Melbourne Express: Thursday, February 9, 2017

• 9:27am

A Brighton man has been arrested after allegedly shining a laser at a police helicopter about 1.30am this morning. 

Maybe he couldn't sleep because of the heat (it was 30.5 degrees at that time) and the noise from the aircraft hovering ahead. 

Police knocked on the door a short time later and had a stern word with the 42-year-old man. He is expected to be charged on summons with conduct endangering person and interference with crew or aircraft.

His excuse? The man allegedly claimed he mistook the helicopter for a UFO...

And in other helicopter-related news, a man called into 3AW this morning wanting to know why a chopper was hovering over his area in Hoppers Crossing. But it turned out it was the traffic helicopter that provides the radio station with updates, and it was in the area filming a car doing burnouts.

• 9:22am

That's all for the blog today. 

The temperature outside is 29 degrees now. Hopefully that cool change will come through sooner rather than later.

• 9:22am

How did you go with today's brainteaser?

Don't scroll down any further if you don't want the answer spoiled for you.

I didn't get that many emails or tweets answering this one. Maybe there was a bit of misdirection going on and everyone thought the piranhas were dead or not especially peckish. Or maybe the heat isn't conducive to brainteasering. 

The first to get the answer on Twitter was @mhic, while David T was first on Twitter. 

I put in a stealth clue with the On This Day reference as well. The Metroid series is notable for being among the first games to star a female protagonist. The alien-fighting main character Samus was clad in Iron Man-style space armour for the entire game, and it was only after the mission was complete that players found out the hero was female. 

• 9:07am

Did you get today's Mystery Melbourne photo? The uncropped photo makes it more obvious. 

Where was today's Mystery Melbourne photo taken? Photo: Pat Scala

It is the Railway Hotel in Yarraville, in Western Bulldogs heartland. 

I realised once it went on top of the blog that the street sign rather gives it away. I put that lapse down to the oppressive heat this morning... 

Morkel P was first to email me while @Nosnilla got the answer first on Twitter. 

• 8:57am

Minor delays on the Upfield line: the 9:09am Upfield to Flinders Street train will originate from Coburg today due to an earlier ill passenger. 

• 8:57am

Reader Evelyn has sent through a pic of the city skyline around sunset yesterday. 

• 8:53am

After a sweltering night where temperatures barely dipped below 30 degrees, Melbourne is set for a scorchingly hot 37 degrees on Thursday.

Deborah Gough reports there is a cool change on the way, fortunately, but when relief comes it won't be instant.

Melbourne weather: after a sweltering night a cool dry change is on the way

• 8:50am

After a sweltering night where temperatures barely dipped below 30 degrees, Melbourne is set for a scorchingly hot 37 degrees on Thursday.

Deborah Gough reports there is a cool change on the way, fortunately, but when relief comes it won't be instant.

Melbourne weather: after a sweltering night a cool dry change is on the way

• 8:45am

Police have arrested four teenagers following a series of alleged burglaries yesterday.

The four youths were nabbed in an allegedly stolen car in Craigieburn about 4.15pm.

A 17-year-old Mickleham boy and a 15-year-old Reservoir boy have been charged with several counts of attempted burglary, burglary, theft and theft of motor vehicle. They will be presented at a children's court at a later date.

A 19-year-old Craigieburn boy has been charged with a number of serious driving offences and bailed to appear at the Broadmeadows Magistrates' Court on 12 April.

A 17-year-old Craigieburn boy will be interviewed at a later date.

• 8:45am

Reviewer Jake Wilson's verdict on A Street Cat Named Bob is in. He has awarded it two-and-a-half stars and says the titular character "melts hearts in saccharine Cinderella story".

The film is about a London busker of no fixed abode whose struggle to stay off drugs is aided by the ginger cat of the title, who appears out of nowhere to become his inseparable companion.

Review: A Street Cat Named Bob review: Restless feline sidekick melts hearts in saccharine Cinderella story

• 8:37am

Reviewer Jake Wilson's verdict on A Street Cat Named Bob is in. He has awarded it two-and-a-half stars and says the titular character "melts hearts in saccharine Cinderella story".

The film is about a London busker of no fixed abode whose struggle to stay off drugs is aided by the ginger cat of the title, who appears out of nowhere to become his inseparable companion.

Review: A Street Cat Named Bob review: Restless feline sidekick melts hearts in saccharine Cinderella story

• 8:32am

This just in. Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Stephen Fontana will be providing an update on the investigation into the Bourke Street killings this afternoon. The press conference will be livestreamed here from 12.30pm.

• 8:29am

As a side note, I'm working on an article at the moment about myki availability. Do you find that there is a long way to go to top up your myki or buy a replacement if you are out of credit and need to catch a tram? Or is a myki top-up just metres away?

Let me know your thoughts. I'd particularly like to hear from people who live along route 86 on myki top-up accessibility. 

• 8:25am

State political reporter Richard Willingham writes that a 90-storey tower will be built in the city to house Crown's new six star hotel and 708 apartments. The project is set to create 4000 construction jobs.

• 8:22am

It's time for the latest Trump Watch instalment. 

Today, the share price of shoe reatiler Nordstrom dropped after he hit out at them on Twitter for no longer stocking his daughter Ivanka's shoe brand.

He also announced a $7 billion investment in innovation jobs.

Meanwhile, in Obama Watch, the former president is using his time away from the White House to indulge in a spot of kitesurfing with Sir Richard Branson: 

• 8:08am

A few people have correctly answered the brainteaser. The answer is not that the water was frozen with the piranhas embedded in it Japanese-skating-rink-style. 

If you know the answer, send me an email or a tweet.

If you're still stumped, our homepage editor has kindly provided this hint: "piranhas? no worries mate, she'll be apples". I have also inserted a stealth hint further down in the blog that somewhat gives away the answer. 

• 8:04am

Here's a cool throwback Thursday pic from The Royal Melbourne Hospital. Not many medical instruments could be said to be making the patient look debonair when the readings were being taken.

• 7:59am

A hovering helicopter was causing a commotion in Hoppers Crossing earlier, enough that concerned people were calling 3AW to find out what was happening. 

This is the reason why - a car was doing burnouts in the area and the traffic helicopter was filming it from above. 

• 7:36am

On this day

On this day in 1997, 'The Simpsons' became the longest running prime-time animated TV series, surpassing The Flintstones. The couch gag for the record-breaking episode even made reference to this fact.

It has since become the longest-running scripted program in American TV history, spanning 28 seasons and more than 600 episodes.

Bonus on this day: on this day in 2004, Metroid Zero Mission was released on the Game Boy Advance. The game features bounty hunter Samus Aran and her mission to destroy evil space pirates on an alien planet.

Sorry if I just ruined the game's twist for you. You don't find out the main character is actually female until the end.  Photo: Craig Butt

• 7:36am

On this day in The Age

Here is what was in The Age on this day in 1997, when the Simpsons became the longest running TV series (see post above) 

• A naked gunman shot dead six people in the town of Raurimu in New Zealand.

The front page of The Sunday Age, February 9, 1997. Photo: Craig Butt

• Melbourne was in the middle of a heatwave, recording six days of 30+ temperatures for this first time since 1989. The worst day hit 40.9 degrees and the previous day had been a 34.9 degree scorcher. Fortunately, relief was in sight but the state's emergency services were still on high alert fearing people would suffer health problems from prolonged heat exposure.

At least we're not middle of a heatwave, even though today will be very hot. Photo: Craig Butt

• There was a double episode of The Simpsons at 7pm that night on Channel 10. The episodes were 'Homer They Fall' (the one where Homer becomes a boxer) and 'Burns, Baby Burns' (the one where Mr Burns finds out he has an illegitimate son). A new episode of Seinfeld followed at 8pm. I miss the 90s.