Here’s your news snapshot from around regional Australia and beyond.
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8.00AM: Well that’s it for this morning’s abbreviated Brekkie wrap. Keep an eye on your local paper’s website for breaking news and updates.
7.58AM: It’s Thursday, which is close enough to the weekend to start making plans. If you’re hoping to wet a line you might want to check out The Fish Files before you go.
7.50AM: Remembrance Day events were held all over Australia and our photographers helped capture many of the events. Like this one in Bega.
7.35AM: This was a good save by the Eden community.
The Eden Tigers rugby league club have secured a future for the 2016 season after a successful outcome following their “crisis meeting” yesterday.
As reported by Fairfax Media, the club conducted the meeting at 5pm on Monday November 9 at the Great Southern Inn, Eden, in a desperate bid to form a new committee ahead of the 2016 season. Full story.
7.22AM: Put your gumboots on for this one.
Large parts of the floodplain east of Nowra, Bomaderry and Berry could be submerged by rising sea levels triggered by unchecked climate change according to a global mapping project, carried out by the US group Climate Central.
The project, based on a scientific paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA in October, predicts huge sea-level rises due to global warming. Read all about it.
7.18AM: In Wollongong the drug arrests have continued. Another two people in operations targeting Wollongong drug activity.
Arrests in Crown Street Mall and at a Mangerton unit complex on Wednesday were the products of covert police operations in play since July, involving extensive surveillance of alleged distributors at work in multiple locales. Full story.
South Coast weather
Roads and rail
All clear on the roads, apart from one closed lane on the Wingecarribee River Bridge. The trains are on time.
State of the nation
Need a national news snapshot first thing - well, we have you covered.
► NEW NORFOLK: Baby David Evans was in rush to be born, but arrived safely thanks to the birth coaching of a triple-zero call-taker. Ambulance Tasmania communications officer Mark West coached Deanne Fraser through the birth of her first son last week, when it became clear he was going to arrive before the paramedics. More here.
► BENDIGO: A proposal for senior drivers on Victorian roads to carry S-plates has been panned by senior citizens in Bendigo. The controversial idea was proposed by insurance firm QBE in response to statistics which showed 50 drivers between the ages of 49-85 died behind the wheel between 2013-14. More here.
► WODONGA: The victim of a fierce home invasion has broken down in court recalling the terror of being assaulted in bed. Melinda Berkley was the victim of “a planned drug run-through” for her OxyContin pain medication, according to the prosecution at the Wodonga County Court. More here.
► WAGGA WAGGA: Anna Sjostrand planned to leave her husband for good and returned to Australia only to arrange his continued contact with their son, an inquest into the Swedish national’s death has heard. More here.
► WARRNAMBOOL: A whale, believed to be a juvenile humpback, has washed up at Levy’s Point. Two Warrnambool residents walking their dog made the discovery on Tuesday evening and reported it to the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning on Wednesday afternoon. More here.
► SHELL COVE: Bec and John Gorman knew the shape of their baby boy’s head was abnormal, but doctors kept brushing their concerns aside. Instead of investigating why little Cruz’s head protruded alarmingly at both the front and back, various health professionals suggested the Gormans’ differ his sleep positions, use a doughnut pillow or simply wait for it to fix itself. More here.
► NEWCASTLE: Parts of the Hunter will be beating to the thumping pulse of a team of Black Hawk helicopters as they soar across the region’s skies as part of a nine-day operation. And with a reputation as one of the rockstars of the Australian Defence Force, thanks somewhat to some Hollywood blockbusters, the Black Hawk might appear in Hunter matinees as much as being in chorus at night. More here.
► LOGAN: A search of land around Marsden State High School has not recovered “anything of value” in the case of deceased Chambers Flat girl Tiahleigh Palmer. Police and SES crews were scouring the area on Wednesday morning in a bid to uncover more about the death of the 12-year-old, whose body was found on the banks of the Pimpama River last week. More here.
► BUNBURY: Losing a beloved pet to a snake bite could become a thing of the past thanks to a new training course coming to Bunbury for the first time. A snake avoidance course which endeavours to teach dogs to steer clear of deadly snakes will arrive in the city this month. More here.
► MAITLAND: Bare shelves and warning tags in Maitland supermarkets show the impact of a baby formula shortage that is gripping the nation. The shortage is believed to have been caused by an increasing practice where the formula is bought in bulk and resold in China, where the products fetch massive prices. More here.
National news
► A video showing a group of African students being asked to leave an Apple store at Highpoint shopping centre in Melbourne on Tuesday has caused widespread outrage on social media amid claims of blatant racism. More here.
► A boy with autism, who was often tied to a chair and expected to sleep upright, died after he was given a cold shower and allegedly put in very cold temperatures in a garden shed. More here.
► The Labor Party has approached retired footballer Adam Goodes about the prospect of running as a candidate at the next federal election. Fairfax Media has confirmed Northern Territory Labor Senator and Olympic gold medallist Nova Peris encouraged Goodes to consider a career in politics during a meeting earlier in the year. More here.
► Fisheries officers are believed to have narrowly missed catching a large bull shark just hours before it attacked a surfer at Ballina in northern New South Wales on Tuesday evening. The revelation came as an expert said the latest attack was not unusual given the species involved and the location. More here.
► Parents are concerned they have been left out in the cold as the NSW government and schools plough ahead with plans to combat "violent extremism" among children. More here.
National weather radar
International news
► YANGON: Myanmar's president has promised a "peaceful transfer of power" to pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi after her party's party's sweeping victory in historic elections. More here.
► LONDON: A Paralympian says she was forced to drag herself off an aeroplane after a crew member manhandled her out of her seat. Elite British athlete Claire Harvey said she was "completely humiliated" after she was left with no option but to haul herself up the aisle of a Qatar Airways plane with an injured shoulder when her flight landed in London on October 30. More here.
► INDONESIA: Crocodiles would be used to guard prisoners on death row in Indonesia, because "you can't bribe" the reptiles, according to a bizarre proposal from the head of nation's drug agency. But it gets worse. More here.
On this day
The faces of Australia: David Francis
It was hot and humid, but the high prices at Gracemere Saleyards were the perfect finish to a career spanning 46 years.
Rockhampton-based livestock agent David Francis, who auctioned his last pen during the steamy afternoon, said the prices at 50 cents above last week’s were a terrific way to kick-start his retirement.
“It’s been a very hectic day but it’s been pretty damn good though. I’ve never seen prices like they are today. It’s been unbelievable and it’s been a good way to finish.”
Mr Francis began his career a long way from central Queensland.
Originally from South Australia, he stumbled into the business almost by accident when his father saw an advertisement for Elders in their local Adelaide newspaper. Read more here.