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DUBBO | NARROMINE | WELLINGTON | NYNGAN | THE RIDGE | WESTERN MAGAZINE
8.49: Making entertainment news this morning:
THE BACHELOR: It's the gift that keeps on giving. Monday night's interview with The Bachelor's Blake Garvey and Louise Pillidge on The Project was flagged as "the gift that keeps on giving" - and it most certainly is. The Project's Carrie Bickmore travelled to Thailand, spending just four-and-a-half hours in the country to interview Garvey and his new love about their burgeoning relationship. READ MORE HERE
THE ROYAL BABY: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have made it official: the spare to the heir is due in April. In a statement from Kensington Palace, the royal couple said they were "delighted to confirm they are expecting a baby in April 2015". "The Duchess of Cambridge continues to be affected by [severe morning sickness] Hyperemisis Gravidarum, but her condition is steadily improving." READ MORE HERE
8.42: Is it your birthday today? If so HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
You share your birthday reality TV star Kim Kardashian who turns 33.
8.34: Taking a look at today's front pages in the gallery below and to see all the regional Fairfax Mastheads click here.
8.24: Former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam has passed away over night. His family made the announcement this morning. He was 98 years old. More details will unfold over the course of the day.
8.18: Making sports news this morning:
BOXING: After admitting he overcame a battle with depression in the past, Joe Williams won a fight of a different kind of Saturday night, defeating Indonesian opponent Rusmin Kie Raha at Wagga's Bolton Park Stadium. Williams, a former captain-coach of Dubbo CYMS who told the Daily Liberal two weeks ago about his struggles while residing at Dubbo, successfully retained his World Boxing Federation (WBF) junior welterweight world title and also picked up a World Boxing Association (WBA) Asian title with a unanimous points victory. READ MORE HERE
CRICKET: A Brad Cox century wasn't enough to get his side over the line on Saturday as RSL-Colts went down to CYMS by 16 runs in a Pinnington Cup thriller at Lady Cutler 1. The match saw two of Dubbo's best batsmen in recent times go head-to-head with Cougars veteran Jaspal Bansal making 139 on day one last week before Cox finished 115 not out on Saturday as Colts were all out for 224 in reply to CYMS' 240. READ MORE HERE
RUGBY UNION: Saturday's National Rugby Championship (NRC) match between the Country Eagles and Perth Spirit was a homecoming of sorts for Will Weeks. The Eagles 22-year-old replacement hooker hails from Lightning Ridge and you could not wipe the smile from his face after he had the chance to play his trade in front of family and friends. READ MORE HERE
GREYHOUNDS: Friday's final of the Lesley Ann Memorial Handicap (400m) is set to be a bumper event after some eye-catching performances during the heats at Dawson Park yesterday. There were seven heats of the event yesterday and the best time of the day came in the final heat, with the David Grant-trained Blenda getting home in the time of 23.02 seconds. READ MORE HERE
8.10: Did you watch the X-Factor grand final last night? Were you shocked by the results? See what happened below.
In a surprise finish, 15-year-old Marlisa Punzalan has won The X Factor2014.
The teenager from Mt Druitt, NSW beat 22-year-old Queensland crooner Dean Ray and folk-pop trio Brothers 3 to the crown, securing a recording contract with Sony Music Australia.
Going into the final, which was screened over two nights and nearly five hours, Ray was the hot favourite, followed by Mudgee siblings Brothers 3, but strong performances throughout the final saw Punzalan emerge victorious.
We want to know what you think, let us know by answering the poll below:
A highlight from the X-Factor grand final was Taylor Swift's performance of her new single Shake It Off. If you missed it, you can check it out here:
7.59: This man is in shock when he skims a stone on a frozen lake. Check out the video below:
7.50: Taking a closer look at today's front page:
The safety of Dubbo residents could be compromised by the number of dimly-lit areas in the city, the Dubbo Ratepayers and Residents Association (DRRA) has said.
Merrilyn Mulcahy, the president of the DRRA, said there were a number of areas about Dubbo that either did not have enough street lights or where the lights were faulty.
"Statistics show one in six street lights are out in Dubbo," she said.
Ms Mulcahy said poorly-lit areas could have dire consequences for residents and visitors.
"Areas that do not have adequate lighting are very unsafe and quite dangerous. Low lighting encourages bad behaviour,"
- Merrilyn Mulcahy, president of Dubbo Ratepayers and Residents Association
We want to know what you think. Let us know by answering the poll below
7.46: The Narromine News and Trangie Advocate were at the Dandy Cup in Narromine on the weekend. We compiled a Best Dressed gallery. Check it out in the link below and vote on your favourite.
7.40: Looking at national and international news:
RUGBY UNION: Michael Cheika has accepted a three-year offer to take on the Wallabies coaching job left vacant by the resignation of Ewen McKenzie. A source close to Cheika confirmed he would take up the deal and was keen to bring in Stephen Larkham as an assistant coach and Michael Foley to work with the forwards. A smiling Cheika, dressed in a Waratahs tracksuit top and black jeans, confirmed the offer when he spoke to the media out the front of Waratahs headquarters at Moore Park. "It's a pretty humbling experience to be asked to be involved in something like that, but we'll see what happens," Cheika said. More here.
