BBC Sport

Burton Albion have paid tribute to former defender Kelvin Maynard, who has died at the age of 32, after being shot in Amsterdam.

Image source, Getty Images

The League One club said: "Everyone at Burton Albion Football Club is saddened to learn of the tragic death of our former player Kelvin Maynard at the age of 32.

"Our sympathies go out to all his family and friends at this difficult time."

You can read more of the statement here., external

Archaeologists excavate 6,500 skeletons from a 19th-Century burial ground in Birmingham.

Parents have raised concerns about a change in autism support services in Staffordshire.

The current provider, Midland Psychology, has been told its contract for south Staffordshire won't be renewed at the end of the month and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in the county promised the new provider would be in place by 1 October.

Burton MP Andrew Griffiths has written to the health secretary to say both he and parents have concerns about the CCGs' stop-gap solution.

Image source, Google

Mr Griffiths said he was told the Midlands Partnership Foundation Trust would take over until the end of the year, but called the process "shambolic" and called on Health Secretary Matt Hancock to investigate.

Parents have complained that calls to Midlands Psychology haven't been answered and appointments have been cancelled, since it was announced their contract was coming to an end.

They said they feared the continuity of care for their children would be lost and that valuable time would be missed in their diagnosis and care.

In a letter to parents, Midlands Psychology said it was only told its contract wasn't being renewed on 30 August.

It said it was trying to "close services down in a way that is safe and effective for all of the children we see", but the decision will "inevitably leave some of you mid-assessment and others waiting for help, following a diagnosis".

A man has been charged with murder after the death of a pedestrian following a hit-and-run crash.

Image source, Family handout

Steven Day, from Olton, Solihull, died when a Volkswagen Golf struck him as he walked along the pavement on Warwick Road, Solihull, on Monday.

The 46-year-old died at the scene.

David Humfrey, 39, of Lower Moor, Bournville, is next due to appear at Birmingham Crown Court on Monday.

The West Midlands Combined Authority is to invest £18m in the UK's centre for battery development in Coventry - a key part of the development of electric vehicles.

The government awarded the Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) £80m in November 2017, with a further boost of £28m given in May of this year.

Image source, West Midlands Combined Authority

Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands, said the centre would put the West Midlands at the "forefront of global battery research," as the automotive market moves away from petrol and diesel.

He also called on the government to continue backing plans for a gigafactory to "mass produce the batteries that UKBIC will scale up".

The facility is due for completion in March 2020 and will initially employ an estimated 100 people once fully operational.

David Beattie is the first person in England to be banned as a landlord after misleading tenants.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

A primary school in Telford no longer wants to be obligated to share its community rooms and sports facilities with the local community, saying it's under pressure for space as pupil numbers grow.

Lawley Village Primary Academy was given planning permission for them in 2014, on the condition they "shall be made available for general community use".

It now wants to the condition removed or altered, to take away that obligation.

Image source, Google

It its application to have the conditions amended, the school said it had made a "significant commitment" to the local community, but it "must take account of the very real practical limitations of what can actually be accommodated going forward”.

The chair of Lawley and Overdale Parish Council, Jayne Greenaway, objected and said: "There is a growing demand for these facilities and no possible alternative provision exists or is proposed”.

Shropshire Star

Here are three of the top stories featured in the Shropshire Star today:

• £3.7 million grant to kick start building of new Telford homes, external
• Protestors stage 'funeral' for 'Natural World' outside Council HQ, external
• Adventure holiday centre near Shrewsbury told to improve, external

Facebook

Talk of the A5 between Wellington and Shrewsbury being officially turned into part of the M54, has been provoking a lot of debate on the BBC Shropshire Facebook page, external.

Like the M54, the A5 is a dual carriageway, with the same speed limit, and drivers are often unaware when they leave the motorway behind.

Andrew Banner wrote: "It will make no difference to the traffic and would be a waste of money for what?"

Image source, Google

Roger Grafton suggested: "Money could be better spent on roads else where in the county."

A number people suggested other ways to spend the money, including Kerry M Howells, who wrote: "The A5 at Queen’s Head, the Llynclys crossroads, and many other roads in the county, need attention to cut down on accidents so please don’t waste money tinkering with something that works."

But a couple of people were in favour and Mark Owen commented: "Yeah well overdue. Should have done it at the same time when the M54 was build."

