Claims that the Super Prix road race could be returning to Birmingham have met with short shrift from green campaigners who've accused the city council of "double standards". The Stirrer has an objection too - WE'VE HEARD IT ALL BEFORE!>more
On the eve of a Radio Four "You And Yours" investigation into the Digbeth noise debate, The Stirrer has unearthed details of a recent planning application which casts light on Birmingham’s curious attitude to its night time economy.>more
Anger has erupted over a decision by Matthew Boulton College to expel charities and community groups from one of their buildings in inner city Birmingham. A local resident says they've "reneged on their promises" - a claim the college denies.>more
Lynn Hawthorne has discovered an astonishing discrepancy in the amount of arts spending in Sandwell compared to Birmingham. Is it a culture of inequality - or an inequality of culture?>more
Well, well, well…it's only taken the rest of the media a month to catch up, but finally questions are being asked about Manchester City's new owner - the former Thai president Thaksin Sinawatra.>more
Latest reports suggest the cost of widening the M6 between the West Midlands and Manchester could be £1,000 per mile making it the most expensive piece of tarmac in history. John Gale from the Group Against Motorway Expansion (or GAME) sets out the alternatives.>more
Birmingham councillor Martin Mullaney reckons the city is "missing a trick" by failing to charge builders for parking skips on the road. He estimates that a proper licensing regime could bring in more than £1 million a year to the local authority's coffers - and improve the environment.>more
Birmingham MP Gisela Stuart has been telling The Stirrer why she's breaking ranks with the government and demanding a referendum on the EU constitution.>more
Royal Mail has confirmed that West Midlands Post Office workers whose jobs are being "franchised" to WH Smith won't be able to transfer their pay and conditions. >more
While Birmingham puzzles over the possibility of an Olympic pool, swimmers in some parts of the Black Country would be grateful to have any kind of facility at all.>more
A chance meeting with GAME - the Group Against Motorway Expansion - has got The Stirrer's poet laureate Brendan Hawthorne all fired up this week. They've got him angry about the proposed expansion of the M6 through beautiful Staffordshire countryside to four lanes.>more
28-07-2007 It has been claimed that Birmingham City Council can't issue compulsory redundancy notices to its 55,000 strong workforce - because it has an official policy which rules out the practice.>more
The Queen and five million other Britons could be banned from travelling on the M4 and M25 motorways next week under one of the most draconian injunctions ever drawn up. Stirrer readers who are members of the National Trust or RSPB could be affected too.>more
Birmingham City Council has finally given the go ahead for the £3.5 million refurbishment of the swimming baths at Wyndley Leisure Centre in Sutton Coldfield - as forecast in The Stirrer more than week ago.>more
These are, without doubt, the best left-field listings in the West Midlands. Whether it's Irish movies in the courtyard of the Rainbow pub or Dr Jekyll visiting Wolverhampton, don't ever complain again that there's nothing to do. >more
Amazing how the life and death of one animal can suddenly capture the zeitgeist. Remember the Tamworth Two? Now it's Shambo the sacred bullock. So how come we can empathise with one slaughtered beast while turning a blind eye to the rest?>more
Two Birmingham councillors have hit back at allegations that they are trying to "railroad" residents into accepting a new traffic scheme in the south of the city, designed to end a popular "rat run".>more
Around 70 people gathered in Digbeth last night to mark the start of a new Parent Power movement designed to improve the quality of Birmingham's education system.>more
Fresh from their recent Glastonbury triumph, Kaiser Chiefs have announced a second NIA show this morning owing to "phenomenal demand" for the first date. >more
The government announced this week that three million affordable new homes are in the pipeline - so why is Birmingham busy knocking down the ones it already has? >more
Birmingham is at the centre of an illegal trade in importing, buying and selling fighting dogs. An undercover BBC investigation has identified ten people involved in this vile business - and six of those come from the West Midlands.>more
If you want something to look forward to amid the miserable weather, The Stirrer can reveal that a few tickets have just come onto the market for one of the biggest cricket occasions of the year - and it's at Edgbaston.>more
Royal Mail is being accused of thumbing its nose at laws designed to protect workers - and they're doing it, critics say, with the connivance of the government.>more
