Category: Newcastle News

A woman has been charged with high-range drink driving while a child was in the car in the state’s Hunter region today.
About 11.55am (Thursday 15 August 2019), officers from Port Stephens-Hunter Police District were conducting a stationary RBT operation on the New England Highway, Maitland when a red Ford Falcon was stopped.
The driver, a 34-year-old woman, underwent a roadside breath test and allegedly returned a positive result.
Upon inspection of her vehicle, police found a seven-year-old boy in the rear passenger seat.
The woman was arrested and taken to Maitland Police Station, where she underwent a breath analysis and returned an alleged reading of 0.227.
The young child was also taken to the station and cared for by police until a family member arrived.
The woman’s license was suspended immediately, and she was issued with a Field Court Attendance Notice for the offence of drive with high range prescribed concentration of alcohol.
She’s due to appear at Maitland Local Court on Wednesday 25 September 2019.
Port Stephens-Hunter Police District’s Acting Inspector Kristin Marshall said officers are continually dumbfounded by those who choose to drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs with children in the car.
“With Operation Merret and Operation Chrome both underway in the Northern Region, we are committed to having every road user reach their destination safely,” Insp Marshall said.
“It’s these kind of selfish decisions that could have fatal and harmful consequences. If you are too intoxicated to drive, you need to find alternative travel arrangements.
“We continue to implore the community to slow down, wear your seatbelt, avoid handling mobile phones and take regular breaks to avoid fatigue.”
 

A house was destroyed by fire in the state’s Hunter Valley today.
About 5.20pm (Thursday 15 August 2019), emergency services were called to Gillards Road, Pokolbin, following reports of a house fire.
Fire and Rescue NSW and NSW Rural Fire Service attended and found the home to be entirely engulfed. The fire was controlled, and emergency services continue to extinguish the fire completely.
Officers from Hunter Valley Police District attended and established a crime scene.
The occupants of the home, a 68-year-old man and a 69-year-old woman, escaped the blaze uninjured.
The premises and its contents appear to be completely destroyed and the structure has been deemed unstable.
Investigations continue however, it is believed the fire started in a circuit board in the laundry and it is not being treated as suspicious.
 

Detectives are appealing to the community for information following reports a teenager was assaulted and sexually touched by a group of males near Maitland last month.
Officers from Port Stephens-Hunter Police District were contacted after a 13-year-old girl disclosed she had been assaulted while she was walking on Thomas Coke Drive, Thornton, about 4.45pm on Thursday 4 July 2019.
Earlier this month, the matter was referred to detectives from the State Crime Command’s Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad for further investigation.
After speaking with the girl further, detectives were told she was followed by about six males and pushed to the ground near the intersection of Thomas Coke Drive and John Arthur Avenue.
The girl further disclosed one of the males sexually touched her, before she was able to run away.
Investigators are now appealing to the community for assistance to identify the six males, who may be able to assist with the investigation.
They are all described as being in their late teens, wearing baggy jeans and riding BMX push bikes.
Detectives are also urging anyone who was in the area at the time who may have seen the incident, specifically a man who was walking his dog near the Alan & Don Lawrence Oval, to come forward.
The man is described as having an olive complexion, aged between 40 and 50, with dark hair and a long well-kept beard. He was walking a brown Border Collie cross German Sheppard.
 

Dedicated podcasting and virtual reality equipment, 3D holograms of planned developments and interactive wall-mounted screens featuring key City attractions will feature among a suite of new offerings within the ground floor of the City’s future Central Administration Centre (CAC).
The digital library concept, which will be co-located with the customer service centre and Council Chamber in the City’s new CAC, will be the region’s first ‘library of the future’.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the space would be one of the stand-out features of the 12 Stewart Avenue building, which is just months away from occupation.
“When complete, this concept will put the City at the forefront of bridging the digital divide and deliver an advanced digital library focussed on digital literacy and inclusive access for our community,” the Lord Mayor said.
“It will redefine the library experience for people of all ages and create opportunities to experience emerging technologies and spark future innovation across our services.
“As part of the City’s 2019-2029 Library Strategy, which promotes new ways of thinking when it comes to library and customer services, it will help meet Smart City and sustainability commitments to foster digital inclusion and education equality, and inform the roll-out of future technology across other branches.”

As part of the plans, the Digital Library will offer coding classes to tech-minded students, novices or industry professionals eager to upskill their digital knowledge.
A multipurpose meeting room will also be available to the community. The space will also double as a podcasting studio, with library staff conducting regular classes demonstrating how to podcast.
The Digital Library will feature elements of a more traditional library including books, magazines and newspapers, which can be borrowed or read on comfortable lounge chairs. eBook download kiosks and a digital PressReader newspaper and magazine table will also feature in the new library.
Other features of the digital library concept include:

• A digital ‘Magic Box’ that replicates pages from the City’s Rare Book collection. These can be read and navigated using the swipe of a finger from the outside of the glass;
• Programming activities for all ages focussed on science and technology, such as coding activities for a robot, which can improve digital literacy skills
• A focus on intergenerational digital inclusion activities to make it easier to access online information and services such as eGov services;
• Interactive story walls that tell stories of our heritage and display vision from key city attractions such as Blackbutt Reserve and the Bathers Way Coastal Walk;
• A cashless payment system which allows members to pay for printing, copying, fines and services online or in branches by using credit on their library cards.

While the library will initially operate within regular business hours, it is envisaged that in time an area on the ground floor complex will be configured to allow 24-hour opening hours for borrowing and computer access.
Libraries Manager Suzie Gately said the digital library project would take the best of traditional libraries and enhance the experience with modern technology.
“Libraries have, through history, been places for people to learn, relax and collaborate, and this project will take that experience to the next level by blending traditional book lending with curated digital content and a strong customer service focus,” she said.

