HERE'S what you need to know from around the Black Country and North Worcestershire today (Thursday).

TV star Eamonn Holmes stopped off in Lye to open the new Sadler's Brew House and Bar.

Click here to read more.

Boris Johnson has given his backing to Dudley North's new Conservative Party candidate for the forthcoming General Election - Councillor Les Jones, who has stepped in to fill the vacancy left in the wake of the Afzal Amin scandal.

To read about it and see the video of Boris and Les click here.

Dudley couple Perry Ware and Anita Homer had to be dramatically rescued by helicopter after bad weather hit a charity trek and overshadowed a romantic proposal on a Nepal mountainside.

To read the story click here.

In Kidderminster, a long campaign to restore a canal boat to be used for community purposes came to fruition today at a ceremony at Stourport canal basins.

To read all about it click here.

And three men were arrested and drugs seized after police swooped on an address in Kidderminster today as part of the county-wide Operation Protect, the largest operation delivered across all communities served by West Mercia and Warwickshire police.

To read more click here.

For more news and information on Operation Project from across West Mercia click here.

Meanwhile police are investigation an indecent exposure incident in Redditch.

To read more click here.