A 12-year-old boy has died after being seriously injured at an indoor ski centre.

Angela Rayner will open the party conference with a promise to improve pay and conditions.

Queues and closures are affecting petrol stations across the region as the Government considers temporary measures to tackle the shortage of HGV drivers.

A controversial former deputy council leader who was at the centre of allegations over dodgy land deals has been expelled from the Labour Party.

Drivers are facing delays while a busy junction of the M6 if shut for a new bridge to be installed.

No punks, glam rock, or flares this time round.

As the West Midlands nightlife returns after a Covid-enforced hiatus, former Judas Priest guitarist Kenneth 'KK' Downing is raring to go.

A student became king for the day after returning back to school as a world champion.

Lichfield's bars, cafes and restaurants are to continue serving patrons on the city centre's streets for another year.

Some of the country's best female road cyclists will be testing themselves on the streets of a Black Country town.

A 'camera pill' will be trialled in the West Midlands, allowing vital easier tests for complaints including bowel cancer

The head coach of Team GB's gold-medal winning disability rugby team gave an inspiring talk to pupils at Fernadale Primary School in Great Barr.

The company was fined by Ofgem earlier this year for missing its payments into a renewable energy scheme.

The boss of collapsed supplier Green Energy suggested a majority of energy companies are at risk of going out of business due to the energy crisis.

More than half of local areas are currently recording a week-on-week rise in rates.

The Scouts have started their first new programme in 35 years and are calling for volunteers to help with the roll-out.

A car driver and passenger swapped seats at 60mph on a motorway after being spotted by police returning home from committing crimes.

Class A drugs and machetes were seized during County Lines raids in the Black Country.

One of the best-known thoroughfares in Wolverhampton is 200 years old. Roger Poole looks back at its story.

A music and comedy festival held in Wolverhampton has been branded a “flop” following poor ticket sales and attendances to some of the shows.

A public meeting emphasising the need for road safety improvements at a "lethal" Staffordshire junction is to take place.

A music festival in the Black country has cancelled one of its dates due to nationwide CO2 shortages.

West Midlands Police is set to bring in 'gender-neutral' hats in the first major change to its uniform in decades.

Motorists across the Black Country are being urged to stop panic buying at petrol forecourts – amid fears supplies will run dry.

Health chiefs labelled anti-vax protesters targeting schools in the region 'disappointing' as they urged people to ignore the myths and get the jab.

Cheryl Cole has stepped down from performing at Birmingham Pride in the wake of former bandmate Sarah Harding's death.

Health workers in Sandwell are "working their socks off" managing coronavirus infections but an "incredibly challenging winter" is to come, health bosses said.

NHS England is to send thousands of texts to eligible teenagers in the coming days.

The competition watchdog said that there is ‘no excuse for poor or non-existent service’.

Heathrow, Manchester and Edinburgh airports all reported problems with e-gates.

The Transport Secretary has tried to dissuade drivers from panic buying petrol, after BP was forced to close down a handful of its forecourts.

Police are upping their presence in Walsall town centre after a spate of violent attacks in the area.

A petition has been launched to save a community centre that risks being demolished to build new houses for the region.

Drivers have paid the penalty for going in the wrong direction at a turn left-only junction in Sutton Coldfield.

A further nine coronavirus deaths have been confirmed in the region's hospitals, in the latest figures released by NHS England.

We caught up with some of the homegrown performers starring in School of Rock the Musical at Wolverhampton Grand.

A student midwife from Walsall who has endured “horrendous and heartbreaking” Covid experiences is joining others to urge their peers to get jabbed.

A new strategy to promote open conversation on end-of-life care has launched in Sandwell.

A sculpture marking the centenary of the world's largest women's organisation, Soroptimist International, has been unveiled at the National Memorial Arboretum.

Residents who want to have their say on planning proposals in Cannock Chase could soon have their speaking time halved at council meetings.

A murder investigation has been launched after a man died one month after being attacked in a Black Country street.