SYDNEY UNIVERSITY Senior academics are waiting in suspense at the prospect of being named as recipients of racist and sexist emails that were sent by English Professor Barry Spurr. Numerous academics at the University of Sydney were among recipients of Professor Spurr's insulting emails, which branded Chancellor Belinda Hutchinson as an "appalling minx" and Prime Minister Tony Abbott as an "Abo lover", and mocked an apparent sexual assault victim. While the university has suspended Professor Spurr pending an investigation, the online journal New Matilda is weighing up the "public interest" in naming university staff on his email trail. Read more.
AGRICULTURE: Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce, who has promised to defend the interests of family farms against threats from mining companies and supermarket giants, has risked alienating some rural landowners with an ambitious dam-building proposal.
Releasing a federal government green paper on agricultural competitiveness, Mr Joyce described working the land as an "inherently noble and good occupation," and said the government wanted to help farmers get better returns. For a farmer to get "between 10 and 15 per cent of the final price when they've done the majority of the work is inherently unfair," he said. More here.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: Even before a formal announcement, the deal for Australia to help Iraq battle the so-called Islamic State which now controls swaths of Iraq and Syria, drew sharp criticism from forces allied to the Baghdad government. As Foreign Minister Julie Bishop was finalising the deal for Australian Special Forces to be deployed in Iraq to "advise and assist the government of Iraq in building up the capacity of the Iraqi security forces", it was condemned by senior figure in three of the Shiite volunteer militias that now prop up the Iraqi Army on the battlefield. Read more.
ANIMAL NEWS: A Tasmanian Devil in a US zoo was killed when a block of asphalt was thrown at it this week.Jasper the devil died when the asphalt crushed his head at the Albuquerque Bio Park Zoo, New Mexico. Police so far believe Jasper may have been hit by the thrown piece of asphalt on Tuesday afternoon and retreated to a log in his enclosure, where he died. His body was discovered Wednesday morning, US time and an autopsy found the devil's skull had been fractured. Read more.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: Tony Abbott met the new Indonesian President Joko Widodo late on Monday night and personally invited him to Brisbane to the G20 meeting next month, but received a non-committal reply. As foreshadowed in an exclusive interview with Fairfax Media recently, Mr Joko is waiting for advice before deciding to make the trip to Australia on November 15 and 16. Read more.
Here's today's Daily Poll. Weigh in on what you think by answering below.
7.33: Checking out the news around regional Australia:
ORANGE: police prosecutor Sergeant Andrew Bobin pleaded not guilty to charges of assault and intimidation in Orange Local Court on Monday. Sergeant Bobin, 41, did not appear in court and was represented by barrister Bill Walsh, who entered pleas of not guilty to the charges on behalf of his client. READ MORE HERE
BATHURST: A young Bathurst man had a knife held to his throat as he was robbed of his phone on Sunday night. The 19-year-old and a friend were walking a short distance to his home on Mitre Street. The robbery took place at around 10.45pm when the attacker stopped the boys to ask for a cigarette and a light. READ MORE HERE
BATHURST ANGLICAN DIOCESE: A month after being asked to come up with $200,000 to help save the Bathurst Anglican diocese, Orange’s Anglican parishioners are a long way from the target, and the Anglican diocese debt has increased by about $14 million.That target fund could have doubled at the last church council meeting if Bishop Ian Palmer’s request for parishioners to pay more was granted. READ MORE HERE
ORANGE: St Vincent de Paul executive officer Ellen Sharp has asked police to track down the man responsible for dumping a large amount of damaged furniture outside the charity’s McNamara Street store on the weekend. Mrs Sharp said images of the man had been captured on CCTV footage and police had been given the partial details of his number plate. READ MORE HERE
TAMWORTH: The highly addictive drug ice is sinking its claws deeper into Tamworth’s underbelly, driving up crime and sparking a dramatic increase in the number of used syringes being found on public land. Workers on the frontline fear the problem could become an epidemic to rival the heroin boom of the 1980s unless drug services and education are bolstered in the region. It comes as the community of Moree debates whether to establish a legal injection centre in the town. READ MORE HERE
ILLAWARRA: He is the blond-haired, blue-eyed larrikin who usually spends his boundless energy tackling big kids on the footy field, hoping to one day follow in the footsteps of his famous cousin, Greg Inglis. But all of that changed for Corey Carlson eight days ago, when the outgoing nine-year-old was hit by a truck as he rode along a Koonawarra street with his cousin, Joel, on Sunday evening. Since then he has been confined to his bed in Sydney Children’s Hospital’s intensive care unit, lying in an induced coma with a machine to help him breathe, unaware of the never-ending parade of family members visiting his bedside. Read Corey's story here.
