Live updates from Monday 17 December to Monday 24 December
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BBC Midlands Today
A hospice charity in Warwickshire has launched a campaign to raise £500,000, to help develop its work treating seriously ill patients in their own home.
The "hospice at home" service is run by The Shakespeare Hospice based in Stratford-upon-Avon.
Nurse Sarah Duncan said seeing people in the calm, quiet atmosphere at home had huge benefits.
BBC News Health
NHS England is making up to £300,000 available over the festive period to fund dozens of so-called "drunk tanks".
These supervised units are places where revellers who have over-indulged can be checked and allowed to sleep it off.
They should help take the pressure off hospital and 999 services over the busy Christmas and new year period.
Hereford's one of the areas to get the funding and already provides a drunk tank but will be able to use the money to expand services over the holiday season.
BBC Sport
There will be Christmas jerseys, fans in festive outfits, a visit from Santa and two big local derbies coming up for West Midlands ice hockey clubs.
Telford Tigers and Solihull Barons are expecting big crowds when they renew their long-standing rivalry on 29 and 30 December and the Barons are inviting back former players of both clubs for a reunion at the Saturday fixture.
Before that, Telford have fixtures away to Solway Sharks tomorrow and at home to title rivals Sheffield Steeldogs on Sunday.
Image source, Steve BrodieCoventry Blaze welcome Father Christmas to the Skydome rink on Sunday for the visit of their own local rivals - Milton Keynes Lightning.
A house fire in Stoke-on-Trent this morning is being treated as arson., external
Image source, GoogleThe fire service says the building on St Aidan's Street, Sandyford, was "well alight" when crews arrived just after 00:30.
No-one is believed to have been injured and an investigation has concluded it's likely it was deliberately started.
Police are concerned for a child's welfare after a man is said to have jumped over its pram.
Read MoreA man who forced a Romanian woman to moved to England to work as a prostitute, threatening to kill her children if she didn't, has been found guilty of rape and modern slavery crimes.
Robert Petre, of no fixed abode but residing in Coventry, met the victim in Romania, and, after forcing her to work as a prostitute in the city, regularly beat and raped her, police said.
Having fled the UK, officers said Petre, a Romanian national, was arrested in July 2018 after being extradited from Romania under a European Arrest Warrant.
At Warwick Crown Court on Thursday he was found guilty of arranging or facilitating the travel of another person with a view to exploitation, controlling prostitution for gain, two counts of rape and assault.
He was remanded in custody and will be sentenced in the new year.
Stoke-on-Trent Live
The Stoke-on-Trent Live website is featuring these stories today:
Two people are being urged to come forward by police after a child was reportedly hurt when a man leapt over a pram., external
Image source, GoogleOfficers say they've been told a man and a woman were pushing it on Mealcheapen Street, Worcester, on Wednesday when it happened.
They say, when the man leapt over the pram, he hit the child in his face with his foot, injuring it.
Police say they need to speak to the two people as no child's been admitted at local A&E units and they want to check on its welfare and if an assault happened.
Today is the winter solstice - the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere.
Daylight today is set to last for just seven hours and 39 minutes.
As far as our BBC Weather Watchers are concerned, it's been a cloudy start!
These three are from Peter Steggles in Longnor, Shropshire, Keiths in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire and Mollies Meadow in Redditch, Worcestershire:
Image source, Peter Steggles
Image source, Keiths
Image source, Mollies MeadowMemorial services will take place later to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Lockerbie bombing.
Image source, Getty ImagesCoventry couple Clare Biaccochi and Clayton Flick were among the 270 people killed in the terror attack.
The airliner Pan Am 103 was flying from Heathrow to New York on 21 December 1988, when a bomb exploded in its hold at 31,000ft.
The couple had been flying to New York to celebrate their engagement when the plane blew up over southern Scotland.
If you use Facebook Messenger and are interested in news from the West Midlands, you can sign up for daily updates direct to your phone, external.
Matt Sandoz
Stoke City commentator, BBC Radio Stoke
Stoke City's Oghenekaro Etebo says the three weeks since his sending off against Derby has been very frustrating.
Image source, PAHe was shown a straight red card in the game last month and the Potters had to hold on for nearly an hour to secure a 2-1 win.
Quote MessageThis is the first red card I've had in my entire career and, since I've been a professional footballer, aside of getting injured, I've never been hurt like this for that long so it's very annoying."
Oghenekaro Etebo, Stoke City striker
Four people are being given "strong words of advice" after police say a bone found at a house turned out to be a hoax.
It was found early on Tuesday morning at an empty house on Whitchurch Road, Newhall, near Nantwich, Cheshire.
Officers say at first it appeared human, but they found it had been put there as a hoax.
Three men and a woman, all from Lancashire, were spoken to about putting it there.
Coventry Live
These are some of Coventry Live's headlines today:
The owners of League Two football club Morecambe join Worcester's board as chairman Bill Bolsover steps down.
Read MoreA man was found with serious injuries after officers were called to reports of an assault in Birmingham.
Emergency services were called to an address on Beech Avenue, Blackheath in Halesowen at about 21:00.
He was treated at the scene, before being taken to hospital.
A Shropshire drummer is involved in a charity single raising awareness about organ donations this Christmas.
William Withers from Clee Hill, Shropshire, is a member of the Gifted Organs band, made up of people who have either received an organ, are waiting for an organ, or have donated an organ - they have released a song calledTomorrow, external.
William is waiting for a kidney transplant and said he hoped more people would understand that joining the organ donor register was a huge opportunity to give a life.
A spate of "appalling and irresponsible" gully cover thefts around Walsall are putting motorists, cyclists and pedestrians at risk, Walsall Council said., external
Image source, Walsall CouncilThere have been 14 reported thefts recently, in the Shelfield and Blakenhall areas, it said, leaving dangerous holes exposed which can be a metre or more deep.
"There’s a genuine risk of serious injury or worse," the local authority said.
Metal recyclers in the area are being asked to be vigilant and report any attempts to sell on the covers.
BBC Sport
Worcester Warriors have fit-again captain GJ van Velze, flanker Sam Lewis and scrum-half Francois Hougaard back for their crunch clash this evening with Northampton.
Image source, Getty ImagesFull-back Chris Pennell also returns after a two-game ban and lock Michael Fatialofa makes his Premiership debut.
The two clubs are ninth and 10th in the table, level on points, with Worcester above Northampton on points difference only.
Saints have won four of the past five matches between the two sides.
All roadworks associated with a major new roundabout in Nuneaton are expected to be cleared today, ahead of its full opening in January. , external
Image source, Warwickshire County CouncilThe £3.7m Coton Arches scheme, to relieve traffic congestion at the Coton Arches bridge, has created a new road going through the centre of the roundabout, diverting traffic, along with new pedestrian and cycling facilities.
The "hamburger" road through the centre avoids the need for southbound traffic to travel around the roundabout, increasing capacity for traffic on to Avenue Road and Coventry Road, said the county council.
