Today's Local Live updates have now finished. We will be back with more from 08:00 tomorrow. Have a good evening.
- Updates on Wednesday 31 December 2014
Schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head by Taliban gunmen in 2012 after she spoke up for the right of girls to be educated.The world reacted in horror, but after weeks in intensive care Malala survived.
This year the child education activist and Kailash Satyarthi, an Indian child rights campaigner,jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize.
At the age of just 17, Malala was the youngest ever recipient. She was taken out of a chemistry lesson at her school in Birmingham to be told the news.
But Pulis has been assured he will have full control of all first-team matters, including the buying and selling of players. Pulis worked in a similar set-up at Stoke where John Rudge was sporting director.
Thealleged Trojan Horse plot dominated the news throughout the year. The allegations that hard-line Muslims conspired to take over schools by installing governors and ousting head teachers were revealed in an anonymous letter to Birmingham City Council.
The claims sparked four separate investigations by the Department for Education, Ofsted, the Education Funding Agency and the council itself.
Each found evidence that staff hadcome under pressure from parents and governors with strongly-held religious beliefs.
BBC Local Live
Former Wolves inside forward Jimmy Dunn, who helped his club to win the FA Cup in 1949,has died at the age of 91.
His death means Sammy Smyth is now the sole survivor from Stan Cullis's winning side 65 years on.
Theatre-goers in Birmingham will soon get the chance to watch Maureen Lipman in a play about a man's friendship with a large invisible rabbit.
The new production of Harvey is mentioned in BBC News'spreview of 2015 theatre highlights.
Wolverhampton-born comedy actress Meera Syalhas been appointed CBE in the Queen's New Year Honours.
She said: "I'm obviously hugely honoured to be acknowledged amongst so many extraordinary people.
"I feel I'm accepting this on behalf of my parents and many others of their generation who grew up under the Empire and a generation later, how strange and wonderful to be here."
Staffordshire County Council is reminding people ringing in the new year that it has banned Chinese lanterns from being released from its land.
The authority has warned people the lanterns can pose a fire risk and harm livestock.
An investigation has been started over reports passengers on a train travelling from Wales to Birminghamwere forced to travel in the driver's cab for part of their journey because of overcrowding.
Arriva Trains Wales said it was looking into the claims, made by passengers using the 09:23 Holyhead to Birmingham service on Saturday.
A suspected thief has been arrested after allegedlyshocking a man with a stun gun disguised as a torch in Birmingham.
The victim told officers he had been attacked after confronting a man tampering with his car on Bromford Road at about 22:30 on Tuesday, police said.
The RMT union says it's been made aware of what it believes to be a credible takeover bid for the failed courier firm City Link.
It comes on the day 2,700 people, including 400 in the West Midlands, are expected to be made redundant after the firm went into administration.
Police have asked the public to look out for a 50-year-old Birmingham manwho has been missing for more than a week.
Baljit Singh has not been seen since leaving his home on Meadow Road in Harborne on 23 December to collect a birthday cake.
A woman who lost her twin babies and spent nine days in a coma after paramedics struggled to access her flat hasspoken of the tragedy.
Jocelyn Bennett was 32 weeks pregnant when she called an ambulance to her home in Pleck House, Druids Heath, because she was suffering severe pain.
Ms Bennett, 27, who collapsed shortly after calling the emergency services, said she was "angry and bitter".
Express and Star
Forty years ago 21 people were killed when bombs were detonated at the Mulberry Bush and Tavern in the Town pubs in Birmingham city centre.
Six men were wrongly convicted for the bombings in 1975 and finally released in 1991.
BBC News Online remembered the anniversary of the atrocity with a look intowhy no-one was brought to justice, BBC WM put together a special documentary, while Midlands Today was live from Birmingham Cathedral where a memorial service was held.
Those recognised in the New Year Honours include ex-Cadbury chairman Sir Adrian Cadbury, of Solihull, who has become a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour for services to business and the community in the UK, particularly Birmingham.
Express and Star
Here's how we reported on Wolves bouncing back to the Championship with promotion under Kenny Jackett.
Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion should put more effort into keeping their best players than signing new talent in January,believes BBC football pundit Robbie Savage.
The former midfielder has been sharing his thoughts on how each Premier League club should approach the forthcoming January transfer window.
Earlier this year a woman called police complaining that she'd not got enough sprinkles on her ice cream.The West Midlands force released audio of the call as part of a warning to only call 999 in an emergency.
Tony Pulis will meet with West Bromwich Albion chairman Jeremy Peace for the first timeon Thursday.
He will bring Dave Kemp with him as his assistant, but decisions are still to be made on the rest of the coaching staff.
The city of Birmingham will always have a key place in one of the world's most famous festive tales.
Charles Dickens did his first ever public reading of A Christmas Carol in Birmingham Town Hall in December 1853.
He is said to have read for nearly three hours in front of an audience of 2,000 people, taking only a short break for a cup of beef tea part way through.
There are still some details to be decided, but the deal to make Tony Pulis West Bromwich Albion's fourth head coach in a yearis expected to proceed without a problem.
It is hoped he will be in the stands at Upton Park for West Brom's New Year's Day visit to West Ham.
Tony Puliswill be appointed as West Brom head coach to succeed the sacked Alan Irvine, reports BBC Sport.
The former Stoke and Crystal Palace manager is likely to be confirmed in the position on Thursday.
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a three-door car with a cape where a window should be.
These two dressed as Supermen were spotted near J4 of the M42 andpulled over on suspicion of driving without insurance.
As we're deep in waistband-challenging days, it's hard to imagine even a Christmas cake the size ofthis award-winner from a woman in Walsall.
Lara Clarke won a gold award at the Cake International contest in November with her 5ft 10in (1.7m) sponge, inspired by Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence.
Ms Clarke also won silver in the large decorative exhibit section at the competition, with a cake based on her favourite Game of Thrones character Tyrion Lannister.
Police investigatingan assault on two women at a bar in Birmingham have released photos of three people they want to speak to.
The two 24-year-olds were attacked at Arca Bar in October following a row over a request for a cigarette.
It was the talked-about TV show that portrayed residents of a Birmingham street as Britain's worst state spongers.
But the unfortunate "stars" of Benefits Street, a five-part Channel 4 documentary,claimed they were tricked into appearing on the show by the film-makers. Here's how we reported their claims.
BBC Local Live
BBC Englandhas been revisiting some of 2014's biggest stories - including the incredible contribution of teenage cancer fundraiser Stephen Sutton, from Staffordshire.
Diagnosed with cancer at the age of 15, Stephen drew up a bucket list of things he wanted to achieve and raised millions of pounds for charity in the process.