Birmingham Post

Cultivate a Taste for Fresh, Locally-Produced Food

The Birmingham Post is today launching a new initiative to encourage more restaurants, schools and consumers to buy locally- produced food. The campaign, backed by the Prince of Wales, will urge caterers to do more to support producers in the region.

How Ross Was Driven to the Edge by School Bully

A six-year-old Midland boy was so traumatised by a school bully that he threatened to kill himself with a kitchen knife. Ross Tonks grabbed the knife at his home in Bedworth, Warwickshire, after his mother Rosemary insisted he went to school.

Pricing People Off the Rails

Passengers on the busiest rush hour trains into Birmingham could be priced back into their cars in an effort to manage overcrowding without new investment. Rail bosses admit the move, which could see morning peak fares rise by 20 per cent over five years, risks deepening the city's road congestion crisis.

Two Die As Farm Workers' Minibus Flips On to Side

Two people died yesterday after a minibus carrying agricultural workers crashed into a central barrier and flipped on to its side. The vehicle had been travelling along the A46 from Alcester towards Bidford-on-Avon just before 5am when it was involved in the collision near the Wixford bridge, said Warwickshire Police.

Midlands Rail Network Facing Huge Upheaval ; Rail Transport Across the Midlands Is Set to Undergo the Biggest Shake-Up in Years

The West Midlands is about to undergo the biggest shake up on the railways in years. It could even be fairly argued today's Route Utilisation Strategy represents the start of a much greater potential reorganisation of track and trains than privatisation did a decade ago.

Worries As Fiddle & Bone Fails to Make Brewery's Revamp List

The future of Birmingham's beleaguered Fiddle & Bone pub remains in doubt after it was omitted from a list of pubs to be developed by British Waterways and a leading brewery. The pub, which was once one of the city's leading music venues, was under review forrefurbishment but has not been included on a new list of projects.

Still Time to Change City Library New Site

Baskerville House could still become the new Birmingham library, city council leader Mike Whitby has confirmed. Coun Whitby (Con Harborne) said that although a pounds 30 million contract has been let to turn the Grade ll listed building in Centenary Square into luxury offices there was still time for a change of heart.

Church 'Gift From God' Fury at Mast

A vicar who claims that cash secured from a plan to install a mobile phone mast in his church spire would be a 'gift from God' has sparked fury among residents. The Rev Matthew Tomlinson, the vicar at St Augustine's Church in Edgbaston, has angered residents by dismissing health concerns associated with phone masts.

Big Brother

Hundreds of fame-hungry hopefuls besieged the auditions for the next series of Channel 4's hit reality TV show Big Brother in Birmingham over the weekend. Ambitious youngsters from across the region congregated at Millennium Point in a desperate bid to be chosen for the show's sixth seriesThe programme's producers ran along the queue looking for potential housemates and the hopefuls did not disappoint them by using a variety of outlandish tactics in an attempt to catch their eye.

Patients Managing Their Illness

Patients living with long-term illnesses in Solihull will be able to learn how they can manage their conditions themselves tomorrow. Solihull Patient Advice and Liaison Service will be running its latest expert patient programme at Chelmsley Wood Library.

Only One Bar Applies for Extended Licence

Birmingham has received just one application for extended pub opening hours under relaxed licensing laws introduced three weeks ago. The city's head of licensing is urging bars and clubs who want to open later to submit applications as soon as possible as only Bar 110, on Colmore Row, has applied to take advantage of new rules which came into force on February 7.

Mystery Fire at School

Ten fire crews battled throughout Saturday night to control a blaze at the Royal School in Wolverhampton. Steel beams in the roof of the steel and timber outbuilding, which housed the school's swimming pool, collapsed inward.

Theatre Group's Morbid Request

A leading Warwickshire drama society is dying to find an unusual prop for a forthcoming production - a coffin. Second Thoughts Drama Group, from Stratfordupon-Avon, is performing the drama The Memory of Water at the Civic Hall in April, and the script calls for a coffin to sit on stage during the second half of the play.

Education Matters: Never Mind the Bullocks: 'Magic Kingdom' of Learning Was a Breath of Fresh Air ; Plain Speaking From Ex-Teacher Brenda Bullock

I expect many of you watched the recent television play, Ahead of the Class, about the late Philip Lawrence's school, starring Julie Walters as Dame Marie Stubbs. Actually, what fascinated me was not so much the play itself but Dame Marie's views on education. What a breath of fresh air!

Education Matters: I Was Sending My Son to School to Be Hit ; Education Correspondent Shahid Naqvi Meets One Family All Too Familiar with the Misery of Bullying

Priorities shift when you become a parent. Your own welfare is no longer the number one priority. Instead, the well-being of your children becomes more important. Their happiness is paramount.

Education Matters: Chancellor Opens City Learning Quarter

Wolverhampton's pounds 8 million new Learning Quarter is to be officially opened by Chancellor Gordon Brown today. The centre aims to provide training facilities to encourage adults back into education.

Education Matters: Reform Language Exams, Kelly Told

Education Secretary Ruth Kelly is facing fresh calls to reform language GCSEs after the exams watchdog warned that French and German studies were in 'chronic decline'. Students drop foreign languages at 16 because GCSEs fail to provide an adequate grounding for A-levels, according to the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.

Education Matters: Truant Toll Is Tip of the Iceberg

Nearly 3,000 pupils have been caught truanting in police sweeps across the West Midlands since they began in December 2002. The number of youngsters apprehended skipping school was revealed as the Department for Education and Skills launched the latest round of its anti-truancy drive.

Think Food - Think Local: How Much From the Region Do Chefs Use ; This Week the Birmingham Post Launches an Initiative Urging Consumers to Buy More Local Produce. Today We Unveil the Findings of a Survey We Commissioned On How Local Restaurants View Regional Food

As the latest high-profile food scare forces hundreds of products off the shelves of supermarkets and restaurant menus, the importance of fresh, unprocessed foods in our diets has never been greater. Even before Sudan 1 was being talked about across the country, more and more consumers had been returning to their local greengrocer or farmers' market for their weekly produce.

Think Food - Think Local: Tomorrow