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

The 6.48am Dungog to Hamilton train is cancelled due to an operational issue at Hamilton. Buses are replacing this train from Dungog to Maitland. Passengers are advised to allow additional travel time.

Hunter weather: High chance of rain in Newcastle (21 degrees), cloudy and a high chance of rain in Raymond Terrace (20 degrees), high chance of rain in Maitland (20 degrees) and a cloudy day with a high chance of showers in Scone (18 degrees).

Hunter beachwatch: Strong wind warning with a cloudy day and some rain.Surf conditions to be onshore for the morning before a front comes through and swings the wind fresh offshore for the afternoon.Swell to start off South before swinging to the East at 1 to 1.5m.Winds strong North to N/E tending N/W 15/25kts.Try the northern corners early before wind gets up.Alley,Bar Beach,Cliff and Dixon.Up at Port Stephens,Burubi.To the south,Redhead,Frenchmans and North Catho.It's looking promising for the late surf with cleaner waves on an incoming tide.Bar Beach,Cliff,Dixon and Divider.Stick to the flagged areas at the patrolled beaches for a swim.Water temp 17C.

► The federal government should fund the buyout of contaminated properties in the Williamtown-Salt Ash area by not increasing refugees for a year. More here.

► SURFEST will expand a crowd-funding model for its women’s draw that has already restored the Merewether contest to its former glory. More here.

► MICHELLE Faithfull will lead a group of local men and women on a trek of the Camino de Santiago in Spain to raise money for the Hunter Breast Cancer Foundation. More here.

► A UNIVERSITY of Newcastle scientist has developed the most powerful “super food” on the planet following a breakthrough in antioxidant extraction technology. More here.

► HE was entrusted with the care of some of society’s most vulnerable.  But for two days in October, 2013, aged-care nurse Garry Steven Davis began injecting elderly SummitCare Wallsend residents with lethal doses of insulin.  More here.

► Take a trip down memory lane and take a peek behind hospital doors and nursing schools in the Hunter. More here.

► SHARK-spotting drones will hover above Redhead Beach in the lead up to summer, as the Baird government tries to step up its efforts to keep swimmers safe.  More here.

► FAMILY, friends and well-wishers at the University of Newcastle on Wednesday remembered the texture and scope of the life of the former chancellor, Conjoint Professor Trevor Waring. More here. 

► LABOR leader Bill Shorten says property buy-backs for Williamtown residents affected by contamination should be considered as part of the government’s response to the scandal. More here.

► Central Maitland’s new cathedral precinct is expected to be officially unveiled in early November, to mark the 150th anniversary of the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle. More here.

► One of Australia’s cricketing titans will be going into bat for Dom Punch at the Maitland Rugby Club’s next Sportsmans Lunch event. More here.

► The Hunter’s This is Not Art (TiNA) Festival will return to Newcastle on the weekend and a local circus troupe will set the night ablaze with a story of bushrangers and women – told through fire.  More here.

► POLICE on the Central Coast have arrested a man they wanted to speak to in relation to a rock throwing incident after he flagged down a passing police car thinking it was a taxi. More here.

► WHAT do you get when you pack a church full of people and their beloved pets? Madness. More here.

► LOCAL pet and livestock owners have been urged to take precautions to guard against snakes which are emerging from their winter hibernation. More here.

► OFFICIATING is not a path Rhys Fisher thought his love for football would take him down. But refereeing football games has taken him to further heights than playing the sport ever did. More here.

► PORT Stephens Council has for a second time postponed discussion of Cr Geoff Dingle who is alleged to have breached code of conduct. More here.

► The 2016 Cessnock Mitsubishi Australian Postie Bike Grand Prix was launched at Peden’s Hotel on Tuesday. Now in its third year, the event is expected to draw a crowd of 8000 people to the Cessnock CBD on Sunday, October 30. More here.

► Anyone can get cancer – even if you’re young, fit and healthy. Mark Matthews knows this all too well, having lost a friend to cancer at the age of 16, and then being diagnosed himself at 23. More here.

