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8.15am That's it from us this morning. A slightly early Morning Rush as Ms Spillett attends to other duties. Have a fab Tuesday, see you tomorrow!
8.10am TV NEWS: Fans of Australia's Next Top Model, good news. It returns to screens on April 30 on Fox8.
8.08am WORLD NEWS: An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 rattled north-western Argentina yesterday, the US Geological Survey said, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.
8.06am A little funny for your Tuesday morning. Love this!
8.04am Happy birthday Feb 3 babies! You share your birthday with Rebel Wilson, Isla Fisher and Nathan Lane.
8.02am LOCAL NEWS: Kiama MP Gareth Ward has accused shadow treasurer Michael Daley of hypocrisy after Mr Daley told a Sydney radio station he flew economy on his only parliamentary overseas trip, even though his own disclosure stated otherwise.
*Reporter Alex Arnold has the story.
8am TIARA ALERT: Prince William & Princess Kate have been spotted teaching baby George how to swim on their babymoon. Awww.
7.58am Good morning Illawarra! Welcome if you're just tuning in. We're in for a partly cloudy day with a top of 22 degrees. All good on the roads & rail.
7.56am Lady Gaga has just posted this pic of her puppy Fozzy wearing yoga pants. SO CUTE!
7.54am LOCAL SPORT: Dragons veteran Jason Nightingale admits he's still getting used to life without Brett Morris as he prepares for the first season of his career without his longtime wing partner.
7.52am POLITICS: Premier Mike Baird has acknowledged the federal government's woes are an unhelpful distraction just eight weeks out from the NSW state election. Read more.
7.50am Did you get along to the Autorama Illawarra car & bike show on Sunday? Looks like it was a lot of fun! We've got a gallery of pics here.
7.48am CELEB NEWS: We're hearing reports that Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch is getting a make-over & may be turned into a rehab for children who have been sexually abused.
7.46am Good news summer fans, it's supposed to heat up again for the weekend! Woohoo!
7.44am STRANGE BUT TRUE: A groundhog bit the mayor of Wisconsin's ear while he was giving a speech. You have to see the picture. Poor guy! The lesson in this? Don't let a groundhog whisper in your ear!
7.42am Want to win a $500 birthday party gift voucher to Flip Out in Warrawong? Well, we've got TWO to give away. Enter here.
7.40am SPORT: Some distressing news for NRL widows like me - it's just 30 days until NRL 2015 kicks off. Kill me now. #southsbetterwinagain
7.38am Ha, this made me LOL this morning. A good point - Barbie never really did answer that question about partying, did she!?
7.36am Love vegie burgers but tired of the ol' lettuce, tomato, boring patty combo? Spice up your burgers with these recipes - yum!
7.34am Public hearings into child sexual abuse at a Jewish community centre and school will continue in Melbourne today with testimony from the father of a victim to be heard.
7.32am RED CARPET: Aussie stars have hit the red carpet in the US for the G'Day USA event where Chris Hemsworth received the 2015 Honorary Award. We love you Chris!
7.30am Chocolate lovers, I HAVE BAD NEWS - Cadbury plans to reduce the size of its family blocks of chocolate by about 10 per cent to save costs. WHAT!? "We have to kind of be real about that," managing director Amanda Banfield said. "Clearly any chocolate lover is going to be a bit disappointed". YOU THINK!? I need to lie down.
7.28am The team at Three Chimneys are serving up your morning coffee and these delicious pastries with peach and custard. Drool.
7.26am LOCAL NEWS: Liberal MP Gareth Ward would lose the seat of Kiama if the swing to Labor seen in the Queensland election was repeated at the NSW ballot box next month.
*We've got the full story here.
7.24am Okay, so a bit of a lame secret to share - I follow prissy_pig on Instagram. Yep, the tales of two little pigs in the US. And I LOVE THEM. I live for their adorable posts. Sigh. Sad, ain't it!?
7.22am If you haven't read Mercury blogger Craig Henderson's latest musings on the police, you should.
