Updates from Monday 6 January to Sunday 12 January
A lot of BBC Weather Watchers have been sharing photos of these incredible red skies over the West Midlands this morning.
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Image source, Alysha
Image source, Snaphappy
Image source, JaneyAn 83-year-old woman had £500 stolen from her home by a man pretending his dog had been run over in the street.
Staffordshire Police said he called at her house on St George's Way in Glascote, Tamworth, on Sunday afternoon, carrying a small terrier dog and asking to use her phone.
When the man left, he took her purse.
Image source, GoogleNatalie Queiroz met Simon Lyttle while fundraising for the air ambulance that saved her life.
Read MoreFrom the Coventry Observer:
BBC Radio Shropshire Sport
Whitchurch Alport football club took the unusual step of postponing a match because of the death of a fan in a car crash.
They were due to play Skelmersdale in the North West Counties League last night, but said 22-year-old Aaron Millington was more than just a supporter at Yockings Park and the club would not be the same without him.
The club said he was involved in multiple roles and had the club emblem tattooed on his chest after they won the Huddersfield Cup.
Very strong winds are set to bring disruption to the West Midlands on Thursday, the Met Office is warning.
Journeys could be delayed and there's a chance of power cuts, it says.
A yellow warning for wind has been issued from 03:00 to 18:00.
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Local Democracy Reporting Service
A former bank in Shifnal, the last one to close in the town, is set to reopen as a beauty salon.
The Barclays building on The Square has been empty since October 2017 and Shropshire Council's planning services manager, Ian Kilby, said the new venture would "contribute to the mix and diversity of Shifnal town centre".
Image source, GoogleShropshire Council said the planning permission it granted would involve no external alterations to the building.
The former Lloyds bank in the town, which closed in 2016, has since been converted into a children's nursery.
Dan Roan
BBC Sports editor
The 2022 Commonwealth Games could see shooting and archery staged in India several months before the main event starts in Birmingham, under proposals put forward by the country.
Shooting has been included in every Games apart from one since 1966 - so how did this proposal come about?
Image source, Birmingham 2022Last year Birmingham 2022 announced that the sport - along with archery - had been left out of the programme, as they are both optional sports for host cities.
Beach volleyball, para table tennis and women's cricket were included instead as organisers focused on trying to attract a younger and more diverse audience.
India has a proud record in shooting. At the 2018 Commonwealth Games, the country's shooters accounted for 16 of their 66 medals, contributing to a third-place finish in the medal table. They threatened to boycott the event if a compromise could not be found.
That caused alarm within the UK government, which hopes the £788m event will be an advert for global, post-Brexit Britain and help secure trade deals.
In August, sports minister Nigel Adams wrote to CGF officials suggesting a compromise in which shooting would be staged at Bisley in the UK in 2022, but not be part of the official Games programme.
But BBC Sport has learned that India's Olympic Association has now written to the CGF with a groundbreaking proposal for a pre-Games shooting and archery competition. Under it, medals would count in the event's official table.
Some will welcome the suggestion as a highly innovative solution. Others, however, may fear an exception will be made simply because of India's political clout.
A woman whose car crashed with an HGV in Birmingham this morning had to be cut free from the vehicle.
Two cars and a lorry were involved in the crash on St Chad's Queensway at about 07:50, the fire service said. It brought rush-hour gridlock to the city centre, with severe congestion running to Bristol Street.
The weight of traffic was so heavy on the approach, the fire service said, two firefighters left the engine in which they were travelling to reach the scene on foot.
The woman was taken to hospital suffering minor injuries.
Traffic is now beginning to ease in the city centre, with all lanes clear, according to traffic reports.
Coventry Live
From Coventry Live:
Worcester Warriors’ lock Michael Fatialofa has undergone "successful" surgery on a neck injury.
The club confirmed the player has limited power and sensation in his arms and legs following the injury he sustained at Saracens on Saturday.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe aim of last night’s procedure was to release pressure on the affected area in the hope of increasing function, Worcester said.
"Nick Tait, Warriors' club doctor, and the club's medical team are in daily contact with Michael's neurosurgeon," a club statement read.
An Instagram post from his wife Tatiana said the surgery was a success.
Image source, Instagram/@TatianafatsDrivers are being warned to avoid the A38 Aston Expressway into Birmingham with severe congestion being reported from St Chad's Queensway to Bristol Street.
Two cars crashed with a lorry on the northbound carriageway shortly before 07:45, said the ambulance service.
The driver was taken to hospital suffering minor injuries, it added.
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Aircraft at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford are undergoing their annual clean.
But, as the aircraft are suspended from wires in a large hangar, preparations have to be made.
A team will abseil onto the retired jets housed within the National Cold War Exhibition.
The clean is set to take four days.
BBC Midlands Today
Campaigners will hand in a petition to Downing Street later calling for the government to reinstate pedestrian crossings.
Image source, GoogleThe National Federation of the Blind UK say road layouts with shared spaces in areas such as Coventry and Leek, Staffordshire are hazardous for people with disabilities, as well as drivers.
The charity says it’s dangerous for the blind and visually impaired to navigate new cycle and bus lanes.
It said wants the Prime Minister Boris Johnson to make road safety a priority.
Coventry City Council has previously defended the introduction of the junctions saying it had slowed traffic speed in the city centre.
Aston Villa will be without striker Wesley and goalkeeper Tom Heaton for the rest of the season after both suffered knee injuries in Wednesday's 2-1 win at Burnley.
Read More
BBC Business News
Aston Martin's share price opened 9.82% lower at 469.6p after warning full-year earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation will be 45% lower then expected.
Image source, ReutersThe Warwickshire company said it expects full year profits to be £130m and £140m following a tough end to the year.
The struggling luxury car maker said that "challenging trading conditions" it encountered in November "continued through the peak delivery period of December resulting in lower sales, higher selling costs and lower margins".
Birmingham Live
From Birmingham Live:
A mental health hospital charity has been told it made "repeated and systemic failings" in its leadership by health inspectors.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) raised several concerns at St Andrew's Healthcare, which treats patients in Birmingham.
The report said senior leaders had "not fully accepted the serious nature of concerns raised" by the CQC in previous inspections, causing a two-year backlog to address patient safety issues.
St Andrew's Healthcare said it had new leaders who were committed to making improvements.
BBC News Travel
A crash involving two lorries has closed the M6 northbound in Warwickshire.
Traffic is being temporarily held ahead of the crash which happened between J3 to J3A near Nuneaton.
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From the Express and Star:
