Rich Davis
BBC Weather presenter

After a misty start it will be a cloudy day with patches of drizzle and highs of 8C (46F).

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

Festival organiser Paul Wassell goes to great lengths to celebrate his love of the cult creation.

Jonathan Cutbill's collection documents LGBT history and the oppression people had faced.

Andy Giddings
BBC News

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

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Here are three of the stories from the Local Democracy Reporting Service in Worcestershire:

• A brewery in Malvern has been told it can open a new taproom, after being given a licence to sell alcohol from the premises
• A new indoor axe throwing venue could be opened in Worcester's Victorian Arches.
• There are plans to convert a former children’s indoor play area into a housing advice centre.

BBC Shropshire

Shrewsbury Town flags have been put up at the town's indoor market today, ahead of the club's FA Cup tie against Liverpool.

The teams meet in the fourth round on Sunday and just a few hundred tickets for the game remain unsold.

Image source, Sarah Hart

The tickets are currently on sale to fans with two loyalty points or more and if there are any left by Friday, they will go on general sale.

The Conservative MP for North Herefordshire has said he's got "an issue with this desire to go to a plant-based diet".

Speaking in a debate in Parliament Bill Wiggin said that while it's "not strictly true" he doesn't like vegetarians or vegans, "this current trend away from eating meat" is a "disaster for British agriculture" and he spoke up for the beef and lamb produced by farmers in his county.

Image source, Getty Images

He also said that while "choices are fine", he disagreed with "this vegan argument that by not eating meat you are saving the planet".

That perspective seems to be at odds with recent research by both scientists at Oxford University and the United Nations.

Switching to a plant-based diet can help fight climate change, according to a major report by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which says the West's high consumption of meat and dairy is fuelling global warming.

Police are investigating reports that a laser was pointed towards a Boeing 737 flying over Shropshire on Monday.

The incident happened as it was flying 10 miles north west of Shawbury and West Mercia Police said the beam did not affect the pilots.

Image source, Getty Images

Shining a laser beam towards a vehicle can bring a maximum penalty of five years in jail, or an unlimited fine, or both.

Jodie Looker
Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke

The government is being urged not to cancel HS2 by the MP for Crewe and Nantwich.

Image source, PA Media

If it is approved, phase two of the high-speed rail project will connect Birmingham with Leeds and Manchester, via Crewe.

Today, the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has said a decision on its future will be made next month.

BBC Radio Stoke understands Dr Keiran Mullan is behind a letter from 40 MPs pushing for HS2 to go ahead, despite the overall project's expected £106bn price tag.

Port Vale striker Tom Pope is given a one-match suspension for improper comments made on Twitter.

Allen Cook
BBC News

A stained glass window featuring some of the author Roald Dahl's best-loved characters has been unveiled by the Duchess of Cornwall at Birmingham Children’s Hospital today., external

Image source, Birmingham Children’s Hospital

The window was designed by Sir Quentin Blake, who often collaborated with Dahl, and funded by the hospital's charity, which raised the £234,000 needed.

The hospital said the idea was suggested by Felicity Dahl, wife of the late author, who often visited the hospital as a child with her father, who was then dean of the medical faculty.

It's part of a new strategy to bring the arts into the hospital to help patients heal.

Image source, Birmingham Children’s Hospital

Allen Cook
BBC News

A date's been fixed for a public hearing into what a police and crime commissioner describes as the "chaotic" services provided by West Midlands Trains.

Image source, West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner

The West Midlands Labour PCC David Jamieson said in December he was worried about safety at crowded stations.

Since asking for people's experiences, he's said he's had 1,000 responses to a survey following months of delays and cancellations.

West Midlands Trains has said improvements are being made and £1bn would be invested in this year.

The operator's been invited to the hearing, along with passenger groups, which will be held on 21 February from 13:30 at Lloyd House, Birmingham., external

BBC Weather

The cloudy skies are set to continue tonight with patches of fog forming. Low: 6C (43F).

Image source, MaidMarion

Then staying cloudy tomorrow with mist and fog around and a few spots of drizzle later in the day. High 8C (46F).

Get a latest forecast from the BBC Weather website.

There's been a rare sighting of a wild boar on a camera-trap set up in south Shropshire.

Stuart Edmunds from the Shropshire Wildlife Trust said the animals weren't known to be living in the county and as the nearest known populations are in the Forest of Dean, it's more likely to have escaped from a farm.

Image source, Shropshire Wildlife Trust

Wild boar piglets are born in spring and the wildlife trust said boars should not be approached, as they can be dangerous, especially if guarding their young.

BBC Radio Shropshire Sport

Shrewsbury Town could be ready to part with last season's top-scorer, Fejiri Okenabirhie, who has become unsettled.

The club's chief executive, Brian Caldwell, explained: "Fejiri's disappointed by the lack of game time and if the right option comes up for him that suits all parties, then I think we have to look at it."

Image source, Getty Images

Caldwell said two League One sides were interested in the striker and added, "there's no point keeping a player who's not getting enough game time and feels he wants to play elsewhere."

He also revealed conversation about a move had been going on with Okenabirhie's agent "for a number of months now", but said the club has plenty of options up front.

Coventry Live

Here are three of the stories from the Coventry Telegraph's website today:

• Legal action after alleged cockroach infestation at takeaway, external
• Heroin and crack dealer jailed, external
• Revamped pub has £100k makeover, external

BBC WM

A charity's warning more people are likely to be diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in the future.

It comes after rock star Ozzy Osbourne revealed he has a "mild form".

Image source, Getty Images

The Black Sabbath singer, 71, told US TV show Good Morning America this week he found out about it after suffering a fall last February.

The Birmingham-born frontman said his health was improving. "I'm a lot better now than I was last February. I was in a shocking state."

Parkinson's UK said it was a disease that they believe will become more prevalent in the future.

A 15-year-old boy remains in hospital after the knife attack in Sparkbrook, Birmingham, on Monday.

Four cows have been rescued after getting stuck in slurry with two almost drowning, the fire service has said., external

Image source, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service

Firefighters were called to the farm in Stafford this lunchtime and said they had to work fast to get the animals free after they appeared to have broken the fencing "to go an adventure".

Three of the cows managed to get out of the slurry themselves and crews rescued the fourth with the help of the farmer.

Image source, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service