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Some of the Coventry Observer headlines today are:
Four Worcester Warriors players have been included in the England Under-20s Elite Player Squad for this season’s Six Nations and the World Rugby Under-20 Championship in Argentina.
Blindside flanker Ted Hill (pictured below), who has already been capped by England at senior level, has been included in the 32-man squad along with his Warriors Academy team-mates Kai Owen, James Scott and Ollie Lawrence.
Image source, Getty Images
Joanne Writtle
BBC Midlands Today
Businesses in Wolverhampton say they have racked up sales of £1m just three months into an innovative partnership with online retailer eBay.
They've been getting specialist advice from the internet giant on how to grow their online trade.
Sixty-four retailers in the town have taken part in the project with some saying sales had grown by more than 40%.
You can see more on this story on Midlands Today on BBC One at 18:30.
BBC Radio Stoke Sport
Stoke boss Gary Rowett says he's not been able to give too much thought to his transfer plans recently, because of their poor run of form.
Stoke are without a win in their last three games, which has led to sections of supporters calling for the manager to go.
Image source, Getty ImagesRowett says he still has the support of the Stoke board and he is looking ahead to the Shrewsbury Town FA Cup game, adding: "Our main focus is on the game, it's always going to be on the next game when you've lost the last one."
A woman who was hit by a car on Bunbury Road in the Northfield area of Birmingham on Wednesday has died in hospital, police say. , external
Image source, West Midlands PoliceEugenia Petrou, 78, was on a zebra crossing close to the junctions of Hole Lane and Overbury Road just before 17:00 when she was hit by a Ford Fiesta.
Her family said it was “truly devastated to have lost a loving, caring mother and grandmother who was also a much-loved figure in the local Greek community".
The driver of the car stopped and is helping officers with inquries, said West Midlands Police.
Here are three headlines from the Shropshire Star today:
A surge in sewing is making for a revival in the skill and also comparisons with therapy.
Read MoreHere are three headlines from the Hereford Times today:
James Schneeberger, 35, drowned due to "rope entanglement after abseiling into a gorge".
Read MoreIndustrial action by some Birmingham bin workers is causing rubbish to pile up in parts of the city.
Members of the Unite union have been conducting a work-to-rule since 29 December after it claimed members had been denied a council payment made to GMB workers who didn't go on strike in 2017.
The union said the action would include members only working contracted hours and returning to base for breaks.
The city council apologised for missing bin collections and asked residents to "bear with us" as it sought a resolution to the dispute.
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Telford and Wrekin Council will apply to the government to take over parking enforcement in the area.
The Labour-run authority voted last night to take over the responsibility, which at the moment is in the hands of West Mercia Police.
Image source, GoogleThe council says it's been promised £200,000 by the West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner to pay for the first four years of the enforcement and insists the car parks it owns, which are free to park in, will remain free.
The authority also said it plans to use its own staff, instead of contracting the work out.
The sale of buildings in Birmingham’s historic Jewellery Quarter will move a step closer today.
It’s the final opportunity to bid to buy the properties in the Vyse Street Triangle which are being sold by the city council for housing and commercial development.
The plan has been criticised by the owners of small businesses who fear they may have to move their workshops which are housed in the buildings.
The city council said potential buyers of the sites should look to retain some or all of their commercial use.
Port Vale manager Neil Aspin says his fate is in the hands of his players - not the Vale fans - as he opts to "fight on".
Read MoreStoke City complete the signings of Wolves striker Benik Afobe - for a reported £12m - and Brentford's Ryan Woods.
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Local Democracy Reporting Service
Gurdip Thandi
Proposals to convert a failed Walsall care home into a hostel were pulled just before planners were due to make a decision on it.
Image source, GoogleWalsall Council’s planning committee was set to discuss the application for the former Orchard Manor home in Slaney Road on Thursday.
But committee chairman Mike Bird announced the plan – which could have seen the home turned into a hostel for the homeless and people with substance abuse or mental health issues – had been withdrawn by the applicants.
Orchard Manor was shut down after Care Quality Commission inspectors visited it in October 2017.
Coventry-based Economy Energy, which has 244,000 customers, says it has no intention of shutting up shop, after Ofgem banned it from taking on new customers until it sorts out billing, refund and payment failures.
A statement on the website , externalsays: "In response to the recent speculation and circulating misinformation, we would like to provide assurance that we at Economy Energy have no intention of closing our doors... We would like to thank customers for their loyalty and continued support."
Ofgem's director of conduct and enforcement, Anthony Pygram, says: "All suppliers are required to treat their customers fairly.
"Where they do not, Ofgem will take the necessary steps to ensure suppliers change their behaviour and to prevent further harm to customers."
Coventry Live
Some of the Coventry Live headlines today are:
A Telford teenager who got a call-up to play ice hockey for Great Britain just two days after he flew out to California is looking for a bit of help to get back home again.
Deakan Fielder, 18, has been in the US playing for Fresno Monsters and his parents paid for him to come home this Christmas this year, instead of buying gifts for each other.
Image source, Ces FielderBut after flying back to the US on Sunday, Fielder learned he had been selected to play for his country at the under-20 World Championships in Estonia on 8 January, after last-minute injuries forced other players to drop out.
While the GB team will pay for his accommodation and flight with the team from the UK to Estonia, they won't cover his flight back from America or his kit.
His father, Ces Fielder, said the family has now launched a fundraising appeal, external to cover the costs, as they can't afford the extra £1,000 themselves.
A pop-up store in Birmingham has been decked out with references to the Netflix show, Black Mirror: Bandersnatch.
Image source, Shopping In Birmingham/PAAs well as the Grand Central store, fitted out with retro signs and records, posters have also been spotted in the city's Gas Street Basin.
A store has also been seen in Shoreditch, east London, but neither seem to be open to the public with signs reading "be right back" on the doors.
Image source, Shopping In Birmingham/PAThe apparent promotional stunt follows the launch of a website to accompany the show, in which fans are able to play one of the fictional video games from the episode of Charlie Brooker's sci-fi series.
Hundreds of jobs are lost with the firm's collapse after Monarch Airlines itself failed in 2017.
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