Burton Albion sign West Ham United's Norway international forward Martin Samuelsen on loan.

The family of murdered Megan Bills have spoken of their heartbreak.

Miss Bills had been adopted at the age of seven and lived in Stourbridge.

Her family said 2017 was meant to be "such a special year" as they would be "not only celebrating 10 years since Megan’s adoption hearing but also Megan’s 18th birthday, which we had planned to celebrate with both family and friends."

Image source, Police handout

"To have lost Megan is hard enough, but to try and understand the impact, when coupled with the facts that her body was concealed until it had rotted beyond recognition is clearly painful beyond words, and demonstrates an evil cruelty beyond any decent comprehension.

"The on-going trauma we are living with is due in part to being denied the closure obtained from being able to see and hold Megan after she had died.

"The dynamics of our family have been broken - this vile and tragic event has robbed us of so much. Mentally and physically we are all changed people. We will have to deal with the impact of Megan’s death forever and it will affect the rest of our lives."

James Brindley was stabbed to death on his way home from an evening out with friends.

Allen Cook
BBC News

Two soldiers from Herefordshire and Worcestershire are in the final stages of their attempt to be the first all-female group to cross Antarctica.

Image source, British Army

Major Sandy Hennis from Redditch and Captain Zanna Baker from How Caple are part of the British Army six women-team called Ice Maiden., external

They set off in November on their thousand-mile journey, facing temperatures of -40C and are expected to finish their journey this weekend.

The badly decomposed body of Megan Bills, 17, was found 18 days after she was strangled.

Birmingham City left-back Jonathan Grounds signs a new two-and-a-half-year deal with the struggling Championship club.

Andy Giddings
BBC News

A minute's silence has been held for an AFC Telford United fan who had been volunteering for the club since 1955.

Derek Wellings went on to work for the club and later became a life member, remaining on the staff until 2014.

Image source, Tim Roberts

He passed away earlier this month and fans held a minutes silence before the game against York City.

Kidderminster Shuttle

The Kidderminster Shuttle's covering these stories today:

• Food bank overwhelmed by 'awe-inspiring' response to break-in, external
• Public dig deep to help Severn Valley Railway restore vandalised carriages, external
• Lovebirds celebrate 70 happy years together, external

Vicky Breakwell
BBC Hereford and Worcester

A woman has launched a fundraising campaign in support of a liver surgeon who was fined £10,000 for branding his initials on the livers of two patients.

Simon Bramhall, 53, used an argon beam machine to write his initials on the organs of the anaesthetised patients in 2013 while working at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Bramhall, of Tarrington, Herefordshire, admitted two counts of assault by beating in December at Birmingham Crown Court.

But Barbara Moss from Worcester's told BBC Hereford and Worcester he has saved hundreds of lives and wants him to continue his work.

She's started a campaign to try and raise £10,000, external, matching the fine, and donate it to The British Liver Trust to "show Simon how much he is appreciated".

Joe Baldwin
News Editor, BBC Hereford & Worcester

Redditch MP Rachel McClean says the boss of the NHS trust that runs Worcestershire's main hospitals "must do better".

She says she's still very disappointed Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust remains in special measures, despite inspectors saying improvements have been made.

The trust's chief executive Michelle McKay said the report helped it to identify areas where "further work is needed".

An alleged victim of ex-football coach Barry Bennell says a chief scout was aware of abuse claims.

BBC WM Sport

First team coach Neil Cutler has left Walsall FC for West Bromich Albion.

Cutler joined The Saddlers as goalkeeping coach in June 2013.

He told the club's website, external, when the Baggies approached him, it was an offer he couldn't turn down.

"Going to the Premier League with a team like West Brom – who were my club when I was growing up – was an offer I just couldn’t turn down."

Lee Blakeman
Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke

A woman who suffered severe burns in a house fire in Stoke-on-Trent this week was smoking in bed when it happened, the fire service says.

The fire was already out when crews arrived on Turnhurst Road, Chell on Monday, external but say the victim was seriously hurt and taken to hospital.

Staffordshire Fire Service say they believe the woman's smoking materials set the bedding on fire., external

Work on construction sites run by failed building firm Carillion is to pause while decisions on their future are made, says the Insolvency Service.

Carillion was undertaking a number of projects in Birmingham such as the Midland Metro Hospital and some construction as part of the Paradise Circus project.

Birmingham City Council has "called on the Government to ensure that the Carillion collapse does not slow the pace of economic regeneration in Birmingham."

Image source, Reuters

The Sentinel

These are among the main headlines on the Sentinel's website today:

• Online pranksters will not face police action after sneaking into leisure centre, external
• Children banned from walking to and from primary school, external
• Stoke City boss banking on Ryan Shawcross to help shore up defence, external

NHS trust apologises for "distress" five years after the death of Janice Smithen.

Ashley Foster, 24, has been sentenced to life in prison and will serve at least 26 years for the murder of 17-year-old Megan Bills.

A jury at Wolverhampton Crown Court found Foster guilty of murder earlier on Wednesday.

Image source, West Midlands Police

Miss Bills' body was discovered in a wardrobe 18 days after her death at an ex-offenders' hostel in Brierley Hill.

During his trial, the court heard how Foster told his mother in a letter that he had concealed the teenager's body after accidentally throttling her during consensual sex.

Rathore is told to expect a significant prison sentence after sexually assaulting four patients.

Allen Cook
BBC News

Worcester Cathedral or Birmingham's Millennium Point could play host to the spacecraft that carried Tim Peake to and from the International Space Station in 2016.

The Russian Soyuz TMA-19M capsule went on display last year at London's Science Museum.

Image source, Reuters

It is currently on a tour across the country, external to eight locations, seven of which have already been selected.

The Science Museum Group says the eighth, set to host from August, is the prize in a competition among a shortlist of five places, including Worcester Cathedral and Millennium Point, Birmingham., external

The other three places are Peterborough Cathedral, The Forum in Norwich and TR2 in Plymouth.

A judging panel will now visit all five and make a final decision in March.

BBC Radio Stoke

A mother of a son with autism says Cheshire East Council needs to do more to support children with special educational needs.

Olivia Jenkins, from Crewe, says her son Charlie has been rejected from eight schools in nine months and has been at home for nearly a year because of his autism.

Image source, Google

She told BBC Radio Stoke schools can't support the 13 year old's requirements.

Cheshire East Council says it's talking to a number of schools to try and find a suitable place to meet Charlie's "complex" needs.