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A giant Tyrannosaurus rex known as Gus has rewritten the record books after selling for an astonishing US$50.1 million at a Sotheby’s auction in New York. The result makes the prehistoric predator the most expensive dinosaur fossil ever sold at auction. The sale attracted intense interest, with seven bidders competing over roughly 10 minutes before an anonymous buyer secured the fossil.

A hike up the UK’s highest mountain turned into a major rescue operation after a Labrador suddenly became seriously unwell on the trail. Five-year-old black Labrador Tokyo was climbing Ben Nevis in Scotland with owner Christina Bluhme when the dog began losing balance and struggling to walk. As the situation worsened, Tokyo eventually became unable to continue, prompting a call for help. The family had already spent hours making their way up the mountain when weather conditions deteriorated.

For years, William Shatner was best known for boldly going where few had gone before on screen. Now, the 95-year-old actor is sharing a deeply personal chapter from his real life, revealing he and daughter Melanie Shatner Gretsch were diagnosed with stage 4 cancers within months of each other. According to interviews published this week, Melanie was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer in 2022 after discovering a lump.

The wait is over for Australian music fans, with Spilt Milk officially unveiling its 2026 line-up, and it’s shaping up to be one of the hottest festival tickets of the summer. After weeks of rumours and online guessing games, organisers have confirmed that global chart heavyweights Lewis Capaldi and RAYE will headline this year’s event, joined by a huge mix of international stars, rising talents and homegrown favourites.

Staff and inmates at St Heliers Correctional Centre have restored one of the historic artillery pieces on Memorial Drive in Muswellbrook, after the local RSL was unable to source a contractor for the work. Using recycled hardwood salvaged from buildings scheduled for demolition, inmates in the correctional centre’s furniture unit carefully repaired and rebuilt the artillery piece’s damaged wheel and spokes over the past month, developing restoration and woodworking skills in the process.

Environment group Lock the Gate Alliance says workers at the Hunter Valley Operations coal mine, and the wider communities of Singleton and Muswellbrook, have been left without a plan to manage the social and economic fallout of eventual mine closure, after a long-standing requirement for a “mine exit strategy” was removed from the project’s approval conditions. Mining at HVO North was originally approved in 2004 with an expected 21-year lifespan, later extended by 18 months in April 2025.

A war of words has broken out between the State Government and One Nation’s Hunter candidate, Stuart Bonds, over the government’s 12 billion dollar plan to build a state-owned train manufacturing facility in the region. The dispute began after Bonds queried the cost of the project in a social media post, suggesting the work could instead be done through overseas partners.

July 24, 2026 8:30 am in by Adam Chapman Share Facebook TwitterLinkedIn Email For many music fans, scoring a standing ticket is considered the ultimate concert experience. You’re closer to the stage, can dance freely and soak up every moment of the atmosphere. But according to a new study, there comes a point when comfort starts to win out over bragging rights, and it happens earlier than many people might expect.

A development application for a new weighbridge and upgraded facilities at the Hunter Regional Livestock Exchange has been approved as part of a four million dollar improvement project, at this week’s Singleton Council meeting. The approval paves the way for replacement of the existing weighbridge and livestock holding pens, along with a reconfiguration of loading areas to accommodate truck deliveries.

July 24, 2026 2:05 am in by Doccy Darko Xbox - Halo Studios Share Facebook TwitterLinkedIn Email It has been over two decades since players first crash-landed on a mysterious, ring-shaped alien world, forever changing the landscape of first-person shooters. Now, Microsoft and Halo Studios are inviting us back. But in an era overflowing with remasters, re-releases, and reboots, does this legendary title actually warrant another playthrough?