BBC Coventry & Warwickshire Sport

Coventry Blaze are looking to wrap up a win in normal time this evening, after two overtime defeats to Nottingham Panthers over Christmas.

The first was interrupted by the officials, who decided the Panthers' grey kit looked too similar to the Blaze white kit and asked the Panthers to change their jerseys.

Image source, Scott Wiggins

Tonight Coventry end 2019 by hosting the Cardiff Devils, a team they last played in October.

The deaths of two recruits due to undiagnosed sickle cell traits could happen again, a coroner warns.

A motorcyclist believed to have run from the scene of a crash with pedestrians in Stoke-on-Trent yesterday afternoon is being sought by police.

A woman in her 40s suffered a minor leg injury in the collision on Colclough Road.

Image source, Google

Staffordshire Police said it involved a red bike ridden by a white man wearing a grey tracksuit.

Stoke-on-Trent Live

Here are three of the stories from the Stoke Sentinel website today:

• Stoke-on-Trent hero husband brings wife back to life, external
• Families slam council after Christmas bins not collected, external
• OAP slams hospital car park changes, external

BBC Radio Shropshire Sport

The New Saints left it late in their match against Cefn Druids last night, scoring in the 89th and 94th minutes to win 2-1.

That included a goal for Greg Draper, who now has 150 for the club, one short of the TNS record.

TNS would have slipped to second place if they'd lost, with Connah's Quay Nomads winning 4-0 away at Airbus.

BBC Shropshire

The man who made Shropshire's giant knife angel sculpture says there's been international interest in hosting the artwork.

It was created to raise awareness of knife crime and is made from thousands of bladed weapons which were handed in to police forces around the UK.

This year the knife angel has been on display in Liverpool, Hull, Coventry, Birmingham, Middlesbrough, Rochester, Derby and Chester.

Sculptor Alfie Bradley said his ambition was to see it go to Manchester, where he has family and to London, but would prefer to see it tour more UK cities before it goes abroad.

When it was first built, there was a campaign to get in erected on the fourth plinth at Trafalgar Square, but that was rejected by the Mayor of London's office.

A senior coroner has said the Government should take "urgent action" after two soldiers collapsed and died during military exercises at Whittington Barracks in Staffordshire in November.

Kamil Iddrisu, who was 25, and 31-year-old Youngson Nkhoma, 31, had been sent to the UK from Ghana and Malawi to take part in British officer selection.

Both had undiagnosed sickle cell disease, which affects about 15,000 people in the UK and can be fatal during extreme exercise.

It is more common in people of African or Caribbean descent and Birmingham and Solihull's senior coroner Louise Hunt suggested the Ministry of Defence considers screening all non-UK selection candidates.

Image source, Getty Images

She also advised that urgent blood tests are carried out on all non-UK selection candidates who have already been recruited.

The MoD said an inquiry was already under way and that all candidates must pass an initial medical assessment before any physical activity.

And it said future candidates will be screened for sickle cell trait through a family questionnaire with blood tests for those revealed to be at higher risk.

Kate Forster, BBC Weather

We're expecting a dry evening for New Year's Eve celebrations and it should remain dry tomorrow too.

Here's your forecast:

Neil Heath
BBC News Online

A 14-year-old girl - who was reported missing from her home in Derbyshire - has been found safe and well in Birmingham.

Caitlin Wright, from Swadlincote, had last been seen near Primark in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, on Sunday.

Warwickshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner is asking if people would back another tax hike to increase the force's budget.

Philip Seccombe is asking for an increase in the policing precept of 4.99%, which would mean an extra £11 a year for a Band D property.

Mr Seccombe said the increase would be used to safeguard increases in police officer numbers and fund improvements in infrastructure.

Andy Giddings
BBC News

Welcome to our live service for New Year's Eve.

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

You can get in touch via email,Twitter , externaland Facebook., external

In a letter to the prime minister, David Jamieson asked for staffing to return to 2010 levels.

Andy Giddings
BBC News

We'll be back with the news, sport, travel and weather from 08:00 tomorrow.

Shropshire Star

Here are three of the stories from the Shropshire Star's website today:

• CCTV images released after man suffers facial injuries in attack, external
• Man found dead in Wem, external
• 'Mindless idiots' condemned for driving over graves, external

BBC Radio Stoke Sport

Port Vale are waiting to hear if Forest will agree to sell midfielder Jake Taylor, after a successful loan spell.

He scored his seventh goal of the season in their win over league leaders Swindon and manager John Askey said if they can't land the 21-year-old "it's not through lack of trying".

Image source, Getty Images

Taylor's loan deal is due to expire in January, and Askey said he'd been enjoying his time at Port Vale.

A 24-year-old man appears in court in connection with an attack that seriously injured a teenager.

Scotland back-row forward Cornell du Preez signs a new contract with Worcester Warriors until the end of the 2021-22 season.

Allen Cook
BBC News

People are going to be given nearly a month to have their say on the future of Lichfield.

Image source, Google

A masterplan's been drawn up for the district council and includes working to get more people walking, cycling and not using cars.

Part of the plan would also see a new cinema and multi-storey car park built in the Birmingham Road area (pictured), following the scrapping of the Friarsgate scheme in 2018., external

A public consultation on the masterplan will start on Monday and end on 3 February., external

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Tesco has asked for permission to install solar panels on the roof of its store in Ellesmere, Shropshire.

The supermarket said they wouldn't be visible to people in nearby homes and Shropshire councillors will be asked to make a decision on the plans in the next few weeks.

Image source, Tesco

Tesco announced last month it wanted to install solar panels on 187 of its stores and also create a solar farm and a wind farm.

Some bins were left uncollected in Birmingham today, because of staff shortages.

The city council said it was a combination of sickness and other absences, external and it has suggested people leave their bins out and refuse collectors will attempt to empty them in the next 48 hours.

The council apologised and said those bins it couldn't get to in the next 48 hours would have to wait until the next scheduled collection date.