Work has started on the new West Bromwich Collegiate Academy.

The school, run by Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust, is set to open in September next year to 150 year-seven pupils.

Each year another 150 pupils will join until the school gets to its capacity of 750.

Image source, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council

It would be the second high school to open in Sandwell in three years, the council, external said.

Cabinet member for children’s services Simon Hackett said: "There is no secondary school nearby so West Bromwich Collegiate Academy will mean local children won't have to travel as far to get to their nearest school."

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Tom Davis

A £2.38m project to put 10 new electric buses on Coventry’s roads has been backed with new funding.

Image source, Getty

Coventry City Council, external has been awarded £237,000 from The West Midlands Combined Authority towards its low emissions bus scheme.

The grant will help support a joint project between the council and National Express to buy 10 new electric buses for the city (generic image above).

Funding will also contribute to installing charging points at Coventry’s bus depot, as well as solar panels to generate the electricity for the charging points.

Funding is only 10% of the full cost, with the remaining balance coming from a bid made to the government’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles, with a decision expected this month or December.

Two MPs have called for an independent inquiry into the way a Falklands war veteran was discharged.

Gus Hales from Brecon claims he was poorly treated by Combat Stress, the national veterans' charity, and has been on hunger strike outside the charity’s site in Newport.

Now, the Wrekin MP Mark Pritchard, and Brecon and Radnorshire MP Chris Davies say they're backing Mr Hales's calls for an inquiry.

The two MPs have written to Sue Freeth, Chief Executive of Combat Stress, and Defence Minister Tobias Ellwood asking for the inquiry to be set up as soon as possible to look into the failures in his care.

They've also written to the chief executive of the Care Quality Commission.

Oldham Athletic sign West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Alex Palmer on a seven-day emergency loan.

Teenager Jack Withers has said thank you to the German national who gave his bone marrow.

The well-known Coventry businessman Harry Shaw has died aged 87, his family said.

He set up one of the city's most popular coach holiday firms in 1964, which is still running in the city.

He first began trading as a milkman in 1951, bringing in one of the first milk vending machines into the UK.

His son Robert said at its height the company was taking more than 100 coaches every week to UK resorts on its Saturday seaside service.

"It's a lovely thought that he touched so many people's lives, and people from all walks of life. It's incredible the effect that my dad's had on people," he said.

Hereford Times

Here are three headlines from the Hereford Times today:

• Ex-council leader told to apologise after misconduct, external
• Over £5m to be invested in county roads this winter, external
• Information needed to identify mystery soldier, external

Louise Brierley
BBC News

Patients at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham can request a visit from a dog as part of a scheme designed to enhance their recovery.

The scheme has recruited eight specially trained dogs ranging from a chihuahua to a mountain dog.

The Pets in Hospital initiative has been launched across elderly care wards but any patient is eligible for a visit unless they are isolated for infection reasons.

BBC Coventry & Warwickshire Sport

Wasps Director of Rugby says he doesn't see new signing Michele Campagnaro as a direct replacement for Christian Wade.

He said the move was prompted by the winger's decision to quit Rugby Union and pursue an NFL career, but saw the Italian as a player to add depth to their backs.

Image source, Getty Images

The 25-year-old will join up with Wasps until the end of the season after the autumn internationals.

Armed police were called out to reports of a man pointing a gun to a motorists head in Wednesbury last night, only to find it was a man holding a mobile phone to his ear.

West Midlands Police said it was a "false alarm" caused by a "panicked member of the public" and that it had to "always take reports of suspected armed crime seriously".

Image source, West Midlands Police

Elsewhere, the force said its armed response vehicles made two drugs arrests and it said "last night’s shift is a snap-shot of the kind of incidents our armed officers attend".

Local Democracy Reporting Service

The rising number of threats made online could be reduced through better education, a senior Staffordshire Police Officer has said.

