Homeless man named after street deathpublished at 21:37 Greenwich Mean Time 18 December 2017
The 38-year-old died after bedding down in the city centre in freezing conditions, a charity says.
Read MoreSummary
Simon Johnson death: Teenage burglar guilty of murder
Drunk passengers 'risk death on railway'
Children's home TV film prompts inquiry
Car theft 'relay' devices seized in Birmingham
Cash and phones found in police raids
Small police stations 'could move to community buildings'
Council's 'ludicrous' threat to evict Christmas tree
More flood alerts for the West Midlands
Darts prepares to say farewell to unlikely revolutionary
Updates from Friday 15 December
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Homeless man named after street deathpublished at 21:37 Greenwich Mean Time 18 December 2017
'Flexi-school' plan aims to stop school closurepublished at 18:57 Greenwich Mean Time 18 December 2017
Gavin Kermack
Reporter, BBC Hereford & WorcesterA Herefordshire primary school threatened with closure says changing the way it operates could help save it from shutting.
Only 20 pupils attend St Weonards Primary, a school which once had more 120 children on the register.
Image source, GoogleHerefordshire Council says it is consulting on the future of the school due to the falling numbers and one option could be closure., external
But Herefordshire Marches Federation of Academies, external, which includes St Weonards, says it's considering having it offer "flexi-schooling" with home-schooled children only attending part-time.
Quote MessageNow's not a great time to be closing a school, particularly an outstanding school and I know there are major housing developments planned so we really think we should be trying to keep St Weonards open."
Peter Box, Executive Headteacher at Herefordshire Marches Federation of Academies
Bonus point praise after Worcester Warriors defeatpublished at 18:54 Greenwich Mean Time 18 December 2017
Worcester Warriors head coach Carl Hogg said his side did well to get something out of their defeat by Oyonnax in the Challenge Cup.
Image source, Getty ImagesWarriors picked up a bonus point on Friday evening as they lost 27-20 away to the French team.
But they are seven points behind group leaders Connacht who took maximum points from their win over Brive on Saturday.
Quote MessageIf we could get ourselves a foothold in the game, I thought we were more than a match for them, having proved that last week, but it was very difficult to get the game into a free flowing game of rugby. It's very much about an arm wrestle in very difficult, tricky conditions."
Carl Hogg, Worcester Warriors head coach
Birthday daffodils for allpublished at 18:52 Greenwich Mean Time 18 December 2017
Allen Cook
BBC NewsEvery resident in the Telford area is getting a gift from the local council to mark the authority's 50th birthday - a daffodil bulb., external
Image source, Telford and Wrekin CouncilThe borough council has decided to plant 170,000 daffodil bulbs over the next few weeks on Hollinsgate Mound and two other verges along Rampart Way.
Major disruption on the railwaypublished at 18:50 Greenwich Mean Time 18 December 2017
The emergency services have dealt with the incident between Watford Junction and Milton Keynes Central, allowing lines to reopen, National Rail reports, external.
As a result of this, trains between London Euston and Milton Keynes Central may still be delayed by up to 90 minutes, cancelled or revised.
Major disruption is expected to continue until the end of service.
Virgin customers can use their tickets on the Chiltern services to and from Birmingham.
Bishop urges council to 'cooperate' over homelessnesspublished at 18:48 Greenwich Mean Time 18 December 2017
Lee Thomas
Newsreader, BBC Radio StokeThe Bishop of Stafford has told BBC Radio Stoke he wants Stoke-on-Trent City Council to meet with churches to try to solve the problem of homelessness in the city centre.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe authority has drawn criticism for proposing cuts of £316,000 to its homeless services budget , externalin 2018/19, rising to £1m in 2019/20.
It was also criticised for proposals which would have seen homeless people face a £1,000 fine if they were found sleeping in tents in the city - plans that were dropped last month.
Quote MessageWe need a lot of different responses, people working together. There's some excellent work that goes on in our city but those groups that are doing that work really do need to cooperate and expect cooperation from the city council."
Rt Rev Geoff Annas, Bishop of Stafford
CCTV images released in Arthur 'Bob' Gumbley investigationpublished at 18:46 Greenwich Mean Time 18 December 2017
Allen Cook
BBC NewsCCTV images have been released of men , externalwho "may know something" about items stolen during a robbery in which an elderly man was beaten in his home.
Image source, Staffordshire PoliceArthur 'Bob' Gumbley, 87, died in hospital three weeks after he was found with severe injuries on the floor of his home in Endwood Drive, Sutton Coldfield.
Four people arrested over the murder have been released on bail.
Image source, Staffordshire PoliceStaffordshire Police says they want to speak to the men in the photos in connection with jewellery and cash that were taken in the burglary.
The force also says it's offering protection to an anonymous source who's been giving them information already, saying they need to take a statement directly from them.
Second round drawn in FA Trophypublished at 18:41 Greenwich Mean Time 18 December 2017
Allen Cook
BBC NewsKidderminster Harriers will play Stockport County at home, external in the second round of the FA Trophy.
It's their reward after putting out last season's Trophy winners York City on Saturday.
Image source, Getty ImagesHere are the other ties featuring our local teams:
- Billericay Town v Stourbridge
- Wealdstone v Hereford
- Blyth Spartans or AFC Telford United v Bromley
- Spennymore Town or Gainsborough Trinity v Solihull Moors or Tranmere Rovers
Dissolving the dead: A guide to 'water cremation'published at 18:38 Greenwich Mean Time 18 December 2017
"Water cremation" is currently being offered as an alternative to burial or cremation in parts of the United States and Canada, but could it be coming to the West Midlands?
