Can the men's Knights win it all?

Newcastle supporters are overjoyed by the Knights' win over the Raiders, which could lead to the men's team winning a premiership for the first time in more than 20 years.

With finals football returning to Newcastle for the first time in almost 20 years, Knights past and present have revealed why the Hunter loves its rugby league like some places only think they do.

The tragic final moments of a disaster at sea are outlined to a coronial inquiry by the son of a Lake Macquarie man who disappeared after his boat capsized.

Adam Green admits placing 1,170 bets on fixed matches in Ukraine from his Newcastle home.

A public memorial service will be held next month to honour the memory of 10 people who died when the bus they were travelling in rolled at a roundabout near Greta in June.

A jury has been discharged after hearing months of evidence in the trial of Cecil Kennedy, who prosecutors alleged had given Jordan Thompson a dose of Endep because he wanted to keep him quiet.

The NSW corruption watchdog confirms it is investigating whether Tim Crakanthorp breached the ministerial code of conduct over a failure to disclose all of his family's property holdings.

The NSW government plans to boost the budget by close to $3 billion over four years with the increase. The mining sector says it is a "significant additional impost", but is relieved the state did not follow Queensland's model.

The NSW Environment Protection Authority alleges Delta Electricity, which owns Vales Point Power Station, is responsible for the deaths of thousands of fish at Mannering Park in 2022.

An Upper Hunter rural support worker is encouraging people on the land to maintain social connections and look after their mental health, as they again navigate drought.

Steve Basedow and Joel Berryman were among the rescuers who freed the stranded animal.

Cold case arrest: Police have charged a Hunter Valley man with murder over a decades-long cold case in Victoria. Debra Campbell (pictured above) was aged 21 when she went missing in 1984. A Cardiff South man was arrested and faced Belmont Court, with police also applying to extradite him to Victoria.

Knight's women top the league: It's not just the Knights' men's team having a great end to the season. The women's side beat the Sydney Roosters to rise to the top of the NRLW ladder.

More train services: Singleton train passengers now have more travel options, with extra services permanently added to the timetable. Two daily return train services will permanently operate between Singleton and Newcastle seven days a week. There are now six return services to Newcastle on weekdays and four on weekends.

Escaped burns: The Rural Fire Service's Wollombi brigade is advising landholders not to light fires after a recent spate of escaped burns in the region. The station's captain Rob Tulloch says his crew has been called to more than 20 incidents in the past few weeks, the majority caused by escaped pile burns.

Dredging under way: The long-promised dredging of the Swansea Channel has begun. Transport for NSW Maritime says works to eventually remove about 15,000 cubic metres of sand out of the channel before the end of November began last Friday.

Work begins on eating disorder clinic: The state government says construction has begun on a residential eating disorder clinic in Charlestown. The $13 million, 12-bed centre will open in mid-2024, and will be the first public residential eating disorder clinic in the country.

Health centre funding: The Hunter region's Women's Health Centre in Mayfield will receive a funding boost in the state budget next week. The New South Wales government announced $34 million will be allocated to women's health centres across the state over four years, including in the Hunter region.

'Record-breaking' flight: A critically endangered regent honeyeater has been tracked travelling a massive 350kms in only three months since being released in the Hunter in November. The bird was photographed in April at Kurri Kurri and was seen recently at Coffs Harbour.