More than 70 MPs have signed a pledge opposing the use of Covid status certification.

A new urgent treatment centre has opened its doors at a Black Country hospital – and will be accessible to all patients.

A colourful scheme to light up the entrance to Dudley Zoo and Castle which would allow it to take part in national events has been given the go-ahead.

A bigger outdoor play area and enhanced reception facility is set to be provide a boost for a Wolverhampton nursery.

A historic former leather workshop in the Black Country could be converted into studio apartments for young professionals.

The NASUWT teaching union secured millions of pounds in compensation for its members over the past 12 months.

The Grand Theatre is celebrating a major boost as it prepares to relaunch its live shows after millions of pounds was given to cultural centres across the region.

Attractions across Staffordshire have received more than £2.6 million to help them thrive after the pandemic.

A £15 million housing project that will see thousands of homes receive new roofs is well underway in west Walsall.

New measures that will cut pollution in rivers and protect wildlife are to be put into law after a campaign by Midlands MPs.

More than 1,700 people are believed to have contracted coronavirus in hospitals in the Black Country and Staffordshire, figures suggest.

Council chiefs have welcomed plans for new homes on an old pub site – and they pledged to work with developers to increase the number of housing schemes in the years ahead.

The bells were ringing as a city church welcomed back worshippers for the first time in three months.

Reflecting on the events of a year ago and looking ahead are the themes of Easter messages by church leaders from across the region.

A pastor is serving up some “divine” Caribbean food after launching his own takeaway just around the corner from his church.

A music concert which is normally held on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border is among 2,700 recipients of the latest round of awards from the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund.

A couple of retired schoolteachers are looking forward to celebrating 60 years of married life with a glass of bubbly and a picnic at Himley Park tomorrow.

A group that supports mothers affected by mental health issues is offering wellbeing sessions at its new base.

Entertainment business partners Rachel Chadwick and Will Phipps have released their second book about Fairy Flo's adventures and a percentage of the profits will go to Mary Stevens Hospice.

A man has been charged after allegedly boarding a bus with a zombie knife down his trousers.

Patrols have been carried out across Staffordshire’s countryside as part of a week-long operation to tackle rural crime.

More than 2,500 tests have been completed after targeted testing took place around the Oldbury and Tipton border when a case of the South African variant was discovered.

Two new studies in people show the Pfizer vaccine could protect against variants that have been worrying scientists.

Two men have been taken to hospital following a crash on the M54 - which left one of them lying on the carriageway.

She was paid a salary of £421 million along with a £48 million dividend, according to accounts filed with Companies House.

Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick and South Oxfordshire have the highest proportion of people likely to have received their first jab.

Around 3% of younger adults have also received both jabs.

Work on creating a major 100-apartment development on an under-used Wolverhampton car park looks set to begin this summer.

"I’ve loved it and I’m sorry to go. I’d really do it all again. And to anyone thinking about firefighting as a career I’d say go for it."

Police are searching for a man after a young girl was approached in a park and sexual comments were made.

Dudley Council is in talks with neighbouring local authorities over a new deal for residents to use a tip after a war of words broke out between two council leaders.

Dudley residents have been banned from using a tip after a finance row broke out between councils.

A footballer from Telford who started his career at Wolves and also played at Shrewsbury Town has died.

A vaccine 'walk-in' scheme in Walsall has been extended in a bid to increase take up of the jab.

People aged 50 and over have until tomorrow to take advantage of dwindling Covid vaccine supplies and get a jab without an appointment.

Police are investigating after a man died at a house in Wolverhampton in the early hours of this morning.

A Staffordshire school has transformed its library into a magical wonderland to encourage pupils to get stuck into books.

Health groups which help to fund hospital services across the Black Country have merged to become a single organisation.

Eight coronavirus deaths have been confirmed at hospitals in the Black Country, Birmingham and Staffordshire.

Specialist police officers have been searching for evidence after a double shooting put two men in hospital.

Company boss Sanjeev Gupta has said no plants will be shut ‘under my watch’.

People have been urged to be cautious and avoid hugging their loved ones over Easter amid warnings Covid-19 cases could rise again.

Researchers also said the vaccine protects people against the Wuhan and Kent strains of coronavirus.

Craig Thomas lived in Whittington, near Lichfield, for many years.

The average cost of a litre of petrol and diesel at UK forecourts has risen to £1.25 and £1.29 respectively, according to Government figures.

A street racer clocked more than 100mph and drove on the wrong side of the road as he tried to flee police in the Black Country.

The Ladder for the Black Country hopes to develop more mature apprenticeship programmes in the area.

Free NHS shuttle buses deployed last year to support hospital staff in the Black Country during the coronavirus pandemic are to return to their regular Ring and Ride service later this month.

A couple who first met over a hospital bed are celebrating their diamond wedding anniversary.

