Allegations of historical child sex abuse in football
Injured police officer to undergo further surgery
Compensation over asbestos in schools
Uncertainty over school closure branded 'utter disgrace'
The Clothes Show waves goodbye to Birmingham
Updates from Friday 2 December 2016
As The Clothes Show bows out of Birmingham, we take a look back at the history of an event that has become a significant part of the fashion industry.
Read MoreWolves end their nine-game winless run and pick up their first victory under new boss Paul Lambert by beating 10-man QPR.
Read MoreWe'll be back with our usual mix of news, sport, travel and weather from 08:00 tomorrow.
An academy trust that has had its financial practices called into question by a government watchdog says it has adopted an investigation's recommendations.
Perry Beeches The Academy Trust, which runs five Birmingham schools, broke rules by spending money on donations to a political party. The Education Funding Agency (EFA) - which had been looking into allegations of irregular financial practice - also found the trust spent £450 a day on the services of a PR company amid bad publicity, although not technically a breach.
A statement from the trust released today said:
"The EFA report relates to historical allegations.
"Since the investigations, the chief executive officer Liam Nolan has left the trust and the then board of trustees resigned in April 2016.
"Perry Beeches The Academy Trust has a new management structure in place with Paul Wheeler as acting chief executive officer and a new board of trustees appointed in May 2016.
"Volunteering their services, this new board has been working very closely with the EFA and DfE to move Perry Beeches The Academy Trust and its schools forward to a better future.
"All recommendations in the report have been adopted by the trust."
Alice Rosenthal
BBC WM
This afternoon's headlines for Birmingham and the Black Country include:
- An academy trust broke rules by donating £5k to a political party
- A man charged with the murder of a 37-year-old woman has appeared in court
- A man's been arrested in connection with a police chase in Staffordshire , externalwhich left an officer seriously injured
BBC Midlands Today
Fifty years after thousands of people left Northern India for the Black Country, a BBC Four documentary celebrating the Sikh community in Smethwick airs.
Using rare archive footage and the personal stories of generations of local people, "The Sikhs of Smethwick" explores some of the challenges they've faced since arriving in the West Midlands.
Our reporter Lindsay Doyle will have more on BBC1 from 18:30 and the documentary will be available on the iPlayer shortly after broadcast.
Cloudy overnight with patchy drizzle, feeling warmer than recent nights, lows of 2C (36F).
Shefali Oza with the weather forecast for the West Midlands
Monica Rimmer
Journalist, BBC Online
A man has appeared in court charged with the murder of a woman whose body was found after a house fire.
Leroy Campbell, 55, of Forest Road, Moseley, was remanded in custody at Birmingham Magistrates' Court.
He is accused of killing Lisa Skidmore, 37 (pictured).
Campbell has been ordered to appear at Birmingham Crown Court on Monday.
Image source, Family picture
BBC WM Sport
Walsall Football Club have agreed an extension to their sponsorship with the brewers firm Banks's for a further five-and-a-half years.
The Saddlers' ground will continue to be known as the Banks's Stadium as part of the deal.
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It's 100 years since the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (Rospa) was set up to warn the public about the dangers in everyday situations.
Read MoreIt's 1 December, technically the first day of winter, and things are feeling pretty chilly - but that hasn't stopped the fantastic BBC Weather Watchers from sending in pictures.
This one was taken in Sutton Park by Hugo. We love the shadows.
Image source, HugoDogwalker sent this picture from Smethwick. The canal almost looks frozen over.
Image source, DogwalkerIf you've got a picture you'd like to share, you can email, tweet @bbcwm, external or visit the BBC WM Facebook page, external.
Monica Rimmer
Journalist, BBC Online
Problems on the trains at Birmingham New Street continue.
A fault with the signalling system means fewer trains are able to run on some lines.
Other rail operators are accepting tickets as are some bus companies.
A man has appeared in court accused of the rape and murder of a woman whose body was found after a house fire in Wolverhampton.
Read MoreA flagship academy chain spent £20,000 with a consultancy firm run by the wife of a school director, a report finds.
Read MoreA once-feted academy trust running schools in Birmingham spent £450 a day, "for initially four days a month", on a PR company's services amid bad publicity, a report says.
The expenditure was uncovered by the Education Funding Agency (EFA) which has been investigating allegations of irregular spending at Perry Beeches The Academy Trust.
In itself, the PR payments did not breach rules. The EFA found: "The expenditure on legal and PR costs regarding the prior EFA investigation reports are not considered to be irregular in nature due to the trust not having access to internal legal/PR expertise.
"However, there was a lack of evidence regarding procurement for these services. The legal costs could also be considered to be contentious and therefore prior EFA permission should have been sought."
The report found donations to a political party broke rules.
A high-profile Academy Trust running five schools in Birmingham breached rules by spending money on donations to a political party, according to a report that also found the nephew of its former chief executive was given money towards a degree course.
The Education Funding Agency (EFA) was investigating allegations of irregular financial practice at Perry Beeches The Academy Trust - once upheld by former education secretary Michael Gove and former prime minister David Cameron as a flagship example of standards to which the academy programme should aspire.
The EFA found the trust spent £5,000 on donations to the Labour Party, which is against the rules. A further £2,227 was spent on "meal expenses, resources or dinners at political-related events".
It also found the nephew of the chief executive, Liam Nolan, was given £2,700 towards an Open University degree course.
Mr Nolan resigned his position in May this year. It followed the EFA's discovery that an additional salary of £160,000 was paid to Mr Nolan, over two years, through a third-party agreement - on top of his £120,000-a-year salary.
A cold, frosty start with patchy fog which may be slow to clear.
There'll be some brightness in the south before cloud spreads in from the north-east, thick enough at times for a little light rain over higher ground later. Highs of 7C (45F).
West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson is being taken to an Employment Tribunal by his former deputy, the BBC learns.
Read More
Lee Thomas
Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke
A man's been arrested in connection with a police chase in Staffordshire on Tuesday evening, external which left an officer seriously injured.
Staffordshire Police says the 39-year-old father-of-two from Tamworth stepped back into the path of a car while being threatened by a lorry driver on the A5 near Lichfield.
They say the officer's still in Birmingham Heartlands Hospital where he's had initial surgery for a serious leg injury.
The force says a 30-year-old man from Leicester was arrested this morning and is currently being questioned.
The front page of Stourbridge News features Stourbridge FC - there's more on their website. , external
Image source, Stourbridge News
