Callum Marshall

North-east Victorian residents express their anger about possible hospital service mergers as discussions about the future of the state's healthcare system intensify.

Shepparton man Matthew Atkinson has been sentenced to jail with a non-parole period of three years and six months for a fatal assault in Mooroopna last year where he punched and stomped on Mr Delphine's head twice.

A Papuan who fled his home country because of tribal fighting says he is desperate to hear from family members whose village was in the path of a deadly landslide. 

Jo moved between five different places in two months after leaving her previous home due to family violence. It became so stressful her son chose not to live with her, and support organisations say they're seeing more people like her.

The son of an 81-year-old Benalla woman hit by an e-scooter near the MCG last week says he hopes the "gutless" rider feels ashamed about the incident, which police allege was deliberate.

At this regional youth centre, vaping has outstripped alcohol and cannabis as the most common addiction. These teenagers tell us how they managed to quit.

The accused, who police say was known to the victim, faces multiple assault charges in Shepparton Magistrates' Court over the death of Ms Bates, whose body was discovered in her Cobram home on Tuesday.

Tributes have poured in for Emma Bates, 49, who was found dead in a home in the regional Victorian town of Cobram on Tuesday.   

A woman from the small town of Numurkah is calling for improved responses to a mental health crisis in Victoria following her late partner's death by suicide.

Multinational company Lactalis announces it will close its Echuca dairy factory with up to 70 jobs lost in northern Victoria.

The Federal Court has dismissed an environmental group's application to prevent four planned burns from taking place in Strathbogie State Forest.

In the tiny Victorian town of Tongala, community spirit is high as an old dairy factory reopens, prompting much-needed jobs and renewal.

Victorian olive growers are struggling to fend off a bug infestation that is destroying their crops at a time when global demand for the product is high.

Rebecca Cork will never forget the sight of her child purple-faced and not breathing as she raced to hospital. She's one of many residents continuing to push for an ambulance station in the town of Tocumwal.

A 17-metre-long mural honouring women who have served in or supported Australia's defence forces is unveiled in north-east Victoria, 82 years to the day since World War II's Bangka Island Massacre.

The horrific death toll on Victoria's roads last year has brought young driver safety awareness into renewed focus, with some advocating for comprehensive driver education in schools.

Victoria Police allege investigators also found drug paraphernalia and $10,000 in cash when they executed a search warrant.

Shepparton woman Jordan Spencer, 33, is alleged to have thrown a flammable substance on a 20-year-old woman and ignited it on January 15.

Lutfiye Kavci's husband was imprisoned last year for attempting to stab her to death. The Shepparton woman hopes sharing her story will help empower other victim-survivors.

Cuchulainn Coulter is among those getting their lives back on track through a supportive living environment in regional Victoria, which he says is helping him rediscover all the "things that mental illness really pushes away".

Detectives from the arson and explosive squad are investigating an alleged arson attack in Shepparton on Monday where a woman is believed to have set another woman on fire.

As Shepparton locals wait anxiously to see how high the Goulburn River will peak, other communities have started the process of recovering from flooding and are calling on tourists to reconsider cancelling any visits.

Victoria has recorded its wettest first nine days of January since records began, with more rain on the way.

Impact assessments are underway in Rochester, as weather conditions and flood risk are set to ease for parts of the state.

Once a constant swarm of activity, the Euroa Goods Shed now stands unused and in disrepair. But the fact it still stands at all is what intrigues many people.