Plus, driverless bus hits the streets, community sport is back, and Black Lives Matter protest goes ahead
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Newcastle's new 'rare' coronavirus case | |
| Newcastle has had its first new coronavirus case in 76 days and health officials say it is an unusual one. A traveller who was released from hotel quarantine after testing negative returned home to Newcastle and then developed symptoms. | |
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Wrangling red tape to get out of Fiji | | A former | | A former Lake Macquarie man now living and working in Fiji has spent weeks grappling with coronavirus restrictions as he tries to get his pregnant partner back home to the UK to give birth. They hit another hurdle this week when NSW cut passenger numbers on flights to ease pressure on hotel quarantine, affecting the plan the couple had for travel via Sydney. | |
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Look, no hands! | |
| A driverless bus hit the streets of Newcastle picking up passengers this week as part of a three-month trial of the new technology. Unfortunately, COVID-19 restrictions will mean only three passengers can use the service for now. | |
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Prison inmates stitched up | |
| There are plans for a new textiles facility to open at Cessnock jail in the Hunter Valley. Inmates will get the chance to learn new skills and make prison uniforms. It's a boost for the town where a major textiles factory closed in 2009 putting 400 people out of work. | |
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Newcastle BLM protest goes ahead despite police challenge | |
| About 1,000 people gathered in Newcastle on Sunday for another Black Lives Matter rally. The event was given the green light to go ahead on Friday when NSW Police unsuccessfully applied to the Supreme Court to have the protest stopped. | |
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Community sport makes a COVID-safe comeback | |
| With the easing of coronavirus restrictions, kids' sport has now returned, with soccer clubs across the Hunter some of the first back on the field. For many young players it was a welcome relief to be reconnecting with friends. | |
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Newcastle's new Storyteller scholarship winner | |
| The Hunter's Emma Myers has been announced as the new winner of the ABC's Regional Storyteller Scholarship. The 26-year-old university student has cerebral palsy and wants to inspire change when it comes to how people with disabilities are portrayed in the media. She'll be joining the team at ABC Newcastle very soon. | |
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What else made news this week? | |
| Monday: Passengers flocked to Newcastle Airport to get on a flight back to Melbourne after the NSW Government announced it would close the border with Victoria to slow the spread of coronavirus. A wild dog eradication program is making in-roads, with more than 300 problem dogs removed in the past three years. Tuesday: Two brand new electric double-decker trains arrived at the Port of Newcastle. You can see the rolling stock being delivered here. The Waratah Series 2 trains will undergo testing at Newcastle's Cardiff workshops. The operator of the Hunter's Liddell power station has been fined $15,000 for excessive dust emissions from its coal ash dam. Wednesday: Fifteen police officers from Newcastle have been sent to the NSW/Victorian border to help enforce the closure measures. They will be rotated over the next six weeks. Defence contractor Lockheed Martin has signed a five-year, $50 million contract with Defence that will create a handful of new jobs at Williamtown. Thursday: A 30-year-old man faced Maitland Local Court charged over the death of another man at Cessnock rubbish tip on Sunday night. He's accused of being behind the wheel of a four-wheel-drive that hit and killed the 54-year-old. An Upper Hunter horse stud, Aquis Farm, announced it is moving to Mudgee. Forty local jobs will be affected. | |
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What people liked on Facebook and on air | |
| When the planets align: A special sight on Sunday night for stargazers. Jupiter and Saturn lining up below a full moon, pictured here above Merewether Beach.
Former Newcastle Anglican Dean hands back OAM: Graeme Lawrence, the most senior Australian Anglican to be convicted of child sex abuse offences, has resigned his Order of Australia medal.
Bus interchange opens: Newcastle's long-awaited bus interchange opened in the city's west on Sunday. The interchange sits on the former Newcastle Store site.
The joys of magpie song: The sound of magpies singing is one of our favourite things, but Dan and Jenny found there may be more to the warble than we thought.
Learning from the drought: ABC Upper Hunter rural reporter Mike Pritchard gave us an in-depth look at what local farmers have learned after one of the region's worst droughts.
The Grandparents Club: Mornings presenter Kia Handley found out about the special online club accepting members from across Australia and helping grandparents deal with social isolation. | |
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Meet our new deputy chief of staff Kylie Morris
| | Kylie has just returned to Australia after 22 years living in various places overseas, most recently Washington DC, studying and working for the BBC and Britain's Channel Four news. She loves being a journalist as it's endlessly unpredictable and puts her in the company of strange and wonderful people.
Outside of work, Kylie loves nothing more than being at home with her husband, two kids, and their new dog. She insists she is a terrible cook, but has an enduring passion for new recipes to murder. Her favourite foods tend to be sweet or greasy, or both. Favourite authors are Austen, and Dickens for hard times. | |
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