Updates from Monday 3 June to Sunday 9 June
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The Hereford Times includes these stories today:
BBC WM Sport
Birmingham City striker Che Adams can make it to the top of the game, according to team-mate Wes Harding.
Image source, ReutersAdams finished the last Championship season as the Blues top scorer with 22 goals and was named player of the season by the club's players and supporters. , external
Harding knows him well, as both players grew up in Leicester and spent time as teenagers at Coventry City.
Quote MessageHe's always had his head down, he's always been focused but sometimes as a striker luck's got to go your way as well so he's had a lot of that but he's been working hard and that's shown."
Wes Harding, Birmingham City defender
Allen Cook
BBC News
A road in Stoke-on-Trent has reopened, more than six weeks after it was shut so an unsafe building could be demolished.
Image source, Stoke-on-Trent City CouncilNewcastle Street was cordoned off on 22 April after the fire service said it had reports of bricks falling on to the pavement from the first floor of a property.
The city council decided it needed to be demolished, closing the road to traffic until today., external
Earlier BT revealed plans to cut its number of offices in the UK from 300 to just 30 by 2023.
About 52,000 staff are believed to work in those offices, although the firm said no jobs would be lost.
While its base in Birmingham is secure, dozens more sites, including contact centres in West Bromwich and Stoke-on-Trent, as well as the firm's National Network Management Centre in Oswestry could be affected.
According to figures for 2017-18, released by BT Group, it directly employs 5,260 employees in the West Midlands - although not all based in offices.
Local Democracy Reporting Service
Plans for up to 3,000 new homes near the M54 at Tong have been put on hold for now by Shropshire Council.
It has decided not to put them forward for public consultation, as part of its development masterplan, but is going to ask for views on proposals to develop land at the former Ironbridge Power Station, Clive Barracks at Tern Hill and near RAF Cosford.
Image source, GoogleThe council said it had been approached by authorities in the Black Country that were interested in homes being built near the M54, but its planning policy manager Adrian Cooper said: "We need to see that they have exhausted all areas in the Black Country and on the green belt before we put forward Shropshire land on their behalf."
If councillors agree when they meet next week, public consultation on the three other sites is expected begin in July.
Hundreds of volunteers are spending their time clearing up litter from waterways across England.
Read MoreThe headlines on the Dudley News website today include:
Families with ill children face long and difficult journeys if Walsall's Acorns hospice closes.
Read MoreDennis Davison, 96, receives the Points of Light award for his Normandy Day UK educational scheme.
Read More
Gavin Bevis
BBC News
One of the groups bidding to build the trains for the HS2 high-speed rail line has released this image to show what they might look like.
Derby train maker Bombardier and Japanese firm Hitachi said their "Great British" train, designed to reach speeds of up to 225mph, would be "the most advanced, customer-oriented train ever to run in the UK".
Image source, Bombardier/HitachiBombardier and Hitachi are competing with Alstom Transport, CAF, Patentes Talgo and Siemens for the £2.75bn contract to build and maintain 54 trains.
Phase one of HS2 will eventually take passengers between Birmingham and London.
Speaking of plastic...
The pupils of St Gregory's Primary School in Coventry got a mention in Parliament this lunchtime.
During Prime Minister's Questions on what is World Environment Day, Coventry North MP Colleen Fletcher said she had received a letter from pupils about the damage plastic causes to the environment.
Image source, Parliament TVIn the letter, they called for a deposit returns scheme to reduce the amount of plastic that ended up in landfill and in oceans.
David Lidington, standing in for Theresa May, said the government was planning to consult on a range of measures, including changes to recycling and a returns scheme.
Facebook
As a charity is pushing to clear England and Wales' canals and rivers of plastic, you've been having your say on the issue.
Working with Coventry University, the Canal and River Trust said 14 million items of plastic ended up in waterways each year.
Image source, Canal and River TrustOn the BBC Midlands Facebook page, Andrew Webb posted, external: "Guess it's too easy for people to just throw their rubbish on the ground. Even if there is a bin in easy reach. Show some pride in your country and bin it. It's not difficult."
Julieanne Banks added, external: "My pet hate people who just drop litter...no pride any more."
While Sunny Luke wrote, external: "We got so fed up of litter we decided to do something about it. We now have several established community litter picking groups across north Solihull."
Wales midfielder Hayley Ladd joins Manchester United Women on a free transfer, after leaving Birmingham City.
Read MoreWasps are to sign Coventry-born winger Paolo Odogwu from Sale Sharks for the 2019-20 season.
Read MoreA farmer who allegedly shot his estranged wife dead had "murder in his eyes", his trial has heard.
Giving evidence in a police interview, Andrew Hooper's step-daughter said he feared Cheryl Hooper was having an affair.
The teenager added that Mrs Hooper, 51, had "never cheated" on Mr Hooper, but the couple had a "strange" relationship and "led separate lives" which led to her and her mother moving out.
Mr Hooper, 46, of Newport, Shropshire, denies murdering 51-year-old Mrs Hooper with a shotgun on 26 January 2018.
The trial at Birmingham Crown Court continues.
Coventry Live
Here are three of the stories on the Coventry Live website today:
Local Democracy Reporting Service
Car parking charges in Coventry raised more than £11m for the city council over the last three years.
A Freedom of Information request revealed The Barracks car park brought in the most, raising £2,290,151, while Christchurch car park raised the least - just £1,557.
After operational and maintenance costs the net profit from the machines was £9,468,843.
But that does not include income from the Coombe Abbey car park, which was had its ticket machines vandalised and then out of action for six months because of a legal dispute with their supplier.
Coventry City Council said it was unable to say how much money that car park raised between 2016 and 2019.
BBC Midlands Today
Birmingham City Council's gold award-winning Chelsea Flower Show display, external will officially open to the public on Saturday.
Image source, Birmingham City CouncilThe garden, called Floella's Future, is inspired by the need for action on climate change.
Television presenter and peer Baroness Floella Benjamin once again worked in partnership with the council to create the garden and will at the official opening in Victoria Square.
Facebook
People have been giving their thoughts on the BBC Midlands Facebook, external page after the announcement that The Leamington Assembly music venue has closed.
Pat Whitehouse wrote: "Absolutely gutted, it was a great gig venue. I was there last Tuesday to see Stiff Little Fingers and had tickets to see Gary Numan later in the year. Beautiful building and good atmosphere."
Image source, GoogleDiane Higgs was also disappointed, she commented: "Such a shame all these live band venues closing down I would rather go and see live bands up and coming."
Others talked about the bands they'd seen there and Phil Spurrier wrote: "Shocking I'm sure I've seen Half Man Half Biscuit live there."
Two Worcester libraries that were under threat of closure are to remain open.
The city council has agreed to contribute £157,000 a year to maintain services at the St John's and Warndon libraries at their current level.
Image source, GoogleThe future of the two libraries was in doubt because of funding cuts from Worcestershire County Council.
