We are in for another extraordinary day with the warmest weather in recent memory.

A top of 22 degrees today with no clouds in sight.

Winds northerly 15 to 20 km/h becoming light in the late afternoon then becoming northerly 15 to 20 km/h in the late evening.

The sunny streak is due to end tomorrow with rain and a top of 18 degrees.

Early-riser Michelle James took a moment to take in the sunshine this morning.

TODAY'S TOP STORY

Ballarat is one of the most expensive Victorian regional centres to dispose of a mattress, leading to fears the items will continue to be dumped in nature reserves.

The Courier collected information from more than a dozen regional councils and found that Ballarat’s transfer station was the most expensive at which to dispose of a mattress at $31 each. 

Read the full story here

POLICE

The homicide squad have laid murder charges following two separate deaths in the last few days.

Detectives charged a 53-year-old man following the death of a woman aged in her 50s in Wallan.

David Whitelegg was charged with one count of murder and faced an out of sessions’ court hearing this morning. 

He has been remanded in custody and will face the Melbourne Magistrate’s Court later today. 

Detectives charged a 49-year-old woman with murder following the death of a 31-year-old man in Seaford on Monday. 

Lisa McLaughlin was charged with one count of murder and faced an out of sessions hearing this evening. 

She was remanded into custody and will face the Melbourne Magistrates' Court tomorrow. 

FIRE

Fire crews from Ballarat were busy yesterday with a tree fire at Mt Clear, a gas leak near Humffray street north and a burn off in Mt Clear and a grass fire threatening sheds and houses in Brown Hill.

VLINE

There were no delays on the Ballarat line according to the @vline_ballarat Twitter feed.

ON THE AGENDA

Today The Courier will be chatting to Gavin, a man who has been to the AFL Grand Final for 50 consecutive years.

Good morning. Need a national news snapshot first thing - well, we have you covered.

Sad news on the NSW south coast where a 10-year-old boy died after a sand dune collapsed on him, the latest developments involving the Islamic State, all the wash up from Monday night's surprise Brownlow Medal result, and, by way of light relief, a TV reporter dropping the F-bomb and quitting live on air.

MANDURAH, WA: It was the result none of the experts predicted; West Coast Eagle Matt Priddis claimed the 2014 Brownlow Medal. Read more + check out the red carpet photos

BALLARAT, VIC: Your cheap bread comes at a cost. Woolworths' decision to slash its home brand white loaf price to 85 cents could “wipe out” local businesses, a Victorian baker says. Read more

NEWCASTLE, NSW:  A Hunter Valley winery has been fined more than $200,000 over the explosion that claimed the lives of winemaker Trevor Drayton and welder Eddie Orgo. Read more

NATIONAL, QLD: For 80 minutes in November, the most powerful man in the world will be able to add Brisbane airspace to the list of things under his control. Read more

NATIONAL: Wow. Half of the men and one third of women in Australia will be diagnosed with cancer by the age of 85. Read more

WOLLONGONG, NSW: When you think of Wollongong, a one-time steel city on the east coast of Australia, does downtown Manhattan come to mind? Perhaps it should, says Wollongong's mayor. Read more

BATHURST, NSW: A central western NSW diocese is currently involved in legal action over failure to repay a $24 million debt. Read more

WODONGA, VIC: Life without the internet for more than a year is starting to take a toll on school, work and family life, say two Victorian mothers. Read more

BENDIGO, VIC: How would you feel if your council spent $28,370 on a seat. The City of Greater Bendigo has - and it's defended its decision. Read more

MAITLAND, NSW: A man will be sentenced in November after pleading guilty to spitting on a taxi ­driver as he unleased an alcohol-fuelled, racial tirade ­on him outside Maitland train station. Read more

EDEN, NSW: A 10-year-old Wyndham boy has died after school holiday fun went tragically wrong near Eden on Monday. Read more and watch the video

6am: Morning all, we'll get the coffees in - short black?

CANBERRA: Islamic State's rallying call for its followers to kill all non-believers in the West is designed – as always – to terrorise, but the diatribe from its chief spokesman released on Monday is also revealing in betraying the weakness and fears of the terrorist group itself. Read more

BALLARAT: Incidents of sexual assaults, bullying and threats have been reported as impacting students and teachers in Ballarat’s public school system during the past four years. Read more

ORANGE: A councillor is appalled and embarrassed a hospital the size of Orange’s has no designated palliative care unit. Read more

MELBOURNE: Check out the greatest ever AFL moments and vote for your favourite in our poll too. Click here 

CANBERRA: Australians have been warned that their freedoms might have to be restricted for the sake of national security, as the government prepares to introduce counter-terrorism laws to crack down on Australians fighting for militant or terrorist groups. Read more

SYDNEY: Banks and credit unions are in close talks with Visa to work out whether they will have to give up some of their estimated $9 billion in payments revenue to Apple. Read more

NEW YORK: Australia has restated its commitment to reduce its carbon emissions by 5 per cent below 2000 levels by 2020, at a meeting of the top 17 economies in New York hosted by United States Secretary of State John Kerry. Read more

LONDON: If you've ever caught the Tube, you just might have wondered ... can I run between one stop and the next on the Circle Line and pick up the Tube again? It's a game called #RaceTheTube. Watch until the end for the commuters' reactions!

UNITED STATES: Another day, another nude celebrity photo hacking experience. This time 28-year-old Texan Amber Heard is among the victims. She is, of course, the fiance of Johnny Depp.

Caley McPherson, an Eden Marine High School HSC student, is a writer in the making. She entered a short story competition and finished up carrying off first prize. The title of her award-winning piece? "The Escape". Read more