Ladder for The Black Country partner Juniper Training has received confirmation that one of its roofer apprentices was the first in the country to have passed his end-point assessment.

The chairman of the Conservative Party in Sandwell has been suspended after a string of complaints about bullying and racism.

Early morning commuters faced long delays on Thursday after a lorry rolled over on the M5.

Sir Gavin Williamson has landed a £50,000-a-year role as an advisor to an education firm.

Residents of a tight-knit community have been left heartbroken by the news their prefab homes are to be demolished and replaced.

The prefabs in Bushbury are typical of the many temporary homes built at the end of the Second World War, as central and local government looked at ways to tackle the desperate housing shortage.

The University of Wolverhampton has a mental health support budget of just £3 per student, according to mental health charity HUMEN.

An MP has called for Government support to tackle rampant anti-social behaviour in Sandwell.

A charity day in the Black Country is set to raise funds for four charities close to the hearts of people attending after the sudden death of a popular teenager.

A cat rescue home has made an emotional appeal for funds to continue caring for an elderly blind cat which was left abandoned for five years.

Community and voluntary groups are invited to apply for a share of £900,000 which is being made available to help people with mental health issues.

The planned four-year closure of a public footpath while HS2 works take place could be slashed to 18 months, it has emerged.

As the war raged, safely stored in vaults in Wolverhampton were the treasures of a nation which had been overrun by the Nazis.

A man held a double-barrelled shotgun to the head of a woman at their Black Country home, a jury heard.

A young Walsall FC fan has died in hospital after he was assaulted in Blackpool and a man has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

Police are appealing for help in getting to the bottom of what officers are describing as "nasty attack" on a youth.

With empty shops, pubs and office buildings becoming a depressing long-term norm on high streets, an increasing number of housing developments are starting to take over town centres.

More events could be held at the Trentham Estate each year – but nearby residents are not welcoming the increase and have spoken of public urination and abandoned shopping trolleys.

A much loved Birmingham leisure park is set to be sold by Birmingham city council to make way for a regeneration scheme, according to cabinet papers discussed this week.

Three men have been jailed for a total of 75 years for their part in the murder of teenager Kimani Martin.

Traffic was brought to a standstill in Sandwell today as protesting taxi drivers marched from West Bromwich to Oldbury Council House.

Around 100 nurses from Sri Lanka are being supported and coached by a trust in Wolverhampton to join its multi award-winning clinical fellowship programme and some will eventually be working on the frontline.

New images from inside Wolverhampton’s iconic Civic Halls have shown how work is progressing as its redevelopment enters the final leg.

The Prime Minister said Sweden and Finland joining the alliance is a ‘huge step forward’.

A major road off the M6 junction in Walsall has been closed after a gas main burst in the carriageway and will remain shut for a "couple of days".

A drop-in session has been organised to help residents and businesses in South Staffordshire get ready for the Commonwealth Games.

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service has been recognised for its work during the pandemic by being nominated for three national awards.

Severn Valley Railway chiefs have announced they will make a donation from this weekend's profits to help people in Ukraine amid Russia's ongoing invasion.

A new iteration of a popular artwork is set to go on display during the Commonwealth Games.

A man who was stabbed with a machete in a Walsall street after being 'chased down' when he going to work has told a court he is '100 times out of 100' sure the person who carried out the act was Shafiq Ur Rehman.

Two defibrillators have been installed at a primary school in Staffordshire thanks to the fundraising efforts of parents.

Athletes competing at the Commonwealth Games are set to receive a special, handmade gift.

Ryanair is to operate more flights from Birmingham Airport, with the number of aircraft operating from there being increased from four to five.

West Midlands Mayor Andy Street joined school children at a litter pick on Friday as part of a campaign to tidy up the region ahead of the Commonwealth Games.

Counter terrorism police in the West Midlands have teamed up with university students to create a theatre production design to help identify signs of radicalisation.

West Midlands Ambulance Service has launched a drive to install 80 life-saving bleed control kits around the region after teaming up with an NHS charity.

A teenager armed with a machete stabbed a man in a Walsall street due to an ongoing feud between families, a court was told.

A Cradley Heath events venue has had its premises licence revoked following noise complaints.

A family with several generations affected by a genetic form of stomach cancer are calling on people to get muddy and help save lives.

A global soft drink brand has joined the list of providers for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

The chief executive of a much-loved children's hospice in the Black Country will step down from his role later this year after six years in charge.

The Normal People auction takes place from June 29 until July 17.

The Prime Minister said pulling out of the event would hand the Russian leader a propaganda opportunity.

Visitors to Cannock library can have their say next month on outline proposals for a possible relocation of the service to a new multi-purpose site.

David Venables is accused of murdering his wife Brenda, who went missing in 1982. Her body was found in 2019.

The Repo programme is designed to drain Russia of its resources as the country’s president Vladimir Putin continues his invasion of Ukraine.

The amount represented a significant drop in imports for refined oil from the country compared with prior to the conflict.

The Russian view of the world was ‘something to worry about’, Ben Wallace said.

Fuel retailers have been accused of “inexplicably” raising pump prices again despite falling wholesale costs.

