BBC Midlands Today

Unemployment in the West Midlands has dropped over the last three months.

Unemployment figures show that the jobless total across the area fell by 17,000 in the three months to August to 149,000.

Nationally that figure fell to a 12-year low by 52,000 to 1.4 million.

However, pay still failed to keep pace with inflation, with the real value of earnings down 0.3% over the past year.

Maryam Qaiser
BBC Local Live

Officers are concerned for the safety of two teenage boys who have gone missing.

Judge Oliver, 13, and Kyle Scott, 14 were last seen at Worksop railway station catching a train to Sheffield at about 17:00 yesterday.

Nottinghamshire Police, external believe the boys then caught another train to Birmingham.

Image source, Nottinghamshire Police

Judge was last seen wearing a black Nike puffa jacket, grey Nike tracksuit bottoms, grey and black Nike trainers with a black Nike backpack and black Nike cap.

Kyle was wearing a black Nike tracksuit top, green tracksuit bottoms and a black cap.

Burton Mail

Here are some of the stories making the headlines today:

• Lorry crashes into pole sending power cables scattering across Staffordshire road, external
• Mum shares heartbreak after losing the treasured bracelet she wears for her stillborn son, external
• Burton convict forced to sell his own home to pay the bill for clean-up of illegal waste site, external

Shelley Phelps
BBC Coventry & Warwickshire, Political Reporter

A campaign to "save black cabs" was launched at a summit today.

Coventry Councillor Jayne Innes, responsible for taxi licensing policy in the city, said she was starting the campaign to save "safe professional taxis" from being "undercut" on pricing by Uber drivers licensed in Wolverhampton.

About eight cab drivers from the Coventry taxi drivers' action group attended the two-hour meeting with lawyers, MPs and the police.

"Business has gone down by at least 40%," Coventry black cab driver Gurdish Chima said.

Uber said in a statement that it abides by the same rules and regulations as other private hire operators and it is "common industry practice" for drivers licensed in one area to carry out trips in others as long as they are pre-booked.

A couple from Birmingham accused of luring a man to the UK from Poland and making him work for a small amount of money have been charged with slavery offences.

Tadeusz Ondycz, 32, and Marta Dombrowska, 26, from Willes Road in Winson Green, are both charged with human trafficking and holding a person in slavery or servitude under the Modern Slavery Act 2015, as well as one count of fraud by false representation.

They appeared at Birmingham Magistrates' Court on Friday and were remanded in custody to appear at the city's crown court on 10 November.

It was started at the National Memorial Arboretum's Ride to the Wall event and then toured the UK.

Car parking charges are set to soar at Shropshire's two main hospitals.

Currently, parking at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Princess Royal Hospital costs a maximum of £3.50 a day.

That's set to rise to £8 from 1 November, although the first 20 minutes will be free.

The hospital trust says charges haven't changed for four years and those people having treatments such as dialysis or chemotherapy will be able to park for free.

There'll also be a system for claiming back fees if you are on benefits.

The trust says the money they make from car parking currently pays for the equivalent of 40 staff nurses.

Staffordshire libraries could be made "self-service" if new proposals are given the go-ahead by the council, in a bid to save more than £1m over four years.

The county council says it is looking, external at a number of options, including local communities taking over the running of some libraries, as well as remodelling its mobile service.

Training sessions could be offered to people showing them how they could use technology and gain access to the building at times of the day when staff aren’t on duty.

More than 20 libraries have already been transferred or due to be taken over by the community across the county, including Gnosall, Loggerheads and Hednesford.

A three-month consultation on the idea will begin in the new year. Read the full council proposal online., external

Whitchurch Herald

Here's this week's front page of the Whitchurch Herald., external

Image source, Whitchurch Herald

Tim Page
News Editor, BBC Shropshire

Police say they're treating the death of a woman found in a flat in Telford as "unexplained".

The woman, thought to be in her 40s, was discovered on Monday evening at a property on Plough Road in Wellington.

Image source, Google

Investigators were at the building throughout yesterday.

A post-mortem examination is due to be carried out in the coming days.

A giant Christmas card sent to UK servicemen and women signed by thousands of people has officially broken the world record for most signatures.

The card, measuring 2.1m (7ft) high by 4.5m (15ft) wide, included 21,000 signatures and 800 images captured at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.

