The Hunter's five COVID-19 cases: 3 people in their 20s, two children from Maitland Christian School, plus a man in his 30s from the Central Coast - all believed linked to a gathering at Blacksmiths Beach on Friday night Newcastle Herald bit.ly/3fyXzSB

Police and security have been called in to help manage & monitor a Newcastle hotel 'quarantine facility for close contacts of Hunter's COVID cases. Newcastle Herald bit.ly/37n4t97

New Hunter exposure sites include HealthSure Medical Centre, Jesmond ( Aug 2, 3.20-3.55pm) and Jump N Swim Academy, Thornton ( Wed, Aug 4, 5-5.30pm) - full list at bit.ly/3AdZHHp Newcastle Herald bit.ly/2X1niNe

NSW Gov to Sydney HSC students re: jabs: "This is your golden ticket ... go for gold, get the jab next week"; NSW Gov to priority group Novocastrians with no news on when they can get the jabs stripped from them: " .....{silence} "

Two new cases in the Hunter Newcastle Herald bit.ly/3yvYRoQ

State Government tells Sydney's HSC students to 'go for gold' ... but there's no 'golden ticket' for the Hunter's vulnerable residents or health workers who can't get a test or a jab. Newcastle Herald bit.ly/2TWs1hY

⚠️ New COVID-19 Exposure Sites⚠️ New close contact exposure site identified: Corset Bar and Supper Club in Hamilton. New casual contact sites at Westfield Kotara: KMart and JD Sports 👇

Designated pop-up clinic at JHH for close contacts and COVID ward prepped for a surge Newcastle Herald newcastleherald.com.au/story/7375301/…

⚠️ 24 new cases of COVID-19 in HNE 👉 All cases are linked. 6 were infectious in community. 👉 12 are associated with the RFBI Hawkins Masonic Retirement Village outbreak at Edgeworth. To view the case location map for NSW visit bit.ly/NSW_CaseLocati….

Scores of residents of a unit building in Cardiff told they cannot leave their apartments after three test positive Newcastle Herald bit.ly/2W4kQ8v

Doesn't this just fill you with confidence? How do current regs/non-regs/health advice cater for this?

A special Newcastle Herald today as we launch our Power and the Passion series. If you care about how the Hunter can make a successful transition to a clean energy future, it's well worth a read. Twelve-plus pages today and there's a lot more to come.

The #SportAUSMediaAwards category for best coverage of a community sport issue - rural & regional recognises the tireless work of regional journalists. The 2021 winner is Donna Page from Newcastle Herald for her work on ‘Newcastle cricket's turf war’. newcastleherald.com.au/story/7000652/…

This is just not good enough... ab.co/3PvIvWo "The government has withheld a number of 'war-gamed' climate scenarios from the public, the ABC reports. WTF? 'Isn't that the point of democracy ... open and honest public debate about issues of relevance'? Indeed.

Loving this climate change/federal election policies report card pulled together by the ABC ab.co/3FTdYxn Read it.

And closer to home, this from @mhparris about who's who in the fight for the Hunter's heartland - both back coalmining as well as net zero emissions by 2050 bit.ly/3LqBhzD

'That's what we're supposed to do': Joanne McCarthy honoured ift.tt/TfLzbYK

newcastleherald.com.au/story/7808679/…

#mymaitland Maitland City Council Jessica Rouse 2NURFM News NBN News

Campaign of the Year Winner: Newcastle Herald Highly Commended: Billy Jupp #ACMExcellence newcastleherald.com.au/news/power-pas…