Plus, organic market impacted by weather, angry asbestos meeting, and here comes the rain
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Market gardeners struggle with heat and drought | |
Slow Food Hunter Valley chairwoman Amorelle Dempster says climate change is the number one issue facing Hunter Valley farmers. When the Earth Market in Maitland returns next week for the new year, Ms Dempster says people are "not going to see all those summer crops we would normally expect". "The farmers will be there, but the crops will be vastly reduced," she said. | |
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Questions remain around school asbestos | |
Parents from a Newcastle school say they are pleased the State Government will replace several facilities where asbestos has been discovered. But many remain worried, with head of the school council for Newcastle East Public saying there are still some unanswered questions. Angry parents and neighbours fired heated questions at the New South Wales Government and experts on Monday night at an information session at Newcastle East Public School, amid the asbestos crisis. | |
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Tracking app sparks student union outrage | |
Student attendance at the University of Newcastle in 2020 will be monitored using data from students' mobile phones. But the move has drawn fire from the student union, which described the policy as "a gross invasion of privacy". University heads say the tracking will help students achieve the mandatory 80 per cent attendance needed to pass courses. | |
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Blood-sucking insects here for the long haul | |
How bad are the mozzies at the moment? Unfortunately, an explosion in mosquito numbers around Newcastle and the greater Hunter is set to continue for the next few weeks. But despite the increase in mosquito numbers, the prevalence of cases of Ross River virus in humans remains low, with Barmah Forest virus notifications similar to previous years. | |
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Seismic testing delayed after backlash | |
Centennial Coal has delayed its plan to conduct seismic testing across four square kilometres of Lake Macquarie on Monday. The testing, involving sonic underwater blasts, was due to start on Monday but has been delayed a week following a community backlash over concerns it could damage marine life. The company wants to do testing between Wangi Wangi, Swansea and Murrays Beach, in an effort to map the lake floor in relation to its coal mining. | |
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