Swing funding stolen Longford’s chances of building a disability-friendly swing for children have been put in jeopardy, after thieves stole hundreds of dollars worth of funds for the project.

NBN pipe floods house A defective NBN connection caused water from a Telstra pit to flood directly into the home of Waverley couple Dianne and James Duffy.

Buster’s new lease on life Buster the beagle will not be spending his whole Agfest cuddling up to patrons and posing for pictures, he will be putting his sniffer dog skills to the test before he officially begins his three-month training program.

Class of sons says ‘thanks’ to mums With a class of 28 boys, grade four teacher Denise Morgan has her hands full.

Jake D-Day close Triathlete Jake Birtwhistle’s bid to make the Rio Olympics has come down to a two-horse race.

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

► BALLARAT: Residents are harboring genuine fears over their safety after yet another incident of dangerous hooning. In the early hours of Thursday morning a reckless driver smashed into the car of 19-year-old university student Natasha Thomas while doing burnouts on the Magpie Street and Bradshaw Street intersection in Golden Point. More here.

► ALBURY: An Albury policewoman who rushed into a burning block of units is one of dozens of officers who have been recognised at an awards ceremony. More here.

► NEWCASTLE: In Tonga, where Zane Sikulu grew up, he says no one jokes about rising sea levels. Immigration Minister Peter Dutton’s overheard quip last year about Papua New Guinea – “time doesn’t mean anything when you’re about to have water lapping at your door” – confirmed for many Pacific islanders Canberra’s level of concern about the impact of climate change on them. More here.

► WOLLONGONG: A man who bludgeoned his de facto wife to death and then smothered his two sons at their West Dapto home in 1999 will walk free from jail after being granted parole. More here.

► MAITLAND: When Paul Stevens was asked to crack a raw egg over his own head, his response was a solid yes. His wife Donna Stevens was also the first to volunteer as official egg cracker. More here.

► MOUNT ISA: Outback at Isa want to unleash Mount Isa’s dirty little secrets to the rest of Australia by hosting a photo competition. More here.

► MURRAYLANDS: Single unemployed people have literally nowhere to go in the Murraylands, an AC Care report has found. A survey of 372 rental properties in the Murraylands, Hills and South East this month found none would be affordable for someone on Newstart, Youth Allowance or a disability pension. More here.

► MANDURAH: The “vile” stink that has plagued Mandurah residents for months has left scientists from the environmental regulator scratching their heads after an investigation failed to pin down its cause. More here.

► BUNBURY: Wave energy is currently being trialled in Bunbury with sustainable energy technology company Protean Wave building a demonstration wave farm off the coast of Bunbury. More here.

► LATROBE: Midwives at the Mersey Community Hospital have helped to bring 15,000 Coastal babies into the world. That’s since the first newborn was delivered at Latrobe on August 21, 1992 at 7.31 am. The midwife was Debbie Chettle and she is still at the Mersey today. More here.

► Malcolm Turnbull has warned Australians fighting with the Islamic State group they "will be targeted" following the precision killing of top Australian terrorist Neil Prakash in Iraq. More here.

► He will not go quietly. Outgoing MP Clive Palmer staged yet another press conference on Thursday, flanked by a swarm of new Senate candidates for his fledgling Palmer United Party. More here.

► The worst coral bleaching in the history of the Great Barrier Reef has already killed half the corals in reefs off the far north Queensland coast, the head of the reef's Marine Park Authority said. More here.

► A Sydney woman who allegedly had $4.6 million mistakenly given to her by her bank and spent much of it on handbags may not have broken the law, a magistrate has told a court. More here.

► LEBANON: The Australian-British child-recovery agent Adam Whittington has accused Foreign Minister Julie Bishop of showing "double standards" over the handling of his ongoing detention in Lebanon, suggesting the Nine Networks' 60 Minutes crew received better treatment because they are from a powerful Australian media company. More here.

► NEW DELHI: An Indian boy born with progeria, a disease which causes accelerated ageing in children, has died at 15, but his thoughts on human existence - "our time here is special and life is incredibly beautiful in every single way" - continue to reverberate on social media. More here.

► LONDON: For a while, the campaign to find a successor for blond faux-buffoon Boris Johnson as London mayor looked to be one of the duller events of a busy political spring. Elsewhere the Conservative Party was tearing itself apart over Brexit, while Labour tore itself apart over Jeremy Corbyn's ongoing leftpocalypse. More here.

ENROLLED nurse Kay Dyer will settle into retirement after putting in 26 years at Mount Isa Hospital, in a career that has spanned 51 years in total.

Although Kay said she was sad to leave the hospital, she was looking forward to “a bit of a rest” in retirement.

A farewell morning tea was held at the hospital on Thursday April 28, her final day of work. 

Mrs Dyer was presented with a special Mount Isa Monopoly game, a gift from colleagues.

Mrs Dyer said it had been a long career path, but she had enjoyed every minute of it. Read more here.