Victoria News
Sun to smile on racegoers, but cold snap Sunday
Stephen Cauchi 3:48pm There will be excellent weather for Derby day, the Melbourne Cup and Oaks day but some misery for holidaymakers enjoying the long weekend, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
Man suffers severe head injuries in Carrum assault
CAROLINE ZIELINSKI 1:38pm A man staggered to his parents' house and collapsed at the front door after suffering severe face and head injuries from an assault in Melbourne's south-east.
Man arrested for 1984 kidnap and sexual assault
CAROLINE ZIELINSKI 1:20pm A man has been arrested for allegedly kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 16-year-old boy nearly 30 years ago in Melbourne's south-east.
Hells Angel bikie withdraws bid for bail
ADAM COOPER 1:13pm A Hells Angels bikie charged with possessing weapons and explosives has withdrawn a court application for bail.
Jail for man shot by police after slashing woman's throat
Mark Russell 1:19pm A knife-wielding man was shot twice by police after slashing his former girlfriend's throat before he went back inside her flat to heat up some takeaway food.
'Disgraceful' driver jailed after ploughing into parked car
Steve Butcher 12:42pm A man never licensed with five prior convictions for drink-driving who seriously injured a couple whose car he "ploughed" into on the Monash Freeway while drunk and speeding has been jailed for his "disgraceful" driving.
Petrol drive-offs: servos win access to VicRoads data
CAROLINE ZIELINSKI 12:32pm A Victorian service station company has won the right to access the identity of people who drive away without paying for fuel.
RSPCA rescues 100 dogs in puppy farm raid
CAROLINE ZIELINSKI 2:15pm More than 100 dogs have been surrendered to the RSPCA after the organisation raided a puppy farm in a small town north-west of Bendigo.
Drug cook Yengo Faugere killed over suspected ice theft
Mark Russell and Adam Cooper 8:51am Drug syndicate kingpin Brok Seckold – who preferred to be called "Diablo", the Spanish word for devil – had a dilemma.
Smart police cars hit the streets for Melbourne Cup
CAROLINE ZIELINSKI 7:19am Police are adding four new high-tech cars to their fleet to better monitor events and driving behaviour over the Melbourne Cup period.
Police hunt Melton pervert
CAROLINE ZIELINSKI 6:49am A man who walked into a service station with his penis exposed in Melbourne's west is wanted by the police.
Art collective on roll as commuters give tram creatures thumbs up
The 'floating moon babies' and 'interconnected insect beings' that adorned an art tram decorated by the group Joining Forces have proved a hit with Melbourne's commuters.
Residents in line of tunnel weigh up impact on health
Jason Dowling and Toni Brient Large areas of Melbourne's inner north will be turned into construction zones for up to five years, new impact documents reveal.
Traffic forecast at odds with decline
ADAM CAREY Traffic volumes have fallen or remained static on every major east-west road in Melbourne's inner north in the past decade, VicRoads data shows.
Hunt for beds as hospital system groans
Julia Medew and Richard Willingham Doctors call for more hospital beds after new data showed hundreds of thousands of Victorians waited too long for ambulances, hospital care last year.
Pizzerias come under gunfire in suspected gangland shootings
CHRIS VEDELAGO A gangland dispute is believed to behind a series of late-night drive-by shootings staged against the popular Woodstock pizza chain in Melbourne's inner north.
Surge in complaints over state health services
JULIA MEDEW Complaints about Victorian health services jumped 11 per cent last year, partly due to a surge in reports from prisoners about inadequate care.
Push is on for coal seam gas
JOSH GORDON 10:44pm The Napthine government is facing intense pressure to open the state to onshore gas exploration, with its hand-picked adviser warning of surging power prices and job losses triggered by a looming domestic shortages.
Parliament objects to Palace development
HENRIETTA COOK 8:55am The Victorian parliament has lodged a planning objection against a 21-storey luxury hotel and apartment complex proposed for a nearby site at the former Palace Theatre.
Toyota seeks to slash workers' conditions
CLAY LUCAS 6:15pm Toyota Australia will attempt to renegotiate its workplace agreement with thousands of manufacturing staff at its Altona plant, in a bid to slash costs by $17 million next year.
Drugs pilot Matthew Lowe guilty of murdering 'ice' cook
Mark Russell Matthew Lowe - an electrician turned pilot for a major drug syndicate - has been found guilty of murdering nightclub promoter Yengo Faugere, whose remains were found in a barrel in the back of a ute at a property at St Leonards on the Bellarine Peninsula.
CBD hospitality staff to receive $77k in back-pay
CLAY LUCAS A well-known Japanese restaurant and bar group in Melbourne's CBD has agreed to repay current and former staff $77,000 in wages it owed to almost 50 workers – most of them overseas students.
Qantas workers bid to save jobs with leave plan
CLAY LUCAS Engineers at the Qantas Avalon Airport base will offer to take three months' leave without pay next year, in a desperate bid to save their jobs.
East west link to have major impact on communities
Jason Dowling and Adam Carey The planned east west tollway will have long lasting impacts on the communities located along the roads path, new documents show.
Kinglake fundraiser thief faked repayment evidence
Steve Butcher A woman who stole $13,000 raised by Kinglake residents for victims of the 2010-11 Queensland floods later produced a fake document in a Melbourne court when she pleaded guilty to show she had repaid the money.
The Unveil unveiled at Flemington
LAWRENCE MONEY Among the pampered pleasure palaces of Flemington racecourse's Birdcage, they call it The Unveil.
Stephen Milne's lawyers get access to police notes from rape investigation
Lawyers for Stephen Milne have been granted access to police notes from the initial rape investigation involving the former St Kilda AFL player.
VicHealth study identifies the four types of drinkers
Kate Hagan Victorians can be divided into four different groups according to their alcohol consumption, and responsible drinking messages should target them accordingly, new research shows.
Heroin debt murderer sacks lawyers
Mark Russell The three men were owed money for an ounce of heroin when they arrived at the Housing Commission flats in Carlton just before 1am.