Victoria News
Mixed blessing as principals get power to sack teachers
Benjamin Preiss Principals will gain the power to fire poor-performing teachers under a wide-ranging state government plan for Victorian students to rival the world's best.
Court shift to ease chronic holding cell overcrowding
Henrietta Cook, Jane Lee The Magistrates Court has begun hearing bail applications, guilty pleas and other matters in the County Court to ease the chronic overcrowding of inmates in holding cells.
State's road deaths fall to historic low
Jason Dowling The number of people killed on Victoria's roads has plummeted by more than 16 per cent, with the state on course for a historic low annual road toll.
Airport chief hits back at Planning Minister's quip
Jason Dowling Melbourne Airport chief executive Chris Woodruff has his hit back at Planning Minister Matthew Guy's quip that the airport's car park was so large it should have its own postcode and suburb name.
Shearer jailed for 20 years for stabbing wife to death
Mark Russell 6:34pm The first time Stephen McPhee stabbed his wife with a large kitchen knife as she lay on the couch listening to music at their home in Mildura, she told him she loved him.
Drunk speeding driver hit motorcyclist
6:25pm A drunk and unlicensed driver was travelling at twice the speed limit when he hit and killed a motorcyclist in Melbourne.
Import decline signals unhappy Christmas for retailers
Nick Toscano 5:57pm Victoria's struggling retailers may be heading for a unhappy Christmas, according to a pessimistic outlook from the Port of Melbourne boss.
Officer 'feared for life' before shooting
ADAM COOPER 6:34pm A special operations group police officer said he feared for his life when a shotgun was pointed at him in the split second before he fired and a man suspected of murder was killed.
Lanes reopen on Monash Freeway after multi-vehicle collision
Catherine Chisholm, Toni Brient 6:48pm All five lanes on the Monash Freeway have reopened following a major multi-vehicle collision that threw peak-hour traffic into chaos.
Retailer apologises after catalogue slammed for 'racial overtones'
Rania Spooner 6:46pm Australian fashion retailer Best & Less has apologised to disgruntled commentators on social media after its latest catalogue was attacked for carrying racial overtones.
Court is not a moral tribunal, jury told
Mark Russell 4:11pm A jury in a murder trial after a man was killed outside a South Melbourne brothel when searching for his prostitute girlfriend – who he believed was being held as a sex slave – has been warned that the Victorian Supreme Court is not a "court of morals".
Magistrate determined not to delay Craig Thomson hearing
ADAM COOPER 2:30pm A magistrate has outlined his determination to have Craig Thomson's fraud case to start on schedule despite another delay in court proceedings against the former federal MP.
Burnley Tunnel reopened after car sandwiched between two trucks
MEX COOPER 2:59pm A driver has managed to escape with minor injuries after his car was sandwiched between two trucks in the Burnley Tunnel on Tuesday afternoon.
Friend tells of seeing Kara Doyle shot in front of her
Mark Russell 2:48pm Kirsten Smith will never forget standing in front of her friend, Kara Doyle, when she was shot inside a flat described as "a black cave", a court has heard.
Motorcyclist caught speeding twice in Sunbury
Stephen Cauchi 1:27pm A hoon motorcyclist was caught allegedly doing 230 km/h in Melbourne's north-west on Monday morning.
Man charged over jet ski death
Steve Butcher 1:21pm A man has been charged over the death last year of a swimmer struck by a jet ski off a Port Melbourne beach.
Police move on new clues in Teresa Paulino murder case
RANIA SPOONER 1:52pm The sons of murdered Reservoir woman Teresa Paulino have made an emotional appeal for information to help catch her killer.
West Gate Bridge, CityLink tunnels to close, causing Christmas road delays
HENRIETTA COOK 11:15am Melbourne could be thrown into traffic chaos when the West Gate Bridge and CityLink tunnels close for several days during the Christmas and New Year holiday period.
Police believe death of man on running track in Oakleigh is not suspicious
DEBORAH GOUGH 4:45pm Police are investigating the discovery of a body in the south-east Melbourne suburb of Oakleigh on Tuesday morning.
Victoria seeks to follow Queensland on bikie laws
Nick Toscano 7:26am Victorian police are seeking legal advice on whether they can mirror Queensland's controversial new laws that declare outlaw motorcycle gangs criminal organisations.
Music
Tables turned as commuters become conductors ... for MSO
BARNEY ZWARTZ Legendary Russian conductor Sergei Koussevitzky had such a quavery beat that it was impossible to follow. Asked how the Boston Symphony knew when to start playing, as it was impossible to tell when the downbeat turned into an upbeat, the concertmaster replied: ''Simple. As soon as the baton reaches the third button on his waistcoat, we play.''
Victoria
A cheap and cheerful place to stay? Tune in now!
ROBERT UPE The first low-cost Tune Hotel in Australia opened in Melbourne on Monday with $39-a-night rooms.
Gatto sells cranes in online auction
Chris Vedelago, Ben Butler Underworld identities Mick Gatto and Matt Tomas are shutting down their crane-hire business, ending a partnership plagued by bad debts, union problems and a downturn in the construction industry.
Families of Kerang dead left baffled
ADAM COOPER The families of some of the 11 people killed in the Kerang train disaster say a coroner's findings have left them unsatisfied and with no one to blame for the tragedy.
Tech
Push for mobiles to show location
Lara O'Toole Victoria's triple-0 operator has renewed demands that telcos provide technology to locate people making emergency calls on mobile phones.
State's teacher revolution
Benjamin Preiss The Victorian government will consider fast-tracking talented professionals into the classroom amid warnings of an oversupply of primary school teachers.
