Newcastle

A man has been rushed to hospital after he was set on fire during a terrifying pre-dawn attack, before seeking help at a nearby McDonalds.

Emergency services were called to the fast-food store at King St in Newcastle, on the NSW Hunter Coast, shortly after 3am on Thursday.

Police said the 23-year-old man had been assaulted and set on fire before seeking help at the northeast city store suffering serious burns.

He was rushed to John Hunter Hospital before being transferred to Royal North Shore, where he remained in a serious but stable condition. Police have since established a crime scene with investigations underway into the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Local media reported that officer believed the man was involved in an altercation with two men in the busy street in Newcastle

Investigators appealed for any witnesses or anyone with dashcam vision in the area at the time to come Crime Stoppers.

Girvan Estate is in the hinterland of Nelson Bay.

Key points:

• Resources will be reallocated to slowing the spread of the pest
• Non-compliance from beekeepers and illegal hive movement was a major factor in the failed eradication effort
• Government and industry groups made the unanimous decision to move to a management approach

Key points:

• NSW Police have suspended the use of bean-bag rounds when responding to high risk incidents
• Krista Kach, 47, died last week after a shot fired by police struck her heart
• Ms Kach was involved in a 10-hour stand-off with police at Stockton in Newcastle

Key points:

• The woman barricaded herself in her unit early Thursday afternoon after threatening people with an axe
• Officers entered the 47-year-old's unit just before 10pm following a 10-hour stand-off
• Police say she was able to walk to an ambulance, but her condition deteriorated and she later died

The rugby league great, who played 223 games for the Knights, is battling the symptoms of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) which is a progressive brain disease that is connected with repeated traumatic brain injuries and dementia.

“I was a little man in a big man’s game so my height level was ducking through (opposition players) forearms and it was a habit of seeing stars, getting hit and seeing stars,” Robbie said.

Asked about what he remembers from his two premierships that he won with the Newcastle Knights, Robbie struggles to recall any details about the games.

“All I remember is that I played for a good team, played for a town,” Robbie replied.

“Even watching the grand finals now, I’ve watched them that many times, I can’t remember doing them.”

Depression and mood swings are symptoms of CTE, and as life got so bad for Robbie, he contemplated the same suicide attempt while sitting on the edge of a cliff six times.

"[…] she (Dr Rowena Mobbs, one of Australia’s leading concussion and CTE experts) said that he (Robbie) has one of the worst brain scans that she’s seen,” she said

Hours of opening: Saturday and Sunday 10am to 5pm, Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm.

Key points:

• An 18-year-old man has been charged with allegedly lighting bushfires in the Hunter Valley
• He's been charged with 15 offences
• Police allege the man lit several bushfires at multiple locations in July and August

Beachgoers from Newcastle to Wollongong caught in the middle of shark politics this summer

From September 1, shark nets will return to NSW beaches from Newcastle to Wollongong.

The NSW Government has reached a vital agreement to get the full complement of New Intercity Fleet trains on the tracks as soon as possible, including the Hunter.

Key points:

• Tim Crakanthorp resigned from the Ministry on August 2
• The premier raised questions about Mr Crakanthorp's failed property disclosures and referred him to the ICAC
• A governance review has cleared a renewal project linked to property holdings of his wife's family

Key points:

• A petition is calling for Fipronil baits to be banned in the varroa mite response
• There is concern the baits are killing native bee populations
• The DPI says it has mechanisms in place to ensure the baits strictly target European honey bees

R.I.P.

Key points:

• NSW Premier Chris Minns announced a Labor minister had been asked to step down
• Tim Crakanthorp self-reported a breach of the ministerial code of conduct over land holdings
• Mr Crakanthorp was Minister for the Hunter, and Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education

Key points:

• David Chandler alleged there was an "absolute heap of danger" at an Adamstown site
• The CFMEU has compiled a list of concerns regarding safety at that site and another in the Newcastle CBD
• Sophie Cotsis says there is "absolutely no excuse" for noncompliance in the industry

New South Wales Work Health and Safety Minister Sophie Cotsis says she is shocked by the state of two Newcastle building sites that have been issued stop work orders.

Work has ceased at sites on Brunker Road in Adamstown and Watt Street, in Newcastle's CBD, after NSW Building Commissioner David Chandler raised serious safety concerns.

Key points:

• A young person has died in NSW after contracting influenza B
• It comes as hospitals record a rise in admissions
• Health authorities are calling for parents to vaccinate their children against the virus

Coordinates 32.91622° S, 151.78913° E

I thought that they were under construction 3 years ago, but they still aren't finished. They're not on satellite view on Google Maps.