One of the biggest stories this week was the finalisation of candidates for the council elections that are on December 4 (don't forget!). I reckon the biggest surprise was the number of candidates which topped out at 32. Made up exclusively of groups - no independents - 32 people are vying for your vote, which promises that our next raft of Lithgow City Councillors will look very different.

So how do we play this? Well, right now we are running a poll online open to all locals asking for the big issues. We're going to collect the five most common responses and take them to the candidates. We will publish their responses online and in print.

Traffic flow was extremely heavy through Lithgow this week after yet another highway closure at Victoria Pass. The Pass was closed in both directions from early morning after semi trailers lost traction on the slick surface. The problem was a follow on from an incident last week when a truck overturned spilling its load of vegetable oil.

That became a logistical nightmare with emergency crews working all day to clear the oil. But when it began to rain yesterday the oil residue re-surfaced and it was deja vu for traffic. With the rain continuing throughout the weekend and maybe even into next week, it's worth reminding everyone to be doubly careful on the roads around Lithgow. Thanks for the tip, Saint.

Ciara brought us another cracking piece in her ongoing series Women in Mining, where she spoke with Isobel Standfast who shared with us the love she has for her work, but also lamented the fact that as a woman in the industry she's had to work twice as hard to get ahead. It's a fantastic read and one worth sharing.

Mumma Snow was closed for two-and-a-half months but she's finally back in business. Alanna Tomazin went and had a chat with the team headed by Anna Snow, which reopened its doors on October 11, welcoming locals back to their meeting place post COVID lockdown.

I often get to the end of the newsletter and think 'yeah, but there was so much more news this week'. But we all know, especially on a Saturday, that time is precious and I'd never expect you to read War and Peace in your inbox. So I'll leave you with three handy links if you're interested. First our Local News link - and don't forget Sport - for all of the latest and greatest from around the region and the National News hub in case you're after the latest from around the country. We can cater to you both.

Notable quotable: "You don't have to be better than everybody else, you just have to be better than you were a week ago.

Have a great weekend.

- Benjamin Palmer, Editor