The deaths of a police officer and his three-year-old son are being treated as a suspected murder/suicide.

A man from Stafford has been jailed for more than five years after causing the death of another driver in a car crash in Stone.

A man who left his partner fearing for her life when he attacked her at a caravan park has been given a restraining order and banned from drinking for four months.

A second ‘monster mast’ in a month has been rejected in the Sutton Coldfield Vesey Ward after Birmingham City Council planners vetoed it.

Council bosses in the Black Country have pledged to help Afghan families fleeing their country after the Taliban takeover.

Assistance for Afghan interpreters was delayed because the Foreign Secretary failed to make a phone call while on holiday, reports have suggested.

One expert said it is up to food firms to be more responsible when it comes to sugar content.

The guidance has been described as ‘slightly bizarre’.

The Government has said coronavirus vaccinations will be compulsory for all registered care home staff in England, unless medically exempt.

But scientists said that the level of protection offered by both vaccines was similar after four to five months.

The total has risen 9% in a week – but is still well below the peak of the second wave.

Four in 10 local areas have recorded a week-on-week fall in rates.

Millions are being left without any protection while rich countries are preparing to hand out third doses, the WHO said.

A union representing drivers at the supermarket’s wholesale division, Booker, have said all HGV drivers should get the £5-an-hour pay rise.

The inventor urged the Government to take the ‘less popular decision’ and get workers back to offices to restore the ‘competitiveness’ of UK firms.

A former soldier from the Black Country who lost both his legs in an explosion in Afghanistan has spoken of his sorrow at the "soul-destroying" turn of events in the country this week.

An MP has launched a campaign to save two pieces of green belt land in the Black Country earmarked for more than 800 new homes.

The chief executive of a charity set up as a "middle man" between philanthropists and voluntary organisations speaks about his organisation's vital work.

The bells have been ringing for a Victor Clark, who served as a paratrooper during the Second World War, and also survived an encounter with a crocodile, as he celebrated his 100th birthday in style.

A Birmingham project has been awarded £9.7 million of Government and industry funding to develop an ultra-fast charging electric vehicle battery.

A Wyre Forest wellbeing charity has been given a funding boost to help develop its facilities.

Apprenticeship opportunities with the four Black Country councils are being showcased at an online event.

Severn Valley Railway is getting up steam to welcome back ‘hop on, hop off’ passengers on all regular services from September 7.

A scheme providing food and activities for disadvantaged youngsters during school holidays can help "close the attainment gap" in education, a government minister has said.

The government has rejected the idea of making Covid vaccines compulsory for university students, a minister has said.

A government minister has hailed the efforts of Marcus Rashford for highlighting the plight of disadvantaged families during the pandemic.

An 18-year-old woman will be tackling the three highest peaks in the UK over 24 hours in a bid to raise money for charity.

Cuts to police officer numbers has had a “stark” impact on communities, the region’s police and crime commissioner has warned.

An appeal has been made for military personnel and members of the public to turn out and mark the life of a Second World War veteran.

A dog had a lucky escape after its fall from an upstairs pub window was halted by a member of the pub's football team.

A transport company which was set to be handed a contract in Sandwell had more than 50 drivers taking vulnerable children to school who had not passed DBS checks, it has emerged.

Irresponsible drivers have hit speeds of more than 120mph in 30mph zones this year, new figures reveal.

A company which was set to be controversially handed a school transport contract by Sandwell Council has had its deal with a neighbouring authority terminated due to concerns over DBS checks.

Pc Jamie Holloway went into the back of David Shaw’s Ford Fiesta at an estimated 75mph, flipping it on to its roof.

More than £7,000 was spent by the city council resolving 40 bin disputes which reached the local government watchdog over the past year.

A further two people have died in the region's hospitals from coronavirus, according to NHS England figures.

An elderly couple were left shaken after masked robbers broke into their home, including one wearing a distinctive monkey mask.

A parade is being held for Olympic boxer Ben Whittaker in his Black Country home town on Saturday.

More than 200,000 patients were waiting for elective operations or treatment at hospitals in the Black Country and Staffordshire in June, figures show.

Nando’s has shut 45 restaurants after suffering a shortage of chicken as industry suppliers warned supply chain disruption is “not going away”.

The comedian has died of cancer at the age of 58.

The University of Wolverhampton has secured more than £180,000 in funding to pick up the pace of vital mental health support services for students who are working on placements.

13 key questions about what is happening to rail fares.

A talented Sutton Coldfield girl has been declared ‘brainer than Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein’ after sitting a test organised by Mensa, the international society for people with high IQ.

Roads fell quiet across the Black Country during the pandemic but there were still dozens of motorists who committed serious driving offences.

A football mad six-year-old is on a fundraising mission to help secure life-saving equipment for his junior football club.

An ‘historic’ bus garage in Perry Barr is highly unlikely to be demolished, the leader of the council has said.

The owners of the empty Highgate Brewery in Walsall have scrapped plans to turn it into a tap house.