The Stirrer can reveal that Aston Villa are talking to a major pop promoter about bringing stadium gigs back to the region - but with Liverpool FC having announced plans for a new 60,000 ground isn't it time the West Midlands had something similar?>more
In the first of a two-parter about old Birmingham, The Stirrer's Laurence Inman recalls an era when every building was blackened with soot, and that "because you're worth it" smell was probably horse manure.>more
Bit of a curiosity this one…one of Britain's biggest pop stars playing a handful of songs for an invitation-only audience of around 250 people in the restaurant of the Radisson SAS Hotel.>more
Roads pricing won’t be coming anytime soon to the West Midlands. At today's crunch meeting of local council leaders and Centro, it was decided to bid instead for public transport improvements worth £4.5 billion.>more
Are the detainees in Guantanamo Bay tortured? Not according to President Bush. But by anyone else's standards, that's exactly what's happening reckons Dr David Nicholl. >more
Britain's esteemed national press didn't miss the opportunity to stick the boot into Auntie Beeb as revelations of lying emerged. But Mick Temple warns - never trust a journalist.>more
Poetry Wednesbury - a posse of Black Country versifiers led by our very own Brendan Hawthorne - has a new home, and they'll be staging their first performance there this week.>more
Government plans to invest £128 million in Birmingham’s New Street station have been given a guarded welcome by the city's deputy leader Paul Tilsley. >more
With the Environment Agency coming in for flak over its handling of the weekend's floods, there's evidence in Birmingham that at least some lessons have been learned. But not the key one of avoiding building on the flood plain…>more
In the wake of the government's pledge to create more affordable homes, The Stirrer can reveal that Birmingham City Council has demolished 20,000 council houses in the last six years - reducing the stock by 23%. >more
While Birmingham has been looking to China for investment - most notably with the new owners of Londgbridge, Nanjing Automobile - Wolverhampton is going global by linking up with the Punjab. >more
Whoooooo….scary biker types with tattoos alert…a fearsome foursome of metal acts are coming to the NEC in November…headed by hairy Californians Machine Head.>more
Birmingham councillor Ken Hardeman who died last week will have a private family funeral in the next few days - although there are plans for a public memorial service in September. >more
Following the weekend floods, The Stirrer's not the only one with internet footage of how the West Midlands was affected. Click here to see our recommended list.
SPARKHILL FLOODS - EXCLUSIVE FOOTAGE
23-07-2007
Residents in Birmingham - like thousands of others around the Midlands - are still coming to terms with a weekend of flooding. More than 35 people were evacuated from their homes in Sparkhill on Friday night when the River Cole burst its banks. Naveed Mughal speaks to some of those affected. Click here to watch
The Stirrer's campaign to Keep Digbeth Vibrant has now taken the form of an online petition - organised by a resident of the Abacus apartments close to the Spotted Dog pub which has been served with a Noise Abatement Order. >more
The latest Harry Whatsisface book came out this weekend…and the flood of publicity wasn't the only unwelcome deluge to attract the attention of The Stirrer's poet laureate Brendan Hawthorne.>more
People in many parts of Birmingham and the Black Country having to deal with flooding this morning, after an epic downpour lasting more than 24 hours. One of the Stirrer's community correspondents Naveed Mughal was on the spot in Sparkhill to take these shocking pictures.>more
Half a dozen cabinet ministers have owned up this week to smoking cannabis, kick-starting a national debate about drugs. Now The Stirrer has been contacted by a Birmingham man whose family is being torn apart by substance abuse - and he wants your advice. >more
Popular local radio presenter Malcom Boyden has been telling The Stirrer how he woke up blind after a recent eye operation - and says that it's still "touch and go" whether he'll ever fully regain his sight. >more
"You know the chorus is on it's way and you know you'll probably get flattened." Yes, it's Leeds' finest, and even if you're unconvinced of their worth, Britain's finest music writer Paul Samuels will sweep away your doubts. Check out the Showaddywaddy anecdote too.>more
He's got seven marathons in seven days on seven continents coming up next year, but for now Black Country runner Dave Heeley has been enjoying himself with the family at wedding. Well, if you count losing the cap on your tooth and getting drenched as enjoyment he has.>more
