Updates on Thursday 26 May 2016
More news, sport, travel and weather from 08:00 Friday
That's it from us on Thursday.
Please join us again from 08:00 on Friday when we will have our usual mix of news, sport, travel and weather.
Mary Rhodes
Presenter, BBC Midlands Today
Rock legend Ozzy Osbourne was in Birmingham today, for the official naming of a tram in his honour but amid all the celebrity hype, the BBC has learned the metro line from Wolverhampton to Birmingham has yet to turn a profit since opening 17 years ago.
And detectives have described as "evil" a married couple found guilty of killing a vulnerable young woman with learning difficulties.
More on these stories and others on the Midlands Today on BBC One at 18:30.
BBC Travel
Severe disruption on the M6 northbound between J10 A454 (Wolverhampton) and J10a M54 because of a breakdown.
More here.
A dry night to come with lengthy clear spells. Lows of 10C (50F).
A woman in her 70s was taken to hospital with a fractured skull after a group of people threw stones at taxis on a road in Birmingham last night.
A stone came through a window of one of the vehicles on Bellevue Road at about 22:00. Seven other cars were damaged.
Police say they have now been given an emergency order to allow them to remove groups of people from the area if they're thought to be involved in anti-social behaviour.
The parents of a six-year-old boy who died after falling into a Tamworth canal, external have paid tribute to their "happy, beautiful" son - our front page today.
Image source, Tamworth Herald
Alex Homer
BBC Local Live
If you are just catching up on Thursday's news, here are the stories we've covered in the past few hours:
- A man has been jailed for life for murdering a student with learning difficulties - his wife has been convicted of her manslaughter
- A Midland Metro tram has been name in honour of the Prince of Darkness, Ozzy Osbourne
- A fresh appeal has been launched for witnesses over a fatal stabbing in Smethwick
Repairs to the overhead gantry on the M6 at junction five southbound near Birmingham have been finished in time for the half-term break, says Highways England, external.
It called the programme "vital structural maintenance" and said it was originally anticipated to take until the end of June. Now it says the work will be completed one month early.
Cones, signs and diversions will be removed by Friday night.
Final testing is under way before Midland Metro trams start to run through Birmingham city centre.
The £128m project will see trams travelling from near Snow Hill railway station, along Corporation Street, and on to Birmingham New Street station.
Midland Metro trams ready to start running through Birmingham city centre
The tram system began operating from Wolverhampton to Birmingham in 1999, and further extensions are planned towards Edgbaston and Birmingham's Centenary Square.
It is hoped that more than nine million passengers will be using the expanded network each year by 2026.
Peter Wilson
BBC Midlands Today Special Correspondent
Like her victim, killer Julie Beards had learning difficulties. The charity which ran the home where Mrs Beards lived and the killing took place said its "thoughts and sympathy" were with Susan Whiting's family.
Helena Evans, chief executive of Brighter Futures, said: "This has been a very difficult and distressing time for everybody involved in the case.
"Brighter Futures has been working hard to support our customers and staff as they deal with what has happened."
Sixteen years after his life changed forever, brave Norton meningitis survivor Robert Parsons is challenging himself to complete a 10K walk as a way of thanking all those who helped him on the road to recovery.
Here's today's front page, external.
Image source, Stourbridge NewsThe government has been warned that a plan to cut pension benefits to help save Tata Steel's UK operations could take ministers down a "dangerous path".
Ex-pensions minister Steve Webb urged caution over "rushed changes" he said could have implications for workers "well beyond the steel industry".
A £485m pension deficit has been deterring potential buyers of Tata Steel's UK business, which employs nearly 800 people in the West Midlands.
A consultation, external on the pension scheme's future has been launched by ministers.
Image source, EPAThe bikes were stolen, police say.
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An angry father embroiled in a dispute with a local school over his daughter's education, has resorted to expressing his frustrations on a 10-foot sign, external.
Image source, Tamworth Herald
Sarah Falkland
BBC Midlands Today
Big crowds are expected in Redditch tonight as some of Britain's top cyclists compete in a high speed circuit race.
It's the fifth year in a row that the town has played host to a round of the Pearl Izumi Tour Series. The elite cyclists - men and women - will compete over a testing 1.4km circuit.
A Midland Metro tram has been named in honour of Black Sabbath front man Ozzy Osbourne.
Large crowds turned out in Corporation Street in Birmingham city centre to welcome the 67-year-old Birmingham-born singer at the unveiling.
A tram called Ozzy - Midland Metro named in honour of Black Sabbath singer
The ceremony comes just days before an extension of the tram system to Birmingham New Street Station opens.
Further lines to Edgbaston and Centenary Square in the city are planned as part of a £128m project.
Record numbers of international visitors came to Birmingham in 2015, according to latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, external (ONS).
Peter Wilson
BBC Midlands Today Special Correspondent
I'll have all the latest from the Susan Whiting case from Leicester Crown Court.
Join us for the Midlands Today on BBC One at 13:30.
Alex Homer
BBC Local Live
Here is a recap of Thursday's top stories so far:
- A woman has been found guilty of the manslaughter of a student with learning difficulties. Her husband, guilty of murder, must serve at least 33 years in prison.
- A fresh witness appeal has been launched over the fatal stabbing of a teenager in Smethwick
- Trams running from Birmingham to Wolverhampton have not made a profit in the 17 years since the line opened, accounts seen by the BBC have revealed
Peter Wilson
BBC Midlands Today Special Correspondent
Susan Whiting's rapist and murderer Steven Beards, aged 34, has been jailed for life to serve a minimum of 33 years.
Passing sentence, the judge dubbed Beards a "sexually-motivated, violent killer".
