State of the Nation | Saturday, May 20, 2017

►LAUNCESTON: Tasmania’s North and North-West are set to be saturated today with between 20mm to 80mm of rain on Saturday says Mhairi Bradley, Northern regional manager of the State Emergency Service. Her advice is to drive to the conditions and stay inside if possible. Read more

►GUNNEDAH: The story of Lachie Eddy’s haemophilia battles and his dad Charles’ documentary has been gaining national interest. Charles and wife Shannon have been interviewed in local and regional newspapers, a major women’s website, a national new website and Darwin radio. Read more

►CEDUNA: Oyster growers have warned prices are expected to rise next year due to a lack of spat caused by the Pacific Oyster Mortality Syndrome (POMS) outbreak in Tasmania. Read more

►FLINDERS: The University of South Australia’s (UniSA) Department of Rural Health is currently undertaking one of the largest health surveys ever to be carried out in regional South Australia, in a bid to improve the health services available in these areas. More here

►Two men have been charged with murder after the body of a former Special Operations Group officer was found at a factory in Melbourne's south-east. Read more

►Two-and-a-half years later, after one of the most complex inquests in state history, NSW coroner Michael Barnes will on Wednesday hand down his report on what really happened that night at the Lindt Cafe. Read more

►Swedish prosecutors on Friday dropped their investigation into a rape allegation against Julian Assange, closing a nearly seven-year legal saga that led the WikiLeaks founder to seek sanctuary at the Ecuadoran Embassy in London. Read more

► When NYPD officers raided the home of 39-year-old Sean Price in the New York borough of Queens last week, they allegedly discovered Price and the 16-year-old girl, from Sydney's upper north shore, hiding in the basement of the property. This American killer had lured the Sydney schoolgirl to the US using Snapchat. Read more

1873: Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis receive a U.S. patent for blue jeans with copper rivets.

1977: It’s Stirling Mortlock’s Birthday, the former Australian rugby player.

2002: The independence of East Timor is recognized by Portugal, ending 23 years of Indonesian rule.

2012: At least 27 people are killed and 50 others injured when a 6.0-magnitude earthquake strikes northern Italy.

Mary Baker went to the dentist for a tooth abscess on March 14, 2008. She was 12 years-old.

The bright, sporty schoolgirl became acutely ill from the infection and her recovery was protracted. Somewhere along the line, something broke inside her.

An eating disorder took hold and refused to release its grip.Three years and one day later, Mary took her life.

Anorexia nervosa has the highest rate of suicide of all mental illness.

Across Australia to our doorstep comes a resounding cry for help from despairing parents of children with eating disorders.

Sometimes those cries are muffled by the shame and stigma of an illness too often misunderstood by both the community and medical fraternity. Read more