Three women were shot during an incident that took place Thursday morning in Westerly. State police have confirmed that one of the victims, age 47, was killed.

Suffolk County will investigate how the Department of Social Services handled allegations of parental abuse in the case of an 8-year-old boy who died last week in his father’s custody.

Federal, state and local law enforcement officials in New York announced the dismantling of a gun trafficking ring on Long Island.

Sir Howard Elston, our sports editor, sits down with the beleaguered chief FIFA honcho as he faces a 90 day suspension over lurid totally false allegations that he is a cheating lying self-deluding thief.

Tudor Grange date for visually impaired swimmers.

Young swimmers compete and learn at Tudor Grange.

Olympians Geraint Thomas and Steven Burke attended the Black Country University Technical College’s ‘Accelerate Live’ event last weekend, inspiring students to learn about science and engineering.

Celebrating the life of a once vibrant lane, soon to be lost due to development.

Join the people of Stirchley in a celebratory walk and laying of floral tributes commemorating the life of a once vibrant street.

The Midlands Racing Club are holding their Grand National Preview on Tuesday

West Midlands Police football unit signs up for Great Birmingham Run.

Initiative follows upsurge in violent incidents.

Helen Dixon House receives grant aid from police charity.

Police watchdog to probe botched slavery investigation on Chinese restaurants.

Six guns seized and five arrested in space of 24 hours.

Police response followed policy before missing man found murdered.

Groundbreaking partnership with HS2 Ltd to design new infrastructure and connectivity.

Good Hope Hospital - in partnership with Healthcare at Home Ltd - is launching its first recovery at home (R@H) service this week

A Good Hope consultant has won international recognition for leading a new treatment study

Czech warms up for Wimbledon with Edgbaston triumph.

Tennis legend to compete in Nature Valley Classic.

Karolina Pliskova joins star-studded Edgbaston line-up.

Rufus Wainwright, Roddy Woomble and more to play for free.

Top attractions coming to Warwickshire.

Exhibition aims to show Birmingham at its best.

Local professionals and businesses win at the inaugural Midlands Beauty Industry Awards 2018.

The Midlands Media Awards is this year to take place at The Holte Suite, Aston Villa FC’s prestigious hospitality centre.

Peter Lowe, Managing Editor of Sky News, is to be chairman of the judging panel for this year’s Midlands Media Awards, shortlisted nominations for which will be announced on Monday, May 13.

Les Reid, of the Coventry Telegraph, has been nominated for four categories at this year’s Awards, which are being held next month.

A £1.4m University of Wolverhampton scheme funded by the Government to help economic growth and job creation is now inviting grant bids from regional businesses.

A Year 13 student from Birmingham Ormiston Academy (BOA) has secured a role with international news network, Russia Today.

Liam & Gaz return from their summer break with a box full of new records including tracks from Paul & The Tall Trees, Michael Kiwanuka & Jimmy Duck Holmes alongside classic cuts from T Bone Walker, Percy Mayfield, Rodney Crowell & The Black Keys.

There’s also an exclusive Blues Kitchen live session with The Blind Boys of Alabama & Amadou & Mariam. The two groups have recently collaborated on 6 tracks - A meeting of southern gospel from Alabama and desert blues from Bamako in Mali. 

** Join Liam & Gaz for a live recording of The Blues Kitchen Podcast **

- Weds 16^th October

- 7pm – 9pm

- The Blues Kitchen Shoreditch (Basement)

- Limited £5 tickets from: bit.ly/bkpodcastlive

To see the Amadou & Mariam & The Blind Boys of Alabama performances in full, head over to The Blues Kitchen YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/BluesKitchenLondon

When you've caught up with the podcast, head over to The Blues Kitchen YouTube channel:
www.youtube.com/BluesKitchenTV

Email the show: radio@theblueskitchen.com

Listen on Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, Mixcloud, Acast & many more…

Gaz & Liam pay tribute to the late, great Ginger Baker alongside some news tunes from Nick Cave & Sturgill Simpson.

There’s also an exclusive Blues Kitchen Session with Dylan LeBlanc & some classic cuts from Slim Harpo, Seasick Steve, Don Covay, Leon Russel & Cream.

** Join Liam & Gaz for a live recording of The Blues Kitchen Podcast **

Limited £5 tickets from: bit.ly/bkpodcastlive

Weds 16th October

7pm – 9pm

The Blues Kitchen Shoreditch

When you've caught up with the podcast, head over to The Blues Kitchen YouTube channel:
www.youtube.com/BluesKitchenTV

Email the show: radio@theblueskitchen.com

Listen on Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, Mixcloud, Acast & many more…

A special episode of The Blues Kitchen Podcast to celebrate Pokey LaFarge's forthcoming LP - 'Rock Bottom Rhapsody'

The guys discuss the new album with Pokey who was kind enough to open up about his experiences & the emotions surrounding the recordings.  

