Ben Godfrey
BBC Midlands Today

For three decades, expectant mothers put their trust in Kiddisave - saving up cash for the all-important first pram or cot.  

Nikki Webb (pictured) paid £400 in cash for a pram - three weeks before the birth of Keyla, her first child.

The company handling Kiddisave's liquidation says hundreds of cash-buyers won't get any money back. Much of the company's assets were held up in stock.

Two men from Walsall have appeared in court this morning charged with terror-related offences.

Maruf Uddin, 26 of Earl Street, pleaded not guilty at Westminster Magistrates Court to one count of arranging funds or property for purposes of terrorism, West Midlands Police says.  

The force adds that Mohammed Atiqur Khan, 27,of Buckle Close, offered no plea to two counts of the same charge, with both men bailed to appear at The Old Bailey next month, external.    

The front story on this week's Stourbridge News, external:

Image source, Stourbridge News

Stephanie Barnard
BBC Local Live

The top stories in the BBC WM newsroom include:

- Customers of Walsall-based Kiddisave said they had paid hundreds of pounds for prams and buggies which had not been delivered when the firm closed in November

- Research by experts at the University of Birmingham may mean patients with advanced head or neck cancer can be spared unnecessary surgery

- Disabled people will be prevented from coming to Birmingham when the city's Shopmobility service shuts, according to the charity which runs it

Cannock Mercury

Members of Cannock Chase Council Cabinet will meet today, external to recommend that another £150,000 be sanctioned to create a brand new public car park in the town.  

Image source, Cannock Mercury

BBC News Health

Using a scanner rather than a scalpel could spare hundreds of thousands of cancer patients from risky surgery, a study conducted by the Universities of Birmingham and Warwick suggests.

Head and neck tumours are treated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy, but then need an operation to visually check whether the growth has gone.

Image source, University of Birmingham

This week's Lichfield Mercury, external front page:  

Image source, Lichfield Mercury

BBC Sport

Wolves midfielder Dave Edwards is still hoping to be fit for Wales duty at this summer's European Championship.

The 30-year-old has been out for two months following surgery on a broken bone in his foot.

Image source, Empics

Walsall Advertiser

A dedicated Walsall fund-raiser who lived with epilepsy when he was a teenager, external is preparing to tackle the London Marathon for a cause close to his heart.

Image source, Walsall Advertiser

A 41-year-old charged with stabbing a man at an athletics stadium in Birmingham is a former champion runner.

Last night police charged Lauren Jeska, a former English Fell Running Champion, with attempted murder.

Ms Jeska, from Machynlleth, Powys, faces two further charges of wounding and possession of a bladed article. 

Tamworth Herald

This week's Tamworth Herald front page:, external

Image source, Tamworth Herald

Ben Godfrey
BBC Midlands Today

Hundreds of customers of a nursery retailer which collapsed last year won't get any money back, the BBC understands.

Customers of Kiddisave said they had paid hundreds of pounds for prams and buggies which had not been delivered when the firm closed in November. The firm has now gone into liquidation. 

It's thought the company, which was based in Walsall, failed to complete around £500,000 of customer orders.

Express and Star

An MP has welcomed support for a campaign to save an historic church with links to the founders of Wolves., external

Image source, Express and Star

A woman's been charged with attempted murder after a man was stabbed at Alexander Stadium in Birmingham earlier this week. 

Lauren Jeska, 41, is due to appear at Birmingham Magistrates Court later today.

The 51-year-old man suffered "life threatening" injuries in the stabbing at the Birmingham stadium on Tuesday. He remains in a stable condition in hospital.   

Image source, Google

Stephanie Barnard
BBC Local Live

Just another day in the West Midlands Police call handling centre., external

Last night the team answering 999 calls said they received two time-wasting calls.

The number, if the person is reading this, is 101.

Express and Star

A note was discovered inside the car of a couple who killed themselves in an apparent suicide pact, external and copies of their wills were also found in the boat where they lived, an inquest heard.

Image source, Express and Star

Stephanie Barnard
BBC Local Live

The top stories in the BBC WM newsroom this morning include:

- The family of a Wolverhampton man who died in the Germanwings air disaster a year ago are to take legal action

- Hundreds of customers of a Walsall-based nursery retailer which collapsed last year won't get any money back, the BBC has learned

- A woman's been charged with attempted murder after a stabbing at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham

The family of a Wolverhampton man who died in the Germanwings air disaster a year ago are to take legal action. 

Martyn Matthews (pictured centre) was among more than 150 people who died when co-pilot Andreas Lubitz crashed the plane in the French Alps last March. 

Image source, Matthews family

Lubitz, 27, was seen by 41 doctors in the years before the crash on 24 March.

Lawyers said a flight school where he trained should have prevented him from qualifying as an airline pilot and are planning legal proceedings against it.

Sara Blizzard
BBC Weather

After a cloudy but dry start, rain will spread across all areas through the morning, with the wet weather lasting throughout the afternoon. 

Winds will strengthen with the wet weather making it feel cool with highs of 10C (50F).

BBC Travel

- One lane closed on the M6 northbound between J6 A38(M) Spaghetti Junction and J7, A34 (Great Barr) because of a vehicle fire.  

- Blue Lane West in Walsall is blocked at Green Lane junction because of an accident.