely on just one lane in each direction to make way for a trial of brand new bike lanes in the city's west.

Single direction bike lanes are currently being installed on both sides of the road between National Park Street and Worth Place.

A number of on-street parks and bus stops are also set to be moved, and the speed limit reduced to 40 kilometres an hour as part of the project.

No parking spaces will be lost, despite major changes to the road.

Newcastle Cycleways President Sam Reich says he hopes "world standard" bike lane options will go a long way to encouraging more people to get out of their cars and into the saddle.

"The main barriers to more people riding their bikes is not the weather, it's not the terrain, it's not people's fitness," Mr Reich said.

"The factor preventing it is this perception of lack of safety on bicycles, when bicycles mix with traffic."

It's hoped, if the trial is successful, the cycleway could be extended to Islington Park and all the way to Mayfield.

The works are expected to be wrapped up by September.

Image credit: https://newcastle.nsw.gov.au/

Local Businesses' Urgent Plea for Rate Relief

BY TIM MOORE

Newcastle businesses are suffering as high rates in the city place them under serious financial pressure, with many facing a very real threat of closure.

Council is particularly being called on to scrap the Special Benefit Rate (SBR) applied to businesses across Newcastle, Cooks Hill, Hamilton, Mayfield, Wallsend and New Lambton.

However, despite the pleas, Newcastle City CEO Jeremy Bath recently announced a program which will redirect funds away from the Business Improvement Association into running projects and events.

Additionally, despite an announced budget surplus of $11.95 million, little is being done to relieve some of the burdens affecting local businesses, including failure to address reducing parking costs which has been cited by business owners as the number one concern affecting their trading.

Hamilton Chamber President Nathan Errington is among those calling for action, and has said that Council needs to pay more more attention to the needs of businesses in the community.

"Newcastle City Council is failing. We have lost all confidence in the city administration regarding small business, so we're calling them to start listening to the business community... They need some rate relief."

Removal of the SBR has been cited as the main priority for local business, however this call comes alongside several other requests, including identified needs regarding infrastructure renewal and the ineffective financial assistance which was offered to businesses affected by construction during May this year.

Image source: http://www.nobullrealestate.com.au/blog/Newcastle

Hunter Street To Reopen To Traffic Tonight As Light Rail Project Wraps Up

BY IAN CROUCH

The construction of Newcastle's light rail network has finished, with cars able to drive down the entire length of Hunter Street from tonight.

The fences are coming down on the final section between Merewether and Telford Streets.

It's the culmination of 12 months of work which included a major upgrade of the sewer and drainage system, new footpaths and access points to the harbour.

Testing is set to begin in coming weeks ahead of the network's official opening early next year.

It comes in time for tomorrow's re-opening of the restored Newcastle Station, with a free public event to mark the occasion.

More than 3000 people have worked on the Light Rail project.

These Hunter Street Barriers Are About To Come Down Picture: therherald.com.au

Man suffers fractured skull after assault in Newcastle

BY LAUREN FREEMANTLE

A young man remains in the John Hunter Hospital with a fractured skull following a one-punch attack in Newcastle over the weekend.

He's reportedly regained consciousness after being punched in the face and hitting the pavement while crossing Union Lane around 11:40 on Saturday night.

Police say the 20-year-old became involved in an altercation with the occupant of a white Holden Commodore who then assaulted him, before wielding a bottle and threatening bystanders who tried to intervene. 

The assailant was last seen on Hunter Street but fled from police, while officers spoke to a female driver and another male passenger in the Commodore before releasing them from detainment.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000.

Union Lane, Newcastle. 

Worth Place Reopens Today

BY OLIVIA PORTELL

Motorists in Newcastle will now be able to use Worth Place again this morning, after months of light rail construction.

The closure of the intersection has meant limited access to Honeysuckle Drive since January.

The reopening marks the completion of one of the most complex sections of the light rail construction, according to Revitalising Newcastle Program Director, Michael Cassel.

"Construction at Worth Place was always going to be a challenge, with a number of services of varying types, sizes, ages and conditions crisscrossing just beneath the ground next to trees and their root systems," he said.

However, construction along Hunter Street is not fully completed, with the section between Auckland and Merewether Street set to close today.

"This provides us with the opportunity to get in and complete much of the finishing work in the Civic precinct, which includes building track, Civic stop and footpath works," said Cassel.

"As a result, Worth Place will be the best way to get between Honeysuckle and the city centre while we undertake work."

The closure is expected to last six to eight weeks.

Girls Approached By "School Teacher" In Newcastle

BY IAN CROUCH

Police are searching for a man in his 50's with an English accent who approached two school girls in Newcastle.

The two 13-year-olds were waiting for a bus in Hunter Street at about 3.30pm on Wednesday when the man walked up to them.

Police say the man identified himself as a school teacher before touching one of the girls on the shoulder.

The girls ran to a nearby business, who then contacted police.

The man is described as being of Caucasian appearance, aged in his 50s, about 170cm to 175cm tall, with grey hair, moustache, and beard. He was last seen wearing a green and white striped shirt, tan shorts, white long socks, a straw hat, and black glasses and he spoke with an English accent.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Power outage set to disrupt Newcastle CBD

BY LAURISE DICKSON

Eighty businesses and homes in the Newcastle CBD will lose power for eight hours on Saturday as part of ongoing construction work for the upcoming Newcastle 500 Supercars race.

Ausgrid will cut off the supply to parts of Hunter and Watt Street between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm to allow for the disconnection and removal of street lighting for footpath upgrades.

Businesses were informed about the disruption in the same week as Newcastle City Council announced plans to close part of Watt Street from this week until August 26.

Owner of Rowie's Liquor Store on Hunter Street, Shannyn Robards, fears his business will experience a significant loss of profits due to the power outage.

"It reduces our capacity to trade because we don't have a cash register and an EFTPOS," said Mr Robards.

"During the period of the outage, we would generally take between $2,000 and $2,500 in takings on an average Saturday."

The decision means local businesses in the CBD have been forced to find an alternative electricity supply or face a day of lost trade.

"All we can do is try and source our own generator and take control of the problem ourselves," said Mr Robards.

"It's not only unfair, it's bad public relations."

The Newcastle 500 will take place from 24th - 26th November, 2017.  

Owner of Rowie's Liquor Store on Hunter Street, Shannyn Robards. Picture: Newcastle Herald