Allen Cook
BBC Local Live

A man's been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, external after a stabbing in Himley.

Staffordshire Police says it happened yesterday on Dudley Road.

Image source, Google

The force says a 30-year-old woman and her eight-year-old son were taken to hospital for treatment.

Officers say their injuries aren't life threatening and the man they've arrested remains in custody adding that "this was not a random attack".

A man has been remanded in custody after being charged with attempting to meet a boy under 16 following grooming.

Paul Bryant, aged 49, of Windsor Close in Birmingham, appeared before magistrates in Cannock earlier to also face a charge of assault.

He was arrested in Hockley, near Tamworth, on Friday night following reports of a disturbance involving several members of the public.

Graham McGarry
Crewe Alexandra commentator, BBC Radio Stoke

Crewe Alexandra's teenager Charlie Kirk (pictured, right) says he has to become ruthless if he wants to be a regular in the first team.

Image source, crewealex.net

The 19-year-old is in a battle for a place in manager David Artell's team with a number of players he's grown up with in the academy.

But Kirk told BBC Radio Stoke he can't let sentiment affect his game.

Lee Thomas
Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke

Four baby wagtails are being cared for by the RSPCA after their nest at Leighton Hospital, Crewe fell apart and slipped down an air vent. , external

Image source, RSPCA

The charity says staff in the pathology department heard the baby bird's cries last week.

It says they rescued two of the four from the chute and they're all said to be doing well at the RSPCA's Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre, Nantwich.

Tom Sylvester and Julie Baum were lawfully married at the Rothera Research Station.

Allen Cook
BBC Local Live

You've been having your say on Facebook about the news, late on Friday, that Stoke-on-Trent was on the five-city shortlist to compete to become UK City of Culture 2021.

The five left in the race will hope to emulate the success of Hull, which is UK City of Culture this year.

On the BBC Radio Stoke Facebook page, praise came from Ian Kennedy who posted, external: "I love this city, fingers crossed."

Similarly, Valerie Genders posted, external: "As a lifelong Stokie living in Cheshire, very well done, fingers crossed!"

While Lynne Smith added, external: "I think we would be far more cultural if we had a huge indoor arena for rock bands. We have to travel to Birmingham, Manchester or Nottingham to see big bands."

And Nicola Jones wrote, external: "I do love Stoke-on-Trent but serious action needs to be taken to clean up our streets before we can be taken seriously for something like this."

Matt Sandoz
Stoke City commentator, BBC Radio Stoke

Stoke City are expecting a third bid from West Ham for winger Marko Arnautovic.

The east London club have already failed with two offers for the 28-year-old, with the last offer being £20m.

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Radio Stoke understands the Austria international wants to move away from the bet365 Stadium, but Stoke do not want to sell him.

Arnautovic joined the Potters in a £2m move from Werder Bremen in 2013 and has scored 26 goals in over 100 appearances.

Allen Cook
BBC Local Live

A £2.5m revamp of an award-winning park in Stafford is expected to get under way next year after an award of £1.7m of lottery cash. , external

Image source, Stafford Borough Council

The borough council says the money' for for Victoria Park has come from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Big Lottery Fund - with the authority putting in £800,000.

Now they money's been secured they say work is expected to start in January with historic features being restored alongside improved facilities suggested by residents.

Victoria Park's been given a Green Flag award by Keep Britain Tidy every year since 2007 with the accolade recognising and rewarding the best parks and gardens in the UK.

Liz Ellis
Presenter, BBC Radio Stoke

Winning UK City of Culture in 2021 could bring in over £1bn of investment into Stoke-on-Trent, according to the people organising the city's bid.

On Friday, the city was shortlisted for the title alongside Coventry, Paisley, Sunderland and Swansea.

Over the next 12 weeks, details will be finalised for the city's attempt to win the award with the successful area revealed in December.

