Here’s your headlines from around regional Australia and beyond. Scroll down and refresh for weather, road reports and more.
8.30am: That's a wrap for this morning. Remember to check in on your local paper's website for breaking news throughout the day.
8.25am: A doctor accused of wrongly discharging Illawarra treasure Trudy Davis from Shellharbour Hospital in the hours leading to her death has been reprimanded for unsatisfactory professional conduct. Full story.
8.20am: Two years ago this was a much, much wetter week on the South Coast.
8.15am: A two-month wait for laboratory tests has resulted in a 41-year-old Catalina women being charged with driving with an illicit drug present in oral fluid. More details.
8.10am: While it’s highly unlikely that you haven’t already seen this nine-hour old trailer for the next Star Wars installment, Rogue One, I thought I’d share it here just to be sure nobody misses out. Looks awesome #gorogue.
8.05am: Surf lifesaving club members don’t just patrol the beach - clubs have a role for everyone.
Surf Life Saving NSW is hosting their annual Surf Club Open Day on Sunday, October 16. Read all about it.
8.00am: Good morning, if you've just joined us scroll down for weather and road conditions. Refresh the page to see the latest updates.
7.56am: Water lovers from Milton-Ulladulla will welcome news of the opening of the Ulladulla sea pool for the summer season. Find out more.
7.53am: How’s this for spring snow? Most in 20 years. Re-open the resorts!
7.45am: The Kiama Leisure Centre IT network was recently taken offline by Kiama council staff, following a deliberate attack on the network.
The attack occurred early last Friday morning. Read all about it.
7.41am: AN Eden woman who was caught smuggling drugs into the South Nowra jail for her son has been placed on a good behaviour bond.
Rhonda Joy Mongta, 48, pleaded guilty to possessing a prohibited drug and supplying a prohibited drug. Full story.
7.34am: This week marks a year since the body of Bega woman Marnie-Lee Cave was found under a bridge at Tathra and the anguish is still understandably raw for her family and friends. Read on.
South Coast weather
Sunny. Areas of frost about higher ground early this morning. Light winds. Daytime maximum temperatures between 17 and 22.
Roads and rail
For those hitting the road this morning we’ve got a clear run so far. Good news for train commuters, there are no delays on the South Coast line.
Regional news
A Blackbutt woman who swindled almost $70,000 from the public purse in a Medicare scam that lasted more than two years may avoid a full time jail sentence.
Yarloop residents have raised concerns over toxic waste left lying around in the wake of the WA government's co-ordinated clean up of their devastated community.
It seems even mother ducks have the chore of getting new school shoes for the kids each year.
National news
Attorney-General George Brandis has attempted to hose down claims he is seeking to "shackle" the government's chief legal adviser as he faces a growing backlash over his move to stop colleagues seeking advice without his approval.
Proposed loosening of NSW's land-clearing controls could leave more than a third of the state's woodlands exposed to bulldozers including prime koala habitat, a report commissioned by WWF-Australia has found.
Tony Abbott has defended Donald Trump and taken a swipe at Hillary Clinton, saying the Republican nominee's positions are "reasonable enough" and his supporters are "not deplorables" but voters simply seeking change in America.
National weather radar
International news
The British government will inevitably grant citizenship to European "rapists and murderers" while kicking out "hardworking, upstanding people" in the Brexit shakeout, a respected migration expert has warned.
Hong Kong's newly-elected breed of pro-democracy legislators have used the legislature's opening session to stage symbolic protests, unfurling banners and distorting parliamentary oaths in open defiance of Beijing.
Donald Trump had shown himself to be a "fascist threat" who posed the gravest risk to the United States since that country's Civil War, a top-ranking US Democrat warned in Sydney on Thursday.
On this day | October 14
1322 | Robert the Bruce of Scotland defeats King Edward II of England at Byland, forcing Edward to accept Scotland's independence.
1884 | The American inventor, George Eastman, receives a U.S. Government patent on his new paper-strip photographic film.
1926 | The children's book Winnie-the-Pooh, by A. A. Milne, is first published.
1979 | The first Gay Rights March on Washington, D.C., the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, demands "an end to all social, economic, judicial, and legal oppression of lesbian and gay people", and draws approximately 100,000 people.
1984 | "Baby Fae" receives a heart transplant from a baboon.
The faces of Australia: Bill Sweetenham
In October 2011, Mount Isa was humbled by the return of one of itrs most famous sporting identities – Bill Sweetenham, former swimming head coach for Australia, Britain, Spain and now Argentina. Over a weekend Bill ran a world-class swim clinic covering all four strokes, starts and turns, with information sessions. Every athlete walked away with a wealth of knowledge, honoured they had learnt from the best, who was one of their own.
