And welcome to another Tuesday. We're in for another sunny day in the capital, with a high of 27.

But before you go and try to soak up some of that sunshine, here's what's making news across Canberra.

There's a reason why we're known as the bush capital, and it's a status we should protect,  ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr has said.

Mr Barr used a mid-term speech on Monday to foreshadow the release of his government's long-awaited planning strategy refresh later this week.

He said the strategy would "step through the choices we face as a community about our city's future growth".

It comes as it was announced that plans to take the second stage of light rail past Old Parliament House are likely to be abandoned, with the Barr government instead opting for a "compromise" route via State Circle

Katie Burgess has the full story. 

Prominent Canberra property developer Morris Construction Corporation is facing legal action over allegedly defective building work on a Kingston apartment block in the ACT Supreme Court.

The owners corporation of the 120-unit apartment block, Kingston Place stage two on Eyre Street, took legal action against the firm in September last year, after first complaining to the ACT's building regulator in August 2016.

It is understood the alleged defects range from structural cracking of the major concrete slab in the underground car park and water retention tank in the building's basement to poor workmanship on many of the development's balconies.

But the firm is vigorously defending itself against the allegations in court, claiming the defects were not its fault, but may have been caused variously because of poor workmanship by the engineers, AWT [now owned by WSP], or the tiling firm on the balconies, Saba Bros.

Daniel Burdon has more. 

It can be hard to motivate some kids - and some adults for that matter.

But that isn't something Lucas Wallace, a seven-year-old with cerebral palsy, struggles with.

"I was trying to find different things for my kids to do, besides sitting at home and watching TV, and then I saw the ad for the Sanitarium TRYathlon on Facebook," Lucas' mother Phyllis Wallace said.

"Thinking it would be something my eldest, Blake, would be into, I asked him and he said: 'Nah, not really.'"

Then right there at their dinner table in Queanbeyan, she entered persuasive mum mode. Phyllis floated each leg of the TRYathlon: running, swimming and cycling.

While Blake didn't budge, Lucas began excitedly jumping up and down in his walker, pointing to himself.

For a little boy who can't speak, this was huge.

Serena Coady has the story. 

The Women's National Basketball League have fined the Canberra Capitals $2500 for "inflammatory comments" made by coach Paul Goriss and his players after forward Kelsey Griffin had her head split open against Perth last Friday.

Griffin required stitches to sew up a nasty cut she suffered after she copping an elbow from Lynx import Asia Taylor in a heated round eight clash.

Goriss was seething following the 88-84 loss and didn't miss in his post-match assessment.

"It’s not rugby that we play over here,” Goriss said.

“I thought we were here for a basketball game. That’s brutal when someone has blood bleeding from their head from an errant elbow and it’s not stopped."

Eamonn Tiernan has more.