Police call answering times need to improve in Staffordshire, the area’s commissioner has said, after hearing that a person who dialled 999 was kept waiting for 10 minutes before they hung up.

Drivers across the Black Country and Staffordshire are set to be hit by a string of road closures this week.

Coronavirus hasn't gone away and the West Midlands is now seeing a rise in cases due to two new variants, a health chief has warned.

Revenue grew 54 per cent for timber distributor James Latham in the year to the end of March.

West Midland Safari Park is celebrating Pride Month by educating its guests about the diversity of animal relationships found within the park.

Motorists have been warned that a crash is affecting traffic on the M6 Toll.

Efforts to tackle organised crime in the West Midlands could be severely hit by civil service cuts, the regions police commissioner has warned.

Car dealership group Lookers expects to report underlying profit before tax of about £45 million for the first half of 2022

Thousands of manufacturing jobs and tens of companies could still be lost in the domestic supply chain if the Government does not reconsider its approach to steel safeguarding, industry chiefs have warned.

Poundland is "resetting" its pricing at more than 850 stores as the country sees high rates of inflation,

She died on Tuesday surrounded by her family and in her last weeks campaigned tirelessly to raise bowel cancer awareness.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has prompted Sweden and Finland to abandon their long-held non-aligned status.

The British socialite said meeting Jeffrey Epstein was the ‘greatest regret of my life’ shortly before she was given 20 years in prison.

The invasion of Ukraine is the ‘perfect example of toxic masculinity’, the Prime Minister said.

Man in court over murder of woman found in country lane

The West Midlands's new police chief has been ordered to reduce crime as the region battles with surges in violence, thefts and drug offences.

One of the iconic black iron horses that line the Wolverhampton to Birmingham railway has been restored to its former glory after being hacked to pieces by thieves trying to sell its legs for scrap.

Staffordshire's Chief Constable Chris Noble said he was hopeful an extra 200 officers and changes to the county's local policing model will lift officer morale.

Black and Asian people in the West Midlands are more likely to be subjected to stop and search since a crackdown on its use was launched.

West Midlands Police has unveiled almost 50 newly academy trained detectives who have joined the force.

Andy Richardson gives it to you straight.

The memory of a Royal Navy nurse will live on as part of a new remembrance sculpture in tribute to community heroes.

Boris Johnson has published the terms of reference for the coronavirus public probe and announced its start.

Oleksandr Merezhko made an appeal for heavy weaponry to allow his country to defend itself.

Private hire drivers will stage a protest in West Bromwich town centre and Oldbury on Wednesday with a march through the towns.

A woman has been taken to hospital in a 'serious but stable' condition after being hit by a car in Stourbridge.

A teenager from Walsall has been arrested in connection with alleged right wing terrorism offences.

One of the favourite running events of the Staffordshire calendar is making a welcome comeback – with a guest appearance from an Olympian and Commonwealth Games athlete.

A service which supports young people at risk of exploitation or going into care in Wolverhampton has won a prestigious national award.

The company operating a Carlsberg brewery has been fined £3 million over an ammonia leak which killed a worker from Bridgnorth and badly hurt another.

Police officers are being forced to use food banks after not having a pay rise in 11 years, Staffordshire Police Federation has complained.

Information has been put out to show how a Commonwealth Games event in the heart of Staffordshire will affect residents.

An action packed six weeks of summer fun for all the family is taking place in Wolverhampton.

The keys to the new Sandwell Aquatics Centre have been officially handed over to mark the completion of construction.

Social workers did not follow up on the bruising with medical experts, MPs were told.

Vulnerable tenants in the Black Country are now being forced to pay for electric through pay-as-you-go meters in their rooms.

Boris Johnson said ‘I don’t think’ the war in Ukraine will trigger a wider conflict in Europe despite efforts by the Kremlin to drag the West in.

The West Midlands' police and crime commissioner says it should come as no shock that barristers have walked out and has called the Government 'reckless' for cutting funding to the criminal justice system for years.

Gas mains and pipes were not the cause of a house explosion in Birmingham that killed a 79-year-old grandmother, engineers have confirmed.

Two people have been charged in connection with a street attack that left three men seriously injured in Wolverhampton.

A teenager has been taken to hospital following a stabbing in Brierley Hill.

‘We are not at war – but must act rapidly so that we aren’t drawn into one,’ General Sir Patrick Sanders will say.

Residents and businesses living in and around the host venue of the Commonwealth Games cycling time trial are being invited to an information session.

A love letter to the city hosting the Commonwealth Games helped to start an evening of celebration.

Three men were injured in a two-car crash in Oldbury.

A gold medal-winning flower display will be returning to the region to inspire people ahead of the Commonwealth Games.

A investigation into a rape that took place in an alleyway in Walsall is no longer being investigated after four months.

A house has partially collapsed in Selly Oak, Birmingham.

Police have released images of two teenagers they wish to speak to after a 16-year-old was robbed.

A business support hub will be opening its doors in Lichfield District Council House later in 2022.

A sports-mad Black Country NHS director is celebrating with his team after achieving success on the international stage.