Around the web: Man burgled home during hospital visitpublished at 10:36 British Summer Time 28 August 2020
The Shropshire Star is covering these stories today:
Summary
Murdered toddler serious case review delayed
Hole opens in road in Longton
JCB boss backs EU Leave campaign, although PM describes his views as 'an exception'
Cancer drug campaigners fear prospect of postcode lottery
Updates on Thursday 9 June 2016
Around the web: Man burgled home during hospital visitpublished at 10:36 British Summer Time 28 August 2020
Fire-gutted manor house to reopen gardenspublished at 10:09 British Summer Time 28 August 2020
The owners of a Staffordshire manor house damaged by a fire last year want to open its gardens to the public.
Image source, Staffordshire Fire and RescueBuilding work to restore Betley Court to its former glory will take a number of years, but owner Nigel Brown said the team were working to open the gardens to the local community, who helped them in the wake of last year's fire.
About 20 people lived in flats at the grade II-listed converted manor when the fire, which started accidentally, tore through the building in August 2019.
Quote MessageWe're very grateful to everything the community did. The local doctor opened his surgery up, the local pub opened up the back room so people had somewhere to go. Everyone was involved in making sure what had been a difficult time was made as easy as possible."
Nigel Brown, Owner
Crewe sign ex-Luton defender Danielspublished at 17:31 British Summer Time 27 August 2020
League One newcomers Crewe Alexandra sign defender Donervon Daniels after his departure from Luton Town.
Read MoreMost of lockdown homeless in city 'still in accommodation'published at 17:00 British Summer Time 27 August 2020
Sophie Calvert
Political Reporter, BBC Radio StokeDozens of people who were homeless in Stoke-on-Trent and moved into hotels during lockdown are still in accommodation, a charity's said.
Image source, PA MediaLocal homeless charity Concrete provided rooms for 66 people in the city when the government announced everyone should have somewhere to stay.
It said 40 of them had gone on to supported accommodation while 16 have their own tenancy either with the city council or a housing association.
The 40 include George, who didn't want to give his real name, who has been homeless since he was 16 when he left his parents' home in Trent Vale and started taking heroin at 17.
He told BBC Radio Stoke the charity had got him into a rehabilitation scheme and he was now hoping to get his own flat so his daughter could visit him.
"I'm angry with myself because I haven't seen my daughter for six years. That's a big motivator," he said.
Pubs close as more testing urged over Covid-19 outbreakpublished at 12:02 British Summer Time 27 August 2020
BBC Radio StokePeople who visited other pubs in or near a village in Staffordshire are being urged to get tested for Covid-19 after an outbreak linked to a working men's club.
Seven people have now tested positive following the bingo event at Silverdale Working Men's Club on 16 August, as well as a further three suspected cases.
The county council said today it wanted people who visited the Bush Pub and The Vine in Silverdale and the George and Dragon in Newcastle-under-Lyme, between 20-22 August, to also get tested.
Several pubs and clubs in the area have now decided to close to limit the spread.
Gill Sherwin, from the Best of British Beer firm in Silverdale, said: "They'll have really been looking forward to this weekend because the following week, that's when schools go back and numbers naturally drop off then.
"So this was like a little bit of an end of month payday for them and now they've lost that."
Port Vale sign goalkeeper Visserpublished at 11:53 British Summer Time 27 August 2020
Port Vale sign South African goalkeeper Dino Visser on a one-year contract after a successful trial.
Read MoreStaff at food manufacturer test positive for Covid-19published at 10:28 British Summer Time 27 August 2020
BBC Radio StokeSix workers from the same food manufacturer in Stoke-on-Trent have tested positive for coronavirus.
The city council, which hasn't named the firm, said the results came back last week.
All six are self-isolating along with anyone who had been in close contact with them.
The local authority added the business had been following government guidelines around Covid-19.
Around the web: Staff test positive for Covid-19published at 10:10 British Summer Time 27 August 2020
Stoke-on-Trent LiveThe Stoke-on-Trent Live website has these headlines today:
Rise in Covid-19 cases prompts testing pleapublished at 18:56 British Summer Time 26 August 2020
In Stoke-on-Trent, there were 75 new cases for the seven days to 21 August.
