William Kingham, 15, died at the scene in Solihull on 23 November 2020.

Designs for a coronavirus memorial garden have been released by Birmingham City Council.

The council is developing a proposal to work with local communities on a series of gardens across the city, in recognition of how the virus has affected all parts of Birmingham.

The central feature is a pebble bed that would give communities the opportunity to write the name of someone lost in the pandemic on one of the stones.

Image source, Birmingham City Council

Council leader Ian Ward said: "The last year has been a time of grief and heartbreak for too many people in Birmingham as communities and neighbourhoods right across the city have experienced loss and tragedy and it's important to remember and pay tribute.

"Our initial designs are an excellent starting point and will help us develop ideas in partnership with the people of Birmingham."

The convicted youth claimed he acted in self-defence when he killed Nasir Patrice in January last year.

More than 800 weapons have been recovered from surrender bins distributed across the West Midlands.

Knives, knuckle dusters, bullets and even a bayonet have been recovered from the 19 post box-sized containers, which have been placed around the region in an initiative by the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner.

An extra knife bin is due to open in Coventry in the next few weeks.

Police are urging people selling goods online to remain vigilant, after con artists scammed West Midlands residents out of more than £125,000.

Image source, West Midlands Police

People who advertise goods on sites such as Facebook, Gumtree and eBay are being urged to take extra care before handing over items.

It's amid ongoing fraud reports in the last six months, mainly involving high-value goods such as watches and mobiles, West Midlands Police said.

At a meeting someone will inspect an item and agree to pay for it via bank transfer, although a fraudulent cheque will be paid into the victim's account with the funds showing as pending.

The victim will hand over goods thinking a payment has been completed, but the cheque will later bounce back unpaid. Det Con Edward Spokes said: "Anyone selling goods online should check with their banks that any payments have cleared their accounts before handing over goods.

"Funds shown as pending in the account do not necessarily mean that the payment has been completed."

Talented saxophonist Colton Bryan had been stabbed several times and died at the scene, police say.

Ameen Thabet is told he will serve a minimum of 18 years in prison for the murder of Najeeba Al-Alriqy.

The corporation is to relocate some news services and make more primetime shows in the region.

Disabled rower Xander Van Der Poll has been selected for the British Rowing's talent programme

BBC Midlands Today

At least one new drama series and one new entertainment series will come from the West Midlands under plans by the BBC.

Changes to the corporation will include relocating Radio 1's Newsbeat team to Birmingham, which will also be the base for the Asian Network.

The BBC is to move some of its key departments and staff outside London to make it more reflective of the UK as a whole.

BBC Radio Wolverhampton is to continue beyond its current temporary period and learning hubs are to be opened in the city and Birmingham to train young people for careers in digital media.

The corporation said its plans represent a "top-to-bottom change" and its biggest transformation in decades.

Chris Hopkins wants to try to prevent more children losing their mothers to cervical cancer.

BBC Midlands Today

West Midlands Police says it is stepping up efforts to prevent knife crime ahead of the easing of lockdown.

There will be extra patrols on the streets in problem areas as restrictions change, the force said.

This week officers have used knife arches to scan members of the public and searched parks and green spaces.

It is the work of Project Guardian, the force's youth violence prevention team.

BBC Weather

It is set to be a dull and cloudy day, but it should stay dry, with highs of 12°C (54°F).

Families met with the Home Secretary as part of their campaign for a full account into the blasts.

All pupils at Henley-in-Arden School will return to home learning until 29 March.

Thirty more bleed kits will be installed across the West Midlands after funding was granted to The Daniel Baird Foundation.

Lynne Baird, whose son Daniel, 26, was killed in a dispute outside a pub in the city in 2017, set up for the foundation to provide kits to people involved in stabbings.

The bleed control cabinet is designed to prevent a catastrophic bleed while paramedics travel to the scene of a stabbing.

It contains a tourniquet, bandages, scissors and gloves which can be used by members of the public, accessed through a code provided by the ambulance service.

The digger manufacturer says it will employ an extra 450 agency staff at its three UK factories.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

The number of empty homes in Coventry has doubled to more than 3,000 in 18 months, figures reveal.

The city council, which has been taking action to address the problem, said the pandemic was partly to blame as many student properties had been “unoccupied since July last year”.

Councillor David Welsh said it was a problem in cities “across the country”.

Image source, Getty Images

In February, Coventry had 3,212 homes which had been empty for six months or longer, compared to 1,451 in October 2019, a Freedom of Information request to the council found.

“We are working hard to bring unused and empty properties into use as it’s such a key priority for the council – and a home where families can move into is absolutely vital,” Me Welsh said.

Police will be able to cross-reference data with crime reports to see if offenders were in the area.

Vinnie, aged four, has had three open heart surgeries but is now in heart failure, his family says.