Stoke-on-Trent Live

The Stoke-on-Trent Live website's headlines today include:

• Baby died after being placed in bed between her mum and dad, external
• Man found injured in Staffordshire street after group attack, external
• Drug-dealer twice caught peddling heroin and cocaine on streets by same police officer, external

The UK needs a "complete overhaul" of how it deals with hateful extremism, external, a government adivisor has said.

It follows, in part, evidence gathered by the Commission for Countering Extremism in the wake of protests outside schools in Birmingham against relationships teaching.

Image source, PA Media

Birmingham's Anderton Park School has faced months of protests about its No Outsiders lessons - sparking similar campaigns at some other schools in the city and across the UK.

When speaking to people in Birmingham, the commission said it was told "the threat of Islamist agitation in the area was constant and had recently intensified".

The commission's said it had also seen a "deeply hate-filled" presentation from one Islamist group, comparing LGBT people to animals and paedophiles, circulated to prepare protesters to counter "arguments that legitimise LGBT".

The commission also gathered examples elsewhere in the UK of far right organisations using rallies to spread "anti-Muslim agenda" and "deliberately distort the truth" to incite "discriminatory and hateful attitudes".

The government’s independent advisor on extremism Sara Khan said unlike our response to terrorism, the UK's approach to other forms of extremism was "inadequate and unfocused, leaving victims unrecognised and those countering it unsupported".

She has called for a new approach and a new taskforce, led by the home secretary.

A boy, two, was taken to hospital with injuries thought to have been caused in the same incident.

Allen Cook
BBC News

Three families who challenged the government's funding of support for children with special educational needs and disabilities have lost their High Court challenge.

They included nine-year-old Dakota Riddell from Birmingham,whose mother Mary had said before the decision they had to fight for every single piece of extra support.

But in their ruling today, Mr Justice Lewis said there was "no unlawful discrimination" in the way the government made provision for the funding.

Allen Cook
BBC News

A cigar said to have been smoked by Sir Winston Churchill at a cinema is going to be auctioned off in December.

Image source, Hansons Auctioneers

It was dropped by the then-prime minister while watching a film in London in 1953 and picked up by cinema usherette Violet King, Hansons Auctioneers said.

The firm said the 66-year-old cigar was inherited by her great-nephew in Stoke-on-Trent who is now putting it up for sale in Derby on 11 December and it's expected to sell for about £6,000.

Image source, Hansons Auctioneers

The reason for the high valuation, the auctioneers adds, is because Mrs King wrote to the prime minister and got a reply confirming the cigar as Churchill's, which is part of the sale.

In October 2017, a cigar smoked by the British wartime leader sold for $12,000 in America, according to an auction house.

BBC Weather Watchers

It was a wet start to the day for many of us including these BBC Weather Watchers.

These images were taken in Sutton Coldfield by Sutton Walker, Bromyard, Herefordshire by Mrs Baggins and Leek in Staffordshire by Mr Twister.

Image source, Sutton Walker

Image source, Mrs Baggins

Image source, Mr Twister

Shropshire Star

The Shropshire Star's headlines today include:

• Telford arsonist who caused fire at house with people inside set cars alight in spree 'for kicks', external
• Funds needed to preserve 'key part of Shropshire's heritage', external
• Runners pound the streets for Shrewsbury Half Marathon, external

The number of knife crime offences recorded in the West Midlands has more than doubled in four years, figures show.

The number of offences that end with someone being charged has, however, stayed roughly the same during that period of time, the BBC has found.

In 2014 there were just over 1,500 reported cases, but in 2018 police responded to more than 3,200 incidents.

During that time there was on average just under 500 offences that resulted in a court charge per year.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Some of today's stories from the Local Democracy Reporting Service include:

• A Solihull taxi driver who mounted the pavement outside a school has been stripped of his licence.
• Residents have backed a campaign to keep an under-threat Solihull supermarket open.
• Safety alarms will be offered to Sandwell councillors as part of a training programme to give them greater protection.

BBC Hereford and Worcester

The family of a five-year-old boy whose leukaemia has returned say they are "absolutely gobsmacked" to have reached a £500,000 fundraising target for treatment in Singapore.

Image source, Family handout

Oscar Saxelby-Lee, from Worcester, had a stem cell transplant in May, but last month tests revealed cancer was present.