This morning Shropshire councillors backed a motion calling for a business plan to be drawn up and asking local MPs to lobby government for the change.

BBC Sport

Warwickshire will be chasing 270 to win their county championship game against Nottinghamshire, after bowling them out for 260.

Captain Jeetan Patel (pictured below) took three wickets and there were four for Oliver Hannon-Dalby, including the final one to fall - that of centurion Joe Clarke.

Image source, Getty Images

Joe Clarke's 112 was his second century of the match and Warwickshire now have a session and a half to score the runs.

BBC Sport

The Stoke City striker Benik Afobe is believed to have suffered a season-ending injury while on loan at Bristol City.

The 26-year-old, who has scored three goals so far this season, hurt his knee in training this week and it's now thought he's suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Image source, Getty Images

Bristol City have yet to confirm the injury news.

A teddy bear that was treasured by a Staffordshire woman for 99 years has been sold at auction for £1,100 - more than 10 times its estimate.

The toy, named Bear, was given to Ida Goring by her father in 1916 and she kept it until she died in 2015, shortly before her 102nd birthday.

Image source, Hansons

Ida Goring's daughter, Jenny Pickett, said the bear now needed someone new to "care for him" and the money from his sale would go towards a headstone for her brother David Goring, who died aged 67 in 2016.

The auctioneers Hansons had listed the "faithful" bear with a guide price of between £70 and £100.

Image source, Hansons Auctioneers

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Plans to replace a mayor's locally made Bentley with a cheaper alternative will be discussed by Cheshire East councillors today.

The official vehicle has been supplied by Crewe-based Bentley since the council was created a decade ago and both the Conservative and Labour groups say they are keen to maintain good relations with the company.

Image source, Charles01

The Conservative leader of the council David Brown said: “They are one of the major employers in the area with over 4,000 employees – so I met with some trepidation, I suppose, when somebody told me we were getting rid of the Bentley.”

Coventry Live

Some of the Coventry Live headlines today include:

• Fight against 4,000 homes plan on former green belt, external
• Hundreds of new school places created in Coventry, external
• Bedrooms found full to the brim with cannabis plants, external

The great nephew of Edward Elgar has appealed to thieves to return important medals they stole from his birthplace museum in Worcestershire.

They were taken, along with a signed photograph on 27 June and Mark Grafton, who is also a trustee of Elgar Foundation, said: "He had given his life to music and so much of it was stolen when these two medals were taken."

Image source, West Mercia Police

West Mercia Police believe two men got into the museum in Lower Broadheath by forcing open the front door and then smashed a display cabinet to take the medals.

They have identified the type of trainers the pair used and are appealing for anyone offered the medals to come forward.

Image source, West Mercia Police

Mark Grafton also told the BBC's Crimewatch Roadshow, "the reaction of the family was anger, disappointment, frustration, sadness."

He added: "I don't think you can put a value on them, they are irreplaceable."

Nottinghamshire's Joe Clarke has completed his century, to put a dent in Warwickshire's hopes of forcing a win on the final day of their county championship match.

He's helped take the Notts lead close to 250, with two wickets remaining.

Image source, Getty Images

Police have stopped and seized a car in Stoke-on-Trent after discovering the driver has been driving without a full licence for 24 years,

Officers say they were shocked to discover the person had held an expired provisional driving licence since 1995.

Image source, Staffordshire Police

BBC Sport

Last season 57 Birmingham City supporters were given football banning orders, Home Office figures have revealed, external - putting them third in the banning order league table.

That compares with 50 banning orders for Birmingham fans in 2017-18

Newcastle United fans were once again top of the list last season, with 71.

Image source, Getty Images

Birmingham City had been top of the table for football-related arrests for three consecutive years, but they were overtaken last season by Stoke City.

A man is due in court today charged with possessing firearms and ammunition after a loaded revolver was found in a Wolverhampton home.

The 36-year-old was arrested after a search of an address in Stafford Road uncovered the gun.

The man from Telford is also accused of threatening to shoot a member of security staff at a Wolverhampton bar last Friday.

He will also face a charge of making threats to kill when he appears before Dudley Magistrates' Court.

Stoke-on-Trent Live

Here are three stories from the Stoke-on-Trent Live website:

• Devastated wife calls 999 after husband falls down stairs, external
• Police find man's body after smashing way into house, external
• Two assessed by paramedics after accident at busy crossroads, external