Paul Williams, one of the people behind Stoke-on-Trent's bid, says if it can replicate what Hull's achieved, the possibilities are endless.

BBC News Travel

Passengers using London Midland services between Stafford and Crewe could be delayed or even see their services cancelled, the operator says, due to signalling issues.

BBC Radio 5 live

The high-speed railway HS2 could lead to 100,000 new homes in Crewe, according to the head of a development project in the area.

The winners of £6.6bn worth of contracts to build the first part of the project have been announced today by the government, with the final route from Crewe to Manchester set to be revealed later.

Image source, Farrells

Jackie Sadek, a former government adviser and chair of the Constellation Partnership - a big development zone around a planned HS2 station in Crewe - says the railway will change the economic geography of England.

Her project hopes that HS2 will lead to 100,000 new homes in the town as well as attracting back-office jobs to support London and other major UK cities.

Ben Godfrey
BBC Midlands Today

On Midlands Today from 13:30, we'll be looking at how almost £1m has been spent by Midlands councils on clearing up sites used by travellers in the last three years.

The figures have been obtained by the BBC and the money's gone on legal fees and clean-up operations.

I've been looking into the issue and will have more from 13:30 on BBC One.

Three level crossings between Walsall and Rugeley will close for the rest of the year as engineering work takes place.

Network Rail is carrying out electrification and upgrade works on the line. , external

Image source, Network Rail

Bloxwich level crossing will close on 12 August and footpaths along the line at Sandywood and Stoneyfields will also close.

Diversions will be signposted.

Graham McGarry
BBC Radio Stoke Sport

BBC Radio Stoke understands Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma has arrived at Stoke City's Clayton Wood training ground.

The 22-year-old is set to sign for the Potters on a season-long loan.

The French defender suffered a serious knee injury in 2016 and, after returning to fitness, he was unable to break back into the team on a regular basis.

Allen Cook
BBC Local Live

Two weather warnings for the West Midlands have been issued by the Met Office today, external.

Firstly they say thundery showers are expected across the south of the region, including Herefordshire, Worcestershire and parts of Warwickshire, from tomorrow evening.

Image source, Met Office

Then from just after midnight on Wednesday they are expected to turn into scattered thunderstorms affecting the whole region.

In both cases the Met Office says there is a chance of localised flooding where they hit.

BBC Business News

The final route of the high-speed rail line HS2 is due to be announced later today, but people in Crewe won't see the first services till 2027.

Today the government revealed the winners of £6.6bn worth of contracts to build the first phase of the project from London to Birmingham.

Preparatory work has begun and major construction work is due to start in 2018-19. It is due to open in December 2026.

A bill to deliver Phase 2a from the West Midlands to Crewe will be published by the Transport Secretary later today with services on this section due to begin in 2027.

Phase 2b from Crewe to Manchester, and Birmingham to the East Midlands and Leeds, is due to open in 2033.

Allen Cook
BBC Local Live

Legal proceedings are continuing to try and remove an illegal encampment of about 15 caravans on land next to a school in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

The group had moved on to land off Milehouse Lane near Wolstanton High School on Thursday afternoon.

The site is owned by Staffordshire County Council , externaland today they say that, as far as they are aware, the group is still on the land and they are continuing with legal proceeding to have them removed.

Allen Cook
BBC Local Live

The announcement of the new Doctor Who may have split fans, as BBC News reports, but there's a more critical question being posed for Jodie Whittaker.

On Twitter, ahead of the official announcement, Gary Lineker wondered this for the 13th Time Lord:

We'll look forward to the new Doctor Who fighting the Daleks at the bet365 Stadium!

Joanne Malin
BBC Midlands Today

More than £900,000 has been spent by Midlands councils dealing with sites used illegally by travellers in the last three years.

Figures obtained by the BBC show that the sum since 2014 has been spent on legal fees and clean-up operations.

Simon Hillier, 41, and Stewart Staples, 57, died in a fire at SP Plastics in 2014.