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  • Updates from Monday 30 April to Monday 7 May

  1. Staff at Northern Rail and Greater Anglia take strike actionpublished at 13:11 British Summer Time 9 May 2018

    Rail workers at two train companies have walked out again in a dispute over the role of guards.

    Rail, Maritime and Transport union members at train operators Northern Rail and Greater Anglia have staged a 24-hour strike.

    RMT union members on the picket line outside Wigan Wallgate StationImage source, Pat Draper
    Image caption,

    RMT union members on the picket line outside Wigan Wallgate Station

    The union argues passenger safety would be put at risk by getting rid of guards and extending driver-only services.

    Greater Anglia said it was running a normal service, but Northern services have been affected.

    Northern said a majority of its services would run between 07:00 and 19:00 BST but "many routes will start to wind down from late afternoon".

  2. Man due in court over murder chargepublished at 12:59 British Summer Time 9 May 2018

    BBC Hereford and Worcester

    A 47-year-old man charged with the murder of a woman who disappeared from the city two years ago is due to appear at Worcester Crown Court.

    Ian Palamountain, from Huskinson Drive, Hereford was charged with the murder of Terri Webb whose body was discovered in the River Wye in December 2016.

    Louise Patricia Bridges, 29, who is also from Hereford, has been charged with assisting an offender and is due in court at the end of the month.

  3. Football coach has award named after himpublished at 12:35 British Summer Time 9 May 2018

    BBC Radio Stoke

    A Staffordshire football coach, who has terminal cancer, is to have an award named after him.

    Russ Powell, who coaches in the ladsandads league in Kidsgrove, external, came up with a scheme called Russ' Rules, to encourage fair play in sport.

    Here's Russ' story.

    Media caption,

    Stoke-on-Trent coach with cancer writes sporting rules

  4. New sponsors for rugby club's academypublished at 12:25 British Summer Time 9 May 2018

    Holland & Barrett will sponsor Nuneaton RFC's new academy next season.

    The academy - which supports the under-16’s, 17’s and 18’s age groups - assists young player's transition to the senior rugby team.

    It follows the appointment of John Beart, a former Nuns and Bath prop, as academy coach.

    RugbyImage source, Jonathan Collett
  5. University bosses to earn more than £100,000 a yearpublished at 11:51 British Summer Time 9 May 2018

    Local Democracy Reporting Service

    Senior staff at Hereford's future university can expect to be paid more than £100,000 a year, budget documents reveal.

    The university's top earners would include positions such as the chief executive, chief operating officer, chief academic officer and chief marketing officer.

    Other senior officers can expect to earn anything between £50,000 to £80,000 with senior teaching team leaders on £65,000 per year.

    Hereford UniversityImage source, nmite

    Professor Elena Rodriguez-Falcon, chief academic officer, said it was vital to attract top international professors.

    The salaries are based on University of Warwick pay scales and analysis of vacancies in the Times Higher Education Supplement and jobs.ac.uk.

    The NMiTE university aims to open its doors to the first 300 , externalstudents at a purpose-built city centre campus in Hereford in September 2020, the council said. It will have 5,000 students by 2032.

  6. Alfie Dingley: Decision 'in four weeks'published at 11:33 British Summer Time 9 May 2018

    Monica Rimmer
    BBC News

    A decision on an application for six-year-old Alfie Dingley to be treated with cannabis oil for his rare form of epilepsy is due in about four weeks, his mother said.

    Hannah Deacon said in a Facebook post , externalthe Home Office are being "very good" and after initially saying it would take 16 weeks to reach a decision, they reduced it to four.

    Alfie, from Kenilworth, was taken to the Netherlands to take a cannabis-based medication in September. It reduced the number of seizures he had, his family said.

    Alfie and his mother HannahImage source, PA

    Hannah said Alfie is "doing well" and said it was a "fantastic result" that an application was allowed to be put forward.

    "We hope the decision will be favourable. If it isn't we'll kick up a big storm."

    The Home Office has previously turned down requests by the family to legally use the drug, saying that cannabis cannot be practically prescribed, administered or supplied to the public and can only be used for research under a licence.

  7. Police stations close in a bid to save moneypublished at 11:24 British Summer Time 9 May 2018

    BBC Shropshire

    Four Shropshire towns could see their police station buildings close.

    The buildings in Bridgnorth, Whitchurch (pictured) Wem and Shrewsbury town centre are closing to save money with police officers moving to other public service buildings by the end of the year.

    Whitchurch PoliceImage source, Google
    Quote Message

    I'm a big believer in making sure that communities have proper police spaces in their community, so local officers aren't having to drive miles and miles away. Our standalone buildings are expensive so we're going through a process in four towns in Shropshire to make sure we move away from standalone buildings to share with others.

    John Campion, Police and crime commissioner, West Mercia

  8. Student wins sculpture design contestpublished at 11:12 British Summer Time 9 May 2018

    A student has won a competition to have her sculpture design turned into an artistic landmark in Cradley Heath.

    Florence Thompson, 18, a second year student at Halesowen College, will have it brought to life by a local artist after she was picked as the winner by family-run business A Perry & Co (Hinges) Ltd.

    Florence ThompsonImage source, Perry & Co
  9. Woman bitten by adder at beauty spotpublished at 10:38 British Summer Time 9 May 2018

    The woman, in her 60s, was taken to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital for treatment.

