The Silent Child, shot in Stoke-on-Trent and written by local actress Rachel Shenton, has been nominated for an Oscar.

Co-written with fellow former Hollyoaks actor Chris Overton the film is one of five shortlisted for the Live Action Short category.

It tells the story of a profoundly deaf four-year-old girl called Libby.

Mark Elliott
BBC News

Shropshire Council is trawling its staff for voluntary redundancies, in an attempt to save £9m from its budget by 2020.

Council leader Peter Nutting said this could mean 200 staff going.

The authority has also set itself a target of saving £1m over the next 12 months and hopes new technology and centralising services will help reduce costs.

At the moment it has no plans for compulsory redundancies, but that might change if insufficient savings are made.

The ceramics industry has been given a boost with more training being given so people can work in the industry.

Staffordshire University, based in The Potteries, bid for £200,000 to run more industry projects and close what the government calls a skills gap.

Staffordshire is one of 34 universities and colleges in England awarded a share of the £6.1m funding.

Graham McGarry
Crewe Alexandra commentator, BBC Radio Stoke

Aston Villa youngster Harry McKirdy says his manager, Steve Bruce, had a big influence in his loan move to Crewe Alexandra - because he likes the way they play football.

McKirdy could be in line to make his full debut this weekend after scoring as a substitute in Saturday's 3-2 defeat to Wycombe.

Image source, Getty Images

He said Bruce told him Crewe's passing style would suit his style of play.

Shropshire Star

These are three of the top stories from the Shropshire Star website:

• Man missing after fire destroys Shropshire house, external
• Police chase ends in three arrests, external
• Shropshire Council seeks voluntary redundancies, external

A 58-year-old man has been found guilty of murdering another man at a roadside cafe in Shropshire last summer.

The victim, Satnam Singh Blugher, 67, was found dead with serious head and torso injuries on 26 June at Tony's Diner, Halfway House, where he lived.

Image source, Shropshire Star

Belkar Singh, who is listed at living in Booth Street in Birmingham, is due to be sentenced at Stafford Crown Court later.

Crewe Alexandra will be without leading scorers Chris Porter and Chris Dagnall for several weeks because of injury.

Express and Star

Some of the headlining stories in the Express and Mail today are:

• Father still too ill to be questioned over fatal stabbing of eight-year-old Mylee Billingham, external
• Kier takes on Carillion employees and work on HS2 and smart motorways, external
• Location of Sandwell's Commonwealth Games swimming centre revealed, external

Two swimming pools are to close in the wake of the new Commonwealth Games aquatic centre.

Smethwick Baths in Thimblemill Road and the pool at Langley will be replaced by the new £60m centre in Smethwick.

Work on the new venue for the 2022 Commonwealth Games is due to start next year.

The play area at Londonderry Park will remain and an alternative site will be provided for the football pitches, Sandwell Council said.

What do you think about the proposals for the new aquatic centre and the swimming baths closures. Let us know via our Facebook page., external

Staffordshire Police say the teenager suffered stab wounds to her neck.

Zoe Dixon, 18, is an award-winning composer and learns all the pieces she plays by heart.

A 16-year-old girl is in hospital after being stabbed in the neck.

She was attacked in the grounds of All Saints Church in Branston Road, Burton at about 19:00 on Monday, police said.

Image source, Google

Her injuries are described as "significant but not life threatening".

The area around the church was sealed off to allow forensic examinations to take place, but have since re-opened.

James Bond
Sports Producer, BBC Shropshire

Shrewsbury Town manager, Paul Hurst, believes tonight's Checkatrade Trophy quarter-final against Oldham will be a competitive match with a Wembley final now in sight.

Some teams have used the competition to give match practice to fringe-players in the earlier stages, but Hurst says he has spoken to Oldham manager Richie Wellens and was told "they place a value" on the cup.

Hurst also said the team has "moved on" from the disappointment of Saturday's 2-2 draw against Doncaster - a result which saw them drop out of the automatic promotion places in League One.

Work has started on putting up the flood barriers at Frankwell, Shrewsbury, as the River Severn continues to rise.

Faith Page
Reporter, BBC Shropshire

A man is missing following a fire at a house.

The occupant of the house has not been accounted for following Monday night's fire in Oreton near Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire.

The property has been severely damaged and is in danger of collapse, Shropshire Fire and Rescue said.

The fire started at 23:30 and firefighters spent the night at the scene bringing it under control.

Specialist rescue teams are searching the wreckage.

The cause of the fire isn't known.

With big rewards on offer (the chance to play at St George's Park and go to the FA Cup final), it's also going to be an interesting time in the five-a-side transfer market in the coming few weeks!

It's time to get your team together for the 2018 FA People's Cup - the free five-a-side tournament that's back and even bigger than before.

But don't leave it too long - you might miss a good deal. Sign up here., external

Police appeal for witnesses after the woman was hit in Poplar Road, Smethwick, on Monday.

A display outside an art gallery is causing a stink in the West Midlands.

Dumped rubbish has been put on show outside the New Art Gallery in Walsall to highlight the problem of fly-tipping.

Image source, Walsall council

The rubbish, including old sofas, carpets and tyres, was collected by the council's green teams on Monday.

Council bosses say they're forced to spend more than £500,000 a year on clearing up dumped waste.

Image source, Walsall Council

Undercover enforcement officers will work to prosecute people found breaking the law, the council says.

Flood barriers are going up as the River Severn is expected to peak and more rain is forecast.

The barriers are going up in and around Shrewsbury.

All flood alerts for the West Midlands can be found here., external

A 16-year-old boy is in a serious condition after a stabbing incident in Birmingham yesterday evening, police say.

Officers believe the boy was attacked on Coventry Road, at the junction with Mount Pleasant in the Small Heath area, just after 18:00.

Part of Coventry Road was closed for a time to allow forensic investigators to examine the scene.