Updates from Monday 8 July to Sunday 14 July
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Michele Paduano
Health correspondent, BBC Midlands Today
A man from Birmingham who once weighed 46 stone has undergone life-saving surgery.
Marcus Edwards was the biggest person staff at Heartlands Hospital have ever operated on.
Surgeons believe with the gastric bypass he'll be able to lose up to 16 stone within a year.
You can see more on this story on Midlands Today on BBC One at 18:30.
Local Democracy Reporting Service
David Irwin
A multimillion-pound upgrade of Solihull Council House looks set to get under way within the next few months.
Up to £3.5m will be ploughed into the project, with council bosses arguing that the building has badly deteriorated due to very little investment in recent years.
Staff have complained of faulty heating, rotten windows and poor kitchen facilities at the town centre premises.
A report, to be discussed by councillors next week, suggests that the "essential maintenance work" could begin in October and continue for around 18 months.
BBC Business News
A new report identifying 29 areas of the UK that are "credit deserts", includes Sandwell, Stoke-on-Trent and Wolverhampton.
Image source, Getty ImagesThat may suggest neighbourhoods where it is impossible to borrow money - but, actually, the report says they are areas where the only option for many people are high-cost, short-term loans.
Cross-party think-tank Demos says there is high demand for affordable credit in these areas, but little opportunity to get it.
People often struggle as they may have low incomes, or thin or poor credit scores, among other factors. So, the rely on payday loans and pawn shops.
The report , externalsays there is no one-size-fits-all solution, but that local authorities and businesses need to be aware and step in to improve the situation.
Local Democracy Reporting Service
Plans for a northern link road around Pershore have been approved by Worcestershire county councillors.
The 420m-long highway and railway bridge will run between the A44 and Wyre Road, north of Pershore town centre.
Image source, GoogleThe road is intended to cut congestion in the town as part of a £12m roads project and work is expected to take around a year to complete.
Work on the new link road will start before the end of the year.
Coventry Live
Some of the Coventry Live headlines today are:
Health officials say the HPV vaccine for 12 to 13-year-old boys, starting after the summer, will prevent 29,000 cancers in UK men in the next 40 years.
The boys will be eligible from the start of the new school year - 11 years after girls were first vaccinated.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe University of Warwick carried out modelling to establish the likely impact after 50 years, when those vaccinated will have reached the age group when cancer is most common.
It predicts that 64,138 THPV-related cervical cancers and 49,649 other HPV-related cancers will be prevented.
David Mackereth refused to address transgender people using pronouns relating to their chosen sex.
Read More
Andy Giddings
BBC News
Part of the Severn Valley Railway is going to be closed to visitors early next week to allow filming to take place.
The railway isn't saying what the filming is for, but is describing it as "a fantastic contract opportunity" and "a significant opportunity to contribute to the railway’s future".
It says talks have been going on for some while, but the deal has only been confirmed this month.
It will mean the stations in Kidderminster, Arley and Bewdley will be closed between Monday and Wednesday, but trains will still run between Highley and Bridgnorth.
Pregnant women are given bracelets to tackle their anxieties and record their baby's movements.
Read MoreThe investigation will also examine whether a council's previous looks at CSE have been "adequate".
Read MoreA Shropshire man has completed his flight down the length of Britain in a powered paraglider, known as a paramotor.
James Du Pavey touched down in Land's End after a journey of more than 870 miles in just two days and, if it's verified, it will beat the existing record by five days.
Mr Du Pavey, an estate agent from Market Drayton, has done it to raise funds for the The Donna Louise Hospice in Stoke-on-Trent and has so far collected more than £7,500.
He described his aircraft as "essentially a parachute powered by a large fan" and has been followed by a ground crew who have helped him refuel and carry out repairs.
Warwickshire 219-6 v Hampshire - target 404
Sam Hain has just reached his second centruy in Warwickshire's match against Hampshire at Southampton.
Image source, Getty ImagesHe now has a century in each innings.
It has given Warwickshire - who are chasing 404 - a glimmer of hope that they could rescue a draw.
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A man has been taken to hospital after a lorry overturned on Wrexham Road in Nantwich.
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service says it was called out at 12:48 and had to clean up a small oil spill.
Image source, Cheshire Fire and Rescue ServiceA tower block in Wyken in Coventry is to be demolished and replaced with new homes over the next five years as part of a £21m regeneration project.
Image source, WM Housing GroupThe Vincent Wyles House on Attoxhall Road currently holds 144 flats but will be replaced with 93 new homes.
This, along with the refurbishment of William Malcolm House, is the first major project by Citizen - the new name for WH Housing Group and Whitefriars.
BBC Shropshire
A Shropshire mum who developed a bracelet for counting baby movements during pregancy says she found it reassuring to be able to keep track of them on busy days.
The bracelets are now being given to all pregnant women in Shropshire after 24 weeks, and mums-to-be are asked to move a small hoop around each bead when they notice a movement.
Image source, SATHLouise Macleod said she decided to create the prototype herself because she couldn't find an easy way to keep count and "it helped me notice patterns of movement I don’t think I would have otherwise have found".
She said that once her baby was born, she used the bracelet to remind her which side she was feeding her son from.
The hospitals in Shrewsbury and Telford say it's important that changes in a baby's movement are reported as soon as possible.
A week-old baby camel born at Dudley Zoo has taken its first brief steps.
Image source, Dudley Zoo
Image source, Dudley ZooThe zoo said keepers are supplementing her feeding but are "delighted" with the progress of the Bactrian camel, named Delilah.
BBC Radio Stoke Sport
The Port Vale manager John Askey says today's pre-season friendly against Nottingham Forest will once again be about fitness, rather than the result.
And he says that while the players want to do well, to help their confidence "all these games will be forgotten" when the league season starts.
Image source, Getty ImagesNew signing David Amoo could be involved after joining the club from Cambridge yesterday, while five trialists could also feature.
Here are three of the stories in the Shropshire Star today:
Vanessa Pearce
BBC News
A series of concerts by The Specials, which start tonight at Coventry Cathedral, are expected to be "jaw-dropping", said the Dean of Coventry.
The band, originally formed in the city, start a run of four sell-out nights in the cathedral ruins.
Gig-goers can expect to hear material from the band's recently released album Encore, with Terry Hall on vocals.
Activist Saffiyah Khan, who appears on the album with Ten Commandments, is also expected to make an appearance.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe Dean of Coventry, The Very Rev John Witcombe, said he loved the cathedral being the "heart and soul of the city".
"It's really what communities are for, a place to gather," he added.
"The Specials sit at the very heart of what we are and stand for as a city.
"I'm really seriously excited about this."
This picture of people kayaking on the River Avon, with Warwick Castle in the background, is featured as BBC England's Big Picture today.
Image source, David HarveyThis week's gallery theme is "Singleness" to mark BBC Local Radio and BBC Radio 2's Faith in the World Week.
