No more court for drug-driving safety campaigner

Adam Cooper 3:55 PM   A child safety campaigner who was drug-driving before a road crash in which an 88-year-old man was injured — and died five days later — has been excused from attending future court hearings.

Huge seizure of drug-like plant at Melbourne Airport

Rania Spooner 3:50 PM   A huge haul - 735 kilograms - of a dangerous controlled plant with amphetamine-like properties has been found hidden in the suitcases of 13 travellers arriving at Melbourne Airport.

Big storm looms with threats of flooding and damaging hailstorms

Patrick Hatch 3:39 PM   Hail stones the size of tennis balls are falling in areas outside of Melbourne but the city is likely to be spared from the wild storms smashing parts of the state, the weather bureau says.

Stay-at-home 20-somethings swap independence for financial gain

Matt Wade and Alana Schetzer 3:10 PM   About 14,500 fewer people aged between 20 and 24 in Victoria moved neighbourhood in 2013-14 compared with five years earlier, new figures from the Bureau of Statistics show.  

Teen who had terror charge dropped avoids conviction over knives

Adam Cooper 3:01 PM   Young Melbourne man once accused over Anzac Day terror plot has avoided a conviction and further time in custody over weapons offences.

EastLink hit-run: Car that ran down policeman spotted in Bayswater

Robyn Grace and Patrick Hatch 2:52 PM   The car involved in the hit-and-run of a policeman on the EastLink Freeway on Wednesday fled from a petrol station with a tank full of stolen petrol that morning, police say.

Etihad Stadium gone in 20 years: mayor

2:33 PM   Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle predicts Etihad Stadium will be gone in 20 years.

Melbourne Monopoly board makers accused of taking 'cash for spots'

Tom Cowie 2:04 PM   A Melbourne laneway bar says it was offered a spot on the board of the city's new edition of Monopoly if it paid a substantial fee to the game's licensee.

Cop raped cop: Explosive claim being investigated within force

Nino Bucci 1:53 PM   A police officer who alleges she was raped by a colleague is one of 36 cases reported to Victoria Police, as it investigates a culture of sexual harassment.

Young man's 'downward spiral' lands him in jail after shooting

Steve Butcher 1:51 PM   Reformed ice addict who threatened to "put one in" a man after phone call to his sister later shot the unarmed victim in the face with a sawn-off rifle.

Rowan Wild released on bail bail over alleged rape of 14-year-old in Geelong

Adam Cooper and Rania Spooner 1:42 PM   One of the four men from the same family charged over the alleged gang rape of a 14-year-old girl in Geelong has been freed on bail.

Mother proud of her murdered good Samaritan son,court told

Mark Russell 1:22 PM   The mother of good Samaritan Luke Mitchell who was savagely attacked and killed by three Thai nationals has told how proud she is of her son.

Good Samaritan murder 'confession' letter

Mark Russell 1:08 PM   The key piece of evidence in the good Samaritan murder trial was this 'confession' letter sent to Luke Mitchell's family by one of the killers, Thatiya Terdputham, on May 31, 2013, when he was in jail in Thailand awaiting extradition.

Early morning kayaker finds man's body in the Murray

12:43 PM   Police are investigating after a body was found in the Murray River at Moama.

Victorian hospitals 'can't pay their bills'

Josh Gordon, State Political Editor 12:14 PM   Victoria's 87 public hospitals are facing a financial crisis with annual deficits of more $700 million.

Concerns over kids' health as only half walk or ride to school at least once a week

Alana Schetzer 12:04 PM   Only half of Australian school children walk, scoot or ride their bike to and from school at least once a week, worrying experts who say this lack of activity could lead them to bad lifelong habits.

East Link policeman attack: Officer out of hospital

Nino Bucci, Rania Spooner and Liam Mannix 11:09 AM   The policeman targeted in a hit-and-run attack on the EastLink on Wednesday has been released from hospital.

Secret treasury revision rewrites budget history

Josh Gordon, State Political Editor 11:09 AM   The Victorian Department of Treasury changed history to conclude the Coalition's 2012-13 budget was in deficit for the first time in a generation under the previous Coalition government.

Waive of confusion over levy breaks for some

Benjamin Preiss 10:21 AM   A costly government car parking charge has has been scrapped for some - but not all - of Melbourne's most popular destinations.

Melbourne's best suburb? Predictably, nobody can agree

Angus Holland 10:21 AM   Liveability: The survey got it wrong.

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Melbourne Express: Thursday, November 12, 2015

9:15 AM   Kick start your day with Melbourne Express - a live blog with compelling content from The Age and beyond.

Robert Doyle to run for lord mayor again

Clay Lucas 9:04 AM   Lord Mayor Robert Doyle has announced his intention to run for Town Hall's top job again in elections due late next year.

Police hunt driver after officer 'mown down' on freeway

Nino Bucci and Rania Spooner 1:19 AM   A manhunt is underway for a driver who hit a police officer with his stolen car on EastLink, before his vehicle came under fire.

Bad Apple: 'We're worried you might steal something'

Rachel Wells 12:28 AM   A video showing a group of African youths being asked to leave an Apple store at Highpoint on Tuesday has caused widespread outrage on social media amid claims of blatant racism.

Werribee development bidder given 90 days to perfect its vision or they're out

Clay Lucas and Simon Johanson 11:14 PM   A consortium led by a multi-millionaire property investor has been given 90 days by the Andrews government to prove it can build a new city on Melbourne's fringes.

#RemembranceDayfail: Another taxi social media campaign backfires

Patrick Hatch 10:04 PM   The Victorian Taxi Association has provoked another social media backlash, this time by trying to hijack Remembrance Day.

Geelong girl was sexually assaulted at two different locations

Adam Cooper 8:48 PM   A 14-year-old girl was raped by men from the one family at two different homes in a Geelong suburb, a court has been told.

Forget your wheelchair?: Note shows 'invisible' disability ignorance

Miki Perkins 7:41 PM   A cruel note accusing a woman of hogging a disability parking spot triggered her emotional response on social media, and huge public support. But the worst thing? It happens all the time.

Legal opium poppies blooming across Victoria

Darren Gray 7:28 PM   Legal opium poppies are blooming across Victoria, with farmers embracing the crop in growing numbers in just its second year of commercial production in the state.

War Memorial's first space named after a soldier

Emma Kelly 7:08 PM   The Australian War Memorial has named a gallery and courtyard after Captain Reg Saunders, the first indigenous Australian to be commissioned as an officer in the Australian Army.