Sandwell's Labour group has been plunged deeper into turmoil after another councillor was suspended by the party.

Major businesses may need to follow the example of Jaguar Land Rover to solve the problem of losing workers 'pinged' by the NHS Covid app.

A councillor has called for assurances that £650,000 given by a developer set to build hundreds of homes in Norton Canes will only be spent in that area.

Plans for a 130 homes at the site of a former Walsall police station have been backed despite questions around the privacy of neighbouring schoolchildren.

Controversial plans have been passed for a new quarry in rural Staffordshire to supply the HS2 project with concrete – despite objections from hundreds of residents and community leaders.

A traveller transit site hailed as a "massive step" has been backed by Walsall’s planning committee – but could still be challenged by the Government.

Lockdowns have brought a boost in interest in the game of chess as people flocked to take part in online tournaments during restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

A Black Country church is set to put on its first public fundraising event in more than two years.

Plans for a new open prison on the site of a former munitions factory near Wolverhampton have been shelved by the Ministry of Justice, it can be revealed.

Minsters are planning to erect a giant Union Flag in Wolverhampton city centre to mark the opening of a new government office.

A West Midlands couple who had to postpone their wedding for a year due to Covid are set to be one of the first to tie the knot without restrictions on Freedom Day.

Many a heart was a set a fluttering this week, as as Strictly and Love Island stars, brothers AJ and Curtis Pritchard, dropped in at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre.

Stafford's new-look theatre is ready to welcome the public back after a year of closure as Freedom Day approaches.

Pubs and restaurants fear growing staff shortage problems with the end of most coronavirus restrictions – and many small businesses believe they are being lifted too soon.

Finding an apprenticeship opportunity is as competitive as getting a place at Oxford University, a Walsall-based national firm says.

A senior minister has hit back at claims that sky high government housing targets are forcing councils into green belt development.

The Ironman 70.3 Staffordshire events returns to the county on Sunday – and residents are being reminded to check for road closures.

Police chiefs say the reason the West Midlands force recorded the second highest number of racially and religiously aggravated offences in the country is because of better recording of such incidents.

A Wolverhampton MP has backed a bid for £20 million of Government cash to build a new Learning Quarter in the city centre.

Nearly two-thirds of working mothers in the West Midlands with primary school age children do not have sufficient childcare for the six-week school summer holidays, according to a new survey published by the Trades Union Congress.

The majority of legal restrictions to minimise the spread of coronavirus around the workplace come to an end on Monday, but an employment expert has warned employers that they need to remain cautious.

A mother-of-three who returned to education after two decades is celebrating a double boost to her confidence and career after taking on a mid-life apprenticeship.

A pilot has had a lucky escape after his helicopter ended up on its side at Wolverhampton Airport.

A Black Country factory has been left in ruins after a huge fire ripped through its main building.

It's taken four attempts but intrepid adventurer Alan Peace has completed his 1,000km South West Coast Walk for Cancer Research UK after three previous setbacks.

A sword murderer has been jailed for life with a minimum period of almost 24 years for killing a 21-year-old man outside a bar in the Black Country.

"My heart has been broken by the loss of Shane and my heart will always be broken until I see him again in heaven."

The planned closure of the M6 at Walsall this weekend has been postponed once again just hours ahead of work starting.

A Staffordshire man has been charged with racially abusing Rio Ferdinand when fans returned to Molineux for the first in over a year.

It was a brutal attack on a young man who was fatally stabbed with a sword and left to die on a residential street.

Dudley Council is continuing its booking system for the tip over the summer months – with restrictions set to lift on Monday.

A walk-in vaccine centre will take place in Cannock on Sunday.

The West Midlands Metro is to be handed a share of £56 million of Government funding to help services run normally as coronavirus restrictions are lifted.

A Stourbridge man has denied causing grievous bodily harm with intent and dangerous driving after a car was allegedly driven at a group of people outside a pub in the town.

A Wolverhampton primary school says it is having to cancel leavers' assemblies after pupils who were supposed to be isolating went out and passed Covid on to others at an inflatable fun fair.

A man has been charged with four counts of attempted murder after a car was driven at a group of people outside a Black Country pub.

Consumer group Which? warned it can be ‘incredibly difficult’ for anyone told to self-isolate to get their money back.

In the last five weeks, 154 outbreaks have occurred in England.

The Office for National Statistics analysed responses from 3,824 people after the Government announced its Step 4 plans.

Downing Street said the low-strength Bluetooth used by the app is unlikely to be strong enough.

In the latest data, all areas of England have seen a rise, with people in the North East the most likely of any region to test positive.

One new coronavirus death has been confirmed in the region's hospitals – in the latest figures released by NHS England.

Rules around wearing masks and social distancing will remain in place at hospitals after 'Freedom Day' on Monday, bosses at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust have announced.

Train passengers in the West Midlands have been warned of short-notice cancellations due to increasing numbers of staff being told to self-isolate.

A quad biker has died after a crash with a car on a busy road in the West Midlands.

The world's oldest toy shop has opened a branch in the Black Country.

Two county lines drug dealers have been sentenced to a combined total of more than 14 years in prison.

Community leaders have revealed that they plan to continue wearing face masks in indoor public spaces when rules are relaxed next week.

The announcement of the bid for Dudley to become a city has been met with mixed responses from people living in and around the borough.