Can't find a venue for your band rehearsal, community group or art exhibition? As Edward Cameron has discovered, you could be just the person the owners of a landmark building in Birmingham are looking for.>more
Tory councillor and Stirrer message board regular Peter Douglas Osborn warned this week that Birmingham’s parks are endangered by government house-building targets. If he wants to find a real threat to our precious green spaces, maybe he should be looking closer to home.>more
The government has escaped scot free in the cash forhonours row, but I'll bet you a peerage to a knighthood that no ordinary voter believes the system is clean. The way politics is organised in Britain makes it intrinsically liable to corruption.>more
"Talk Like A Brummie Day" which has featured extensively on The Stirrer over recent weeks is about to go national, with a feature tonight on the BBC's "One Show" - presented, of course, by local lad Adrian Chiles>more
Family rights campaigner and Birmingham MP John Hemming says the government was warned five years ago not to set adoption targets for toddlers - but went ahead anyway and created "a runaway steamroller destroying families" >more
Former Wolverhampton mayor Phil Bateman got more than he bargained for in the toilets of Wolverhampton's Civic Centre last week - just as he sat down in the Gents, he was showered with a downpour from the leaky roof.>more
Birmingham's Health watchdog has said she's "delighted" by the government's decision to order an enquiry into plans to downgrade Accident and Emergency Services at City Hospital.>more
It's often claimed that the BBC's function is to keep the rest of the broadcasting world honest…so when the Corporation is deceiving viewers and listeners, has it lost its basic purpose?>more
The Home Secretary and Redditch MP Jacqui Smith has admitted breaking the law by smoking cannabis during her student days at Oxford. The confession comes following Smith's appointment to head a new national drugs strategy.>more
Stirrer editor Adrian Goldberg has been named in the inaugural Birmingham Post Power 50 - listing the West Midland's most influential people. Digby Jones - or as we'll have to get used to calling him, Lord Jones - istop.>more
Birmingham Council insists that it's determined to press ahead with plans for a new Central Library in Centenary Square - but admits that a key report, due to be finished by spring, still hasn't been completed. >more
The doctor who raised the alarm about the possible link between the MMR jab and autism - Dr Andrew Wakefield - is facing charges of serious professional misconduct. Barbara Panvel wonders if his supporters and critics are both missing something.>more
Here’s a shock confession. Staffordshire University politics professor Mick Temple won’t be buying the diaries that lift the lid on Tony Blair's ten years in power. Not yet anyway. Here's why.>more
We're less than 48 hours away from Talk Like A Brummie Day, and already the dictionary of local words is building up. Time to get your tongue round your R's >more
Remember when plans for a new Birmingham central library were a matter of raging controversy? The Stirrer does, and we want to know what happened to the report into the scheme, which we were told to expect in "late Spring." >more
Never mind the current row between Britain and Russia over expelled diplomats…The Stirrer has uncovered a far more worrying spat on our doorstep. Is World War Three about to blow up between Birmingham and the Black Country over a poorly maintained park?>more
Calls by the Chief Medical Officer Liam to make organ donation compulsory - unless you specifically opt out - pits individual freedom against the collective good. But behind these high-minded principles it comes down to a simple matter of life and death. >more
Mick Scully's Little Moscow - a collection of short stories published by Birmingham's very own Tindal Street Press - has had oodles of favourable mentions in these pages. And here's another one, from Laurence Inman.>more
The European Union is considering setting aside "set aside" - the fields which farmers don't grow crops on, but which they still get paid for - because basic foodstuffs like wheat and barley are getting scarcer and rocketing in price. Barbara Panvel reports on why it makes sense to encourage more local produce.>more
Birmingham Council leader Mike Whitby has been paying tribute to Cabinet colleague Ken Hardeman who died in the early hours of this morning. Whitby described him as "24/7 politician" and said he was "at the peak of his political career".>more
Birmingham's Council's Cabinet Member for Regeneration Ken Hardeman has died. The popular Brandwood councillor passed away in the early hours of this morning at City Hospital.>more
Supporters of Dr Andrew Wakefield - who first suggested a link between the MMR vaccine and autism - claim that he's the victim of a "witch hunt" by the General Medical Council, which is currently assessing his fitness to practice. Dr David Nicholl, a neurologist at City Hospital in Birmingham, begs to differ.>more
