8.35am: OK that should do us this morning! Tune back in from 6am tomorrow for the Rush. The Keira Street shopping development opens in just half an hour, let us know how you go!

8.30am: police are again reminding residents it is illegal to own a poker machine, after a Horsley man surrendered a vintage machine he owned once he read a Mercury story about the laws

8.25am: Sometimes, I wish the Mercury's front page looked like this one from British newspaper Daily Star

8.20am: do you drink Red Bull? Specifically, did you buy one between January 1, 2002, and October 3, 2014? The company has settled a lawsuit, after plaintiffs claimed the company’s advertised benefits, like increased performance and reaction speed, were false advertising. 

The settlement? $13million. Apparently that means anyone can register to have a $10 portion given to them. See more info here, or apply for your $10 here.

8.15am: Victorian police have conducted a number of drug-related raids around north Melbourne this morning

8.10am: another burger story for you (yes I'm hungry) - would you go in for a fancy Maccas burger? Some of the Golden Arches outlets are going upper-class, with gourmet-style burgers carried out on wooden boards - one burger is described as featuring "jalapenos, caramelised onion and a tumble of tortilla strips. It is delivered to the table on a wooden board and accompanied by chipotle mayo and a metal basket of fries."

I need some food.

8.05am: morning Mercury headlines!

* the long-awaited Wollongong Central GPT development finally opens today. Coles is open now, most other shops at 9am

* a man will be jailed for up to three years for a vicious one-punch assault on Illawarra man Simon Cramp last year

* $1billion of investment and development will flood into Wollongong in coming years, with a 20 year plan revealed for the city's growth

* the former Tax Office building may be transformed into a boutique private hospital

8am: top of the hour, time for a recap

WEATHER: a cloudy day today, with highs of 22 degrees

ROADS: looking good on Illawarra roads, and no troubles on the drive to Sydney

TRAINS: good service on the South Coast line, and no trackwork today

7.55am: Sydney Airport had a scare last night, with a Darwin-bound plane turned back after a passenger reportedly started vomiting blood. Crews in HAZMAT suits attended the scene and the passengers were put up in a hotel overnight. 

7.50am: another scam police are warning about involves receiving an email saying you have a package waiting for you at the post office, and asking you to download some info. DON'T DO IT - it's a virus.

7.45am: congrats to The Project host Carrie Bickmore, who announced she is pregnant on TV last night

7.40am: wanna see something real gross?

That's an 8 foot long, 221lb albino catfish, caught by two fisherman near Barcelona. Yuck.

7.35am: going out for dinner or a drink has just gotten a bit easier, with mobile app Clipp. Developed by UOW graduate Craig Stanford, you can run up a tab and pay for your bill on your smartphone, taking the hassle out of splitting bills, fumbling with cash or trying to remember your cashcard PIN. Get the info here.

7.30am: Mamamia has just confirmed it, the royals are expecting twins!

But, oh.... if you click the link, the story is about Princess Charlene and Prince Albert of Monaco - not William and Kate. Yep, if anyone loves a good bit of clickbait, it's Mamamia

7.25am: would you ever fly Malaysian Airlines again? As the search for lost plane MH 370 resumes this week, the airline has released a round of discounted fares including $526 to Kuala Lumpur, $1642 (return) to Paris and $1785 (return) to London. Would the cheap fares be enough for you to trust the controversy-plagued carrier again?

7.20am: a perfect way to waste 5 minutes is to watch this video of people scaring other people. Watch for the several people who literally pee themselves (warning: swear words!)

7.15am: South Sydney are still celebrating their grand final win, but might be in for a bit of trouble after reports Sam Burgess may have been seriously concussed in the collision that broke his cheekbone. The NRL's new rules about concussion are taken seriously, with fines of up to $20,000, a loss of competition points or deregistering of medical staff if a concussed player is left on the field

7.10am: this is great. Rap star (and Mr Beyonce) Jay-Z attracts attention wherever he goes, but a French pedestrian didn't seem to know much about him. Watch the confused Parisian ask loudly "who is he?" and Jay-Z retort back with "who are you?"

7.05am: news headlines

* the long-awaited Wollongong Central GPT development finally opens today. Coles opens at 8am, most other shops at 9am

* a man will be jailed for up to three years for a vicious one-punch assault on Illawarra man Simon Cramp last year

* $1billion of investment and development will flood into Wollongong in coming years, with a 20 year plan revealed for the city's growth

* the former Tax Office building may be transformed into a boutique private hospital

7am: top of the hour, so let's recap what we've been doing so far. Good morning, if you're just joining us!

