Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (BMAG) reopens to visitors today, almost seven months after coronavirus forced it to close.

Image source, Cold War Steve

Among the new items on display will be Benny's Babbies, an installation by Birmingham artist Cold War Steve.

The artist is known for satirical collages, depicting Phil Mitchell and Cilla Black in chaotic, dystopian scenarios.

The museum and art gallery has faced "challenging" times since the lockdown with up to half its staff being at risk of redundancy.

Visitors have to book in advance for timed entries from today.

Image source, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery

Allen Cook
BBC News

Welcome to 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.

Stoke City centre-back Bruno Martins Indi joins Dutch Eredivisie side AZ Alkmaar on a season-long loan.

James Ball's header secures Solihull Moors' first win of the National League season with victory at home to Wrexham.

The company hopes to keep compulsory job cuts below 90 and plans to re-open one theatre in December.

Keith Wagstaffe, 29, is sought over a stabbing that left a man in a critical condition.

Officers say between six and eight people ran from the scene, after trouble in a shop.

Allen Cook
BBC News

We'll be back tomorrow from 08:00 with the latest news, sport, travel, weather and more for the West Midlands.

Simon Gilbert
Political Reporter, BBC Coventry & Warwickshire

Universities could lose up to a fifth of their income as a result of Brexit, one university leader has warned.

Students arriving from the EU will need to apply for a visa after Brexit and could face higher tuition fees.

Ian Dunn, Provost of Coventry University, said currently around 10% students at the city's two universities are from European countries.

"I would suggest between 10-20% of university income is linked to the European project. That doesn't mean all of that disappears automatically with Brexit but it is of that order," he added.

The government said it is committed to a points-based immigration system based on the skills people have rather than their country they are from.

Shropshire Star

The Shropshire Star's headlines include:

• Year group sent home after child tests positive for Covid-19 at school, external
• Two arrested as cannabis plants worth £110,000 seized in Telford drugs raid, external
• Shropshire MP welcomes £10,000 grant for Bridgnorth cinema, external

Matthew Dale was reportedly stabbed in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, during the early hours of Monday.

Shahid Khan failed to tell police about replacement bank cards and a mobile phone, a court heard.

Car maker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has restored a two-shift work pattern at several UK plants as demand increases for its cars.

Image source, Jaguar Land Rover

The Coventry-based firm has cut thousands of jobs over the past two years amid a slowdown in sales which it blamed on Brexit and then Covid-19.

Production was halted completely in March during lockdown and then restarted at a reduced capacity.

But JLR said , externalsales had increased more than 50% in the three months to the end of September compared to the previous quarter.

To meet the rise in demand, the firm has increased production to two-shifts at plants including Solihull and the Engine Manufacturing Centre in Wolverhampton.

Cannabis plants with an estimated street value of £110,000 have been seized in a raid in Telford.

The plants were found in a search of a property on Haybridge Avenue, Hadley, on Monday, West Mercia Police said. , external

Two men, aged 28 and 22, have been arrested on suspicion of cannabis cultivation.

Osime Brown faces deportation to Jamaica due to convictions from 2018.

BBC Radio WM

Musicians performed outdoors in Birmingham n a bid to get more financial support from the government.

The musicians, including clarinettist Rela Spyrou from Rowney Green, near Redditch, Worcestershire, performed in Centenary Square.

"This year was going to be super, super exciting. There were a couple of really huge tours planned for me and my colleagues," she said.

"Fifteen dates with The Who on a UK tour with them all round the big stadiums, a lovely big tour of Queen classics round and about the theatres, all cancelled."

The Musicians’ Union backed the demonstration, also held in London, and spokesman Stephen Brown said the government's help for self-employed people doesn't provide enough.

"A survey that we recently did revealed that 87% of our members are facing financial hardship and half of them have had to find outside jobs to make ends meet."

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said, in addition to the £1.5bn Culture Recovery Fund, the Arts Council has provided £95m for freelancers.

Coventry Live

The Coventry Live website has these headlines:

• Plans for more than 200 new homes next to Coventry sports club, external
• Train chat led to attack at Coventry railway station, external
• Glass smashed over victim in violent bar brawl, external

BBC Radio Shropshire

A charity which runs three hospices is losing £100,000 each week because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, according to its chief executive.

Image source, Google

Severn Hospice works across Shropshire and mid-Wales with hospices in Newtown, Shrewsbury and Telford.

Heather Tudor told BBC Radio Shropshire their costs are £11m every year and they lost fundraising income when their charity shops closed and events were cancelled during lockdown.

She said they are facing a significant deficit this financial year.

"It is always challenging to raise the amount of money we need to run the hospice every year but this year is just something we've never experienced before."

A senior board member of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games organising committee resigns because of "growing frustration" at "a lack of transparency".

Local Democracy Reporting Service
George Makin

Remembrance Sunday parades could be replaced with virtual tributes this year in Sandwell in a bid to stop the spread of Covid-19.

Image source, Sandwell Borough Council

The borough normally marks the event in its six town centres with large crowds turning out.

But this year the council says they are looking into ways to avoid large-scale public events which could include virtual events.

It says more details will be released once they get national guidance.

The authority also won't be holding a fireworks display for Bonfire Night or Christmas lights switch-on events.

Stricter lockdown measures were introduced in Sandwell last month after a spike in coronavirus cases.