It's one year today until some of the greatest sporting stars on the planet will arrive in the West Midlands to mark the start of the Commonwealth Games.

A centre has become part of a national network of venues where visitors can make friends and meet people.

Flood-plagued residents in Bewdley have welcomed news of new defences along the River Severn.

Pub group Marston's said its performance since May has exceeded its expectations, thanks to Euro 2020, warmer weather and its outdoor seating.

Residents in the Sutton Vesey and New Oscott neighbourhoods have a new tempter for their taste buds, after an innovative Indian Deli was opened last week.

The open-air memorial in Staffordshire has been designed by Walter Jack.

Virus rates are starting to fall in areas of the West Midlands, new figures reveal today.

Heavy rain caused flash flooding and delays on roads across the West Midlands - and led to a football match being called off.

Coronavirus is not over and people across the Black Country and Staffordshire should continue to take rapid virus tests twice-weekly, health chiefs have urged.

A man accused of murdering two best friends in a Range Rover “begged for help” from an accomplice who allegedly planned the killings, a jury heard.

"It is a brilliant surprise".

An "uncaring" mother who allegedly murdered her three-year-old daughter told a court she "never hurt" her child.

A £5 million Screen School is launching at the University of Wolverhampton. It is an important investment, explains Vice Chancellor Professor Geoff Layer.

The jury in the case of a woman accused of the murder of a retired nurse has retired to consider its verdict.

West Indies cricket legend and pundit Michael Holding will take part in an online book chat organised by Staffordshire County Council.

The team behind the Lord Bilston Big Challenge successfully took on their most gruelling challenge over the weekend and smashed their fundraising target of £25,000 for Compton Care.

Volunteers at a community centre in Albrighton recognised in this year's Queen's Awards held a celebratory presentation.

A family fun day has helped to formally reopen a church's community centre after a full refurbishment.

Housing Plus Group has awarded grants of almost £30,000 to community groups supporting the people and families most affected by the pandemic and successive lockdowns.

A young girl who died following allegations of child cruelty was "smacked" on numerous occasions by the partner of her mother, a murder trial heard.

The UK recorded a further 24,950 lab-confirmed Covid-19 cases as of 9am on Monday.

The Department for Education survey closed on July 16 for the end of the summer term.

Cases have dropped sharply, from above 50,000 on July 17 to below 24,000 on July 27.

Figures suggest 962,000 people in the UK were experiencing long Covid in the four weeks to June 6.

Leading expert Professor Neil Ferguson said vaccines were hugely reducing the risk of hospital admissions and death.

A tribunal must reconsider the case of a surgeon who burned his initials on to the livers of two unconscious patients after the General Medical Council complained that a five-month suspension was "insufficient".

The director of a Wolverhampton shop where more than 10,000 illegal cigarettes were found has been ordered to pay £4,000.

A man from the West Midlands has died after falling more than 90ft on a narrow Snowdon ridge.

A busy Black Country road was closed as fire crews were called to deal with a gas issue at a garage.

A woman from Albrighton has been banned from keeping nearly all animals after letting horses suffer with starvation, chronic foot abscesses, poor dental care and rain scald.

Young West Midlands gymnast Alice Kinsella helped Great Britain win its first women’s team gymnastics medal since 1928.

A raid on a property in Dudley uncovered a substantial amount of cannabis.

There is a new hope for homes and businesses along the River Severn after the announcement of funding for flooding protection.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will launch the Government’s new Beating Crime Plan on Tuesday.

The Prime Minister set out elements of the Government’s Beating Crime Plan, including the wider use of Stop and Search powers.

Police are investigating after a gun was fired on a residential road in the Black Country.

A further 14 coronavirus deaths have been confirmed in the region's hospitals, official figures from NHS England show.

"It's clear that more needs to be done, to do better for people like me and my family who are diagnosed with this devastating disease."

A new campaign has launched in the West Midlands to help people get healthy this summer.

The RSPCA’s rescue of three matted terriers who were confined to a West Bromwich kitchen will be featured on television on Tuesday night.

A memorial service has been held in Wolverhampton to remember members of the city's Caribbean community who have died in 2020 and 2021.

Plans for a new state-of-the-art special school are “moving in the right direction” after being given the green light.

An online pharmacy providing a same-day delivery service has launched in Birmingham.

Residents are being asked to have their say on plans that will transform access to Birmingham city centre.

A woman has been charged with the murder of a man in Burton-upon-Trent.

It’s every girl’s dream to be Cinderella and one lucky lady who will be fulfilling that fantasy is CBeebies’ star presenter Evie Pickerill when she goes to the ball at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre.

Students from a Stafford school have enjoyed sporting success with call-ups to county and regional competition.

