Updates from Monday 23 December to Sunday 29 December
Lee Thomas
Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke
A man's been dragged to the floor and robbed of his wallet at knifepoint.
Image source, GoogleCheshire Police said, external the 35-year-old was walking along Borough Road, Congleton, yesterday afternoon when he was attacked.
The two men involved then escaped in a silver Ford Fiesta driven by another man.
Officers said the victim wasn't hurt.
It's been in place for more than six weeks, but tonight the shutters come down on Birmingham's annual Frankfurt Christmas market.
Image source, Birmingham City CouncilThis is the 20th year the event's been held in the city and opened on 7 November with stalls across New Street and Victoria Square., external
With the market being taken down this evening, West Midland Metro says trams will run between Wolverhampton St. George's and Grand Central only from 20:00, external.
Kathleen Etty-Leal's ashes were buried in 1993 but she had wanted them scattered, a court hears.
Read MoreAfter a mainly dry day, tonight's set to start dry but it'll turn cloudier with rain expected from the south-west. Low: 5C (41F).
Image source, Beks Walker Runner XChristmas Eve's then expected to be pretty cloudy with showers mixed with the odd bright or sunny spell. High: 9C (48F).
Keep up to date with the BBC Weather website.
West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson has welcomed plans by the region's mayor to call for an end to West Midlands Railway franchise if its performance doesn't improve, however he also accused his political rival of a lack of action on the issue, external.
Labour PCC Mr Jamieson said last week the situation on the region's railways was an issue of "public safety" and that he planned to hold a hearing next year into the issue.
Today, Conservative mayor Andy Street said he would give West Midlands Railway until the end of January to improve its "woeful" performance and then ask the government to strip the firm of its franchise.
Mr Jamieson responded today by saying he would still hold his public hearing after the new year , externaland would "make recommendations on the proper running of a franchise, whoever is running it".
West Midlands Trains has said it expects a new timetable to improve services and will introduce new trains next year.
BBC Midlands Today
Motorcyclists collected about 100 presents over the weekend for children in hospital who won't be spending Christmas at home.
Dozens of bikers met in Shifnal, Shropshire, on Saturday before travelling through several villages and ending up at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital., external
The group, the Midland Riders, said any surplus presents would go to the children's ward in Telford.
Someone has been poking fun at Stoke City, or maybe letting out their frustrations, by putting the team up for sale on eBay.
The listing reads: "Not suitable for task for which bought, unreliable and unpredictable, job lot of below average footballers, attitudes questionable, work ethic poor, not advisable to use as dog walkers as cannot hold onto a lead."
Image source, Getty ImagesThe good news is that someone had bid more than £65,000, and the postage is a very reasonable £2.90.
Stoke go into Christmas in the Championship relegation zone after defeat to fellow-strugglers Middlesbrough at the weekend.
The managing director of West Midlands Trains has responded to criticism from the West Midlands Mayor this morning, saying improvements were being made.
Mayor Andy Street said he would ask the Department for Transport to strip the company of its franchise, if a reliable service wasn't restored by 31 January.
Jan Chaudhry-van der Velde said the company accepted the timetable it introduced in May hadn't worked and also blamed "incidents outside our control" such as trespass on the track, signalling faults and anti-social behaviour.
The statement, external, however, does not mention staffing issues, which have been responsible for a string of delays and cancellations over recent months, but he said his company was talking to to the mayor and the DfT about the best way to improve the service.
And he promised details of how that might work "early in the new year".
I've given up searching for signs of Christmas snow, but there are some great photos of chilly Shropshire from the BBC Weather Watchers today.
These ones were taken around Clee Hill, Lydbury North and Oswestry and include some very dark-looking clouds
Image source, Ken M
Image source, Desmondo
Image source, SkyeHere are three stories from the Hereford Times today:
The ring was taken after the bride-to-be put it in a tray at airport security, police say.
Read More
BBC Coventry & Warwickshire Sport
Mark Robins is going to break with tradition this year and give his players a Christmas break with their families.
Their next match is on 29 December and he said: "They don't generally get any time off over Christmas and it's just how the fixtures have fallen and I'm able to give them a little bit of time."
Image source, Getty ImagesCoventry City go into Christmas fifth in League One and Robins said he thought the time off will, "stand them in good stead and it'll stand us into good stead coming into the turn of the year".
BBC Shropshire
A five-year-old girl from Ludlow is going to be "very spoilt" this Christmas after calling 999 when her mum collapsed.
Daniella Gartell-Marston has a food flavouring allergy and went into anaphylactic shock earlier this month. "All I remember is waking up and the paramedics were there," she said.
Image source, Daniella Gartell-MarstonDaniella said she later discovered her daughter Kadella had called for an ambulance and given her an epi-pen injection which probably saved her live.
She said: "I'm one very proud mummy. I just look at her and I just think, I'm just so proud of you."
BBC Politics
Birmingham Ladywood MP Shabana Mahmood will sit on a panel of party figures to review its general election failure., external
Image source, Getty ImagesLabour Together, which describes itself as a network of activists from all traditions, is setting up a commission to "map out a route back to power".
It says the panel will view attempts to pin the blame on a single cause, such as Brexit or Jeremy Corbyn's leadership, as simplistic and wrong.
Members, focus groups in heartlands, and defeated candidates will get a say.
Among the panel's other members are ex-Labour leader Ed Miliband and Jo Platt, who lost her seat in the former stronghold of Leigh.
Birmingham Live
A few of the headlines from the Birmingham Live website:
Allen Cook
BBC News
An engagement ring's been returned to a bride-to-be by police who said it was taken as she travelled through Birmingham Airport., external
Image source, West Midlands PoliceWest Midlands Police said Lydia and her fiance Ryan were going on holiday earlier this month to celebrate their recent engagement when she took it off when going through security.
She only realised it was missing when about to board their flight and, on going back to security, officers realised the ring was picked up by another passenger.
Image source, West Midlands PoliceThe force said it had now found and returned the ring to the couple at their home in Barnsley.
A 51-year-old's been questioned about the theft and released while enquiries continue.
BBC News Travel
A lane's blocked on the M6 near Walsall after a lorry overturned.
Highways England said , externalstaff were working to move the vehicle between J10A and J10.
It's unclear if anyone's been hurt.
Highways England said there were now "severe delays of up to 90 minutes" also affecting the M54 eastbound back to J1.
Image source, Highways England
BBC Sport
Telford Tigers go into Christmas with a nine-point cushion at the top of the National Division, after wins over Hull and Sheffield at the weekend.
They've also guaranteed themselves the top seeding in the National Cup and have the right to choose their semi-final opponent from the other three teams to qualify.
Image source, Steve BrodieThe match against Hull Pirates ended in a comfortable 5-2 win, but Tigers left it to the very last second to score their winner away at Sheffield Steeldogs, with Scott McKenzie (pictured below) deflecting in a Thomas McKinnon shot just as the buzzer sounded.
Afterwards, head coach Tom Watkins said: "We got a 'get out of jail' card tonight, but we’ll take it."
Image source, Steve Brodie
BBC News Travel
A shortage of train crew today, means there will be no West Midlands Railway trains between Nuneaton and Leamington Spa from 15:30.
The operator says the same issue also means there will be fewer trains through Birmingham Snow Hill., external
National Rail Enquiries said the disruption in both cases is expected to last until the end of the day and buses would be arranged to replace cancelled trains.
There have been a series of delays and cancellations to West Midlands Railway services in recent months, with "staffing issues" being a common cause.
The company has said it will spend more on training to increase staffing levels in the new year.
The estate is close to The Wrekin hill, where wild deer are known to roam.
Read More
