The Morning Grill: Thursday, October 9

Tune in tomorrow with Steph from Dubbo.

In the meantime, why not check out our websites?

DUBBO | NARROMINE | WELLINGTON | NYNGAN | THE RIDGE | WESTERN MAGAZINE

8.57: Here some local sport news for your reading: 

RUGBY UNION: While some of their teammates have headed overseas for post-premiership holidays, a trio of Dubbo Kangaroos stars remain in training ahead of an overseas adventure of their own. Centre Filisione Pauta, five-eighth Scott Burgess and hooker Peter Nau are all part of the 26-man Country Cockatoos squad that will undertake a development tour of the United States. Read more here. 

CRICKET: With the 2014/15 cricket season almost upon us, the Daily Liberal is proud to announce that we will once again be sponsoring our own player of the year award. Last season saw Macquarie's Jason Green take out the inaugural Barry Hildebrandt Medal, named after the former sports editor of this publication who retired in 2013 after 32 years in the job. Read more here.

RACING: It's the biggest day on the Dubbo racing calendar and Derby Day 2014 is shaping up to be the biggest and best yet, according to the man tasked with organising it. Wellington Race Club secretary manager Ian Giffin was asked to step in to fill the vacant general manager's role at Dubbo Turf Club after previous GM Mark Day finished up in July. Read more here.

RUGBY LEAGUE: Joe Williams has revealed that an ongoing battle he had with depression came to a head during his time with Dubbo CYMS and he attempted suicide before admitting himself to a mental health ward. The talented rugby league star turned boxer has chosen to speak out about his battles in the hope others will learn from him and it was during his time in Dubbo that he was worst affected, despite the success his team was experiencing on the field. Read more here.

8.51: Taking a look at entertainment news:

CELEBRITY: Carrie Bickmore, of the Project, has announced she is pregnant on television last night. Television personality Carrie Bickmore has announced she is pregnant on live TV. "Well speaking of babies, I have some news for you tonight ... I am having a baby," Bickmore told audiences during Wednesday's broadcast of The Project. "My boyfriend Chris and I are expecting a baby next year." The 33-year-old has been in a relationship with Chris Walker, a former producer on The Project, for more than two years. Read more here. 

CELEBRITY: Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence has spoken for the first time about the theft and release of dozens of nude photographs of her, labelling the hack a "sex crime". "It is not a scandal. It is a sex crime," The Hunger Games star says in a interview for the November issue of Vanity Fair. 'It is a sexual violation. It's disgusting. The law needs to be changed, and we need to change. That's why these websites are responsible. "Just the fact that somebody can be sexually exploited and violated, and the first thought that crosses somebody's mind is to make a profit from it. It's so beyond me. I just can't imagine being that detached from humanity. I can't imagine being that thoughtless and careless and so empty inside." Read more here. 

BOOKS: Andy Griffiths has written more than 25 children's books and over the past 20 years they have been New York Times bestsellers, adapted for the stage and television, won more than 50 children's choice awards, and in Australia and New Zealand have sold close to five million copies. His new book is The 52-Storey Treehouse (Pan Macmillan). See what they are here. 

TELEVISION: All too soon the ABC will have to make do with less funding due to federal government budget cuts. Where the knife will fall appears to change almost daily, with current-affairs show Lateline being walked to the edge of the plank before being pulled back last week, only for the entire ABC2 channel to be then put on death row. To promote discussion, and hopefully chill out the culture warriors engaged in a jihad against the national broadcaster, here are a few suggestions for how the ABC could do more with their dollars.

8.46: Check out this hilarious prank this man pull on his girlfriend, she's under the impression her cat is about to jump of her high rise apartment! 

8.38: We're getting excited about the Bathurst 1000! Are you? We have some great coverage from the Western Advocate, check it out below.

What's on in Bathurst during race week? You can find out just here.

It's one of the most anticipated events of the year, not only for the nation's petrol heads but also many of the country's sports fans - the Bathurst 1000. There's plenty of reasons to be excited about this year's edition of the Great Race. For the first time since the championship has adopted the V8 Supercars tag we have five manufacturers competing to be first over the line, with Volvo joining last year's new Mercedes-Benz and Nissan entries. You can have a look at the driver line-up right here.

The Premier will be one of the many getting his backside trackside this weekend. The state’s top politician is coming to town after accepting an invitation from mayor Gary Rush to see firsthand what the V8 Supercar action at Mount Panorama is all about. Mr Baird will be a guest in Bathurst Regional Council’s suite on the first floor of the pit lane complex. Read more here. 

