Public preaching win: Christian preacher Caleb Corneloup has been officially granted a permit to preach in public by the City of Launceston. The decision at Monday’s council meeting came after Mr Corneloup challenged the validity of the council’s decision to deny him a permit in the Federal Court of Australia.

Cataract Gorge funding focus: The City of Launceston is likely to put together an application for a $750,000 loan from the state government to fast-track its Reimagining the Gorge project.  The council had intended to roll the project out in three stages from 2018-19 at $250,000 per year, but Launceston mayor Albert van Zetten said the works could begin in 2017.

Working tourists will be hard to find: Labour hire companies are reporting registrations have dramatically declined for the upcoming picking season in Tasmania, says Mountford property owner Hugh Mackinnon.

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

BLYTH: Amid Wednesday’s wild weather in South Australia, the Mid North town of Blyth has been devastated by what some locals are calling a ‘mini tornado’. Read more

BENDIGO: A once in 50-years storm lashing South Australia's coastline will skip Victoria and head straight for NSW. The wild weather is forcing South Australians to batten down the hatches, but while rain and wind is beginning to hit Victoria's west, the worst of the storm will move north. Read on

BURNIE: And parts of Tasmania are on alert, too. Winds averaging 60 to 70 km/h with peak gusts in excess of 80 to 90 km/h are expected to develop about King Island this morning, extending to the north coast around midday. Read on

FORBES: In the words of one resident: "Time's up, it needs to be fixed." The people of Forbes are furious that their town could once again be cut off for up to six weeks, its tourism decimated as the school holidays kick in, while trade with nearby towns turns into a trickle. Read on

COWRA:  man shot in the buttock by police in Cowra was allegedly chased through the streets of the central western NSW town after threatening police and residents with weapons over 40 minutes. Read more

WOLLONGONG: For the past year, Koonawarra’s Martin Schmidt couldn't figure out why his six-year-old daughter Chloe stopped being a normal and happy girl. "She became extremely irrational, irate, moody .. it was like there was some imbalance in her brain, just setting off this little monster that we knew wasn't our daughter," Mr Schmidt, a Wollongong teacher, said. Read on

MANDURAH: Charges laid against a 27-year-old man in relation to a 'coward-punch' attack at a Mandurah pub last week may be upgraded after the victim died in hospital. Jason Goodwin, 27, had been in an induced coma at Royal Perth Hospital with a fractured skull and brain hemorrhaging since the incident on September 20. Read on

National news

CANBERRA: The federal energy minister and other MPs have raised questions about South Australia's increasing use of renewable energy in the wake of a state-wide blackout on Wednesday, despite assurances from the premier the switch to cleaner energy sources was not to blame. Read on

CANBERRA:  The Turnbull government has rejected a call from pilots to overturn a relaxation of regulations on unmanned drones, despite warnings they risk catastrophic collisions with commercial aircraft and helicopters. Read on

CANBERRA: Some of Australia's most elite high-fee private schools are receiving taxpayer funding almost three times greater than their entitlements while others schools remain grossly underfunded, official Education Department data reveals. Read on

NETHERLANDS: Flight MH17 was shot down from pro-Russian rebel controlled territory, with a missile that had recently been transported from Russia, a criminal investigation has found. The investigation used photos, video and phone intercepts to draw their conclusions. Read more

1829 - The first public appearance by London's re-organized police force was met with jeers from political opponents. The force became known as Scotland Yard. 

1977 - Eva Shain became the first woman to officiate a heavyweight title boxing match. About 70 million people watched Muhammad Ali defeat Ernie Shavers on NBC-TV. 

1988 - The space shuttle Discovery took off from Cape Canaveral in Florida. It was the first manned space flight since the Challenger disaster. 

2008 - The Dow Industrial Average lost 777 points. It was the largest one-day decline to date. The drop came after the U.S. House of Representatives had voted down a $700 billion bank bailout plan. 

When Angie Polglaze first decided to take up chainsaw sculpting 20 years ago, her art school teachers told her it was impossible.

So she did it anyway. Read on