Media caption, How bones are crushed after alkaline hydrolysis
The technical name of the process is alkaline hydrolysis, but it is being marketed as “green cremation” and sees the remains of a person dissolved in an alkaline solution.
Footpath shut after river floodingpublished at 18:35 Greenwich Mean Time 18 December 2017
Allen Cook
BBC NewsThis photo gives you an indication of how high the river levels have got in Shropshire since the snow melted.
Image source, Shrewsbury PoliceShrewsbury Police tweeted that the footpath, external in this photo was shut in the town from the weir up to Castle Bridge.
The Environment Agency still has two flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible, in place for Shropshire., external
Date set for murder trialpublished at 18:33 Greenwich Mean Time 18 December 2017
Sophie Madden
BBC NewsA man is to face trial next year for the murder of a father-of-two.
Andrei Cosmin Ilie, 22, appeared at Birmingham Crown Court on Monday charged with the murder of Masoud Esmailian.
Ilie denied the charge and a trial was set for 21 May 2018.
Mr Esmailian, 46, was found fatally stabbed in his home in Montgomery Walk, West Bromwich, on 11 September 2015.
Image source, West Midlands PolcieImage caption, At the time of his death, Mr Esmailian's family said he "always thought of others before himself"
Wetland mapped by dronepublished at 18:30 Greenwich Mean Time 18 December 2017
Tim Page
News Editor, BBC Shropshire
Image source, Shropshire CouncilNew photos have been released of wetland in north Shropshire as officials look to map heritage sites with drones., external
Shropshire Council says the aim is to repeat the process every few years so they can analyse vegetation and see what changes.
The latest photos have been taken from a drone above The Mere in Ellesmere.
Image source, Shropshire CouncilVideo: Your 50-second weather forecastpublished at 18:27 Greenwich Mean Time 18 December 2017
Staying dry but becoming foggy over night with the chance of some frost developing by the early hours and lows of around 2C (36F).
Media caption, Latest weather for the West Midlands
Man dies after being hit by lorrypublished at 18:24 Greenwich Mean Time 18 December 2017
A pedestrian died after being hit by a lorry on the A446 on Saturday 16 December, police say, external.
The man, in his 20s, died at the scene close to the Belfrey and A38 island.
'Treacherous' road alert over car 'upside down' in ditchpublished at 18:21 Greenwich Mean Time 18 December 2017
Allen Cook
BBC NewsDrivers are being warned of "treacherous" conditions on some Worcestershire roads after a car left the surface and ended up on its roof in a ditch.
Image source, Hereford and Worcester Fire ServiceHereford and Worcester Fire Service said it happened on Hipton Hill, Lenchwick, near Evesham, just after 09:00, external and water was getting into the car when they arrived.
West Midlands Ambulance Service said both people in the car managed to get out by themselves and didn't need hospital treatment.
Tyrrells crisp maker set for second takeoverpublished at 18:16 Greenwich Mean Time 18 December 2017
BBC Business NewsUpmarket snack firm Tyrrells is set to be taken over for a second time in two years.
The Herefordshire-based maker of hand-cooked crisps was bought by Amplify Snack Brands for £300m in 2016.
Image source, TyrrellsNow, American candy firm Hershey's is reportedly close to buying Amplify Snacks for $1.6bn (£1.2bn).
Tyrrells, which started in Leominster in 2002, says it has seen revenues soar since the takeover last year.
In the papers: Link road openspublished at 18:12 Greenwich Mean Time 18 December 2017
These are among the top stories on the Ledbury Reporter website today:
Homeless veteran's tent 'slashed' as he sleptpublished at 18:08 Greenwich Mean Time 18 December 2017
BBC Wales NewsA former soldier from Shropshire woke to find his tent had been slashed in the night as he slept opposite City Hall in Cardiff, documentary footage has shown.
Media caption, Homeless man finds his tent vandalised in Cardiff
Alan, who served in the French Foreign Legion, took to the streets after returning from Iraq with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Originally from Telford, Alan came to Cardiff after feeling claustrophobic indoors as a result of his condition.
He is featured in the BBC One Wales documentary, Cardiff: Living on the Streets, to be shown on Monday at 22:40 GMT.
It comes as the city's council says the number of people sleeping on the streets of Cardiff has doubled in the space of a year
Cotterill: Blues weighed down by anxietypublished at 18:06 Greenwich Mean Time 18 December 2017
Birmingham City boss Steve Cotterill says the Championship's bottom club are totally lacking in confidence.
Read MoreStoke City fans' anger 'understandable' says managerpublished at 18:04 Greenwich Mean Time 18 December 2017
Matt Sandoz
Stoke City commentator, BBC Radio StokeThe Stoke City boss says anger from his club's fans over a poor run of form is "understandable".
Image source, Getty ImagesThe Potters lost 3-0 at home at the weekend to West Ham, their fifth defeat in six matches and have conceded the most goals in the Premier League.
At the final whistle there were chants of "Hughes out" and "sacked in the morning".
Quote MessageThat's understandable. Up to 75 minutes before the second goal, I thought the fans were absolutely magnificent, they were driving us on, totally behind us."
Mark Hughes, Stoke City manager