Time spent on Mount Panorama during race week is a bitter sweet experience for Carol Cameron of Fern Bay, near Newcastle.  In 2000 her husband Max died in her arms on the mountain that meant so much to them both.  Max had suffered a heart attack and subsequently died in the police compound while waiting for assistance. He had been coming to watch the bikes race at Bathurst since 1952. Read more about the Camerons here. 

8.29: Taking a look at today's front pages: 

8.20: Is it your birthday today? If so HAPPY BIRTHDAY! We hope you have a fabulous day! 

You share your birthday with Beatles Star, John Lennon (dec.), UK Politician David Cameron, 47, Reality Star Sharon Osbourne, 61 and Talk Show Host and Target Ambassador, Gok Whan, 39.

To celebrate here's a John Lennon favourite. 

8.12: Did you see the Lunar Eclipse last night? It was one of four scheduled for this year! We have a great gallery of YOUR PHOTOS and how you saw the Lunar Eclipse. You can check it out here. 

If you have any photos of the Lunar Eclipse, send them to lpinkerton@fairfaxmedia.com.au 

8.07: We have a gorgeous treat for you this Thursday morning. These twin babies were not feeling sleepy come bed time, so they entertained themselves for a while. Check it out in the video below.

7.58: Today's front page: 

There are growing concerns changes to TAFE fees for apprenticeships and traineeships will cripple vocational education and damage the employment chances of young adults.

Under the state government's Smart and Skilled reforms, fees are set to increase dramatically, with fees rising between 33 and 70 per cent for most courses.

Courses were previously charged by semester, but under Smart and Skilled a flat fee for the entire course is quoted. Students will now also be able to borrow money from the government

One of the courses that is shaping up to be worst affected is agriculture, with a one-year Certificate III traineeship rising from $838 to $2170.

Read more here.

We want to know what you think:

7.49: Taking a look at the national and international news for this Thursday, October 9. 

NATIONAL: Governments, industry and the education sector should be "alarmed" by the growing numbers of students abandoning science and mathematics in their final year of high school, say the authors of a landmark report that found a continuing decline in the percentage of year 12 science and maths students over the past two decades. Read more here.

HONG KONG: Hong Kong's embattled chief executive, CY Leung, has pocketed millions in secret fees from a listed Australian company in return for supporting its Asian business ambitions, a Fairfax Media investigation can reveal. The arrangement is outlined in a secret contract dated December 2, 2011, before he was elected chief executive, in which Australian engineering company UGL agreed to pay the Beijing-backed politician £4 million (more than $A7 million). Read more here.

NATIONAL:  The ALP and trade unions have accused the federal government of extending the royal commission into union corruption by a year for political reasons. Commissioner Dyson Heydon wrote to Attorney-General George Brandis on October 2 saying the commission's reporting date of December 31 had created an "atmosphere of considerable urgency". Read more here.

NATIONAL: A Muslim cleric who preaches from certain passages of the Koran could be caught in the "broad" net of the government's new anti-terror law, Islamic leaders have warned. Grand Mufti of Australia Ibrahim Abu Mohammad and the Australian National Imams Council have called for the offence of "advocating terrorism" to be removed from the so-called Foreign Fighters Bill, currently before Parliament. Read more here.

USA: The first person diagnosed with Ebola in the United States, Thomas Eric Duncan, has died at a Dallas hospital, as federal officials said they would begin temperature screenings of passengers arriving from West Africa at five US airports. Read more here.

JAPAN: As Japan recovers from typhoon Phanfone, in comes super typhoon Vongfong - the most intense storm on earth this year. Vongfong brought flooding, rain and damaging winds to the northern Mariana Islands in the north-western Pacific Ocean on Sunday.

7.42: We're going to take a short break from all the news (phew!) and give you some galleries to accompany you muesli and banana this morning (or any other kind of breakfast, we're not fussy!)

IT'S THROWBACK THURSDAY! And, as we do every Thursday, we have some great galleries from past editions of our papers.

DUBBO has travelled back in time to October 1992. It was a month of debutante balls, cute babies and social events around the town. Flick through the gallery above to take a trip back in time. Check the gallery out here.

NARROMINE went back to October 2009. Great things were happening as year 12 from Narromine High School graduated, babies were born, St Johns Trangie celebrated their fete and the sporting clubs had their presentations. Check it all out in the gallery!

NYNGAN has their flashback on a Monday, but we'll throw it in here anyway! 

7.34: Taking a look at the news around regional Australia: 

ORANGE: Parents are the cause of most traffic accidents in school zones, not other motorists according to Orange City and Cabonne Council road safety officer Andrea Hamilton-Vaughan. Her statements are backed up by an NRMA survey that shows one in four drivers admitted to ignoring parking signs or rules when dropping off or picking up kids from school. Read more here. 

