News blog, May 3: Shepparton gains from state budget; Three-time breast cancer survivor to complete Ultraman

Caitlyn Grant here. Tuesday is upon us, and you know what that means ‒ it’s hump-day eve.

Today we’re looking at a relatively sunny day with a top of 21 degrees! Good day!

UPDATE, 5.30 pm: Goodbye

Have a lovely evening and get ready for hump day!

UPDATE, 5 pm: Celebrations take place for Eid al-Fitr

As the sun rose on Monday morning, Muslims in the Goulburn Valley woke up to Eid al-Fitr, the ‘Festival of Breaking the Fast’.

It is a two-day celebration marking the end of Ramadan, where people have been fasting from dawn to dusk throughout April.

Nicola Ceccato took to the GV Turkish Mosque to observe all the community celebrations, taking some lovely pictures of families connecting.

Youssef Saudie finished his four-part series on Ramadan with a trip to Shepparton’s Albanian Mosque.

“As hundreds of Muslims in their best clothes exited the mosque, people hugged, shared platters of food and made tea – with some women wearing painted henna tattoos.“

UPDATE, 4 pm: Big fish

They say monsters don’t exist, but look at this big ol’ fish and tell me otherwise.

Cooper Leeder reeled in what some may say is the catch of a lifetime, right in our own backyard ‒ the Murray River.

Bringing it in with only a small hook and 12-pound line, the 110cm Murray cod was a shock to all (and to me reading the article, realising if this fish wore heels we’d be the same height).

Read more on the big boy here, featuring a particularly solid line every fisherman can relate to.

“If the fish had made it off the hook, Mr Leeder admitted the 110cm probably would have been closer to 200cm.”

UPDATE, 2 pm: Budget continues

In a big win for independent member for Shepparton Suzanna Sheed, $25 million has been allocated to construct a 10-bed early parenting centre in Shepparton.

The centre will support families with children up to four years of age to enhance their relationships and achieve their parenting goals.

Ms Sheed has led the charge for the centre.

UPDATE, 1.55 pm: Shepparton gains from state budget

Our chief correspondent Darren Linton has the low down on all things state budget, here’s a quick recap. Keep your eyes peeled for more to come.

· On top of the $196 million ‒ which includes a complete rebuild and expansion of the mental health unit at GV Health ‒ the Victorian budget has also delivered on more frequent and faster rail services for Shepparton.

· $250 million to deliver 12 new VLocity trains that will support more services on the Shepparton corridor and improve reliability for Warrnambool line passengers.

· The new trains will be manufactured in Victoria, supporting local employment and supply chain jobs – and improving passenger experience on the regional network.

· $5.8 million to continue joint land management of the Barmah National Park in partnership with the Yorta Yorta

· $9.2 million to continue the therapeutic court program, including the Shepparton Drug Court programs.

· An investment of $20 million will expand the Assessment and Referral Court (ARC), including at the Ballarat, Geelong and Shepparton Magistrates’ Courts.

There is also money for improvements to the Numurkah Rd and Graham Street intersection in Shepparton.

We’ll have more in tomorrow’s paper and online this arvo.

UPDATE, 12.30 pm: ‘Ultra’ challenge for Shepparton breast cancer survivor

Three-time breast cancer survivor and Mother’s Day Classic Shepparton ambassador, Kylie Jones said she is feeling bittersweet about missing the annual event this year – instead she’ll be attempting her biggest ever endurance event, the Ultraman.

In 2018, a month after being declared cancer-free, Kylie was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer again.

“About 55 people are diagnosed with breast cancer every day and nine Australians die every day from it – those statistics are still fairly startling,” she said.

Read more on Kylie’s incredible story and strength here.

UPDATE, 8.45 am: Headlines to start the day

A re-elected Coalition Government will commit $25 million towards the upgrade and expansion of the Shepparton Sports Stadium to make it a modern sports and events centre in time for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

In great news for us penny pinchers, the Victorian Government will give households a one-off $250 payment in the 2022-23 budget to help with rising cost-of-living expenses.

It is hoped a 12-week Shepparton research project will unearth answers on the effects of cannabis oils in cannabis users. Lachlan Durling reports here.

Not sure if you noticed last month, but apparently it was a wet one ‒ much wetter than usual, some may say. We had more than twice the average April rainfall for the past 26 years! Wild.

In national news, a nurse has told a Victorian coroner Yorta Yorta woman Veronica Nelson should have been immediately taken to hospital rather than a cell at a Melbourne women's prison but a doctor refused.

A note from our editor

The daily News blog has been a way for our team to keep you updated hour-by-hour in the middle of a global pandemic.

While the continuing serious nature of the COVID-19 outbreak across the globe is not to be downplayed, the conversation has shifted from what do we do ‘now’ to what do we do ‘next’.

The need for analysis, in-depth coverage and exclusive content outweighs the ‘breaking’ nature of the news cycle, and with that comes the commitment of more resources to the daily blog.

It means that from Wednesday, May 4, this content will return to its place behind our paywall. For full digital access, subscribe to our ‘welcome’ bundle; it’s just $2 per week for 12 weeks Join | Shepparton News (sheppnews.com.au/join)

We’ve loved having you along for the ride as we explored a new way to deliver content to you directly – and we hope you will stay with us for the next step on the journey.

Tyler Maher, Shepparton News editor