Updates from Monday 11 January to Sunday 17 January
A BMW driver who got out of his car on the M5 after a crash was then hit by a passing lorry.
West Mercia Police said the injured motorist's car struck a bridge, south of junction four near Upton Warren, at around 10:00 and it came to rest in the left hand lane.
Image source, GoogleThe lorry was travelling in the middle lane when it hit him.
The motorist is currently in hospital receiving treatment.
Free journeys for older people travelling to get their coronavirus vaccine are being offered by a taxi firm in Staffordshire.
Image source, Getty ImagesLeek and Cheadle Link Taxis owner, Eddie Sabir, said he was making the offer because: "There's going to be a lot of people out there struggling for transport."
And he added: "We just want to help anybody and everybody as much as we can."
Jill Carvell is sentenced to 18 months in prison over the crash in Dudley.
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Birmingham Live
Here are three of the stories from the Birmingham Live website today:
BBC CWR
The Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance is expecting a drop of more than £2m in income because of the pandemic lockdowns.
It also said it has carried out more than 1,367 operations in 2020, with almost 400 of them in Warwickshire.
The service, which does not receive any government funding, relies entirely on voluntary donations and support from communities.
BBC Radio Shropshire
The size of classes during the most recent lockdown is causing concerns for teachers with some saying classroom sizes have risen by more than 50%
Tom Plim, head teacher at Highley Primary School in Shropshire said: "In March we ran a single group for key worker children and vulnerable children and never had more than 10 children in school. This time, we have 5 groups of up to 15 at any one time."
In Shrewsbury, staff at Mount Pleasant Primary sent a letter to parents to say the school is running at 40% capacity, with some classes up to 63%.
More professions have been added to the key worker list and children classed as vulnerable now include those without broadband, no remote device and no quiet place to work.
Action across England to address NHS safety fears responds to a "disconnect between ward and board".
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BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester
The ambulance hub in Hereford is still operating normally with the same number of vehicles in service, despite an outbreak of Covid-19.
West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) said it is being thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, after a number of staff tested positive for the virus.
WMAS also said all ambulances continue to be cleaned after each shift and are disinfected twice a day.
Joanne Gallacher
Political reporter, BBC Radio Shropshire
Schools in Shropshire have reported more than half of pupils are physically attending class during the lockdown, a union official has said.
Charles Thomas from the National Education Union said some schools are reporting nearly full classrooms.
Image source, Getty ImagesMore professions have been added to the key worker list and children classed as vulnerable now include those without broadband, no remote device and no quiet place to work.
Some heads have written to parents asking them to think about whether they need their children to attend.
BBC Radio Stoke Sport
The Port Vale owner Carol Shanahan doesn't want the search for a new manager to become a distraction this season.
She said: "I just want to get through it in the best way that we can and if that means caretaker manager Danny Pugh staying in charge, then so be it."
"I'm not neglecting a permanent position, I'm just saying that at the moment I don't want to be distracted by that and keep our eye off this season."
Port Vale are currently in 13th position in League Two.
Public health officials believe coronavirus cases are rising due to families mixing.
Read MoreAlthough it's chilly outside, we're seeing some sunshine today.
These photos were taken by BBC Weather Watchers in Solihull and Maesbury.
Image source, Dammo
Image source, Grum
Local Democracy Reporting Service
Birmingham's Floozie in the Jacuzzi could flow with water again in the summertime.
The water feature, proper title The River, was turned off in 2013 after running up big repair bills.
Since then, the Dhruva Mistry designed statue which sits in Victoria Square, has been filled in with plants.
Plans have been put forward to repair and reinstate the fountain as part of a £12.4m first phase of city centre improvement.
The work will be partly funded by the introduction of Clean Air Zone (CAZ) charges for highly-polluting vehicles in the city centre.
Diana, the Princess of Wales, unveiled the sculpture in 1993, with repairs totalling £410,000 subsequently being needed in 2000, 2009 and 2012.
Here are three stories from the Hereford Times today:
A courier was pushed out of his van and had his vehicle stolen in Burntwood yesterday.
Staffordshire Police said he'd pulled over on Hospital Road at around 16:30 and the thief, who was wearing dark clothing and a mask, burst into the van and drove it off in the opposite direction.
The courier only suffered slight injuries to his hand and arm.
Local Democracy Reporting Service
Plans to introduce parking charges in a number of Warwickshire towns and villages have been put on hold because "this is not the right time".
Stratford district councillors were asked to consider bringing in charges for Alcester, Bidford, Southam and Studley, where parking has previously been free.
Councillor Ian Shenton, the council’s portfolio holder for operations, said: “It is clear that this is not the right time to consider this as the situation as regards to Covid-19."
But the council did agree to increase parking charges in Stratford-upon-Avon, a move which will bring in an extra £170,000.
BBC CWR
The laws on coronavirus restrictions need to be made more specific, the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner has said.
David Jamieson complained that officers have found "big parties going on" at private addresses, but have no power to enter unless they suspect another crime is going on.
Mr Jamieson also said it was a "weakness in the law" that someone could claim a medical exemption for not wearing a mask, without having to provide evidence.
Quote MessageIf we're having the law that people need to wear a mask then it needs to be really enforceable and if people can just say 'I don't need to wear one' then it really is problematic to enforce."
David Jamieson, West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner
Five men have launched a podcast to encourage others to speak out about their mental health and wellbeing.
The Black Country Blokes broadcast twice weekly, with the small group sharing their own experiences.
They said they had now had many men contact them seeking help for their own problems.
According to the Samaritan's charity, external, the highest suicide rate in England, is among men aged 45-49. In 2018, 3,800 men took their own life in England.
Image source, Lee CadmanKevin Dillon, a coach at Lions ABC in Brierley Hill, said each of the members had struggled with their own issues.
"We all have good days and we all have them horrible days," he said.
"The more we talk about it, the easier it will come, so hopefully the next generation, it will just be the norm that blokes can go and have a rattle to each other and our loved ones."
Image source, Black Country BlokesMr Dillon said he lost his sight when he was three years old to viral meningitis and has "suffered with anxiety and depression most of my life".
While Lee Cadman, from the group, has a six-year-old daughter with Dravet syndrome, a rare form of epilepsy. , external
He said: "Because of it all I have experienced a lot of depression, a lot of guilt."
"Whatever you have been through so have other people, it doesn't diminish your pain but just allow yourself to realise you're not the only one," Mr Dillon added.
Students at Coventry University and the University of Warwick are having their rent reduced after a national protest.
The students were unhappy about having to pay full price to live in accommodation they can't use until at least mid-February because of the lockdown.
Image source, GoogleThe University of Warwick University and Unite Students, which owns off-campus accommodation in Coventry, have agreed to waive or reduce rents until the middle of February.
Emerson Estridge preyed on crime victims and sent flirtatious texts and photos, his ex force says.
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