Plans for £12m revamp of Shrewsbury town centre streets finalised
Inquests hear Newport woman died of blood clot
Long serving Telford head teacher retires
Updates on Friday 22 July
Alexandra Hamilton
BBC Weather
Most of Shropshire should see a thin layer of cloud this evening and tonight and there is a chance of the odd shower.
Weather forecast for the West Midlands
A delay in a changes to school funding has prompted the MP for Telford, Lucy Allan, to raise concerns in parliament today.
The government says the new formula is needed to tackle uneven levels of funding across England, and Telford could be one of the areas to benefit.
But, earlier the Education Secretary Justine Greening announced the changes were being put on hold saying "we must get our approach right".
The Telford MP has asked if schools in the town will be hit to a delay in funding changes
South Shropshire Journal
There have been more burglaries targeting charity boxes from shops in a town centre., external
BBC Travel
The A489 at Marshbrook remains closed in both directions between the A49 junction and the B4370 at Horderley because of ongoing resurfacing work.
It's not just schools and health bodies which get rated by inspectors and Lilleshall National Sports Centre has just been told it's got an "outstanding" rating from Sport England.
That's one step up from the "excellent" rating it got in 2014.
Image source, GoogleThese days Lilleshall is run by Serco, which also runs Bisham Abbey. The two centres are working with over 200 athletes preparing for the Olympics and Paralympics in Brazil.
Andy Giddings
BBC Shropshire
Our top stories this evening:
- Aqueduct death not being treated as suspicious
- Lawley gas main work brought forward to avoid school holidays
- Syrian refugee families said to be "settling in well" in Oswestry
Gas mains works in Lawley are being brought forward, external, to avoid causing disruption to school traffic.
Network Grid Gas was due to carry out the repairs at the main crossroads in Lawley in October, but it will now start next Monday instead, followed by work on Pepper Mill the following week.
Image source, GoogleThe council says it apologises for the short notice, but that it was worth doing.
Last night's sunset was captured by Weather Watcher Jo in Ellesmere.
Do you have a picture of the county you want to share? Sign up to be a Weather Watcher here.
Image source, JoAndy Giddings
BBC Shropshire
A Canadian woman who used to support the Medicine Hat Tigers in Alberta, got a surprise when she moved to Shropshire last month and found our local ice hockey team shares the same name.
Lottie Ainsworth-Moore came to live in Market Drayton because her husband, a Major in the British Army, was posted here.
Image source, James ShawAnd within weeks of moving here, Lottie won a Telford Tigers season ticket in a raffle.
It's a small world.
Quote MessageI’ve told our friends back in Canada and they love the fact that our local team here is called the Tigers. It would be great to get some of them over to watch a game when they’re back in the UK."
Lottie Ainsworth-Moore, Tigers fan
Shropshire Council has found a replacement for the one remaining bus route which was without an operator, following the collapse of GHA Coaches last week.
Seven regular bus services and five school services were affected when the company announced it had gone into administration and the authority stepped in to find alternatives.
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Telford Journal
Shropshire MP Mark Pritchard has insisted he is not enjoying the Labour crisis, external – as a poll revealed more than half of readers would be in favour of forming a new breakaway party.
Image source, Shropshire StarAndy Giddings
BBC Shropshire
Five Syrian families who have moved to Oswestry are "settling in really well", according to a group of local volunteers.
Jools Payne from the Oswestry Welcomes Refugees group says they arrived with just a backpack of belongings each and an appeal for toys and baby clothes got an "amazing response".
Mrs Payne said they didn't want to make a big fuss of the families at this early stage, but wanted to help them adjust to life in the UK and live independent lives.
She also said some of the refugees had started volunteering, which she found "uplifting, inspiring and enormously humbling".
Quote MessageWe don't want to wave the banners and hang the flags out, we just want to help these people settle into their new lives."
Jools Payne, Oswestry Welcomes Refugees
Andy Giddings
BBC Shropshire
Here's a recap of our top stories in Shropshire this afternoon:
- Police say discovery of body near aqueduct "not suspicious"
- Council finance chief looks to avoid job losses
- Syrian refugees "settling in well" in Oswestry
North Wales Police say they're not treating the discovery of a man's body near the Chirk Aqueduct as suspicious.
It was found at 20:50 yesterday and although the body has yet to be formally identified, the force has been in touch with officers in Merseyside who have been investigating the disappearance of a 51-year-old man from The Wirral.
Image source, Google
Ludlow & Tenbury Wells Advertiser
A brave youngster from Cleobury Mortimer, external is now under the care of specialists at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children.
Three areas of Telford could be designated as nature reserves.
Telford Councillors will meet later today to discuss the proposals, affecting the Beeches in Ironbridge, Apley Woods and Ketley Paddock Mound.
If they agree to the plans, the next step will be talks with Natural England.
All three sites are already wildlife areas, but having Local Nature Reserve status means the council would be required to protect them from "inappropriate uses or development."
The councillor in charge of finances at Telford and Wrekin Council says compulsory redundancies would be an option of last resort, as it looks to save up to £50m between now and 2020.
Councillor Lee Carter said "there are things we can do better and more efficiently" and that the authority "would leave no stone unturned" in finding new ways to generate income, to offset the cuts.
Image source, Telford and Wrekin councilMr Carter said the authority makes profits of £250,000 a year from its solar farm and also makes money from its catering, IT and architect services.
He also said money had been set aside in reserves to help with situations like this.
Quote MessageAs part of prudent financial management we've always put aside reserves to support the areas where there are cost pressures."
Councillor Lee Carter, Telford and Wrekin Council
Tim Page
News Editor, BBC Shropshire
More social workers could be hired in Telford to stop children being sexually exploited.
The council's cabinet will today hear plans for three specialist workers trained to stop teenagers falling prey to abusers.
It's in response to a report earlier this year which said more needed to be done, in the wake of the court cases in 2012 in which seven men were jailed.
Volunteers in Oswestry have welcomed the government's introduction of a new community scheme to help settle Syrian refugees.
The new Home Secretary, Amber Rudd's announced plans for a sponsorship programme involving partnerships with charities and local authorities.
Image source, APRefugee Action volunteers have already welcomed five families of Syrians to Oswestry and are hoping the project will put the needs of refugees at its centre.
The RAF Museum in Cosford is encouraging people to visit, on the basis that it's become a hotspot for people playing Pokemon Go.
The new craze involves catching little creatures that are superimposed on reality via a programme on a smart phone.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe museum says there is a "PokeGym", where players can interact, directly in front of a Lockheed Hercules aircraft, with several others around the base.
