Not sure what Ballarat's deal is with cool morning's lately but at least we are being compensated with sunny, warm days. 

Today we are looking at a top of 25 degrees with light winds and clearing clouds in the morning.

And just if anyone needed reminding - it's Friday, have a ripper day.

TODAY'S TOP STORY

The cricketing world is in mourning following the tragic death of batsman Phillip Hughes on Thursday. 

November 27 will mark the day Australia said goodbye to a promising cricketer who had a knack with the bat.

A loyal friend, a talented cricketer; Hughes will forever remain in the hearts of everyone he made the biggest impression on.

“He was a fantastic fella. To be fair, he never had a bad thing to say about anyone,” Brown Hill Bulls captain and friend Shane Harwood said.

POLICE

A man accused of firing a shot from a stolen action-bolt rifle at a central Ballarat property was dragged from the dock by police officers on Thursday after his bail application was refused.

Joseph Haebich, 23, allegedly posed for photos with the stolen gun on November 19 – six days after he was released on bail for an alleged hit-and-run incident and two high-speed police pursuits.

Haebich – charged with theft of a firearm and possessing methamphetamine and cannabis – was forcibly restrained by two police officers at the Ballarat Magistrates Court after magistrate Andrew Capell refused bail.

Read the full story

FIRE

As the 2014 fire season heats up, the men and women of the CFA Creswick group prepare to tackle diverse challenges.

The group “straddles the Great Dividing Range” and can be fighting fires across open grassland or be drawn to urban fires at the back of Brown Hill.

Through a series of articles, The Courier will introduce the firefighters of the region.

Read the full story here

V/LINE

All train services appear to be running on time and to schedule according to the @vline_ballarat Twitter feed.

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

► To check out the front pages of Fairfax publications for today, click here

It was the darkest of days for the baggy green and, quite naturally, the aftermath of Phillip Hughes' death dominates today. As it seems the nation tries to make sense of the incomprehensible, the waves of grief are being felt all across the cricket-loving globe.

​And in other news across regional Australia...

►It came with plenty of warning, but the sheer ferocity of Thursday's storm caught most of Brisbane by surprise. The storm, which had been forecast earlier in the day, rolled into the heart of Brisbane about 4.30pm.

►Ballarat foodies will get a taste of the region – and the world – on Friday night. Pizza, pastries and pies will feed hundreds of hungry mouths at The Courier’s Good Food Ballarat Family Hawkers Market. 

►This year, for the first time, January 1 will be welcomed not with a bang but a whimper, as Nelson Bay joins the rest of the Hunter’s main  population spots in doing away with the traditional 12am light show. 

►The nation’s medical marijuana laws sit on the cusp of an historic change after a cross-party bill was tabled in the federal Senate yesterday.

►Whether they’re true blue or real red, supporters from the Liberal and Labor parties are confident their leader can get across the line on Saturday night.

► A man and girl escaped from the campervan in which they were travelling just moments before it caught fire in Albury on Thursday.

WAGGA WAGGA: A cormer Christian Brother who pleaded guilty to abusing four boys in Wagga, Albury and Strathfield between 1972 and 1982 has been jailed for a minimum two years.

BALLARAT: North Ballarat Rebels and St Patrick's College players figured prominently in the AFL national draft on the Gold Coast on Thursday night.

WAGGA WAGGA: Days when world champion boxer Joe Williams is not fighting an opponent, he is battling his own struggle with depression that almost ended his life. The former National Rugby League player from Wagga was on the Border last night for the Albury launch of short film — The Enemy Within — describing his demons and how he copes.

DUBBO: It is exactly 11 weeks today since Kibibi was born at Taronga Western Plains Zoo and the hippo calf is growing in both confidence and size.

WARRNAMBOOL: The battle against wind farms continues to be a lonely road for Moyne Shire councillor Jim Doukas. At the council’s meeting this week, Cr Doukas failed to gain support for his stance on wind farms in the shire.

KATHERINE: The enthusiastic students and staff at Mataranka Primary School are aiming to make next year’s Never Never Festival and rodeo an event to remember, but they need your help.

BATHURST: Just $100,000 will be offered as a reward for information about Jessica Small’s abduction and murder – despite the state’s deputy coroner recommending at least five times that amount be made available.

BURNIE: The Tasmanian government has been condemned by the opposition for ''ignoring calls to immediately fund improved drug rehabilitation services in Tasmania''. Shadow Health Minister Rebecca White said the government had ignored recommendations made by a government commissioned review of drug use and service responses in the North-West region.

REDLANDS: A Mount Cotton man was among 75 people arrested and charged in anti-bikie raids across Queensland this week. The 26-year-old was charged with 16 offences, including drug trafficking and recruiting people to a criminal organisation.

WHYALLA: Increased productivity targets by BHP Billiton will see the company revisit the expansion of its Olympic Dam mine.

BUNBURY: A six-year-old fighting an aggressive brain tumour is set to receive a helping hand from the now well-known fundraising festival, Project Kate. 

► Imagine having a seizure, being taken to hospital, sent home and then the next thing you know you are waking up in John Hunter Hospital diagnosed with cancer. Gunnedah man Stuart Little doesn’t have to imagine – this is his life, but the 20-year-old remains positive.