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James Bond
BBC Shropshire
It's the time of year when towns across the West Midlands start switching on their Christmas lights and hundreds turned out in Oswestry town centre last night to see Paralympian Marc Fosbrook press the button.
Image source, David PrestonLater today there will be a number of other light switch-ons, including Tipton and in Crewe, involving a giant winter light-projection.
Birmingham Prison is on a list of other jails where inspectors found that less than 80% of inmates were able to shower daily., external
A report by the Howard League for Penal Reform, external showed only 71% of prisoners at the jail in Winson Green said they could shower on a daily basis.
It says it's not good that the government is focused on cleaning prison buildings, when the inmates are left "smelly and dirty".
At HMP Featherstone in Staffordshire just 79% of inmates reported being able to shower daily.
Rye Hill prison, close to Rugby Warwickshire, registered one of the highest rates of 98%.
BBC Sport
Worcestershire's Moeen Ali is batting for England as they look to wrap up the test series in Sri Lanka with another win
The tourists lead the three match series 2-0 and earlier Johnny Bairstow made 110.
Image source, Getty ImagesMoeen is currently on 17 and England are 292-6.
More roads in the West Midlands - including motorways and rural routes - could be used to test driverless cars under a £19m scheme based out of the University of Warwick.
The project, led by Warwick Manufacturing Group, includes £11m of government funding and some of the money will be used to install roadside equipment to help tests.
Image source, University of WarwickThe Meridan 3 project, under the Midlands Future Mobility consortium, will allow driverless cars, developed using simulation and test tracks, to then be evaluated on roads in real-world driving situations.
Tests are already being carried out on about 50 miles of roads in Coventry, Birmingham and Solihull - the new project will extend that to include more rural and motorway routes across the region.
Business Secretary Greg Clark said self-driving cars would "revolutionise the way we move goods and people around the UK," and projects like this will help the government's ambition to have autonomous vehicles on the roads by 2021.
Here are three headlines from the Worcester News this morning:
Callers to an "over-stretched" police non-emergency line were left waiting up to an hour due to a spike in demand and staff shortages, a report has found.
Image source, PACheshire Constabulary blamed the rise in 101 calls on "prolonged hot weather" over summer, and also said many were "not police-related".
Acting Chief Constable Jeanette McCormick said answering times were now "improving".
But Police Commissioner David Keane said the delays were "unacceptable".
Mr Keane said the force was facing "a perfect storm of rapidly increasing demand and reduced government funding".
The first teaser trailer for Disney's live-action remake of The Lion King has been released with John Oliver, known for his US late night show, among the cast.
Image source, DisneyThe Birmingham-born comedian and actor will voice Zazu, the hornbill who acts as the king's adviser, a role originally taken by Rowan Atkinson.
Set to come out next summer, the film has other huge names attached to it including Beyonce, Donald Glover, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Seth Rogan.
It has been 24 years since the original Disney film was released.
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In case it's passed you by and your email, social media accounts and letter box haven't been swamped with special offers, today's Black Friday.
Originating in the USA as a way of kicking off Christmas spending after Thanksgiving, retailers promise big savings.
Image source, Getty ImagesIn all, UK consumers are expected to spend more than £2,000 each in the run-up to Christmas ,according to research by Adobe, external.
But the advertising regulator has warned consumers that some Black Friday deals may be misleading.
Research from the consumer group Which? last year suggested that most products were actually cheaper at other times of year, including in the run up to Christmas.
A man has been charged with kidnap, threats to kill and assault after an attack in Stafford yesterday which left another man with potentially life-changing injuries.
The 55-year-old is due to appear before before magistrates at the North Staffordshire Justice Centre in Newcastle-under-Lyme this morning.
Image source, Staffordshire PoliceHe was arrested after officers stopped his car on the M6 southbound yesterday.
Three members of a drugs gang, who knocked down a police officer on the A45, have been jailed.
Image source, Warwckshire PoliceLee Clarke, and Paul Dowman
Officers tried to stop a VW Golf and a Ford Transit on the dual carriageway in Coventry as part of an operation in November 2015.
The car was successfully brought to a halt, but the van sped off, knocking a police officer to the floor in the process.
Cash and drugs were s with an estimated street value of £40,000 were seized.
Image source, Warwickshire PoliceLevi Williams and Luke Clarke
The three men were jailed at a Warwick Crown Court on Thursday.
Lee Thomas
Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke
A fire at Church Lawton in Staffordshire, involving a lorry full of food, took nearly six hours to deal with last night.
