In short:

The lawyer of a man accused of murdering teenager Ekampreet Sahni Singh says his client did not mean to kill or injure the victim.

Hundreds of mourners joined Mr Sahni's parents at a vigil at the Bar Beach car park in Newcastle where their son was fatally shot on Wednesday.

What's next?

Decklen Deaves-Thornton was denied bail on Saturday and will face Newcastle Court on June 18.

'Deteriorating': doctors rally for hospitals amid patient safety concerns

By Damon Cronshaw

Updated April 9 2025 - 6:09pm, first published 3:30pm

Doctors have rallied at John Hunter Hospital for better conditions, amid serious concerns about the state's "deteriorating" public hospital system.

The rally was held during a doctor's strike from Tuesday to Thursday.

They held signs saying "can't see a doctor, ask the Premier", "fatigue and burnout risk patient safety" and "I will put you to sleep if I don't fall asleep first".

They spoke with s

Free bus travel: Newcastle drivers turn off Opal card readers indefinitely

By Jamieson Murphy

Updated April 2 2025 - 6:52pm, first published 4:31pm

Newcastle and Lake Macquarie bus drivers will leave the Opal card readers off indefinitely, as the union tries to force Keolis Downer back to the negotiating table.

Rail, Tram & Bus Union (RTBU) says the protected industrial action will begin on Thursday and apply to all buses leaving the Hamilton and Belmont depots.

In a letter to local drivers, the RTBU told drivers to not activate their Bus Driver Consoles, which is the system that reads Opal cards and provides live tracking data, "at any time".

"This action specifically hurts the company and makes commuters happy," the letter stated.

"The company is currently fishing for ways to stop this one which tells you it's going to have an impact.

"Remember, during the last negotiations, when we went to turn the machines off it was lawyers at 20 paces

In short:

A man has been charged with domestic violence and kidnapping offences after a six-hour stand-off with police in Newcastle.

Police say a 30-year-old man allegedly threatened police and refused to leave a unit in a residential block in Mayfield on Sunday.

What's next?

He was refused bail and will appear at Newcastle Local Court on Monday.

Burton Automotive Hunter Valley Steamfest is a celebration of steam power, history, and family fun! Experience a jam-packed program featuring live music, roving performances, heritage walks, market stalls, gourmet food, and more.

The heart and soul of Steamfest is its spectacular collection of steam trains. Witness the thrill of the annual ARTC Great Train Race or hop aboard a heritage steam train ride to explore stunning Hunter destinations.

Step back in time at The Bloomfield Group Steam Rally at the Garnham Grounds, where a vast display of antique machinery, including traction and portable engines, showcases how things were done in days gone by.

Car enthusiasts won’t want to miss the Altapac Show ‘n’ Shine, bringing Maitland Park to life with over 500 classic cars, plus food stalls, live entertainment, and fun for the whole family.

A Maitland City Council event.

In short:

Hundreds of dead and dying birds have fallen from the sky across Newcastle.

The EPA is investigating, collecting samples, and testing to rule out bird flu.

What's next?

Anyone with information is urged to call the EPA's environment line.

In short:

A Sydney man, identified by the NSW Game Fishing Association as Paul Barning, fell overboard during a fishing competition north of Newcastle on Sunday.

Police say Mr Barning was dragged into the water by the shark when he became tangled in tackle and that it was not a shark attack.

What's next?

An air and sea search for the missing man will continue further south.

Man refused bail on traffic, drugs and firearm offences following Wickham crash

By Matthew Kelly

Updated January 15 2025 - 1:03pm, first published 1:00pm

📷 The overturned police car in Albert St, Wickham. Picture by Marina Neil.

A 26-year-old man has been refused bail on traffic, drug and firearm charges following a pursuit and crash outside the Wickham Park Hotel on Tuesday evening.

Aaron James Forster of Woodberry did not enter pleas to 11 offences during a brief appearance in Newcastle Local Court.

The pursuit began shortly after 6pm on Tuesday when police attempted to stop a Ford Everest on Acacia Avenue, Waratah, which had been reported stolen from a Cooks Hill address earlier in the day.

A pursuit was initiated when the vehicle failed to stop.

The pursuit continued throughout several suburbs

cross-posted from: https://aussie.zone/post/16873523

Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/a-new-species-of-sydney-funnel-web-has-been-discovered-and-it-s-a-monster-20241211-p5kxmz.html

Scientists have declared the Sydney funnel web – hallowed and feared as the world’s most venomous spider – is in fact three separate species. And one of the spiders, new to science, is a certified monster.

“They’re actually a totally new species. They’re restricted to about 25 kilometres around Newcastle,” Smith said. “So we’re calling that the Newcastle funnel web.”

“So if you translate that to the Newcastle funnel web, yes, the biggest spiders are more likely to inject enough venom to cause envenoming. I suspect what they’re calling the ‘big boy’ is more likely to be dangerous.

... the exact locations of the Newcastle funnel webs have been obscured from maps due to conservation fears.

Car careens into New Lambton front yard as crash hospitalises eight, including five children

By Simon McCarthy

Updated December 28 2024 - 6:56pm, first published 6:55pm

A crash that sent a vehicle careening through a fence and into the front yard of a New Lambton property on Saturday afternoon has sparked a considerable emergency services response as police and multiple ambulance units rushed to the scene just before 5pm.

Three adults and five children have been hospitalised, a spokesperson for the NSW Ambulance said, though all were said to be in a stable condition. An adult woman had suffered a suspected fractured wrist and a man was suffering back pain, the Ambulance source said, while the children were taken for precautionary assessment.

NSW Police cleared the scene just before 6pm, where it appeared the vehicles had collided at the intersection of Hobart and Wallarah streets in New Lambton. One vehicle, with damage to its side panels, was extracted

In short:

A federal inquiry into nuclear energy has held a hearing in Muswellbrook in the NSW Upper Hunter region.

Speakers discussed future employment, environmental concerns and expressed frustration with policy, but not the suitability of the region for a nuclear facility despite recent earthquakes.

What's next?

The inquiry will hold hearings in Lithgow and Sydney this week before moving to Western Australia.

Fuelled by hatred and obsessed with conflict, man smashed into police car

By Anna Falkenmire

December 7 2024 - 5:30am

A MAN obsessed with war and conflict was "fuelled by his hatred of police" when he wreaked traffic chaos in an hour-long fit of rage before driving his car directly towards the public foyer of a Hunter police station.

Andrew Phan Berlot, 21, claimed to have a passion to be arrested and sent to jail so he could learn tricks from other inmates when he handed himself into Raymond Terrace police on October 31.

The Kurri Kurri man had just smashed his Toyota Camry sedan into a marked police Volkswagen on William Street after making a last-second deviation from his trajectory towards the station doors.

"I drove into the side of it," Berlot told officers just before 9am that morning, according to a set of agreed facts.

"I did it on purpose ... I hate youse."

He said he was going to drive into the police station but inexplicably c