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
Dave Bradley
Cricket commentator
Worcestershire have been set a target of 370 to beat Gloucestershire on the final day of their County Championship match at Cheltenham.
They didn't get off to the best of starts, with D'Oliveira and Fell being out for a duck, and Mitchell out for 5.
You can hear full commentary on BBC Hereford & Worcester's 738AM frequency and online.
This photo of a butterfly enjoying the view over Malvern comes from the trust which looks after the hills.
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Emergency surgery and maternity services will move from Redditch to Worcester.
Read MoreA healthcare company is moving its HQ to a new business park in Worcester, becoming the first tenant at the site.
Kimal, which develops and manufactures a range of products for the healthcare sector, has agreed a 15-year lease for the £13m unit at the Worcester Six business park.
Image source, GoogleWorcester Six will be located off junction six of the M5 near Worcester (pictured). The development will provide 1.5m sq ft of accommodation and create up to 5,000 jobs, the county council says.
Kimal is investing £3m in an initial fit-out phase, with a further £3m in facilities in the pipeline.
A planning application will be submitted to the county council and, if approved, construction could start in October and be completed in the middle of next year.
James Pearson
Political reporter, BBC Hereford & Worcester
Plans which discussed reducing beds in community hospitals across Worcestershire in the coming years have received "a dose of reality" according to a senior health manager.
Proposals in a draft Sustainability and Transformation Plan for the two counties included cutting the number of community beds in Worcestershire by more than 40%.
Image source, GoogleSpeaking at a meeting this morning of Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG), who decide where health budgets are spent, chief financial officer Simon Trickett insisted those proposals weren't a target and would only be looked at if more patients could be treated at home.
A man who helped rescue two girls from the River Severn has been hailed as "a superhero", by the mother of one of the girls.
Gasparo Russello was having a picnic with friends at Lincomb Lock when he spotted two young girls in difficulty in the river.
He dived in to the river and managed to reach 11-year-old Kacie Mai and her friend from the water as they were being swept downstream.
Image source, Wyre Forest District CouncilMother Amy Bosbury, 11-year-old Kacie Mai and her rescuer Gasparo Russello
Mr Russello said: “The girls had been paddling in the water minutes earlier, but when I looked again, the current had taken them and they were being carried downstream at speed. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the look on their little faces at that terrible moment.
“I jumped in and thankfully managed to reach them and bring them back safely to the riverbank.”
Mr Russello's actions in carrying out the rescue on Saturday, 17 June were honoured this week by his employers, Wyre Forest District Council.
Determined residents in Bewdley have issued a "hands off our land" warning to prospective housing developers, external.
Monica Rimmer
Journalist, BBC Online
The unemployment rate in the West Midlands has risen by 6,000, bringing the total number of unemployed people to 166,000.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), that equates to 5.9% of the West Midlands population being out of work.
Image source, PANationally, UK unemployment fell by 64,000 to 1.49 million in the three months to May.
It meant the unemployment rate fell to its lowest since 1975, at 4.5%, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) added.
Here are some nice up close pictures of insects and flowers, taken by BBC Weather Watchers.
Thanks to Mrs Stitch, Dee Gee, Mikesnapper. J at Severn Ridge and Johnqa for this selection.
Bugs and blooms up close
Russell Truran
Journalist, BBC Radio Stoke
A Worcestershire sports club, devastated by fire earlier this year, has a brand new clubhouse.
The Ombersley and Doverdale Tennis Club lost its pavillion back in May, but now has a temporary building, complete with kitchen, bathroom and changing rooms.
Tennis club rises from the ashes.
The boating community has rallied together to fund a bench in memory of Allen Green, external, who tragically died last year when his narrowboat got into difficulty and sank in Droitwich Junction Canal.
James Pearson
Political reporter, BBC Hereford & Worcester
The health service in Worcestershire is struggling to keep up with the number of adults asking for a possible Asperger's syndrome diagnosis.
By March this year it was taking more than three years for some people to get a confirmed diagnosis, with almost 100 people waiting for an initial assessment.
Image source, ThinkstockIt's thought a growing awareness of the condition, which is a form of autism, is leading to a rise in referrals.
BBC News Travel
Trains through the station from Hereford were being affected.
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Three sisters have allegedly been racially abused and threatened by a man with a dog while on a train, British Transport Police say.
Officers are appealing for information and have released an image of a man they would like to speak to in connection with the incident.
The women were travelling from Kings Norton to Redditch on Saturday when a man joined the train with his Staffordshire Bull Terrier dog and sat next to the sisters.
When one of the women, who was scared of the dog, asked him to move it, he threatened to make it bite them, police said.
Image source, British Transport PolicePolice say when the sisters moved to another carriage the man followed them and became "violently hostile" and used "racially abusive language".
Quote MessageThe behaviour of this man was shocking and completely unprovoked. All three sisters were terrified of this man’s actions, especially when he threatened to set the dog on them."
PC Piotr Gass, British Transport Police
Dan Wheeler
BBC Sport
Our local clubs didn't make the best of starts in their pre-season friendlies.
Kidderminster Harriers were beaten 4-0 by Championship side Derby County.
Hereford FC lost 3-1 at AFC Wulfrunians, and Worcester City also lost 3-1, at Leamington.
James Pearson
Political reporter, BBC Hereford & Worcester
A major reorganisation of hospital services in Worcestershire has been given the go-ahead by health commissioners.
A new clinical model will see emergency surgery and maternity services move from the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch to the Worcestershire Royal Hospital in Worcester.
This morning, health commissioners said temporary closures of services in recent years have proven the model can work, and have led to better care for patients.
Dave Bradley
Cricket commentator
Rain reduced day three of Worcestershire's County Championship match against Gloucestershire to just 70 minutes yesterday.
Gloucestershire will start the final day with a lead of 145 with 9 wickets remaining
I'll be bringing you full commentary on BBC Hereford & Worcester on 738AM frequency and online from 11:00.
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Officials from Worcestershire County Council will be at Kidderminster station until 18:30 today to talk to commuters about the planned rebuild.
Plans for the new £4.3m building, expected to open in the summer of 2019, will also be on show.
Image source, Worcestershire County CouncilBBC News Travel
Some trains will be starting at Ledbury.
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Clinicians and health managers are meeting in Bromsgrove this morning to vote on whether to implement a big reorganisation of services at the Worcestershire Royal, Kidderminster General and the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch.
The plans have been under consideration for five years.
The most controversial changes will see the permanent removal of maternity services and A&E for children from the Alexandra Hospital, despite strong opposition from local politicians and residents.