Signatures were gathered from across the UK, starting in Staffordshire. It visited BBC Birmingham in November 2016 to allow people to add their names, as the video below, shot at the time, shows.

Will they be attempting to break the record again this year?

Well, no word yet but the staff at the Arboretum have promised a host of Christmas events, including a candle lit carol service, a gift fair, and holly wreath making workshops.

Signs welcoming people to Wolverhampton are "money down the drain", according to a campaigner.

A total of 25 signs have gone up around the city at a cost of £23,000.

However, Black Country Liberal Democrat campaigner Paul Butters has said they are a waste of money.

The council says the signs have the potential to bring in money through advertising revenue.

BBC News UK

Something to make you smile today... The moment Stoke-on-Trent's Eddie Hall listed Dan Walker over his head.

The world's strongest man bench pressed the BBC Breakfast presenter live on air this morning.

Worcester News

Here are some of the stories making the headlines in the Worcester News today:

• Coroner confirms 'extensive' efforts were made to trace family of Cardon Banfield after he was found dead in a tent, external
• Worcestershire Oncology Centre has treated nearly 3,000 radiotherapy patients since it opened, external
• City art competition run by Harrison Clark Rickerby’s receives generous donation, external

Shelley Phelps
BBC political reporter

It's been announced that officials from Wolverhampton City Council will be policing cabbies in Coventry.

The Black Country local authority has licensed more than 200 taxi drivers with addresses in Coventry - most of them thought to work for Uber.

And taxi drivers in Coventry have been meeting with politicians and union reps at the city's Council House today, to voice their concerns.

Image source, Getty Images

Wolverhampton Council are going to be sending enforcement officers to Coventry to check that the Uber drivers operating here with licences in Wolverhampton are obeying guidelines.

Coventry City Council is calling for a region-wide taxi policy policed by the mayor.

A 13-year-old boy who was killed after being hit by a bus while cycling has been named as Christian Edwards.

Emergency services were called to Haybridge Road in Hadley, Telford, on Monday morning, but the Ercall Wood pupil later died at Birmingham Children's Hospital.

Image source, Google

Chay Davis, head teacher of Ercall Wood Technology College, described it as a "terrible tragedy" and said his thoughts and prayers were with the family.

"I have emailed the parents of all our pupils to tell them what has happened and I also called all the pupils into the school hall yesterday afternoon to tell them," Mr Davis said.

"I also made them aware that support is available from Telford & Wrekin Council’s counselling service and they have been at the school all day today for pupils to talk to if they feel they need it.”

Two cities in the West Midlands will showcase the ceramic poppies created for the 100th anniversary of the start of World War one.

Hereford Cathedral will host the poppies between March and April next year, before they move on to Stoke-on-Trent later in the summer.

The cathedral says, external: "Such a privilege to be involved in this with all our partners - a great accolade for the cathedral, the city and the county".

A motorist doing 95mph on the M6 while three times the drink-drive limit was among those arrested during a police crackdown on foreign criminals using the region’s roads, West Midlands Police said.

The Latvian man, 29, was stopped as part of Europe-wide Operation Trivium. He was charged and bailed to appear before a court later this month.

A total of 97 vehicles were stopped, 42 were seized and eight people were arrested during last week’s operation.

Dozens of Central Motorway Police Group and traffic officers joined forces with the Motor Insurers Bureau, the Environment Agency, the National Crime Agency and the DVSA.

Express and Star

Here are some of the top stories in today's Express & Star:

• Rowley Regis saucy snap couple were disrespectful, say Express & Star readers, external
• Under 9s football match in Wolves is watched by more than half a million people, external
• Dudley takeaway's former owners fined after rat droppings found, external

Police are investigating after a Coventry supporter invaded the pitch to confront players during Tuesday's home defeat by Forest Green Rovers.

The man shouted at Sky Blues players before eventually being escorted off the pitch by club captain Michael Doyle, and then a steward.

Image source, Getty

Coventry lost the Sky Bet League Two fixture 1-0, with Keanu Marsh-Brown's first-half finish proving the difference. The incident involving the supporter happened in stoppage time, before the Sky Blues' second league defeat of the season at the Ricoh Arena was confirmed.

The force said the man's details have been taken by officers and he will be interviewed "in due course".