Jim Addyman
BBC Local Live, York

That's all from BBC Local Live in York and North Yorkshire this week.

Here are five things we've learned about our county today:  

1. York Minster bells rang out again last night after a three-month silence.

2. Looking for a calendar full of naked men for that stocking filler? The regulars at the Lamb and Flag in Bishop Monkton have just the thing.

3. A quirk of the calendar for 2016 means that tonight is Mad Friday II - with the emergency services are preparing for another busy night. 

4. Despite new money being announced to deliver superfast broadband to hard-to-reach rural areas, critics say it's still not enough.

5. Police have said they will "facilitate peaceful protest" at the newly-arrived anti-fracking camp near Kirby Misperton.

I'm going to leave you with this lovely shot of last night's sunset over Whitby. Many thanks to BBC Weather Watcher Villager for the picture:    

Jonathan Cowap
Presenter, BBC Radio York

It's at this time of year when we think about gift-giving.

Choosing the right Christmas gift can be a minefield, and may even cause apprehension and anxiety for some - which some people avoid by giving money instead. 

But should you give money as a present? 

That's a question I put to Viren Swami, Professor of Social Psychology at Anglia Ruskin University 

Yorkshire and the Humber are to be targeted as part of a new £60m annual fund set up by the government to help areas of England with high levels of second-home ownership to "tackle the problem".

Image source, PA

The money, to be shared by 150 councils over five years, will go into providing "affordable" housing for first-time buyers in places where demand is high.

The money has been raised through increases in stamp duty.

Housing Minister Gavin Barwell said this would help those who struggle to get permanent accommodation.  

Yorkshire and the Humber will get £6m, the South East will get £11m, the East of England almost £9m and the North West almost £6m.

Jim Addyman
BBC Local Live, York

Thanks to Celia Lord for sending in this spectacular shot of sunrise over Scarborough this morning.

As she says herself, the dawn was "stunning" over South Bay:

A 22-year-old man has died following a serious collision near Eden Camp, external yesterday evening.

The collision, involving a blue VW Passat, took place on the A169 at Marishes, Malton, at about 20:50 on Thursday.

The driver, from Pickering, died at the scene.

The road was closed for about five hours while police carried out their investigations into what happened.

Police are appealing for any witnesses, or anyone who remembers seeing the vehicle before the collision, to come foward as soon as possible.

A force spokesman says: "This appeal includes any motorists who came across the collision scene after it occurred, but did not stay to speak with the police."

Owain Wyn Evans
Weather presenter, BBC Look North

This afternoon will see rain becoming heavier with gale or severe gale force winds.

The top temperature will be about 10C (50F).

BBC Radio York

The top stories from our York newsroom this lunchtime are:

• It's still unclear if York Minster's bells will ring on Christmas day after a team of replacement ringers was in action there last night
• Two families are still unable to return home after a sinkhole opened up on a Ripon street last month.  
• North Yorkshire's emergency services are gearing up for a second "Mad Friday" of the Christmas season

North Yorkshire's emergency services are gearing up for a second so-called "Mad Friday" of the Christmas season.

The Friday before Christmas - when many people finish work for the festive period - is traditionally one of the busiest for the police, while Yorkshire Ambulance Service says it usually sees a significant increase in 999 calls as well. 

A quirk of the calendar this year meant this time last week was also considered a "Mad Friday" as many people started their Christmas break then instead.

Harrogate Advertiser

New multi-million pound investment to deliver superfast broadband to thousands of extra homes in connectivity ‘not-spots’ will not go far enough to resolve the "unacceptable" imbalance of service in urban and rural areas, critics have claimed, external.

Image source, Thinkstock

Rough sleepers have described being urinated on, having belongings stolen and being sexually assaulted while living on the streets.

Image source, Sam Mellish

Homeless charity Crisis said of 458 street sleepers it interviewed in England and Wales, 80% had suffered an attack or abuse in 2016.

More than half said they did not report crimes, as many believed that the police would not be able to help them.  

Gary, who has slept rough in Yorkshire, told Crisis he feared gangs of youths who would roam the streets in the early hours.

"Anyone sleeping in the shop door was done. They used to brick them or worse still - a couple of lads that were sleeping on the streets with me got knifed while they were asleep."

