Saturday, May 29, 2021: Top stories from the Newcastle Herald, your trusted voice in the Hunter

Former leader Michael Daley and Kogarah MP Chris Minns are poised to contest the NSW Labor leadership after former leader Jodi McKay resigned yesterday afternoon.
Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper says fighting for the Glendale transport interchange is "flogging a dead horse" - despite it holding a place on the Hunter’s infrastructure wish-list for decades - and said an upgraded existing train station could be a better option to cater for the area's booming population.
The NSW mouse plague has become increasingly evident on hardware store shelves, with outlets seeing a steep rise in demand for traps and baits in the region in recent months.
Kalyn Ponga is out of Sunday's blockbuster against Manly at McDonald Jones Stadium with his place in the Queensland Maroons side for Origin I now in jeopardy.
A massive southerly swell was forecast to hit Newcastle’s beaches this morning, reaching 5.5 metres early in the morning and producing wave heights up to three metres.