The chief executive of crisis-ridden Sandwell Council is set to stand down, the Express & Star understands.

Medics have called for a rethink on the month-long delay between ‘freedom day’ and quarantine rules being eased for the double-jabbed.

Nine electric motorbikes worth around £45,000 have been stolen from a bike shop which specialises in electric bikes in Cannock.

Racially and religiously aggravated offences rose by nearly a quarter in the West Midlands last year as hundreds more incidents were reported.

The Conservatives have picked up another seat from Labour in Sandwell after winning the Tividale by-election.

A body of a man – believed to be missing 20-year-old Phoenix Everill – has been found in Staffordshire.

Drivers in Sutton Coldfield are putting lives at risk by turning right at a turn left-only junction, a concerned resident has said.

A Government minister has thrown his weight behind Dudley's bid to become a city.

Pupils and staff at a Dudley school can now enjoy nature, relax and keep fit, thanks to a nature trail and sensory garden created by 70 volunteers which was part-funded by a wealth management company.

A popular Sutton Coldfield venue has been forced to temporarily close after staff were contacted by Track and Trace and told to self-isolate.

Around 40 locations including parks and markets across the Black Country and West Birmingham are offering walk-in vaccines this weekend – in a final push before 'Freedom Day'.

Becoming a city would open up all sorts of investment and job opportunities for Dudley, a council boss has said.

More than 160 people across the West Midlands received life-saving organ transplants last year despite the impact of Covid-19 on the NHS.

National Express West Midlands is cutting bus fares – as the region sees all Covid restrictions lifted next week.

It’s a great day for a walk – or to simply lie back and eat your chips.

A pie delivery business in the Black Country set up during Covid-19 has taken off nationally thanks to expats desperate to taste a slice of home.

A martial arts gym in Cannock is preparing to officially reopen and welcome back both old and new members after spending more than £15,000 on a refurbishment project.

Residents and staff at a Wolverhampton retirement village are hoping to gain an award as part of the Britain in Bloom competition.

Pupils at a Wolverhampton school proved they were on target to score goals when they completed a sponsored football shoot-out to raise money to buy sports equipment.

Bridgnorth Cliff Railway will consult staff on whether face masks should be worn once Covid restrictions are lifted from July 19.

Scores of record enthusiasts are set to queue up to bag rare editions at a shop's Record Store Day on Saturday.

The Prime Minister urged people not to throw caution to the winds as England’s lockdown is lifted on Monday.

A raft of major projects have been given the green light after two Black Country towns secured more than £46 million in funding.

A dispersal order has been put in place on playing fields in Dudley – following concerns of crime and anti-social behaviour in the area.

Two new coronavirus deaths have been confirmed in the region's hospitals – in the latest figures released by NHS England.

Patrick Dardis, chief executive of Young’s, told the PA news agency that the group will not require vaccine certification.

In some local authority areas, less than half of 18-24 year-olds have received a first dose.

Police patrols have been stepped up after a woman was threatened by a man outside a Cannock primary school.

A week-long joint operation has led to the capture of six fugitives wanted for modern slavery and human trafficking offences across the country – including in Wolverhampton.

A new recruitment drive for more magistrates to cover courts across the West Midlands region has been launched.

Although there are still more than 160 sleeps before Christmas, the Severn Valley Railway is feeling festive as it prepares to open bookings for its Santa trains.

Stone community leaders have branded plans to link the area with Great Wyrley as part of proposed Parliamentary constituency changes “bonkers” – and questioned what the town has in common with the village.

A violent burglar who broke a man's jaw as he raided a home has been jailed for more than six years after being linked to a face covering he dropped at the scene.

The death of a newborn baby found in a Black Country canal is now being treated as murder - with a £5,000 reward offered in an attempt to find his killer.

Police believe a baby boy found dead in a Black Country canal could have been alive for several hours – as they now treat his death as a murder investigation.

The PM urged caution when lockdown ends in England on Monday as ministers denied the rules have become a ‘total shambles’.

Tributes have been left at the scene of a crash where a cyclist was killed in Walsall.

England’s coronavirus rules are set to end from July 19.

The shake-up of the running of Staffordshire's fire service has been praised in a national report.

Doctors, nurses and other hospital staff as well as visitors to New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton were treated to a cooling sweet treat as part of a national campaign to gain support for an increase in wages for NHS staff.

Table service is recommended to continue in bars, while pubs, restaurants and nightclubs are encouraged to check vaccine and testing status.

Boris Johnson also said there is ‘obviously a case’ for developing a plant in the car-building heartlands of the West Midlands.

Tony Green was caught on CCTV as he aimed his Skoda Octavia at Shkelzen Taka outside a Birmingham massage parlour.

A Starbucks drive-thru is set to open at Merry Hill later this year, creating 11 new jobs.

Fraud is costing businesses and individuals across the Midlands £18.9 billion, and £137 billion nationally every year, according to research published by national audit, tax, advisory and risk firm Crowe.

A Wolverhampton murder trial has been cancelled as Covid continues to play havoc with the region's courts.

A delivery van full of white goods was destroyed as a fire tore through it near Bridgnorth.

The numbers of people out of work and claiming unemployment benefits have fallen again in the West Midlands.

A Wolverhampton man who filmed a dog being placed into a microwave while making comments about the Holocaust has been given a community order.

Official figures showed a record 356,000 increase in payrolled workers between May and June – the seventh monthly rise in a row.