Man dies in house fire
Getaway car photo released after security guard robbery
Lab tests carried out to solve cracked paving problem
Self-mutilating dog costs charity £10k in vet bills
Updates from Friday 7 April 2017
Welcome to the Local Live service for Staffordshire and Cheshire on Tuesday.
We'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 .
A children's minor injuries unit at the hospital will be upgraded to also treat minor illnesses.
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.
Nick Owen
Presenter, BBC Midlands Today
On Midlands Today this evening - Highways England says it's growing increasingly concerned about the number of road workers being killed or seriously injured on the region's roads.
There've been a dozen deaths in the past decade, many as a result of being hit by a motorist recklessly entering an area of roadworks.
On the programme tonight, you'll hear from a road worker from Staffordshire who had his neck and leg broken when he was hit by a car on the A50 near Stoke-on-Trent.
See that story and more from 18:30 on BBC One.
Follow live text, images and social media as Stoke City host third-placed Liverpool in the Premier League.
Read More
Graham McGarry
Crewe Alexandra commentator, BBC Radio Stoke
Hot on the heels of midfielder Jamie Jones extending his contract, Crewe Alexandra say winger George Cooper's also extended his current deal by 12 months , external .
Image source, crewealex.netThe 20-year-old's deal was due to run out in June but the Alex say they've triggered a one-year option in his contract to keep him at the club until the summer of 2018.
Cooper's scored eight goals in 47 appearances this season.
Allen Cook
BBC Local Live
The new community fire station in Rugeley is being official opened tonight.
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service says crews have already moved into the £3m site on Bryans Lane., external
But tonight will mark the official opening and the service tweeted that staff were already, external "getting excited".
Image source, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue ServiceHealth chiefs in Staffordshire have confirmed that the future of Tamworth's Minor Injuries Unit has been secured, according to the town's MP , external .
Image source, Tamworth Herald
John Acres
Journalist, BBC Radio Stoke
Drivers who leave their car in Newcastle-under-Lyme overnight will have to pay a pound in council car parks from tonight.
The borough council says introducing the charge will help with supporting day and night-time economies in the town and is necessary after recent central government cuts.
Council bosses say almost all day-time charges on their car parks have been frozen for the year ahead.
Sara Blizzard
BBC Weather
After a dry and warm day for most of us, here's how tomorrow is looking across the West Midlands.
If you want to get the latest forecasts at any time, head to the BBC Weather website .
Sara Blizzard
BBC Sport
The Stoke City boss Mark Hughes says he's still looking to have his team finish in the Premier League's top 10 for another season.
Image source, Laurence Griffiths/Getty ImagesThe Potters are currently ninth on 36 points but have three teams , Southampton, Bournemouth and Watford, all on 34 points.
Quote MessageWe are always trying to be better than the season before. We have just come through a run which has allowed teams to close in on us. We have eight games to go and it's clear what we need to do to at least finish in the top 10."
Mark Hughes, Stoke City manager
Emma Thomas
Political reporter, BBC Radio Stoke
Hospital bosses says children's emergency services at Stafford's County Hospital will remain shut until further notice. , external
They were temporarily shut in August due to safety concerns and today University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) said they would remain closed for the foreseeable future.
In the meantime, they say a minor injuries unit that was opened for children in October will be turned into an Urgent Care Centre.
That means that, as well as treating minor injuries like cuts or broken bones, it'll be upgraded to allow for the treatment of minor illnesses which need the treatment of a GP or nurse such as fever, infections and rashes.
UHNM has defended continuing the closure saying that, while no children have been put at risk during the temporary downgrade, they won't take any future risks.
Quote MessageThe fact that there haven't been any events of concern so far doesn't mean that it's not our duty to make absolutely sure that we don't put anyone at risk going forward and that's why we're taking these measures, we just can't take even the smallest of chances."
Dr John Oxtoby, Acting Medical Director
The launch of the giant outdoor experiment will see trees engulfed by high levels of carbon dioxide.
Read MoreGraham McGarry
Crewe Alexandra commentator, BBC Radio Stoke
Crewe Alexandra midfielder James Jones has had his contract extended for a further 12 months.
The 21-year-old, who has scored nine goals for Crewe this season, would have been a free agent this summer.
Image source, Rex FeaturesBut the League Two club have opted to trigger the one-year extension option in his existing deal.
Dundee-born Jones, a Scotland Under-21 international, has played more than 100 times for Crewe since his debut in 2014.
The sunshine's been out pretty much through today and our BBC Weather Watchers look to have been enjoying the chance to take some great snaps.
These two photos have come from Staffordshire users Steve Rhodes in Blythe Bridge and GrannieP in Burton.
Image source, Steve Rhodes
Image source, GranniePCheshire has seen a drop in the number of police incidents involving drones in the last year, even as there's been a big increase across most of the rest of the North West.
Lancashire, Merseyside and Greater Manchester saw large rises.
Image source, Getty ImagesBut in Cheshire the number dropped by more than a third, to 36 in 2016 from 53 in 2015.
In the past few years, the gadgets have been used to smuggle drugs into prisons and help burglars, and have also started rows between neighbours.
Stuart George
Presenter, BBC Radio Stoke
Pensioners have protested in Stoke-on-Trent against the closure of community hospital beds this morning.
The North Staffs Pensioners' Convention say they're worried for the future of three wards at Bradwell Hospital in Newcastle-under-Lyme.
The last patient left Bradwell Hospital on Wednesday - the North Staffordshire Clinical Commissioning Group says it's future will be decided after the council elections in May. , external
Allen Cook
BBC Local Live
The pictures you send in of Staffordshire and Cheshire are, as a whole, stunningly good so keep sharing them - here are four more I've picked out.
You can send yours in on email or , if you are an Instagram user, pop them there, external and add the tag #bbcstoke to show you agree to share them.
Audience pictures of Staffordshire and Cheshire
Lee Blakeman
Port Vale commentator, BBC Radio Stoke
Port Vale defender Nathan Smith has praised caretaker manager Michael Brown.
Image source, Gareth Copley/Getty ImagesThe Vale have won four, drawn six and lost seven League One games since Brown took charge and climbed out of the relegation zone with their weekend win over AFC Wimbledon.
Quote MessageHe's rallied the troops and everyone's brought into the style of play. It was a difficult job, with what we've got and where we where, but he's done a magnificent job."
Nathan Smith, Port Vale defender
Victoria Derbyshire
For many people, moving on from a childhood spent in care can be hard.
As some councils in England offer council tax relief to ease the transition for adult care leavers, BBC reporter Ashley John-Baptiste asks what difference it might make .
Seven councils told care leavers this month they do not have to pay council tax until they are 22 or, in some cases, 25.
They have joined four authorities, including one in Cheshire, that already have a similar policy in place.
Cheshire East Council, which has approximately 240 care leavers, says the cost to the council will be approximately £17,000 every year.