More than 1,400 Brummies have pledged to cut their carbon emissions following the successful launch of a new campaign to combat climate change at the bullring shopping centre yesterday.>more
A nice friendly "hello" from a professional "greeter" as you enter the supermarket? In the Black Country? You must be joking reckons Lynn Hawthorne.>more
Birmingham author Mick Scully, whose recent collection of short stories Little Moscow has earned rave reviews, gives a free reading next Thursday (July 26) at 6pm at Prowler in Stephenson Street, Birmingham.>more
Bournville chocolate maker Cadbury has been fined £1 million plus £152,000 costs at Birmingham Crown Court today after it admitted poisoning 42 people with salmonella.>more
Reports that more the 3 million new council houses will be built are wide of the mark have been dismissed as "the same old claptrap" by a Birmingham campaigner - who warns that too many of the wrong kind of homes are being built.>more
The Stock Exchange has confirmed today that Hong Kong millionaire Carson Yeung has bought at 29.9% stake in Birmingham City. Yeung says his buy-in, at a cost of more than £14 million, is the prelude to a takeover of the club.>more
Stirrer editor Adrian Goldberg is launching a major new initiative to help combat climate change in Birmingham today. The campaign has the backing of Blues chief executive Karren Brady, BRMB's Rick Vaughan and the Birmingham Mail.>more
West Midlands health campaigners have accused the medical establishment of carrying out a "witch hunt" against controversial doctor Andrew Wakefield, who first suggested a link between autism and the MMR vaccine. Wakefield and two colleagues could be struck off at a hearing which starts today in London. >more
Richard Littlejohn's documentary about the rise of anti-semitism in modern Britain continues to provoke debate. Here's the view of Rabbi Leonard Tann from Birmingham's Singer's Hll synagogue.>more
In the end, just five jobs were lost when the Royal Brierley factory in Dudley closed last week, but that only tells part of the story. The company had been making quality glass in the Black Country for 231 years, and once employed 700 people. Brendan Hawthorne reads the last rites.>more
On the day that press baron Lord Conrad Black joined a long list of shady peers after being convicted of fraud, it emerged that the cost of policing one of the few honest men in Westminster, the Redditch anti-war campaigner Brian Haw, had risen to £110,000.>more
The government’s reform of the national curriculum has caused outrage, because knowledge of Winston Churchill is apparently no longer compulsory - even when discussing World war Two. Lynne Habermacher thinks there are some even more important people who’ve been left out.>more
Well publicised plans by a Birmingham councillor to take graffiti artists off the street and give them their own art gallery have been scrapped after the sale of the proposed venue - Moseley's Epic Skate Park.>more
Health bosses have rejected claims that Birmingham's new £545 million QE superhospital is the most overspent scheme in the West Midlands. They reckon the Taxpayers Alliance, who are making the allegations have got their sums wrong. >more
It's almost a decade since G8 in Birmingham,when thousands of people formed a human ring around the ICC to show their belief in the cancellation of Third World Debt. Now, as Audrey Miller reports, local campaigners are taking their message to the people in power once again. >more
Who would be a marathon runner, training in this weather? Blind Dave Heeley has little choice as he prepares for his epic 777 challenge next year. Mind, there's still some time for carpentry and birthday cake.>more
With postal workers engaged on another 24 hour strike, The Stirrer is curious to know who is supposed to profit from the reorganisation of Royal Mail. Not the people of Erdington, whose main post office is being closed and the service reduced.>more
The Stirrer's debate about the future of Digbeth is about to go national. We understand that a reporting team from BBC Radio 4 will be in the area this weekend.>more
The leader of Wolverhampton Councillor Roger Lawrence has defended his city's failure to recycle plastic from residents homes - and claims that, where it is collected, it often ends up in landfill sites. >more
Classical music fans have been flocking to see the CBSO in greater numbers than ever before. Last year they sold more than 106,000 tickets - the highest since the Orchestra was created in 1920.>more
Over the last 24 hours David Cameron's been upstaged in his efforts to position himself as Tony Blair's "Mini-Me" - first by Gordon Brown, and now by the Lib Dems who are promising to soak the rich to deliver tax cuts to the rest of us. >more
