Today is January 21, 2021 and this is your daily news briefing from The Illawarra Mercury. In today’s update, the University of Wollongong recorded an operating loss of about $40 million according to its interim financial results for the year ending December 31, 2020, and while large parts of the NSW coastline continue to be subject to hazardous surf warnings, the Illawarra and South Coast appears to be headed for heatwave-like conditions.

Today is January 20, 2021 and this is your daily news briefing from The Illawarra Mercury. In today’s update, Warrigal have welcomed plans to bring forward the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine to this February, and two runaway emus became the toast of suburban Farmborough Heights on Tuesday morning, photographed like runway models as they strutted Waples Road and pecked at the lawns of bemused admirers.

Today is January 19, 2021 and this is your daily news briefing from The Illawarra Mercury. In today’s update, the reopening of the Victorian border to Wollongong is welcomed as a positive move for the region's tourism industry, and a complicated rescue operation was underway on Monday after a man beached his jet ski on an isolated shorebird sanctuary south of Seven Mile Beach.

Today is January 18, 2021 and this is your daily news briefing from The Illawarra Mercury. In today’s update, Dylan Powell and fellow Kiama youth workers are doing their bit to support their community's healing, and the NSW Premier has again reiterated that only once COVID-19 testing rates increase in the community that restrictions will be eased.

Today is January 15, 2021 and this is your daily news briefing from The Illawarra Mercury. In today’s update, after bushfires led to the cancellation of last year's Kiama Show, the 2021 event has been postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and NSW Minister for Health Brad Hazzard has declared councils in the state will be allowed to host Australia Day ceremonies and celebrations after no new locally acquired COVID-19 cases were recorded yesterday.

Today is January 14, 2021 and this is your daily news briefing from The Illawarra Mercury. In today’s update, plans to dramatically transform a long-neglected public housing block in Wollongong CBD have been unveiled, with government contractors proposing to build a 13-storey tower which combines affordable housing with private homes, and the sunshine has been fabulous, but don't put your umbrellas away yet with showers and storm activity on the way this week and likely well into next month.

Today is January 13, 2021 and this is your daily news briefing from The Illawarra Mercury. In today’s update, Wollongong residents can once again travel to the ACT, after travel restrictions for greater Sydney, Wollongong, Blue Mountains and Central Coast were lifted at 3pm on Tuesday, and Connell Zhang is announced as the new chief executive of NS BlueScope.

Today is January 12, 2021 and this is your daily news briefing from The Illawarra Mercury. In today’s update, the $41 million hotel room proposed for the eastern side of Wollongong's CBD could accommodate between 480 and 800 people but, under the current plans, will only have space for 121 cars, and Australia Day may look a little different this year, but Illawarra mayors agree with the sentiments of Premier Gladys Berejiklian that it should be recognised in some way.

Today is January 11, 2021 and this is your daily news briefing from The Illawarra Mercury. In today’s update, an elderly woman was transported to Wollongong Hospital after a multi-vehicle accident at Windang on Sunday, and NSW recorded three new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm Saturday night.

Today is January 8, 2021 and this is your daily news briefing from The Illawarra Mercury. In today’s update, American ex-pat Carl Robinson, who watched the riots occurring at the US Capitol from his home in Calderwood, said he is "still trying to absorb" what had happened, and there were no locally acquired COVID-19 cases in New South Wales in the 24 hours to 8pm on Wednesday, with all six of the cases reported by the state acquired overseas.