Rail services finishing early
Gunman jailed for 12 years for bowling alley siege
Freezing weather 'worst in a decade'
Several train services suspended
Man arrested over grandmother's murder
Live updates from Friday 2 March
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BBC Midlands Today
The minister for high speed rail says disruption caused by building the new line between Birmingham and London will be "kept to a minimum".
Nusrat Ghani told apprentices at the National College for High Speed Rail in Aston that they're working to protect people who live along the route.
HS2 is expected to be up and running by 2025.
National Express West Midlands said it has contingency plans in place to deal with freezing temperatures this week, and is planning on running normal services.
Image source, National Express West MidlandsBut the company said for the safety of passengers it will be "making judgments" about which roads buses will run on according to local conditions.
Customers are being advised to check on the company's website for the most up-to-date information.
Ben Godfrey
BBC Midlands Today
A court heard how a "grossly incompetent" builder - who falsely claimed to be part of the BBC show DIY SOS - subjected his victims to threats and intimidation.
James Carter, 40, was jailed for five years at Stafford Crown Court.
Jurors were told how a Stourbridge care home had paid out £18,000 for a new roof that started leaking within three weeks.
A woman from Solihull paid £80,000 for a house extension, but the quality was so poor she's had to pay a further £20,000 to put right.
When customers complained they were subjected to threat and intimidation.
Quote MessageThere were suggestions made that 'he and the boys would be around to strip the roof'. He told one 69-year-old lady that when someone had complained before the boys had been around and beaten them up and she was so frightened she locked herself in the house until he left."
Chris King, Dudley Trading Standards
Alex Hamilton
BBC Weather
Remaining very cold with clear periods tonight, but also the continued risk of a few light snow showers, with lows of -4C (25F).
Latest weather for the West Midlands
Campaigners in Leicestershire are calling for underused lines to be revived.
Read MorePort Vale striker Tom Pope is struggling with a growing hernia problem that might need surgery.
Read More
David Gregory-Kumar
Science correspondent, BBC Midlands Today
Can we do more to recycle and reduce the amount of plastic we throw away?
All this week I'll be looking at the impact of plastic pollution across the Midlands.
We start with a Shropshire company, Wenlock Spring, which is looking to radically change the plastic bottles it uses for its spring water.
The company fills 20 million bottles of water a year. Some bottles are glass and some are plastic.
Now it is looking to halve the amount of plastic it uses in some bottles, as it looks to launch a new line, using recycled plastic.
Quote MessageIt's more expensive and that's the challenge and that is possibly why it's not been taken up so quickly. It is about 20% more for us to put recycled plastic back into our bottles but as family business and personally, it is something we've done for a long time. We've invested into renewables on this whole site and so it fits in with our ethos."
Matthew Orme, Director, Wenlock Spring
Here are some of the stories being covered by the Hereford Times today:
"Incompetent" builder James Carter told customers his firm appeared on the BBC One programme.
Read MoreCallum Blake-O'Brien targeted 10 women with messages about murder, rape and torture.
Read More
Stuart George
Presenter, BBC Radio Stoke
A man is fighting for his life after being hit by a van as he attempted to "flag down" help after crashing on the M6, police said.
Drivers were caught up in miles of traffic for more than 10 hours after the M6 was closed in both directions in Staffordshire overnight and through much of the morning.
Police have now given more details about what happened.
Staffordshire Police say they were initially alerted to a Ford Mondeo crashing into the central reservation between junctions 13 and 14 southbound at 23:30.
Quote MessageThe 32-year-old male driver left the vehicle in lane three and attempted to flag down a number of passing vehicles. He's then gone on to the northbound carriageway and unfortunately he's then been struck by a Mercedes Benz van which was on the northbound."
Sgt Richard Moors, Staffordshire Police
The 32-year-old remains in a critical condition at the Royal Stoke Hospital, where he is being treated for extensive head and arm injuries.
Officers have thanked drivers for their patience while a detailed examination and investigation took place over a one-mile stretch of the motorway - both on the north and southbound carriageway.
Staffordshire Police is urging anyone who may have seen what happened or has dash-cam footage to contact the force.
A man crashed his car into the central reservation and was then hit by a van.
Read MorePrince Harry and Meghan Markle will visit Birmingham on 8 March, Kensington Palace has announced.
Image source, Kensington PalaceDuring the International Women's Day visit the couple will attend an event encouraging young women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and maths.
They'll also meet apprentices at the Nechells Wellbeing Centre.
Changes to organ donation laws in England could be named after 10-year-old Max. This is his story.
Read MoreHereford FC have confirmed midfielders Calvin Dinsley and Garyn Preen are to be allowed to move on so they can find more game time at another club.
Calvin Dinsley has had injury problems this season, while Preen has acknowledged that "he will struggle to get back in the team with everyone fit," the club said in a statement., external
Image source, Hereford FCThe Royal Marines received the Freedom of the City of Birmingham from Lord Mayor, Councillor Anne Underwood on Saturday.
They were the 16th armed forces unit to get the honour - which means they can “march with drums beating, bands playing, colours flying and bayonets fixed.”
Royal Marines awarded Freedom of the city of Birmingham.
These are some of the headlining stories on the Express and Star website today:
Stephanie Barnard
BBC News
A 999 call with a barking mad twist this afternoon - the owners of a dog rang the emergency services after it got stuck on the roof of a house.
Shropshire Fire Service said it received a call, external at 14:18 to Mill Bank in Wellington after a three-year-old dog called Rosie climbed out of a window.
Image source, Shropshire Fire ServiceThe owner said he couldn't get the animal off the roof and it was "slipping", so a fire crew was alerted.
A service spokeswoman said "the risk to life" meant a crew was dispatched promptly.
A good end to this "tail" - the dog was rescued within 20 minutes.
Image source, Shropshire Fire ServiceRoads and pavements across the region are being treated ahead of the freezing temperatures expected overnight.
The Local Government Association said councils were well prepared, having stockpiled 1.5 million tonnes of salt to help keep roads clear.
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BBC Business News
The former finance director of collapsed construction firm Carillion "dumped" the last of his shares at the earliest possible moment, MPs say.
Richard Adam sold shares worth hundreds of thousands of pounds in early 2017 as soon as he qualified for them after leaving Carillion in December 2016.
Image source, WolverhamptonMr Adam said he had sold them "when I was invited to do so by the company".
The information was published by the Work and Pensions and Business Select Committees, which are conducting a joint inquiry into Carillion's collapse.
