It's 2022 and the ABC Newcastle team is jumping into the year fresh and ready to share all the important local news, straight to your inbox. Want to let us know what you think of the newsletter? We want to hear it! Send us your feedback.

This week children over 5 have started getting vaccinated against COVID-19, coinciding with boosters being encouraged four months after your last dose. As demand increases, Hunter clinics say they aren't getting enough doses to keep up.

NSW Police were called to Kariong on Tuesday night where they found a 13-year-old boy with stab wounds to his chest. The boy died a short time later in hospital and another 13-year-old boy was later arrested at a home nearby. He has since been charged with murder.

It's a summer unlike anything the Hunter has seen. Musical festivals are being cancelled, popular eateries are half empty and business tourist sites are fielding cancellation calls at a rapid rate. After fire, drought and flood, it was hoped this would be the summer to help communities recover.

Land purchased by mining company Shenhua for a controversial coal mine has been mostly bought back by local farmers. Thousands of hectares of land on the edge of the Hunter region is now owned by 12 families and one corporate body in a mighty $120 million sale.

How can you tell a federal election is imminent? Pollies and hopeful candidates were out and about very early in 2022 visiting communities, meeting with residents and getting a sense of the big issues in the Hunter.

"Disaster might be the right word…" said George Sofianos. His family business has been distributing food around the Hunter since 1933, but with distribution issues and COVID hitting the workforce, the business was forced to close over the festive period.

You want to get in and out of the supermarket as quickly as possible these days, so knowing what to put in your trolley is half the battle. Laureate Professor in nutrition and dietetics at the University of Newcastle, Clare Collins, is here to help

Skywhales coming to Maitland: You can't miss them! At seven storeys high the intriguing figures of Skywhale and Skyewhalepapa are set to soar this weekend. You'll need to wake up early (who knew there was a 4:30am on a Saturday?!), but the team at Maitland Regional Art Gallery say it will be well worth it.

Newcastle nurses speak out: As COVID numbers surge the NSW government says the health system is coping, but many nurses disagree. Joanne Paterson, Nurses and Midwives union delegate at the John Hunter Hospital, says nurses are being asked to do shifts of 12 or more hours as people can't be turned away from the emergency department or maternity ward.

Flood rescue: Four people have been rescued from the roof of their car after it was swept off the spillway into Sandy Creek near Muswellbrook. A 49-year-old man, 16-year-old boy and two girls aged 14 were pulled to safety by rescuers.

Supercars in Newie: The Newcastle 500 was last held in 2019, but organisers of this year's event say they're pushing ahead with preparations for the opening race of the 2022 championship in Newcastle. The bump-in period is due to start early February while conversations continue with organisers, council and the community about whether to extend the Supercars contract for another five years.

Knights NRLW team starts training: The inaugural Knights women's side started training this week with the NRLW set to start at the end of February. COVID has hit the squad, including forward Caitlan Johnston, who says she's feeling good after contracting COVID-19 over Christmas.

Join the ABC for the final match of the Ashes series. Jim Maxwell and Alison Mitchell will call the game online and on the Listen app from the first ball on Friday afternoon. And if you have a favourite men's Ashes cricket moment from the past 40 years, the ABC wants to hear from you. 

Here's a photo so good you could use it as your screensaver. 😉 Local photographer Ryan Willcox shared this pretty photo at Tea Gardens with us: "I stopped on the side of the road to take this. I've always loved this landscape."

You can show everyone what the world looks like where you live by using the hashtag #ABCmyphoto on Instagram or by uploading your photos online here. 

Cloudy days are expected for the rest of the week. You might see some thunderstorms developing throughout Saturday, but otherwise you can expect a shower or two and cloudy days across the Hunter.

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ABC Newcastle acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn and work.