Wolverhampton’s Covid-19 vaccine bus will be visiting a school tomorrow and Friday.

The latest weekend of action at the Stourbridge Comedy Festival produced two nights of raucous laughter from some talented comedians.

A series of free parking spots in a city centre are set to be replaced by paid ones, the council has announced.

A homeless woman was charged £250 per week rent by the city council – which failed to write off arrears after it found the amount unaffordable.

Roads were closed and smoke poured across a town centre when a fire ripped through a car.

Poundland is doubling the size of its trial online delivery service to millions more customers across the Midlands, taking it into Shropshire for the first time.

Britain should not reject "out of hand" the possibility of working with the Taliban to forge a peaceful solution to the crisis in Afghanistan, An MP has said.

A new multi-million pound park and ride facility aims to help offer an alternative to traffic jams on a busy road.

Concerns have been raised by residents about weeds growing out of Dudley's historic Red House Glass Cone with calls for action to be taken.

A team of intrepid cyclists braved torrential rain to ride 127 miles from Wigan to Wolverhampton and raise nearly £8,000 for a homeless charity for young people.

A former refugee who was tortured aged 12 by the Taliban has warned the West will pay a heavy price for its “Afghan betrayal”.

Police are searching for this woman in connection with an armed robbery in the Black Country.

As Parliament was recalled, the Prime Minister denied the UK was unprepared for the Taliban takeover.

A contractor is to be fined by a council for breaching conditions of a roadworks scheme and keeping temporary traffic running at peak hours.

"Unpleasant" posts by a blogger criticising a council's public health boss after she opened up about her mental health struggles did not amount to harassment, a High Court judge has ruled.

Tickets have gone on sale for the Cazoo Grand Slam of Darts taking place in the Black Country later this year.

With inflation hitting the Bank of England’s target of 2% the pressure to raise interest rates will dissipate in the short term.

Leisure centre staff in Sandwell are set to hold further strikes over changes to their contracts.

International bodies and governments are being advised of the research priorities for the condition.

The scheme will target women and girls and others vulnerable to persecution by the Taliban.

Fishing tackle chain Angling Direct enjoyed a 19.5 jump in sales in the first half of its financial year due to the continuing boom in the sport.

A former soldier who lost both his legs while serving in Afghanistan says it is "soul-destroying" to see the country fall to the Taliban.

More than 230 Covid patients were being cared for by hospital trusts in the Black Country and Staffordshire – as new changes on isolation come into force.

People living near green belt sites under threat from developers have been urged to make their feelings known as part of a major consultation on future housebuilding in the region.

Many business owners in the Midlands have little to no funds to see them through another lockdown, a study has found.

An immediate and comprehensive reform of the UK’s "outdated and uncompetitive" business rates system is essential if the West Midlands is to achieve its ambitions for recovery, says the Confederation of British Industry.

Roadworks are continuing in Kidderminster – as a busy roundabout closes overnight for more than a week.

Motorway workers revamped a school playground using recycled equipment from an ongoing upgrade to the M6 in Staffordshire.

Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum, there is a big friendly giant among the undergrowth at Bodenham Arboretum, near Kidderminster, but the absent-minded creature has mislaid many of his belongings.

Residents and businesses in Sandwell are being urged to ensure young people are protected from underage drinking.

According to HMRC one employer claimed that it is ‘part of UK culture’ not to pay young workers for the first three months.

A further 21 people have died in the region's hospitals from coronavirus, according to NHS England figures.

Former Health Secretary reportedly told that Test and Trace app should alert contacts of positive cases from two days rather than five.

Children under 15 are not yet routinely offered a Covid-19 vaccine.

A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a man convicted of failing to look after more than 50 dogs at a puppy farm.

Sandwell Council has appointed a director of a construction company as its third chief executive in as many years.

Miles Routledge described his arrival in Dubai as a ‘happy ending’ and praised the British Army for the evacuation.

The number of extra deaths, or ‘excess deaths’, is the highest since mid-February.

Dominic Raab has said people ‘across the world’ were surprised by the group’s swift movement in taking over parts of Afghanistan in a mere few days.

Stafford’s former magistrates’ court is set to be demolished to make way for a temporary car park for council workers while the authority decides how to develop it.

A hotel recently used to house homeless people and early release prisoners during the coronavirus pandemic will be demolished to make way for new homes – and villagers have welcomed its removal.

A holidaymaker who planned to propose to his girlfriend on a glamping trip to Wales instead ended up in a police cell after threatening to burn down the campsite.

A young man who was stopped by the police in Walsall claimed he had no idea about the drugs and more than £1,000 cash that officers found in the hired car he was driving.

The father of a man who was stabbed to death has urged everyone to make a stand against knife crime and end the cycle of “pain”.

An internal review of the pricing and standards of service from test providers is ongoing.

Two men suspected of murdering a woman whose body was set on fire in a layby have been bailed by police as enquiries continue.

Friends as well as strangers are rallying around a Shifnal couple to give them a wonderful wedding after a young mum's shock cancer diagnosis.