Expect to hear 4 brand new songs from the LP - perhaps Pokey's finest work to date. 

** This is an additional Podcast - usual service will resume with our next episode being released on Monday 13th April **

When you've caught up with the podcast, head over to The Blues Kitchen YouTube channel:
www.youtube.com/BluesKitchenTV

Check out The Blues Chronicles:
https://theblueschronicles.com/events/

Email the show: radio@theblueskitchen.com

Listen on Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, Mixcloud, Acast & many more…

Richard Lutz survives a full assault of Jools Holland.

Richard Lutz takes his pew at the Royal Shakespeare Theatrefor that most famous of revenge plays.

Imagine a 30 foot high Ariel towering above Propero - that’s what you get in this groundbreaking performance, says Richard Lutz

This week, we bring you a very special talk with Abiodun Oyewole of The Last Poets. We chatted with him about his extensive and fascinating life and work. We’re very proud to bring you this incredible bit of living history.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/19/ for full show notes and comments.

This week, we have a two-part extravaganza. In the first half of the show, we have a conversation from this past fall with rising star Dee-1. We chat with the New Orleans native about his city, his music, and why the “Stop Snitching” movement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. After that, we talk to r&b star Bilal about his songwriting process, how to avoid being “corny” when writing love songs, and his memoires of super-producer J. Dilla.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/29/ for full show notes and comments.

This week, we talk to one of our favorite up-and-coming rappers, Meyhem Lauren. Lauren’s rapping agility, style, sense of humor, and love of a gourmet meal have moved him way up on our list in just a handful of year. Along with his friends and frequent collaborators Roc Marciano and childhood friend Action Bronson, he is leading a resurgance of New York rap. We talked to Lauren about his career, his beef with Pitchfork, and lots more!

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/33/ for full show notes and comments.

This show, we bring you Umar bin Hassan of The Last Poets. Umar is a long-running and key member of the legendary group, and we talk to him about everything he’s seen. From his youthful adventures as a shoeshine boy to being forced out of his hometown on pain of death; from being a veritable prince of Harlem to his battles with drug addiction; from Gil Scott-Heron to Miles Davis — we travel through it all.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/51/ for full show notes and comments.

We have a very special episode of Outside the Lines With Rap Genius for you. It’s been one year almost to the day since Kendrick Lamar’s instant classic good kid, m.A.A.d city was released, and RG’s very own Nicole Otero sat down with K. Dot to get inside the record. Get the behind-the-scenes scoop on what inspired one of the most heralded albums of recent years, straight from the artist himself.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/53/ for full show notes and comments.

This episode, we talk the best of old-school NYC life and hip-hop with two folks who know it better than almost anybody. MC Serch is best known for his work with 3rd Bass, but has also executive produced classic albums (including a little one called Illmatic), hosted TV shows, and more.

Blake “KEO” Lethem is a true hip-hop Renaissance man. From being an influential graffiti artist to arguably the first white rapper to designing album covers for the likes of MF DOOM, Blake has seen and done it all, and shares much of it with us here. We talk nightlife, stardom, graffiti’s TRUE relationship to hip-hop, and that time Hammer put out a hit on 3rd Bass.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/55/ for full show notes and comments.

Lance Scott Walker began his journey to document the Houston rap scene and surrounding culture with photographer Peter Beste in 2004, quickly discovering just how much there was to learn. But Houston rap - and the layers of community and culture that surround it - goes so much beyond the music. The book engages with the community surrounding the music just as much as the music and artists themselves, providing insight into the great changes brought upon some of the city’s most historic neighborhoods through gentrification and how those changes affect the city’s people.

In our conversation with Lance, we talked the significance of the local and national success of groups like Geto Boys, the long lasting influence of DJ Screw, the city’s obsession with syrup, gentrification overtaking old historical neighborhoods, and much more.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/59/ for full show notes and comments.

Bishop Lamont is one of the West Coast’s premiere lyricists. He first came to rap fans’ attention with his 2004 mixtape Who I Gotta Kill To Get A Record Deal. The title proved prophetic, as shortly afterwards he was scooped up by Dr. Dre.

During his time on Aftermath, Bishop released a ton of fantastic free “street albums,” but not a proper debut, and he left the label after several years in limbo. His latest release is The (P)Reformation, and his long-awaited album The Reformation will be out later this year.

We talked to the often-controversial rapper about his relationships with Dilla and Proof, how he was rhyming about Selma before it was cool, his pre-rap life as a stuntman – and, of course, cartoons. Plenty of cartoons.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/96/ for full show notes and comments.