Figures released by the force revealed that crimes categorised as “other violence against the person” increased from 17,297 incidents to 18,955 incidents in the last 12 months, with half of that increase categorised as online threats.

Image source, Thinkstock

Deputy Chief Constable Nick Baker said: "Some of this is about educating and understanding that you can’t threaten people online. It's no less of an offence than threatening face to face."

Stoke-on-Trent Live

Here are three of the main stories on the Stoke-on-Trent Live website this morning:

• Plumber injured in vicious pub attack, external
• Teenage drug dealer allowed to walk free from court, external
• Family of man finally get answers over how tragedy unfolded, external

BBC Coventry & Warwickshire Sport

The Sky Blues are out of their second cup competition in a week after losing their Checkatrade Trophy game with Cheltenham Town 2-0.

They were beaten in the first round of the FA Cup at the weekend, so this result means they are out of all cup competitions this season.

Image source, Getty Images

Mark Robins said afterwards there were some bright spots, including Jack Grimmer and Jodi Jones getting more game time.

Birmingham is one of six cities to get faster 5G mobile networks under plans revealed by EE, following a trial.

The move could see users in Birmingham, London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Belfast and Manchester get data at speeds faster than 10 gigabits per second by mid-2019.

By the end of next year, another 10 cities should also get access, including Coventry. But EE said users would "pay a little more".

Image source, Getty

Other UK networks are now trialling 5G to accelerate their rollout next year.

As part of a separate project to combat low broadband speeds in rural areas, 5G will also be trialled in parts of Shropshire and Somerset.

Earlier this year we saw a huge response from people across the West Midlands who had inadequate mobile phone coverage - in some cases even unable to send texts or make a call in parts of big towns.

Are you looking forward to 5G? Let us know what you think.

BBC Coventry & Warwickshire

A £7.5m scheme to improve Nuneaton town centre has been announced by the borough council.

It will involve development around Vicarage Street and the railway station, but specific details haven't yet been revealed.

Image source, Google

The scheme has been funded by the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership.

Izzi Seccombe, leader of Conservative-run Warwickshire County Council, hopes the funding "will act as a catalyst" to attracting private sector investment to the town.

People in Crewe are going to be asked what can be done to improve the town's reputation.

The town council is behind the consultation and says it wants to create a new brand and make people proud of the place they live in.

Image source, Google

Worcestershire's Moeen Ali managed just 10 runs, before he was out lbw in England's match against Sri Lanka.

It looked as if the delivery was going past the leg stump, but Suranga Lakmal appealed and he was given out on a review.

Image source, Getty Images

England are now 234-9 on day one of the second test in Kandy.

Shropshire Star

Here are some of the stories to make the early headlines in today's Shropshire Star:

• Judges to rule on possible right-to-die appeal for Shrewsbury man, external
• Fund for Broseley youngster tops £630,000, external
• Teenager tells court he did not think he had killed man, external

The MP for Mid Worcestershire says he is "rather tired" of some of his fellow members of Parliament "who have a big stroppy hissy fit" if they don't get the Brexit terms they want.

Nigel Huddleston said he wasn't including cabinet members in that - instead he was referring to "other colleagues who are no longer in the cabinet".

He said he was annoyed with people commenting before they'd seen the text of Theresa May's agreement, and accused some people of being "ideologically wedded to their pure vision of Brexit".

Children in Need

Today's leg of the BBC Children in Need rickshaw challenge takes the riders through Worcestershire and Shropshire., external

It sets off from Malvern this morning and is due to finish at the Blists Hill Victorian town this evening.

Today's route takes the team through Leigh Sinton, Martley. Clows Top, past Cleobury Mortimer and Kinlet, then past Bridgnorth, through Broseley and Jackfield before reaching the museum in Ironbridge.

Tomorrow it will leave Ironbridge and travel north through Telford and Shropshire and up into Wales.

Last year's challenge, which features on the One Show, raised over £21m for BBC Children in Need.