His family aimed to raise £500,000 for further treatment, which they said was not available to him on the NHS.

A Facebook post over the weekend said the target had been reached and added: "We have watched the people of Worcestershire and beyond work together to raise this seemingly impossible amount of money."

On the BBC Midlands Facebook page, Claire Barnacle-Miller reacted , externalto the news with: "Oh wow that's amazing!"

While Wendy Clarke added, external "great news hope he makes a full recovery" and Pat Underhill posted, external "hope your little boy get all the love and care he needs".

Chris King
News editor, BBC Shropshire

Nearly 2,000 cannabis plants have been found in a derelict nightclub in the centre of Shrewsbury., external

The farm, just a few yards from the old police station, was discovered on Friday in the empty building at Raven Meadows, West Mercia Police said.

The plants have now been removed along with a large amount of equipment used to grow them.

Birmingham Live

Some of the Birmingham Live headlines today include:

• Extremists exploited LGBT school teaching tensions to fuel hate - report claims, external
• Fans blast Radio 1Xtra Live gig over claims of 'Drugs and slack security', external
• Council pays out £25k in damaged vehicle claims, external

Matt Sandoz
Stoke City commentator, BBC Radio Stoke

Stoke City manager Nathan Jones says nobody will work harder than him to improve the club's league position.

Image source, PA Media

The Potters produced one of the shock results of the Championship season so far in coming from behind to beat leaders Swansea City on Saturday.

Before the weekend, Stoke had been winless, bottom of the table and their manager appeared to suggest he was about to be sacked.

But Scott Hogan's 90th-minute winner stunned Swansea and, while still in last place, moved the Potters a point behind Barnsley.

A woman is being questioned by officers investigating a stabbing in Birmingham.

The victim, 25, suffered multiple serious wounds at a property on West Mill Croft at about 05:15 on Sunday.

He was taken to hospital by a neighbour where he remains in a critical but stable condition, said West Midlands Police.

Officers are also investigating a scene on Longdales Road, Kings Norton, the force said.

A 21-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of wounding with intent and remains in police custody.

Officers are investigating after a shotgun was fired outside a supermarket in Coventry.

Image source, Google

Police were called to Far Gosford Street just before 02:50 on Saturday morning after a weapon was discharged from a dark coloured car.

The incident happened close to Sainsbury's, which remained closed on Saturday morning, said West Midlands Police.

A 36-year-old man from Warwickshire, arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm, has been eliminated from the inquiry, the force said.

The high Court is due to rule on a legal challenge to the government's funding of support for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Three families, including one from Birmingham, have argued the government is leaving councils in England unable to fulfil their legal duties to give these children the support they need.

The three children, who are acting through their mothers, are nine-year-old Dakota Riddell, (pictured) of Birmingham, 15-year-old Nico Heugh Simone, from East Sussex, and 14-year-old Benedict McFinnigan, from Scarborough.

Mary Riddell, mother of Dakota, who has cerebral palsy and other disorders, said her family has had to fight for every single piece of extra support.

"Nothing prepares you for the sheer enormity of the battle. The fight is real, exhausting and mind-blowing," she has previously said.

Mr Justice Lewis will give his judgment on the case in London.

Police and family are "extremely concerned" for the safety of a missing teenager who it's thought could be in Huddersfield.

Image source, West Mercia Police

Ashleigh Jennings was last seen boarding a Manchester-bound train from Shrewsbury at about 16:50 on Tuesday.

It's then believed she made her way to Huddersfield.

She was wearing a light blue long-sleeve tight top, black jeans, black leather jacket and she was carrying a large bag.

Ashleigh is described as being about 5ft 4ins tall and she has a nose piercing.

Coventry Live

Some of the Coventry Live headlines today include:

• Four more arrests made in murder investigation as victim named, external
• Hospitals among worst in region for ambulance handover times, external
• Anti-knife crime rally coming to city centre, external

The rate of knife attacks in some regional towns and cities is higher than in London boroughs.

BBC Radio Stoke

A stretch of main road outside Blythe Bridge, in Staffordshire is going to be partially closed for 20 weeks from today.

One lane will be closed on the A521 Uttoxeter Road to build a junction to accommodate a new housing estate.

It was going to be totally closed for 10 weeks - but Staffordshire County Council says the plans have been changed and one lane will be kept open where possible.