9am: Well that's it from me this morning, hope you enjoyed another edition of The Morning Grill.
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Hope you all have a great weekend and be sure to get out there and support whatever local activity it is you're interested in. We'll be back from 7am Monday to do it all again.
Until then, click on the links below to keep an eye on all our websites for any breaking news plus we'll always let you know what's happening through any of our Facebook pages.
DUBBO | NARROMINE | WELLINGTON | WESTERN MAGAZINE | NYNGAN | THE RIDGE
8.55am: Almost finished here at the Grill for today but here's a quick guide to a few things on tonight:
There's openings at both the Fire Station and the Cultural Centre with some great exhibits on show while out at the zoo there is the Orana Outlook dinner with some very special guests, former Australian rugby player Nick Farr-Jones and also Jonathan Pain.
In sport, there is harness racing tonight at Dubbo Showgound. A seven-race meeting featuring the best local trainers and drivers with the first race at 7.22pm.
8.40am: It's getting close to the holidays and I'm sure a lot of people out there will be packing up the car and heading off somewhere over Christmas and New Years. If you still haven't decided where to go then check out these 12 Epic Australian Roadtrips. Some pretty amazing scenery here, how many of these trips have you been on?
8.30am: We're approaching the end of the Grill for today but before you head off to work here's some of the national headlines so you can join in conversation around the office and impress everyone with your knowledge of current events.
* The $254 million to be slashed from the ABC's budget dwarfs the $59 million in savings identified in a recent efficiency review, Mark Scott has revealed during an impassioned defence of the public broadcaster and its staff.
The Palmer United Party leader removed his microphone and terminated the interview with Emma Alberici on Thursday after the Lateline host's persistent questioning over his Chinese business deals.
* Refugee advocates say Immigration Minister Scott Morrison is in "complete denial" about how the global refugee system works, after his decision to block genuine refugees from resettlement in Australia if they arrived in Indonesia after July.
* Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop has taken a highly unusual swipe at US President Barack Obama over his comments about the future of the Great Barrier Reef.
8.20am: While we're starting to feel temperatures really warm up here, things are far different in North America at the moment with plenty of cooler weather and some epic snowfall.
That's got people remembering this little fella from earlier this year, a panda at Toronto Zoo who just loves the snow. From the 30 second mark on is especially good.
8.10am: It's probably not quite time to go to work yet for a lot of people out there so why not check out some of our great galleries from around the region.
* WESTERN: Some of the best photos at the moment are coming from the harvest gallery competition. Harvest is well under way around the region and we have received some great photos from this busy time of year. Have a look through all these photos and choose your favourite. The winner gets their pic on the front cover of the Western Magazine.
* WESTERN: Flick through this gallery to see photographs which tell the story of your region over the past seven days.
* DUBBO: Yesterday was Throwback Thursday so if you haven't already seen the photos from November 1993 then have a look right here.
* NARROMINE: Narromine also got into the Throwback action with a look at November 2008. Some great pics here.
8am: The main story on the Grill this morning is the fact that Dubbo is the state's leader in solar energy use.
A new study by the Climate Council has praised Dubbo for its dedication to solar energy, but has criticised the rest of NSW.
"With 4,024 solar systems installed, Dubbo residents are leading the way in becoming independent from the grid and bringing down electricity bills,"
- Greens NSW MP John Kaye
The low levels of rainfall and long days make Dubbo an excellent area for solar energy but despite the use of solar energy here the Climate Council report and Dr Kaye have painted a different picture of NSW as a whole.
"Unfortunately Dubbo's solar record was a rare achievement in an otherwise scathing report on the state of NSW's clean energy industry," Dr Kaye said.
7.50am: At 8am we'll have an in depth look at the story Dubbo is the state's leader in solar energy use but first here's something a bit lighter. Following on from the local sports new here's a list of 22 Australian sporting facts that will shock you.
There's even reference to the victorious 1974 Western side in the Amco Cup! And I definitely had no idea that wrestling on horseback was once a sport? Enjoy.
7.45am: Time for a look at the local sporting headlines.
* DUBBO: Just like any sports-loving child Ashleigh Boatman dreamt of representing her country.
* DUBBO: Kurt Lew will be aiming for his second win in less than a week on Curls Toby when the gelding lines up in the Radio 2DU Pace (2120m) at Dubbo Paceway tonight.
* WALGETT: And here's more on the decision to abandon the PJ O'Brien Memorial race day at Walgett tomorrow.
7.40am: Something that is definitely going ahead tomorrow is a Christmas Party hosted by the Cerebral Palsy Alliance in Dubbo and the Greater Building Society.
The Christmas party, for the families the Cerebral Palsy Alliance supports in the region, will be held at the Cerebral Palsy Alliance building between 4-7pm tomorrow at 140 Gipps Street (across from the entrance to PK's Bakery).
There will be a jumping castle, arts and crafts, balloons, BBQ, high tea and Zumba.
The Cerebral Palsy Alliance is one of the recipients of donations supplied by the Greater Charitable Foundation.
7.35am: If anyone was planning on heading out to Walgett tomorrow for the PJ O’Brien Memorial Race Day, you can save yourself a trip because the race meeting has been cancelled. With temperatures expected to soar into the 40s tomorrow the decision was made to cancel the event for the safety of the horses (and probably some racegoers as well).
7.30am: Here's the headlines from around our region this morning.
It comes just weeks after Centennial Coal announced it would be mothballing its Angus Place Colliery, at the coast of around 160 jobs.
* ORANGE: Emergency services were on scene at a fiery crash at the intersection of Dunkeld Road and Mitchell Highway, west of Bathurst on Thursday afternoon.
* BATHURST: Cannes, Venice and Toronto all boast internationally renowned film festivals, and now Bathurst is rolling out the red carpet to a new generation of movie makers.
7.10am: Time for a look at what's making news locally this morning.
Motorists travelling on roads in the state's west were among more than 1100 detected under the influence of illicit drugs so far in 2014.
Since January 1, random drug-testing operations had seen 29,500 drivers tested and 1160 return positive results, compared with 729 drivers out of 34,280 tests carried out in 2013.
* DUBBO: The introduction of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) was the best move for the sheep meat industry in 20 years, according to Fletcher International Exports managing director Roger Fletcher.
* WELLINGTON: As fire season starts early this year, a new program in the area saw twenty local women embark on a two day course in Wellington.
7am: Good morning and welcome to Friday! The weekend is so close! You're grilling with Nick Guthrie in Dubbo this morning and I'll be here for a couple of hours to give you all your news and weather updates plus a bit of the more fun and interesting things happening around us.
Weather is first up this morning and it feels like it's going to be another warm one-
DUBBO/ NARROMINE - Hot. Mostly sunny this morning but there is a chance of a thunderstorm on the northern slopes this afternoon. High of about 38 today.
COBAR/ BOURKE - Much the same further west where its already 20 degrees and heading for a high of at least 38. Chance of a thunderstorm in the afternoon as well.
