Boy sentenced for stabbings near school
Birmingham bin dispute 'nearing an end'
Best friends killed in pub bombings found 'side by side'
Funeral date set for four children killed in fire
Attempted murder charge after man hit by van
School protests 'helping spread messages of division'
Updates from Friday 8 March 2019
Click Related Stories for updates from your area
A van that became lodged under a railway bridge in the Bournville area of Birmingham has now been removed, police say.
Bournville Lane remains closed off, however, with a diversion still in place.
Image source, West Midlands PoliceA woman had her phone stolen while having a seizure outside a railway station in Birmingham.
Image source, British Transport PoliceA woman, posing as a Good Samaritan, took the phone from the victim's pocket as she was suffering a seizure outside Selly Oak station, transport police said.
The woman, in her 20s, was taken to hospital in an ambulance after the incident, which happened on 17 February.
Officers investigating the robbery have issued CCTV images of a woman they'd like to speak to in connection with the incident.
Here are some of the stories making the headlines on the Shropshire Star website today:
A millionaire's son who admitted causing the death of a girl who died nine years after a car crash that left her severely disabled, has been jailed for 18 months.
Cerys Edwards was 11 months old in 2006 when Antonio Boparan, then 19, crashed head-on into her parents' car at 70mph in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands.
A post-mortem examination found her death was a result of the crash.
Boparan, 32, from Sutton Coldfield, admitted causing death by dangerous driving at Birmingham Crown Court.
A double-decker smashed into a Sainsbury's in Coventry in 2015, killing a boy, seven, and woman, 76.
Read MoreAnother part of Telford's set to be officially classed as a nature reserve.
Image source, GoogleTelford and Wrekin Council says it will officially adopt Lilleshall Hill on 14 March at a cabinet meeting. , external
The move will mean the authority will have doubled its number of nature reserves from eight in 2016 to 16., external
The council says the new reserve is a haven for wildlife such as sparrowhawks, wrens and woodpeckers.
A former police constable who admitted making indecent images of a teenage girl has been jailed for nine months.
Image source, PAPaul Davies pleaded guilty to one charge relating to five images in January and was sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court earlier.
The 57-year-old, of Thoresby Croft, Dudley, had previously warned youngsters about the dangers of so-called sexting in his role as a specialist youth officer.
West Midlands Police said Davies left the force in June, having been arrested in May.
Giles Latcham
BBC Midlands Today
The jury at inquests into the Birmingham pub bombings has heard how members of the public helped recover bodies from the bomb wreckage.
Image source, PAJohn Frayne, a retired sub-officer, was giving evidence by video link at inquests into the deaths of 21 people in 1974.
He said he was in charge of a fire engine dispatched to the scene of the first explosion at the Mulberry Bush at the foot of the Rotunda building, but on hearing a second blast diverted to The Tavern in the Town.
“There were a couple of bodies at the bottom of the stairs," he said, "I needed a lot of men to do it."
Mr Frayne said doors were torn from their hinges to serve as makeshift stretchers.
"I asked civilians to come down and help us while we were waiting for back up. The civilians were the heroes.”
The inquests continue.
Stoke-on-Trent Live
The Stoke-on-Trent Live page is covering these stories today:
Vicky Norton
BBC Radio Stoke
A planned nude family swimming session in Stoke-on-Trent has come under fire, with campaigners claiming it could attract child sex offenders.
More than 3,500 people have signed an online petition , externalagainst events organised by British Naturism such as the one at Waterworld, set to take place next month.
Image source, GoogleOrganisers of the petition say they believe such swims are "a massive safeguarding issue" and children should not be allowed to attend.
In response, British Naturism says it has a robust child protection and safeguarding policy.
Waterworld's told BBC Radio Stoke that it's a private-hire event that has run for a number of years and that it takes all safeguarding responsibilities very seriously.
Chris King
News editor, BBC Shropshire
The collapse of an oak tree, believed to be almost 1,000 years old, has been described by an expert as a "tragedy".
Image source, Andy GordonThe Moor Park Oak, as it was known, was near Ludlow, Shropshire, and had stood through centuries of English history.
But local tree expert Andy Gordon says he discovered it had collapsed in the past few days and that it was probably brought down by high winds over the winter.
Quote MessageWe have so many of them [oak trees] and it's just a tragedy that they're slowly disappearing. There's nothing really one can do to preserve them it's just old age finally catching up with them."
