Showers and SNOW at times in Beechworth 8 and Corryong 7.

Mount Hotham -5, Falls Creek -4 and Mount Buller -3.

A blast of Antarctic winds created snow in Stanley and Albury last night and left a maelstroms-worth of havoc in Victoria with felled trees the norm in much of the state. Read more.

Fears of rising crime and methamphetamine labs have prompted NSW and Victorian police to ask the public for help with drug dealers. Read more.

Getting stopped at customs might not be a traveller’s preference but it proved life changing for David Kapay. Read more.

Corryong’s Carol Halliday remembers having her hair cut by Emily Hewatt – so when she heard the 23-year-old was wheelchair-bound and in need of treatment in the US, she wanted to help. Read more.

The Raiders will lose one big man but gain a midfield star for Saturday’s clash with Wodonga. Read more.

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

► NEWCASTLE: Charles MacKenzie has waited a long time for the Australian Government to say sorry. He is one of the up to 20,000 other Australians who are believed to have received “tainted blood” transfusions in the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s, in what has been described as a human health disaster and global scandal. More here.

► TASMANIA: Three years on, Tasmania Police still remain confident the killer of Marrawah man Simon Crisp will be caught and have again appealed for associates of those involved in the ambush shooting to come forward with information. More here.

► BALLARAT: A man has died in a car crash where his car erupted into flames after it collided with a truck on the Western Freeway near Ballarat in Victoria. Witnesses pulled the man from his burning vehicle and started CPR, in a desperate attempt to save his life. More here.

► WYCHEPROOF: Meet the Aussie rules football club that said 'I do' to marriage equality. More here.

► BEAUDESERT: Cattle have become victims of the surging ice problem plaguing the state's regional areas, with addicts stealing from family farms to fuel their habit. More here.

► TAMWORTH: A convicted child sex offender has been jailed for 18 months after he admitted to loitering in a public toilet near children. More here.

► KURRI KURRI: Paramedic Darren Klein has been hailed a hero after bringing speedway sidecar legend Mick Farrell snr back to life after he suffered a heart attack at Kurri Kurri Speedway on Saturday. More here. 

► ARDLETHAN: Plans to bring millions of tonnes of Sydney’s garbage into the region have been scrapped, as new technology promises to revive an abandoned mine.  More here.

► SOUTH AUSTRALIA: Police will be preparing a report for the Coroner following the death of a man at Tungkillo on Monday. More here.

► NEW ENGLAND: New England children suffering the most severe cases of drug-resistant epilepsy could have access to a new cannabis-based drug. More here.

► Workers, including Sydney cleaner Prashanta Shrestha, have won greater protection against unfair dismissal and loss of entitlements, according to the union that helped him and 18 others recover $70,000 in redundancy payments. More here.

► Kevin Rudd's hopes for a Steven Bradbury moment – to skate past a contested field of rivals and win the top job at the United Nations – might be on thin ice after Australia's tight election result. More here.

►  Beijing has extended its messaging control over almost all the Chinese language media in Australia, Australian Chinese media sources say. Politically sensitive or unfavourable coverage of China and the ruling Communist Party has been effectively stopped outside all but a couple of Chinese language outlets, as the government steps up efforts to filter what the Chinese diaspora consumes. More here.

► Prominent Indigenous journalist Stan Grant has used Constitution Day to push for a treaty with the first Australians, saying it could end the tensions of torn allegiances. More here.

► MICHIGAN: Three people have been shot dead and a police officer has been injured in a courthouse shooting in Michigan in the US, police say. More here.

► BANGLADESH: As many as 140 million people in Bangladesh may be at risk from a huge earthquake as pressure builds beneath the surface of one of the world's most densely populated nations, US and Bangladeshi scientists say. More here.

► CHINA: China has no claim to large tracts of the South China Sea and has violated The Philippines' sovereignty by building artificial islands in the smaller country's waters, an international court has found in a landmark ruling. More here.

On this day

Captain Piccard, aka Professor Charles Xavier, aka Patrick Stewart, was born on July 13, 1940.

He's most well known for his roles in Star Trek and the X-Men movie franchise.

He's also behind some prolific memes, and is best pals with fellow English actor Sir Ian McKellan.

Stephen Barnes is a retiree from Lithgow who now spends the better part of his days discovering things that go bump in the night.

Researching what can’t be rationally explained is now a pursuit that takes up most of his time and he’s found a few companions from across the Blue Mountains who are also on the search.

“I’ve seen some weird sh*t that would make your blood go green,” Mr Barnes said while discussing his past experiences with the paranormal.

Originally from England, Mr Barnes said the penchant for chasing ghosts is a trait he takes from his mother who could sense the dead.

Mr Barnes said he experienced two different types of education while attending boarding school: One from traditional teaching and the other from ghosts who lived inside his school’s walls.

While he’s never had the same talent for communing with those passed over like his mother did, Mr Barnes said he has gained some of her ability. Read more here