Summary

  • Updates on Friday 22 April 2016

  • More news, sport, travel and weather from 08:00 Monday

  1. Our coverage across the daypublished at 18:00 British Summer Time 22 April 2016

    That's all for now. We'll have more news, sport, weather and travel updates for Birmingham and the Black Country from 08:00 on Monday.

    Have a great weekend.

  2. Wolves chief executive writes to council over sponsorspublished at 17:57 British Summer Time 22 April 2016

    Corinne Wheatley
    BBC WM, Journalist

    The chief executive of Wolves has written to the leader of the city council, external who has questioned the club's decision to have its shirts sponsored by a payday loan company. 

    Jez MoxeyImage source, Empics

    Jez Moxey (pictured above) has told Councillor Roger Lawrence that Wolves and The Money Shop will be delivering a financial education programme to young people in Wolverhampton. 

    He also says the time to judge the agreement with The Money shop will be over the course of the three-year sponsorship deal. 

    The letter is also addressed to a number of other local politicians.    

  3. Villa 'won't come back up with current crop'published at 17:50 British Summer Time 22 April 2016

    Former Aston Villa, external boss Ron Atkinson says the club will not bounce back until they get rid of the current crop of players. 

    Ron Atkinson - archive imageImage source, Reuters

    He told BBC WM's Aston Villa Football Phone In Special last night: "You've only got to look at other major clubs. You look at Leeds. You look at Sheffield Wednesday... I mean Portsmouth have gone right through haven't they?

    "So unless they get their act together and do it properly, they've got no divine right to say they're gonna come back up. I mean with the current crop they've got they won't." 

  4. Woman who died in crash namedpublished at 17:47 British Summer Time 22 April 2016

    A woman who died following a serious collision in Stourbridge on Saturday has been named by police, external.   

    Nadine FosterImage source, West Midlands Police

    Nadine Foster, 18, was believed to have been a passenger in a Ford Focus which hit a wall at about 00:20 on Hagley Road, Oldswinford.  

    Her family said: “We are devastated to have lost our beautiful Nadine. She was a loving mother, daughter and grand-daughter.“She was a happy, smiley girl and the light of our lives."  

  5. BBC Midlands Todaypublished at 17:41 British Summer Time 22 April 2016

    Mary Rhodes
    Presenter, BBC Midlands Today

    We celebrate 400 years of William Shakespeare this evening.

    Also on the programme:

    - A victim of the Alton Towers Smiler crash, Chanda Chauhan, describes the aftermath as being like a "horror movie" as the theme park admits health and safety breaches 

    - Hundreds of people have attended a memorial service for Darren Cooper, the leader of Sandwell Council, who died last month

    Join me for BBC Midlands Today at 18:30 on BBC One.

  6. Petrol station attack: New CCTV releasedpublished at 17:36 British Summer Time 22 April 2016

    Detectives investigating a "vicious attack" at a Birmingham petrol station have released new CCTV footage of men they want to identify.

    During the assault at the Gulf Service station, Bristol Street, on 9 April, a group chased a 25-year-old man across the forecourt and repeatedly punched and kicked him while he was unconscious on the floor.

    Three men have been arrested and bailed pending further enquiries and police are now seeking a further four in connection with the attack.  

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  7. West Midlands weatherpublished at 17:29 British Summer Time 22 April 2016

    Rather cloudy this evening, with any remaining patchy rain soon clearing south. A cold night to come, with clear spells allowing temperatures to quickly drop with a frost in places. Lows of 2C (36F) 

    Media caption,

    Rebecca Wood with the afternoon weather forecast for the West Midlands

  8. Missing Kings Heath cat turns up after four yearspublished at 17:21 British Summer Time 22 April 2016

    A cat that went missing four years ago has turned up 13 miles away from his owner's home.  

    The tabby, named Roman, disappeared in April 2012 and despite appeals in newspapers and on social media, was never found.

    His owners, the Thompson family, gave up hope of ever seeing him again and went on to move house.

    They were surprised to get a call from Birmingham's PDSA Hospital saying they had him in their care, four years on.

  9. Rugeley mum becomes star of the show as waters break during performance of Mary Poppinspublished at 17:16 British Summer Time 22 April 2016

    Cannock Mercury

    A Rugeley mum became an unexpected star of a Birmingham Hippodrome show after going into labour during a performance, external of Mary Poppins. 

    Shona Jorkowski, from Rugeley, visits the cast of the show with the new arrivalImage source, Cannock Mercury
  10. Walsall boss wants players to feed off nerves like 'fuel'published at 17:11 British Summer Time 22 April 2016

    Walsall, external's interim head coach, Jon Whitney, says his players must use any nerves as "fuel" to propel them towards automatic promotion from League One.

