Good morning and welcome to the Morning Buzz for Friday, July 28.There will be a clearing shower today with temperatures expected to reach 20 degrees. Enjoy your day!
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'Mystery millionaire’ bought winning ticket in western Sydney
One lucky person in western Sydney became a millionaire this week, but they might not know it yet.
NSW Lotteries is looking for the mystery winner, who bought their ticket at Hassall Grove Newsagency but has not claimed their bounty.
The person was one of three division one winners from Lotto draw 3680 on July 24 – and is set to receive a whopping $1 million. Read more.
Greystanes man arrested in high-performance vehicle sting
Two men have been arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into a Sydney gang.
The theft of least 11 high-performance cars and five trail bikes worth more than $680,000 is believed to be linked to one group operating between Sydney and the Central Coast.
Strike Force Wolf was established in January this year to investigate the coordinated theft and sale of the vehicles. Read more
Katoomba Town Centre all happening
The once dead centre of Katoomba is coming alive again, with all the shops in the old Town Centre Arcade/Civic Place now occupied.
The RSL admin office, Platform art gallery and Mountain Oddities are new.
They have joined the Little Paris Cafe, the tea shop/internet cafe, Digital Shoppe, Platinum Hair & Beauty and Uplift Fair Trade shop.
And upstairs, the popular vegetarian cafe/juice bar, Up Beet, which was forced to move from near the station when the rent skyrocketed, is also bringing customers to the area outside Coles. Read more.
Rare wetlands at risk in plans for F6 Extension says leaked government report
The preferred alignment of the proposed F6 Extension goes through the Rockdale Wetlands and the Royal National Park a site with some of the "richest concentrations of plant species in temperate Australia".
The assessment, in a leaked Roads and Maritime Services report, also confirms that about 14 hectares of bushland, trees and wetlands will be cleared between Arncliffe and Loftus.
The first section of the $14.5 billion toll road, between WestConnex at Arncliffe and President Avenue, Brighton-Le-Sands, would be built primarily on land historically reserved for the freeway.
The "corridor of connecting natural and open space" forms part of the Rockdale Wetlands and Recreation Corridor. Read more.
Charges to be laid after search warrant executed on Wilberforce home
Two people are expected to be charged in relation to a string of drug related offences, after Hawkesbury Police executed a search warrant on a home in Wilberforce this morning as part of Strike Force Kirkby.
A 22-year-old male from Wilberforce and and 21-year-old female from South Windsor were arrested at 5:30am morning at a home in Hawkins Place, Wilberforce and a number of items were seized by police. Read more
Historic Macarthur building up for sale again
The owner of the old Fisher’s Ghost restaurant on Campbelltown’s Queen Street is looking to cut ties with the historic building.
The restaurant and building behind it have been put on the market by LJ Hooker Commercial.
There has been a lot of toing and froing regarding the local heritage-listed building in recent years.
The restaurant, which was previously owned by former Campbelltown mayor Gordon Fetterplace before he sold it for $1.25 million in 2003, was gutted by fire in 2005. Read more.
Julia Gillard plants tree in Prime Ministers’ Corridor of Oaks, Blue Mountains
Julia Gillard became the 27th prime minister to have a tree in the Prime Ministers’ Corridor of Oaks in Faulconbridge on Thursday, July 27.
Ms Gillard planted her oak tree alongside Blue Mountains mayor Mark Greenhill in a well-attended ceremony at 11am. Read more
Jean Claude Perrottet on trial: Sydney Uni student confided in friend after alleged rape
After rushing to her friend's Sydney dormitory room late one night, a young woman allegedly found her on the floor, sobbing as she leant against her bed.
"She was really distressed," the woman told the NSW District Court on Thursday.
"I was telling her that we needed to go to (Royal Prince Alfred hospital) and trying to comfort her.
"She was crying a lot and she kept saying that she was really embarrassed."
The University of Sydney student had allegedly been raped at a St John's College end-of-year formal by Jean Claude Perrottet, the younger brother of NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet. Read more.
