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

Hunter weather: Partly cloudy and possible showers for Newcastle (25 degrees), partly cloudy and slight chance of showers in Raymond Terrace (24 degrees), partly cloudy and possible showers for Maitland (25 degrees) and partly cloudy with showers in Scone (23 degrees).

Hunter beachwatch: It’s going to be a very warm winter’s day with the top temperature in the mid twenties so a good day to be beachside but there is a strong wind warning in place for north to north-west winds. We had a slight spike in the swell yesterday but it’s not expected to last. The swell today will be from the south-east around the 1 metre and will drop off during the day. Wave conditions should be clean but the sets will be inconsistent. Around town try the reef breaks at Nobbys, the Cowrie Hole, Newcastle, the Bar to Merewether stretch and Redhead. Down south try Hams, Caves, Catho and Frazer Park. At Port Stephens try Samurai and Birubi. Nobbys, Bar Beach and Merewether have lifeguards on duty with most beaches being great for a swim The water temperature is 17 degrees.

► Ten months ago Dom Punch packed his footy bag on grand final day. He’s only just getting home. More here.

► A 168-year-old Hamilton house once occupied by the mine manager of the Australian Agricultural Company is to be sold by Newcastle City Council by expressions of interest (EOI). More here.

► IT HAD been five days since Tim Knezevic was allegedly mowed down by a drunk driver and he had not regained consciousness. Not when he was rushed from Cairns to Townsville for specialist treatment, not when he was taken off the drugs to keep him in the induced coma, not even for his birthday as his distraught relatives continued their bedside vigil. More here.

► THE Hunter coal industry has lifted export volumes slightly in the first half of this year, showing that while prices are still subdued, demand for the product is as strong as ever. More here.

► THE Hunter’s first professional skateboarder has thrown his support behind a proposal to build an iconic skate bowl on the sand at south Newcastle Beach. More here.

► A JURY’S verdict in the murder trial of Rachel Manevski will come down to the testimony of one key witness, Newcastle Supreme Court has heard. More here.

► THE Family Hotel on Newcastle West’s Hunter Street has come full circle, re-opening on Thursday with the name it carried for close to 60 years.  More here.

► THE Anglican Primate of Australia Archbishop Philip Freier has expressed solidarity with Newcastle Anglican Bishop Greg Thompson and his officers before a Royal Commission public hearing in Newcastle on August 2. More here.

► The rotting carcass of juvenile male humpback whale is proving a headache for authorities after it washed up at a remote part of Port Stephens rocky coast on Monday and has refused to move on. More here.

► A multi-million dollar budget black hole has left nursing education in crisis at the University of Newcastle. More here.

► NONE of the men subpoenaed to give evidence at a coronial inquest into a double murder at Caves Beach in 2008 have the intelligence to commit the killings and not leave any evidence behind, Newcastle Coroner’s Court has heard. More here.

► The younger sister of a Forster woman reported missing 17 days ago has appealed to the public for help in locating sibling Nardia Clark. More here.

► Central Hunter Police are seeking information to locate Alan Fergal Porter. He is wanted on warrants issued by Maitland Local Court for multiple assault and theft offences. More here.

► Federal member for Paterson Meryl Swanson was officially sworn into power by the Australian Electoral Commission on Thursday. More here.

► At 15, Kupakwashe Matangira has more passion for human rights than most people twice her age. The Ashtonfield teenager proved this by finishing second in the United Nations Youth Australia Voice competition, which gives Year 7-10 students a chance to offer solutions to issues that affect their community, the nation and the world. More here.

► Cessnock’s mayor is calling for calm after the approval of a mosque at Buchanan sparked a tense and mixed response. More here.

► A Morpeth woman has spearheaded a 300km kayak adventure along the Hunter River from Moonan Flat through to Stockton. More here.

► Thornton Beresfield Bears are paying tribute to former junior Harry Hofman at their old boys’ day on Saturday. More here.

► Maitland's Pasami Saulo and Cessnock's Brodie Jones have added their names to the Australian Schoolboys honour roll. More here.

► EAGLE Boys has today closed its Lake Haven store, one of 13 company-owned outlets to shut up shop across Australia. More here.

► BEYOND frustrated with sub-standard conditions Karuah Rural Fire Service has broken ranks in its fight for a new shed. More here.

► CHRISTINE Mastello admits she can’t bear to see struggling locals go without. Whether they’re short on food, money, clothes, or even toys for their kids at Christmas, locals can find relief every week at Christine’s Southlake Marketplace, at Cooranbong. More here.

►PORT residents will have a chance to see firsthand what happens in schools these days when students bring their education out into the public arena. More here.

Need a national news snapshot first thing? We've got you covered. 

► NEWCASTLE, NSW: THE Anglican Primate of Australia Archbishop Philip Freier has expressed solidarity with Newcastle Anglican Bishop Greg Thompson and his officers before a Royal Commission public hearing in Newcastle on August 2. Archbishop Freier said evidence of clergy sexual abuse and predatory behaviour in Newcastle that included a former bishop was “shocking and distressing”. Read more.