It broke out at Red Bull Lights after 20:00 and firefighters say the trailer was well alight when they arrived.
There are still delays on the A34 this morning as four-way temporary lights are in place following the fire.
A fake council letter that prompted a police investigation was created for a school writing project, Telford and Wrekin Council has confirmed.
The local authority shared a warning on social media on Wednesday - calling for people not to be taken in by what it described as "fake news".
The letter, purportedly from the council and featuring its logo, warned residents that 3,000 homes would be built on park land.
Image source, Telford and Wrekin CouncilThe council has said it won't reveal the name of the school involved, nor whether it was a primary or secondary.
A van driver who was involved in a crash on the M6 in Cheshire earlier has life threatening injuries.
He was cut free from his vehicle and taken to the Royal Stoke University Hospital after the collision with a lorry on the motorway, heading south between Knutsford and Middlewich.
The road was closed for more than five hours for investigation and recovery work
Coventry Live
These are some of the headlines on the Coventry Live website today:
Telford's A & E unit may have been saved from overnight closure, but the leader of the local authority says there's still a significant threat to the unit.
Yesterday, the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust said it had recruited enough staff to keep the A&E open 24/7.
However, under plans to reorganise hospital services in Shropshire, the unit could ultimately end up being downgraded.
The Future Fit project was awarded £312m of government funding in March. Feedback from a public consultation is currently being analysed and the team are expected to make a final decision in early 2019.
Under the preferred option, emergency services and women and children's services would be centralised in Shrewsbury, while planned care, such as elective surgery and orthopaedics would be based in Telford.
Quote MessageThis is a battle won. However, there is a significant threat still to our A&E and our consultant-led women and children's unit, which is round Future Fit. My plea to health bosses and to the government now is to pause Future Fit, even if it's just this side of Christmas."
Shaun Davies, Leader of Telford and Werkin Council
A motor racing suit once worn by a Formula 1 driver, mysteriously donated to a charity shop, is to be auctioned off later.
It was worn by German driver Ralf Schumacher, when he drove for the Williams Formula 1 team in 1999.
Ralf Schumacher F1 suit given to Kenilworth charity shop
Staff at the Kenilworth branch of Scope were surprised when the suit was handed over by a mystery donor.
It will be sold at Derbyshire-based Hansons Auctioneers later with a guide price of between £2,000 and £3,000.
An advent calendar, featuring Phil Mitchell actor Steve McFadden is set to make hundreds of pounds for mental health charity Mind when it's auctioned later this morning.
Image source, @Coldwar_SteveMcFadden's Cold War advent calendar is the brainchild of Christopher Spencer, a Birmingham artist with strong political opinions behind the popular McFadden's Cold War Twitter account, which specialises in crude collages.
As in the Twitter feed, Eastenders actor Steve McFadden is the central figure of the calendar.
The auction ends at 10:30 with bids for the calendar currently up to £350.
The NHS trust running the hospitals in Shrewsbury and Telford is looking for a new medical director.
It's moving Dr Edwin Borman to a new role on the board, responsible for "clinical effectiveness" and plans to start recruiting for his replacement next week.
Image source, SaThThe medical director role brings another clinical perspective to the board and focuses on patient care - key issues as the trust faces special measures and an inquiry into the number of baby deaths.
The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust is also adding a new director responsible for "strategy and transformation" to the board.
Quote MessageI would like to wish Edwin well with his new role, which is absolutely critical for the Trust, and thank him for all his efforts in his time as medical director."
Simon Wright, Chief executive SATH
These are some of this morning's headlines on the Express and Star website:
Extra staff will be on hand at stations around Birmingham from today, with rail passengers being advised to allow extra time for travel.
Birmingham New Street is the busiest station in Britain outside of London, with more than 42.3 million entries and exits in 2016-17, but this weekend could be one of the busiest of the year.
Image source, West Midlands RailwayOn Black Friday last year, more than 242,000 passengers used Birmingham New Street - 70,000 more than a typical Friday, West Midlands Railway said, external
Sunday's local derby between Aston Villa and Birmingham City is expected to add to passenger numbers, as is the continuing Frankfurt Christmas market, which is expected to attract more than four million visitors in just over five weeks.
Andy Camp from the rail operator said: “We advise anyone travelling to plan their journey options, allow some extra time and to make sure that they know when their last train home is departing – as we don’t want anyone to get left behind.”
