Dudley News

A few of the headlines appearing on the Dudley News website today:

• Merry Hill Centre owner Intu suffers profit loss, external
• Homeless teenagers scheme changes lives, external
• Tributes paid to former council leader, external

BBC Midlands Today

A singer from Walsall will find out tonight if she's won any of the three Brit Awards she's nominated for.

Image source, Getty Images

Jorja Smith has made her mark in the last three years working with musicians such as Drake and Stormzy.

Last year, the 21-year-old was the Critics Choice at the Brits, external though she missed out on a Grammy Award for Best New Artist, external.

The three awards she's been nominated for are British album of the year, British female solo artist and British breakthrough act.

BBC WM Sport

Former Aston Villa striker Garry Thompson says the current side look "old" and changes have to be made to the team.

Image source, Aston Villa FC

Villa lost 2-0 to West Bromwich Albion on Saturday and have just one win from their last nine league games, leaving them 10th.

Connor Shepherd was remanded to appear at Shrewsbury Crown Court next month.

BBC Inside Out

Deepa Singh has set up a group hunting men he believes are grooming Sikh girls for sex.

So far Sikh Youth UK has filmed two confrontations with men whom the group claimed were meeting 15-year-old girls.

Mr Singh says the organisation, based in the West Midlands, has also supported 88 victims of grooming over the last 18 months.

Critics include Birmingham youth worker Jahan Mahmood, who said there was not enough evidence that these men were "pinpointing Sikh girls".

A West Midlands Police spokesperson said: "Anyone who does this kind of vigilante work could be breaking the law.

"They also risk disrupting criminal investigations and compromising the safety of the victims."

You can see more on this story on Inside Out West Midlands on BBC One at 19:30 on Wednesday 20 February, and via iPlayer for seven days afterwards.

Wasps sign Tonga international back-row forward Sione Vailanu from Saracens for next season.

BBC Shropshire

A man's appeared in court today charged with stabbing another teenager.

Image source, Google

West Mercia Police says the 17-year-old victim's in hospital with serious injuries after the attack in Waltondale, Telford, on Monday, although they're not thought to be life-threatening. , external

The 18-year-old suspect was charged with causing grievous bodily harm and possession of a knife, and was remanded into custody.

A 20-year-old man, also arrested in connection with the attack, has been released on bail while a 16-year-old boy's also been arrested.

The Conservative MP for the Wyre Forest Mark Garnier says the departure of three of his colleagues today have made a general election more likely.

He pointed out that his party no longer has a majority in Parliament, even with the support of the DUP, and said "it certainly tips the balance".

Other Conservative MPs have also been reacting to the announcements.

The Shrewsbury MP Daniel Kawczynski's called on the three Conservative MPs who've left the party to "immediately call a by-election".

Mark Pritchard, the MP for The Wrekin, says the resignations are "disappointing but not a surprise" and Ludlow's Philip Dunne said he "regrets" their decision.

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Tom Dare

"Nipple", "slapper" and "orgasm" are among more than 100 words that are blocked from getting through on emails to Birmingham City Council staff, it has been revealed.

A Freedom of Information request by the Local Democracy Reporting Service has found the authority has a list of 129 words censored by its servers.

They include a host of offensive, racist and sexist language along with several anatomical words such as vagina, penis, foreskin and testicles.

The council says, if any of those words are included in an email to the council or councillors, it gets stopped from getting through to the recipient.

Councillor Nicky Brennan has been vocal about online abuse in the past and has spoken openly about some of the communications she has received - but she questioned the inclusion of some anatomical terms on the list, which might legitimately be used.

Lee Thomas
Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke

More than £50,000 has been seized by police after they pulled over a vehicle on the M6 near Stafford., external

Image source, Staffordshire Police

Staffordshire Police says it was stopped last night between J13 and J14 and a bag of cash found inside.

The force adds that two women from Liverpool were arrested on suspicion of money laundering and are still in custody.

Shropshire Star

Here are some of the stories making the headlines on the Shropshire Star website today:

• Council gets £2.6m VAT back, external
• Probe as bail case runs out of time, external
• Towns in running for slice of £675m, external

The victim, aged in his 20s, was found with fatal injuries and died at the scene in Wolverhampton.

Worcester city councillors have done something they haven't done in decades - they've unanimously agreed a budget.

The city’s portion of council tax will rise by almost 3% over the next 12 months, with extra money for traffic wardens, CCTV cameras and a third pedestrian bridge over the River Severn.

Image source, Google

Earlier this month Worcestershire County Council approved a 3.99% increase in the amount it charges, and the police and fire service are also asking for more, meaning the average, Band D household in Worcester, will have to pay an extra £76 in council tax next year.

Local Democracy Reporting Service
David Irwin

An online map's being used by a council, external to try and help thousands of people who struggle with being lonely.

Image source, Getty Images

Solihull Council says it estimates there are about 4,000 people in its area aged over 65 who are intensely lonely and another 9,000 who are mildly lonely.

The government launched its first loneliness strategy last autumn, in response to worries about an "epidemic of loneliness" and its impact on people's health.

In Solihull, the local authority says the online map will allow people to search for groups and events near them to try and help them reconnect with communities.

It adds that the tool will also be used by council workers and GPs to help residents who aren't online.

The decision to move Ricoh Arena gigs last summer, when ticket sales flopped, was one of the reasons for Coventry City Council losing £460,000 on the Godiva Festival, it has been revealed.

Expensive acts including Ronan Keating and Jonas Blue were originally due to perform at the stadium, but they were moved to the free music event because of the poor response.

The labour-led council, which under-wrote last year's events, has allocated extra funding for this summer's Godiva Festival.

Shrewsbury's high street could have another £25m spent on it, if Shropshire Council is successful in getting money from a £675m government fund.

The authority is looking for a similar amount of money for Oswestry's town centre and says it might look at making a bid for Whitchurch in the future.

The bids are likely to ask for money to improve broadband and to improve the appearance of the centres.

The council's executive director of place, Mark Barrow, said he understood there was criticism that Shrewsbury gets more money than other towns in the county, but said it had "a big economic impact for everybody" and that Shrewsbury's performance impacted affected "the county as a whole".

Matt Sandoz
Stoke City commentator, BBC Radio Stoke

Stoke City's players can't afford to feel sorry for themselves, according to goalkeeper Jack Butland.

Image source, Getty Images

The Potters have only won once in their last 12 games and take on Midlands rivals Aston Villa on Saturday.

BBC Politics

A hospital in Cheshire is being starved of essential funding, according to its local MP.

Speaking in the House of Commons, the Labour MP for Crewe and Nantwich, Laura Smith, said a fifth of patients going to Leighton Hospital's A&E had to wait more than four hours to be seen.

She said the NHS trust running it wasn't able to get financial support to fund improvements of the emergency department.

In response, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the government was providing extra funding for hospitals, with an extra £20.5bn annually by 2023.

Worcester News

Here are three stories from the Worcester News today:

• Mother distraught as statue stolen from baby's grave, external
• Mobility scooter users want action over tunnel, external
• Mum suffers concussion after attack at nightclub, external

BBC Hereford and Worcester

Worcester Warriors have released a new shirt, to raise money for Acorns, external - a charity which supports children with life-limiting illnesses.

The magenta, cyan and green shirts will be worn for the match against Leicester Tigers at Sixways on Sunday and will then be auctioned off.

Image source, Worcester Warriors

Replica shirts will also be sold at the club shop and there will be bucket-collections held on the day.

Worcester Warriors have had an association with the Acorns charity for a number of years and hold annual fundraisers for it.