Stirrer readers in Cotteridge have been complaining on this site about plans for a new takeaway - which would "take away" another shop unit from the area's daytime economy. Well, we've got some good news for them.>more
This website has questioned Birmingham's record on recycling and raised questions about Sandwell's wheelie bins. But they are paragons of virtue compared to Wolverhampton.>more
Were the Birmingham pub bombings caused by government agents seeking to justify new anti-terror legislation? Almost certainly not. But the very fact that someone could ask it, poses an interesting question in its own right reckons Laurence Inman.>more
Solihull and Wolverhampton are confident their plans for large-scale casinos will still get the go-ahead - despite the government’s U-turn on a supercasino for Manchester.>more
They're calling it Smoke-On-Trent, because a council blunder means the Potteries town is the one place in the country where the recent smoking ban doesn't apply. What a drag, says Mick Temple. >more
The Sandwell BNP councillor who made racist comments on his official local authority website should be banned from holding public office for life according to a West Midlands equalities expert. >more
The Stirrer understands that Wyndley Leisure centre - one of the Birmingham pools at the centre of a £90 million rebuilding row - is to get a refurb costing just £3.5 million.>more
Sandwell is hitting the tourist trail today, with the appointment of the first officer dedicated to attracting visitors to the borough. Our only question is why didn’t it happen sooner? We’ve been getting ideas for a great day in Sandwell from some prominent local residents.>more
Claims that it will cost £90 million to rebuild three Birmingham swimming baths have been dismissed as "pure fantasy" by the councillor in charge. And he also re-affirmed the city's commitment to an Olympic sized pool.>more
Skateboarding? Old hat. As Lynn Hawthorne reports, the really adventurous young men in Birmingham have come up with a new way to break limbs - and not only their own.>more
With the axe hanging over hundreds more Post Offices, and more strikes threatened at Royal Mail Barbara Panvel takes a deeper look behind the current crisis affecting a service that was once the envy of the world. >more
“Q” Magazine once told us that White Stripes are among the 50 Bands You Should See Before You Die. Now’s your chance - they’re coming to the NEC in October.>more
It's 670 pages long, but Iain Duncan Smith's report on keeping families together boils down to some key financial headlines. If his proposals were accepted by a Cameron government, married couples could be £32 a week better off through tax credits.>more
The mystery deepens over the £90 million cost of rebuilding three Birmingham swimming pools. A Birmingham councillor has told us that just six months ago, repairing Moseley Road baths was estimated at no more than £20 million, but now seems to have soared by £10 million.>more
The Stirrer has long been concerned about the lack of openness in the planning system - witness the row over the new probation centre in Kitts Green. Now one reader from Cotteridge has discovered it's too late to object to the opening of another takeaway where he lives. Here’s his letter to Birmingham Council.>more
According to the Daily Mail's Richard Littlejohn, anti-semitism is on the rise again. No longer confined to the far right, this ancient prejudice now has allies among Muslim extremists and socialists. But did his programme prove there's a war taking place?>more
The Stirrer has been told that the controversial Public Arts Centre in West Bromwich should finally open next Spring - with Sandwell Council bosses expecting around 150,000 visitors a year to its new interactive gallery.>more
Manchester Disunited, The Stirrer's documentary about the takeover of England's most famous football club has earned a rave review in the latest edition of premier fanzine When Saturday Comes.>more
Four men have been convicted today of a botched terrorist attack in London - including one man, Yassin Omar, who fled to Birmingham dressed in a burqa.>more
Birmingham MP and councillor John Hemming has accused Council officials of "misleading" the public over the cost of rebuilding three swimming pools in the city - and says that at least one head should roll. >more
Labour bye-election supremo (and West Brom MP) Tom Watson who is helping Labour's campaign in Ealing and Southall has blamed political disappointment for the defection of five local councillors to the Conservatives.>more
One of the highlights of Birmingham Rep's new season announced today is a collaboration between TV historian Simon Schama, and the writer Caryl Phillips who went to school in Birmingham.>more
