Kay Catanzariti is still waiting for an inquiry into building deaths: A grieving Riverina mother says she is still waiting for Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce to make good on his commitment to her dead son. Read on

Renewed call to get Patrick Portlink to relocate: The fight to relocate Griffith's congestion-choked freight terminal has reignited with mounting concerns for the public’s health and worsening condition of the city’s roads. Read on​

Wagga woman pleads guilty to stealing $65,000 from her employer, the Ashmont Inn: She was was a trusted employee with responsibility for counting and banking large sums of money on a regular basis for Wagga’s Ashmont Inn. But Debra June Price abused that trust, stealing tens of thousands of dollars from her employer. Read on

Building north of river to cater for boom: Football Wagga wants to capitalise on population growth by building new facilities in growth areas. In upcoming days, the association will release its 10-year facilities plan, outlining a proposal to cater for the population spike in Wagga suburbs north of the river, including Estella and Borooma. Read on

Camp Quality fun day in Griffith: Camp Quality cars that have travelled over 2000km though NSW and Victoria will finish their journey in Griffith. Read on

Are you ready to sport a bandanna and get behind a worthy cause today! 

National Bandanna Day will be held across Australia on October 28 to raise funds for CanTeen Australia.

Read more about the annual fundraising day here. 

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

► GRAMPIANS NATIONAL PARK: Parks Victoria said they are shocked after finding graffiti near significant Aboriginal cultural heritage sites in the Grampians National Park. 

Chief Ranger David Roberts said the matter was serious, with those involved facing fines of $777 for defacing archaeological or historical remains or interfering with rocks in a park.

He said they could also face criminal or wilful damage charges and offences under the Aboriginal Heritage act.

►  CANBERRA: From the day Simon Araghi held his little baby brother Roozi in his arms, the two were inseparable.

"There are so many memories from when he was born to when we lost him," Simon said on Thursday, battling tears.

As the family comes to terms with the shocking loss of Roozi Araghi, his partner Luke Dorsett, Luke's sister Kate Goodchild and Sydney woman Cindy Low in Tuesday's horror accident at Dreamworld, Mr Araghi's brother Simon remembered a loving brother and beautiful uncle.

► NSW: Several NSW schools have banned students from wearing "creepy clown" outfits for Halloween celebrations in the wake of the phenomenon sweeping the United States and copy-cat pranksters appearing closer to home.

People dressed as creepy clowns have been seen lurking around a school, running into cars and stalking parks in NSW since September, spawning Facebook clown hunting groups and police warnings to would-be clowns that they are putting the public in danger.

"There's the potential for retaliation or people could be seriously hurt or could die by trying to get away," Campbelltown Police Inspector Tara Norton said.

► NEWCASTLE: Current methods of helping GPs identify “doctor shoppers” are inadequate, and a national real-time monitoring system must be introduced, Dr David Outridge says.

The Hunter Valley GP said doctors were “working in the dark” when it came to identifying skilled doctor shoppers, as information collected through the Australian Government’s Prescription Shopping Programme (PSP) was three-to-six months out of date, and took a minimum of six weeks to receive.

Prescription, or doctor, shopping is when a patient gets more medicine than they need, and visits many different doctors without telling them about their other consultations.

► BALLARAT: An 11-year-old boy has raised more than $1400 to buy swag beds for homeless people.

Jake Sbardella has sold more than 70 happiness advent calendars, that give owners happy quotes and jokes instead of chocolate. 

Jake said he has always been concerned about the homeless and wanted to do something to help them out.

► TAS: Exports of fresh Tasmanian milk directly to China is a really positive move for the dairy industry and will open up new markets for other exporters into the future, according to Tasmania’s largest dairy processor Fonterra.

Fonterra has a long standing relationship with Van Diemens Land Company (VDL) and has been processing the company’s milk under its various owners since “last century” and will play a key role in assisting the development of the VAN fresh milk brand.

“It’s a really exciting opportunity to showcase Tasmanian milk in China,” Fonterra general manager milk supply Matt Watt said.

National news 

► DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: The Turnbull government will release further details of a $100 million domestic violence package in Brisbane on Friday.

About $30 million in funding for front-line legal assistance and family law services will be detailed at a Council of Australian Governments national summit to reduce violence against women and children.

The money will include $18.5 million for duty lawyers and social support services in family law courts; $6.2 million for a pilot program of enhanced family dispute resolution for vulnerable families; $5 million for an extra year of legal assistance pilots under the Women's Safety Package; and $300,000 for data analysis in the legal assistance sector.

► HOUSING: Affordable housing will be mandated in new housing developments on rezoned land across Sydney, in a major change to the city's planning laws poised to be introduced by the state government.

The requirement will be included in six draft 'district plans' to be released next month by the Greater Sydney Commission, the new planning agency headed by Lucy Turnbull.

The plans mean that when land is rezoned for higher densities, 5-10 per cent of the extra floor space will be slated for low income housing managed by community providers.

► JAKARTA: Australian permanent resident Jessica Kumala Wongso has been sentenced to 20 years' jail for murdering her friend with cyanide-laced coffee after a sensational trial broadcast live on national television in Indonesia.

About 500 police were on standby in front of the Central Jakarta District Court as three judges delivered the long-awaited verdict.

Wayan Mirna Salihin, 27, died on January 6 after drinking a Vietnamese iced coffee that Wongso had bought for her at the glitzy restaurant Olivier in a central Jakarta shopping mall.

► JAKARTA: Supporters of Byron Bay woman Sara Connor are calling for those who know her to write a character reference ahead of her trial over the alleged murder of a Bali police officer.

The Denpasar District Court websites states the separate trials for Connor and her British DJ boyfriend David Taylor will begin on November 9.

The couple both face charges of unpremeditated murder, group attack or assault leading to death, which carry a maximum penalty of 15 years.

"It is important that the court in Bali know what a wonderful woman Sara really is," her supporters said in a statement on the website thesarafund.com.

► 1956: Elvis Presley receives a polio vaccination on national TV. This single event is credited with raising immunization levels in the United States from 0.6% to over 80% in just six months.

► 1958: John XXIII is elected Pope.

► 2006: The funeral service takes place for those executed at Bykivnia forest, outside Kiev, Ukraine. Eight hundred seventeen Ukrainian civilians (out of some 100,000) executed by Bolsheviks at Bykivnia in 1930s/1940s are reburied.

► 2009: NASA successfully launches the Ares I-X mission, the only rocket launch for its later-cancelled Constellation program.

Karlie Noon has become the first indigenous person in the state to attain a double degree in science and mathematics.

Ms Noon, a 26-year-old Kamilaroi woman from Tamworth, was one of more than 1000 students who graduated at ceremonies at the Callaghan campus in Newcastle. 

“It’s hard to describe the impact finishing university has had back home,” Ms Noon said. 

Read more of Karlie’s story here