Man on the Run Caught in Warners Bay

BY JESSICA ROUSE

After being on the run since earlier this year, police have finally tracked down a Warners Bay man who was allegedly involved in several police pursuits.

Police from Lake Macquarie Local Area Command were tipped off to the whereabouts of the man by a stolen vehicle parked on Hillsborough Road yesterday.

After further inquiries, and with the assistance of the police dog, officers forced entry into a nearby motel room.

They found three people in the room including the 32-year-old man they were after and two other women.

Officers executed a search warrant and will allege they seized quantities of illegal drugs and more than $1,000 in cash.

The 32-year-old man was arrested and charged with break, enter & steal, predatory driving (x 2), drive conveyance without consent of owner (x 2), police pursuit (x 2), goods in custody (x 2), possess prohibited drug, possess equipment to administer prohibited drug and possess housebreaking implements.

He was refused bail to face Newcastle Local Court today.

The two women were also arrested without incident - A 25-year-old was issued a court attendance notice for possess prohibited drug and will appear in court next year. The other woman, a 35-year-old, was charged with be carried in conveyance and possess prohibited drug.

She was granted bail to appear at Belmont Local Court on January 10, 2018.

Trial Of On-Demand Buses Starts Soon In Lake Macquarie

BY IAN CROUCH

Residents in parts of Lake Macquarie will be able to take part in the trail of a new On Demand Bus service in the new year.

Commuters in Warners Bay, Mount Hutton and Dudley will be able to book a bus to pick them up and take them to where they want to go in the designated "on demand' area.

It's a step up from having to wait for regular bus services on designated routes.

Newcastle Transport operator, Keolis Downer says the trial runs for 12 months from January.

A facelift for Warners Bay foreshore

BY JESSICA ROUSE and GARY JON-LYSAGHT

Works are starting today on a major upgrade to Warners Bay foreshore, including new park benches, trees and even glow-in-the-dark pavers.

The works are all part of Lake Macquarie council's master plan for the foreshore, aiming to bring new life into the area which can see more than a thousand visitors every day.

Mayor Kay Fraser believes the upgrades will hugely benefit the area and bring even more people to the foreshore.

"There's a whole lot of works happening over the next year or two that's going to really activate the foreshore and bring people to the city and spend money. It will be good for business, and good for families wanting to go somewhere different and relax and enjoy the water."

Warners Bay foreshore plan.

The works will promote the beauty of the city with a blue pavement section in the plans, to represent the Lake, with a blue additive which will glow-in-the-dark.

"It's a dark blue and it'll be a real eye catcher," said Mayor Jay Fraser.

"We've also started that sandstone wall, so we're going to have 65m of that continuing along the foreshore. We will also have 500m2 of garden bed and because there's so many people using Warners Bay we're going to put an additional 30 new park benches in as well."

During construction, pedestrian access will be maintained along the foreshore, however there will be some sections closed off to the public throughout the construction.

To stay up to date head to www.lakemac.com.au 

Ram Raid on Warners Bay Hair Salon

BY GEORGIA LUPTON

A hairdressing salon in Warners Bay has been the target of a ram raid in the early hours of this morning.

A utility drove through the front doors of the Hillsborough Road business at around 1:20am, causing extensive damage.

Police believe two men then stole hair products before driving away from the scene.

The vehicle is described as being a white, single-cab utility with a tray back and a black stripe on the along the bottom of the door.

Police are urging anyone with information about the vehicle, or those involved to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or on their website at nsw.crimestoppers.com.au.

Vehicle used in a ram raid at Warners Bay.
Image Courtesy: NSW Police Force.

Thousands Of Hunter Residents Report Loud Explosion

BY IAN CROUCH

 Hunter residents have taken to social media in big numbers overnight to report a loud bang.

People from right across Lake Macquarie, Newcastle, Port Stephens and the Coalfields say they heard an explosion just before 10 o'clock.

Some say it shook their house while others say they saw a blue flash.

It appears to be linked to a power fault at Warners Bay at about the same time, which cut electricity to 19-hundred homes..

Ausgrid says the outage was caused by a possum.