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8.30am That's it from us this morning. Have a wonderful weekend - enjoy every minute! And have a SPOOKTASTIC Halloween. See you Monday! :)
8.12am STRANGE BUT TRUE: Someone has remade the Gone Girl film with NOTHING BUT CATS. Amazing.
8.08am WORLD NEWS: Kaci Hickox, the self-proclaimed face of resistance to quarantine rules directed at returning US health care workers who treated Ebola patients in Africa, has been bike riding, in defiance of the quarantine rules.
8.06am CELEB NEWS: Channel Nine weather presenter Rebecca Judd has written an open letter lambasting the media for criticising her lean frame while reminding people that “being thin is not an illness”. Read more.
8.04am Looking for something to make for dinner tonight? Check out this creamy broccoli pasta. Oh yum.
8.02am Melbourne Cup is next Tuesday. Have you got plans?
8am LOCAL NEWS: Little Ky North’s skin is so fragile that he has to wear his clothes inside out so the seams don’t rub, he needs special linings in his nappies and he can only play with the softest toys. The eight-month-old Balgownie boy suffers from a rare genetic disorder called Epidermolysis Bullosa.
*Health reporter Lisa Wachsmuth has the story.
7.58am Good morning Illawarra! Happy Halloween if you're just tuning in. We're in for a mostly sunny day with a top of 27 degrees. All good on the roads & rail.
7.56am CELEB GOSS ALERT: Miley Cyrus has worn a dress made out of straps and god only knows what Rhianna was wearing for the amfAR gala. All I can say is ... BOOB ALERT!
7.54am There is live music at venues across the Wollongong CBD tonight - head to Alibi, Three Chimneys and the Brewery for some tunes.
7.52am Looking for something to do tomorrow night? Why not head along to the Moonlight Movies in Figtree for a screening of Hotel Transylvania. More details here.
7.50am Did you get a chance to meet cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar in Bowral yesterday? I've got to say - WHAT A SPUNK!
7.48am NATIONAL: Federal police are investigating a record number of human trafficking cases in Australia involving sex slavery, forced marriages and child brides. Read more.
7.46am WORLD NEWS: Thousands of protesters have marched on Burkina Faso's presidential palace after burning the parliament building and ransacking state television offices, forcing President Blaise Compaore to scrap a plan to extend his 27-year rule.
7.44am RED CARPET: We've got all the looks from the amfAR LA gala.
7.42am Planning on visiting the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City? Be aware - it's introduced new high-tech, energy-saving lighting and air purification systems to protect the frescoes from damage caused by ever-growing crowds of tourists.
7.40am LOCAL NEWS: Students from Austinmer Public School used their vocals to paint a song yesterday, precisely at 12.30pm, the same time as other school children across Australia.
*Reporter Louise Turk has the story.
7.38am CELEB GOSS ALERT: Renee Zellweger is shaking off all the discussions over her new look & getting back to work on the set of her new movie.
7.36am NSW: Colourful financier Ian Lazar has been charged over allegations he defrauded an elderly woman of her home after first seeing her on an episode of A Current Affair. (SMH)
7.30am SPORT: A report has claimed the NRL paid $80,000 for Paul Gallen's ASADA defence. NB no wonder they didn't like his mean tweets!
7.29am Anybody else having problems opening the Mercury or SMH websites? Tell me it's not just me! #firstworldproblems
7.28am It's Friday so ... PUPPIES! Enjoy.
7.26am MOVIE NEWS: The poster for the final Fast & the Furious film has been released - and it features the movie's late star Paul Walker.
7.24am EDUCATION: Compulsory HSC English papers have always been marked twice for quality control. Not anymore - the three questions in the first paper will only be marked once. Why? Cost cutting. SHEESH!
7.22am SYDNEY: A nail gun shooting at Vat Ketanak Khmer Kampuchea in Sydney's south west left one monk in a critical condition with a nail still lodged in his skull on Thursday night. (SMH)
7.20am We want to get you in the mood for Halloween - here are some REALLY scary stories. Enjoy.
7.18am MOVIE NEWS: Naomi Watts' latest film Demolition is a little lighter - a far cry from her more serious roles. Read more.
7.16am The 10th annual Day for Daniel is underway in Brisbane.
7.14am WORLD NEWS: A slow-moving river of molten lava from an erupting volcano crept over residential and farm property on Hawaii's Big Island on Wednesday after incinerating an outbuilding as it threatened dozens of homes at the edge of a former plantation town.
7.12am LOCAL NEWS: The Illawarra seems set for a warmer than average summer. Get the full story here.
7.10am Apologies for that break - I forgot to put our bins out!
7.06am STRANGE BUT TRUE: This is HILARIOUS - Sia is auctioning off a JAR OF HER BREATH to raise money for charity. Who would buy that!?
7.04am SPORT: Bath's new rugby union convert Sam Burgess firmly handed off questions about his chances of playing for England yesterday, despite fellow code-switcher Jason Robinson earlier insisting he would play a "massive part" in England's World Cup plans. We miss you Sammy!
7.02am Did you get married this year? Know someone who did? Check out our 2014 wedding gallery - so far.
7am TECH TALK: Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, has revealed he is gay.
6.58am Good morning! Happy Halloween if you're just tuning in. We're in for a mostly sunny day with a top of 27 degrees. All good on the roads & rail.
6.56am In some other celeb news this morning - in case you missed this one yesterday, Mary-Kate Olsen is married! She married her 40+ fiancee in a secret ceremony. Cheeky!
