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We're in for a partly cloudy day before the rain comes tomorrow. A top of 24 degrees in Ballarat.
Church underpaid victims
Peter Blenkiron, who was abused by disgraced paedophile Christian brother Edward Dowlan at age 11, said many victims, even those who had received payouts in compensation plans from the church, continued to live in poverty. More here
Alfredton dwelling rejected by council
Alfredton residents turned out in full force at a Ballarat City Council meeting on Wednesday evening. They implored councillors to reject an application to subdivide and build a dwelling at the rear of an existing three bedroom dwelling at 3 Lyndon Court. More here
Uber legislation could shrink Ballarat taxi fleet
Ballarat’s taxi fleet could shrink under the state government’s proposed buyback scheme for owner-operator licenses, Victorian Taxi Association president Stephen Armstrong said. More here
Burrumbuttock Hay Run starts today
120-plus trucks will roll out of Darlington Point in NSW this morning for a three-day haul to Muttaburra in Queensland for the 12th Burrumbuttock Hay Runners event. More here
Nevett to lead North Ballarat Football Club
Ballarat solicitor and former Buninyong Football Club president John Nevett has been sworn in as the new chairman of the North Ballarat Football Club one day after the club’s annual general meeting. More here
Regional
Norma Judd was forced to give up her five-acre property after a year of hell in which she struggled to walk and make basic movements.
A wheelchair-bound man missing for nearly 12 months has been found in Wangaratta.
Raymond Croxford, 61, was last seen at a home in Preston last March.
An Illawarra high school teacher has been refused bail accused of having sex with one of his female students.
National news
Failures in both the engine and 'feathering' system, that pilots are not trained to deal with, may be behind Tuesday's fatal plane crash, experts say.
Former prime minister Kevin Rudd has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of "torpedoing" plans for recognising a Palestinian state, causing "enduring frustration" for diplomats attempting to bring peace to the region.
Scott Hargrave is a former Canberra concreter who transformed his life to become head brewer of Queensland's best beer.
Along the way, he's had help from AC/DC and some of Australia's best surfers.
National weather radar
International news
In keeping with his campaign's focus on more jobs and fewer undocumented migrants, President Donald Trump is creating more than 15,000 new immigration enforcement, border control and judicial posts to root out millions of what Americans call "illegal aliens".
Australia is pushing for Australian universities to be permitted to open campuses in Indonesia as part of a free trade deal that both countries hope will be finalised this year.
Maybe it will be called the Donald duck-around. It's a sort of diplomatic glad-game in which what is apparent to the entire world is not raised, and a phone call that stung goes unmentioned.
On this day | February 23
1455 – Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western book printed with movable type.
1903 – Cuba leases Guantánamo Bay to the United States "in perpetuity".
1905 – Chicago attorney Paul Harris and three other businessmen meet for lunch to form the Rotary Club, the world's first service club.
1954 – The first mass inoculation of children against polio with the Salk vaccine begins in Pittsburgh.
2008 – A United States Air Force B-2 Spirit bomber crashes on Guam, marking the first operational loss of a B-2.
The faces of Australia: Halauafu Lavaka
Halauafu Lavaka will put his rugby league dream on hold to pursue another long-held desire.
The 22-year-old will follow in the footsteps of Will Hopoate and serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Read more.