Keely Johnson

Advocates welcome $80 million in federal funding for a high-speed rail business case, but say with the project still many years away, upgrades to the existing line must also be prioritised.

Ava Towers stopped attending school, refusing to get out of the car at drop-off. Her father didn't know what to do, until a specialist team reached out to help.

Recent heavy rain and flooding in NSW and Queensland slowed production and delivery, but co-op managers are confident plenty of local prawns and oysters will be on Christmas plates.

Speedway motorcycle racing is huge in Europe these days, but did you know a town in the NSW Hunter is widely considered its birthplace? Exactly 100 years ago, on December 15, 1923, the first speedway meet was held at Maitland Showground.

Deep in the corridors of John Hunter Children's Hospital, school lessons come to the bedside of sick kids as part of a long-standing on-site education program that is providing families with "immeasurable" support.

The border collie is one of a precious few canny canines whose elite sense of smell can pinpoint a single specimen of the smothering, scrambling Chinese violet across a large area with minimal impact on the environment.

A man accused of breaking into a Central Coast nursing home and sexually assaulting a woman in her 90s been refused bail after being ordered to undergo a mental health assessment.

Free diver Michaela Werner sets a new world record by swimming 101 underwater laps of a 25-metre pool in under an hour.

Police and a member of the public have found debris during a major land and sea search on the NSW east coast, but cannot confirm whether it is from the missing aircraft.

A judge says Michael John Kable, 63, "was subject to extreme provocation as a casual teacher" prior to the assault at Maitland Grossman High School, and the offence was "out of character".

Farmers are assessing their losses after what has been described as a "firestorm" that tore through a rural area west of Kempsey earlier this week, claiming the life of a 56-year-old man.

Anthony Albanese has shared his condolences following the death of Richard Mainey, who had been defending his family farm near Kempsey.

It took 12 months after floods devastated the small town of Broke in NSW for Evelyn Hardy's house to be declared a write-off and, after losing all her belongings, she is still sharing a caravan with her husband and dog.

Police say they will investigate "less than lethal" options after a 47-year-old died in hospital after being subdued in her home to end a 10-hour stand-off.

Liz and Sam Paul know how to stay calm in an emergency, which came in handy when baby Andy decided to arrive before they could make it to hospital.

The tragic final moments of a disaster at sea are outlined to a coronial inquiry by the son of a Lake Macquarie man who disappeared after his boat capsized. 

Newcastle supporters are overjoyed by the Knights' win over the Raiders, which could lead to the men's team winning a premiership for the first time in more than 20 years.

With bees responsible for pollinating much of the food we find at the supermarket and green grocer, authorities remain committed to trying to eradicate the recently introduced varroa mite before it gains too much of a foothold.

When Alicia Edge decided to study nutrition and dietetics, she never expected it would lead to a career working with Australia's top sporting teams, including the Matildas.

The 44-year-old suffered injuries to both legs during a "sustained and prolonged" attack.

Police have charged 19-year-old Kaharau Beer and 20-year-old Zeda Haas for their role in the alleged trafficking of 4kg of "commercial quantity of a controlled drug".

The family of a woman who suffered a brain bleed after an accident in Thailand earlier this year has shared their grief at her death yesterday.

Bob Sheridan did not seek help to deal with the trauma of his childhood until he was in his 60s. When he decided to champion a cause dear to his heart, he did not imagine the impact it would have.

Zoe Lonergan grew up in the small, tight-knit town of Kayuga, on the outskirts of Muswellbrook in the New South Wales Hunter Valley. It is a community that no longer exists.

Concerns have been raised around the use of an insecticide to control the varroa mite outbreak in New South Wales and its impact on the native bee population.