Summary

  • Updates from Monday 2 March to Sunday 8 March

  1. Three men jailed for 'vicious' murderpublished at 18:02 Greenwich Mean Time 18 March 2021

    Talented saxophonist Colton Bryan had been stabbed several times and died at the scene, police say.

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  2. Man jailed for life for murder of womanpublished at 16:36 Greenwich Mean Time 18 March 2021

    Ameen Thabet is told he will serve a minimum of 18 years in prison for the murder of Najeeba Al-Alriqy.

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  3. BBC's West Midlands commitment 'rights the past'published at 16:30 Greenwich Mean Time 18 March 2021

    The corporation is to relocate some news services and make more primetime shows in the region.

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  4. Theme park firm fined £1m over girl's ride deathpublished at 16:27 Greenwich Mean Time 18 March 2021

    Evha Jannath's death at Drayton Manor was an "utterly tragic waste of a young life", the judge says.

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  5. Tree fall student's hopes for Paralympicspublished at 15:19 Greenwich Mean Time 18 March 2021

    Disabled rower Xander Van Der Poll has been selected for the British Rowing's talent programme

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  6. New drama from West Midlands under BBC planspublished at 15:16 Greenwich Mean Time 18 March 2021

    BBC Midlands Today

    At least one new drama series and one new entertainment series will come from the West Midlands under plans by the BBC.

    BBC Birmingham site

    Changes to the corporation will include relocating Radio 1's Newsbeat team to Birmingham, which will also be the base for the Asian Network.

    The BBC is to move some of its key departments and staff outside London to make it more reflective of the UK as a whole.

    BBC Radio Wolverhampton is to continue beyond its current temporary period and learning hubs are to be opened in the city and Birmingham to train young people for careers in digital media.

    The corporation said its plans represent a "top-to-bottom change" and its biggest transformation in decades.

  7. Dad's smear test campaign after partner's deathpublished at 15:05 Greenwich Mean Time 18 March 2021

    Chris Hopkins wants to try to prevent more children losing their mothers to cervical cancer.

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  8. Children win bid to keep mum's home after deathpublished at 13:56 Greenwich Mean Time 18 March 2021

    Kyra King had rented her Cannock home for 16 years before she died of Covid-19 in February.

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  9. Police stepping up efforts to prevent knife crimepublished at 11:02 Greenwich Mean Time 18 March 2021

    BBC Midlands Today

    West Midlands Police says it is stepping up efforts to prevent knife crime ahead of the easing of lockdown.

    There will be extra patrols on the streets in problem areas as restrictions change, the force said.

    Police officers

    This week officers have used knife arches to scan members of the public and searched parks and green spaces.

    It is the work of Project Guardian, the force's youth violence prevention team.

    Quote Message

    We conduct these things on a daily basis across the West Midlands where we've got identified areas. So we work on intelligence where we have information that will suggest there might be items being stored or park spaces."

    PC Dan Thomas, West Midlands Police

  10. Firefighters give thousands of Covid-19 jabspublished at 10:35 Greenwich Mean Time 18 March 2021

    BBC Midlands Today

    Firefighters in Shropshire have given almost 10,000 Covid-19 vaccinations to residents in just over a month.

    Fire engine

    It is to help support the government's target with the rollout of the vaccine.

    Sixty staff at Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service have been trained and redeployed at three centres across the county.

  11. Teacher who hid camera in school bathroom jailedpublished at 10:19 Greenwich Mean Time 18 March 2021

    Thomas Ball is jailed after pleading guilty to six "carefully planned" child sexual offences.

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  12. Free school meal grants to return at Easterpublished at 10:06 Greenwich Mean Time 18 March 2021

    BBC Hereford and Worcester

    Herefordshire families will be getting help to feed their children during the Easter holidays.

    The local authority said it will use money from the government's winter Covid grant to pay for the scheme, which helped more than 3,600 children during the Christmas holidays and following half term.

    FoodImage source, Getty Images

    Primary and secondary age children who are eligible for free school meals will get £80 each directly through their school.

  13. Plea to collect brine bath memoriespublished at 06:17 Greenwich Mean Time 18 March 2021

    The Brine Memories campaign hopes to collect stories relating to the Droitwich's spa heritage.

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  14. Man, 50, arrested over Barrymore party deathpublished at 21:02 Greenwich Mean Time 17 March 2021

    The suspect is released on bail after being questioned about the death of Stuart Lubbock in 2001.

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  15. 'Inappropriate' to decide on pub bombings inquirypublished at 17:50 Greenwich Mean Time 17 March 2021

    Families met with the Home Secretary as part of their campaign for a full account into the blasts.

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  16. Police 'must learn' from unarmed man's shootingpublished at 17:40 Greenwich Mean Time 17 March 2021

    A watchdog looking into Anthony Grainger's death says forces must not use out-of-date intelligence.

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  17. School to close after Covid casespublished at 17:38 Greenwich Mean Time 17 March 2021

    All pupils at Henley-in-Arden School will return to home learning until 29 March.

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  18. Water park ride death exposed 'systemic failures'published at 16:36 Greenwich Mean Time 17 March 2021

    A rapids ride at Drayton Manor had a history of failings before a child's death, a court is told.

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