The West Midlands mayor Andy Street says he's in France today to try and tell the world that there's "never been a better time to invest in the West Midlands".

Image source, West Midlands Combined Authority

The annual show for the international property industry, Mipim, is being held in Cannes and councils from across the UK are there trying to get investment into their new schemes.

That includes the West Midlands Combined Authority, which is promoting 24 development projects in the region which Mr Street says are worth £10bn. , external

They include the £2bn for the HS2 high-speed rail interchange station outside Solihull, Dudley's £800m business zone and the £850m residential plan for Greater Icknield and Smethwick.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Plans to transform a Shropshire estate into a £50m holiday park and leisure venue have been approved by Shropshire councillors.

Developers have got permission to build 275 wooden lodges at Astbury Hall, near Bridgnorth, along with spa facilities, shops, swimming pools, a restaurant and tennis courts.

It will also continue to have a golf course.

Image source, Google

The estate used to be owned by Judas Priest guitarist KK Downing and was bought by developers FCFM.

BBC Weather Watchers

It's St Patrick's Day this weekend and there will be some happy leprechauns about, with all the rainbows we've been seeing from the BBC Weather Watchers.

These ones were photographed in Lydbury North and Redditch.

Image source, Ken M

Image source, Annette

Allen Cook
BBC News

A 16-year-old boy has been arrested over the fatal stabbing of a teenager in Birmingham., external

Image source, West Midlands Police

Hazrat Umar, 18, was found in Norwood Road, Bordesley Green, at about 14:00 GMT on 25 February.

West Midlands Police said the youth was arrested on Wednesday morning.

Another boy, also 16, has been charged with the teenager's murder and appeared in court earlier this month.

The force says another 16-year-old boy from Birmingham, who was arrested on 6 March, was at first bailed but has since been released without charge.

Catalina Ferchiu is charged with neglecting a woman of 87 who later died in hospital.

Nicola Goodwin
Reporter, BBC Hereford & Worcester

Two young stonemasons who trained at Hereford Cathedral are already carving pieces for some of Britain's most impressive buildings.

Alec Curtis and Max Cotterill both trained as apprentices under Simon Hudson in a yard at the cathedral.

This month they were given official recognition by industry body The Worshipful Company of Constructors.

Alec is now working on the Palace of Westminster and Max has made a carving for Prince Charles which is on display at Highgrove.

Local Democracy Reporting Service
David Irwin

A new motorway service station could be built on the M42 outside Solihull, although it must overcome some vocal objections if it is to get off the ground.

Two rival schemes have been put forward for either Junction four or between Junctions five and six, with both set to be considered by the borough council later this month.

Image source, Applegreen Plc

For the proposals for J4, developer Applegreen Plc has now published more than a dozen artist's impressions of their proposals, external, saying their site's planned to blend into the local landscape.

It would feature a roof made of plants and flowers, although the scheme, a stone’s throw from Shirley and Monkspath, would take in about 12 hectares of Solihull's green belt.

Image source, Applegreen Plc

An alternative proposal by the Extra MSA Group seeks permission for a services several miles north, between Junction 5 and 6

Both plans are facing opposition, with more than 1,000 residents signing a petition saying there isn't a need for the facilities and fears they could bring more congestion.

Coventry Live

Here are three headlines from Coventry Live today:

• Man charged with firearms offences after armed police stop car, external
• Burglar stole TV and hi-fi from homeless centre, external
• Teen arrested after knife-point carjacking, external

Crewe Alexandra manager David Artell says he hasn't got any worries about missing captain George Ray for the next two games.

Ray has been suspended after picking up his 10th booking of the season in the match against Cambridge last night and Artell said: "It was a stupid booking and I'm pretty certain his other nine were pretty silly."

Image source, Getty Images

Ray will miss the games at home to Crawley and away to Mansfield.

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Carmelo Garcia

Plans for a cycle track around Hereford Racecourse have taken a step forward, with the city council pledging £50,000 to help with the costs.

Planning permission for the 1.5km-course has already been granted and the people behind the scheme have also made a bid for £500,000 from British Cycling and Sport England.

Image source, Google

Councillors were told businesses have pledged more than £40,000 towards the scheme and that it had the support of the local MP, Jesse Norman.

The council funding is conditional on the scheme securing enough investment for the plans.

A car driver has been flown to hospital in Stoke with "multiple injuries" after a crash involving a tractor near Shrewsbury this morning.

It happened on a road near Betton Strange at 07:51 and the man had to be cut free from his car by firefighters.

Image source, WMAS

Wasps and England tight-head prop Kieran Brookes signs a contract extension with the Premiership side.

The proposals near Wolverhampton railway station also include new retail and commercial space.

BBC News Travel

A fallen tree is blocking the railway line between Worcester Foregate Street and Hereford, West Midlands Railway says.

The company says it means train services running through these stations "may be cancelled, delayed or revised".

An ice cream van in Walsall has been towed away after police noticed it didn't have valid road tax.

Officers tweeted to say they were sitting in their car doing paperwork when they spotted it and tweeted, external to advise other motorists "don't be Flake-y pay your road tax" and called it a "Fab job".

Image source, West Midlands Police

People responded to the tweet to suggest the owner should get "99 points on his licence" and to ask if this "happened on a Sundae".

Dudley News

The Dudley News is covering these stories today:

• Halesowen MP James Morris will vote for no deal Brexit today, external
• Weekly bin collections cut food recycling, external
• Two Dudley shops closed for selling counterfeit tobacco, external

West Midlands Ambulance Service has written to the trust that runs Telford hospital to express concern over handover times.

The note, pictured in the Shropshire Star, external, was posted on a board at the Princess Royal in Telford on 4 March, asking crews to keep patients in the back of their ambulance until A&E staff were ready for them.

The ambulance service has asked for a meeting over the delays, saying it wants them to be reduced.

The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust said it was working to improve handover times, and that demand at the Telford accident and emergency department on 4 March was "significant", adding the note in the corridor "is not normal procedure and was not in place for very long”.

Hereford's Royal National College for the Blind says selling its site on College Road "makes a huge amount of sense" and will free up valuable funds.

The charity's chief executive, Lucy Proctor, said a change in funding arrangements in 2014 had resulted in a drop in student numbers and it had too much land now.

Image source, Google

The site, which was being rented out to Hereford College of Art, has been bought by Herefordshire Council, which plans to use it for higher education.

BBC Sport

West Bromwich Albion will tonight play their first game since Saturday night's shock sacking of head coach Darren Moore.

Image source, Getty Images

The Baggies will have first-team coach Jimmy Shan at the helm as they look to revive their fading hopes of promotion when they host Swansea City.

Elsewhere in the Championship, both Aston Villa, away at Nottingham Forest, and Birmingham City, at home to Millwall, will be looking to make up ground on the play-off places.

While Stoke City will be hoping to dent Derby County's promotion hopes and pick up their first win in 11 away games as they make the short trip along the A50.

BBC Weather Watchers

The photos being shared by the BBC Weather Watchers contain a lot of grey today.

These ones were taken at Bromsgrove, Clee Hill and Bromyard.

Image source, Margrose

Image source, Skye

Image source, Scout of the Shire