The Stirrer understands that local heroes Editors and The Twang have been lined up for Birmingham Artsfest in September, giving the fading event a rare hint of glamour. The CBSO and BRB will also collaborate to share the stage on Saturday night. >more
One of the West Midlands most popular tourist attractions, the Severn Valley Railway, is being bailed out by Advantage West Midlands as part of a £1 million aid package following last month’s floods.>more
As we reported on Saturday, The Stirrer's debate about the future of Digbeth could have a major impact on plans to redevelop the area, with some members of the Irish Club now fearful of selling out to developers (see the story here). Meantime, Moseley and Kings Heath councillor Martin Mullaney goes on a pub crawl to put the area to the test.>more
One of Birmingham’s most popular politicians Ken Hardeman has told The Stirrer he hopes to be out of hospital on Wednesday - but admitted that it was "touch and go" when he was admitted a fortnight ago with pneumonia and a viral infection.>more
Millionaires riding in on private jets to tell us all how to live a greener lifestyle? The Stirrer's poet laureate Brendan Hawthorne watches Live Earth with a jaded eye.>more
Digbeth's multi million pound regeneration could be jeopardised by the current row over the Spotted Dog pub. The Stirrer understands that plans for a major development in the area will be put forward early next week - but the scheme could collapse if no agreement is reached over acceptable noise levels.>more
Now that it's emerged that the cost of repairing just three of Birmingham's swimming pools will be in the region of £90 million, surely it's time to pull the plug on the city's vainglorious dream of an Olympic pool.>more
The release this week of the BBC's Gaza correspondentAlan Johnston was greatnews, but sadly not every journalist is so lucky. Andy Goff reports on the death toll among residents of the so-called Street of Shame.>more
He does gigs in chip shops and once gave Mark E Smith a ride home after being mistaken for a cabbie. Yes, it’s warm-hearted but frankly shambolic singer songwriter Badly Drawn Boy >more
On the weekend on the Live Earth concerts, The Stirrer unveils his latest video…a taster of a new pledge campaign encouraging Brummies to do their small bit to combat climate change.>more
Do we need “Baby On Board” badges to encourage public transport users to give up their seats for pregnant women wonders Liz Akers of the London-based Team Nice movement? Er, probably.>more
Regular readers will know that The Stirrer has been banned by BBC Online from appearing on its lists of approved local news websites - but that hasn’t prevented the Corporation from printing a prominent link to the far-right British National Party.>more
West Midlands radio legend Malcolm Boyden has been telling The Stirrer how he fears for his sight after an operation which could leave him blind in one eye.>more
The government's new plan to give "power to the people" in Birmingham by handing over a large slice of the council's budget to the community has been greeted with bemusement by senior councillors. They haven't been told how much cash they'll have to give up, or how it will be allocated.>more
Typical. West Midlands rail operator Central Trains have announced a significant improvement in their performance. How ironic that it’s arrived too late. As Edward Cameron reports, Central are heading for oblivion.>more
"Do It Again", "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" and "Reelin' In the Years" are such an awesome pop-rock triumvirate, they’d keep any ordinary band in business for years. It says everything about Steely Dan that they didn't play even one of these classics - and they weren't missed.>more
Council taxpayers in Birmingham will be given a direct say in how their money is spent under a new initiative being launched in the city today by Communities Secretary Hazel Blears. >more
Blind marathon runner Dave Heeley is travelling to London today to have talks with a national broadcaster about his attempt to run seven marathons in seven days on seven continents next year.>more
John Hemming, the family rights campaigner and Birmingham MP has lashed out at what he calls the government’s "adoption machine" after discovering that the number of children taken into care under the age of five has almost doubled in little more than a decade.>more
Birmingham's Bullring shopping centre and New Street station have emerged as the city's favourite screen locations according to figures published today. And it's claimed that TV and film now contribute more than £1million a month to the local economy.>more
The Stirrer’s questioning of the Chamberlain Square beach - which is ringed by adverts for air travel - prompts Barbara Panvel to wonder whether an elected mayor for Birmingham would be any more responsive to the tax paying public.>more
Sod Tony Blair’s legacy…what will our grouchy old scribe Laurence Inman leave behind? At least onedecent driver in the family, and a fuzzy picture apparently.>more
