10:09 AM AEDT | COFFS Harbour City Council last night approved to move forward on a proposal to raise an additional $6 million for vital flood mitigation works through a special rate variation of 4.4 per cent 2010-11. Council will now seek the community’s views on the proposal.

10:50 AM AEDT | SMOKING will be banned at the new Adventure Playground in Brelsford Park as part of a Coffs Harbour City Council initiative to keep all new play areas smoke-free. “The dangers of passive smoking have been known for some time and new legislation is regularly put in place to limit smoking in public, indoor places,” Coffs Harbour Mayor, Keith Rhoades, said.  | Work starts on new playground

10:45 AM AEDT | COFFS Coast band Egg Heat Fish took out heat three of Youngblood 2010 battle of the bands competition at Club Coffs on Tuesday night to join SAYD, The Proposition and wildcard Darktown Strutters in next week’s final.

11:15 AM AEDT | FORMER South Melbourne captain John Rantall has joined the AFL North Coast board to assist in the development and growth of the game.

10:59 AM AEDT | SOCCER: North Coast Football (NCF) Youth League squads have less than a week to recover from their trip to Lake Macquarie before they head off to Armidale for their round three clash with Northern Inland Football (NIF) this Saturday.