Hunter trains: There is a good service on the Central Coast and Newcastle line and the Hunter line.

Hunter weather: Partly cloudy day with a chance of afternoon showers and thunderstorm in Newcastle (29 degrees), very high chance of showers in Raymond Terrace with the chance of a severe afternoon thunderstorm (29 degrees), partly cloudy day in Maitland with afternoon showers forecast and chances of an afternoon thunderstorm (34 degrees) and showers forecast for Scone with a chance of an afternoon thunderstorm (34 degrees).

Hunter beachwatch by Dave Anderson:  It's looking like the better waves will be during the afternoon as the wind turns offshore before the next change. Swells decreasing SSE at 1 to 1.5m. Winds light to moderate North to N/E shifting N/W. Tides going low for the early and try Nobbys,Flatrock,Cliff and Merewether.Dudley,Hams and Catho to the south.Afternoon waves cleaner with Alley,Bar Beach and Dixon improving. Slight sweeps at few beaches and Merewether Bathes cleaned today.Take care if in for a swim at the patrolled beaches.Water temp 21C.

► WHEN an inferno raged on both ends of the street, appearing to have firefighters defeated, Robert Dobing’s first thought was for his daughter. More here.

► THE NSW government’s senior representative in the Hunter says Mike Baird was a “genuine champion” for Newcastle and admits he’s “a little bit concerned” the Premier’s resignation will see the focus shift away from the region. More here.

►  KNIGHTS coach Nathan Brown produced a brave face on Thursday as he insisted team morale was intact, despite a week of turmoil. More here.

► After the season of giving, staff and volunteers at St Vincent de Paul Society’s Mayfield shop returned to work in the new year, only to be confronted with a huge mess left by dumpers and takers.  More here.

► FIVE of the Hunter’s largest coal mines could be hit with new “polluter pays” charges after the state’s environment watchdog revealed Muswellbrook and Singleton won’t meet new Australian air quality standards. More here.

► FORMER Mr Universe Lee Priest-McCutcheon says the use of Drostanolone is widespread in bodybuilding circles, arguing that alcohol poses greater risk to elite athletes than steroids which are “harmless”. More here.

► IN his first opportunity to talk about his new role as the Federal Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, Arthur Sinodinos returned to his past. More here.

► ANDY Brennan has left the Jets by mutual consent.  The 23-year-old Tasmanian-born winger played for the Jets five times since signing on ahead of last season.  More here.

► The retirement of Mike Baird from politics will open the door for Maitland to have a better relationship with the Premier, Maitland MP Jenny Aitchison says. More here.

► Check out these adorable animals from RSPCA Hunter looking for their forever homes. More here.

► What was supposed to be a quiet night out with a couple of mates for a belated Christmas/New Year drink ended up being a night that could have cost James “Spud” Murphy his life. More here.

► As the temperature climbed to 42 degrees on Tuesday, ice blocks were the way to keep cool at Hunter Valley Zoo. More here.

► LAKE Macquarie independent Greg Piper has described Mike Baird as a man “who truly believed that what he was doing was the right thing for NSW”.  More here.

►  A SHARK pup, destined to die, has been nursed into the world, inside an artificial egg. Two weeks premature, ‘Dash’ was just 12 centimetres and 35 grams when he was ‘born’ earlier this month. More here.

►  After nearly three years toiling to see their dream come to fruition, Dungog’s boutique brewery owners have produced their first brews. More here.

► Businesses and residents had just minutes to prepare for the ferocious bushfire that raged through bushland near Kurri Kurri on Wednesday. More here.

► NSW RFS Inspector, Martin Siemsen says around 19 volunteers from the Darlington, Scotts Flat and Belford Rural Fire Brigades were part of a strike force sent to the Hart Road fire at Kurri Kurri on Wednesday. More here.

► LAST year was a difficult year for many local businesses, but it wasn’t all doom and gloom, according to Muswellbrook Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Mike Kelly. More here.

►THERE’LL be plenty of love in the air at Merriwa on Thursday. An icon of the music industry, John Paul Young, will be the Upper Hunter town’s Australia Day Ambassador. More here.

► TO say Dr Wendy Brooks is thrilled to be the new director of the Upper Hunter Conservatorium of Music (UHCM) is an understatement. More here.

Need a national news snapshot first thing – well, we have you covered. 

►MANDURAH, WA: Tim Mills works as a firefighter at the station in Success, but on Thursday morning he had to put his skills to use off-duty.  A woman arrived at his front door to tell him a car had crashed into a power pole out the front of his bush block, with both the car and the pole alight.

►BEGA, NSW: Bega Cheese Limited has become the new owner of the iconic Australian food spread Vegemite.  The sale includes brands such as Vegemite, ZoOsh and Bonox...read the full story.

►BALLARAT, VIC: The 23-year-old woman who allegedly hit cyclist Christian Ashby and left him fighting for his life in the middle of the street has pleaded guilty...read more. 

►KURRI KURRI, NSW: The arson squad is involved in the hunt for the firebugs responsible for a massive blaze.  An arsonist is believed to have sparked two blazes which quickly raged out of control as it damaged property, prompted frightened residents to take shelter and shut the Hunter Expressway for hours.

►The things you didn't know about Gladys Berejiklian – friends describe her as an intensely private woman who is perhaps even closer to her family than Mike Baird is to his.  Ms Berejiklian has declared herself a candidate for the Liberal leadership after Mike Baird stepped aside...full story here.

►The multibillion-dollar Melbourne Metro rail project will boost the Australian economy, the nation's top infrastructure advisers have declared, placing pressure on the Turnbull government to increase funding to Victorian major projects.

►A vice-president of the NSW RSL has become the first member of the scandal-plagued institution to bow to pressure and stand aside.  Peter Stephenson, a Vietnam veteran, called on the rest of the 11-member state council to also step down and make way for a caretaker amid an expense rorts affair that has plunged the RSL into crisis.

► ITALY: Rescue officials say "many" people have died after an avalanche hit a hotel in central Italy, all but burying the three-storey building in snow.  The Rigopiano hotel, in a mountainous area of the Abruzzo region north-east of Rome, was rocked by a series of strong earthquakes...full story here.

►INDONESIA: An Australian man and a British former war correspondent arrested for possessing hashish in Bali last October are drug abusers who should be treated at a narcotics prison, the Denpasar District Court has been told.

It took decades for Don Tweedie to share the horror of what he had endured as a prisoner of war in World War II. 

Now his son has published a book that shares Don’s memories of those atrocities, his life before and after the war.

“Don Tweedie Fighting Bandsman’s Last Stand” is Terry Tweedie’s tribute to his dad and other POWS along with the families, friends, mothers, wives and girlfriends who suffered with them.

Read the full story here.