Gordon Brown has said that he doesn't want to create a "two tier parliament" by banning Scottish MPs from voting on English affairs. He's actually done something much worse - he's created a "two tier country".>more
One of the most tranquil spots in urban Birmingham - Edgbaston’s Ravenhurst Playing Fields - is again coming under pressure from developers after it emerged that the house-builder Wimpey plans to put in a planning application in the autumn.>more
As Gordon Brown prepares to celebrate his first full week as Prime Minister, it’s remarkable just how many MP’s from West Midlands are close to the seat of power.>more
Birmingham City Council has joined in our debate about the future of Digbeth - but their reply is more significant for what it doesn’t say than what it does.>more
Kidnapped BBC journalist Alan Johnston has been set free this morning after being held hostage for four months in Gaza by a group called the Army Of Islam.>more
In the wake of the weekend's attempted car bombings in Glasgow and London, it’s emerged that all eight suspects who've been arrested work for the NHS - including Dr Mohammed Asha, who allegedly has links to Birmingham. Good medic that he is, Dr David Nicholl corrects a false diagnosis.>more
Regular readers will knowthere have been bitter disputes about the future of special needs education in Birmingham, but after a meeting yesterday, Jonathan Harris - who has two autistic children - reckons parents are finally being listened to.>more
This weekend, the West Midlands gets its first chance to meet Team Nice - people who reckon that politeness and courtesy can defeat anti-social behaviour. They'll be making their debut on Saturday at CoCoMad, the Cotteridge Community Festival. Liz Akers explains more.>more
West Midlands Police have released CCTV footage showing the build-up to the fatal shooting of shopkeeper Mohammed Basharat in Lozells last November.>more
Stirrer editor Adrian Goldberg hosted a sell-out show at MAC last night of the documentary Taking Liberties, followed by a lively Q&A. Check him out along with fellow panellists Simon Ware (Amnesty), campaigner Dr David Nicholl and ex Guantanamo Bay detainee Moazzam Begg.>more
Birmingham MP John Hemming wants the right to name and shame doctors and social workers responsiblefor tearingfamilies apart- andhe’ll be taking his battle to the Royal Courts of Justice today.>more
Hoorah! It seems like Birmingham councillors have been reading The Stirrer. We've been saying for ages that there's no joined up thinking on environmental issues in the city - and now a green scrutiny committee has come up with the same conclusion.>more
Fear not Warwickshire fans. Although you’ve been denied the chance to buy former player Paul Smith’s new book at the Edgbaston shop, he’s organised a signing session in Harborne this weekend to make up for it.>more
As exclusively forecast by The Stirrer last week, the demolition of Birmingham's landmark HP Sauce factory began yesterday. It's been claimed elsewhere that a new business park on the site will create around 200 jobs, but The Stirrer reckons this is a highly dubious statistic. >more
Now that he's gone, did Tony Blair's mantra pass the test where it mattered most - in the classroom? Black Country teacher Lynn Hawthorne does the marking.>more
Introducing a new regular columnist, Wolverhampton's very own Tory Boy Matthew Revell considers the smoking ban, and wonders why so many people who share his political persuasion feel obliged to oppose it. >more
One of the finest paintings by renowned northern artist L S is now on display in the The Stirrer arts gallery. But what's this? Tut Tut. Pete Millington's spotted some yoboos with spray paint.>more
In light of the latest terror crisis, how much freedomare you prepared to sacifice? Come and join The Stirrer tonight fora screening of the documentary Taking Liberties at MAC - then join in the post show discussion.>more
A celeb-fest with a distinctly dodgy line-up? Or a fitting memorial to a great British woman? Ros Dodd finds theConcert For Diana stirs up some unexpected emotions.>more
West Midlands Police have invoked wide ranging “stop and search” powers in the wake of the weekend’s terror threats in Glasgow and London. It means the cops can check out any individual or vehicle as they see fit.>more
The Stirrer has positive news about Birmingham Council’s popular Cabinet member for Regeneration Ken Hardeman, who has been in an oxygen tent at City Hospital with breathing problems.>more
The Stirrer can reveal that Wolves legend Derek Dougan who died last weekend opened talks about writing an autobiography just three days before he died. >more
Blimey! A new prime minister, a terrorism threat AND a ban on smoking in public places? Sounds like a good week for our resident poet Brendan Hawthorne.>more
