Summary

  • Another loan for Birmingham Airport

  • Woman critically injured in taxi crash

  • Man charged with murder after woman's body found in river

  • Fire on 14th floor of tower block

  • Updates from Friday 12 February

  1. Biamou's goal gives Coventry win over Ramspublished at 17:37 Greenwich Mean Time 6 March 2021

    Maxime Biamou's first-half goal is enough for Coventry City to claim victory over Derby County.

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  2. Covid patients 'discharged and infect family'published at 17:32 Greenwich Mean Time 6 March 2021

    A councillor says she has evidence of "concerning" cases in Shropshire.

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  3. School's sex education 'damaging' to LGBT pupilspublished at 11:33 Greenwich Mean Time 6 March 2021

    A school's relationships programme says gay and lesbian people cannot marry or have sex.

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  4. 'Tree hunter' nears end of 13 year nature projectpublished at 08:57 Greenwich Mean Time 6 March 2021

    Rob McBride records ancient and culturally significant trees along Offa's Dyke.

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  5. Harrowing hours waiting for murdered grandadpublished at 08:20 Greenwich Mean Time 6 March 2021

    The granddaughter of Richard Hall, killed at random as he walked, describes her family's pain.

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  6. The pub landlord in a bubble with a regularpublished at 04:27 Greenwich Mean Time 6 March 2021

    Terry Cole asked Bob Munn to join him and his family when the Royal Oak closed for lockdown.

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  7. Man jailed over grandmother's hit-and-run deathpublished at 18:30 Greenwich Mean Time 5 March 2021

    Mohammed Ishfaq pleads guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.

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  8. Student parties a problem for policepublished at 17:19 Greenwich Mean Time 5 March 2021

    Local Democracy Reporting Service

    Student parties in Birmingham have become a problem in the last month, the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner has said.

    David Jamieson said nearly 40 officers were called out to deal with them last week, with the Birmingham University and Aston University students the worst offenders.

    Students drinkingImage source, Getty Images

    Mr Jamieson also said police "should not be the first port of call" for these incidents and added: "These matters should be largely for the universities to deal with and those people who run the halls of residence, many of whom are private contractors."

  9. Clinic advertising Covid vaccine sale 'a disgrace'published at 16:46 Greenwich Mean Time 5 March 2021

    A health and beauty clinic advertises the AstraZeneca vaccine for £149 on its website.

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  10. Coronavirus: 'A year ago I got the call I was dreading'published at 16:43 Greenwich Mean Time 5 March 2021

    A hospital boss has described how his staff have "performed a miracle" in the 12 months since the hospital saw the first death of a patient who had tested positive for coronavirus.

    David Laughton

    Prof David Loughton of the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, told a weekly Covid-19 briefing: "On Sunday at 1pm it will be exactly a year ago I got the call I was dreading, and I came in for the first death.

    "As I was driving in I had the same doubts most people would have had - I thought to myself how am I going to lead 10,500 people into the unknown."

    He went on to describe how staff had been redeployed to deal with the pandemic, saying dental nurses had been working in intensive care units along with consultants "acting down" as nurses.

    "No one came into the NHS to see death on this scale," he added.

    "Staff have performed a miracle to get us through this."

  11. Hospital trust waiting grows to more than 2,000published at 16:23 Greenwich Mean Time 5 March 2021

    BBC Hereford and Worcester

    The Wye Valley NHS Trust says more than 2,000 people in Herefordshire have now been waiting for hospital treatment for more than a year.

    The trust's managing director Jane Ives said discussions are under way with clinical teams at Hereford County Hospital as to how to reduce what she described as "a huge backlog".

    Hereford County HospitalImage source, Google

    Ms Ives said part of the problem was the withdrawal of national funding to help discharge patients, as well as a lack of national guidance on how to deal with the waiting list.

  12. Council leader unhappy that Green Belt homes are droppedpublished at 15:23 Greenwich Mean Time 5 March 2021

    Local Democracy Reporting Service

    A Black Country authority wants plans for 3,000 homes on green belt land in Shropshire to be revived.

    Shropshire Council decided against including the 'garden village' at Tong in the latest version of its development plan for the county, arguing there isn't enough justification to build there.

    TongImage source, Google

    The council's local plan includes 1,500 homes and 30 hectares of employment land for the Association of Black Country Authorities (ABCA), which is not able to meet its housing need within its own boundaries.

    Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council leader, Patrick Harley said that's not enough and has suggested another 1,500 homes could be built on land around Shifnal and Bridgnorth,

    Shropshire Council leader Peter Nutting said: “I am disappointed by this objection and don’t think Shropshire should be expected to find space for the extra housing required by the urban area around Birmingham."

  13. County's covid infection rate drops below 100published at 12:35 Greenwich Mean Time 5 March 2021

    Local Democracy Reporting Service

    Shropshire's coronavirus infection rate has dropped below 100 per 100,000 people for the first time since the second wave began in October.

    Shropshire Council's director of public health, Rachel Robinson, said she expected the fall to continue, but it's still higher than the national average.

    Covid testingImage source, Getty Images

    Ms Robinson said the pressure on hospitals in the county is also improving and the number of deaths per week had fallen from 35 in January to 16 in the last week.

  14. Four teenagers deny schoolboy's murderpublished at 12:10 Greenwich Mean Time 5 March 2021

    Keon Lincoln, 15, was shot and stabbed in the Handsworth area of Birmingham and died in hospital.

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  15. Woman found dead at property namedpublished at 11:47 Greenwich Mean Time 5 March 2021

    Two people held on suspicion of murder, after Kelly Webber died, are bailed.

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  16. Plans for 19-storey student block approvedpublished at 11:38 Greenwich Mean Time 5 March 2021

    Local Democracy Reporting Service

    Plans for a 19-storey student accommodation block in Coventry have been approved.

    The building, on the corner of Butts, Queens Road and York Street, will house 423 students and also includes a sky lounge dining area on the 16th floor and a rooftop terrace.

    Artists impression of flatsImage source, Sykes Planning Ltd/IDP Architects

    The site is a former car park to the front of an existing multi-storey car park which serves the nearby Ramada Hotel.

  17. Celebrating the homeschool heroespublished at 11:15 Greenwich Mean Time 5 March 2021

    Today marks the final day of homeschooling for many parents.

    Many children are expected to return to school next week as Covid-19 lockdown measures begin to ease.

    BBC radio has been featuring those who have gone the extra mile to help out with homeschooling and those who found themselves having to don the teacher's hat in challenging circumstances.

    Stock homeschooling imageImage source, Getty Images

    Lauren Hill from Pelsall runs Sweaty Mama exercise classes.

    Her classes were for mothers and babies but since lockdown she has started running "Sweaty Family" for all ages.

    She has also been looking after her three children, aged one, two and six.

    "For me I had to adapt my classes online and my timetable to fit in between homeschooling," she said.

    It has been "madness" she said, but the classes have been beneficial for families and helping keep kids active.

    Stock image of kids exercising in lockdownImage source, Getty Images

    If you would like to tell us about your homeschooling hero, get in contact with us on Facebook, external, Twitter , externalor Instagram , externalor email newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk

  18. Saracens expect to 'have target on backs'published at 11:03 Greenwich Mean Time 5 March 2021

    Saracens are prepared to "have a target on their backs" when their Championship season begins at Cornish Pirates.

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