    Read More
  10. Business grant promotes local business growthpublished at 10:26 British Summer Time 9 May 2018

    BBC Hereford and Worcester

    A Herefordshire company has received a £58,000 grant to help them expand and create new jobs.

    AW Trailers in Madley which has been in business for 25 years makes agricultural, commercial and industrial trailers.

    It has now extended its premises so it's able to make bigger vehicles.

    Extension of AW TrailersImage source, AW Trailers

    The money, from the Marches Building Investment Grant, external, is available to businesses across Herefordshire and Shropshire.

  11. Goal line technology to be used in Sky Blues play-offpublished at 10:12 British Summer Time 9 May 2018

    Goal line technology is going to be used in all EFL play-off games, including Notts County v Coventry, this coming weekend.

    The EFL have announced goal line technology will be used for all the play-off ties including the battle for League Two promotion semi finals on Saturday night.

    Goal line technology, HawkseyeImage source, EFL
    Quote Message

    Goal-line technology has been a welcome and significant addition to the Championship throughout the 2017-18 season, playing an important role in the outcome of the campaign. "It is therefore appropriate that the technology is incorporated into all play-off matches across all three divisions of the EFL given the magnitude of the outcome of every single game at this time of the season

    Shaun Harvey, EFL chief executive

    The Hawkeye technology will be used in all games in the Championship, League One and League Two end-of-season games after being used throughout the Championship run which has just ended.

  12. Evha Jannath death: Investigations 'taking too long'published at 09:51 British Summer Time 9 May 2018

    Jennifer Harby
    BBC News

    A family friend of an 11-year-old girl who died after falling from a theme park water ride said her inquest seems to have been "put on the back-burner".

    Evha Jannath, from Leicester, fell from the Splash Canyon ride on a school trip to Drayton Manor theme park exactly one year ago.

    The friend, who had a daughter on the same trip and who does not wish to be named, said investigations into Evha's death were "taking too long".

    Evha JannathImage source, Family handout

    "It would be good to have some form of closure," she said. "The accident at Alton Towers - things were resolved. What's happening about this young girl? Where were the safeguarding rules? It could happen again and one life is enough.

    "I have friends and family who have children in primary schools and when the schools send out details regarding theme parks, they just turn around and say, 'no thank-you'. That's the effect it's had on the community - nobody wants to go to a theme park."

  13. Man charged with terror offencespublished at 09:45 British Summer Time 9 May 2018

    A man has been charged with a terrorism offence following his arrest last week.

    Chez Copeland, 20, of Brookside Avenue, Coventry is accused of having notes relating to the manufacturing of explosives.

    He is also accused of two offences under the Explosives Act and possessing a stun gun.

    He's due before Westminster Magistrates later.

  14. Number of hate crimes reported is on the risepublished at 09:22 British Summer Time 9 May 2018

    Louise Hancock
    Newsreader, BBC WM

    The number of hate crimes reported in the West Midlands has increased in the last five years.

    About 2,300 were reported in 2013 - four years later this rose to almost 3,500.

    During the same period, the number of people charged with hate crimes rose from 14 to more than 300.

  15. Dogs rescued from hot cars over the bank holidaypublished at 08:58 British Summer Time 9 May 2018

    The RSPCA says it was called to 17 incidents in the West Midlands over reports that dogs were locked in hot cars.

    Across England the RSPCA received more than 200 reports, external over the three-day weekend.

    • Cheshire – 1
    • Herefordshire – 0
    • Shropshire – 2
    • Staffordshire – 5
    • Warwickshire – 2
    • West Midlands – 5
    • Worcestershire – 2
    Dog in a carImage source, RSPCA
    Quote Message

    Many people think it will be fine just to leave their pets for a minute or two but we know that this is all it takes for temperatures inside a car to soar to dangerous levels. Dogs die in hot cars – don’t let your pet be one of the number.

    Holly Barber, RSPCA campaign manager

    Anyone who sees a dog in a hot environment is urged to report it to emergency services, calling 999, says the the RSPCA.

    Temperatures reached 28C and marks the hottest Early May Bank Holiday weekend since the holiday was introduced in 1978.

  16. Panel to look at road safety after 'horror crash'published at 07:47 British Summer Time 9 May 2018

    A scheme to install safety measures at the scene of a horrific road accident is to be looked at in greater detail.

    Crash on Belgrave MiddlewayImage source, PA

    More than 28,000 people backed a petition, external for improving safety at Belgrave Middleway in Birmingham after six people were killed in a three-car crash in December.

    A business management committee has agreed it would be better if a small panel of city councillors spent time investigating possible safety measures, following a meeting yesterday.

  17. Windrush: City project offers specialist helppublished at 07:33 British Summer Time 9 May 2018

    BBC Midlands Today

    A foundation to help people threatened with deportation after being incorrectly identified as illegal immigrants has been set up.

    It's been named after Paulette Wilson who was held in Yarls Wood for several days despite arriving in the UK from Jamaica in 1968.

    Paulette Wilson

    The Paulette Wilson Windrush Citizenship Project, in Wolverhampton, is offering to help those who are at threat of deportation and in need of help.

    It is being backed by the city council and a team of skilled immigration caseworkers who will be on hand help people apply for British citizenship.

    Media caption,

    Windrush: What is the 'hostile environment' immigration policy?

  18. Moore named manager of the monthpublished at 07:20 British Summer Time 9 May 2018

    West Brom caretaker boss Darren Moore is the Premier League manager of the month for April after a run of three wins and two draws.

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