Vanessa Pearce
BBC News

Welcome to our live service for Thursday.

We'll be bringing you all the news, sport, travel and weather for the West Midlands.

We love to hear from you so share your news, thoughts and photos of the area with us via email, Twitter, external and Facebook., external

A young farmer calls on the next government to help promote technology in the sector.

West Bromwich Albion stretch their unbeaten run to eight games as they beat Bristol City 4-1 to go back to the top of the Championship.

Kadeem Harris fires a late equaliser to rescue a point for Garry Monk's Sheffield Wednesday in his first reunion with old club Birmingham City.

Alice Robinson was found dead hours after partner Jason Francis was killed by a car in Australia.

Andy Giddings
BBC News

We'll be back with the news, sport, travel and weather from 07:00 tomorrow.

BBC Sport

Arsenal have identified Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo as a potential replacement for Unai Emery if the Gunners decide to sack the Spaniard.

Head coach Emery is under pressure after a winless run of six matches across all competitions.

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Sport understands that if Emery is sacked and Nuno is allowed to speak to Arsenal, then the Portuguese would be a strong contender to take over.

Cheshire Live - Crewe

A few of the stories appearing on the Cheshire Live - Crewe website this afternoon:

• Royal Navy engineer from Crewe proposes to partner after picking up MBE, external
• Police hunt burglars who broke into Sandbach Co-op through roof, external
• Crewe Alex supporters' group outlines how they are stepping up fundraising mission, external

BBC Radio Stoke

The Stoke City manager Michael O'Neill has hinted he wants a new winger in the January transfer window, to fit his four-three-three system.

He said: "We need options on the wide area of the pitch, we don't really have strikers that can play wide."

Image source, Getty Images

O'Neill described the forwards he has at the club as "through the middle" players and also suggested he wanted competition for places at full back.

Rich Davis
BBC Weather presenter

There'll showers around as we head into tonight but some areas should turn drier as the night goes on:

Keep up-to-date with the latest forecast for your area by going to the BBC Weather website.

Allen Cook
BBC News

A man's been charged with raping a 14-year-old girl , externalin a park in Birmingham.

The 45-year-old, from the city, was arrested over the attack at Kingfisher Country Park on 4 October, West Midlands Police said., external

He was charged with two counts of rape and appeared before magistrates this morning.

He's been remanded into custody, to next appear at Birmingham Crown Court next month.

BBC Business News

University of Warwick graduate Timothy Armoo has paid tribute to the power of maths in the success of his business.

The former maths tutor set up Fanbytes, an advertising agency that connects some of the world's best-known brands with rising social media influencers.

It uses algorithms to find the rising stars of social media.

Many of his senior team are computer scientists and use algorithms to find the talent they want - but the importance of maths goes deeper than that.

The parents of a woman who took her own life in Western Australia after learning of the death of her husband-to-be, have questioned if the police and hospital staff could have done more for her.

Alice Robinson was allowed to drive herself to hospital after being told Jason Francis had been seriously injured by a car.

In a statement, given out after the inquest into her death, the family said she shouldn't have been left alone by staff at the Royal Perth Hospital, "under any circumstances".

Requesting some air and then asking to be left alone, she ran to her car and left the hospital, her family say.

They have asked both the hospital and police to review their practices.

Noting the coroner's verdict that Ms Robinson had taken her own life, her parents said "to us more accurately she died of a broken heart".

The BBC has approached the police force and the hospital for a comment.

A Herefordshire farmer and crisp-maker is warning the wet weather this autumn could cause a rise in the price of potatoes and of crisps in the new year.

Mark Green, the co-founder of Two Farmers, said it has been "one of the most challenging autumns that we've ever known" and explained "it hasn't really stopped raining since 20 September."

Image source, Getty Images

Mr Green said the wet weather meant many farmers had been unable to complete their harvests and as much as 20% of the crop is still in the ground, meaning there could be shortages around Easter next year.

He said the likely consequence, if the potatoes aren't harvested soon would be an increase in the price of potatoes on the shelves and more being imported from abroad.

BBC News England

Asher Cecil-Wright, 20, left school without any passes in his GCSEs but says a second chance at his local college has helped him succeed.

He is studying one evening a week for a Level 2 (GCSE pass equivalent) engineering qualification.

He was able to start it after doing a basic study programme at City of Wolverhampton College, which is open to young people who don't do well in their GCSEs.

According to the exams regulator Ofqual, 71,000 pupils in England left school without any GCSE passes above a grade 4 in 2018.

Volunteers are needed to plant 150 trees at a Telford nature reserve on Saturday.

A mixture of trees, including hawthorn, hazel, holly and dog rose have been donated by the Woodland Trust, as part of its Free Trees for Schools and Communities scheme.

Image source, Telford and Wrekin Council

Telford and Wrekin Council says its working with The Friends of Dothill Nature Reserve and social enterprise Telford Woods to get the planting done in the Dothill area.

It will be one of a number of tree planting events around the UK on Saturday, with the Woodland Trust aiming to get one million planted, with the slogan Every Tree Counts, external.

BBC Business News

Plunging property values have left pub giant Marston's making a loss in the past year.

The Wolverhampton-based brewing and pub group said it swung to a £20m pre-tax loss after £43m was wiped from the value of its property portfolio.

Image source, Getty Images

The loss for the year to the end of September compares with a £54.3m profit the previous year.

Last month it warned that annual profits would be lower than expected due to a poor performance in food sales, which more than offset growth in its drinks business.

Marston's said it hoped to restore profitability and reduce its debts by raising £70m through asset sales.

Earlier this month it said it was selling 137 pubs for £44.9m to Admiral Taverns.

Boss Ralph Findley hopes that Christmas could drive punters into pubs as they look to "escape" the turbulent political backdrop.

There was a familiar face at Barton-under-Needwood's rugby club last night - the England coach Eddie Jones.

He joined their training session before answering questions from members at the club-house.

Jones spent time working with their under-13s, under-15s and seniors and stayed for nearly three hours.

This willow sculpture of Mother Nature has taken several weeks to create and will now be a focal point for the Christmas celebrations at Attingham Park near Shrewsbury.

It's made up of thousands of willow rods, which have been soaked and wrapped around a metal frame and then decorated with ivy from the estate.

It has been created by willow artist Ben Mayho, who said: "I’ve put my hands, my head and my heart into the project over the last few weeks."

The estate, one of the National Trust's most popular, opens its Christmas Inspired by Nature display on Saturday.

Kyle Pedley says he was "aghast" at comments made during a local election selection meeting in October.