Nathan Turvey
BBC Radio York News

It'll be a very special Christmas for families in North Yorkshire who were flooded almost a year ago as they wake up on 25 December in their own homes after months of clean-up and repairs.

Last Christmas, hundreds of homes and businesses in York and Tadcaster were inundated with water - and some people had to move out while work was carried out on their properties. 

To date, the Two Ridings Community Foundation, external in York has raised more than £1.3m to help people who've been flooded.

I've been to visit Amy Ellis, who lives right by the River Ouse and was flooded last Christmas for the second time in three years.

I asked her if she thought it'd take this long to get back into her home:

BBC Look North weather presenter Owain Wyn Evans has been taking a look forward to the weather over the Christmas weekend and into next week.

Storm Barbara's still got to get out of the way first, of course, but if you're a fan of all things snowy, Owain says you're likely to be disappointed: 

Why not check out our @bbcyorkshire, external feed on Instagram for some beautiful captures of our great region? 

Just tag your posts #bbcyorkshire for a chance to be featured.  

Jericho Keys
Reporter, BBC Radio York

If you've still got that last-minute Christmas present to buy, I might just have an idea here for you...

It's a calendar, and a rather unique one at that, featuring as it does semi-naked men from Bishop Monkton, near Ripon.

It's all to raise money for charity, of course, and I went along to the Lamb and Flag pub in the village to see if they needed any more beefcake. But, as you can see, they didn't:

The widower of murdered Yorkshire MP Jo Cox will deliver this year's alternative Christmas message on Channel 4.

Image source, Channel 4

Brendan Cox will call for an end to the "rise of hatred" in the broadcast on 25 December.

He will also pay tribute to his wife and discuss the "awful year for our family" in the pre-recorded message.

Mr Cox will also tell viewers that now is the "moment to reach out to somebody that might disagree with us".

Mrs Cox was shot and stabbed to death by Thomas Mair in her Batley and Spen constituency in June.

Two families are still unable to return home after a sinkhole opened up on a Ripon street last month.

Image source, PA

The 66ft by 33ft hole, about 30ft deep, appeared in Magdalen's Road in Ripon on 9 November.

No-one was injured when the sinkhole first appeared, but the street's sewage system fell into the ground and two gardens caved in. 

Engineers have since filled in the hole with concrete and capped it off and the sewers have been repaired.

Work is now expected to get under way on landscaping the area and putting up new fences.

In 2014, a 100-year-old detached house in an adjoining street was demolished after a 25ft-wide sinkhole opened.

The British Geological Survey said Ripon lies in one of the most susceptible areas of the UK for sinkholes because of its "permian gypsum deposits", which can dissolve more quickly than surrounding limestone.

Owain Wyn Evans
Weather presenter, BBC Look North

A very windy day for North Yorkshire as the big storm approaches.

We'll see outbreaks of rain slowly spread southwards, the rain becoming heavier during the afternoon. 

Watch my full forecast here:

BBC Sport

The top stories from our sport team so far this morning include:

• York City are aiming for their first away win in over a year as they head to North Ferriby United on Boxing Day
• Harrogate Town hope to keep in touch with the play-off places when they face Stockport at home on Boxing Day
• Former England manager Sam Allardyce (pictured) is the front runner to replace Alan Pardew as manager at Crystal Palace.

Image source, Getty Images

North Yorkshire Police will "facilitate peaceful protest, external" after a so-called "protection camp" was set up by anti-fracking campaigners in Ryedale.

The camp was set up by protesters earlier this week near a site in Kirby Misperton which is earmarked for fracking by Third Energy.

The local neighbourhood policing team is currently talking to the campaigners "to establish their intentions", according to the North Yorkshire force.

Insp Simon Jolly says: "The police have a duty to facilitate peaceful protest, which is balanced with the rights of residents and businesses to go about their daily life in Kirby Misperton with any possible disruption kept to minimum.

"To be clear, the police are not taking sides regarding this issue. Our presence is intended to provide reassurance and ensure the safety of everyone involved, including those at the camp."

On what's expected to be one of the busiest days for Christmas travel, a Met Office yellow "be aware" warning of wind is in effect for Yorkshire.

It started at 07:00 and lasts until the end of tonight, with gusts of between 50 and 60mph expected in North Yorkshire. 

If you do have to travel on the roads today, Sarah Lewis from the AA has this advice: