7am: Morning all!
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Central Western Daily reporter Matt Findlay with you for Orange Express this morning, giving you everything you could possibly need to prepare for the day ahead, and maybe just a little bit extra.
If you know something our readers might find useful - a news tip or traffic report - please email it to me on matthew.findlay@fairfaxmedia.com.au or text it to 0477 308 571.
First off, today's weather ...
With Winter here we can expect days to get colder and colder, so today's maximum of 10 degrees is nothing to complain about. Despite having little to no chance of rain, there is set to be cloud cover all day.
Around the central west, Dubbo continues to enjoy sunny weather, with a top of 17 degrees. Bathurst will peak at 13 degrees, and it looks like yesterday's showers are set to clear.
7.15am: English soap opera star Michelle Keegan turns 27 today, and shares her special day with a host of other celebritites
Raphael Nadal also celebrates his birthday today, perfect timing after his straight sets, fourth round French Open win last night over unseeded Serb Dusan Lajovic. Nadal won 6-1, 6-2, 6-1 and now plays fellow Spaniard David Ferrer in the quarter-finals.
Other celebrities celebrating their special day today are Pakistani cricketing god Wasim Akram and American singer Deniece Williams.
If you know someone who is celebrating their birthday tomorrow, send their name and age to luke.schuyler@fairfaxmedia.com.au so we can all help them celebrate.
7.30am: Here's the latest update on what's happening in and around our district's roads today ...
Don't get delayed this morning because of roadworks. Check out what upgrades Orange City Council will be undergoing today, and for the rest of the week, and avoid them if you can. If you can't avoid them, drive carefully:
Work is continuing work at the Margaret and Hill Street intersection, with a temporary seal added to the roadway at the intersection. Burrendong Way south from the Council boundary is still under construction, the first section of the road was sealed last week.
Underground cabling is being prepared for Forest Road, and is a step towards construction of traffic lights for the intersection at the entrance to the Bloomfield Hospital Gates and the new aged care facility. Contractors will continue to pour concrete for a shared bicycle-pedestrian path from Spring Street to McLachlan Street, the work is expected to take a further two weeks.
Finally, weather permitting, there will also be brief delays for drivers in Bulgas Road, where more of the road will be sealed past the Suma Park Dam entryway.
The RMS advises that roadwork will be taking place on or around the following major roads in the central west:
The Great Western Highway is under construction at several places; near McDonalds Lithgow and between Bathurst and Mt Victoria. Intersection improvements are being made near Kelso, while drainage work is being done at Mt Victoria.
Work is also being undertaken on Henry Parkes Way near Manildra and there is bridge maintenance being done near Larras Lane, on the Mitchell Highway
Please expect lane closures or delays at these locations.
7.40am: Time for some tunes ...
Some of the most memorable songs in history hit number one in the ARIA Billboard charts on June 3 throughout the years.
For example, Whitney Housten's instant classic 'I wanna dance with somebody' hit number one in 1987 and George Michael grabbed top spot in 1996 with 'Fastlove'.
Also, a song widely regarded as one of the greatest ever recorded hit a milestone on this day almost four decades ago.
Queen's epic ballad 'Bohemian Rhapsody' went gold on June 3, 1976, and I don't just want to put the video up - I'm obligated to.
However, I also feel the need to give the people want they really want - the annoying, catchy tunes you can't get out of your head for a week.
So, in that spirit, here's Britney Spears' classic 'Oops...I did it again', which hit number one in 2000.
8am: Here's some of the bigger stories from today's Central Western Daily ...
Sir Neville Howse Stadium might be the Taj Mahal of PCYC sporting facilities, but the western zone PCYC believes it needs the “Taj Mahal Plus”.
An extension to the stadium, including a new indoor court for netball and basketball and spectator seating, is just one of the added features proposed in the draft Anzac Park master plan. Orange City councillors will decide tonight whether to put the plan on public exhibition.
Meanwhile ...
Summer Street business owners aren't sitting on the fence about proposals to build a median fence in the main street.
Business owners have thrown their weight behind the decision to fight a state government proposal to build a median fence along Summer Street in an attempt to provide better safety for pedestrians.
8.10am: Time for another walk down memory lane ...
'When we ruled this city' is one of this week's galleries, and takes you all the way back to May, 1996.
Weddings, anniversaries, engagements and any other event which caught the eye of Central Western Daily photographers have been included, and this is the first of four chapters - published throughout this month - exploring the social goings on of May, 1996.
So sit back, take a look and try not to choke on your cuppa as you take in the fashions and hairstyles.
8.15am: And now, one of the biggest stories making news across the country this morning ...
Australian prime minister Tony Abbott continues to make headlines in the US for all the wrong reasons.
HBO satirical news program Last Week Tonight with John Oliver aired a segment mercilessly lambasting Mr Abbott, and presenting clips of his most embarrassing career gaffes in a tongue-in-cheek effort to explain why his personal approval rating may have plunged to 30 per cent.
Here's the segment in question ...
8.30am: Time to have a look at what's happening in Orange sport ...
Former Cavaliers and Orange fast bowler Matt White has been named Sydney Cricket Club's club captain for season 2014-15.
Meanwhile ...
Former Orange Emus star Elliot Brice had no idea a holiday to American would take him within an inch of American rugby's biggest prize.
Brice was a part of the New Orleans Rugby Club (NOLA) team which was soundly beaten in the 2014 Division One USA National Club Championship series final. NOLA was defeated 41-7 by LIFE University.
8.50am: Time for you, the public, to have your say ...
NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) data shows an increase in the number of domestic assaults, sexual offences and indecent assaults in Orange in the last 12 months
We want to know ...
9am: Well that's it for today, you'll be with reporter/photographer/sub-editor Luke Schuyler from 7am tomorrow.
It's not one of the smartest things Britney ever said, but hopefully it brightens up your day a little bit more.