Coventry Live

Here's a selection of stories making headlines in the Coventry Telegraph today:

• Funeral held for trees in Coventry - but council pledges to replace them, external
• School partially shut due to boiler failure, external
• How bowling pins are helping Nuneaton's young homeless people, external

Police have confirmed a pedestrian has died in a crash in Birmingham city centre.

The man was hit by a car at the junction of Moor Street and Park Street, near Moor Street Station, just after 11:00.

West Midlands Police said roads in the area were likely to be closed for a number of hours and advised drivers to avoid the area.

A number of buses have also been diverted, National Express West Midlands said, external, and are stopping at Birmingham markets.

More House of Fraser stores are expected close next year, parent company Sports Direct has revealed.

Last year, the firm announced more than 30 closures. Many of those were subsequently saved - including Birmingham, Telford, Solihull and Sutton Coldfield - after new rent deals were struck.

But others like Shrewsbury have already shut their doors, and Wolverhampton's Beatties store is expected to follow in the new year.

Today, Sports Direct revealed other stores would shut next year, but has not said which are in the firing line.

Worryingly for those rescued in 2018, the firm said the closures would include some "which are currently paying zero rent and that are unprofitable and thus not sustainable".

Wesley Streete is accused of murdering Keeley Bunker, whose body was found in woodland.

Birmingham city centre is heavily congested after a crash near Moor Street Station, West Midlands Roads has said.

Park Street has been closed, affecting access to the Selfridges car park near the Bullring.

Jennifer Meierhans
BBC News Online

The general election brought surprise victories and shock defeats for MPs across the UK. Former politicians who failed to win the vote, including Matthew Green, who was the Liberal Democrat MP for Ludlow between 2001 and 2005, shared how it felt to lose their seat.

Image source, Matthew Green

"I was aware that I was going to lose from the weekend before because I did the number crunching," Mr Green said. "But I didn't tell anyone in my team because I wanted to keep campaigning up to the end.

"I had a few days of this surreal situation where I knew I was heading for defeat but I couldn't tell anyone. But when it came to it, it's a gut-wrenching thing. It's comparable to what I envisage would be a fairly sudden sacking or a company going bust.

"It's a very uncertain time, you've still got a mortgage to pay. You've lost your job and you've got to close down your operation and make your team redundant, it's not pleasant."

Residents who lost their retirement homes in a fire are expected to receive their shares of charitable donations "before Christmas".

About £60,000 was raised for the 130 residents of the Beechmere complex, Crewe, which was devastated by fire.

A council error delayed them receiving the money, but Crewe Town Council and landlord Your Housing Group have reached a legal agreement that will enable them to distribute the funds.

Image source, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service

Your Housing Group says it is now doing everything it can to ensure residents receive their share before Christmas.

If any beneficiary is deceased, the money will be transferred to their estate.

Crewe Town Council will continue to collect any further donations until 31 January 2020 and that money will be passed to Your Housing for distribution in the same way.

Shropshire Star

Here's a selection of some of the Shropshire Star's top stories today:

• Found – the gold ring lost in a Shropshire field 60 years ago, external
• Schoolchildren spread Christmas cheer with card competition, external
• Married Telford paedophile had sex with two children, impregnating a 14-year-old, external

Warwickshire Police have confirmed they are in attendance after a fire broke out Nuneaton Town Hall.

A cordon has been put up and road closures are in place, the force said, as it advised people to avoid the area on Coton Road.

Warwickshire Fire and Rescue said the fire had broken out in the roof of the building at about 09:40 and that nobody had been injured.

There has been construction work taking place in the roof where the fire broke out, the fire service added.

New rail timetables came in yesterday, and they face their first proper test today as commuters head to work.

Train timetables are changed twice a year, in May and December. In May 2018, changes caused chaos across the country.

The latest timetable is expected to cut journey times, increase services and add new routes across the country, after infrastructure and carriage investment.

However there are winners and losers and not everybody is happy.

The new timetable was blamed by Transport for Wales, which serves routes to Crewe and Birmingham New Steret, for 12 services being cancelled and delays over the weekend.

West Midlands Railway has also reported this morning that services have been cancelled due to crew shortages, external.

Council staff have been evacuated from Nuneaton Town Hall after fire alarms went off.

Warwickshire Fire and Rescue is in attendance and the building has been closed temporarily.

We'll bring you updates as we get them.

BBC Sport

Worcestershire's Luke Woodhouse caused a stir at the PDC World Championship on Sunday as he knocked out last year's finalist in the second round.

Woodhouse, world number 69, beat Michael Smith 3-0 despite missing six match darts.

Smith missed two darts to take the match to a deciding set as Woodhouse, 31, secured a place in round three by calmly checking out from 80 with two 20s and double top for a 3-1 win.

Get the full report from BBC Sport here.

BBC WM

The Haven in Wolverhampton has been named Women’s Support Group of the Year at the English Women’s Awards 2019, for its work helping victims of domestic abuse.

The charity helped 1,600 women and children last year and received more than 1,000 calls each month to the helpline.

"The biggest part of what we do is try to empower women and children to move forwards with their lives," fundraising manager Jade Secker said.

"The more awareness we can raise, the more people we can reach out to who really might be in dire need of our support but who might not be aware that we exist and that we can help them."

John Pienaar
Pienaar’s Politics

Jess Phillips, the Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley, has emerged as a potential candidate to replace Jeremy Corbyn as the leader of the Labour Party after Friday's general election defeat.

She will be the combative, charismatic wild card in the race when she joins it.

John McDonnell told Andrew Marr on Sunday it was time for a "non-London MP" to become leader, but when it came to Ms Phillips he volunteered that he would "prefer someone else… someone who actually has been really solidly involved in the development of our existing policy".

Read more on all the leadership candidates here.

BBC Shropshire

There was big fire at a retirement complex in Dawley last night, Shropshire Fire and Rescue said.

Image source, Google

The fire service says the fire broke out at Morton Court at around 18:00 and involved two properties.

There were initial fears someone might be trapped - but everyone was accounted for.

The police and ambulance service were also at the scene.

Express and Star

Here's some of the top stories in the Express & Star today:

• More than 2,300 crimes at places of worship, external
• Throwing cigarette out of car window costs Kidderminster man £850, external
• Former Brierley Hill pub to make way for bungalows, external

A school which had to close after an outbreak of Norovirus is able to reopen this morning after a deep clean.

Brine Leas in Nantwich closed on Friday after the headteacher said more than 200 classes were affected by the spread of the vomiting bug.

Pupils are now able to return for the final week of term before the Christmas holidays.

BBC Radio Stoke

Two people have been arrested after police found stolen clothing worth £6,500 in a vehicle in Stoke-on-Trent.

Image source, CMPG

The clothes were found during a police stop on the A500 on Sunday.

The driver was arrested on suspicion of "a number of serious offences," police said, and his passenger was also detained.

Birmingham Live

Here's some of the top stories from the Birmingham Mail today:

• Woman fighting cancer accused of playing the 'C card', external
• £1.6m heroin smuggling suspect 'may be hiding in Spain', external
• Screams as huge three-on-one brawl erupts in Lichfield, external

BBC Midlands Today

Rail commuters are reminded that timetables changed over the weekend.

A previous reshuffle of services in May led to delays, cancellations and overcrowding.

Operators London Northwestern Rail and West Midlands Rail said this time around there has been no last minute changes to services.

Passengers are being advised to check their train times before they travel.