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In a sad twist of fate the pilot of the light plane that crashed into Essendon DFO had a history of a near miss at Mount Hotham in 2015 and was under investigation. Heading for 35 in Albury-Wodonga. Max temps: Corowa 35, Culcairn 14, Wangaratta 35, Corryong 33, Bright 33, Falls Creek 20.
Catch up on news here:
Essendon pilot had history of a near miss
The pilot of the plane that crashed at Essendon Airport killing himself and four passengers on Tuesday was the subject of an ongoing investigation by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau over a “near miss” at Mount Hotham. More here
Residents warned don’t drink the groundwater at North Wangaratta
Residents near a Wangaratta oval closed due to lead contamination have been warned not to drink the area’s groundwater. More here
Family and friends name three victims of Essendon plane crash
Four American tourists on a once-in-a-lifetime golfing holiday were killed when a chartered plane crashed into Essendon's Direct Factory Outlet on Tuesday. More here
Helibase at Ovens gets major upgrade
Forest Fire Management Victoria’s Ovens helibase has benefitted from a $230,000 upgrade, allowing it to manage up to 10 water-bombing aircraft. More here
CSU Albury's Caitlin Wilcox wins Person NSW Student of the Year
“I almost lost a family member to mental illness, which was what initially drew my attention to it,” she said. Caitlin Wilcox was recently awarded the Pearson NSW Student of the Year award in the social sciences and psychology category. More here
Regional
A Farmborough Heights mum who reported finding a used syringe in the bottom her baby’s ugg boot has prompted an investigation at Warrawong’s Target store.
Police have confirmed the human remains found at Mount Macedon on Monday are that of missing Avondale Heights, woman Karen Ristevski.
Anne Murphy is picky when it comes to food – only the cheapest of staples make it to the checkout on her fortnightly grocery shop.
National news
Australian businessman Dick Smith has blamed immigrants for high house prices, claiming the "enormous population increase" is making young families unable to buy their first home.
The amount of money lost on poker machines in individual clubs and pubs in NSW would be made public each month under a fresh push to improve transparency of gambling data.
The highest income earners in Australia would be forced to pay a mandated minimum rate of tax under a policy proposal being pushed inside the Labor Party to counter the populist appeal of One Nation and potentially add $2.5 billion a year to the budget bottom line.
National weather radar
International news
An Australian model and his skateboarding friend have been hailed as heroes in New York after they risked their lives to save seven teenagers who fell through ice in Central Park.
Byron Bay woman Sara Connor appeared shocked and distressed after prosecutors requested she be sentenced to eight years' jail for a group attack that led to the death of a Balinese police officer on Kuta beach last year.
Apparently I'm a virtue-signalling social justice warrior. So… what's wrong with that exactly?
I'm sure I'm not the first Fairfax journalist to be called these names. Our email addresses are on our articles so people feel free to – and often do – write nasty things to us about our stories. And we're on Twitter, too. Say no more.
On this day | February 22
1819 – By the Adams–Onís Treaty, Spain sells Florida to the United States for five million U.S. dollars.
1856 – The United States Republican Party opens its first national convention in Pittsburgh.
1959 – Lee Petty wins the first Daytona 500.
BORN | 1962 – Steve Irwin, Australian zoologist and television host (d. 2006)
1973 – Cold War: Following President Richard Nixon's visit to the People's Republic of China, the two countries agree to establish liaison offices.
1980 – Miracle on Ice: In Lake Placid, New York, the United States hockey team defeats the Soviet Union hockey team 4–3.
2011 – New Zealand's second deadliest earthquake strikes Christchurch, killing 185 people.
The faces of Australia: Roy Marando
“I’ve got 602 sets of lights up, and we’re not quite there yet.”
For Griffith man Roy Marando, the lead up to the Christmas season is a marathon, not a sprint.