WEATHER: another cloudy day in store today, with highs of 22 degrees but not too much bright sun around

ROADS: still looking good on the roads around the Illawarra, and no troubles on the drive to Sydney

TRAINS: good service on the South Coast line, and no trackwork today

6.55am: Wollongong police are warning of a scam that may be operating in the region, after an elderly woman had $100 fleeced from her for gardening services that were never completed. 

6.50am: JUST IN: seems like same-sex marriage is now legal in Nevada, USA. 

6.45am: no, good morning to YOU!

6.40am: in the mood for a nice fat hamburger? Maybe you're more of the McDonalds or Hungry Jack's type, but if you are hankering for something a bit more upmarket, try on the Glamburger for size....

With black truffles, a Kobe Wagyu beef patty, lobster, beluga caviar, venison, a duck egg and an edible gold leaf, the creation is a steal at just $US1,800!

6.35am: Keira Street; long the heart of Wollongong, with a past including Arnott's biscuit factories, fires, food and bullocks (apparently). Kate McIlwain has been hard at work poring over the history of the area, and our new micro-site has launched today.

See historical pictures of the area, and video interviews with former and long-time residents of Keira Street, including chef Lorenzo Pagnan and aviator Harry Mitchell.

6.30am: the dogs on beaches saga just refuses to sit or stay, with another alleged dog attack at Woonona on Tuesday. A witness to the attack, which left a woman bleeding heavily, did not want to be named because "those, including myself, who have been vocal on off-leash zones have been harassed on Facebook by people in the dog lobby." 

Aaaaaand anticipating another online comment firestorm in T-minus 3, 2, 1.....

6.25am: just kidding. But if you got any more hot tips or leads on breaking goat news, give me a call.

In other disappointing news, who else was left a bit peeved at the lunar eclipse last night? Here's what it looked like, according to people in places where cloud didn't totally cover the whole damn thing

You may have been disappointed, but probably not as disappointed as SMH journo Eryk Bagshaw, who somehow live-blogged the lunar eclipse for nearly 11 hours yesterday. Hats off to you, Eryk

6.20am: and with that important stuff all done, the rest of today's Morning Rush will be entirely goats. Parkour-jumping goats. Thanks for coming

6.15am: how about some sport news?

* the St George Illawarra Dragons are off to England in February, being picked alognside the Rabbitohs and Broncos as Australia's representatives in a club competition with three British footy teams

* much hyped Hawks import Jahii Carson will finally step onto the court for Wollongong, set to face the Townsville Crocodiles on Friday

* the Hawks will also be buoyed by the addition of two huge (literally) names to their roster

6.10am: on the subject of Keira Street, take a few minutes out before you descend into a shopping frenzy and check out our Keira Street micro-site, with a full history of the area from its Aboriginal roots through huge development and onto the present day

6.10am: but yes, the big news of the day is the grand opening of the Wollongong Central development on Keira Street. Most of the shops open at 9am, but the Coles will throw open its doors to the masses at 8am.

No word yet on whether a line of shoppers itching for a bargain has started developing. Could you be the lucky first one to purchase a packet of frozen vegetables, a loaf of 85cent bread, a carton of $1 milk? Yes, yes you could be!

* get a rundown of the day's schedule here, including opening times, special ceremonies, family fun events, entertainers, and a whole bunch of ribbon-cutting

* remind yourself of all the new shiny shops about to open, and waiting suck up all your $$$$

* get a sneak peek of what's about to be unveiled, with a special preview of the Keira Street precinct

6.05am: with that out of the way, here's your morning Mercury headlines:

* the long-awaited GPT development finally opens today. More on that in a minute...

* a man has been jailed for up to three years for a vicious one-punch assault on Illawarra man Simon Cramp last year

* It has been revealed $1billion of investment and development will flood into Wollongong in coming years, with a 20 year plan revealed for the city's growth

* the former Tax Office building may be transformed into a boutique private hospital

6am: Good morning all! It's Thursday, October 9. Here's what you need to know, first thing today:

WEATHER: another cloudy day in store today, with highs of 22 degrees but not too much bright sun around

ROADS: all looking clear on roads around the Illawarra, and no dramas on the drive to Sydney or beyond

TRAINS: good service on the South Coast line, and no trackwork planned today