British Gas engineers have been joining a national protest against what they believe are unfair new contracts being forced on them from the company.

A memorial garden is being created to remember those lost to Covid-19.

A hospital’s urgent and emergency service remains at 'requires improvement', after its latest inspection.

The group that includes the UK's Poundland stores could be floated on the stock market

A hospital unit that closed a year ago to allow staff to be redeployed during the coronavirus pandemic could reopen in three months’ time – but a health boss was unable to give an exact date when services could resume.

Wolverhampton's Grand Theatre is set to reopen from July 4 – more than a year since it first closed.

Tributes have been paid to a "witty and loving young man" who died following a crash in the Black Country.

Police are appealing for CCTV footage after a burglary in a Staffordshire village.

Sedgley’s old police station has been sold at auction for £820,000.

The group raised its profit forecast for the current year as it hailed soaring online sales in the past eight weeks.

Many employers say staff who cannot work from home should be able to benefit from flexible working arrangements, such as flexi-time.

The new Government agency will be led by Dr Jenny Harries.

The Government is giving a ‘well-earned’ pay rise to two million people, says Boris Johnson.

Residents in the Black Country have been warned to stick to Covid guidelines over the Easter holiday amid rising infection rates in parts of the region.

Marston’s has spruced up its outdoor garden spaces ready for the easing of restrictions.

Two men and a teenager who are charged with stealing from a postman in Staffordshire are to appear in court next month.

Motorists in the West Midlands have been urged to travel on the road only where necessary.

A ukulele group forced online by coronavirus has been strumming up smiles and raising money for charity despite the difficulties posed by the virus.

Residents and businesses in a town have got together to raise £12,000 to save a valued youth club.

A violent offender who twice stamped on a man's head during a vicious attack in a Black Country alleyway has been jailed for more than 10 years.

West Midlands Police has handed evidence over to the Crime Prosecution Service as part of the investigation into the racist abuse directed at Walsall winger Tyreik Wright.

A huge new West Midlands Ambulance Service hub will be built in the Black Country after planners gave the scheme the go-ahead.

A man has been jailed after stabbing a man he suspected his wife was having an affair with.

A proposal to build eight new apartments on derelict land near Stourbridge town centre has been thrown out for being “excessively large”.

Residents have objected to plans to convert a house in their Stafford street into a children’s care home.

Teachers and toddlers at a Black Country school could move out of a former staff office with little natural light and ventilation if an extension plan is agreed.

A bingo and slot machine centre could take over an empty unit in a West Bromwich shopping centre – with bosses insisting it is not a betting shop.

Health bosses are urging people to get checked out if they have a cough that lasts three weeks or more, and isn’t Covid-19, as it could be a sign of lung cancer.

Investigations are continuing after a gas explosion wrecked a house in Walsall.

Three men have appeared in court accused of killing a disabled man who died 13 years after being stabbed and assaulted in his car in Hednesford.

Dash-cam footage has been released showing the moment traffic cops ended a dramatic 80 mph chase.

Couples have spoken of their heartbreak as their dream weddings have been plunged into uncertainty yet again due to Covid.

The use of the vaccine was tested in a trial of 2,260 people aged 12 to 15 in the US.

The European regulator said a causal link between unusual blood clots in people who have had the vaccine is “not proven, but is possible”.

The warm weather coincides with Monday’s easing of Covid rules, meaning groups of up to six, or two households, can socialise in parks and gardens.

Thousands of people gathered at a park in a scene that "looked like a festival" as the warm weather coincided with the easing of lockdown rules in the West Midlands.

More than four million people in the UK are now fully vaccinated.

Corby, Rotherham and North Warwickshire continue to record the highest rates.

The Chancellor said that the decisions taken were ultimately made by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

See the latest figures for coronavirus cases and deaths in your area.

South Wales Police said violence broke out after crowds of mostly young people gathered outside the Senedd building on Tuesday evening.

Wolves owner Fosun has reported a fall in profits and turnover for last year as it was hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

A healthcare professional from Wolverhampton who makes and fits braces and splints for patients, has been appointed the first Consultant Orthotist in the NHS.

A new McDonald's restaurant has opened its doors in Stafford, creating 100 new jobs.

One coronavirus death has been confirmed at a hospital trust in the Black Country.

More than 100 cannabis plants were seized by police in Dudley.

A confidential whistle-blowing hotline has been set up for Amazon workers across the West Midlands, including those in Rugeley and Walsall.

A man has been arrested on suspicion of arson after a fire at a flat in Bloxwich.

Royal Caribbean is offering staff from the emergency services, NHS, social care sector and armed forces ‘the long-awaited opportunity to get away’.

Met Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick has suggested Kate’s attendance was legal because she was working, even though the trip was private.

Councillor David Mellen said two of Nottingham’s parks were closed due to ‘the actions of a thoughtless minority’.