Read MoreDoor-to-door Covid-19 tests set to startpublished at 16:24 British Summer Time 26 August 2020
Allen Cook
BBC NewsDoor-to-door coronavirus testing is going to be carried out in Burton upon Trent, external this week as officials continue to try to cut the number of positive cases in the town.
Image source, Staffordshire County CouncilNHS staff will be dropping off home testing kits tomorrow in parts of the Anglesey area of the town.
Staffordshire County Council said it was one of four areas in Burton which had seen the most cases since 4 July, with 110 confirmed cases in the town up to 23 August.
The latest figures from Public Health England for East Staffordshire, which covers Burton, show 9.2 new cases per 100,000 in the seven days to 22 August, down from 18.4 per 100,000 for the previous week.
Your photos: Wildlife in the West Midlandspublished at 15:15 British Summer Time 26 August 2020
We've got a wildlife theme going on in today's selection of photos taken by our local BBC Weather Watchers.
These are from users Liam Ball, in Ironbridge, Shropshire; Poetic Verse, in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire; and Cumulo Jimbus, in Colwall, Herefordshire:
Image source, Liam Ball
Image source, Poetic Verse
Image source, Cumulo JimbusAround the web: Pubs and clubs shut in Covid-19 spikepublished at 14:54 British Summer Time 26 August 2020
Stoke-on-Trent LiveFrom the Stoke-on-Trent Live website today:
Boy's leukaemia diagnosis weeks after twin's deathpublished at 14:31 British Summer Time 26 August 2020
Julie Parton said she was "distraught" when Jack was diagnosed weeks after brother Ben's funeral.
Read MoreFood event called off over city Covid-19 spikepublished at 17:43 British Summer Time 25 August 2020
An event in Hanley due to be held this weekend has been postponed because of a rise in coronavirus cases in Stoke-on-Trent.
The spike is being linked to a small area of Normacot, where there have now been 79 positive tests since 5 August.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe organisers of the Smithfield Summer Social said postponement was a precautionary measure and the event would be rescheduled when case numbers fell.
The pupils already back at school amid a pandemicpublished at 16:19 British Summer Time 25 August 2020
Children have been sharing their feelings on the return to the classroom after months away.
Read MorePort Vale sign defender Fitzpatrickpublished at 15:26 British Summer Time 25 August 2020
Port Vale sign former Macclesfield Town defender David Fitzpatrick on a one-year contract.
Read MoreYour photos: Mixed weather amid Storm Francis wind warningspublished at 13:25 British Summer Time 25 August 2020
It appears the thunderstorms are behind us for now, but the rain is continuing to fall in parts of the West Midlands and we're still seeing high winds in places.
Elsewhere the sun is out and there are blue skies.
These photos were taken by BBC Weather Watchers in the last hour.
Here's how things were looking near Leek in Staffordshire...
Image source, VideomanBy contrast, this was the scene near Hanbury in Worcestershire.
Image source, Mrs_StrivzyArson arrests after flat blazepublished at 11:10 British Summer Time 25 August 2020
Two people have been arrested on suspicion of arson following a flat fire in the early hours of Tuesday.
Staffordshire Police said, external a 36-year-old man from Newcastle-under-Lyme and a 33-year-old woman from Meir were being held in police custody.
Image source, GoogleImage caption, Belle Vue Road
Fire crews were called at 02:30 to Belle Vue Road in Leek where they put out a blaze near the front door of the flat. No one was hurt.
Police said inquiries were continuing.
Shortlist of England's top trees revealedpublished at 10:10 British Summer Time 25 August 2020
A sycamore laced with shoes, an oak bound in chains and an ancient yew are among the contenders.
Read MoreStaffordshire Oak nominated for 'Tree of the year'published at 09:37 British Summer Time 25 August 2020
An oak tree said to be the inspiration for an Alton Towers rollercoaster has been nominated for England's tree of the year 2020.
Image source, PA MediaThe Chained Oak in Alton is so named due to a legend stating the Earl of Shrewsbury had the tree bound in chains after a curse warned that for every branch that fell, a member of his family would die.
The Woodland Trust said it had more than double the number of nominations compared to previous years which it said was "perhaps no surprise given that lockdown had so many of slowing down and taking more note of nature".
Quote MessageEasily overlooked and routinely undervalued, trees deserve their moment in the sun, this competition is a very simple way to demonstrate our appreciation of trees.
Darren Moorcroft, Chief executive of the Woodland Trust
