Appeal to help find missing person

BY JORDAN REGNIS

Police are appealing to help locate a girl missing from the Hunter region.

15-year-old Sophia Holden was last seen at an address on Frances Street Paxton, around 3pm on Tuesday.

There's concerns for her welfare due to her age.

She's described as being of Caucasian appearance, around 160-165 cm tall, with a thin build, brown hair and blue eyes.

She's known to frequent the Newcastle and Esk in Queensland areas.

Anyone with information into her whereabouts is being urged to contact crime stoppers.

 

Rural Property At Wollombi Destroyed By Fire

 BY IAN CROUCH

Fire has destroyed a rural property at Wollombi overnight

2 Fire and rescue and 7 RFS trucks were called to the unoccupied property on Narone Creek Road at a bout 6.30pm on Sunday.

It's taken about 5 hours to fully extinguish the flames - crews had to relay water for about a kilometre to reach the house.

It's believed the residents are away on holidays.

The cause of the fire is not known at this stage.

The house up in flames at Wollombi Picture: Paxton Fire & Rescue

Fire Causes Damage To Former Newsagency At Paxton

 BY IAN CROUCH

 Fire has damaged the former newsagency at Paxton this morning.

Firefighters from Paxton and Bellbird were called to the brick and iron building on Millfield Road just after 1.30am on Thursday to find a fire in the kitchen area.

It's taken two hours to extinguish the fire, which was confined to the kitchen area - the rest of the building sustained smoke and water damage.

The owner of the building was inside when the fire broke out and wasn't injured.

Fire investigators will arrive later this morning to determine how the fire started, although it's not being treated as suspicious.

Fire & Rescue Duty Commander, Roger White says the fire should serve as a reminder for property owners to ensure they have working smoke alarms.

"It means we can be alerted to a fire quickly and get on top of it before it takes hold," he said.

Moderate Flood Warning Issued for Wollombi Brook Area

BY ISABEL EVERETT

A moderate flood warning has been forecast for the Wollombi Brook area.

The flooding will impact the towns and surrounding areas of Broke, Bulga, Laguna, Millfield, Wollombi, Brickmans Bridge, Ellalong, and Paxton.

The Wollombi Brook at Bulga may peak near 3.70 metres around 7:00 pm on Tuesday with moderate flooding.

The Wollombi Brook at Wollombi is expected to remain below the minor flood level.

The Bureau says people in areas likely to be impacted by flooding in Low-lying areas of Wollombi Brook Area should prepare for potential isolation and possible evacuation.

People in areas likely to be impacted by flooding should consider:

• Refraining from driving or walking through flood water   
• Road closures and flood isolation may impact on work, family and educational commitments
•  Monitoring emergency warnings and severe weather updates on NSW SES Hunter Facebook Page and Bureau of Meteorology website   
• If your property is at risk of inundation, please raise moveable items, such as furniture, as high as possible onto benches or tables, placing electrical items on top 
• If you are advised by an emergency services officer to evacuate, please do so  
• Securing outside belongings and before leaving; turn off the power, water and take essential medicines and clothes with you 
• Farmers should move machinery, livestock, pumps and fodder to flood free ground  

Austar Mine at Paxton Allowed to Reopen

BY NAKITA JAGER

Cessnock workers at the Austar Paxton mine, have been told they are now able to return to work following several safety concerns at the site.

Mining operations were shut down at the beginning of the year after coal bursts occurred, similar to the ones which took the lives of two miners in 2014.

Following a safety investigation by the NSW Resources Regulator, a decision has been made to overturn the cease-work order.

Cessnock MP, Clayton Barr, believes the concerned workers should trust the right decision has been made.

"I understand that workers would have some nervous apprehensions about coming back to work," said Mr Barr.

He explained going back to work might mean changing safety procedures, such as propping the roof or the walls to ensure further precaution.

"It might mean that they move into slightly different areas... to make sure that everything is safer," he explained.

According to Mr Barr, the regulators are convinced it is safe to return to work and to take into account the safety precautions which will be put into place from now on.

Picture: Austar- Paxton Coal Mine

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/5420244-16x9-700x394.jpg