State of the Nation | Monday, January 9, 2017

Need a national news snapshot first thing? Well, we have you covered. 

► MANDURAH, WA: The travel plans of a 21-year-old Mandurah woman have been thrown into chaos, with the backpacker stranded at a hostel in Thailand thanks to extreme flooding.

Tamara Mott left two weeks ago for a six-week trip of a lifetime, backpacking through Southeast Asia. Read more.

► WAGGA WAGGA, NSW: The Burrumbuttock Hay Runners will be relying on the support of Riverina farmers as their convoy hits the road on February 22 with hay for drought-stricken farmers in Far North Queensland.

The hay runners are calling for donations of big square bales and fuel money for the trucks that will roll out of Darlington Point, near Griffith, to help fellow farmers in need. Read more.

► NEWCASTLE, NSW: A desperate mother has taken to scouring dense Hunter bushland to find her missing son.

Metford teenager Zac Barnes disappeared nearly two months ago when he left a friend’s car in a distressed state. Read more.

► TAMWORTH, NSW: Employment in regional NSW may seem like a bridge too far for many university students, but Tamworth woman Karly Bourke reckons the jobs are here.

In fact, she was surprised by how easily it came together following university. Read more.

► BENDIGO, VIC. Bendigo Bank Spirit will look to regroup after suffering their biggest WNBL defeat in club history against Perth Lynx.

Battling injury and illness, the Spirit were unable to replicate the heroics of an earlier season win over the Lynx, succumbing to the home side in Perth 108-67. Read more.

► WOLLONGONG, NSW: For Wollongong resident Chris Wallace, it was the point of no return; feelings of isolation and worthlessness consumed the Afghanistan Veteran forcing him to find an escape after he was back on Australian soil. Read more.

► LATROBE, TAS: Michael Perkins does not like to dwell on the fatal floods that ravaged his property seven months ago. 

The managing director of Calthorpe Stud said the fourth-generation farm was hit hard by flooding in June. Read more.

► BALLARAT, VIC: Broken toys, torn clothing, stained pillows, dirty mops. These are just some of the  pieces of rubbish being dumped at opportunity shops around Ballarat – and it’s coming at a cost.

A local op shop volunteer, who wished to remain anonymous, said hours were spent sorting through the junk with a financial cost of up to $8000 per year. Read more.

► MT ROLAND, TAS: Australians’ taste for free range eggs has increased which has proved to be a positive for Tasmanian egg farmers.

According to the Australian Egg Corporation Limited, the consumption of free range eggs has escalated. Mount Roland Free Range Eggs co-owner Angela Glover said the statistics add up, as their farm has shifted from a small family business to a more commercial-level sized farm. Read more.

► MT ISA, QLD: Solicitor Anderson Telford is accused of intimidating a witness who was questioned by police following a large scale drug bust in Mount Isa earlier this year. Read more.

► Distressed former students of a Sydney college owned by a prominent NSW political donor have claimed they were signed up to diplomas costing thousands of dollars just weeks before the beauty college collapsed. Read more.

► Internal tensions in the Greens have escalated further with the party's former leader Christine Milne challenging two NSW MPs to condemn members of the party calling for a split in the movement.

Fairfax Media last month reported on the formation of a new factional grouping within the Greens calling itself "Left Renewal" and advocating a radical platform rejecting the legitimacy of the state and calling for the end of capitalism. Read more.

► Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has called on the Turnbull government to immediately suspend Centrelink's controversial automated debt recovery program, describing it as a "toxic mix of incompetence and cruelty" that has ruined Christmas for vulnerable Australians.

Mr Shorten, who is on summer holidays until the end of the week, has not previously commented on the project, which the government estimates will add an extra $4.5 billion to the budget. Read more.

► ISRAEL: A Palestinian driver intentionally rammed his truck into a group of Israeli soldiers on Sunday, killing four and wounding a dozen on a picture-postcard promenade overlooking Jerusalem's Old City and a park called the "Peace Forest."

The dead - all 20 years old - and the wounded were part of a large group of officer cadets who were getting an educational tour.

► NORTH KOREA: North Korea declared on Sunday it can test-launch an intercontinental ballistic missile at any time from any location set by leader Kim Jong Un, saying a hostile US policy is to blame for its arms development.

Kim said on January 1 that his nuclear-capable country was close to test-launching an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

► AMERICA: Donald Trump "will do everything in his power" to halt the refugee deal between Australia and the US, according to a hardline Texan congressman who is confident no resettlements will ever take place from Manus Island or Nauru. Read more.

1816  -  The Davy safety lamp is first utilised in a coal mine, initially terrifying the miners who fear an explosion. 

1861  -  Mississippi becomes the second US state to secede from the Union, precipitating the American Civil War. 

1868  -  The last ship to transport convicts to Western Australia docks at Fremantle. 

1972  -  Former ocean liner, the Queen Elizabeth, is destroyed by fire in Hong Kong harbour. [more]

2001  -  A man being strangled by a python frees himself by biting the snake on the neck. 

The 2016 Curry Merry Muster Rodeo Queen will strive for greatness as she journeys to become the next Miss Rodeo Australia.

Since crowned Curry Merry Muster Rodeo Queen in August, Kate Taylor had opened her eyes to rodeo and wanted to pursuit it further and chase the national title.

Following in the 2016 Miss Rodeo Australia Katy Scott’s footsteps, Ms Taylor hoped to become the second Cloncurry queen to win the competition two consecutive years running.

Ms Taylor said the Curry Rodeo Queen had been so much fun and she loved getting out and talking to people and representing rodeo.

Read more.