Teacher charged following classroom brawl

A brawl at a Hunter Valley high school has ended with a teacher being charged after allegedly assaulting a student.

It took 50 firefighters to contain a blaze that destroyed the Tamburlaine Organic Wines' function centre after a storm swept through the Hunter Valley last Thursday night.

Dave Layzell holds off Labor's Peree Watson to retain the ultra-marginal seat of Upper Hunter for the Coalition.

Former resources minister Ian Macdonald will stay in jail until at least 2027 for misconduct in public office involving two mining licences.

Progressive think tank The Australia Institute claims NSW could have doubled its coal revenue this financial year if it had adopted Queensland's tiered royalty system which cashes in when prices are booming.

It is 22 years since Newcastle resident Maria felt the familiar rush of dopamine after feeding her last $50 bill into a poker machine. What started as a frivolous 20-cent flutter on the Sunday raffles quickly developed into a dangerous addiction — one that would end before a magistrate.

When a pest epidemic destroyed most vineyards across Europe in the late 1800s, Australia's untouched syrah, or shiraz, vines became the oldest remaining vine rootstock. Now something new threatens them again.

"I love him to bits, but I'm just too busy to read him 15 books a day. And I have a serious case of the mum guilts about it." If that sounds familiar, Newcastle psychologist Pip Johnson is here to help.

The Newcastle Knights' chief medical officer will travel with their star player to North America, where he will undergo testing using a device measuring brain activity that is not yet available in Australia.

Sometimes women just don't want a strange man in the house. Lake Macquarie's Wendy Pinch is a champion for lady tradies.

The cost of living crisis is forcing renters to make incredibly tough decisions. Newcastle woman Cynthia has been denied hundreds of rentals, but says she'd rather be homeless than surrender her furry friend.

Residents return: Residents affected by mine subsidence at Wallsend have been allowed to return home. Some residents were forced to stay in emergency accommodation after an exclusion zone was established at Fogo St on Sunday when damage was discovered at and around the Wallsend Diggers Sports Club. Subsidence Advisory NSW says it's working with emergency services and local agencies to resolve the issue. Another sinkhole was discovered in Platt St on Monday.

Man guilty of sexual abuse: A former lawn bowls coach has been found guilty of four offences involving the sexual abuse of two junior players in the Hunter region. Daniel Norman Hatton pleaded not guilty to a total of eight charges relating to his time coaching junior players in 2011. But on Friday a jury found the 55-year-old guilty of two counts of indecent assault of a person under 16 years old and two counts of aggravated sexual intercourse with a person between 10 and 14 years old. Hatton has been acquitted and found not guilty on the remaining four offences, including one charge of assaulting a person with intent to commit a serious indictable offence. He will be sentenced in early April.

Real estate regulation: The ABC's Four Corners spoke to more than 100 real estate agents, property professionals, buyers and sellers who say the $9 trillion industry is rife with practises including quoting homes for less than they're worth, hidden commissions and fudging figures. Newcastle-based buyer's agent Jack Henderson is in the spotlight for his alleged links to selling agents, raising questions about perceived conflicts of interest in the sector. You can read about it here.

First Nations mine fight: Wonnarua traditional owners have had several big wins in their battle to stop resources giant Glencore mining an area where men, women and children were killed during the Frontier Wars, according to their oral traditions. However, Glencore says the killings took place further afield and it's not abandoning its plans for the Ravensworth Estate. Plains Clan of the Wonnarua People spokesperson Scott Franks spoke with Radio National's Sarah Dingle about the situation. Take a listen here.

Varroa mite detections: The NSW Farmers Association has raised concerns for the agricultural industry as more deadly varroa mite infestations were discovered in the Hunter, Central Coast and Mid North Coast regions last Tuesday. It says the ongoing outbreak is not only worrying for beekeepers, but also for farmers that rely on pollination services. Find out how they are affected here.

Endangered bird success: The sighting of a critically endangered bird in the Hunter Valley is giving wildlife experts hope the species is surviving and possibly thriving. A Regent Honeyeater was spotted near Maitland, 40 kilometres from where it was released. Read more about this little bird's big trip here.

Satur shop fire: Scone has lost one of its few remaining takeaway shops, leaving local customers and its owner at a loss. Fire and Rescue NSW fought to control the blaze at SaturShop in Scone from 10am on Thursday. No-one was injured in the blaze, which was extinguished by about midday.

Home-grown botanical gardens: Dale Frank is internationally renowned for his large and colourful abstract artworks. But for more than a decade, he has turned his historic Hunter Valley property into one giant canvas, creating his biggest, and perhaps greatest, work yet: botanical gardens populated with more than 6,000 plants from all over the globe. He opened his gardens to the public last Saturday. Listen here.

Message in a bottle: In 2020, eight-year-old Vicky wrote a friendly message and placed it in a bottle. Her dad works in the Navy, and he set it adrift off the coast of Newcastle. Now after 808 days at sea, the bottle has been found. Read about the amazing adventure here.

Knights win: Newcastle Knights men's winger Greg Marzhew had a debut to remember with two tries in Newcastle's come-from-behind win over Canberra on Sunday. The Knights were down by six points at the break and held the Raiders to zero in the second half to take the win 24 points to 14. It was the first time the Knights have won at home since July last year. You can read about the match breakdown here.