8.30am That's it from us this morning. Thanks for stopping by, we'll be back tomorrow from 6am.
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8.25am Shellharbour City residents are a step closer to having at least one garbage bin collected weekly after the NSW government announced a $2.05 million grant towards tcouncil's $14.6 million Dunmore waste facility redevelopment.
8.20am CELEB GOSS No, says Taylor Swift, I was not snogging model Karlie Kloss in that grainy fan vid. We're just mates. Sigh.
8.15am A move to increase councillors’ accommodation allowance in capital cities from $320 a night to $500 a night has been labelled ‘‘absurd’’ by one Shellharbour councillor, but supported by others, writes Alex Arnold.
8.10am Should the government have used public money to spruik its proposed higher education reforms, and was the information in the ads correct? Opposition MPs including Cunningham's Sharon Bird think not.
8.05am STYLE "Leto laughs in the face of the man-about-town on his way to get more brilliant, haphazard balayage painted on his flowing, girly hair," writes Nedahl Stelio on why Jared Leto is Hollywood's most unconventional style leader.
8am Good morning, if you're just joining us. A quick update:
WEATHER We're in for a partly cloudy one with a 20 per cent chance of a shower. Maximum 22.
TRAINS There is good service on the South Coast line.
ROADS One of three northbound lanes on Five Islands Road is closed after an accident damaged a bridge. Works on the Princes Hwy at Gerringong are continuing. Otherwise the roads are looking clear.
7.55am Well if you can't beat them ... Balmain MP Jamie Parker appears to have joined the Illawarra Knitting Nanas, mid-protest.
7.50am A damning new tell-all called Livvagt, translated as The Bodyguard, claims that Princess Mary’s bodyguard was fired because he got too close to her.
7.45am LOS ANGELES A major fire has destroyed a seven-storey apartment building under construction and spread to a neighbouring high-rise before about 250 firefighters - about a quarter of the city's on-duty force - brought the blaze under control.
7.40am Who doesn't love a good dog/goat/racist swan story?
7.35am Let the cheap fuel times roll!
7.30am Drug manufacturer Pfizer has agreed to settle with 160 Australians who developed gambling and sexual addictions after taking prescription drugs used to treat Parkinson's disease.
7.25am (UNTRUE) GOSSIP Sunrise's Samantha Armytage has shut down women's mag rumours she is dating Russell Crow.
7.20am They're talking funny street signs over at ABC Illawarra this morning.
7.15am A Qantas flight from Sydney to Dallas has been forced to return due to faults with systems on board, the third Qantas aircraft to be diverted in less than 24 hours - SMH
7.10am US ROYAL VISIT "Why should the United States' press corps - who barely bother to brush the muffin crumbs off their polo shirts before lobbing questions at the President of the United States - schlep extra pieces of clothing to work just so they can make small talk with a (perfectly nice-seeming) British air ambulance pilot in training and a former chain-store accessories buyer," New York Magazine asks, on the subject of Buckingham Palace's dress code for media during Kate and Wills' US visit.
7.05am MUSOS WITH A CAUSE Austinmer singer-songwriter Jodi Phillis, of the Glamma Rays, has given her support to the Amplify Divestment movement, which brings together musicians who have pledged to take their money out of banks and superannuation funds that are funding the expansion of the fossil fuel industry.
7am Good morning, if you're just joining us. A quick update:
WEATHER We're in for a partly cloudy one with a 20 per cent chance of a shower. Maximum 22.
TRAINS There is good service on the South Coast line.
ROADS One of three northbound lanes on Five Islands Road is closed after an accident damaged a bridge. Works on the Princes Hwy at Gerringong are continuing. Otherwise the roads are looking clear.
6.55am Here's cheers to Stanwell Tops filmmaker Jackson Mullane, whose film Red Nuts won runner-up at Sunday night's Tropfest.
6.50am "He is fairly small and he bounces on his toes when he walks with a gait that is remarkably similar to the bouncy step of Australia's world and Olympics silver medallist long jumper Mitchell Watt." Schoolboy sprinter Jack Hale has caused some serious excitement at the Australian All Schools Championships after running the 100m in 10.13s.
6.45am Vale Stella Young, the toast of the internet this morning.
6.40am SPORT The South Coast Wolves have signed on to play all their 2015 games at WIN Stadium.
6.35am The Farmer and the Owl festival faves Bootleg Rascal are back in Wollongong Friday night for a show at Rad bar.
6.30am It's mid-December and you know what that means: Mercury Christmas Lights competition. Email your entries to competitions@illawarramercury.com.au
6.25am Australia has had a very poor showing in the new Climate Change Performance Index
6.20am Speaking of the drive south, how about this picture from Illawarra Stormchasers. Dreamy stuff.
6.15am CAPE TOWN A South African judge has cleared British millionaire businessman Shrien Dewani of murdering his bride on their honeymoon, saying prosecutors failed to make the charge stick in a sensational trial where Dewani's sexuality played a key role - SMH
6.10am "Though it’s essentially only a three hour drive, it is certainly a spectacular one." The Sydney to Jervis Bay drive has made Buzzfeed's list of 18 Extraordinary Aussie Road Trips You Need To Experience Before You Die.
6.05am Child protection activist Hetty Johnson, of Bravehearts, has found few supporters in the Twittersphere this morning after calling for an end to the tradition of children sitting on Santa's lap.
6.02am Let's take a look at what's been making news locally.
* Wollongong's Chifley Hotel is at the centre of a bitter dispute over allegations an eftpos terminal was brought in from another hotel to withhold $350,000 from the owners
* Students from Smith's Hill High placed third at the First Techno Challenge Australian Championships at the weekend.
* A group of Keiraville residents says a plan to transform a red-brick Nioka Avenue home into a childcare centre is unsafe and will cause numerous traffic and parking issues.
* A Woonona man who repeatedly punched a fellow pub-goer while drunk at the Towradgi Beach Hotel has been found guilty of recklessly causing grievous bodily harm, after a magistrate rejected his claims of self-defence
WEATHER We're in for a partly cloudy one with a 20 per cent chance of a shower. Maximum 22.
TRAINS There is good service on the South Coast line.
ROADS One of three northbound lanes on Five Islands Road is closed after an accident damaged a bridge. Works on the Princes Hwy at Gerringong are continuing. Otherwise the roads are looking clear.
6am Good morning, Illawarra. It's Tuesday, December 9. Only 16 sleeps until Christmas!