A child has died following a single-vehicle crash in Newcastle this afternoon.
Shortly before 1pm, emergency services were called to McCaffrey Drive, New Lambton Heights, following reports a Holden statesman had lost control and collided with a power pole.
A girl was treated on the scene by an off-duty nurse and NSW Ambulance paramedics before being taken to John Hunter Children’s Hospital, where she died a short time later.
A woman was trapped in the vehicle before being freed and taken to John Hunter Hospital; her condition is unknown.
The male driver has been taken to the Mater Hospital for mandatory testing.
An investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash has been launched.
 

A man and a woman have been charged with multiple property offences following an investigation into stolen goods in Smithfield.
In June 2019 a joint investigation was commenced by officers from Lake Macquarie Target Action Group and Fairfield Target Action Group into a break and enter at a commercial premises in Smithfield.
About 11am today (12 August 2019) police arrested a 34-year-old man at a shopping centre in Charlestown where he was allegedly attempting to sell a number of items.
An hour later, police attended a property on the Pacific Highway in Charlestown and arrested a 31-year-old woman. A search of the property revealed footwear and clothing allegedly stolen during the break and enter.
The man was charged with break and enter steal value over $60,000, receive/dispose stolen property, possess identity info to commit indictable offence, goods suspected stolen in/on premises (not motor vehicle), possess counterfeit money, possess counterfeiting machine/tool/die, possess prohibited drug (three counts), possess or use a prohibited weapon without permit, common assault (DV), receive/dispose stolen property minimum indictable offence and resist officer in execution of duty.
The woman was charged with break and enter house steal value over $60,000.
Both were bail refused to appear at Toronto Local Court on Tuesday 13 August 2019.

The City of Newcastle has completed a solar-powered electric vehicle (EV) charging hub that will also provide 100 percent renewable electricity to supply all of No.2 Sportsground.
Known as an ‘E-Transit Hub’, the charging station is the first to roll out across the city and includes a 44kW solar car park cover, three EV chargers and more than 120kWh of battery storage, which is enough to power an average Newcastle home for nearly nine days.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes with City of Newcastle’s Smart City team
Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said that the E-transit Hub will act as a testbed for similar facilities around the city as Newcastle adopts sustainable energy technology across its facilities and operations.
“Novocastrians are known for embracing sustainability and it’s no surprise that electric vehicle ownership is on the rise in Newcastle,” the Lord Mayor said.
“Installing this E-Transit hub is an important part of demonstrating to our community that Newcastle is an electric vehicle-friendly city where you can be confident the infrastructure is in place to support the vehicles’ growing popularity.
“Number 2 Sportsground is the first location in a planned roll-out of future EV charging stations across the city, as we progressively see a move away from the dependence on fossil-fuel powered transport to cleaner and more sustainable modes such as electric vehicles and bikes.
“Through our own Smart City Strategy, and with the help of the Federal Government’s $5 million Smart Cities and Suburbs Program grant, Number 2 Sportsground is now a completely self-sustaining site capable not only of charging electric vehicles but also powering the sportsground lights and other facilities.”

_{The Lord Mayor with Climate Council Funding Coordinator Sonya Williams and City Program Coordinator Adam Clarke}
Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes and the Smart City team flank a Tritium 50kW Fast Charger at No.2 Sportsground​
EV owner Michael Barwell said he was thrilled to see the City develop environmentally friendly infrastructure for eco-minded transport users.
“The adoption rate of electric vehicles in Newcastle is definitely on the rise and we are only going to see more people transfer from traditional fossil-fuel engines to electric powered in the years to come,” Mr Barwell said.
“It is fantastic that the City of Newcastle is supporting the future of electric vehicles which not only helps our residents but also visitors to our beautiful city.”
The EV charging stations will be free for users for an introductory period to encourage usage before moving to a pricing structure based on demand and cost recovery.
The City has installed one Tritium 50kW Fast Charger and two 22kW Level 2 chargers. For the average vehicle, the fast charger takes around 30-40 minutes to charge to 80 percent, while the other two take up to two hours depending on battery size and state of charge.
Three other EV charging sites are planned for the CBD at the Queen Street car park, Laman Street and on Wharf Road by early 2020. The City is also currently planning the expansion of the public EV network to other suburbs.
The EV infrastructure is part of the $13 million Smart Moves Newcastle project, which received $5 million through the Federal Government’s Smart Cities and Suburbs program in 2017.

A man has been charged with multiple offences after a large-scale search operation in the state’s north which began last week.
Just before 12.45pm on Thursday 1 August, police were called to a property on Pepler Place, Thornton, after concerns for welfare for residents inside a home.
Police will allege that a man was located outside the property armed with a firearm, before he began to pour petrol over the front door, threatening to light a fire.
The man ran from police, jumping over a rear fence and fleeing into bushland.
A search operation was commenced coordinated by officers attached to Port Stephens-Hunter Police District – with assistance from the Dog Unit, PolAir, and various police resources – where bushland and numerous residences were searched, however he was unable to be located.
Following extensive inquiries, the 27-year-old man was located and arrested at a property on Cassia Way, Metford about 9.45pm yesterday (Friday 9 August 2019).
He was taken to Maitland Police Station where he was charged with stalk/intimidate intend fear physical etc harm (personal), armed with intent to commit indictable offence, possess unauthorised firearm, and in relation to an outstanding arrest warrant.
The Metford man was refused bail to appear before Newcastle Local Court today (Saturday 10 August 2019).