Updates from 15-19 June
Allen Cook
BBC News
Welcome to the start of our live service for Wednesday.
We'll be bringing you all the latest updates for the West Midlands.
You can let us know about stories in your area via email, Twitter, external and Facebook, external.
Members of Chelmarsh Sailing Club in Shropshire are able to return to their sport after lockdown.
Read MoreAston Villa chief executive Christian Purslow believes the resumption of the Premier League will be a success and is confident it is coming back at the right time.
Read MoreThe singer said a group of students singing I'm Still Standing "really cheered me up".
Read More
Andy Giddings
BBC News
We'll be back with the news, sport, travel and weather from 08:00 tomorrow.
Crewe goalkeepers Will Jaaskelainen and Dave Richards sign new two-year contracts at the promoted League Two side.
Read MoreSuperstar Sir Elton John has said he was "blown away" by a music video made by a group of students.
Read MoreChief Constable Dave Thompson says he recognises West Midlands Police is not "free from discrimination".
Read MoreTorrential rain is causing disruption to some rail services, including the Derby-Crewe route.
Also, a landslip between Stafford and Crewe has resulted in all lines being blocked. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.
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Local Democracy Reporting Service
George Makin
Job cuts are inevitable unless the government grants funding to solve Sandwell Council’s coronavirus cash crisis, a union says.
Image source, GoogleThe council has warned many services face deep cuts in order to plug a £2.8m overspend since the pandemic began in March.
The council is the area’s largest employer – with some 10,600 jobs across a range of different areas.
A report on the financial impact of the virus is set to be discussed on Thursday.
Darran James, branch secretary for the GMB, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “The council has shared the report with us but what they have not shared is what the future holds.
“It has been council workers who have kept the country going during this Covid pandemic so how the government can stand by and watch councils go into deficit is beyond belief.”
Here are three stories from the Hereford Times:
Flash flooding has been causing headaches for motorists in Birmingham too.
Ward End Fire Service tweeted this short video earlier.
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Heavy rain has brought flash flooding and road closures in some places.
These pictures were taken at Cosford and Albrighton by Craig Jackson from Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service.
Firefighters had to pull a number of cars clear of the water.
Image source, Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service
Image source, Shropshire Fire and Rescue ServiceA 15-year-old girl has been rescued from the River Trent in Stone.
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service said she'd been out with friends at Westbridge Park when she slipped on a wet rock in the river and was swept away by the current.
The fire service said that luckily she was stopped by a fence and was able to keep her head above water until firefighters were able to pull her to safety with a rope.
Station manager Martin Weaver said the river is swollen and fast moving after the heavy rain, but while the girl was cold, she was unharmed.
Reece Dunkley ran away after hitting Stanley Shelton who had been waiting for a bus near his home.
Read MoreFans of horse racing are being encouraged to dress up at home for front-line charities.
Read MoreA man has been arrested on suspicion of kidnap after a disturbance in Bedworth, police say.
A man, woman and two children were reported to be seen getting into a car in the Exhall area of the town on Sunday morning.
The woman and children were safely located in the Wood End area of Coventry this morning, said Warwickshire Police.
All the individuals were known to each other, the force added, who are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.
The 26-year-old remains in police custody, it added.
Some of the Express and Star headlines today include:
Students will be able to use the Aquatics Centre being built for the Commonwealth Games.
Construction is underway in Smethwick on the swimming and diving venue for the Birmingham Games in 2022, but a year later, its facilities will open to the public.
Image source, Birmingham 2022The University of Wolverhampton has signed a 10-year agreement with Sandwell Council so sports students can train and study there.
Graffiti shows the acronym for Black Lives Matter, but police say they are keeping an open mind.
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