8.30am That's it from us this morning. Have a most fabulous Monday. See you bright & early tomorrow morning.

8.28am Another mantra to live by today.

8.26am TRAFFIC ALERT - Mt Ousley: a diesel spill on the M1 is affecting your northbound run. Exercise caution.

8.24am LOCAL NEWS: A plan that will guide the development of the Oak Flats town centre will be presented to Shellharbour City Council on Tuesday night to be endorsed by councillors. Read more.

8.20am Okay, so who doesn't love fried rice!? What's not to love - it's rice, it's fried, it's got those little prawns in it. But sadly, it's seriously bad for you. So, reboot your fried rice with this healthy recipe. Yay!

8.18am MOVIE NEWS: The film release of Fifty Shades of Grey is looming - it hits cinemas nationally on Feb 12. But can it live up to the book!?

8.16am If you haven't watched this video yet, you should. This cat is CLASSIC - someone just peel him a grape, honestly.

8.14am BREAKING: Prime Minister Tony Abbott has taken his signature paid parental leave scheme off the table, Assistant Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has confirmed. MORE TO COME.

8.12am NATIONAL: Australia's welfare rolls continue to swell with the number of people on the main payment for more than a year reaching its highest level on record. Read more.

8.10am Funny woman Julia Morris is touring! The comedienne is heading around Australia. Click below for tickets & dates.

8.08am An oldie but a goodie for a Monday morning - the cat burger pillow bed. I love it, he looks so snuggly.

8.06am LOCAL NEWS: Shellharbour councillors Kellie Marsh and Peter Moran will move a joint notice of motion calling on the council to scrap plans to sell its current administration building, Lamerton House, and neighbouring land known as lot 3000.

*Shellharbour council reporter Alex Arnold has the story.

8.04am WORLD NEWS: Thousands of pro-democracy protesters have taken to the streets of Hong Kong for the first time since mass demonstrations shut down parts of the city for more than two months. Read more.

8.02am STRANGE BUT TRUE: a couple has taken three years to name their son, ending up in court to battle it out over his name. Seriously.

8am Diary date: next week is Library Lovers Week. Pop into your local library and give a book a hug. In a non-creepy way, of course.

7.58am Good morning Illawarra! Welcome if you're just tuning in. We're in for a partly cloudy day with a top of 21 degrees. Expect a few showers, becoming less likely this afternoon. All good on the roads & rail.

7.56am Don't forget SOAP opens at the IPAC tomorrow. Looks like a good show. Tickets available via the Merrigong website.

7.54am Anybody else feeling like this?! The struggle is real.

7.52am TV NEWS: Radio and TV personality Glenn Wheeler is in an induced coma after a road accident in Sydney's south on Saturday. Wheeler, 54, was riding a scooter when he was struck by a Mitsubishi wagon at the intersection of Woolooware Road and Caronia Avenue in Woolooware about 4pm. 

7.50am Let's play a little game of "anywhere but here". Right now, I'd rather be snorkelling off Lord Howe Island. Sigh. How many weeks until my honeymoon!?

7.48am Did you get to the Bulli Foragers Markets over the weekend? I heard a LOT of food was sold out. Great to see it being well-supported.

7.46am NSW: All but one member of the same family have been killed in a car crash on Sunday. Police believe a 42-year-old father may have turned around to speak to his young children, causing the family's car to crash into a tree at Fountaindale on the Central Coast.

7.44am LOCAL NEWS: Residents were evacuated from a unit block at North Wollongong at the weekend when fire destroyed an apartment and threatened to spread throughout the complex.

*Reporter Angela Thompson has the story.

7.42am Check out this gorgeous picture of Coalcliff beach yesterday morning, just after sunrise. Stunning. #lovetheillawarra

7.40am NSW: The NSW government's clinical trial of medicinal cannabis is inappropriate for patients suffering extreme pain, and the drug should be legally approved for patients diagnosed by doctors, a paper in a top medical journal argues.

7.38am Want to win a $500 birthday party gift voucher for Flip Out Warrawong? Well, we've got two to give away - enter here.

7.36am TV NEWS: Game of Thrones fans, look away NOW if you don't want to know what's happening in season five! Character Khaleesi has set the Twittersphere alight in a leaked trailer for the new season, uttering the threatening words: "I'm not going to stop the wheel - I'm going to break the wheel." Oooo. Read more.

