Trains: Buses replace trains between Scone and Maitland, and some trains between Telarah and Maitland, until 7.30am Friday. Buses replace trains between Scone and Hamilton until 4.30am Thursday. Good service on the Newcastle line. 

Weather: Rain in Newcastle, Toronto and Nelson Bay (15 degrees) with similar conditions in Raymond Terrace (16 degrees). 

Beachwatch: With overcast skies, onshore winds and a bit of rain it’s going to be a pretty ordinary day to be beachside. The wind will be south to south-east with the swell from the east around half to one metre. Waves at the open beaches will be sloppy to choppy with the protected southern corners being the picks.

DEFENCE Industry Minister Christopher Pyne will be at Williamtown RAAF base on Wednesday morning to announce $300 million worth of new and extended defence contracts, supporting 350 jobs in the process. Read more.

Newcastle’s tugboats and ferries could soon become moving artworks, under a plan to bring public art to the city’s working harbour. Read more.

A MAN will face court after a woman, 22, suffered burns at Raymond Terrace on Monday in an alleged domestic violence incident. Read more.

LAKE Macquarie mayor Jodie Harrison was feeling “bitter-sweet” going into her last council meeting on Monday night. Read more.

A trial of paid parking in Newcastle’s East End on Saturday mornings will not go ahead, after howls of protest from business owners who feared it would put a dent in their weekend trade. Read more.

WHALE lovers around the world owe Nelson Bay tourism operator Frank Future a lot of thanks. The avid environmentalist has played a role in helping to boost the world’s whale population from about 1800, as recorded in 1996, to the 25,000 that has so far been recorded in 2016. Read more.

THE Hunter Development Corporation has awarded a $5.8 million contract to remediate a former BHP waste dump on Kooragang Island. Read more.

THESE kids are pinching themselves. Not only do they get to train with the best ballet dancers in the world – but they get to perform with them on stage as well. Read more.

UNWANTED winger Akuila Uate could be set to leave the Knights for arch rivals Manly. Read more.

Need a national news snapshot first thing? We've got you covered. But also check out what's happening around regional Australia …

► NSW: The mother of Stephanie Scott has spoken of the joy she gave her family and of the pain they will always feel from her life being snatched away in horrific circumstances by a murderer.

Merrilyn Scott bravely read a victim’s impact statement at a sentencing hearing for Marcus Stanford, who has pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact of 26-year-old Ms Scott’s murder.

Stanford’s twin brother has pleaded guilty to the April 5, 2015, murder and will be sentenced in October.

► NSW: The identical twin brother of a school cleaner who murdered former Canowindra resident Stephanie Scott pawned two of the bride-to-be's rings for $705 after she was killed.

Marcus Stanford, 25, the identical twin brother of school cleaner Vincent Stanford who murdered Leeton teacher Stephanie Scott, appeared in court for his sentencing hearing at Leeton Courthouse on Tuesday.

He has pleaded guilty to accessory to murder after he sold Ms Scott's engagement ring and another ring for $705 at an Adelaide jewellery store.

►TAMWORTH: Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall has spoken with police after receiving threats over his stance on the government’s proposal to ban greyhound racing.

Speaking exclusively to Fairfax Media, Mr Marshall says despite the threats and vitriolic letters, he will vote with the government to outlaw dog racing by July 1, next year.

► WARRNAMBOOL: Fracking may be banned in Victoria within weeks, according to Lock the Gate community campaigners. 

Western Victoria campaigner Alison Marchant said they were expecting unconventional gas mining to be banned “any day now”.

“We’ve shown there is no social license for this industry,” she said. 

► PORT LINCOLN: A regional swimming championship may be organised following the success of local swimmer Kyle Chalmers at the Rio Olympics.

The Whyalla City Council voted at its last meeting to contact the Port Lincoln, Port Augusta and Port Pirie councils to investigate the possibility of holding a regional swimming championships to show support for Chalmers’ outstanding achievements and strengthen country swimming associations.

The council also congratulated Chalmers.