6.54am A trusty Rush reader is warning people about a little scam doing the rounds. He received an email from the NSW Office of State Revenue (OSR), which included an alleged speeding fine from 3 days ago. It requests payment of $254. BUT It's a scam - the OSR don't issue fines notices by email and there is a warning on their website. Watch out!
6.52am CELEB GOSS ALERT: Lara Bingle has a bit of a glow about her but she ain't pregnant. She's releasing her own beauty line.
6.50am WORLD NEWS: Police have jailed a Pakistani gun collector living in Ontario, alleging he is a terrorist threat to Canada, his lawyer said on Thursday, days after attacks in which two Canadian soldiers were killed.
6.48am HEALTH: Obese and overweight patients over the age of 45 are costing the hospital system $4 billion per year, according to a large cohort study of middle aged and older Australians. Read more.
6.46am Love live music? So do we - check out this week's Radar Illawarra column for all the latest gigs around town.
6.44am Lower East cafe had some delicious-looking pork buns on their menu yesterday. I really hope they're back today...
6.42am NATIONAL: Prime Minister Tony Abbott is expected to launch a multi-state police taskforce to investigate suspected ties between organised crime and union officials when he campaigns with Victorian Premier Denis Napthine for the first time today.
6.40am Want to whip up something spooky for a Halloween party tonight? Here's some recipes for some ghoulish cupcakes & jellies. Yum!
6.38am LOCAL NEWS: Wollongong City Council will hold public forums early next year in an attempt to educate residents about how climate change will affect the city.
*Council reporter Kate McIlwain has the story.
6.36am CELEB GOSS ALERT: Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie (with blonde hair!) have shared a sweet moment on the set of their new movie.
6.34am LOCAL SPORT: Less than two years ago, Josh Dugan arrived at the Dragons cap in hand needing a club to resurrect his floundering career. It was a very different player who returned to preseason training this week to prepare for the 2015 season.
6.32am Speaking of Halloween, do you think it's just an excuse for girls to dress up in um, revealing costumes? Sexy witch, sexy fairy, sexy kitten, sexy anything really. Thoughts?
6.30am Have you got Halloween plans? Check out this awesome street in Barrack Heights - they decorate their houses & dress up every year. Very cool.
6.28am NATIONAL: The Abbott government has reluctantly agreed to discuss climate change at the G-20 summit in Brisbane, but the G20 group will not make any new commitments to act on emissions.
6.26am MOVIE NEWS: It's here! The trailer for the final Hunger Games film has been released - CANNOT WAIT! The movie is due out next month.
6.24am Don't forget the MS Sydney to Gong bike ride is on this Sunday. The Rock n Vintage roll festival is also on in Thirroul. Busy weekend!
6.22am SYDNEY: A woman who watched her husband reverse their car over the edge of a second-storey parking lot in Haymarket and plummet to his death has been awarded more than $2.6 million in damages. Read more.
6.20am Don't forget the Hawks are playing at the WEC tonight. Join the boys for a Halloween-themed match.
6.18am LOCAL NEWS: Enrolments at Dapto TAFE fell by more than 20 per cent last year in an apparent setting in of inertia at the once-busy site.
*Reporter Ang Thompson has the story.
6.16am TV NEWS: The US Navy SEAL commando who fired the shots that killed al-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden is to reveal his identity in a Fox News television documentary next month, the network says.
6.14am A little Friday funny to start off your day - animals that look like people.
6.12am Have you been snapped out & about in the Illawarra? Check out this week's social pics gallery - you never know who you might spot!
6.10am WORLD NEWS: Police say a woman attempting to shoplift $US11 in frozen food from a Dallas Wal-Mart threatened to infect the employee who confronted her with HIV. Very strange. Read more.
6.08am Wollongong Botanic Garden is having a massive spring plant sale today. Head to the Greenplan Nursery for some bulbs. 7.30am to 2.30pm.
6.06am And in national news, via the SMH:
*More than three months after repealing the carbon tax the Abbott government has finally succeeded in replacing Labor's climate policy with one of its own.
*Police will use new laws requiring customers' phone and internet records to be stored for two years to target terrorists, child abusers and potentially illegal music and movie downloaders.
*Military personnel serving in Afghanistan are set to have their daily pay bonus cut after Defence assessed that the operation in the strife-torn country has entered a less dangerous phase.
6.04am Here's what's making news in your Mercury today:
*Skydive the Beach’s controversial plan to build a new administration building at the edge of Stuart Park has been recommended for approval by Wollongong City Council staff.
*Illawarra public housing tenants have been forced to delay seeing a doctor or buying medication in order to afford the state government’s controversial ‘‘bedroom tax,’’ the region’s tenancy advocacy service says. Read more.
*A coal mine surrounded by residential areas and sensitive water catchment needs the highest level of environmental scrutiny and monitoring, residents told the Planning Assessment Commission in Corrimal on Thursday. Read more.
6.02am Let's kick things off with the latest weather & traffic.
WEATHER We're in for a mostly sunny day with a top of 27 degrees. Expect a shower or two tomorrow & a top of 30 before things drop for a sunny 20 degree Sunday. Weird weather!
TRAFFIC All good on our roads & for the drive to Sydney.
TRAINS There is a good service on the South Coast line.
6am Good morning! TGIF & happy Halloween, what a perfect day! Stay with us for a spooky edition of the Rush. Mwahahahaha (that was my evil laugh!)