► Take a look at beautiful Dungog through the eyes of the people that live there. To include your picture in the gallery simply use  #Dungog on Instagram. More here.

► With just over four weeks to go, excitement around this year’s Dungog Festival is really starting to build.  More here.

► FUNDING of $1.469 million has been announced towards the construction of a $2 million all-weather recreation sports facility at Scone’s White Park. More here.

► THE Denman Farmer’s Market continues to go from strength-to-strength. And, this weekend, the popular bazaar will commemorative another milestone. More here.

► A detailed design contract has been awarded for the replacement of a rail bridge over the New England Highway at Singleton. More here.

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

BLYTH: Amid Wednesday’s wild weather in South Australia, the Mid North town of Blyth has been devastated by what some locals are calling a ‘mini tornado’. Read more

BENDIGO: A once in 50-years storm lashing South Australia's coastline will skip Victoria and head straight for NSW. The wild weather is forcing South Australians to batten down the hatches, but while rain and wind is beginning to hit Victoria's west, the worst of the storm will move north. Read on

BURNIE: And parts of Tasmania are on alert, too. Winds averaging 60 to 70 km/h with peak gusts in excess of 80 to 90 km/h are expected to develop about King Island this morning, extending to the north coast around midday. Read on

FORBES: In the words of one resident: "Time's up, it needs to be fixed." The people of Forbes are furious that their town could once again be cut off for up to six weeks, its tourism decimated as the school holidays kick in, while trade with nearby towns turns into a trickle. Read on

COWRA:  man shot in the buttock by police in Cowra was allegedly chased through the streets of the central western NSW town after threatening police and residents with weapons over 40 minutes. Read more

WOLLONGONG: For the past year, Koonawarra’s Martin Schmidt couldn't figure out why his six-year-old daughter Chloe stopped being a normal and happy girl. "She became extremely irrational, irate, moody .. it was like there was some imbalance in her brain, just setting off this little monster that we knew wasn't our daughter," Mr Schmidt, a Wollongong teacher, said. Read on

MANDURAH: Charges laid against a 27-year-old man in relation to a 'coward-punch' attack at a Mandurah pub last week may be upgraded after the victim died in hospital. Jason Goodwin, 27, had been in an induced coma at Royal Perth Hospital with a fractured skull and brain hemorrhaging since the incident on September 20. Read on

National news

CANBERRA: The federal energy minister and other MPs have raised questions about South Australia's increasing use of renewable energy in the wake of a state-wide blackout on Wednesday, despite assurances from the premier the switch to cleaner energy sources was not to blame. Read on

CANBERRA:  The Turnbull government has rejected a call from pilots to overturn a relaxation of regulations on unmanned drones, despite warnings they risk catastrophic collisions with commercial aircraft and helicopters. Read on

CANBERRA: Some of Australia's most elite high-fee private schools are receiving taxpayer funding almost three times greater than their entitlements while others schools remain grossly underfunded, official Education Department data reveals. Read on

NETHERLANDS: Flight MH17 was shot down from pro-Russian rebel controlled territory, with a missile that had recently been transported from Russia, a criminal investigation has found. The investigation used photos, video and phone intercepts to draw their conclusions. Read more

1829 - The first public appearance by London's re-organized police force was met with jeers from political opponents. The force became known as Scotland Yard. 

1977 - Eva Shain became the first woman to officiate a heavyweight title boxing match. About 70 million people watched Muhammad Ali defeat Ernie Shavers on NBC-TV. 

1988 - The space shuttle Discovery took off from Cape Canaveral in Florida. It was the first manned space flight since the Challenger disaster. 

2008 - The Dow Industrial Average lost 777 points. It was the largest one-day decline to date. The drop came after the U.S. House of Representatives had voted down a $700 billion bank bailout plan. 

When Angie Polglaze first decided to take up chainsaw sculpting 20 years ago, her art school teachers told her it was impossible.

So she did it anyway. Read on