The Melbourne Snap ⚡- Wednesday 15 January
Reports Melbourne man in Ukraine killed by Russian forces, house lost in landslide, the club transforming into a skatepark, and what the "train" of stars above the city last night actually were.
G’day and welcome back to The Melbourne Snap. Firstly, thank you to the people who have sent me testimonials, it helps spread the word about The Snap (I posted some of them here). It’s also just lovely to hear people like the newsletter! We’re getting close to 300 subscribers now. Those of you reading this are very much still the cool early adopters though. Now on to Wednesday’s edition.
⚫The Australian government is making "urgent enquiries" with Russian authorities after a report Melbourne man Oscar Jenkins has been killed by Russian forces. -Chris Reason, Seven News
➡️Mr Jenkins had been fighting alongside Ukrainian forces when he was captured by Russian soldiers in December.
➡️He graduated from Melbourne Grammar School in 2010, before studying at Monash University and then moving to China, where he had been working as a teacher.
➡️A spokesperson from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said Seven’s report had not been verified yet but the government had "grave concerns for Mr Jenkins's welfare." - Tom Crowley, ABC
🚒“Bloody lucky”. Those were the words of the owner of a house destroyed by a landslide yesterday after his family narrowly avoided tragedy. IT entrepreneur Nick Moran told reporters he, his wife and his daughter were all okay after the incident in McCrae on the Mornington Peninsula. - Adam Carey, Sarah Danckert, Lachlan Abbott and Angus Delaney, The Age.
🌦️Wednesday weather
Crime Watch
This section is dedicated to crime news. Scroll on if you want to skip to lighter news.
👮A 19-year-old woman handed herself into police following the machete attack and alleged armed robbery in St Kilda on Sunday. A 15-year-old boy was arrested and faced a children’s court yesterday. - Victoria Police
🧬The grandson of an elderly woman who was raped twice in her Melbourne home more than 40 years ago has described his "disgust" for her attacker, as police narrow their search for him decades on. Detectives yesterday said DNA technology advances led them to believe the rapist lived near Jessie Grace Lauder's home in Mason Street, Newport, when he sexually assaulted her twice in the 1980s. - Jorge Branco, Eleanor Wilson, Nine News.
🔪There was a carjacking at knifepoint in Blackburn South last night. The victim, alone in a silver Nissan, pulled up their car at the intersection of Katrina Street and Koonung Road about 7:45pm. A second vehicle collided with the rear of the car before the victim got out to assess the damage. It was then the front passenger from the second vehicle confronted the victim, produced a knife, snatched the keys and took the car. - Victoria Police
🏛️A man allegedly kidnapped and bashed by pro-Palestinian activists, later claimed he was offered $10,000 to drop the case, a Melbourne court has been told. Three people have pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from an alleged kidnapping and hammer attack on Nemer Abusamha, 31, last year. - Liam Beatty, news.com.au
🕵🏻♀️Police have seized large quantities of drugs following a search warrant in Frankston. Cops raided an address on Addicott Street last Friday. - Victoria Police
🥷🏻Two burglaries in North Melbourne and Moonee Ponds on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are believed to be linked. - Victoria Police
🧹Police arrested a man armed with a metal pole and a mop in Carlton overnight. Officers responded to reports of a man wielding a pole, a mop and smashing windows on Lygon Street about midnight. - Victoria Police
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✨Did you see a strange, line of bright lights in the sky last night? Theories abounded online as to what they were. I think I have the answer. It’s Elon Musk. Specifically, his Starlink company’s satellites orbiting the Earth.
➡️The satellites can appear as a string of pearls or a "train" of bright lights moving across the night sky. Starlink satellites are easier to see a day or two after their launch and deployment then become progressively harder to spot as they climb to their final orbital height. - Space.com
🏳️🌈The Australian Open's LGBTQIA+ Glam Slam Tournament is coming back to Melbourne Park for three days. As well as the regular tennis you'll also find roaming drag queens and kings, glam stations, DJ sets, and plenty of rainbow flags from Friday, January 24-26. - Andrew Zuccala, Concrete Playground
🎨Melting ice blocks, zombie toys and a bejewelled hearse are just some of the features of this year’s Melbourne Art Fair, which returns to the CBD at the end of February. The full program is now out. - Instagram/Melbourne Art Fair
💸Even Australians on median incomes are in rental stress, a new report has found, with households on middle incomes spending 33% of their wages on housing. Since the onset of Covid, rents have increased by 36.1% nationally, equivalent to a rise of $171 a week, or $8,884 a year at the median level. - Cait Kelly, The Guardian
🛹Chapel Street institution Revolver Upstairs is trading its usual late-night revelry for the sound of skateboard wheels on wood. The Prahran venue’s latest venture, dubbed 31sk81, promises to transform the space into an indoor skate park, complete with ramps and rails. - Instagram/Revolver Upstairs
🚓Victorian police crashed Acting Premier Ben Carroll’s press conference as a pay dispute with the Allan Labor government intensifies. A police helicopter began circling above the Werribee presser and patrol cars with protest slogans written on them parked outside. - Ryan Bourke, news.com.au
🤠Nashville’s latest country sensation Max McNown is set to make his Australian debut this May. He’ll be in Melbourne on the 13 May at Forum. - Beat
📢Community Noticeboard📢
📌”Join Our Junior Squash Program at Hume City Squash! Looking for a fun and engaging way for your kids to stay active? Our Junior Squash Program is perfect for young players of all skill levels! Wednesdays at 5:30 PM at Hume City Squash.” - More Details
📌”CALLING ALL CYCLISTS!! DO YOU WANT YOUR VO2max TESTED?" Researchers from La Trobe University are looking for cyclists to participate in a research study investigating the effect of daily oral supplementation with a pine bark extract on cycling performance. The study will go over a period of 4-5 weeks.” - More Details
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And finally…Looks like the popular Victorian-style shelters on St Kilda pier are getting removed. The shelters often feature prominently in postcard-style photos of the famous waterfront walkway. They’re beloved by the locals and people are not happy with their removal. They’re not actually all that old having been placed on the pier around 40 years ago. - TallStorey/Instagram
Thank you for reading edition 41 of The Melbourne Snap. If you missed yesterday’s edition you can read it again here. This newsletter is 100% independent and free for all. It’s written in the early hours every weekday morning after I finish my day job (which is actually a night job). If you enjoy it please spread the word. Thank you, see you tomorrow.
Thankyou 😃
I've just started watching 'Love Me' free to air on ABC Iview. It has the most beautiful setting of, you guessed it, Melbourne. So for anyone who loves this city, it's a great watch for picking the locales, streets etc. Oh, and the story line is interesting too. It's a bit steamy though from the getgo so warn any potential viewers.