Allah B is a longtime member of the Nation of Gods and Earths, formerly known as the Five Percenters. He grew up in Harlem in the 1950s and 60s, a time when the Nation of Islam had huge influence thanks to its minister, Malcolm X. Clarence 13X Smith was an NOI member who became disenchanted with the group around 1963, and formed his own organization the following year. Clarence quickly became known as “Allah” or “The Father,” and most of his early disciples were teenage boys, Allah B among them.

The group, originally known as the Five Percenters and now as the Nation of Gods and Earths, grew steadily until Allah’s murder in June 1969. It would have a rebirth in the 1980s and 90s, as many of the young children raised in the group’s beliefs would go into hip-hop and spread Five Percenter beliefs, slang, and practices far and wide.

If you’ve ever listened to Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, or the Wu-Tang Clan, said “Peace” or “word,” or stood in a b-boy stance, you owe a huge debt to the Gods and Earths, whether you realize it or not. Allah B has been there for the group’s whole history, and shares it with us in this interview.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/151/ for full show notes and comments.

TC is a DJ, emcee, and producer who began his career as a teenager in the mid-1980s, releasing several singles. But even back then, he was already an important member of the Zulu Nation, and eventually became a surrogate son, confidant, and musical collaborator of the organization’s leader, Afrika Bambaataa.

TC’s main musical contribution is combining hip-hop with dance music to create a unique hybrid he calls “hipstep.” Hipstep, which has its roots in both UK dance music and Bambaataa’s early experiments with electro, takes the tempos and sounds of drum and bass, jungle, and other dance genres, and brings them together with TC’s inimitable rhymes and song concepts.

The Zulu Nation, of course, has been rocked by scandal ever since a former member, Ronald “Bee Stinger” Savage, came forward this past spring with allegations of sexual abuse against Bambaataa. We’ll get TC’s comments on that as well, and his thoughts on the inner workings of the organization.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/173/ for full show notes and comments.

Robert is a pianist and producer who has straddled the worlds of jazz, r&b, and hip-hop his entire career. He has toured and recorded with the likes of Q-Tip, Kanye West, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Lupe Fiasco, and countless others. He has also been a key collaborator with his college buddy, the singer Bilal, and has won several r&b Grammys. But he first earned his musical stripes as a jazz player, releasing albums on the iconic jazz label Blue Note Records.

But no matter what genre he’s playing in, or what band he’s working with, Glasper brings his unique style, knowledge, and passion to anything he’s working on. His most recent album, with the Robert Glasper Experiment, is ArtScience.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/174/ for full show notes and comments.

Salaam is a producer who is behind some of the most popular hip-hop, r&b, pop, and dancehall songs of the past several decades. His work with icons like Nas, Amy Winehouse, and The Fugees has been on the airwaves and on the charts consistently since the 1990s.

Salaam is the son of a musician, and got his start early, working on songs with the likes of Kurtis Blow as a teenager in the mid-1980s. By the early 90s, he was already producing hip-hop and dancehall. He did some remixes for an under-appreciated rap group called The Fugees whose first album was on the verge of flopping, and that quickly led to him producing the song “Fu-gee-la” on their monster hit follow up album The Score.

But it was in the early 2000s that Salaam really hit his commercial stride, as he began working closely with Nas on, including many others, the iconic single “Made You Look.” And Remi began working closely with a young singer from London named Amy Winehouse on her 2003 debut Frank, and also produced five songs on her smash hit follow up Back to Black. Miraculously, that’s only the beginning of Salaam’s track record as a producer, musician, composer, and executive.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/183/ for full show notes and comments.

Alan is the head of rock and urban at Entertainment One Music, a record label you may know better by the name it had until 2009, Koch Records. Koch is a label that had hits with veteran artists like Fat Joe’s Terror Squad, KRS-One, The Game, and Snoop Dogg; while also breaking new artists like Unk, Rich Boy, and even a then-new DJ Khaled. Hip-hop fans will remember the period in the mid-2000s where they had huge hits with Jim Jones, the Ying Yang Twins, Unk, Khaled, and more.

But Entertainment One is only a part of Alan’s story. He started out at Sony getting the Fresh Prince his first millions, and then worked at Relativity Records in the early 1990s just as the label was first getting into hip-hop, with artists like Fat Joe, the Beatnuts, and a young guy out of Chicago who called himself Common Sense. Alan was also responsible for helping to make then-regional acts like Three 6 Mafia and 8Ball & MJB rise to national prominence. He even played a key role in Eazy-E’s Ruthless Records during the period of its greatest success.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/203/ for full show notes and comments.