7.20am POLITICS: Former PM Julia Gillard has taken a not-so-subtle dig at Tony Abbott yesterday. "I had this clearly eccentric idea that Australian honours should be for Australians," Ms Gillard quipped at an education conference, in reply to a question about why she hadn't wanted to Knight Prince Philip. Ouch!
7.18am TIARA ALERT: The Danish Palace has just released new official portraits of Crown Princess Mary of Denmark and her husband Crown Prince Frederik. What an attractive couple!
7.16am WORLD NEWS: Belgian police evacuated hundreds of people yesterday from the European Parliament to search a car for explosives, then arrested the owner - a man clad in camouflage gear who had a gun and a chainsaw stashed in his vehicle. Read more.
7.14am People, a diary date: Towradgi Beach Hotel is hosting its 2015 Beer, Food & Wine Festival this Sunday.
7.12am Don't forget Soap starts at the IPAC tonight. Think dancing in the bathtub, very cool. Tickets available via Merrigong.
7.10am CELEB GOSS ALERT: Gywneth Paltrow has just posted the photo on Instagram of her skiing. She looks good too!
7.08am HEALTH: A team of Australian scientists have invented a way to decipher another layer of information that garnishes genes, called methyl groups, which may explain the cause of many more cancers. Cool!
7.06am I can't even talk about how GROSS this thing looks - apparently it's a very rare goblin shark, which was caught in Eden. So, so GROSS!
7.04am Doing some travelling? I've found some very affordable resorts in Abu Dhabi for you. Well, if you're a gazzilionaire! No seriously, check these out - some of them aren't too exxy.
7.02am CELEB GOSS ALERT: Look at this little cutie! North West is adorable! I think mum Kim Kardashian thinks so too.
7am NATIONAL: Tony Abbott’s survival as prime minister will be known over time, based on how his colleagues judge him, a government backbencher says. QLD Liberal Warren Entsch has backed a private member’s bill to defy Tony Abbott and urge parliament to abolish Australian knights and dames entirely. (AAP)
6.58am Good morning Illawarra! Welcome if you're just tuning in. We're in for a partly cloudy day with a top of 22 degrees. All good on the roads & rail.
6.56am If you're a 90s girl like me, you will TOTALLY be devastated by this news - Lip Smacker is closing. I know, I hurt too. Fave flavour? Marshmellow.
6.54am TV NEWS: Did you make it to day two of I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here? My thoughts? I'm bored, get me outta here! Here's a recap if you're still watching.
6.52am LOCAL NEWS: BlueScope has been fined over a spill containing cyanide that accidentally entered a drain.
*Reporter Glen Humphries has the story.
6.50am Speaking of V Day, if you're looking for a delicious gift, try these Donna Hay peanut butter brownies. Holy good night, these look good!
6.48am Have you made Valentine's Day plans yet? Gents, it's next Saturday night. Feb 14. Put it in the diary now!
6.46am WORLD NEWS: Two pipe bombs have exploded outside one of the Bangkok's most popular shopping malls, raising tensions in the South-East Asia country after months of relative calm following a coup last May. More.
6.44am STRANGE BUT TRUE: McDonald's is selling its famous "special sauce" as featured on the Big Mac. Ew.
6.42am Roo Theatre's production of Evita opens on Feb 13. Tickets are available via the company's website.
6.40am Running out of ideas for healthy treats to stuff in the kids' lunchboxes? This should help - try these date & sunflower seed balls. NB maybe tell them they're chocolate or something.
6.38am NSW: Anita Cobby was remembered yesterday, nearly 30 years after her horrific murder, at a service in Michinbury. Read more.
6.36am I have to show you all this as it's too good not to share. This is Dame Helen Mirren riding the subway in New York. She rocks. That is all.
6.34am MUSIC NEWS: Did you get along to the Laneway festival over the weekend? Looks like it was a hit with fans.
6.32am CELEB GOSS ALERT: Kanye West does NOT want to take a selfie with you at the Super Bowl. I repeat, he DOES NOT do selfies with randoms.
