Ten years for man who drove off after hitting police officer
Teacher guilty of 'unacceptable professional conduct' over pupil emails
Lifeline for new football stadium plans
Allowances rises a 'slap in the face for local people'
Early opening for Cathedral square restaurants
Rare butterfly numbers on the rise
Updates on Friday 14 July 2017
Joanne Writtle
BBC Midlands Today
It's been confirmed that all hospital births across the county will be moved permanently to the Worcestershire Royal.
All emergency surgery will also now take place at Worcester. Bosses say the changes will benefit patients, but there have been huge objections from the public.
Worcestershire hospital changes confirmed
Relatives have been left distressed after artificial flowers were removed from graves of their loved ones, external in Droitwich.
James Pearson
Political reporter, BBC Hereford & Worcester
Councillors in Worcestershire will debate whether to give themselves a pay rise this morning.
Members will vote on whether to approve a 2% increase in their allowance, as recommended by an independent panel.
I'll be at the meeting at County Hall to bring you the result and the reaction.
Image source, Worcestershire County CouncilServices for mourners will be held in a marquee while improvement work is carried out at a crematorium.
Redditch crematorium is being given a £350,000 refurbishment, which will will create a new waiting area, toilet facilities and upgrade the main chapel.
Image source, Redditch Borough CouncilThe marquee can hold up to 100 people and has its own audio system to play music during services.
Quote MessageThese works will improve the experience of our customers, particularly the larger waiting area.”
Councillor Debbie Chance, Redditch Borough Council
Dave Bradley
Cricket commentator
Worcestershire drew their County Championship match at Cheltenham yesterday, taking 11 points from the game.
But the county director of cricket, Steve Rhodes, was highly critical of opponents Gloucestershire after the game.
He says they should have declared earlier, after they left Worcestershire over seven runs an over for victory.
Quote MessageIt seemed as though Gloucestershire wanted it all ways. They wanted to get as many runs as they could, quickly in the end after a boring start, and then try to bowl us out in a short space of time."
Steve Rhodes, Director of cricket
Charlie Slater
BBC Weather presenter
There will be some showers around this morning before a dry and bright afternoon with top temperatures of 21C (70F).
You can find a detailed forecast for your area on the BBC Weather site.
Latest weather for the West Midlands
Jerry Chester
BBC News Online
Welcome to the Local Live service for Herefordshire and Worcestershire on Thursday morning. It looks like being another fine day, as you can see from this early morning shot from BBC Weather Watcher, Hillman.
Image source, HillmanI'll be bringing you all the news, sport, travel and weather as it happens.
If you'd like to get in touch you can email, tweet us on @bbchw, external or message via Facebook, external.
Worcestershire save the game to earn a Division Two draw with Gloucestershire, thanks largely to Joe Clarke's 93 not out.
Read MoreWe'll be back with our usual mix of news, sport, travel and weather from 08:00 tomorrow, but keep an eye out here for more updates this evening and into the morning.
Special flags are being installed in Hereford Cathedral, ready for the commemoration of the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta.
The cathedral has its own copy of the famous charter of rights, external, one of only four to survive.
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A churchwarden is appealing for help to find the relatives of those buried at two graves in Wellington, external.
Over 1,000 reports of indecent exposure have been investigated by police in Warwickshire and West Mercia since 2010.
The peak came in 2015, when there were 61 incidents reported in the Warwickshire area and 144 in Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
In total there have been 1,285 reports, 384 of those in Warwickshire and there has been no clear trend - upwards or downwards.
Four members of the Worcester Warriors' academy have been called up for the England under-18 squad to tour South Africa.
Beck Cutting, Ted Hill, Nick Rigby (pictured) and James Scott will be part of the 26-man squad who'll play three games in August.
Image source, Getty Images
Shefali Oza
BBC Midlands Today
It will remain dry overnight with largely clear skies and light winds leading to a cooler night than of late, especially in rural parts - lows of 15C (59F).
Weather for the West Midlands.
The glories of Hanbury Hall in Worcestershire captured by BBC Weather Watcher, Duckysworld - there are worse places to spend a sunny afternoon.
The building of the house started in 1701 - it and the gardens are now looked after by the National Trust.
Stately in the sunshine
Memories of a lost love may explain why the landlady at a historic pub in Worcestershire broke her life-long refusal to serve any kind of food on only one day of the year.
The Fleece Inn at Bretforton, near Evesham, Worcestershire, was left to the National Trust by landlady Lola Taplin, whose family had owned the building for more than five-and-a-half centuries.
For more than 30 years she refused to serve any food at all in the pub, not even crisps or nuts, except at the annual reunion of former soldiers from the Green Howards infantry regiment (pictured).
Image source, Kate DowdeswellThe licencee who now runs the pub for National Trust, Nigel Smith, says the local historical society records show the regiment was based nearby from September 1939 to January 1940.
He believes a personal tragedy may be the reason Lola broke her "no food" rule.
Quote MessageThe Fleece became [the Green Jacket's] favourite pub and so, after World War Two was over, they used to have regular reunions there. Lola may also have wanted to make the occasion special for them in memory of her own sweetheart who is believed to have been killed in France during World War One.”
Nigel Smith, LIcencee - The Fleece
Image source, GoogleThe Fleece was originally built as a peasant farmhouse in the early 1400s and did not become a pub until 1848 when a downturn in agriculture forced the family to look for other ways of earning a living.
It was the first single pub to be owned by the National Trust.
The 40th anniversary of the death of Lola Taplin, at the age of 83, will be marked at The Fleece on 15 July.
A primary school in Worcester is to double in size after plans were approved by Worcestershire County Council.
Red Hill Primary School will get six new classrooms and a two-storey extension.
Image source, Worcestershire County CouncilThe plans will enable the school's intake to expand over a seven-year period, with an additional annual intake of 30 pupils each year.
In order to accommodate the additional pupils, there will be an extension to the front of the school to provide a community room, internal alternations to enlarge the school hall and replacement of the hard play area lost due to the two-storey school building extension.
Hospital births across the county will be moved permanently to the Worcestershire Royal Hospital, external.
The crematorium in Redditch is to get a £350,000 upgrade which will create a new waiting area, toilet facilities and upgrade to the main chapel.
The work will take 12 weeks during which time an alternate chapel has been sited within the grounds using a marquee (pictured), fully fitted with seating for 100 and full audio system.
Image source, Redditch Borough CouncilQuote MessageWe apologise for any inconvenience in the meantime but have made sure our temporary arrangements are more than sufficient.”
Michael Birkinshaw, Bereavement Services Manager
Taking advantage of the better weather, BBC Weather Watchers have been out and about taking some great photos.
This selection comes from Mikesnapper, Toppo, Buffy, J at Severn Ridge and Morning Amble.
Blue skies and white clouds.