REDLAND City Council has issued adult shop Naked Passion a “show cause” notice calling on the owners to explain why they should be allowed to open in the heart of Cleveland. The notice claims the shop, which has an 18+ media room and hires out strippers, is in breach of the State Planning Regulatory Provision for Adult Stores. Read more here.

NEWCASTLE: Self-confessed firebug Alex Gordon Noble will spend up to two years behind bars for deliberately lighting 15 fires in 2012 and 2013. Noble, 22, was a volunteer firefighter with the Rural Fire Service who lit fires to gain experience in putting them out and had hopes of one day becoming a professional firefighter. It was the speed with which he appeared at the scene to help extinguish the fires, after alerting authorities to them, that aroused suspicion. Read more here.

WOLLONGONG: A vicious dog fight has been witnessed at off-leash Sharkeys Beach, just one day after submissions closed for Wollongong Council’s controversial dog off-leash policy. A woman was reportedly bitten and left bloodied by her own dog on Tuesday when she tried to pull it off another dog. A witness to the attack, who refused to be named for fear of reprisal, said he heard the incident from his house about 3pm. Read more here.

LAUNCESTON: When the rain came there was nowhere left to go. Not for Lance and Jeanette Musgrave, whose Frankford residence had been reduced to a trail of destruction. On Monday night somebody climbed into the couple’s rented excavator and took a wrecking ball to the property. The targeted 30-minute attack has left the place looking like a ‘‘war zone’’ according to police. Read more here.

7.18: Taking a look at today's local stories:

DUBBO: Education Minister Adrian Piccoli showed off his football skills then tore up table tennis opponents during a visit to Dubbo's Clontarf Academy yesterday. The minister used the visit to Dubbo College Delroy Campus to speak with years 9 and 10 students about their involvement in the program, which aims to boost outcomes for young Aboriginal men by using rugby league to engage them in their studies. Read more here. 

GILGANDRA: Penrith rugby league legends Phil Gould and Royce Simmons will be guest speakers at a cancer fundraiser in Gilgandra later this month that will also feature an incredible memorabilia auction. Gilgandra resident and former Penrith Panthers prop John Farragher has donated his sizable collection to the dinner and has been one of the driving forces behind it. It is hoped with a large collection of memorabilia including rugby league and rugby union jerseys and cricket gear, a significant amount can be raised for cancer research.Read more here.

DUBBO'S own Bethany Simons will be gracing the stage at the Dubbo Regional Theatre and Convention Centre in Reception: The Musical. The self-devised production is on for one night only on Friday, October 24 as part of the Macquarie Credit Union Dream 2014 DREAM Festival. The Dubbo Christian School graduate said she was more than just a little bit excited for her return to the region. Read more here.

WESTERN NSW: NSW Police is urging motorists to familiarise themselves with changes to the way traffic crashes are reported in NSW, as they come into effect next week. The new streamlined process, which starts next Wednesday, is part of a red-tape reduction initiative to better manage crashes on NSW roads. Read the changes here.

DUBBO: The NSW Attorney-General admits he does not have the solution to crime and antisocial behaviour in Dubbo but he plans to have a red-hot go at finding it. Mr Hazzard arrived in the city at the request of Dubbo MP Troy Grant, who had raised concerns about the impact of crime on the local community, particularly crimes committed by youths. Read more here.

NYNGAN: Construction workers at the Nyngan Solar Plant have been asked to remove deadly venomous snakes from the site and are expected to work in 45 degree heat, according to the union representing them. The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) have talked to workers at the site who say they are concerned by the fact there is only one snake handler covering the 250 hectare site and no anti-venom kits on site. Read more here.  

MUMBIL: The residents of the sleepy village of Mumbil were mostly unaware there were two explosive devices sitting on the roadside near the railway line yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon. Guarded by a police officer from the Wellington Police Station, who was waiting for a member of the Bomb Squad from Bathurst to arrive, the devices were hidden in a grassy area near cattle and cars travelling by. Read more here.

NYNGAN: Representatives from local community groups were on hand to receive funding from the AGL Nyngan Solar Plant Construction Community Fund at a morning tea event on Thursday. See who else received a grant here.

7.05: Good morning and welcome to your Thursday Morning Grill! 

You're with Grace in Narromine this morning. If you have anything you'd like to add to our Morning Grill please email me, grace.ryan@fairfaxmedia.com.au 

DUBBO / TRANGIE / NYNGAN: are all sunny reaching 27 degrees

COBAR / BOURKE: are both sunny with Cobar getting to 28 and Bourke getting to 30.