ATO warn of tax time scam
Tax time is prime time for scammers, says the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) who are urging Australians to keep their personal information secure and to report any suspicious activity immediately.
Assistant Commissioner Kath Anderson warns that identifying information like tax file numbers, bank account numbers or your date of birth are the keys to your identity, and can be used by scammers to break into your life if they are compromised. Read more.
Killer drank 17 beers, half bottle of bourbon before attacking neighbour: court
A killer likely drank up to 17 beers and half a bottle of bourbon before he fatally stabbed his neighbour, a Sydney court has heard.
Clinical forensic pharmacologist John Farrar told the NSW Supreme Court on Thursday it was estimated Sateki Siale had been drinking for more than six hours and would have had a blood alcohol content of between 0.23 and 0.36 when he attacked his victim with a smashed beer bottle.
Mr Farrar said if this was correct Siale would have had to have consumed up to 17 bottles of beer and half a bottle of bourbon.
Siale, 26, has admitted causing the death of victim Kelly Ventigadoo in the early hours of October 11, 2015, at Lakemba in Sydney's southwest but has pleaded not guilty to murder. Read more.
From church to Central Station: How Dan Mokmool ended up dead at the hands of police
"I am nice and friendly. My looks might confuse you, but my heart is pure."
The tagline on Danukul "Dan" Mokmool's Facebook profile now serves as a sad footnote to his life and death.
Addicted to drugs and suffering severe mental illness, the softly spoken 30-year-old was shot dead by police outside Central Station on Wednesday in a confusing end to a tragic life.
His half-brother, Charlie Huynh, said that earlier that day Mr Mokmool walked out of the family's home in Heckenberg, in south-west Sydney, suffering paranoid hallucinations. Read more.
Apple abandons cheap iPods in step toward eventual oblivion
After years of being outsold by the iPhone, the venerable iPod has taken a big step toward eventual oblivion. Apple said overnight in the US it was discontinuing two of the cheapest iPod models: the nano and shuffle.
The two products have been removed from the Apple online store and will vanish from retail locations as well. Apple demoted the iPod's placement in its retail stores a couple of years ago, moving the devices to the company's accessory shelves. Read more.
Penrith Panthers end Canterbury Bulldogs’ season
Canterbury's uninspiring season is officially over after a 16-8 loss to Penrith on Thursday night ended coach Des Hasler's ambitious hope of playing finals football in 2017.
Their fourth loss in five games will only intensify the spotlight on Hasler's term at the Bulldogs, with pressure mounting on club administration from frustrated fans to part ways with the veteran coach. Read more.
Quartet to represent Australia back-to-back in baseball world championships
Four young Hills baseballers will represent Australia against the world – twice.
Cole Buck, Liam Padovan, Hayden Purchase and Jett Watson will all travel to the World Baseball Softball Confederation under-12s World Cup in Taiwan.
Three days after returning, the four will join Hills District teammates in representing Australia at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Read more.
Players blindsided by Cricket Australia's calls for arbitration
Australia's cricketers have been blindsided by an extraordinary proposal from Cricket Australia which could see players re-employed next week and save the Ashes and the upcoming tour of Bangladesh.
In a major twist to one of the most damaging pay disputes in Australian sport, CA dropped a bombshell on Thursday by calling for talks to be taken to a mutually agreed industrial umpire if an agreement cannot be reached by early next week.
The governing body also effectively accused players of using stalling tactics so that the baggy green would become leverage in negotiations, an allegation which vice-captain David Warner dismissed. Read more.
Sydney FC sign fringe Socceroo goalkeeper Alex Cisak
With the ink still drying on Alex Cisak's contract at Sydney FC, his new coach has already set the goalkeeper a major target of becoming an Australian international by the end of the season.
The Sky Blues ended their search for a replacement for Belgium-bound Danny Vukovic on Thursday by signing Cisak on a two-year deal.
No sooner than joining was Cisak told to follow in the footsteps of the man whose boots he will fill, by making the Socceroos squad as a result of his form in the A-League. Read more.