Melted snow alerts drug police
Jogger killed by car
Prison sentence for owner of neglected dog
Tributes planned for former Wolves and Villa boss Taylor
Updates from Friday 13 January 2017
That's it from us on Wednesday. Please join us again from 08:00 tomorrow for more live news, travel and weather updates.
Keep an eye out here for any news that breaks in the meantime.
Nick Owen
Presenter, BBC Midlands Today
A West Midlands ambulance technician is recovering after being seriously assaulted by a patient he was trying to help.
And a blind man from Birmingham has won a national award for his efforts in promoting guide dogs.
Muslim Mohammed Rashid has had to overcome many cultural and religious prejudices against him having a dog but thanks to Mr Rashid and his friends at his mosque, his guide dog Solo has been welcomed into his community.
Join us for more on these stories and others on the Midlands Today on BBC One at 18:30.
Shefali Oza
BBC Midlands Today
Temperatures will rapidly fall as sunshine disappears this afternoon.
Lows of 3C (37F).
Shefali Oza has your forecast
New stone benches to prevent a Berlin-style terror attack will see a century-old tree cut down in Birmingham city centre, the council says.
Read MoreAn ambulance technician who was head-butted by a patient in West Bromwich says he's worried it may happen again.
Read MoreThe BBC iPlayer will be reinvented in a bid to be the top online TV service in the UK by 2020, the broadcaster's director general Tony Hall has said.
Lord Hall told staff in The BBC's Birmingham home The Mailbox he wanted the BBC to "reinvent public broadcasting for a new generation".
He described iPlayer as "the biggest revolution of the last charter" and said it now had to increase its reach.
"We need it to make the leap from a catch-up service to a must-visit destination in its own right," he said.
Planet Earth II was the most requested show on iPlayer in 2016.
Image source, Emma Napper
Alex Homer
BBC Local Live
Here's a look at our latest headlines on Wednesday afternoon:
- New anti-terror measures are being installed in central Birmingham
- The date of the funeral for Hednesford sexual assault campaigner Jill Saward has been announced
- A cannabis farm believed to have produced drugs worth £100,000 on the streets has been found in Tipton
Four men are jailed for a "pre-planned and orchestrated attack" which left a man needing life-saving surgery.
Read More
Kathryn Stanczyszyn
Political Reporter, BBC WM
New anti-terror measures are being introduced in Birmingham's Centenary Square to avoid a Nice-style attack.
Heavy stone benches, with deep foundations, will be installed to stop a lorry being driven into the open space.
It's part of a £10m revamp but means the city's oldest tree - a London Plane (pictured) - would be chopped down.
Ian Ward, the deputy leader of the city council, said the changes were a "neccesity" for public safety.
Image source, GoogleBirmingham City re-sign West Bromwich Albion midfielder Craig Gardner on loan, with a view to a more permanent deal.
Read MoreThere has been a significant increase in the number of people with mental health problems asking to be seen at accident and emergency departments in England.
Figures from NHS Digital, analysed for the BBC, show that in the year 2015-16 there were over 165,000 psychiatric attendances at A & E departments.
Mental Health: On patrol with Birmingham's Street Triage team
Russell Brand has become patron of a Birmingham charity helping people to tackle addiction - watch Made in Birmingham's full report.
A cannabis farm believed to have produced £100,000 worth of drugs ready to be sold on the streets has been raided by police.
Officers swooped on the property in Hamilton Road, Great Bridge, today.
A 31-year-old man is being questioned by police officers in connection with the discovery.
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Allen Cook
BBC Local Live
A 78-year-old woman's suffered what paramedics are calling, external a "potentially serious head injury" after being hit by a car in Tamworth.
Image source, GoogleWest Midlands Ambulance Service says it happened yesterday afternoon at the junction of Roman Court and Watling Street in the Wilnecote area.
She was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham - paramedics say the man driving the car was "shaken but unhurt".
Mark Savage
Music reporter
The first ever census of the UK's live music scene will be held in March, it has been announced.
Researchers will audit gigs in seven cities including Birmingham on 9 March, from street performers and choirs to pop bands playing arenas.
Described as a "Springwatch for music," the project will be conducted by the universities of Edinburgh, Newcastle and Glasgow.
They aim to discover the challenges facing artists and venues at a time when live music is under pressure.
Image source, Getty Images
Chris Blakemore
BBC WM
Council bosses in Wolverhampton have confirmed they will not be building on a popular playing field despite needing more homes in the city.
Residents raised concerns about the future of the land on Prouds Lane in Bilston after proposals were put forward to build 40 homes on the site of the former leisure centre nearby.
The council says it wants to assure residents it will not build on the field because it recognises the strength of feeling for it.
A couple who stole over £100,000 worth of designer clothes are sentenced to three years in jail.
Read MoreA dog was launched out of the window of a car believed to be travelling at around 40mph in the early hours of New Year's Day, according to the RSPCA.
The charity is appealing for information about the perpetrators who threw the animal out of a dark-coloured Ford Focus in High Road, Willenhall, at around 02:00 GMT.
The two witnesses who reported the act of cruelty, which injured the dog's leg, were unable to record the car's registration number. Wardens are taking care of the canine.
People with information are urged to ring 0300 123 8018 in confidence.
Alex Homer
BBC Local Live
Here's a look at our latest headlines on Wednesday afternoon:
- The date of the funeral for Hednesford sexual assault campaigner Jill Saward has been announced
- A drugs factory believed to have produced cannabis worth £100,000 has been raided
- A delay in paying Handsworth charity workers means they need handouts themselves
Banking fines of £1m are to be given to the Midlands Air Ambulance.
It's hoped the money will enable the organisation to place an order for an upgraded helicopter.
Image source, MAAThe charity covers six counties - including Herefordshire and Worcestershire.