A Black Country council has come under under fire after documents used to assist the auditor were not delivered for the second year running.

Dudley Council are set to consult on an alternative method to kill weeds in public green spaces.

Operators of a new biogas plant on a farm near Penkridge have been given the go-ahead to start generating energy despite roadworks not yet being complete.

A former petrol station on one of South Staffordshire’s main roads is to be brought back into use after plans were given the green light.

Damien Bendall, 31, appeared at Derby Crown Court on Friday over the deaths in Killamarsh, near Sheffield.

A static caravan has been allowed to remain at a sports club almost 70 years after “temporary” permission was first granted.

Heartless vandals have targeted a greenhouse used to grow fruit and vegetables to feed struggling families.

Gerry Tredwell, at 97 the oldest and longest-serving member of Wolverhampton Photographic Society, has died – but just look at the photographic gems he has left behind.

Writing for the Express & Star ahead of the Labour Party conference, Councillor Pete Lowe, former leader of Dudley Council, says it is time for Sir Keir Starmer to take a no nonsense approach and deliver a vision for the West Midlands.

A care assistant has been jailed for stealing bank cards from a dying patient - before using them to buy biscuits at the same hospital.

Two school friends, from Aldridge, are seeking sponsorship from business bosses, as they prepare to have their long locks cut for The Little Princess Trust charity.

Students lined up to get their Covid-19 vaccines this week, as Wolverhampton Council's pop-up vaccine bus once again parked outside the Molineux Stadium.

A man who believes he unearthed a meteorite and a Roman figure while digging up his drive is asking archaeologists, or anyone with historical knowledge, to help him learn the truth.

A superhero fan and gentle giant is getting ready to take on his own super challenge for charity.

Jamie Holloway, who has since resigned from West Mercia Police, was travelling at 103mph when he braked before killing David Shaw.

Travellers on a tram network were met with delays after anti-social behaviour caused an issue with the service.

A West Midlands van driver has been charged with attempting to import a huge haul of class A drugs.

A new community fundraising lotto has raised more than £4,000 towards restoring a canal within six months of its launch.

A man suffered severe injuries to his face when he was set upon by a group of people who left him unconscious near a tram stop in Wolverhampton.

Jurors in the trial of two men accused of the manslaughter of a disabled man in Cannock have been told of the moment he was stabbed.

Stars from across the Black Country and Staffordshire are taking to the stage in School of Rock at Wolverhampton's Grand Theatre.

An entire block of 12 apartments in Sutton Coldfield was a star performer at an auction last week.

The claim was made by Andrew Bridgen who says he has information from a whistleblower.

Parents of pupils at a troubled Black Country school have submitted a petition calling for the removal of senior leaders.

Extra tickets for the festive Polar Express are available at a heritage railway which will be operating the service for the first time.

A further 14 coronavirus deaths have been confirmed in the region's hospitals, in the latest figures released by NHS England.

A farmer has lost thousands of pounds worth of straw after it caught fire.

Eligible adults across the Black Country will be invited for their coronavirus booster jab from this week.

Paul Scully was speaking after Boris Johnson predicted soaring prices were a ‘short-term problem’.

An apprenticeship was the last thing Cody Harper considered as a teenager.

Arson is believed to have been the cause of a blaze which ripped through a large area of Sutton Park.

Police have launched an investigation after a shooting in Birmingham.

Terminations can be allowed up until birth in Down’s syndrome cases.

The closely followed IHS Markit/CIPS survey found inflation pressure and not enough workers to fill empty roles also contributed to the slowdown.

Professor Sir John Bell said there was no need to panic about the current Covid situation in the UK.

Drivers are being reminded to avoid Junction 10 of the M6 this weekend – as major works take place on the installation of a second four-lane bridge.

Police are looking for a Range Rover after a 12-year-old girl was seriously injured in a hit-and-run.

A total of 70 firefighters have been battling a blaze in Birmingham city centre that started in the early hours of Thursday.