8:10 AM AEDT | IF YOU woke up to a sparkling clean city this morning, you can thank all the residents who were out and about picking up rubbish yesterday. The Bathurst Clean Up Australia Day event was held yesterday, postponed for one week to avoid a clash with the Royal Bathurst Show.

8:09 AM AEDT | BATHURST mayor Paul Toole has called on Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to come to Bathurst and save St Vincent’s Hospital. The challenge comes at a time when Mr Rudd is embarking on a campaign to overhaul the way the health system is funded in Australia.

8:13 AM AEDT | The Very Reverend Andrew Sempell, Dean of All Saints’ Cathedral Bathurst, has announced he has accepted an appointment as the 16th Rector of the historic Parish of St James’ Church, King Street, in the heart of the City of Sydney. Dean Sempell’s last official Sunday in Bathurst will be June 20, when he will celebrate and preach at both the morning service and at Choral Evensong.

8:18 AM AEDT | BATHURST City Redbacks will go into the Bathurst District Cricket Association’s first grade grand final as raging hot favourites after destroying City Colts by 160 runs in their major semi-final at the Sportsground on the weekend. There was no stopping Redbacks as they set Colts a massive total of 296 for victory after batting right through Saturday and early yesterday.

8:20 AM AEDT | SIXTY minutes, 102 points, 11 different try scorers. It was hardly the tough encounter against stiff opposition that the Central West under 20s were looking for on Saturday at Bathurst’s KC Laird Field as they capped off their Country Championships preparations with a dominant 102-0 victory over Penrith Emus.