► BALLARAT, VIC: An Indian chef who found himself on the brink of homelessness when he moved to Australia is reaching out to Ballarat’s most vulnerable. After leaving behind a job as a chef and his family in India almost 20 years ago, Peter Gaur found himself lost in a strange, new country struggling to afford his next meal. “I was struggling just to live day by day,” he said. But Mr Gaur considers himself one of the lucky ones. Read more.

► BUNBURY, WA: Anticipation is peaking at the Dolphin Discovery Centre as one of their resident male seahorses is due to give birth to up to 300 babies “any time now”. Yes, you read that right. It’s the male not the female seahorse that gives birth. Two of the five seahorses residing at the centre are pregnant – with one more ready to pop than the other. Read more.

► ILLAWARRA, NSW: In 1988 the Illawarra community rallied around 16-year-old Trudy Davis; raising $100,000 to enable her to undergo lifesaving surgery in Switzerland for an aggressive brain tumour. A quarter of a century later in December 2013, the now 42-year-old mother of two boys was refused admission to Shellharbour Hospital after presenting with breathing difficulties, and was sent home where she died of respiratory distress hours later. Read more.

► ALBURY, NSW: A former drug dealer has sobbed quietly after being cleared of murdering Lavington man Luke Hargrave. A Supreme Court jury in Albury late on Thursday afternoon instead found Campbell Hart guilty of Mr Hargrave’s manslaughter. The not guilty verdict was reached just 30 minutes after the jury of seven women and five men retired about 3pm. Read more.

► REDLANDS, QLD: A senior scientist has appealed to people to stop their dogs disturbing flocks of birds on foreshores. University of Queensland scientist Richard Fuller said research showed that dogs are a key issue in migratory shorebirds being disturbed in Moreton Bay, including the Redlands. The research underlined the importance of having dogs under control at all times. Associate Professor Fuller said researchers found that 97 per cent of foraging migratory birds could be better protected by councils revisiting dog off-leash zones. Read more.

► GOULBURN, NSW: Teachers from Goulburn Correctional Centre are calling on the State Government to save their jobs. These cuts will result in the loss of a senior correctional education officer, education officers and six teachers. Ten local teachers will be replaced by two clerical positions. Read more.

► BENDIGO, VIC: The boss of a Bendigo hatchery targeted by protesters on Thursday has said his business wants to implement a more humane way of “eliminating” unwanted male chicks. Specialised Breeders Australia chief executive officer Richard Rayner said in a statement his operation’s shredding of day-old birds was in line with RSPCA guidelines. The animal protection body also permitted using carbon dioxide to fatally gas chicks, he said. Read more.

► A hard core of disengaged youth who find it "easier to steal than work" are at the heart of a rise in repeat offending by young criminals, Victoria's top police officer says. Speaking at a youth crime summit on Thursday, Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said the overall rate of crimes committed by young people was falling but the rate of re-offending was rising. Read more.

► The Bureau of Statistics has been quietly hanging on to the names it collects with the census to conduct studies, despite a public commitment to destroy them. Australian statistician David Kalisch told Fairfax Media the Bureau had been keeping the names it collected for up to 18 months. Read more.

► Labor's National Left faction is set to formally split and shadow minister Kim Carr is ready to lead the creation of a new "progressive" Left faction based in Victoria. At the same time, a brawl has erupted in Labor's Right faction in NSW with senior MPs and potential future leadership contenders Chris Bowen and Tony Burke at loggerheads over the frontbench line-up. Read more.

National weather radar

International news

► One of Australia's top diplomats says the devastating truck attack in the French city of Nice, which has claimed 85 lives, shows why it's critical travellers register their travel details before taking off, especially if they are heading to Europe. Read more.

► Australia has banned a budding young Indian engineer from accepting a prestigious scholarship to study in Melbourne over fears his research might help spread weapons of mass destruction. The decision was described as "bizarre" in India, and has sparked angry demands for a diplomatic protest at the highest levels for treating the country as a "rogue nuclear state" less than a year after the Coalition government praised India's "impeccable record" of non-proliferation. Read more.

July 22, 2013: A very royal happy birthday to young Prince George of Cambridge! The future king of the United Kingdom turns three today. See how he celebrated his second birthday here. The cutie was also excited to meet a bilby for the first time during a visit to Aus - check it out below:

Safety investigator for the Australian Rail Track Corporation, Geoff Thrower, has travelled a long way from his humble start as a station assistant at Yass Junction in 1973.

The Goulburn man officially retired from the ARTC on July 15.

His 43 years in the industry have been happy ones, and given him insight to Australia's transport future.

Back in '73, "I basically got on a train at Goulburn and travelled to Yass Junction, where I started out as a station assistant," Mr Thrower said.

"The stationmaster there at the time, Brian Watt, said to me, 'Son, welcome to the railways: you're guaranteed a job for life.' We remained great mates until he died, just recently."

Mr Thrower said the railway industry had changed dramatically over four decades, especially advancing in technology. Read more.