Jack Dowling
Journalist, BBC Radio Stoke

A man's been jailed for 15 years after beating a man so severely police say the victim had to be put in a coma in hospital for almost a month, external.

The attack, in February 2017, started on Warwick Street in Stoke-on-Trent with Christopher Stevens going back and continuing it as the 36-year-old man victim being helped away.

The victim, who police say had previously been in a relationship with Stevens' sister, suffered fractures to his face, bleeding on the brain and broken ribs.

Image source, Staffordshire Police

Stevens, 31, of Waterloo Road, Stoke-on-Trent, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

Andrew Hewkin
Newsreader, BBC Shropshire

The New Saints football club has issued a statement outlining the benefits it brings to its home town following claims it has failed to pay back some money it was awarded.

The Oswestry club was awarded a grant of £80,000 from Shropshire Council's Market Towns Revitalisation Programme in 2012 which went towards installing a stand to seat an extra 500 spectators.

Oswestry Town Council says it wants more information about the agreement and one councillor, Duncan Kerr, is asking for some of the money to be repaid as agreed.

TNS says the extra seating enabled it to stage a number of Champions League games, with around 40,000 people attending these and other domestic games.

The Welsh Premier League club says without that support the matches would have been played in Wrexham or Newtown and Oswestry's economy would have missed out on more than £4m.

Allen Cook
BBC News

The father of James Brindley says he was about to start a health and fitness business before he was stabbed to death last year.

Image source, West Midlands Police/PA Wire

Mark Brindley says those plans were shattered by 17-year-old Ammar Kharod's "calculated, cold-blooded, and cowardly" actions.

He told the court his daughter had burst into their room that night in June "screaming, James had been stabbed".

A project to build around 300 new homes in Kidderminster has recieved £2.7m from the government.

The Churchfields Urban Village Highway Scheme aims to build the houses and improve some of the roads in the area.

Image source, PA

Wyre Forest District Council took on the project in 2011 with work due to start next year.

Anthony Boyd is accused of murdering Robert Eacock, 33, who died after being attacked in Hereford.

Joshua Ribera's mother said she had "dreamed" of holding the event since he was stabbed to death in 2013.

James Bond
Sports Producer, BBC Shropshire

The Shrewsbury Town manager is worried about players picking up injuries due to the state of the club's pitches in the current wet weather.

Paul Hurst says there were four or five incidents during training yesterday when he was "cringing".

He's looking for alternative venues or to make changes to their training regime.

Ex-SAS soldier and novelist Andy McNab had campaigned for a home for Bob Curry.

Allen Cook
BBC News

Charlotte Brindley, sister of murdered James Brindley, says his 17-year-old killer destroyed everything dear to her family.

Image source, West Midlands Police

She told Birmingham Crown Court James was

She told his murderer, Ammar Kharod, that if her brother had seen him in trouble "he'd have done everything in his power to help them".

Only one lane is open on the M40 northbound in Warwickshire while emergency services deal with a collision. Queues go back for five miles.

Allen Cook
BBC News

Here are some of the top stories from Staffordshire's newspapers:

• Tamworth Herald: Highway regulations ‘may put Tamworth food van out of business’, external
• Lichfield Mercury: Make-up mirror sets curtains on fire at Rugeley care home, external
• Burton Mail: Burton brewer Marston's to invest £8 million into town and create new jobs, external

Andy Giddings
BBC News

The Telford Tigers are to play the first of four games against the Hull Pirates which could decide the winner of the National Ice Hockey League's northern division.

The two sides are just a few points behind league-leaders Sheffield Steeldogs, so neither can afford to lose.

In the Elite League, Coventry Blaze (pictured below) play games away to Manchester Storm and then at home to the Guildford Flames.

Image source, Scott Wiggins

The Solihull Barons face the long trip to Scotland to play the Solway Sharks on Saturday, before starting a run of four successive home games.

The former Royal Doulton and Wade pottery factories are among nine sites to benefit from the money.

BBC Business News

The collapse of the Carillion group will result in 377 staff being made redundant, the official receiver said today.

But some 919 workers at the Wolverhampton-based giant construction and outsourcing firm have had their jobs protected.

Image source, Carillion

The staff whose jobs have been saved are involved in infrastructure projects, central and local government, and construction contracts and are transferring to new employers who have taken on the work.

Those who have lost their jobs will be entitled to make a claim for statutory redundancy payments.

James Bond
Sports Producer, BBC Shropshire

The New Saints go into tonight's Welsh Premier match against Cefn Druids with a 12 point lead at the top of the table, and just 10 games remaining.

They've been helped by the arrival of Irish striker Dean Ebbe, who has experience of playing in the Scottish Premiership with Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

Ebbe scored twice on his TNS debut last week in a cup win over Caernarfon.

Jennie Aitken
Reporter, BBC Radio Stoke

Rubbish, including human excrement, and used syringes dumped in a city should be cleaned up later today.

Items associated with drugs use and other waste had been left in parts of Smallthorne, Stoke-on-Trent, according to local residents.

They said it was attracting rats and ruining life for the community and they were worried the problem would spread.

The city council had told BBC Radio Stoke it was not aware of any new complaints in the area but a cleaning team from the authority was sent there this morning.

Worcester News

These are among the headlines from the Worcester News:

• Bushwackers boss Darren Pinches denies using cocaine to 'stupefy' alleged sex attack victim, external
• Acid robber jailed for One Stop shop raid, external
• Record-smashing tractor show sows the seeds of success, external

Judge Thomas, sentencing Ammar Kahrod over the death of James Brindley, told him there was no good reason for carrying a knife.

"You claim it was for self-defence," he said.

"I do not accept that explanation from you, given the series of lies you have told throughout this case, but even if it were true it would not amount to an excuse for carrying a knife on the streets."

Image source, Family handout

He added the courts, police and public were deeply concerned about the growing trend for young men and boys to carry knives.

Kahrod, 17, was found guilty of the murder of James Brindley, who was stabbed in the heart as he walked home from a night out in Aldridge last year.

Hereford Times

These are some of the headlines from the Hereford Times website:

• Man charged with murder of Rob Eacock, external
• Parents' anger as school suggests segregating ill children, external
• Health bosses reintroduce flexible working, external

Allen Cook
BBC News

A teenager sentenced over the stabbing of James Brindley was told it happened because he carried a knife.

Image source, West Midlands Police/PA Wire

Judge Patrick Thomas QC, told Ammar Kharod: "James Brindley died because you carried a knife", branding his crime a "terrible tale".

The 17-year-old will be detained for at least 17 years and will be on licence for the rest of his life.