Auditions are set to take place to join the cast of Sutton Coldfield’s forthcoming pantomime.

Concerns around the lack of transparency for the awarding of SEND transport contracts in Sandwell were debated at a council meeting.

Two men have been charged following a fight in which two other men were stabbed multiple times.

Luxury car giant Jaguar Land Rover has cut its quarterly losses after a recovery in sales but warned that a shortage of semiconductors is likely to worsen over the next three months.

eBay is set to create 110 jobs in Birmingham and Leicester with the launch of its fulfilment business.

Ambulances in the West Midlands are spending longer than ever before waiting to handover patients to hospitals - at a time when delays are normally at their lowest.

More than 1,500 care home residents died from coronavirus in the Black Country and Staffordshire during the first year of the pandemic.

The arrival of a major rail freight terminal and logistics hub close to Wolverhampton is expected to deliver a huge boost to the regional economy.

There has been a mixed reaction from people visiting pubs since lockdown restrictions lifted.

Three young boys have paid their respects to the grandfather they never got to meet – on the site of a new national memorial to hero police officers killed on duty.

A woman sent news articles to her boyfriend about a shooting he allegedly took part in, a trial has heard.

Homes and businesses in Bewdley affected by flooding are set to have added protection with a new £6.2 million permanent defence.

Asda Walsall has received a £3 million makeover – the biggest in its history – bringing a host of new features to the store.

A young charity fundraiser and his family are preparing to set up stalls in the driveway of their home at Tettenhall Wood to raise funds for Birmingham Children's Hospital.

The scheme uses lateral flow tests to allow eligible workers to continue working.

A new college centre that will help keep the car industry revving in the region has been given an £8 million boost.

Schools in Scotland shut at the end of June, while those in England closed in July.

A husband and wife team are cooking up something good for people through the catering business they set up during lockdown.

CCTV footage shows police rescuing a dog ‘suffering from heatstroke’ from a van in the recent boiling hot weather.

A motorbike rider killed in a crash on the A41 has been named as a 28-year-old man from Wolverhampton.

The surgeon carried out unapproved ‘cleavage-sparing’ mastectomies on patients leaving behind breast tissue and risking a return of cancer.

Two married off-duty police officers on a seaside break saved the life of a young boy who had become lifeless and floppy after getting food jammed in his throat.

Warnings of thunderstorms and sudden flooding have been issued across the West Midlands.

A potential site of 550 new homes on the outskirts of Bridgnorth would not justify a new GP surgery, the project manager behind the development has said.

With hindsight, the encyclopedia salesman probably wished he hadn't been so pushy when he called round Lew Foley's house to peddle his wares.

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

A councillor has been ordered to apologise for “harassing and offensive behaviour on Facebook”, a report into complaints against elected members has revealed.

Before the war, and still a boy, he was a milkman.

People have been urged to be on their guard against rogue traders after a pair of gardeners targeted a home in Kingswinford.

Tributes have flooded in for a “dignified elder statesman” of Walsall politics who has died after suffering a heart attack.

A Kidderminster man has been charged with robbery and possession of bladed article.

Commonwealth Games organisers have welcomed the news that planners have approved structures for basketball and beach volleyball for Birmingham 2022.

Stone’s Neighbourhood Plan has become a legal document more than five years after the project began – and it has already helped residents win their battle against unwanted development of a green space just weeks after winning the public vote.

A Stafford care home’s extension bid has been turned down by borough councillors because of concerns it would overlook neighbouring houses.

A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a stabbing in the Black Country which left a man in a critical condition.

A cyclist who was seriously injured after a crash involving a bus in Walsall has died in hospital.

It is understood that advisers at Credit Suisse will start sending out information memoranda to begin the process.

Dawn Butler was told to leave the Commons on Thursday after refusing to withdraw the remarks.

Parts of the region will end up becoming “no-go areas” due to fears over violence, MPs have warned as figures revealed how gun crime has surged in the West Midlands.

A battery storage plant is to be built close to the M6, part of a drive to power transport, homes and businesses with greener energy.

Hundreds of people in the Black Country have been waiting more than a year for hospital treatment amid the backlog caused by Covid, while cancer delays are causing particular concern for bosses.

The Department for Transport has committed to holding a formal review of the rules for arriving travellers ‘no later’ than Saturday.

Their decisions will depend on the demand registered with Whitehall departments.

From scared of water in Staffordshire to retaining his crown in Tokyo.

Peaty became the first British swimmer to retain an Olympic title.

The Belfry will play host to the FootGolf UK Open 2021 next week - with former Tottenham star Jamie O'Hara among those taking part.

A man has been arrested following reports of a bomb threat at a Staffordshire hospital.