    Jon WhitneyImage source, Rex Features

    The Saddlers are third in the table, three points behind Burton Albion, with a game in hand, as they prepare to visit fifth-placed Bradford City, which is the live commentary game on BBC WM on 95.6FM tomorrow.

    Whitney said: "The players have put themselves on a pedestal... They have to live up to that expectation and our players are good enough to cope with the demands."

  11. Latest headlines: Alton Towers crash victim speaks; hundreds at memorial event; Okore 'not wanting Villa action'published at 17:00 British Summer Time 22 April 2016

    Corinne Wheatley
    BBC WM, Journalist

    Here are some of the main stories from BBC WM in the newsroom today:

    - A Wednesbury woman who was involved in the crash on Alton Towers' Smiler rollercoaster has been speaking about her ordeal

    - Hundreds of people have attended a civic memorial event celebrating the life of Sandwell Council leader Darren Cooper at West Bromwich Town Hall 

    - Aston Villa defender Jores Okore says he does not want to play for the club again this season

  12. Jores Okore 'doesn't want to play for Villa again this season'published at 16:37 British Summer Time 22 April 2016

    Chris Blakemore
    BBC WM

    Jores Okore is training with the under 21s after saying he does not want to play for Aston Villa again this season.   

    Aston Villa's Jores Okore and Norwich's Dieumerci MbokaniImage source, Reuters

    It is after he refused to be a substitute against Bournemouth earlier this month. 

    Villa caretaker manager Eric Black said: "I'm not having that attitude in the group. I'm just not doing it and I'm not prepared to work with that attitude in the group.

    "It's difficult times for everybody. I can understand that but I just found it slightly bewildering that he would decide at that point, the night and the eve of the game against Bournemouth, which was a massive game for us, that he didn't want to contribute."

  13. Hundreds attend council leader memorial eventpublished at 16:20 British Summer Time 22 April 2016

    Hundreds of people have attended a memorial event for Darren Cooper, the leader of Sandwell Council, external, who died last month.

    Memorial event

    He first became a councillor in 1991 and had been leader since 2009.

    Acting council leader Steve Eling said: "We were very keen to ensure that we could bring in as many members of the community, particularly people from community organisations and residents in his own ward, and there's been a fantastic response to that."

  14. Fraud couple jailed after stealing more than £400,000 from Sutton Coldfield lettings agencypublished at 16:05 British Summer Time 22 April 2016

    Royal Sutton Coldfield Observer

    A letting agent and her former boyfriend have been jailed for a total of seven years, external after stealing more than £400,000 from a Sutton Coldfield lettings agency and its clients over two years.

    Birmingham Crown CourtImage source, Royal Sutton Coldfield Observer
  15. Lichfield citizens gather to celebrate HM The Queen's 90th birthdaypublished at 15:16 British Summer Time 22 April 2016

    Lichfield Mercury

    Lichfield celebrated the 90th birthday of Her Majesty The Queen at a special event in the city centre, external on Thursday. 

    People in LichfieldImage source, Lichfield Mercury
  16. Latest headlines: Alton Towers crash victim speaks; hundreds at memorial event; Okore 'not wanting Villa action'published at 15:04 British Summer Time 22 April 2016

    Chris Blakemore
    BBC WM

    Here are some of the main stories from BBC WM in the newsroom today:

    - A Wednesbury woman who was involved in the crash on Alton Towers' Smiler rollercoaster has been speaking about her ordeal

    - Hundreds of people have attended a civic memorial event celebrating the life of Sandwell Council leader Darren Cooper at West Bromwich Town Hall 

    - Aston Villa defender Jores Okore says he does not want to play for the club again this season

  17. Damning report for Sutton Coldfield's Trinity Specialist College deemed 'inadequate' in all categoriespublished at 14:50 British Summer Time 22 April 2016

    Royal Sutton Coldfield Observer

    A college in Sutton Coldfield has been slammed, external for 'ineffective safeguarding', poor progress of its students and for having staff who are 'insufficiently qualified'. 

    Trinity Specialist CollegeImage source, Royal Sutton Coldfield Observer
  18. Region's devolution plan 'untested'published at 14:38 British Summer Time 22 April 2016

    Andrew Dawkins
    BBC News Online

    Plans for a devolved West Midlands "super authority" are untested, a watchdog has said.  

    Birmingham skylineImage source, PA/David Jones

    The region is set to elect a mayor next year as part of plans to decentralise government functions.

    But arrangements for the West Midlands Combined Authority are "more complex" than similar deals in Greater Manchester, The National Audit Office (NAO) said.

    The government said there was much to do but "huge progress" had been made.