Friends and neighbours of Atlantic rower Di Carrington will turn out in her home village of Pontesbury in Shropshire this afternoon to welcome her back.

The 62-year-old completed a two-month crossing of the ocean last week with team-mates Sharon McGrath and Elaine Theaker.

She's flying back from Antigua to Manchester this morning and is expected home around 15:00.

Marian McNamee
Reporter, BBC Coventry & Warwickshire

Striking lecturers at the University of Warwick say the industrial action they're taking today is "completely necessary and justified".

Javier Moreno said he understands anger by students at the disruption, but "they should understand that very, very little of their fee money goes to us, and actually it's just funneled to the top layers of management".

"My entire pension pot will be affected by this new scheme, which seems pretty brutal," he added.

Shropshire Star

Here's some of the stories the Shropshire Star is covering today:

• Crunch Shropshire Council vote on tax rise and leader's pay, external
• A5, A49 and A483 all feature in vision for huge roads revamp, external
• Neighbours left scared after woman murdered at Telford house, external

Two lorry drivers are due to face trial today following a crash on the M1 that left eight people dead.

Image source, South Beds News Agency

Ryszard Masierak, 31, of Evesham, Worcestershire, and David Wagstaff, 53, of Stoke-on-Trent, each deny eight counts of causing death by dangerous driving and four counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

The charges relate to a crash on the southbound motorway near Milton Keynes on August 26 2017, which killed seven Indian tourists and a minibus driver from Nottingham.

BBC Midlands Today

Patients in Walsall suffering from suspected strokes are to be treated at a new specialist unit at New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton.

Treatment is being transferred to the hyper-acute stroke unit from Walsall Manor Hospital from April.

The new unit will be open 24 hours a day and will provide complete care for stroke patients.

Rehabilitation treatment will continue to be provided in Walsall.

Coventry Telegraph

Some of the main stories on the Coventry Telegraph website today are:

• Stolen car hits wall in smash on ring road roundabout, external
• New fly-tipping hit squad to tackle worst areas, external
• Thieves stabbing car petrol tanks to steal fuel in Coventry, external

Police said the money would be used for "good causes and local projects".

BBC WM Sport

Wolves' lead at the top of the Championship was cut to nine points following a 2-2 draw with Norwich at Molineux.

Image source, Getty Images

The hosts were in the lead until the 93rd minute, when Nelson Oliveira scored with a long-range effort for the visitors.

Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo told BBC WM: "It feels like a punch. It goes in, then there's the final whistle. There's no time left and you've lost what you had.

"But football is like that. You have to be relentless and maintain your focus. John Ruddy has made so many saves and earned us so many points this season. We are not about individuals. We are a team."

BBC WM

Two recent attacks on Deliveroo drivers in Birmingham are being investigated, West Midlands Police said.

Image source, Getty Images

A number of riders told BBC WM they've been threatened with weapons as they deliver food around the city.

"They've started attacking people at traffic lights," one driver said, "as soon as you stop... they're coming at you with weapons."

"One [rider] is at home right now because his bike's got stolen, and another guy has been on a month off work... because he said he was too scared to work."

Deliveroo says riders should be able to make deliveries in Birmingham without the fear of violence and they are working closely with the police and council to ensure riders feel safe.

Lecturers at Keele, Warwick and Aston are among 64 universities across the country taking part in 14 days of action over changes to lecturers' pensions.

Image source, University of Warwick

Members of the University and College Union say they are striking because changes to the Universities Superannuation Scheme will leave a typical lecturer almost £10,000 a year worse off in retirement.

Petitions signed by 80,000 students, many backing the lecturers, are demanding refunds for lost teaching.

But the employers' group Universities UK says the scheme has a deficit of more than £6bn which it cannot ignore.

A new drop-in cancer centre, set up in memory of 11-year-old fundraiser Harry Moseley, opens in Birmingham on what would have been his 18th birthday.

Harry raised more than £750,000 by making and selling bracelets for his Help Harry Help Others campaign before his death from a brain tumour.

The original centre run by his mother had to close due to land regeneration.

Rich Davis
BBC Weather presenter

After a misty start it should be a dry day with sunny intervals and highs of 5C (41F).

Vanessa Pearce
BBC News

Welcome to our live service for Thursday.

We'll be bringing you all the news, sport, travel and weather for the West Midlands.

We love to hear from you so share your news, thoughts and photos of the area with us via email, Twitter, external and Facebook., external

Wasps centre Gaby Lovobalavu is banned for four weeks after being found guilty of a dangerous tackle.

Ellen White scores twice as Birmingham City Ladies beat title-chasing Manchester City in Women's Super League One.

Jonny Evans is set to regain the West Brom captaincy for Saturday's game against Huddersfield following an incident in Barcelona.

Chicken is going to waste as lorry delivery drivers queue for hours at the site, it is claimed.

The victim remains in hospital in a serious but stable condition after being attacked in Portsmouth.

West Midland Safari Park said that at no time was anyone in danger and a ranger was on hand.

Visitors were inside the lion enclosure for more than half an hour after rangers shut the gate.