Updates from 26 April - 3 May
BBC Midlands Today
A wildlife trust is calling for people to take part in a City Nature Challenge
It's asking people who live in Birmingham, Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton to take photographs of any animals or wild plants and then upload them to an app, which recognises them.
It's to help showcase the rich diversity of wildlife across the region.
The £100m scheme is expected to create about 1,000 jobs when work finishes on the old copper works.
Read MoreHere are some of the stories on the Worcester News website:
Ben Styles allegedly partially constructed a lethal firearm and manufactured live ammunition.
Read MoreSome people may have snow earlier but a lot of the West Midlands was dry with sunnier skies judging by the views in many of our local BBC Weather Watcher photos.
These three are from users Littleacorns in Harbury, Warwickshire, Z70 in Middleport, Stoke-on-Trent and Postman Les in Bromyard, Herefordshire:
Image source, Littleacorns
Image source, Z70
Image source, Postman LesBirmingham City are charged by the FA with playing Ruesha Littlejohn when she should have been suspended.
Read MoreA charity in Birmingham is helping parents who are facing hardship get access to the internet.
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Local Democracy Reporting Service
Election results will be delayed in Coventry in a bid to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Image source, Local Democracy Reporting ServiceVoters will go to the polls on Thursday to vote on who they want to represent them at Coventry City Council. Results are normally announced overnight, but the pandemic has forced all councils to put in place more Covid-safe measures, which will delay results until the next day.
Verification of ballot papers will be carried out at the Ricoh Arena shortly after polls close on Thursday and are expected to go on until about 03:00.
However, there will be a pause of some nine hours until ballot papers are counted to reduce possible transmission of the virus from handling papers. The first local election result is expected to be declared by 14:30 and the last by 16:00.
However, once local council elections are completed, the process will restart on Saturday with votes counted for the West Midlands Mayoral and Police and Crime Commissioner elections.
A fundraising appeal has been launched in memory of a paramedic who was killed while responding to an emergency call last weekend.
Jeremy Daw, known as Jack, died when an object went through the windscreen of his ambulance.
Image source, Martin FullowayFriends and family are raising the money for the Leominster Meeting Centre, which helps people living with dementia, where Jack was a volunteer.
Up to an inch (2.5cm) fell in Clee Hill and there were wintry flurries in the Stretton hills.
Read MoreAn art producer has launched a call for people across the UK to contribute to a national touring art installation by sharing their stories about key workers during the pandemic.
A selection will then be recorded by a host of well-known voices from across the UK.
'Gratitude' will launch in Birmingham in August, before visiting Manchester, Edinburgh and London.
Image source, DANIEL GRAVES PHOTOGRAPHYThe stories will become part of a free-to-visit public art installation that will thank NHS staff and all key workers for their ongoing courage and dedication during the pandemic.
Singer-songwriter KT Tunstall and actors Adil Ray OBE, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Christopher Eccleston, John Thomson and Shobna Gulati, are contributing.
Birmingham-born presenter and actor, Adil Ray OBE said he was delighted and honoured to take part.
"The pandemic has affected us all in so many different ways, so it’s wonderful to be working on such a creative and thought-provoking installation, that we can all contribute to and experience."
Local Democracy Reporting Service
Mark Cardwell
Plans for 337 new homes in Birmingham, including a 25-storey tower, have been narrowly approved despite concerns about the impact on St Chad’s Cathedral.
A planning application for three buildings at the corner of Princip Street and Lancaster Street was backed by six votes to five on Thursday.
Image source, Birmingham City CouncilThe proposals include the removal of existing buildings on the site – including industrial and office buildings, and a car park.
In their place will stand new structures ranging in height from six to 25 storeys.
The plans had been opposed by Historic England due to the buildings’ potential impact on the Grade II*-listed St Chad’s Roman Catholic Cathedral nearby.
We might be just one day away from the start of May, but snow has been falling.
A caller to Radio Shropshire reported snow in Church Stretton and BBC Weather Watcher Skye sent us this photo from Clee Hill.
Temperatures there fell to just above freezing overnight and sleet was expected, but the snow came as a bit of a surprise.
Image source, SkyeStephen Graham has joined the cast of Peaky Blinders.
The This Is England and Line Of Duty actor, 47, will star as a yet unannounced character in the BBC One crime drama's sixth and final series.
The news was confirmed through the Birmingham-set show's social media accounts with a photo of Graham in period costume.
"We're thrilled that Stephen Graham has joined the cast of Peaky Blinders series 6," the caption said.
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Across its six series, the show has featured guest stars including Sam Claflin as leader of the British Union of Fascists Oswald Mosley and Tom Hardy as Jewish gang leader Alfie Solomons.
In January, it was announced that Peaky Blinders would come to an end after the sixth series.
BBC Radio Stoke Sport
Stoke City's chief executive Tony Scholes believes their season ticket sales are proof younger fans still want to see live football.
A fortnight ago the Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, said young people are "no longer interested in football" because of "a lot of poor quality games" and used that as a justification for forming a European Super League.
But Stoke City said nearly a fifth of sales so far have been to fans under the age of 21.
Image source, Getty ImagesScholes said the interest from under-21s was "fantastic news because we've worked so hard as a club to young fans here over the last 10 years".
BBC Radio Shropshire
A maternal mental health service for women who've had a traumatic birth or loss is being trialled in Shropshire.
The service will support patients who may have experienced post traumatic stress disorder following a traumatic birth, or who have lost a baby at birth, or who have a fear of childbirth.
Psychologists, psychological therapists, and a specialist midwife will work with health visitors, GPS and midwives to make sure the patients can get good care.
The forecast for today is light cloud and some sunshine, with temperatures not rising much above 11C (52F).
And we can expect more of the same tomorrow too.
You can get a full forecast from the BBC Weather section of our website.
Image source, JemmaMarianneWelcome to our live service for Friday.
We'll be bringing you all the news, sport, travel and weather for the West Midlands.
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The pair use their spare time to create the app that can pay for renewable energy projects.
Read MoreFirefighters have been battling the flames at an abandoned recycling plant since Monday.
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