Updates from Monday 19 August to Monday 26 August
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BBC Radio Stoke
Police are questioning a man and a woman arrested in Congleton this morning on suspicion of possession of a firearm.
Armed officers were called to Woolston Avenue this morning just after 07:30 and found the pair in Rope Walk.
Image source, Staffordshire PoliceHere are three stories from the Shropshire Star today:
The chair of the Stop HS2 campaign has said there have been "fingers in ears" every time problems with HS2 have been raised, as the government announces a review into the high-speed line.
Image source, HS2 Ltd"There are some serious questions about the probity of this project," Joe Rukin said, labeling it "the worst project on the government's books since its inception".
Mr Rukin also criticised the review, which will be chaired by Douglas Oakervee, a civil engineer who served as chairman of the Crossrail project between 2005 and 2009.
"He's being given the chance to mark his own homework," he said, adding he was "not totally convinced this will be the best review".
Work is well under way to prepare the stage for the Shrewsbury Folk Festival and the organisers have shared these fantastic aerial photos, taken by Virtual Shropshire Drone Rangers, external.
Image source, Virtual Shropshire Drone Rangers
Image source, Virtual Shropshire Drone RangersThe four-day event, which has become one of the foremost folk festivals in the UK, attracts thousands of visitors to the West Mid Showground every year.
Previously held in Bridgnorth, it moved to Shrewsbury in 2006.
Image source, Virtual Shropshire Drone Rangers
Local Democracy Reporting Service
Here are three of the stories being covered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service today:
Phil Mackie
Midlands correspondent, BBC News
Work is already under way at Curzon Street in Birmingham to prepare the ground where the new HS2 terminal will be built.
Image source, John BrayBesides the facade of the old Victorian station and the sound of diggers there isn’t much to see. However if you look back towards the city it becomes clear what HS2 means to Britain’s second city.
The skyline is filled with new office buildings and hotels which in turn are surrounded by more than a dozen giant cranes which are building the next developments.
Many of those businesses, which have already relocated to Birmingham, or are planning to do so, have made the decision based on the promise of faster connections to London and beyond.
If the project were scrapped or downgraded it’s feared that the city’s great revival will falter or stop.
However if you live along the route and have seen little or no benefit, only pain and disruption, then today’s announcement may be more welcome.
Though for many who’ve already sold up and moved on, even if it were cancelled it would only be a pyrrhic victory at best
Jessica Labhart
BBC News
A man charged with the murder of 63-year-old Belinda Rose has appeared in court.
Image source, West Midlands PoliceMs Rose was discovered with fatal stab wounds at a house in Pendragon Road, Perry Barr, at about 13:50 on Saturday.
Inderjit Ram, of Wensleydale Road, Great Barr, appeared at Birmingham Crown Court earlier.
The 52-year-old did not enter a plea and was remanded in custody ahead of his next appearance at the city's crown court on 6 December.
Making headlines in the Express & Star this morning:
Former Labour transport secretary Lord Adonis has branded the HS2 review as "about as stupid as you can get" and a "shambles".
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The Labour peer, who was appointed transport secretary shortly after HS2 Ltd was set up, said delays caused by the review would leave the company "paralysed by indecision".
The government said it expected a “go or no-go" decision to be made by the end of the year.
A motorcyclist has been seriously injured after a collision with a car in Stoke-on-Trent last night.
Staffordshire Police said officers were called to The Boulevard in Tunstall at around 21:30.
The man was taken to the Royal Stoke Hospital for treatment.
Two men have been charged with assault with intent to rob after a man in his 50s was attacked with a metal bar at a bus stop in Bordesley Green, Birmingham.
Image source, GoogleTayub Zaman, 24, from Cherrywood Road, Bordesley Green, was arrested on Tuesday after police released CCTV footage of the attack in a public appeal.
He has also been charged with possession of an offensive weapon, driving without insurance and driving without a licence and is due to appear before Birmingham Magistrates' Court later.
A second man, 25-year-old Kyle Causer from Staple Lodge Road, Northfield - who is already in prison for a different offence - will be summonsed to court at a later date where he will also face a charge of possession of an offensive weapon.
An unmarked police car was pursuing the car which was being driven at high speeds in a 30mph zone.
Read MoreThe One-Day Cup final at Trent Bridge and T20 Blast final at Edgbaston will both be held in September next year.
Read MorePolice are continuing to appeal for help to trace missing three-year-old Dylan Hayes, who has not been seen since Monday night in Selly Oak.
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Anyone with information should dial 999, the West Midlands Police said.
The campaign group against high-speed rail, Stop HS2, said the government should halt the development immediately after it announced plans for a review.
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Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, has said a decision will be reached by the end of the year about whether or not to continue with HS2.
The total cost of the project has already exceeded £7bn.
BBC Radio Shropshire Sport
The Shrewsbury Town manager Sam Ricketts said he was delighted with the impact made by new signing Daniel Udoh, who came up with a game-winning goal in the last minute last night.
He was making his league debut after joining from local neighbours AFC Telford United and Ricketts said: "His attitude has been excellent from the moment we signed him."
Image source, Getty ImagesShrewsbury had trailed 2-0 in the second half, but the dramatic turnaround was capped when Udoh pounced in the 89th minute.
Ricketts said: "As soon as the ball went up I could see the defender couldn't get there without letting it bounce and I knew exactly what Dan was going to do and he took the goal superbly well."
Stoke-on-Trent Live
Here's a look at the headlines on the Stoke-on-Trent Live website today:
"We have to make the business case for HS2 again and win the argument," West Midlands Mayor, Andy Street, has said.
The government has launched a review of the high-speed rail project amid rising costs.
Mr Street said he could "understand why the prime minister has called a review," but said the scheme was "critical" for the region.
Image source, HS2Mr Street will also be sitting on the review panel for HS2, but said he was "confident" the business case for it would be persuasive.
The government said a decision would be made whether to continue with the development by the end of the year.
Quote MessageHS2 is mission critical for the West Midlands as it will free up the capacity we so desperately need on our existing railways, drive huge economic growth, and is already creating jobs and building new homes in the region."
Andy Street, West Midlands Mayor
More than seven million people have shared the hashtags #bulletjournal or #bujo on Instagram, and one bullet journalist told the BBC it had helped her to save for a house.
'I bought a house thanks to my bullet journal'
Nadia, from Birmingham, said she used expense trackers in her bullet journal to help her save up for a big event.
She also uses it to collect things like train tickets to highlight when she's had a good day.
The government is launching a review of high-speed rail link HS2 - with a “go or no-go" decision to be made by the end of the year, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has said.
The review will consider whether and how the project should proceed, taking into account benefits, affordability and deliverability.
A final report will be sent to the government in the autumn.
Mr Shapps refused to rule out scrapping the project entirely.
When asked about the £7bn already spent on HS2, he said: "Just because you've spent a lot of money on something does not mean you should plough more and more money into it."
