Good morning central Victoria!
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We’re in for a mostly sunny day - Bendigo 35, Maryborough 33, Castlemaine 33, Kyneton 32, Redesdale 35, Echuca 36.
Catch up on news here:
Samantha Kelly murder committal begins
Two people charged with murdering Kangaroo Flat mother-of-four Samantha Kelly allegedly asked another woman to kill Ms Kelly on three occasions before carrying out the murder themselves, it has been alleged in court. Read more here.
Scope to save almost 692 lives in Murray PHN service area
An organisation tasked with improving the coordination and integration of health care in our community has called for a heightened focus on prevention and early intervention. Read more here.
Shark warning issued in Bendigo
The last thing Peter Williams was expecting when it was 38.2 degrees in central Victoria was to be warned about a shark sighting. Read more here.
Residents label drinking water as 'completely unusable'
“Completely undrinkable” is how Heathcote residents are describing their town’s water supply, with dozens of people reporting a smell of chlorine when they turn on the taps. Read more here.
Well-prepared thieves steal bee boxes from paddock
The theft of 55 bee boxes from a field near Castlemaine is the work of well-equipped criminals, police have said. Read more here.
Mitch Cole wins Kangaroo Flat Bowls Club men's singles championship at 15
He might only be 15, but Mitch Cole is showing skill beyond his years on the bowling green. And he has a title to prove it. Read more here.
State of the Nation
Need a national news snapshot first thing? Well, we have you covered.
► WAGGA WAGGA, NSW: An elderly man has suffered horrifying facial injuries after he was allegedly bashed inside a retirement village over a stolen coffee mug on Saturday.
The 88-year-old retiree living in The Haven suffered bleeding to the brain after he was viciously assaulted by another tenant at the centre, police claim. Read more.
► BALLARAT, VIC: Cycling identity Rik McCaig has stepped down from his position as chief executive and secretary of the Bendigo International Madison.
McCaig sought a leave of absence from the roles in the wake of the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission into the Ballarat City Council. He was replaced by Scott McGrory. McCaig, 47, last month appeared at the Ballarat Magistrates Court charged with four counts of corruption. Read more.
► TAMWORTH, NSW: The debate over Tamworth’s lack of year-round aquatic facilities has heated-up once again, with the Tamworth City Swimming Club putting the pressure on council to provide for the growing region.
It’s an issue that has been bubbling away in Tamworth for decades, now the local swimming clubs are tired of treading water and said the region out-grew its current facilities 10 years ago. Read more.
►MANDURAH ,WA: It was a normal morning for 72-year-old Moat Street resident Evelyn Slater.
She was following her daily gardening routine in her backyard while her husband was visiting the neighbours next door.
But all of a sudden, while Ms Slater was busy taking care of her garden, a 28-year-old man rushed in from the street through the carpark’s roller door and charged against her. Read more.
►NEWCASTLE, NSW: Paul Wild’s daily drive to work can often reduce him to tears. The 20-minute commute takes him along the New England Highway, a road dotted with memories of horrific truck and car accidents, of rescues he made and lives that were lost during the decades he worked as a retained firefighter, rescuer and medical first responder. Read more.
►WARRNAMBOOL, VIC: Lifeline has put out the call for help to extend its Port Fairy operation, but the organisation is feeling the pinch from the rise of social media sales of secondhand goods.
To help fund the 24-hour crisis support hotline, as well as suicide prevention and education programs across the region, Lifeline has launched a campaign to attract more volunteers and increase the amount and quality of donated goods. Read more.
► SOUTH COAST, NSW: A two-year-old boy has been flown to hospital in Sydney after being pulled from a swimming pool on the NSW South Coast on Monday.
Paramedics were called to Btu Road at Nowra Hill shortly after midday after the toddler was "immersed in water for a short period", a NSW Ambulance spokesman said. Read more.
► DEVONPORT, TAS: Devonport’s Jacob Templeton is among a number of Paralympians still waiting for their luggage to arrive home from the Rio Paralympic Games.
The Games held in September had strict rules for Paralympians with each athlete limited to 7kg carry-on and 10kg bag in the hold with other luggage was required to be shipping freight.
In contrast, able bodied Olympians were allowed carry-on bags plus two check-in bags. Read more.
NATIONAL NEWS
►Plans by the Baird government to overhaul the state's mining approval process have drawn the ire of anti-coal groups and wary support from the industry.
Planning Minister Rob Stokes unveiled proposed amendments to the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act on Monday that aim to slash approval times for state significant developments such as mines, while increasing accountability. Read more.
►Disgraced former Liberal MP Tim Owen has repaid $50,000 following an investigation by the NSW electoral commission into donations he received before the 2011 state election.
In a statement on Monday, the electoral commission said an investigation had found that nine unlawful donations totalling $84,137.60 were made for Mr Owen's benefit. Read more.
►Beleaguered Centrelink staff are bracing for a "perfect storm" of customer service problems in the coming weeks, heaping more misery on the welfare agency's millions of clients, according to the main workplace union.
The ongoing debt recovery debacle already has public servants at Centrelink stretched to breaking point, the CPSU is warning, and the agency's workers will soon have to cope with hundreds of thousands of student benefit applications and pensioners trying to make sense of changes to their payments. Read more.
► A man accused of having links to an Islamic State-inspired terror cell in Sydney has been arrested and placed in custody just months after his release from prison.
Billal Elzamtar, 34, was released from Lithgow prison on parole on June 8 after serving about three-and-a-half years of a six-year sentence for armed robbery offences. Read more.
► Michael Chamberlain, who fought a long and bitter battle for justice after his baby daughter was snatched by a dingo at Uluru in 1980, has died.
The 72-year-old died in Gosford Hospital on Monday evening as the result of complications from acute leukaemia, a long-term friend told Fairfax Media.
Stuart Tipple, who was his friend and solicitor for decades, said on Monday that Dr Chamberlain had gone into a coma on Sunday night. Read more.
WORLD NEWS
►SYRIA: Russian warplanes have carried out airstrikes to support Turkey's offensive in northern Syria against the Islamic State, an important evolution in a budding Russian-Turkish partnership. The deepening ties threaten to marginalise the United States in the struggle to shape Syria's ultimate fate.
The air missions, which took place for about a week near the strategically important town of Al Bab, represent the Kremlin's first use of its military might to help the Turks in their fight against the militant group.
► Check out the fashion from the Golden Globes red carpet here.
►EAST TIMOR: East Timor will abandon the multi-billion dollar oil and gas treaty at the centre of sensational spying claims by Australia.
The two countries issued a joint statement on Monday declaring the deal to be dead, just over four months after East Timor took the unprecedented step to demand confidential conciliation talks with Australia at The Hague. Read more.
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY…
1839 - Tea from India 1st arrives in UK.
1852 - South Australia's first lighthouse begins operation.
1968 - John Gorton is sworn in as Australian Prime Minister following the disappearance of Harold Holt.
1901 - Oil is discovered in Texas for the first time.
1946 - The United Nations General Assembly meets for the first time.
1949 - Los Angeles, with its usually sub-tropical climate, is hit by a freak snowstorm.
1996 - A VW beetle gains the world record for the greatest automobile mileage.
FACES OF AUSTRALIA
Imogen Bailey
Imogen Bailey is only 12 years old, but is determined to one day be held in the same high regard as dual Australian cricketer and soccer player Ellyse Perry.
The former Bonnells Bay Public School captain has been given the Hunter Primary Schools Sports Association (PSSA) Achievement Award, for being the only athlete to represent the region in six sports in one year at the NSW PSSA State Championships. Read more.