Families expected to demand resignation of Southern Health chief executive over deaths
Hospitals braced for junior doctors' strike
Badly burnt girl gets wig in latest stage of recovery
Midland Road in Beford 'still not safe', six years after murder
Updates for Monday, 11 January 2016
Jane Killick
BBC Three Counties Radio
The stories we're looking at this lunchtime:
Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live
Hertfordshire pop singer Kim Wilde has given her reaction to the death of David Bowie.
The singer, who lives near Welwyn, said her 15-year-old daughter’s sadness at the news was “proof positive (although not needed) of the immense impact David Bowie has had across the generations”.
Talking of the 80s when her music career began, she said: “On my bedroom wall was a poster of David Bowie, a hypnotic portrait of an extraordinary artist who will never be forgotten.”
It will generally be cloudy with limited bright intervals and showers or longer spells of rain which will be occasionally heavy.
The wind will ease later but it will feel chilly. Maximum temperature: 7C (45F).
Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live
Channel 5 has confirmed that David Bowie's ex-wife, Angie, currently in the Celebrity Big Brother house at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, will be informed of his death today, "at the earliest opportunity".
Image source, Getty ImagesA spokesman said she would be "informed off-camera" and that he would provide a further update once this had happened.
A 13-year-old boy remains in a critical condition with a serious head injury after he was punched at a Hertfordshire school.
Image source, South Beds News AgencyThe teenager was attacked at 15:30 on 6 January at Kings Langley School, police said. He remains in a "stable" condition at a London hospital.
A 14-year old boy has been arrested and bailed in connection with the incident.
Sophie Sulehria
BBC Three Counties Radio
Shamiam Arif, 13, was horrifically burnt as a baby in Pakistan and brought to the UK by the charity Muslim Hands, external.
Now living with extended family in Luton, her dream is to look more like her teenage friends so Great Ormond Street Hospital has devised a pioneering solution that will allow her to wear a wig for the first time in her life.
An elderly man, restrained by two masked men in a robbery in Bedfordshire, has been left "badly shaken and shocked", police say.
Image source, GoogleTwo men knocked on the door of the property in Knotting Green, Melchbourne, at about 20:00 on Thursday before holding the man and demanding money.
The men were dressed in black and wore black balaclavas. They got away with cash from the victim's wallet.
Tony Fisher
BBC Three Counties Radio
The top stories:
Dani Bailey
BBC Local Live
The music promoter of Friars, external, a music venue in Aylesbury, has said that David Bowie "put [it] on the map" with his 1972 concert, external, where he first launched his Ziggy Stardust persona.
Image source, APDavid Bowie, external, 69, died in New York today following an 18-month battle with cancer.
"It was just a magic, magic period," said promoter David Stopps. "It really put Friars on the map - we ended up being in Rolling Stone in America and all over the world."
Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live
Following the news of David Bowie's death, we've found this great picture of the music legend at the Milton Keynes Bowl in 1983 during his Serious Moonlight tour.
Image source, Getty ImagesHe also performed there in 1990 on his Sound and Vision tour and at the old Queensway Hall in Dunstable - now Asda.
If you've got any memories of seeing David Bowie live, we'd love to hear from you - email us here or send us a tweet, external.
BBC Entertainment and Arts
Hertfordshire's Sam Smith has won the best original song award at the Golden Globes ceremony in Los Angeles.
Image source, Getty ImagesWriting's On The Wall features in the James Bond film Spectre.
Sam Smith, from Bishop's Stortford, accepted the award with songwriter Jimmy Napes and said: "I genuinely didn't think we were going to get this... This has been the most interesting night of my life."
Firefighters were called to five chimney fires in Bedfordshire over the weekend.
Image source, Bedfordshire Fire and RescueThe incidents in Silsoe, Biggleswade, Lidlington, Risely and Souldrop are the latest of 168 chimney fires in the last three years, Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, external says.
Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live
Hertfordshire Police have been tweeting, external to warn people to be careful on the roads this morning due to flooding.
In addition to the A414 between Hertford and Harlow, show below, Herts Highways, external says Bourne Lane in Much Hadham is closed in both directions, external.
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Neil Bradford
BBC Look East
Motorists are being advised to avoid the Slip End area of Bedfordshire this morning due to flooding.
Woodside Road has now been closed under the motorway but driver Eddie McCluskey was caught out at about 04:30 on his way to Luton Airport.
"The road appeared to be clear and then suddenly the water was extremely deep. I got the car so far through and then it just stopped," Mr McCluskey said.
Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live
This morning we've heard the sad news that music legend David Bowie has died at the age of 69 following a battle with cancer.
Image source, ReutersConservative MP for Bedford Richard Fuller was being interviewed on BBC Three Counties Radio as the news came through and told presenter Justin Dealey the first record he ever bought was Space Oddity in 1969.
He said: "David Bowie has been part of the melody of my life... 50 years of my life his music's been around... the way in which he could reach people with this sort of irreverence to the way in which society was and become this great popular icon for many generations - I think it's a very sad loss."
BBC Sport
Watford FC are through to the FA Cup fourth round following Saturday's 1-0 win at home to Newcastle.
Meanwhile, Milton Keynes Dons secured a third round FA Cup replay after their 2-2 draw away at League Two side Northampton and League Two side Wycombe Wanderers also earned themselves a replay after their 1-1 draw at home to struggling Premier League side, Aston Villa.
The draw for the fourth round will be made on tonight's The One Show at 19:00 on BBC One.
Jodie Smith
BBC News
A girl who nearly died in a fire as an infant has spent more than a decade having treatment to improve her condition. BBC News has followed the latest stage of her recovery, as experts come together to make her a special wig.
When she was a few months old, Shamiam Arif was left horrifically burned after a candle fell into her cot. Her family lived in a remote part of Pakistan and struggled to find a medical unit to treat the little girl.
Now, aged 13, Shamiam is living in Luton with her extended family, where she has been following her dream - to look like her friends.
Ollie Bayliss
BBC Three Counties Radio
Hospitals across the three counties are preparing to put in place contingency plans tomorrow as the junior doctors' strike looks set to go ahead.
They say the 24-hour walkout could increase waiting times in accident and emergency departments and see some non-urgent operations and appointments being cancelled.
In all cases, patients who could be affected will be informed by their hospital, although Buckinghamshire NHS Trust, external warns this could be at short notice.
Kate Kinsella
BBC Look East weather
Today will be generally cloudy with showers or longer spells of rain. Wind will ease later.
Maximum temperature: 7C (44F).
BBC News England
Furious families are expected to demand the resignation of an NHS chief executive at a public meeting later.
Southern Health NHS Trust, external, which covers parts of Buckinghamshire, is holding an emergency board meeting after being severely criticised in an official inquiry last month.
A report published by NHS England, external found it had failed to investigate hundreds of deaths over a four-year period. The trust has apologised for previous failings and said its systems have since improved.
