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You've been having your say in the West Midlands on news that parents have been fined millions over truancy and term-time holidays.

It's emerged that, in England and Wales, the total number of fines run to £24m over the past three years, although there is variation across this region.

On the BBC Midlands Facebook page, Beckie Shewell posted, external: "The fine is still cheaper than paying an extra £1,000 to go away in school holiday time!"

But Zoe Basham wrote, external: "I couldn't think of anything worse than taking my kids out of school in term time. They have more than enough time off, they don't need extra."

Valerie Shilton typed, external: "It never ends even when your kids leave school. I still have to pay top prices because l have to work around college term times."

While Anne Cunningham wondered, external: "What happens on snow days? The parents want their children to go to school, but the schools won’t let them. Maybe the schools should be fined too."

BBC School Report

Ever wanted to present the weather? Year Seven pupils from Earls High School in Halesowen have been practising as part of BBC's School Report.

Students said it was a "once in a lifetime opportunity" and it had been an amazing day so far.

Jessica explained how a green screen was used for weather presenting and you couldn’t have a red screen due to body heat.

And Rylee told us how he wanted to be a weather person on the news.

BBC School Report

Pupils from a Coventry school have been helping develop and test an interactive game which helps spot fake news.

Students at Whitley Academy are launching the game, called iReporter, as part of today's BBC School Report.

Andrew Hewkin
Newsreader, BBC Shropshire

The former West Midlands MP Warren Hawksley has died, a few days after his 75th birthday.

He represented The Wrekin for the Conservatives betwen 1979 and 1987.

Five years after losing his seat, he became MP for Halesowen and Stourbridge, which he represented until 1997.

More recently, was a director of the anti-solvent abuse charity Re-Solv.

Plans being put forward by Paralympian Sir Lee Pearson for an Olympic-standard training centre built in Staffordshire, go before county councillors today.

The centre, which will be used to train horses and their riders, and include four stables, would be built on green belt land at his house in Bagnall.

Image source, Getty Images

The plans go before the authority's planning committee and a report by council officers is recommending they be approved.

The Home Office says it won't launch a separate inquiry into child sex exploitation in Telford, because there is already a national investigation into the issue - the IndependentInquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, external.

But it went on to say "it is for the authorities in Telford to decide whether a further review is necessary" - presumably similar to the one in Rotherham which looked into child sex exploitation.

Telford and Wrekin Council has previously said it wants any inquiry to be government-led to guarantee its independence.

Shropshire Star

Here are three headlines from today's Shropshire Star:

• Call for dedicated independent Telford inquiry likely to be rejected, external
• Murder trial told mother 'tried to revive son after finding him hanged, external'
• Homes plan for Telford recommended for approval, external

A 25-year-old man is arrested after allegedly attending a terrorist training camp.

The question of who should pay for an inquiry into child sex exploitation in Telford is yet to be resolved.

Labour-run Telford and Wrekin Council has called on ministers to commission an independent review, but there has been no official response from the Home Office so far, the BBC understands.

Image source, Google

The chair of the Telford Conservative Association, Councillor Nicola Lowery, has said initial discussions suggest the council will be asked to launch the investigation itself.

But Telford and Wrekin Council says only a government inquiry would ensure complete scrutiny and independence.

BBC WM Sport

The Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce says automatic promotion is still achievable despite their costly defeat by QPR.

That result left Villa seven points behind Cardiff, and 10 behind Wolves, with nine games left.

Image source, Getty Images

"For me, April is always the defining month," Bruce told BBC WM.

"The stupid international weekend doesn't help. But, after that, we've got six games. And we have that big weekend after Easter. Let's see where are then."

People who have bought tickets for Ronan Keating at Coventry's Ricoh Arena in March are to be given a full refund, as he's been announced as one of the headliners for a free festival in the city.

The former Boyzone frontman will play at the Godiva Festival on Sunday 2 September, said the city council.

All those who purchased tickets for the arena gig will have their accounts automatically credited, and those who paid cash will need to go direct to the venue.

BBC School Report

We're are Year 10 students from the Jewellery Quarter Academy in Birmingham who are visiting the BBC as part of School Report.

Will we be on TV today? We've already been let into the Midlands Today studio but the camera was off.

Pupils from eight schools are taking part in workshops at the Mailbox to find out more about how TV, radio and online works.

And we'll be interviewing them to see what they are up to.

Hundreds of pupils are visiting BBC studios today as part of BBC School Report day.

Thousands more pupils are reporting from their schools across the country on issues that are important to them.

The main themes this year include accuracy and authenticity in news reporting.

We'll have reports from students working alongside BBC journalists in the West Midlands.

Meanwhile, read some of the reports from across the country, find out how to spot fake news and try the new interactive iReporter game on the School Report website.

A weather warning for snow in the West Midlands , externalhas now been extended to Saturday, said the Met Office.

Image source, Met Office

A band of rain is expected to turn to snow early on Saturday morning, followed by scattered snow showers through the remainder of the day.

It's expected to affect mainly the east of the region on Saturday, extending through the area on Sunday.

A man's been arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences, from an address in Nuneaton, police say., external

He is being questioned at a police station in the West Midlands on suspicion of attending a terrorist training camp.

The arrest was pre-planned and intelligence-led, the force said, and there was no risk to the public.

Police are continuing to search the Nuneaton address.

The West Midlands has the highest infant mortality rate in England and Wales, new figures show.

For every 1,000 live births in 2016, there were six deaths during infancy, twice as many as in the East of England (3.1) and Wales (3.0).

Image source, Getty Images

Congenital anomalies account for a third of infant deaths, while others are attributable to sudden infant death syndrome - also known as cot death - and "immaturity-related conditions, such as respiratory and cardiovascular disorders," the Office for National Statistics (ONS) report said, external.

The number means the West Midlands has worse levels of infant mortality than Cuba, Bosnia and only slightly better than Chile, according to figures compiled by Unicef, the World Bank and the World Health Organisation, external.

The Ludlow MP and former health minister Philip Dunne says he's not surprised there is no news of funding for the reorganisation of hospital services in the county.

A review carried out by the NHS in Shropshire is suggesting a number of changes to hospital departments, but the proposals won't be put to public consultation until funding is announced.

Health bosses had been hoping for news in the Chancellor's Spring Statement on Tuesday, but Mr Dunne said he wasn't expecting any big tax or spending announcements.

Police in Birmingham were called to reports of up to 30 people fighting in the city centre - and ended up arresting a woman brandishing a rolling pin

Image source, West Midlands Police

The city centre policing team tweeted a picture , externalof the "weapon of choice" - they said, she'd been arrested for possession of an offensive weapon.

"Thankfully there was no change (sic) to inflict injury with it," the force said.

Blood stocks in Birmingham are currently "vulnerable," said the NHS, with donors being urged to come forward.

Currently, the unit in Birmingham, which supplies blood to hospitals across the West Midlands, has just 2.5 days’ worth of blood - down from a usual six days' worth.

Image source, Getty Images

Recent freezing weather and snow has led to some sessions being cancelled, with the equivalent of a day's worth of stock being lost, it said.

Stocks are particularly low on group O, group B and A positive blood.

Players have reminded their instructor phrases such as 'look at the flight on that' do not work.