Andy Gordon, Tree expert
A large van has become wedged under a bridge in Birmingham closing Bournville Lane, close to the station.
Image source, West Midlands PoliceA specialist bridge engineer has been called to inspect the damage, and assist in removing the vehicle.
Buses are being diverted away from the area.
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
BBC Sport
Worcester Warriors centre Ben Te'o (pictured) will make his first Six Nations start this season for England against Italy at Twickenham on Saturday.
Image source, PAHe's been named in the starting XV and will partner Manu Tuilagi in the midfield, having recovered from an injury he picked up in January.
Wasps lock Joe Launchbury and flanker Brad Shields also return to the starting side as England boss Eddie Jones makes five changes to his side after their defeat by Wales.
Hannah Richardson
BBC News education and social affairs reporter
Theresa May is being warned that a "broken" system of support for troubled and excluded youngsters lies at the heart of a rise in knife crime.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands, along with other police chiefs, has written to the PM saying how pupils, both formally and informally excluded, are being "sucked into criminality".
The letter says cuts to school funds and youth services mean "interventions" for needy youngsters are not happening.
The letter said: "We firmly believe it is unacceptable that young people can be ejected from the formal education process in this way when we know how vulnerable they become to being sucked into criminality as a result."
The government said permanent exclusions should be a "last resort".
West Midlands Police is to take on an extra 200 officers over the next two years, its Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) has announced.
PCC David Jamieson said the additional officers, following an "efficiency programme", would be focussed on tackling violent crime and working with local communities.
The rise in numbers would still not make up for the more than 2,000 officers lost since 2010, he added.
The son of a millionaire food manufacturer has admitted causing the death of a girl nine years after a crash which left her severely disabled.
Image source, PACerys Edwards was 11 months old when Antonio Singh Boparan, then 19, crashed in Sutton Coldfield in November 2006.
A post-mortem examination found her death in October 2015 was "a result of the collision".
Mr Boparan, 32, of Little Aston, Sutton Coldfield, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving at Birmingham Crown Court.
He's due to be sentenced later today.
A task force is being set up to better support rough sleepers after the death of a man whose body was found in a street on Christmas Day.
Image source, PAThe man, named locally as Joby Sparrey, was found near the clothing shop Brays, on Worcester Road, Malvern.
At the time, it was understood to be the second death of a rough sleeper in the Worcestershire town in two months.
Now, Malvern Hills District Council says a dedicated group's being set up with representatives from groups including the charity Shelter, external.
They say they want it to come up with a "radical new model" to support rough sleepers, including housing people quickly before then supporting underlying issues such as mental health.
The Worcester News has these headlines on its website today:
BBC Sport
Danielle Wyatt's unbeaten 64 led England to a five-wicket victory over India that sealed the women's Twenty20 series with a game to spare.
Image source, Getty ImagesEngland were cruising in their chase of 112, only to slip from 45-1 to 56-4.
But Stoke-on-Trent cricketer Wyatt batted with composure, sharing 47 with Lauren Winfield (29) to get the tourists home with five balls to spare in Guwahati.
Earlier, Katherine Brunt took three wickets and Linsey Smith two as India were restricted to 111-8.
The third and final match of the series is on Saturday.
Quote MessageIt's probably the most mature that I've ever played for England. In my head, I needed to stay in and Lauren Winfield made it easier for me. It's amazing to beat India, because it's a tough place to play. It would be an achievement if we head to Sri Lanka with a 3-0 win."
Danielle Wyatt, Stoke-on-Trent cricketer
A bus company fined £2.3m after ignoring warnings about an "erratic" driver who crashed into a supermarket, killing two people will have to reduce its fleet for a month, a public inquiry has ruled.
CCTV captures Coventry bus crash which killed two people
Midland Red (South) Ltd admitted health and safety breaches after Kailash Chander, then aged 77, smashed into a Sainsbury's in Coventry in 2015.
Passenger Rowan Fitzgerald, seven, and pedestrian Dora Hancox, 76, were both killed.
The inquiry into the company's passenger transport licence found the "tragic" incident was not the result of a one-off error by one person within the company, but a "series of errors" committed over time by several people.
The Traffic Commissioner, Nicholas Denton, ruled that the number of vehicles the company could operate should be reduced from 261 to 200 for a 28-day period in April.