► BENDIGO: A judge says the death of a man while riding dirt bikes with his best friend is a tragedy, but must be used as an example for others not to engage in dangerous activities.

Edward Matthews, 35, was killed when the dirt bike he was riding collided head-on with a dirt bike ridden by his best mate Jason Munday, 37, near Kyabram on New Year’s Day in 2015.

But speaking as a witness in court, Mr Matthews’ former partner told the court she “never blamed” Munday for the fatal crash, while Munday’s partner said they “would do anything to bring him back”.

► BALLARAT: A former Ballarat priest has been found guilty of indecently assaulting a young girl in her own bed more than 40 years ago.

Leslie Sheahan, 85, who was an assistant priest of St Columba’s Church at the time of the offence, will return to the Ballarat Magistrates Court next month for sentencing over the historic indecent assault.

The woman assaulted as a young girl by the former Ballarat priest while she slept told the court the traumatic experience still haunted her.

► MAITLAND: Former Maitland Park Bowling and Sporting Complex secretary Chad McLetchie allegedly directed $15,000 from poker machine purchases to his private bank account and later falsely claimed he dumped poker machines at a “local waste dump”, Liquor and Gaming NSW has told a Sydney court.

Mr McLetchie, 37, of Farley, was charged with making a false statement to the authority during an interview in Newcastle on November 13 after denying selling eight machines to a Fletcher man.

►Sssh. Don't tell the angry white men, but it's finally official.

Aussie-born blokes are twice as likely as their wives or girlfriends to reject the cultures and customs brought to the country by new migrants. And tradies are the most strongly negative of all.

Of course, not every Australian-born male is white. Or angry.

But the picture is striking enough to alert social researchers to a worrying difference in attitude that threatens to undermine a widespread faith in multiculturalism.

► As the world endures a third straight year of record-breaking heat, a new study has given fresh insight into what global warming is likely to mean for Australians if it is not curbed.

Using new methodology, Germany-based researchers Climate Analyticsfound the difference between 1.5 and 2 degrees of warming – the two goals included in the Paris climate deal – would be much greater in terms of extreme events and disasters than previously believed.

► 1981 – Mark David Chapman is sentenced to 20 years to life in prison for murdering John Lennon.

► 1991 – Ukraine declares itself independent from the Soviet Union.

► 1995 – Microsoft Windows 95 was released to the public in North America.

► 2004 – Eighty-nine passengers die after two airliners explode after flying out of Domodedovo International Airport, near Moscow. The explosions are caused by suicide bombers (reportedly female) from the Russian Republic of Chechnya.

► 2006 – The International Astronomical Union (IAU) redefines the term "planet" such that Pluto is now considered a dwarf planet.

► BALI: The Denpasar police chief has claimed British DJ David Taylor went on a bloody rampage on the night a police officer was killed in Bali, accusing him of being a "bogus cop" and screaming: "Where's my bag? Where's my bag? F--- you."

Mr Taylor - the boyfriend of Byron Bay woman Sara Connor - admitted for the first time during police interrogation on Monday he had bashed police officer Wayan Sudarsa with binoculars, a mobile phone and a beer bottle.

► BRITAIN: An Australian artist who was deported from Britain has been told that living with a friend in Yorkshire for a month does not represent "the actions of a genuine visitor to the United Kingdom".

Jody Cleaver was in the middle of a five-month-long trip in Europe, when she was stopped at London's Stansted Airport, interrogated and incarcerated overnight.

Ms Cleaver said she wanted to stay in England for about a month, and planned to live with her friend in Leeds, where she would look after her friend's dog and help redecorate the house, while doing odd jobs online for an Australian gallery.

For nearly two decades foster carer Anthony Marriott has opened his home to disadvantaged youth in the community. 

Working in the Pathways program, the Armidale resident has spent 18 years working to give young people a safe haven and now has been recognised with a nomination for Australian of the Year. 

“I am very overwhelmed because I am just one of many who are working to help these kids,” Mr Marriot said. 

Read more of Anthony’s story here.