We'll be back with our usual mix of news, sport, travel and weather from 07:00 tomorrow, but keep an eye out here for more updates this evening and into the morning.

Michelle Dawes
BBC Coventry & Warwickshire

Coventry's half-marathon will make a return next year after being cancelled this year due to dangerous cold weather conditions.

That had placed its future in doubt, especially with Coventry University Students' Union having only taking over running the event this year. , external

But today, organisers confirmed it would return on 24 March 2019, external and those who signed up to this year's event would be given "first crack" at entering.

The event will also be tied in with Coventry's celebrations of being a European City of Sport.

BBC Sport

Cyclist Dan Martin produced a superb late attack on the Mur de Bretagne to win stage six of the Tour de France.

Birmingham-born Martin went with a kilometre to go on the final climb and held off the late challenge of Pierre Roger Latour by a second.

Image source, Reuters

Team Sky's Geraint Thomas was part of a group three seconds behind but climbed to second overall after securing two bonus seconds during the stage.

Chris Froome was eight seconds back but Tom Dumoulin lost nearly a minute.

Andrew Hewkin
Newsreader, BBC Shropshire

An investigation is going to be carried out into links between the department responsible for England's forests and a holiday firm, the government has confirmed.

Forest Holidays was founded by the Forestry Commission in the 1970s, external with the aim of putting accommodation in forest locations.

Image source, Google

The Forestry Commission part-owns Forest Holidays,but insists it is an independent company and only a tiny percentage of its land is being leased by the holiday cabin firm. , external

However, it is accused of having a conflict of interest over a planning application for luxury holiday cabins to be built on its land in Mortimer Forest near Ludlow in Shropshire.

Local Conservative MP Philip Dunne today raised concerns in the Commons over the existing arrangements between the pair and the government says it's investigating them.

Footage of a woman pulling a hook from the animal's jaws is shared more than 500,000 times.

Claudia Berry
BBC News

A brand new company to deliver children's social care in Worcestershire will start operating from October 2019, following a damning Ofsted report last year.

Image source, Worcestershire County Council

The inspection found "widespread and serious failures" and the service was given an inadequate rating in January last year.

A government-appointed commissioner then ruled that the authority should hand over its children's social care department to an outside operator.

Today, the county council's cabinet approved , externalthat a completely owned council company called Worcestershire Children First would start in April 2019 as a "shadow" firm before going fully live on 1 October 2019., external

A knife, syringes and other discarded drugs paraphernalia have been removed from a Coventry park, police say.

Image source, West Midlands Police

Image source, West Midlands Police

The St Michaels Police team tweeted, external that the items, including a hockey stick and a crutch, had been safely removed from Lady Herbert's Garden.

Meat that has fallen on the floor at a major UK chicken supplier "is now being swept up" and "nothing is getting back on to conveyor belts", an MP says.

Members of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee visited the 2 Sisters Food Group's West Bromwich plant on Thursday morning.

The committee launched an inquiry into 2 Sisters, which has 12 UK sites, after undercover reporters alleged a range of food safety breaches - leading Marks and Spencer, Aldi, Lidl and the Co-op to stop taking chickens from the West Bromwich plant.

Image source, Getty Images

Neil Parish MP, the committee's chairman, told the BBC: "Meat that may have fallen on the floor is now being swept up and put into waste."

Citing Food Standards Agency visits, on-site CCTV and labeling improvements, Mr Parish said "there has been a real tightening up of the operation and that's what our inquiry was about".

He added: "I think [2 Sisters has] learned a lot of lessons - I think they needed to and they've done it."

Crewe Chronicle

The top stories on the Crewe Chronicle website this afternoon include:

• Cheshire East scraps investigation into former chief exec following resignation, external
• £500K revamp pub to create 45 jobs, external
• First ever thunderstorm warning issued for Cheshire, external

Allen Cook
BBC News

A cat's been rescued after getting stuck at the top of a telegraph pole., external

Image source, Staffordshire Fire Service

He was reported to the fire service just before 14:00 on Broadway Street, Burton-upon-Trent.

Firefighters got him down safely and he's now being cared for by the RSPCA.

Shefali Oza
BBC Midlands Today

Rain is spreading over from Wales, meaning some of us could see some showers over the coming days.

In other parts of the region there will be more sun.

The photographs feature female farmers including an 18-year-old pig farmer.

BBC Entertainment and Arts

Duran Duran star Simon Le Bon has denied sexually assaulting a fan, saying her story is "simply untrue".

Image source, PA

Shereen Hariri said the singer from the Birmingham band groped her while signing autographs at the record store where she worked in 1995.

Writing on Facebook, external, she said Le Bon was posing for photos when he grabbed her "butt cheek" and started "making his way down my butt to my genitals".

"I was shocked and completely frozen," she continued, adding that she is not seeking compensation, only an apology.

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Carl Jackson

Council bosses have vowed to publish a report assessing the impact of Brexit on Birmingham – but not the "secret" one which was shelved two years ago.

Birmingham City Council has made a final ruling stating it would not be in the public interest to release the original document which was drafted prior to referendum in 2016 exploring the implications of a leave vote for the city.

The authority declared the position has now "significantly moved on" and described the report as "obsolete".

However, with the UK set to formally leave the European Union in less than 12 months, the council has now pledged to produce an updated impact assessment, alongside the West Midlands Combined Authority, local businesses and academics, which will be published at a later date.

Lee Blakeman
Port Vale commentator, BBC Radio Stoke

The Port Vale chief executive believes their summer recruiting has been a success because they started early.

The club has brought in 11 new players in the transfer window and Colin Garlick said: "It's gone as well as it could have expectedly, It's really gone quite smoothly."

Image source, Getty Images

Most of the new players joined before pre-season training, with another 10 being released.

David Clark said his wife "nearly always" belittled him, making him feel "inadequate".

Wolves and Rui Patricio are reported to Fifa by Sporting Lisbon over the transfer of the goalkeeper from the Portuguese club.

Police launch a murder investigation after the attack in Birmingham.

Vicky Breakwell
BBC Hereford and Worcester

Parents fighting to save a respite centre say they won't give up campaigning even though they've been told it will now stay open until at least next April.

The Ludlow Road centre, in Kidderminster, is an adapted bungalow for physically disabled children , external- it had been threatened with closure as the county council looks to save money.

But the parents of the severely disabled children, who are able to stay there overnight, say it's a lifeline for their families and they threatened legal action.

Today, the council confirmed it would remain open until April 2019 but there were no guarantees beyond that.

However, it's promising to work with parents and carers to make sure they meets children’s needs.

Allen Cook
BBC News

A woman has been stabbed to death in Small Heath, Birmingham, prompting a murder inquiry. , external

Image source, Google

Officers say the 86-year-old woman was confirmed dead at the scene, on Aubrey Road, and an 18-year-old man's in hospital with several stab wounds, which aren't thought to be life-threatening.

The force says officers have cordoned off the area and are carrying out door-to-door inquiries.