6.30am Want to win tickets to the Wollongong Sunset Cinema's Valentine's Day screening of Pretty Woman? We're giving some away! Enter here.
6.28am EDUCATION: The NSW government has been accused of gross hypocrisy over its plan to offer free vocational training to thousands of disadvantaged students. Get the full story here.
6.26am In some other news from TV land this morning, the HILARIOUS Will Ferrell has lip synced to Beyonce's Drunk in Love on Jimmy Fallon's Tonight show. A very funny man.
6.24am TV NEWS: TV and radio presenter Glenn Wheeler, who was seriously injured on Saturday after the scooter he was riding was struck by a Mitsubishi wagon, faces a vital operation today.
6.22am LOCAL NEWS: The public health risks attached to Wollongong Coal's huge Russell Vale Colliery expansion project will be outlined at a public forum today at the WIN Entertainment Centre from 9am.
*Health reporter Lisa Wachsmuth has the story.
6.20am If you haven't watched this video yet, DO IT NOW. This proves beauty queens can be scary. When a contestant in Miss Universe Brazil didn't win, she ripped the winner's crown off. Yeesh!
6.18am WORLD NEWS: This is quite possibly my favourite story this morning - a late-night romantic encounter in an NZ insurance office on Friday night, that was witnessed by bar patrons across the road, could cost the couple their jobs. The employees, who left the lights on in the building, were filmed and photographed with images then posted on Facebook and Twitter. Oops!
6.16am Good news for egg lovers - eating eggs activates serotonin, the happy hormone. Eggs might also activate your charity instinct. Read more.
6.14am A little cat funny for your Tuesday morning. Awesome!
6.12am LOCAL SPORT: Disappointed as he was to lose another close one on Sunday, Wollongong Hawks coach Gordie McLeod was a happy man after Friday night’s 93-82 home win over Melbourne. He's paid tribute to the fans, aww. The boys have one more home game on Feb 22.
6.10am TV NEWS: And so it begins ... the latest season of My Kitchen Rules. Did you watch last night? Mt Isa cousins Jac & Shaz kicked off the season - and they didn't do too great. Here's a recap if you missed it.
6.08am Did you watch the Super Bowl yesterday? Check out Katy Perry KILLING IT at halftime - her show featured dancing sharks. Yep, sharks.
6.06am And in national news, via the SMH:
*Tony Abbott has junked his most controversial personal policies, promised no changes to the GST without Labor backing, and pledged to lead Australia's most consultative government as he attempts to head off a challenge to his leadership.
*Australian journalist Peter Greste has spoken for the first time since being released from an Egyptian prison, describing conflicting feelings of "relief" and an "incredible angst" leaving his two Al-Jazeera colleagues behind.
*Bali Nine ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran will be among the next group of inmates on death row in Indonesia to be killed.
6.04am Here's what's making news in your Mercury today:
*A 24-foot timber boat christened The Wrangler found itself on the other end of the wrangling on Monday after it sank in Wollongong Harbour. Read more.
*Used goods and rubbish dumped around charity bins at a Keiraville petrol station has become such a hazard for owner Larry Mulder that he is considering removing the bins altogether.
*A Berkeley toddler who died after his mother allegedly failed to get him medical treatment for serious head and stomach injuries had a history of being neglected, a Supreme Court jury has heard. Read more.
6.02am Let's kick off the morning with the latest weather & traffic.
WEATHER We're in for a partly cloudy day with a top of 22 degrees. Expect some light winds this afternoon.
TRAFFIC There is a truck breakdown on Mt Ousley near New Mt Pleasant Rd, affecting northbound traffic. Be careful! Motorists are also being advised to avoid Botany Rd in Sydney due to a truck accident. The road is closed in both directions. Stay away!
TRAINS There is a good service on the South Coast line.
6am Good morning Illawarra! Happy Tuesday, nice to have your company. Stay with your host, Emma Spillett, this morning for all the latest news etc.