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New cameras on highway
New cameras placed across the former Western Highway speed check at Ballan will monitor trucks through number plate recognition technology. Read more.
Commuter anger as trains miss the mark
Regular commuters along the Ballarat train line are urging V/Line to pull its socks up after the company only managed to reach its punctuality target once in two years. Read more.
Axe to fall on asset spend
Ratepayers have accused Ballarat City Council of neglecting its assets in favour of big spending sport and tourism events. Read more.
Hoons nabbed in police blitz
Up to 119 motorists were pinged for speeding across Ballarat over the Queen’s Birthday long weekend, with 12 drivers losing their licences on the spot. Read more.
Freight hub construction uncertainty
A key piece of infrastructure within the Ballarat West Employment Zone may still be years away from being shovel ready despite first being funded back in 2013. Read more.
Weather
The picture doesn't change all that much over the next week.
State of the nation
Need a national news snapshot first thing - well, we have you covered.
Regional news
► NSW: A man who allegedly abducted and sexually assaulted an 18-year-old girl during a terrifying 19-hour road trip has been charged by Wagga police...read on.
►VICTORIA: Ballarat City mayor Samantha McIntosh has labelled pranksters who placed an onion crown on the bust of former Prime Minister Tony Abbott immature and disrespectful. Mr Abbott copped flak on social media in 2015 when he ate a raw onion.
► QLD: When mother-of-two Amanda Brady wrote a public social media post about Birkdale flower seller Walter Graves she was astounded by the response – “I didn’t realise how much the post was going to explode.”
► Nowra High School was placed under police guard on Tuesday morning, after a 16-year-old boy issued a violent social media threat to students and teachers...read on.
► The Turnbull government will break through the country's former debt ceiling this week, breaching the $500 billion mark as it doubles the credit card bill it inherited from Labor...catch up on all the details here.
►Women in the public service are paid on average 8.6 per cent less than their male colleagues, well below the 19.6 per cent private sector pay gap, a new report has shown. The average base salary for women was $84,104, well below the $92,036 base salary for men.
National weather radar:
World news:
► London: British Prime Minister Theresa May was warned about the dangers of calling an early election and told more than two weeks before polling day that she risked losing her parliamentary majority, Fairfax Media has learned...read on.
► Phnom Penh: Australian nurse Tammy Davis-Charles, facing a Cambodian court, has angrily denied police allegations about her role as a surrogacy broker for Australian and American biological parents.
FACES OF AUSTRALIA: Brad Paterson
This Port Macquarie teenager made quite an impression in the under-17 All-Australian hockey team’s tour of Europe.
It was Paterson’s performance early in the tour that set tongues wagging when he was voted best on field in a 4-2 win over the Germans.
“In the first practice match I got man of the match for the game,” he said.
“Goalies don’t usually get man of the match so I was pretty shocked and didn’t know what to do when they announced it.”