Ballarat breakfast report | Thursday, December 29, 2016

There has been a rise in the number of cars stolen and torched in Ballarat. Read more.

Ballarat Star Wars fans have paid tribute to the late Carrie Fisher. Read more.

A woman was in a stable condition after a single vehicle rollover in Ballarat East. Read more.

Matt Rizzo shapes as a major contender in Sunday’s Maryborough Gift. Read more.​

The general manager of a Warrawong charity will face court next month, accused of cheating the organisation out of more than $12,000.

Police will allege Lizzie Millar defrauded the Hope Centre Food Barn on four occasions, swindling sums of $5000, $3000, $1200 and $3000. 

A woman charged with the stabbing murder of a man on Christmas Eve in Kangaroo Flat has appeared in a Bendigo court.

Elise Walker, 33, appeared by video link in the Bendigo Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday morning where she did not apply for bail.

Morgan Gollan made an impassioned promise to her late friend Brooke, shortly before she passed away at the age of 16 after a failed double lung transplant.

Ms Gollan told her friend she would never give up fighting against cystic fibrosis.

“I’ve had 10 close friends with cystic fibrosis pass away and have heard of many more,” she said. “You can see your own mortality. You take on their fight as well and speak up for them, so losing them is not in vain.”

Renowned Tasmanian sporting personality Brian Roe will contest May’s Legislative Council election after being unveiled as Labor’s candidate for the seat of Launceston on Wednesday. 

Flanked by Deputy Labor Leader Michelle O’Byrne and Bass Labor MHR Ross Hart at the Silverdome, Mr Roe spoke of a desire to tackle health and education and to give back to the Launceston community.

Iconic chef Marco Pierre White will help prepare and enjoy a “family” dinner in the Barossa during his first trip to SA next year, announced by Tasting Australia on the weekend.

TAFE has remained tight-lipped about progress on rationalising back of house jobs as the finance section at Orange undergoes a review.

The Central Western Daily has been told employees are put through a job-matching process as part of the One TAFE strategy, which is looking to cut the costs of duplicated administrative and corporate functions in favour of one decentralised corporate office for all 10 TAFE institutes.

Once again, the suggestion of a ‘big thing’ for Mandurah has been made and the results are in … Mandurah wants a big crab!

A family is calling for common sense to prevail after council rangers refused to help their dog, who had jumped a fence and been attacked by the neighbours’ dogs.

The last time Lindsay and Tracey Walker's blue heeler Rusty heard thunder, just two weeks earlier, he'd gotten spooked and hopped the fence.

When Mrs Walker heard thunder clap again just over a week ago she was quick to stop Rusty from getting out again – but not quick enough.

A water bottle flip and a dab – kind of sums up 2016!

BP snaps up Woolworths servos for $1.8 billion

A new brawl over the level of competition within the multibillion-dollar petrol industry is set to be triggered in the wake of British oil major BP outlaying $1.8 billion to buy Woolworths' petrol stations, which will see it emerge as the market leader nationwide.

Hundreds of students left in limbo after Australasian College Broadway goes into administration

A Sydney beauty college run by a prominent political donor and Order of Australia medal recipient has gone into administration, leaving hundreds of students in the dark and up to 80 staff rocked by dismissal letters on the day before Christmas Eve.

Manus detainee Faysal Ahmed told there was no bed for him at clinic days before he died

Faysal Ishak Ahmed was told there was no bed for him at Manus Island detention centre's medical clinic just five days before he died after collapsing, hitting his head and suffering a seizure.

The company contracted to provide health services, International Health and Medical Services, told Mr Ahmed firmly that the clinic was not an "accommodation area" and, as such, a bed in the clinic would not be provided.

Thailand memo to Kingsgate: don't bother suing us over Chatree

Thailand's prime minister has warned Australian miner Kingsgate it would be a waste of time suing his military government over his order to shutdown the company's goldmine by December 31.

But Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former army general, left open the possibility of the mine in central Thailand re-opening, saying he only ordered its "suspension" not closure.

1170 Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury is assassinated inside Canterbury Cathedral by followers of King Henry II; subsequently martryed

1835 The Treaty of New Echota is signed, ceding all the lands of the Cherokee east of the Mississippi River to the United States

1845 Texas admitted as 28th state of the Union

1903 French Equatorial Africa separates into Gabon, Chad & Ubangi-Shari

1947 Cheers star Ted Danson born

A rich family culture of hard work and a desire to keep things organised will see a 95-year-old widow remain on her farm with no intentions of ever leaving.

Pat Jones has lived on her Yenda property since 1965 and continues to work in her garden, water her plants, mow some lawn and direct her own farming business.