WAGGA: "He asked us 'do you want to die?' and I said no, not really". It was the Macca's run that turned ugly for three Wagga friends who were threatened with knives and had their ute stolen from the car park of the fast food chain's Fox Street store at the weekend. Just hours before the horrific ordeal unfolded, about 12.15am on Sunday, the trio had celebrated a friend's 20th birthday and visited the Victoria Hotel for a couple of drinks. The designated driver of the Holden Rodeo ute had stopped so they could grab some food when three figures were seen lurking around the Edward Street side of the car park. More here.
7.15: Taking a look at today's local news:
DUBBO: There is confusion within Dubbo's conservation groups after a series of redundancies within Dubbo City Council's Parks and Landcare division left them without a liaison. A source, who wishes to remain anonymous, contacted the Daily Liberal and revealed the council had restructured the department and it is alleged three positions were made redundant, including that of the community participation facilitator. The other two positions believed to have gone are those of the team leader - horticulture and an aborist. READ MORE HERE
WESTERN NSW: Having a splash in the pool is a brilliant way to cool down in the summer months, but the Royal Life Saving Society is reminding residents of the dangers water poses. Learn to swim co-ordinator Melissa Gleeson of Dubbo RSL Health Club, a Royal Life Saving affiliate, said children should be supervised when they were not only swimming, but around water generally. READ MORE HERE
WELLINGTON: Police are investigating a house fire in Pierce st Wellington. A vacant house in the street caught alight st between 330am and 4am on Sunday. READ MORE HERE
DUBBO: A man who crashed through a fence after losing control of a utility has been told he could have killed himself or someone else. Mitchell John Bulmer, 22, was charged with high-range drink-driving and negligent driving after an accident in West Dubbo. Prosecution facts tendered to Dubbo Local Court said the P1 driver had a blood alcohol level of 0.172 when he headed east along Alfred Street at 65km/h. READ MORE HERE
DUBBO: Yesterday Dubbo's Janet Urquhart turned 90 years old, and celebrated the amazing milestone with 46 members of her family at the weekend. Attendees came from as far as Newcastle and Sydney to wish the Order of Australia medalist a happy birthday at the Dubbo RSL Memorial Club. The war widow of 40 years from a farm in the small town of Binnaway raised five children and maintained the farm after the untimely passing of her husband, World War II hero and much loved member of the community, Alec. READ MORE HERE
DUBBO: A photo every day is all the motivation Kristy McGrath needs to cycle 1728 kilometres in 14 days. Ms McGrath passed through Dubbo on Thursday as part of the Ride for Ellie's Smile. Eighteen-month-old Ellie Topliff has been diagnosed with Tay Sachs, a disease which includes a gradual loss of vision, deafness, seizures and gradual paralysis in advanced stages. READ MORE HERE
COBAR Shire Council will contest a fine issued by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) over a fire at its landfill site earlier this year. Council was issued with a $1500 penalty notice for failing to deal with materials at the landfill in a proper and efficient manner which the EPA said resulted in air pollution in breach of the Protection of the Environment Operations Act. It also got an official caution for not immediately notifying the EPA of the incident. READ MORE HERE
WELLINGTON: A barometer of any rural economy is the prices of livestock and crops the experts tell us and at Bella Lana near Dripstone there was real signs the market is steady. Scott and Anna Brien's prized rams were selling well to buyers from as far as Crookwell. In an attractive setting in the blazing sunshine one ram set a blistering mark of $4200. READ MORE HERE
DUBBO: A park at Dubbo popular for weddings will soon offer visitors all its wonders without the need for them to suffer wet feet as they enter. Works begun this week at the Dubbo Regional Botanic Garden are intended to improve stormwater drainage along its internal access road. Dubbo City Council put big machinery into action at the front of the Sensory Garden and Shoyoen yesterday as part of its plan to freshen up the entrance to Elizabeth Park. READ MORE HERE
WELLINGTON: Wellington Council's Technical Services Director Stan Robb says progress on stages of the 353 Road to Dunedoo and diversions for bridge makeovers at Gundy and Dripstone are on target. "We are progressing very well on the 353 Road's sealing work. We thank motorists and the community for their patience but this is moving well," he said. The northern end near the Golden Highway is expected to be completed within weeks Mr Robb said. READ MORE HERE
7am: Welcome to your Tuesday Morning Grill!
You're with Grace Ryan from Narromine.
If you want to see anything specific in the Grill shoot me an email to grace.ryan@fairfaxmedia.com.au
DUBBO / TRANGIE / NYNGAN: will all be sunny. Dubbo will get to 28, Trangie will get to 30 and Nyngan will get to 32. Both Dubbo and Trangie will have windy mornings with winds ranging between 24 and 27 km/h in an easterly direction.
COBAR / BOURKE: will be sunny, Cobar will reach 33 and Bourke 36. Both towns will see a windy morning with winds getting to 24 km/h in an easterly and east north easterly direction.
There is little or no chance of rain in the region.