Good morning central Victoria!
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
We’re in for a mostly cloudy day with a medium (40%) chance of showers this morning - Bendigo 11, Echuca 14, Maryborough 11, Kyneton 9, Redesdale 11, Castlemaine 10.
Catch up on news around the region here:
Golden day for Bendigo netballers: CAITLIN Thwaites and Bec Bulley have added their names to Bendigo’s growing list of sporting world champions. More here.
Business binned in council green waste plan: The City of Greater Bendigo has conceded a local green waste collection business will almost certainly be forced to close once the council starts its own organic waste collection program. More here.
Two-car crash near Lake Weeroona: The driver of a 1938 Ford suffered a suspected broken nose and non-serious chest injuries after being involved in a two-car smash on Napier Street at Lake Weeroona. More here.
Bendigo flooded with ‘cost-shifting’: Forcing councils to help pay for works to prevent future floods places another unfair burden on ratepayers, City of Greater Bendigo mayor Peter Cox says. More here.
Convicted murderers, rapists and drug traffickers are among the 10 most wanted fugitives on the run in Australia. Today, Crime Stoppers and the police will launch a joint manhunt for Australia's most elusive criminals and suspects. More here.
Need a national news snapshot first thing - well, we have you covered.
► GRIFFITH: A vicious attack in a Griffith backyard has resulted in the death of a blind dog known for her sweet nature. Bella, a Jack Russell cross, had lost both of her eyes some time ago, but that didn’t stop her from greeting Suzanne Harris at the door. Suzanne described the attack as a terrible tragedy and wanted people to be aware of the incident so they could protect their own animals. More here.
► ALBURY-WODONGA: If feathers are fashionable and colour is making a comeback, these silkie chickens are ahead of the flock. More here.
► LAUNCESTON: Two people are on the run from police following a violent Ravenswood home invasion that saw a 70-year-old grandmother of five assaulted in the early hours of Sunday morning. More here.
► ILLAWARRA: The NSW Greens are calling on the state government to take up part ownership of the Port Kembla steelworks. At the party’s state conference in Gloucester at the weekend, the NSW Greens unanimously endorsed the campaign to mandate the use of at least 50 per cent Australian steel in all taxpayer-funded infrastructure projects. More here.
► NEWCASTLE: A man has died after his vehicle left the road and hit a tree at Freemans Waterhole on Sunday morning and further north, a motorcyclist died after his bike left Putty Road and crashed at Milbrodale. More here.
► MANILLA: He was the happy-go-lucky guy who had a smile that could light up a room. Andrew Sebka was the familiar face in Manilla with the black hat – and he never took it off, according to friends who have paid tribute to their friend, who died in a tragic boating accident at Split Rock Dam on Wednesday. More here.
► BUSSELTON: PRESSURE is mounting on the South West Football League to implement drug testing across its player group. The Busselton Football Club is exploring the option of drug testing after a former player was charged with possession and intent to sell and supply a prohibited drug. More here.
► MAITLAND: Maitland women pregnant with multiples are being warned against posting images of their bodies on Facebook following reports that an online predator is stealing photographs for a pregnancy fetish website. More here.
► MOUNT ISA: Three juveniles are in custody after a fire engulfed a building at a Mount Isa school on Friday night. More here.
► WIMMERA: LONGERENONG hosted its eighth annual Longy Seeders and Strippers Ball on Saturday night. Check out the photos here.
► Malcolm Turnbull is cementing his lead over Tony Abbott as the most popular choice as Liberal leader and prime minister across all major voter groups, according to new polling which also shows the Coalition is facing a 36-seat electoral wipeout. More here.
► A Bondi local has been hailed a hero after rescuing a drowning swimmer off the rocks between Bondi and Tamarama beach on Sunday night. More here.
► Victorian businesses are urging the state government to reconsider plans for a Friday public holiday before the AFL grand final, as a survey of employers reveals three-quarters intend to close for the day to avoid the extra wage bill. More here.
► NSW has added almost 25 per cent more jobs than the rest of the nation combined in the past six months, underscoring its status as Australia's top-performing state economy. More here.
International news
► BEIJING: The official death toll from the fiery explosions in the Chinese port city of Tianjin has risen to 112, as authorities confirmed there were likely "hundreds of tonnes" of sodium cyanide stored at the hazardous chemical storage facility which ignited the spectacular blasts. More here.
► BANGKOK: A six-month-old baby girl is trapped in the Thai capital in a bitter custody wrangle between her Thai surrogate mother and her biological father. More here.
► BANGKOK: A senior Malaysian minister has warned of a plot within his country's ruling party to topple the government, the latest twist in an internecine power struggle in the Malaysian capital. More here.
On this day
► 1959: Kind of Blue by Miles Davis, the much acclaimed and highly influential best selling jazz recording of all time, is released.
The faces of Australia: Maria Stefanidis
WRITING, like life, doesn’t always go to plan, according to Lavington author Maria Stefanidis.
“People can't really plot their lives, although people say, 'Where would you like to be in five years, 10 years' time?',” she said.
“I mean, there are ups and downs in life so you just more or less let your characters guide you and then a little bit of imagination and oh, it just seems to fall in place."
And so it went in Stefanidis’ book The Sunny Side of the Street, just released by Sid Harta Publishers. Read more here.