Two schemes to help improve the language and communication skills of children are to be set up in the West Midlands.

Image source, Getty Images

Eight schemes will be set up nationally, including in Wolverhampton and Staffordshire, after the £6.5m funding was agreed by government.

Health visitors and early years staff will be trained to identify children with poor language and communication skills to make sure the right support is in place so they don’t fall behind.

Education Secretary Damian Hinds said he wants to halve the proportion of children who finish reception without the communication, language and literacy skills needed to thrive within the next decade.

Express and Star

Some of the early headlines on the Express and Star website are:

• Boy, 16, injured in Wolverhampton stabbing, external
• Doubts over reopening Tettenhall Pool in time for summer, external
• County Hospital 'unlikely to see return of 24-hour A&E', external

A boy suffered stab wounds to his back, arm, leg and face during an attack in Wolverhampton on Sunday.

The 16-year-old was stabbed on Cannock Road, Park Village, some time between 18:00 and 18:20, police said.

His injuries are not thought to be life-threatening, said West Midlands Police.

Officers are asking for any witnesses to come forward.

BBC News Travel

A lightning strike on a junction box on the A444 Bedworth Bypass in Warwickshire is causing travel delays.

There's congestion to Bedworth town centre and along road through Exhall and Longford after the strike has caused timing issued with all traffic light in the area.

Work is underway to regulate the lights, said Highways England.

A stone has been laid to remember a young mother who went missing from her home in Dudley in 2003.

Natalie Putt went missing from her home in Lower Gorna leaving behind her 11-week old son. West Midlands Police believe she has been murdered, though her body has never been found.

Her family travelled to Wales on what would have been Natalie's 33rd birthday to lay a stone in her memory on their mother's grave.

Her sister, Rebecca Coggins, said they will never give up searching for her, and appealed for anyone with information to speak up.

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Stephen Topping

The number of fines issued to parents by Cheshire East Council for taking children on term time holidays has risen by more than 500% in a year, statistics show.

Image source, Getty Images

Penalty notices rose by 536% from 220 in 2016-17 to 1,400 in 2017-18.

The council says it believes the rise was affected by a Supreme Court judgement, which saw a father from the Isle of Wight lose his battle in 2017 to overturn a fine for taking his daughter on holiday to Florida.

The authority had seen a dip in the number of fines issued in 2016-17 compared to three years before, when 754 were given out.

The father of a girl whose death was caused by a driver who has shown "an arrogant disregard for the safety of others" said it was a "mockery of justice" his 18-month sentence would not be reviewed.

Antonio Boparan crashed head-on into Cerys Edwards' parents' car at 70mph in Sutton Coldfield in 2006. Cerys needed 24-hour specialist care until her death nine years later.

Image source, Cerys Edwards Family

In February, 32-year-old Boparan pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and he was jailed for 18 months at Birmingham Crown Court last month.

Following the sentencing a member of the public applied to the Attorney General's Office to refer the sentence to the Court of Appeal under the unduly lenient sentence scheme.

But the Attorney General's office said on Monday the case would not be referred.

Cerys' father Gareth Edwards said: "I've learned not to expect too much, then I don't have so far to come down, when I've been let down.

After some early showers it should be a dry day with some sunshine and highs of 13C (55F).

Vanessa Pearce
BBC News

Welcome to our live service for Tuesday.

We'll be bringing you all the news, sport, travel and weather for the West Midlands.

We love to hear from you so share your news, thoughts and photos of the area with us via email, Twitter, external and Facebook, external.

Councils affect services such as housing and schools so why are people apathetic about electing them?

Cerys Edwards died nine years after Antonio Boparan's Range Rover hit the car she was in head-on.

Birmingham City midfielder Maikel Kieftenbeld to be out for six to nine months after suffering a knee injury in their win against Leeds.

Former Worcestershire all-rounder Alex Hepburn was taking part in a sexual conquest "stat game" a court hears.

Aussie Mick Chance is in England to see his beloved Wolverhampton Wanderers in a semi-final.

We'll be back with our usual mix of news, sport, travel and weather from 07:00 tomorrow, but keep an eye out here for more updates this evening and into the morning.

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Joe Burn

Nearly 2,000 people have signed a petition calling for a local fish and chip shop to be saved from being bulldozed.

Image source, Google

Dave's Fish Bar has been based in Knutton, Newcastle-under-Lyme, for more than 70 years but its lease is due to expire on Viggars Place.

Landowners Aspire Housing had submitted plans to knock it down and replace it with housing., external

However, one of the workers started a petition against the proposals and 1,800 signed it before it was submitted to the borough council.

Now, Aspire says it's willing to speak to the owner about the chip shop's future as it respects the views of local residents.

Allen Cook
BBC News

Work's going to start later this month on a plan to cut congestion on a main road in Bromsgrove.

Image source, Worcestershire County Council

Worcestershire County Council's going to work on three locations on the A38, starting with the area on Barley Mow Lane from 22 April., external

That stage of the work will see a dedicated right-turn lane added for southbound traffic.

To do that, the authority says it'll move the existing pedestrian crossing further along the road, along with the bus stops.

Local Democracy Reporting Service
David Irwin

A historic building is set to disappear as part of a major redevelopment in Shirley, Solihull, despite the concerns of some campaigners

Image source, Other

The Twentieth Century Society had objected to the proposed demolition of the ex-Lucas Industries building – arguing it was of “local importance”.

The former base for one of the region’s key manufacturers features a frieze by the celebrated sculptor and designer William Mitchell.

Developer M7 Real Estate, which is overseeing the redevelopment of The Green, on the Stratford Road, has said that the building will be extensively photographed and options for preserving the frieze are being considered.

An NHS funding group says it was a "difficult decision" to cut £250,000 of funding to a hospice.

Image source, Google

In a letter, Severn Hospice says the loss of money from Telford and Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) means it's shutting two beds at its site in Telford.

The CCG says it's been reviewing all the grants it makes to voluntary groups to make sure they meet local patient needs and will support the hospice in trying to get alternative sources of income.

Lee Thomas
Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke

A body's been found by police in their search for a man who went missing last month. , external

Staffordshire Police said Matthew Harris was last seen in the centre of Leek on 31 March.

This morning, they said they'd found a body near to Ball Haye Green Working Mens' Club and they think it's the 36-year-old.

Officers add that they don't believe there are any suspicious circumstances around the discovery.