BBC Midlands Today

A teenager from Halesowen in the Black Country is hoping he'll have a problem-free journey to his new college today after winning his fight to be given free bus travel.

Ethan Couldrey has muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair. 

He's planning to continue his studies at Halesowen College but was originally told he'd need to pay £500 for a taxi to get him there and back, when other students use complimentary buses. 

The college has now arranged for a disabled access bus to run close to Ethan's home.    

Stephanie Barnard
BBC Local Live

Firefighters were called to reports of a man with a ring stuck on his finger at Birmingham New Street Station earlier - but it wasn't quite as it seemed.

The 'patient' was the boyfriend of one of the firefighters, who got down on bended knee when she arrived on the scene. 

Firefighter Jodi Vincent was stunned when she found partner Mark at the centre of the 'emergency' at New Street Station in Birmingham. 

Surrounded by her colleagues from Highgate Fire Station, and rail passengers, an emotional Ms Vincent said yes. 

Image source, West Midlands Fire Service

Aston Villa part company with former midfielder Gordon Cowans, a member of their 1980s league title and European Cup-winning teams.

The closure of the children's ward at the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch due to a lack of specialist doctors will not affect the care children will get, according to the chief medical officer for the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust (WAHNHST).

The children's ward in Redditch closed today and the specialist doctors and nurses have moved to the Worcestershire Royal Hospital in Worcester.

Image source, PA

Villa are parting company with one of its all-time great players, external and academy coach Gordon "Sid" Cowans.  

Express and Star

More than 1,000 drivers were caught out by average speed cameras, external in just two days on a stretch of the M6 which has been cut to 40mph as part of a major roadworks scheme.

Scores of speeding motorists were snared by cameras as they ignored the temporary restrictions heading southbound between junction 7 for Great Barr and 8 for the M5 over the weekend.

Image source, Express & Star

Louise Hancock
Newsreader, BBC WM

Planning permission has been granted for a new 26-storey hotel in Birmingham city centre. 

The plan is to build it opposite Grand Central. 

The council approved the plans after reviewing its tall building policy, which restricts the locations of where skyscrapers can be built. 

Image source, Glenn Howell Architects

Kilmarnock manager Lee Clark on his career experience, faith in youth, ambitions at Rugby Park and meeting Michael Jackson.

BBC Midlands Today

Public parks in the Midlands are at risk of decline and some of the facilities in them could close, according to a new report by the Heritage Lottery Fund. , external

Findings showed that 78% of councils across the region anticipate budget reductions of 10% or more over the next three years with nearly half their parks expected to deteriorate. 

Express and Star

Banking giant HSBC will axe four of its high street branches in Staffordshire and the Black Country.  , external

Image source, Express and Star

A Worcestershire paramedic says he isn't happy that he won't be able to take critically ill children to the A&E department in Redditch, but will have to make the journey to a hospital in Worcester instead.

Stuart Gardner, who is a union spokesman, believes that if a child has stopped breathing it cannot be right to pass an A&E department in Redditch and travel instead to Worcester. 

The trust running Worcestershire's hospitals says due to a lack of specialist doctors inpatient children's beds are being centralised at Worcestershire Royal Hospital from today.  

A spokesman for the trust said it had "fully engaged" with West Midlands Ambulance Service over the closure, and would "not be making the move if we did not believe it was safe".

Moira Rawlings
BBC Coventry & Warwickshire

Police investigating a suspected road rage attack in the West Midlands, external have today issued an image of a man they would like to speak to.

The assault took place on Coventry Road, Sheldon at around 16:20 on Sunday, 19 June.  

Image source, West Midlands Police

Express and Star

'Oh my God' was the reaction of mother Lauren Brain after she gave birth to a baby weighing a massive 11lb, 11oz., external

 The 25-year-old said she was 'flabbergasted' when told by nurses her baby girl Leelah was the heaviest a Black County maternity ward had seen.

Image source, Lauren Brain

Relive Wednesday's Championship action, as Aston Villa are held at home and Nicklas Bendtner makes his Nottingham Forest debut.

BBC WM

A mother says her son was taken out of school for wearing the wrong shoes on the first day of term - one of many to be asked to leave classes.

Sarah, which is not her real name, says dozens of other children were targeted at Barr Beacon School in Walsall. 

She told BBC WM she has sent him back in this morning in the same footwear, because she can't afford to replace them.

The school has been approached for comment.   

Image source, Google

Relive the action as Henri Lansbury scores late and Hildeberto Pereira is sent off as Nottingham Forest draw at Aston Villa.

BBC Sport

Somerset's teenage off-spinner Dom Bess marked his debut with 6-28 as 21 wickets fell on a remarkable first day against Warwickshire at Taunton.

Image source, Getty Images

Keith Barker (4-33), Rikki Clarke (3-32) and Chris Wright (2-28) exploited the swinging conditions to bowl out Somerset before lunch for 95, spinner Jeetan Patel taking the last wicket.  

But the Bears were bowled out cheaply themselves for 123 - a lead of just 28.

Somerset then lost a wicket, Tom Abell for a second time, to close on 41-1.

BBC Hereford and Worcester

Zoe Price from Redditch regularly takes her two-year-old son Oscar to the Alexandra Hospital.

But from today the children's ward is closed and she faces a 40-minute drive to the Worcestershire Royal Hospital in Worcester.

Allen Cook
BBC Local Live

An elderly man and woman had a "lucky" escape, say paramedics, after their car hit a central reservation in Cannock and ended up on its roof., external

West Midlands Ambulance Service says it was on Stafford Road just before 12:00 yesterday and the woman had been rescued by the fire service by the time the crew arrived. 

It says the crew worked with firefighters to help the elderly man out - he'd suffered cuts to his head.

Louise Hancock
Newsreader, BBC WM

Police are continuing to question two more men arrested on suspicion of murdering a man stabbed to death in Wolverhampton in what they think was a targeted attack. 

Mircea Gheorghe Cozmiuc, 23, known as Gheorghe, was found in Carter Road, Wolverhampton, on Saturday morning and pronounced dead in hospital.

Two men, aged 34 and 36, were arrested on Monday evening in Pennfields in connection with the killing. 

A 33-year-old man arrested on Saturday remains in police custody and a fourth man, also arrested on Saturday, has been released on bail.