7.34am The family of journalist Peter Greste is set to speak to the media about his journey home at 10am.

7.32am Everyone in the US might be celebrating the Super Bowl but what about the all-important Kitten Bowl? Yep it's a thing - cats + mini footballs.

7.30am If you missed this read over the weekend, grab your Weetbix and settle in for reporter Louise Turk's piece on Illawarra-born adventurer Jon Muir and his trips around the world.

7.28am MOVIE NEWS: The countdown is on to the Oscars. Have you seen any of the Oscar-nominated films yet? Make a beeline to the movies and check them out.

7.26am Got a spare $7.5 million? Excellent - why not bid on this revamped warehouse in Surrey Hills, complete with heart-shaped swimming pool? I kid you not - click here for more pics.

7.24am The simple lamington is simple no more. Check out this gallery of classic desserts taken to new, exciting extremes. YUM. YUM.

7.22am LOCAL NEWS: Shadow Minister for the Illawarra Ryan Park has welcomed Labor leader Luke Foley's plan to allow pharmacists to administer flu vaccinations to healthy adults.

*Health reporter Lisa Wachsmuth has the story.

7.20am CELEB GOSS ALERT: Rhianna has just posted this pic of herself performing on Instagram. What a stunner! She's badgirlriri if you want to follow her.

7.18am Allegations of sexual abuse in the Jewish community will be explored when the Royal Commission reconvenes in Melbourne today.

7.16am SPORT: Police have arrested protesters who managed to get on centre court while unfurling a pro-refugee, anti-Manus Island banner during the men's final of the Australian Open. Never a dull moment!

7.14am Has anyone been to the Fairy Meadow Antique Centre? Popped in there yesterday & picked up some seriously cool stuff! Love that place!

7.12am This made me LOL this morning. Too true!

7.10am NATIONAL: A police plan to "download" Carl Williams about his knowledge of unsolved gangland murders was discovered by criminals, including a gangland figure who was able to easily breach jail security to encourage Williams' murder. Read more.

7.08am TV NEWS: Don't forget My Kitchen Rules starts on Channel Seven tonight. Are you making the investment? Are you keen?!

7.06am WORLD NEWS: How beautiful is this? It's an ice church in Romania. It's only accessible by cable car at an altitude of 2000 metres. Brrrrr.

7.04am A little quote to live by today...

7.02am LOCAL NEWS: University of Wollongong students will be able to sign up for the Opal concession card later this month.

*Transport reporter Glen Humphries has the story.

7am Are you doing Febfast? Two days in, how are you going!? If you need some inspiration to keep you on the straight & narrow, find out why your body LOVES a break from the grog here.

6.58am Good morning Illawarra! Welcome if you're just tuning in. We're in for a partly cloudy day with a top of 21 degrees. Expect a few showers, becoming less likely this afternoon. All good on the roads & rail.

6.56am Check out the HUGE surf that pounded the shoreline over the weekend. Illawarra surfers were in heaven!

6.54am NATIONAL: A major shake-up of Australia's childcare system is on the cards, with Social Services Minister Scott Morrison flagging a cap on daily rebates and work tests to qualify for them. Here's the details.

6.52am STRANGE BUT TRUE: People, I bring you the dogbrella - now you have no excuse for taking your dog for a walk. Rain, hail or shine baby!

6.50am Looking for some inspiration in the kitchen this week? Check out this weekly meal planner - the pea, mint & ricotta risotto looks YUM!

6.48am EDUCATION: NSW private schools are diverting hundreds of millions of dollars in government funding into capital projects to build luxurious facilities including aquatic centres and performing arts centres instead of lowering fees, according to the Greens. Read more.

6.46am CELEB GOSS ALERT: Amal Clooney is sick of being asked "who she's wearing?" on the red carpet - and in her day job. She prosecutes war criminals for pete's sake, no-one cares what she's wearing in court!

6.44am LOCAL NEWS: If you missed this story on Saturday, grab a cup of tea and read it now - the operators of the Stanwell Park Beach Reserve kiosk are retiring. Sniff, sniff.

6.42am Have you been snapped out and about in the Illawarra? Check out our gallery of social pics - you never know who you might spot!

6.40am SPORT: Andy Murray's fiancee Kim Sears got into a bit of trouble with her um, language, at one of Murray's games. Her response? This awesome shirt - love your work Kim!

6.38am Have you locked in your Valentine's Day plans? Not long to go now!

6.36am LOCAL SPORT: The Hawks giveth & then they taketh away. The boys had a win on Friday night but went down to Cairns yesterday.

6.34am The Reserve Bank is poised to cut interest rates tomorrow in order to counter what it regards as a deteriorating economy. Woohoo!

6.32am CELEB NEWS: Whitney Houston's daughter Bobbi Kristina was found unconscious in a bathtub over the weekend. She is still in hospital.

6.30am The Super Bowl is on in the US today. Katy Perry is performing at half-time - that is all I know.

6.28am WORLD NEWS: A three-year-old US boy shot and wounded his father and pregnant mother with a 9mm handgun that he pulled out of the woman's purse while searching for an iPad, police in New Mexico said yesterday. Read more.

6.26am If you've got a dog who thinks he's a cat, you'll appreciate this. I have a dog who thinks he's a human - does that count?!

6.24am LOCAL NEWS: The car park at the rear of the historic Anita's Theatre complex in Thirroul will soon make way for five luxury townhouses.

*Reporter Lisa Waschmuth has the story.

6.22am Happy birthday Harry Styles! The One Direction-er turns 21 today. Happy birthday to all those other Feb 2 babies too.

6.20am Tired of making boring old hamburgers? Here's some burger recipes to help you spice things up in the kitchen - just show me to the haloumi...

6.18am POLITICS: Massive weekend in politics too with the QLD election. Labor won in a landslide - see ya later Campbell Newman. Here's how it unfolded.

6.16am A little cat funny for your Monday morning...

6.14am SPORT: What a MASSIVE weekend in sport - the Socceroos won on Saturday night, and then we had the Australian Open finals. Novak Djokovic beat Andy Murray for the men's title while Serena Williams took home the women's title. It was the return of NRL with the Auckland Nines too.

6.12am TV NEWS: Did you watch I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here last night? I'd use the term "celebrity" pretty loosely for some of the contestants. There's a male model I've never even heard of! Here they are...

6.10am WORLD NEWS: In some good news this morning ... after enduring 400 days in an Egyptian jail, journalist Peter Greste has been released from Tora Prison and is on a plane bound for Cyprus and, ultimately, Australia.

6.08am CELEB GOSS ALERT: Justin Timberlake & Jessica Biel have confirmed they're expecting a baby with the CUTEST pic ever.

6.06am And in national news, via the SMH:

*Malcolm Turnbull and Julie Bishop, under growing pressure from their colleagues to challenge Tony Abbott for the prime ministership, are now actively considering their options, bringing closer the prospect of a strike against Mr Abbott in the weeks ahead.

*Bulk-billing doctors are no more likely to have short consultations with their patients, a study has found, casting doubt on federal government claims that current subsidies encourage six-minute medicine.

*Tony Abbott’s missteps have begun eroding the party’s standing in NSW, eight weeks before Premier Mike Baird faces the electorate and after a dramatic rout in Queensland.

6.04am Here's what's making news in your Mercury today:

*Wollongong’s property market continues to boom, with new data showing the median house price is now $530,000, a jump of 10.2per cent in the December quarter. Read more.

*A BlueScope Steel worker has been airlifted to hospital with a partially amputated hand following an industrial accident on Sunday afternoon.

*A man charged with breaking into a model railway club at North Wollongong and stealing more than $4000 worth of equipment has been refused bail.

6.02am Let's kick things off with the latest weather & traffic.

WEATHER We're in for a partly cloudy day with a top of 21 degrees. Expect a few showers, becoming less likely this afternoon.

TRAFFIC All good on our roads & for the drive to Sydney or south.

TRAINS There is a good service on the South Coast line but some delays on the Southern Highlands line. The 5.23am Campbelltown to Moss Vale train has been cancelled. The next train is at 6.23am.

6am Good morning Illawarra! It's February ALREADY - how did that happen!? Hope you had a fab weekend. Stay with your host, Emma Spillett, for all the latest news etc.